Difference Between b450 and x470 Motherboards

We cannot underestimate the importance of motherboards in the PC world. And with the recent increased interest in Ryzen processors, so many PC users are looking for the right motherboards for the Ryzen CPUs. If you are not so savvy about motherboards, it could be a daunting task to choose the right one. However, the Gigabyte b450 and Asus x470 motherboards are two of the best motherboards in the market.

Frequently asked Questions

Comparing B450 vs x470 Motherboards

Well, if you are looking to buy either of the B450 motherboard or X470 motherboard, you are in the right place. Although both motherboards support AMD processors, they are different in so many ways. We are going to explain their differences to help you choose wisely.

Buy it now: here

B450 vs x470 motherboards – features

There are good reasons why you should choose B450 over X470 and there are other good reasons why many users would prefer the latter. Let’s begin with the features of the x470 motherboard

The x470 Motherboard is powered by a 7th generation Athlon processor and AMD Ryzen processor to improve speed and connectivity with Gigabit LN, front panel USB 3.1, as well as dual NVMe M.2.

The audio feature is also impressive. It comes with industry-leading 8 channel HD audio that features LED-illuminated design and powered by Japanese capacitors.  X470 motherboard also comes with a pre-mounted O/shield that streamlines installation. It supports the windows 10 64 bit and comes with 256 Megabytes Flash ROM.

Other features include addressable RGB header, 2 RGD headers, and unequaled personalization with the Aura Sync RGB lighting.

It also has a 5-Way Optimization feature with Fan Expert and Auto-Tuning to tailor overclocking profiles to your unique system build. This provides dynamic system cooling and maximum OC performance.

On the other hand, the B450 motherboard supports both the first and second-generation Ryzen processors with Radeon graphics.

It also comes with RGB fusion with RGB and digital LED headers. The motherboard also has M.2 NVMe with dual thermal guards, Intel Ethernet LAN, as well as Dual Chanel Unbuffered DDR4.

Like its x470 counterpart, B450 comes with Smart fan 5 with Fan Stop.

However, it doesn’t support multi-GPU and has only basic overclocking capabilities, unlike the X470 motherboard.

Buy it now: here

B450 vs x470 motherboards – compatibility

If we are going to have a meaningful comparison between the two motherboards, it’s better to define them based on their different standards. For the X470 motherboards, we have the entry-level models, mid-range models, and high-end models.

As expected, the most common x470 motherboards are the entry-level models. That’s because, in exchange for a cheaper price, they compromise on certain aesthetics and features. However, they still offer important features like M.2 NVMe, PCI-express Gen3 lanes, as well as 10Gbps.

Additionally, most of the less expensive x470 motherboards make use of six phases of the Vcore rail, which will allow you to carry out some reasonable overclocking without issues.

However, the x470 mid-range motherboards are much better and are the starting point for companies when introducing their brands. So, if you are looking for an x470 motherboard, you will get the mid-range version from companies such as ASRock’s Fatality, MSI’s Gaming Pro, and Gigabyte Aorus.

These full-sized motherboards in the mid-range category offer six SATA3 ports and M.2 connectors.  In some models, you will have the ability to overclock and some debugging features. Besides, many of them also feature DisplayPort and HDMI outputs.

But for the high-end x470 models, you will have abundant USB connections and angled headers. The high-end models offer the top features, including clear BIOS features, Bluetooth 802 11ac, Wi-Fi, as well as USB 3.0 Gen2 case headers.

But as expected, these models are usually more expensive than the B450 models.

It is necessary to point out that both B450 and X470 are compatible with all Ryzen 3000 CPUs. But as you go further up the ladder like the Ryzen 3700X CPU, the X470 will be a better pairing option.  So, if you’re looking to pair the motherboard with a higher processor, it’s always better to go for X470.

B450 vs x470 motherboards – Performance

With the availability of the B450 motherboards, you now have exciting features to look forward to as long as performance is concerned.

It comes with advanced overclocking features and supports more than one GPU via Crossfire. They may not necessarily be an important upgrade to gamers who already have Ryzen systems. However, they can serve as a baseline, especially for those looking to build Ryzen rigs in the future.

B450 is not better than X470 when it comes to performance because it has lesser USB support compared to X470.  Also, the overclocking features in X470 are far more impressive than the overclocking capability of B450.

However, one interesting feature no one will overlook in B450 is the Precision Boost overdrive feature. The feature allows the user to gain maximum possible speed while keeping performance in top gear. That is what brings B450 closer to X470 when it comes to performance.

The biggest highlight for X470 is support for AMD StoreMI technology, which coincidentally is also the biggest highlight for the B450 motherboard.

StoreMI enables the user to combine a pokey and still allow enough mechanical hard drive with a 2GB of RAM or SSD. This technology allows the combination of these two storage mechanisms into a single disk, making sure the commonly used files and applications are stored on the fastest hardware.

Another interesting thing about StoreMI is the fact that you can create or dissolve them without any need to reformat drives, reinstall Windows, or perform any other activity.

If you are considering a gaming system that offers good speed and performance and you want to choose between X470 and B450 motherboard, X470 will be a safe bet for you.

But if you are short on budget, the B450 motherboard will also do great for you. Whichever choice you make, both of them will give you good value for money well spent.

B450 vs x470 motherboards – Design

X470 is the model and high-end motherboard that brings the most expensive and advanced motherboards to life. The major difference between the X470 model and its B450 counterpart is the addition of PC express lanes, two SATA III ports, and four USB 3.1 ports on X470.

The PCI Express Lanes provides NVMe storage drives and high-end graphics cards.

As a result, it makes X470 a more appealing motherboard for those who like using a large number of NVMe drives or users who are interested in more graphics cards on a single PC. Another noticeable difference is the fact that X470 allows both SLI and Crossfire configurations while B450 allows only CrossFire.

Although the design of B450 shows the improvement of AMD as it offers features that were previously not feasible, the motherboard is still most commonly used by mainstream users.

An enthusiastic gamer would prefer X470 motherboard over its X470 counterpart any day. And considering that the later is a bit less expensive than the latter, many people usually go for the cheaper option.

What we are saying, in essence, is that X470 will offer more speed and performance, but the B450 motherboard offers a little less with a more affordable price tag.

B450 vs x470 motherboards – Overclocking

Remember that both the X470 and B450 motherboards allow the processor to overclock. However, the X470 model has better and more expansive cooled VRM, which makes them more appealing for high-demanding overclocking.

There is also a high possibility that the BIOSes attached to the X470 motherboard comes with a more overclocking parameter, allowing for fine-tuning.

There overclocking differences may not be easily noticeable to newbies and beginners, except for the very experienced users. So, both motherboards will offer similar overclocking features for many users.

Although there are entry-level X470 motherboards, almost all types usually provide good VRMs and multi-GPU fro overclocking. They usually come with more components, more ports, and more connectors compared to their B450 counterpart.

As we have mentioned earlier, X470 motherboards are usually preferred by enthusiastic users who have a reason for more overclocking features and other capabilities.

They need good multi-GPU and VRMs support. But budget users do not need to settle for X470 motherboards. Whatever they need would be provided by B450 motherboards, which is why the motherboard is targeted to beginners.

B450 does not offer any fancy stuff or multi-GPU, but it will still get the job done. Although some B450 motherboards offer VRMs, none will have the same level of performance as those offered by X470.

So, if you’re looking for a motherboard that offers good VRM and supports overclocking, you should not be looking for a B450 motherboard. Rather, the X470 will be the ideal choice for you.