I'd rather get the aorus x570i instead of the msi b450i IF you have the budget to spare. I posted this review on the rainforest summarising the thought process...
I've paired the board with a Ryzen 3700X and 32GB of Crucial Ballistix LT 3200c16 RAM - the board makes overclocking the RAM a doddle, and I've managed to get the RAM working at 3600c16 by changing 2 bios settings.
Nowadays, most end-users will only have one add-in card...the GPU, so being ITX sized, one can build a powerhouse with a very small footprint, which is what I intend to do - forgive the pictures of the test bench (work-in-progress)
GOOD:
1) The board has very beefy VRMs with a 6 phase 70A setup - which is better than a large majority of the X570 range even when compared to other board manufacturers
2) Intel WIFI and Intel GbE ethernet connections, and a decent WIFI antenna - surprising how many manufacturers cheap out on this!
3) Top of the range Realtek ALC 1220-VB audio codec
4) USB type C port
5) Now I'm not one for RGB bling bling, but the board has tastefully done the RGB lighting and it's not too garish/in-your-face
6) For an ITX board, it also has all the features of its larger ATX brethren, such as support for two NVMe M.2 drives, which is always a bonus
7) The board also has CPU-less BIOS flashing which is always a big help should one feel the need to upgrade to the next generation of Ryzen processors in future
8) Lastly, and also most importantly, Gigabyte has a UK based RMA service with a very good reputation within the overclocking community, so if it ever goes wrong, I know it shouldn't be a hassle to get it sorted (unlike ASUS).
9) (Support for PCIE 4.0)
MEDIOCRE:
1) The X570 chipset has a fan - but basically all of the X570 range except the halo-tier boards have a chipset fan. Initially, I had reservations about it, but it is honestly not that noisy, and I cannot hear it spinning above my Gentle Typhoon fans. But that being said, it is an extra potential point of failure.
BAD:
1) The price. Yes it is expensive compared to the X470/B450 range, but X570 is meant to be a tier above. Essentially, you get what you pay for. Some will see this as a negative, some won't.
My thoughts:
I personally think that the Aorus X570I PRO WIFI is the best value X570 board available.
I did consider getting the MSI B450 I gaming plus AC to pair with my 3700x, but in the end decided to get the Aorus X570I instead. The MSI B450I is around £90 cheaper, but, in comparison to the Aorus X570I:
1) The MSI has weaker VRMs and VRM cooling. This is important if one is going to run a high end CPU like the Ryzen 3900X or the soon to be released Ryzen 3950X. Aorus therefore gives greater upgrade flexibility
2) Lack of CPU-less BIOS flash on the MSI B450I
3) Lower end audio codec on the MSI B450I
4) No USB type C port on the MSI B450I
5) Only support for one NVMe M.2 drive on the MSI B450I, vs two on the Aorus X570I
6) Intel LAN on the Aorus X570I vs Realtek LAN on the MSI B450I - most people will know that Intel GbE ethernet connections are faster and more stable than their Realtek equivalent
7) Slower WIFI (AC) on the MSI B450I vs WIFI (AX) on the Aorus X570I
8) With the newer X570 chipset, the Aorus X570I supports PCIE 4.0. The MSI B450I only supports PCIE 3.0. This may not be an advantage currently, as there's limited number of NVMe SSDs (and graphics cards) that take advantage of PCIE 4.0, however, if one is going to keep the board with an eye for the next few years, then this is a good way to future-proof oneself.
