MSI Gaming Plus WiFi Motherboard, mATX, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, AM5 Socket-B650M
The MSI B650M Gaming Plus WiFi is a feature‑rich micro‑ATX motherboard built on the AMD B650 chipset and AM5 socket. It supports the latest Ryzen desktop CPUs (7000 / 8000 / possibly 9000 series), high‑speed DDR5 memory (with EXPO / OC profiles), WiFi 6E, and a solid power delivery design. It’s aimed at gamers / builders who want modern connectivity, PCIe 4.0 speed, and good thermal / power components in a compact form factor.
CPU / Socket / Chipset Compatibility
Socket AM5.
Supports AMD Ryzen 7000 / 8000 series processors.
Also supports Ryzen 9000 (depending on BIOS updates and regional availability).
Memory / RAM
Supports DDR5 UDIMM.
Has 4 memory slots, up to 256 GB maximum.
Memory speed support (overclocked) up to 7200+ MHz; a range of overclocked tiers also supported (7000, 6800, 6600, etc.).
Power Delivery & VRM Design
10+2+1 “Duet Rail” power phases.
Dual 8‑pin CPU power connectors for stable and sufficient power delivery.
Thickened copper (2 oz) on PCB in combination with 6‑layer board.
Expansion Slots
1× PCI‑Express x16 slot (PCIe 4.0) for GPU.
2× PCI‑Express x1 slots.
Storage Interfaces
Two M.2 slots, both supporting PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSDs.
Four SATA 6 Gb/s ports for HDDs/SSDs.
RAID support for SATA and also for M.2 NVMe on certain slots.
Onboard Display / Video Output
HDMI 2.1 port on back I/O. Supports 4K @ 60 Hz (if CPU’s iGPU supports it).
DisplayPort 1.4 output also present.
Networking
Integrated WiFi 6E, with Bluetooth 5.3 support.
Wired network: 2.5 Gbps LAN controller (Realtek RTL8125BG).
USB & I/O
Rear and front USB ports: mixture of USB 2.0, USB 3.2 Gen1 (5 Gbps), USB 3.2 Gen2 / 10 Gbps, including USB Type‑C.
I/O has also debugging / EZ debug LEDs.
Thermal / Cooling Features
Large VRM heatsinks (“Extended Heatsink”) to help dissipate heat during CPU heavy loads.
M.2 Shield Frozr (thermal cover over M.2 SSD) to protect from thermal throttling.
MOSFET thermal pads (≈7 W/mK) to improve thermal transfer to heatsinks.
Form Factor / Size
micro‑ATX (mATX) board. Around 244 × 244 mm size.
Audio
Realtek ALC897 codec, 7.1‑channel HD audio.
Audio enhancements: “Audio Boost” etc.
BIOS / Overclock / Profiles
Support for EXPO (AMD’s equivalent of Intel’s XMP) profiles for memory.
BIOS features include Flash BIOS Button, debug LEDs, etc.
Internal Connectors & Headers
Multiple fan headers: CPU fan, pump‑fan header (for water cooling), system fans.
RGB / ARGB headers (do note version) for lighting control.
TPM 2.0 header.
Protection & Build Quality
Steel Armor reinforcement for GPU slot.
Solid‑pin power connectors, anti‑corrosion and quality components.
Limitations / Things to Note
Only PCIe 4.0 for both GPU and M.2, no PCIe 5.0 slots for storage or GPU on this board. If you plan to use PCIe 5.0 NVMe or future GPU, this may be a constraint. (Other boards offer Gen5.)
Stand height / mATX limitations: fewer expansion slots and possibly less room/layout flexibility vs full ATX boards.
VRM / heat concerns under high load (some users report high temperatures in VRMs).
Dependence on BIOS to properly set profiles and memory compatibility; early BIOS versions may have compatibility / stability quirks.
Onboard graphics outputs (HDMI, DP) require CPU with integrated graphics; many Ryzen CPUs don’t have that, so discrete GPU may be mandatory in many builds.
