# MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus

Source: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-gaming-motherboard/msi-mpg-b550-gaming-plus
Ranked #8 in "Best Gaming Motherboard 2026: 10 Ranked": https://www.ranked10.co.uk/tech/best-gaming-motherboard

- Price: £99.99 (checked on Amazon UK on 2026-10-10)
- Amazon rating: 4.5 from 5,786 ratings
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08B4V6H3N?tag=ranked10-21

## Is the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus worth buying?

The MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus is worth buying at £99.99 if you already have an AM4 Ryzen processor and a set of DDR4 modules to reuse, and it is the least expensive way here to get PCIe 4.0 running on both a graphics card and a second M.2 drive. 5,786 buyers have rated it 4.5, a larger sample than anything else on this page. Start a build from nothing instead and the MSI B850M Gaming Plus WiFi6E costs £15.01 more for AM5, DDR5 and a Gen5 M.2 slot.

It suits a Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 machine where the graphics card and the SSD do the heavy lifting and the board only has to keep them fed and cool. Nothing extra needs ordering beyond the processor, the memory and the drive, because the rear I/O shield is already fitted to the panel. Four memory slots hold up to 128 GB, so a 32 GB kit leaves room to double the memory later without swapping any part out.

## What does £99.99 buy in memory and storage?

The £99.99 spreads across 128 GB of supported DDR4 at up to 4,400 MHz, which works out at £0.78 for every gigabyte the board can address. The ASUS ROG Strix B550-A Gaming takes the same 128 GB and costs £119.99, or £0.94 a gigabyte, and the ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WiFi II at £139.99 comes to £1.09 on the same measure. Four DIMM slots carry that memory, so you can begin with two sticks and fill the spare slots much later.

The storage side is where the £99.99 keeps paying. Two M.2 connectors accept PCIe 4.0 drives, and six SATA ports sit alongside them for older SSDs and hard drives. A PCIe 4.0 drive with a 3rd Gen Ryzen fitted moves data at roughly twice the speed of a PCIe 3.0 drive of the same capacity, which is what you feel when a game loads between levels.

## What comes in the box and what is it like to live with?

The board arrives with its rear I/O shielding already pressed into the panel, which removes the step where a loose shield bends a pin on the back of the board. Two M.2 connectors and six SATA ports take the storage, and the 24-pin main power connector sits where a standard ATX case routes its cable. Mystic Light runs RGB and rainbow strips from one click, with 29 effects across 16.8 million colours.

Cooling comes from an extended heatsink over the power delivery, 7 W/mK thermal pads and a 2 oz thickened copper PCB, which is more copper than a board at this price usually carries. Audio Boost drives the 3.5 mm mini jack and the S/PDIF output. Ten USB ports run across the board, four of them USB 2.0, with a single HDMI output for a Ryzen processor with built-in graphics.

## Where does the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus fall short?

The socket is the hard ceiling. AM4 fits the Ryzen generations the board names and stops there, so a Ryzen 9000 processor will never drop in, and neither will a DDR5 module. Anyone who expects to change processor again within three years ends up buying a second board and a second set of memory.

Memory reaches 4,400 MHz here, below the 4,733 MHz the Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2 carries for £89.99, which is £10.00 less. Four of the ten USB ports run at USB 2.0 speed, fine for a keyboard, a mouse or a headset but slow for an external SSD or a card reader. Two PCIe slots also leave little space for add-in cards once the graphics card is seated.

## How does the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus compare with the alternatives?

Against the MSI B850M Gaming Plus WiFi6E at £115.00, this board is £15.01 cheaper but stays on AM4 with DDR4, while the B850M takes Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 on AM5 with DDR5 and a Gen5 M.2 slot running at 128 Gbps. Buy the MPG B550 Gaming Plus when the processor is already on the desk, and the B850M when the whole build is new and the longer upgrade path is worth £15.01.

The ASUS ROG Strix B550-A Gaming costs £119.99, £20.00 more, on the same AM4 socket with five USB-less savings traded for Intel 2.5 Gb Ethernet and dual M.2. It carries the same 128 GB ceiling but at £0.94 a gigabyte against £0.78 here, and the memory figures it works with sit at 2,666 MHz against the 4,400 MHz this board reaches. Take the ASUS when 2.5 Gb wired networking is worth £20.00 to you, and the MSI when it is not.

## Specification

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Listing title | MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS Motherboard ATX - Ryzen 3rd Gen, AM4, DDR4, PCIe4 |
| Brand | MSI |
| CPU socket | Socket AM4 |
| Compatible devices | Personal Computer |
| RAM memory technology | DDR4 |
| Compatible processors | Ryzen (Socket AM4) |
| Chipset type | AMD B550 |
| Memory clock speed | 4400 MHz |
| Platform | Windows 10 |
| Model name | MPG B550 GAMING PLUS |
| CPU model | AMD Ryzen 7 |
| Processor Socket | Socket AM4 |
| Memory Storage Capacity | 128 GB |
| Ram Memory Maximum Size | 128 GB |
| Main Power Connector Type | 24-Pin |
| Graphics Card Interface | PCI Express |
| Available Memory Slots | 4 |
| Number of Ports | 16 |
| S/PDIF Connector Type | 3.5 mm mini jack |
| System Bus Standard Supported | PCIe 4.0 |
| Total SATA Ports | 6 |
| USB 2.0 | 4 |
| Total USB Ports | 10 |
| Number of Ethernet Ports | 1 |
| Total HDMI Port | 1 |
| Total PCIe Ports | 2 |
| Chipset Family | AMD B550 |
| Model Number | 007C56-003R |
| Manufacturer | MSI |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 00767531710791, 04719072731885 |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Item Type Name | MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS MOTHERBOARD |
| Item Weight | 985 g |
| Manufacturer Part Number | MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus |
| Product Warranty | 3 Year Manufacturer |
| Item Dimensions L x W x H | 24.5L x 3W x 30.5H centimetres |

## Questions people ask

**Which Ryzen processors fit the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus?**

It uses the AM4 socket, and MSI names the 3rd Gen Ryzen 9, Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 for it. PCIe 4.0 on the graphics slot and on both M.2 connectors needs one of those 3rd Gen chips to run at full speed.

**How much DDR4 can the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus hold?**

Up to 128 GB across four DIMM slots, at speeds up to 4,400 MHz. At £99.99 that is £0.78 for every gigabyte of memory the board can address, and two 32 GB sticks leave two slots free for a later upgrade.

**How many drives can I connect to the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus?**

Six SATA drives plus two M.2 modules. The M.2 connectors take PCIe 4.0 drives with a 3rd Gen Ryzen fitted, and the SATA ports cover older SSDs, hard drives and an optical drive if you still use one.

**Does the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus come with a rear I/O shield?**

Yes, the shielding comes pre-installed on the rear panel, so there is no separate plate to clip in and nothing to line up while the board is already inside the case. It adds EMI protection around the rear ports as well.

**How many USB ports does the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus have?**

Ten in total, four of them USB 2.0, with USB 3.2 Gen2 for the faster connections. There is also one HDMI output for a Ryzen processor with built-in graphics, plus a 3.5 mm mini jack and an S/PDIF connector for audio.

**What power connector does the MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus need?**

It takes a 24-pin main power connector from the power supply. Check that your unit has one before you start the build, because the board will not run from a proprietary connector.