The Gigabyte B550 Aorus Pro AC is a mid-range gaming motherboard that offers features like SLI and CrossFireX support, USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C, M.2 NVMe SSDs, RGB Fusion lighting, and more. The Gigabyte Aorus Elite is the top of the line model in this series with all the bells and whistles.
The gigabyte b550 aorus elite ax v2 vs gigabyte b550 aorus pro ac is a comparison of the Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite and the Gigabyte B550 Aorus Pro AC.
The B550 Aorus Pro AC and Aorus Elite motherboards from Gigabyte have some excellent mid-high-end motherboards, with the B550 Aorus Pro AC and Aorus Elite being the most similar in terms of price. Except for a few apparent small changes, the boards seem to be identical, but there are a few things you should be aware of before purchasing any of them.
Both motherboards are compatible with 3rd generation Ryzen processors as well as future Ryzen processors and APUs. These are the greatest value for money overclocking options and a decent alternative to the X570 for a lesser price. Although not all B550 boards are inexpensive, they do compete well with the X570 boards, which are typically $50-$70 more costly.
It’s time to decide if the B550 Aorus Pro AC or the Aorus Elite is the best value for money. I’ve compared their characteristics based on various parts of the motherboard, and by the conclusion of this article, you’ll be able to choose the best one for you. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments area below.
Best B550 Motherboards (Related)
VRM
Both motherboards include a 12+2 power phase VRM with an Intersil ISL229004 Digital PWM Controller and a 50A DrMOS that can handle a total of 700 Amps of current. The location of the chokes gives the impression that they have different VRM, although they are identical. Now, 14 power phases are ideal for overclocking any 8-core CPU with excellent stability and allowing the user to do sophisticated overclocking tasks. Solid capacitors are used in the VRMs of these motherboards, which are now standard on most boards but are necessary for efficient power supply.
The VRM on the B550 Aorus PRO AC and B550 Aorus Elite uses 6 Intersil Phase doublers, despite the fact that the official Gigabyte Aorus Elite website incorrectly states that the Aorus Elite does not utilize them under the Digital Power Design tab, while the Power Architecture tab indicates that it does. Doublers help in overclocking, although they have a little effect on performance.
The heatsinks on each of them are quite different. The Aorus Pro AC has a solid fins-array aluminium heatsink, which is the best in terms of heat dissipation, while the Elite has a more common heatsink, which isn’t as efficient as the one on the Pro AC. Overclocking on the Aorus Pro AC is a bit easier now.
The Aorus Pro AC features a 6-layer PCB, while the Elite has a 4-layer one, which can be seen since the Elite’s PCB has visible circuitry, making the Aorus Pro AC more dependable than the Elite.
Support for RAM
In terms of RAM compatibility, the Aorus Elite lags much behind the Aorus Pro AC. With 3rd Gen Ryzen CPUs, the Pro AC supports RAM frequencies up to 5200MHz, while the Aorus Elite only supports RAM frequencies up to 4000MHz. The Aorus Elite can handle up to 4733MHz on new-gen Ryzen CPUs and APUs, while the Aorus Pro AC can support up to 5400MHz, which is obviously considerably higher. When it comes to memory frequency support, Aorus Elite clearly lags below the majority of mid-range B550 motherboards, including Gigabyte’s B550 motherboards as well as ASRock, MSI, and Asus boards.
Distribution of PCI lanes
While motherboards may have a lot of PCI-E slots, M.2 SSDs, and SATA ports, it’s the support and distribution of lanes that really counts since it determines how you’ll utilize the graphics cards, M.2 SSDs, and SATA devices.
Too many slots and ports do not guarantee that you will be able to load them all with components, since some of them may not function at all. So, let’s see what you can and can’t install on the B550 Aorus Pro AC and Aorus Elite.
While the initial PCI-E x16 and M.2 slots on both motherboards utilize the CPU’s 20 PCI lanes, the following slots share the chipset’s PCI lanes. Both the Aorus Pro AC and Elite feature 3x PCI-E x16 slots, with the second PCI-E x16 slot on the Aorus Pro AC operating at X4 mode, which will be deactivated if you put an SSD in the second M.2 connection.
The third PCI-E x16 slot on it operates in X2 mode, which is also deactivated if a SATA device is installed in one of the 3, 4, or 5 SATA ports. In conclusion, if you want to utilize CrossfireX on the board, you should only use a single M.2 SSD in the main M.2 slot, and if you need to use the graphics card in the 3rd PCI-E x16 slot, you should avoid using the SATA 3, 4, or 5 ports. This is a pain since using a graphics card in a PCI-E x16 slot in X2 mode will severely limit your graphics card.
On the Aorus Elite, the second PCI-E x16 slot is set to X2 while the third is set to X1, with both of them utilizing the chipset’s PCI lanes. As a result, avoid using this board for any kind of multi-GPU setup. Another disadvantage of the Aorus Elite is that it only has four SATA ports, as opposed to six on the Aorus Pro AC.
– Guide to Connecting Motherboard Cables
Troubleshooting
The Q-Flash Plus button near the I/O on both of these boards is used to update the BIOS. Aside from the chipset, the Aorus Pro AC includes Debug LEDs, which are helpful for identifying hardware-related issues. It’s a fundamental troubleshooting tool and also one of the simplest methods to figure out what caused the problem, however the Aorus Elite lacks it. There is absolutely nothing on the board for troubleshooting.
Aesthetics and Cooling
As previously stated, the Aorus Pro AC features superior heatsinks for VRM cooling, as well as an extra aluminum heatsink for the second M.2 slot, which the Elite lacks.
The CPU fan header, System fan headers, and water cooling pump headers are among the 8x fan headers included on the Aorus Pro AC. There are just 5 headers in all on the Aorus Elite. As a result, you may use the Aorus Pro AC without a fan hub to add additional fans or radiators.
Both motherboards feature RGB lights integrated into the I/O cover and RGB headers on the PCB for cosmetic purposes. Both feature two RGB 12V connections and two ARGB 5V headers for RGB fans and LED strips, respectively. In this respect, they are identical, with the exception that the circuitry on the Aorus Pro AC is not visible.
Types of Motherboards is a related topic.
Bios
They both have the same 256Mbit BIOS.
Connectivity to the Internet and I/O
There are a total of 12 USB headers on the Aorus Pro AC’s I/O, including one for Type C. 6 USB 2.0 ports, 3 USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectors (one of which is Type C), and 3 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports This is uncommon on a motherboard, and the Aorus Pro AC presently ranks first among the B550 boards in terms of I/O. The Aorus Elite features eight USB ports as well as HDMI and DP display connectors, while the Aorus Pro only has one HDMI port.
Although they both have a Realtek 2.5G LAN, the Aorus Pro AC includes an integrated Wifi adapter that supports Intel Wifi 3168. To connect to the internet wirelessly on the Aorus Elite, you’ll need to purchase a specialized PCI Wifi card or a Wifi USB adapter.
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Conclusion & Pricing
The B550 Aorus Pro AC is presently priced at $190, while the Aorus Elite is priced at $160. The Aorus Pro AC is a superior option for $30 more when considering the quality of features like as VRM, cooling, Internet connection, I/O, RAM support, and troubleshooting.
The b550 aorus pro vs b450 aorus pro is an interesting comparison. Gigabyte has released their new B550 Aorus Pro AC and the older B450 Aorus Pro. This comparison will help you decide which one to buy.
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