ASRock B550 STEEL LEGEND ATX Motherboard: Unveiling Unmatched Performance

Introduction

Explore the cutting-edge features of the ASRock B550 STEEL LEGEND, a motherboard that sets new standards for durability and aesthetics. This review delves into its powerful specifications and components designed for daily users and mainstream enthusiasts.

Steel Legend Philosophy: Rock-Solid Durability and Irresistible Aesthetics

Discover how the Steel Legend series embodies a philosophical state of rock-solid durability and irresistible aesthetics. Built with top-notch materials and components, this series ensures a stable and reliable performance that meets the demands of users.

Unbeatable Heatsink Armor

Forged with an aluminum alloy heatsink top cover, the motherboard’s heatsink armor enhances heat dissipation. Learn about the gaming-ready M.2 Key M sockets concealed beneath, providing optimal performance for high-speed SSDs.

Dual M.2 Sockets for SSD

Explore ASRock B550 STEEL LEGEND motherboard’s Hyper M.2 socket supporting PCIe Gen4 x4 and another M.2 socket capable of running PCIe Gen3 x2 and SATA3 mode. Unleash the full potential of storage with this dynamic dual M.2 setup.

Nahimic Audio: Engaging Listening Experience

Whether using headphones, headsets, speakers, or HDMI, Nahimic Audio delivers an engaging listening experience rich in vibrant details. Dive into the immersive world of audio with this advanced audio technology.

Dr. MOS: Optimized Power Delivery

Discover the integrated power stage solution, Dr. MOS, optimized for synchronous buck-set-down voltage applications. Learn how it intelligently delivers higher current for improved thermal results and superior overall performance.

Premium Components for Enhanced Performance

Delve into the benefits of ASRock B550 STEEL LEGEND’s premium 60A power chokes, Hi-Density Power Connector, and 2oz Copper PCB. These components collectively contribute to enhanced Vcore voltage, reduced power loss, and stable signal traces.

Specifications of ASRock B550 STEEL LEGEND

Unique Feature

ASRock USB 3.2 Gen2

– ASRock USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s)

– ASRock USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s)

ASRock Super Alloy

– XXL Aluminum Alloy Heatsink

– Premium 60A Power Choke

– 50A Dr.MOS

– Premium Memory Alloy Choke (Reduces 70% core loss compared to iron powder choke)

– Nichicon 12K Black Caps (100% Japan made high quality conductive polymer capacitors)

– I/O Armor

– Matte Black PCB

– High Density Glass Fabric PCB

– 2oz Copper PCB

2.5G LAN

ASRock Steel Slot Gen4

ASRock Full Coverage M.2 Heatsink

ASRock Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4x4)

ASRock Ultra USB Power

ASRock Full Spike Protection (for all USB, Audio, LAN Ports)

ASRock Live Update & APP Shop

CPU

Supports 3rd Gen AMD AM4 Ryzen / future AMD Ryzen Processors

Digi Power design

14 Power Phase design

Not compatible with AMD Ryzen 5 3400G and Ryzen 3 3200G.

Chipset

AMD B550

Memory

Dual Channel DDR4 Memory Technology

4 x DDR4 DIMM Slots

AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Matisse) support DDR4 4733 (OC) / 4666(OC) / 4600(OC) / 4533(OC) / 4466(OC) / 4400(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4266(OC) / 4200(OC) / 4133(OC) / 4000(OC) / 3866(OC) / 3800(OC) / 3733(OC) / 3600(OC) / 3466(OC) / 3200 / 2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 ECC & non-ECC, un-buffered memory

AMD Ryzen series APUs support DDR4 4733 (OC) / 4666(OC) / 4600(OC) / 4533(OC) / 4466(OC) / 4400(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4266(OC) / 4200(OC) / 4133(OC) / 4000(OC) / 3866(OC) / 3800(OC) / 3733(OC) / 3600(OC) / 3466(OC) / 3200 / 2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 ECC & non-ECC, un-buffered memory

Max. capacity of system memory: 128GB

Supports Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules

15µ Gold Contact in DIMM Slots

BIOSB

256Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with GUI support

Supports “Plug and Play”

ACPI 5.1 compliance wake up events

Supports jumperfree

SMBIOS 2.3 support

CPU, CPU VDDCR_SOC, DRAM, VPPM, VTT_DDR Offset, CPU VDD 1.8 Voltage Multi-adjustment

Graphics

Integrated AMD Radeon Vega Series Graphics in Ryzen Series APU

DirectX 12, Pixel Shader 5.0

Shared memory default 2GB. Max Shared memory supports up to 16GB.

Dual graphics output: support HDMI and DisplayPort 1.4 ports by independent display controllers

Supports HDMI 2.1 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096×2160) @ 60Hz

Supports DisplayPort 1.4 with max. resolution up to 5K (5120×2880)@120Hz

Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI 2.1 Port (Compliant HDMI monitor is required)

Supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) with HDMI 2.1

Supports HDCP 2.3 with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 Ports

Supports 4K Ultra HD (UHD) playback with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 Ports

Supports Microsoft PlayReady

Audio

7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec)

Premium Blu-ray Audio support

Supports Surge Protection

120dB SNR DAC with Differential Amplifier

NE5532 Premium Headset Amplifier for Front Panel Audio Connector (Supports up to 600 Ohm headsets)

Pure Power-In

Direct Drive Technology

PCB Isolate Shielding

Impedance Sensing on Rear Out port

Individual PCB Layers for R/L Audio Channel

Gold Audio Jacks

15µ Gold Audio Connector

Nahimic Audio

LAN

2.5 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000/2500 Mb/s

Dragon RTL8125BG

Supports Dragon 2.5G LAN Software

Smart Auto Adjust Bandwidth Control

Visual User Friendly UI

Visual Network Usage Statistics

Optimized Default Setting for Game, Browser, and Streaming Modes

User Customized Priority Control

Supports Wake-On-LAN

Supports Lightning/ESD Protection

Supports Energy Efficient Ethernet 802.3az

Supports PXE

Slots

AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Matisse)

– 2 x PCI Express x16 Slots (PCIE1: Gen4x16 mode; PCIE3: Gen3 x4 mode)

AMD Ryzen series APUs

– 2 x PCI Express x16 Slots (PCIE1: Gen3x16 mode; PCIE3: Gen3 x4 mode)

– 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x1 Slots

– Supports AMD Quad CrossFireX and CrossFireX

– 1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT module

– 15µ Gold Contact in VGA PCIe Slot (PCIE1)

Storage

6 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug

1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_1), supports M Key type 2230/2242/2260/2280 M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) (with Matisse) or Gen3x4 (32 Gb/s)

1 x M.2 Socket (M2_2), supports M Key type 2230/2242/2260/2280/22110 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x2 (16 Gb/s)

Connector

1 x SPI TPM Header

1 x Power LED and Speaker Header

2 x RGB LED Headers

2 x Addressable LED Headers

1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)

1 x CPU/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)

5 x Chassis/Water Pump Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)

1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)

1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)

1 x 4 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)

1 x Front Panel Audio Connector (15µ Gold Audio Connector)

2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection)

1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports) (Supports ESD Protection)

1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (Supports ESD Protection)

1 x Dr. Debug with LED

Rear Panel I/O

2 x Antenna Mounting Points

1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port

1 x HDMI Port

1 x DisplayPort 1.4

1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port

1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s) (Supports ESD Protection)

1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s) (Supports ESD Protection)

2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)

4 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)

1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED)

HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone (Gold Audio Jacks)

Software and UEFI

Software

– ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning)

– ASRock Dragon 2.5G LAN Software

– ASRock Polychrome SYNC

UEFI

– ASRock Full HD UEFI

– ASRock Instant Flash

Support CD

Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial Version), Google Chrome Browser and Toolbar

Accessories

Quick Installation Guide, Support CD

2 x SATA Data Cables

3 x Screws for M.2 Sockets

2 x Standoffs for M.2 Sockets

Hardware Monitor

Temperature Sensing: CPU, CPU/Water Pump, Chassis/Water Pump Fans

Fan Tachometer: CPU, CPU/Water Pump, Chassis/Water Pump Fans

Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by CPU temperature): CPU, CPU/Water Pump, Chassis/Water Pump Fans

Fan Multi-Speed Control: CPU, CPU/Water Pump, Chassis/Water Pump Fans

Voltage monitoring: 12V, 5V, 3.3V, CPU Vcore, CPU VDDCR_SOC, DRAM, VPPM, CPU VDD 1.8V

Form Factor

ATX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 9.6-in, 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm

2oz Copper PCB