MSI PRO B660M-A Review - The best B660 budget board by far
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2024
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MSI Pro B660M-A: amzn.to/3sXhEcr
In this video, we take an in-depth look at the MSI PRO B660M-A. We've had it for a few weeks, and run our testing using i3, i5 and i7 CPUs. We've also done our best with memory testing using a range of RAM at speeds exceeding the XMP specification to investigate stability.
So kick back and join us for an examination of this motherboard's capabilities and limitations.
This review is also relevant to the MSI B660M Bazooka, as it shares the specification except for display output configuration.
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
0:53 - Board overview and features
0:57 - VRM and CPU power
1:23 - RAM slots, PCIe slots, SATA and board connectors
2:15 - Fan Headers
2:49 - Rear IO layout and features
3:28 - Features and Specs conclusions
4:51 - BIOS and power limit adjustment
6:00 - Performance with i3, i5 and i7 CPUs
7:26 - RAM stability testing: i5-12600 - 3600MHz CL16 Gear 1 XMP
8:48 - RAM stability testing: i5-12600 - 4400Mhz CL19 Gear 2 XMP
9:09 - RAM stability conclusions
11:41 - Value Considerations
12:36 - Competitors - Asus Prime, Asus TUF, Gigabyte Gaming X, Gigabyte AORUS Pro.
14:58 - Overall conclusions - a recommended B660 Motherboard!
______________________________________________________________ - Věda a technologie
Haven't watched computer hardware review for quite some time. I am impressed of the quality, the depth of the analysis and comparisons you made. Congrats and keep up with the quality work!
Thank you! If you have a moment, please let us know what you think of BuildPicker - we're trying our best to make it as useful as possible and looking for feedback to make it even better :) Much appreciated!
I really appreciate the solid information in this channel. I'm sure that like me you'd prefer to see your subscriber count way higher. I have been around for channels significantly increasing their subscriber counts - by many fold - so it's definitely possible. Maybe you just have to make that one video that catches fire or, I dunno, have more actual working PCs with lights to attract gamer eyeballs? (Some gaming channels I follow have ridiculously high subscriber counts - in the millions! - and I don't feel the information they present is a patch on what you're producing.) I wish this channel a lot of success.
What an in-depth review! love it, helped me choose this board
Underrated channel, Thanks for very informative review!
I am working on building my first gaming system and of all the hundreds of videos i have watched your videos are by far the most informative and real easy to understand thank you for that. Keep up the awesome work.
Really good review of this board. Thank you for your amazing work.
I think you really should get more content like this... I will loop back my viewers to this video in case they need more information about this board.👍
I like the suggestions you throw in at each level of the review. Really appreciate it!
Thank you! We've got a bunch of recommended builds on buildpicker.com so feel free to check that out and let us know what you think! :)
Great review! Still relevant a year later. I think this may be my board. Thanks!
Detailed and well reviewed. Thanks for that! 🎉
Thanks for your review last week. I almost got the worst board. Luckily I watched your video and got this motherboard :) More power to you!
Can you spill the worst board in your opinion?
@@aprilaakbar733 Gigabyte B660m ds3h is the worst board
@@aprilaakbar733 I've called both the Asrock PRO RS and Gigabyte DS3H the 'worst' board, they're not truly the worst (that's the Asrock HDV) but they are bad, because of bad performance.
Same here, almost bought the Gigabyte until I came across his videos.
@@idioticfrosty Which CPU are you putting on it? Probably not a disaster! Make sure you update that BIOS.
Awesome review!!! i ve got all information i needed!!! thanks bro
Still such a great board in 2023. I used it to upgrade my home PC half way through last year. I also did many customer builds with it. Recently even did a 13700 Raptor Lake. Many thanks for this review which put me onto it 🙂
How's it doing with the Raptor Lake? Looking at building an i5-13500 budget video render workstation with this board.
@@nasonguy Can she with 13900?
@@nasonguy all good I believe with the Raptor Lake! No complaints from the owner I built system for! None of the systems I built using that board have given any issues. Without a doubt one of the best. Especially for the price.
I put 13600KF, working fine, with no complaints.
is still fine with you ?@@racimegacar
Brilliant, V clear, full of facts so well presented, thanks.
Excellent review, congrats and you have one more subscriber.
Awesome review! Thank you
Thanks for the video highly appreciated!
Thanks for this review. Made it clear what board to buy since we cant get the overclocking boards at a reasonable price in europe...
Gonna build my first pc in the coming weeks, and these videos of yours really helped me out! Thanks for those high quality videos.
same
same
Wow this is excellent stuff. Keep it up!
Choosing parts is a minefield glad u and the others on CZcams are here to help.. ended up building the best PC I've ever made..KUDOS to u.. When should I upgrade to ddr5 ?
thanks bro..
it will really help newbies like me.
Very good detailed information thanks
Great review
Paired this MSI PRO B660-A with KINGSTON FURY BEAST 2X8GB 3600 MHz (PC4-28800) CL17 (17-21-21) and a 12400f - Doesn't work on G1 OR G2 3600, works fine on 3200 G1 - Never saw any conflicting information in all the research I did on pairing the boards until I had the issue so came to find out if there was any out there.
Yet to try anything above 3200 G1 and likely won't bother, bought three lots of the above (mobo/cpu/ram) to upgrade the house PC's and could have saved and invested it elsewhere had I known, tis a shame but not a massive loss.
Was getting crash outs/BSOD's in Escape From Tarkov and Rust was crashing out and BSOD to. Did a memtest and was throwing up errors on one PC, did a little testing with the different XMP's and frequencies until it passed a test with no errors, applied the speed to all PC's and no problems since.
Only posting this so someone else can stumble across it if needed :)
Great video. Thx again
Checking the QVL for this motherboard the RAM shown at 8:22 doesn't appear to be on the list, but that is exactly the RAM I have and hope to put into this board so thank you for testing it! G.Skill's website shows it being supported on their end and it's a pretty standard kit so I figured MSI's website is probably just wrong. Thanks again this video is very helpful.
The MSI QVL will show the kits they have tested themselves. If G.Skill have done the testing then you can likely trust that too. I've not heard of anyone having issues with this kit on B660/Alder lake.
@@BuildPicker Good to know, thank you. Yeah I'm kinda figuring if G.Skill listed it they must know it works and obviously you have tested it and it works.
Good afternoon. Have you already purchased this motherboard? Were there any problems with BIOS setup or RAM overclocking? Please write your review 🙏.
I have a G.Skill Aegis XMP 3000 kit, but it works at a frequency of 3200 MHz stably. In the future I want tu by RAM for 3600 MHz, But it scares me that this board has such difficulties with overclocking RAM
Thank you so much for your review. I have bought i5-12400, this MSI board and G.Skills Ripsaw 3200Mhz 2x8Gb CL16 ram. It's working very well with no problems on XMP Gear 1.
Can you plz send me your full pc configuration of i5 12400
@@kaleniraj4846 it's just what i said above, using old sata ssd/hdd, 520W psu and case. Do not have a display card at the moment.
@@hoppimaniac is an EVGA 500gd 80+ Gold good enough for a an i5 12400f?
Yo I have a the same system different ram and mine isnt working, the is a static yellow light on the motherboard is the ram the issue
@@daniel.1899 depends on your display card and what you do with it.
So good I just subscribed to your channel.
Welcome aboard!
just watched your videos i was about to buy the gygabyte bad board you saved my life, you have the best review out there thanks
I finally made my choice. I'm no longer an overclocker and wanted stability with flexible features. Thanks for the review. This is the board I chose.
hi, can you share your pc build info, Im building my first pc and im going for this board
Francoisdubois80, can you share it to us? Let us know please. Thank you sir.
Great video. Subscribed. Parts arrived today, glad I found this vid. i-7 12700, 32gb CL16 GSkill 3600, Pro 980 M.2. I'm guessing I need my m.2 system drive in the CPU slot, not the chipset slot...right?
Yep! Both slots are actually the same specification, but using the CPU dedicated slot (M2_1) for the primary drive is optimal.
What a fantastic and comprehensive review, thanks for your hard work. I got a great deal for a 12100f and MSI PRO B660M-A (non WIFI). The 12100f was ridiculously cheap so I snapped it up. For now I don't need extra cores.
I have some hope that Intel Raptor Lake will work on this board in the future too. If so, then that gives me an upgrade path later to go for a Raptor Lake equivalent of the 12400f with extra cores.
You can even upgrade to even an i7 12700
@SlowJoCrow How is it running? I bought the 12100 with this mobo together with an rx6600 and im curious how it will run
@@chabobabo5536 Yeah it's going great!
does it run 13900?
Good afternoon have anyone purchased this MSI pro b660m - A ddr4? Were there any problems with BIOS setup or Ram overclocking? please write your review.
I'll probably have to buy this board because with an older BIOS version MSI offers an AVX512 switch on many if not all boards. I need that. I also have to hunt down an older CPU batch that hasn't physically disabled that function. And if I want to stay up to date with my BIOS without losing "Magic512" I have to mess around with the microcode. Sounds like fun!!
Loved the video! I really really like this board. My only hold back is that I'm going to be running an i3-12100, so the VRM strength isn't that big of a deal. The Asus Prime B660M-A is $30 less than this, which is hard to pass up when I don't need much.
If you're running an i3 and don't plan on upgrading (I don't recommend upgrading), buy the cheapest mb possible.
@@HaydenLau. i am seeing to upgrade in future so i an gonna go with b660m pro a d4
@@epicworld5238
Nobody should upgrade. It's much easier to sell your whole system and buy a new one each time. You get more money
This is idiotic advice and I hope you are joking.
I'm start Bing watching this channel...best review!
Glad you're enjoying it!
@@BuildPicker bro..should I choose *msi pro b660 A* for *12600k* because my seller said *"b660M-A is micro ATX* it's have less power capacitors"* I don't know much about that but I decided to go with ATX mobo for this model. What's your suggestion bro? Pls reply..
Great video! With the MSI Pro B660M-A, RTX 3080, I7-12700f, 32gb of ram (3200 mhz) and a MSI MAG CORELIQUID 240B Cooler.... would you recommend changing the power settings in the bios to Water Cooling... do you think this will benefit gaming performance? Appreciate your response!
Great and informative video man! One quick question. When this particular mb has very good vrm quality - I am going to pair it with i5-13600k after updating the bios. I know i wouldn' be able to overclock it but does ir support undervolt? Because it is very worth it with 12/13th gens acording to a lot of tech reviewers. Anyway have a great day and keep up the good work!:)
This review is a quality work.
Do you have any experience with the DDR5 version of this board or should it be the same?
I am kind of unsure because of the stability problems you mentioned.
Planned build is with a i7 12700f.
Thanks a lot!
Good solid review. I picked up an i5-12600 (non-K) in an MSI Mortar B660M WIFI DDR4 mobo last week and am happy with it. Hopefully we'll see a review of that on here as well as I'm curious if the extra £50 was worth it...
I don't think I'll be buying a Mortar, it's a bit rich for my blood! It's definitely got some nice features and it's obviously as capable as the PRO-A in terms of performance. Enjoy!
@@BuildPicker which one is better between this b660m pro a and b660m bazooka
@@trioocta They're the same! The Pro is better if you need 4 display outputs (or 2 hdmi/2displayport) from the iGPU. The Bazooka is better if you prefer the way it looks.
@@BuildPicker oke, if between gigabyte b660 gaming x ddr4 and B660M AORUS PRO ddr4 which one do you think is better?
@@trioocta the B660M aorus is better. Better VRM, 6 Layer pcb and no brown pcb (the b660 gaming x looks black on pictures but its brown pcb irl :(( )
Will buy this soon. I'm very satisfied with MSI so far.
Had a 1151 socket MSI board that lasted for years without any problems.
You won't regret it. I have been an Asus user from way back in the 90's. But sadly they aren't that good in the value to mid-range. I am very happy in the MSI camp now.
how many years last?
Awesome board . Good performance at good price . Msi have out done themselves every year
I wish the power draw and all its implications were explained a bit more. Thanks for the video.
This was great! @ plus!
Hey very informative video and straight to the point, If i could ask a question though i'm really paranoid about warnings on sites like pcpartpicker talking about the extra 4 pin power warning on my current psu i know its usually a warning for extreme overclocking and stuff but will my 12600kf and 3060 ti be fine? sorry if i made it confusing
Yes it will be fine! An i5-12600K can draw 150W maximum, a single 8-pin is good for at least 300W to the CPU. The additional socket is mainly just marketing.
Thank you very much great review. I have a gtx960m(old I know) laptop and am finally pulling the trigger on a high-end budget desktop. You cleared things up with the motherboard (I hope). I'm looking at a i7-12700F, MSI RTX 3080Ti Ventus 3X OC and this is the motherboard it comes with. I think it looks good and I only want to run GTA V at 1440p Is the non-K version 12700 good?
It's basically the same but without OC abilities. You should be fine
Thanks for the review!
Have this motherboard with 12400, Gskill Ripjaws 3600 cl16, EVGA AIO 280mm cooler.
Ram run 3600 cl16 in Gear 1 without problems, no try more for the moment.
Looking for other bios optimisation settings (voltage, ram, ...)
A very good "low budget" configuration (for Intel 12th)!
Realistically, if you've set lifted power limits and are running that RAM at XMP gear one, you're 'optimised' as muc has you can.
RAM is locked because Intel CPU SA voltage is locked to 0.95 for all non-K CPUs
@@bsh7390 How come he can run it then? I have this problem but some people don't apparently? Also do you think its worth running 3200 gear 1 over 3600 gear 2? Thank you
@@Scrungge yeah, because better cooler will affect this. to cool of internal IMC temperature, more than 60 degree definitely cant
@@bsh7390 Ohhh that makes a lot of sense, I've been using the intel stock cooler while waiting for my dark rock 4 pro mounting brackets. So you think there's a chance of it working with a better cooler?
Hello, Thanks a lot . Ur video gave clear idea about MSI Pro B660M-A Wifi DDR4 motherboard.
Have a query , whether MSI Pro B760M-A wifi DDR5 is good choice ??
what a wonderful review, cant believe you got less then 10k subscribers, i got a question, i saw the MSI PRO B660-A, it is the same identical board but ATX? he's got quite extra features, why is cheaper then the mATX model?
It's identical in performance and key features. It has a few extra slots but nothing critical. Supply and demand is why it's cheaper: the B660M-A is the go to B660, so prices edge up as people don't cross-shop.
@@BuildPicker thanks
i just bought the ATX motherboard Asus TUF Gaming B660-Plus WiFi D4 and i5 12400f , it was the same price as micro-ATX MSI PRO B660M-A. I'm wondering if i should have bought MSI? Which is one is better for the future cpu upgrades?
You are a darling . Thank you !
Hello i have board msi pro b660M-B ddr4 Not (A) my question is do i have the same vrm or the vrm on my board is good? My cpu i5 12400 with rtx 3060 im playing warzone on low 144fps without any problem and do i can open the power limit on this board my psu 650W
Almost got the gigabyte b660m ds3h then I seen this. This one was only one pound more, £295 for a i5 12400f and this board what a steal.
I'm a Music producer wanting to build a PC with i7 12700k. Please let me know if this board is okay to use? Or if there is any other mother board that i should consider checking. Btw I'm your subscriber :)
1)Which cpu cooler did you use for your i7 testing ?
2) Would it be a good motherboard to pair 12700non k ?
Yes, it would be fine for the i7-12700K. We use a Arctic LFII 240mm AIO for our CPU testing.
what wifi chip does the wifi version include?? does it support monitor mode , packet injection ?
I just bought this board and i love it 😃
TYVM for the review. I am looking to see how to hook up this MB out to my 7.1 receiver with no luck. Manual is very lacking. Any help?
Thanks for this! Can the same can be said for the MSI Pro B760M-A Wi-Fi DDR4?
Are the fan headers enough for 3 intake fans and 1 exhaust fan?
I got this motherboard paired with an I7-12700 (non-k). Will i be able to put Multi Core Enhancement on? I have read about this option but dont know if it will be an option for my motherboard and cpu.
Great review!
What is the difference between MSI PRO B660M-A and MSI PRO B660M-E ?
Hi bro, do you know if the MSI PRO B660M-A is a good buy too? besides it only have 2 RAM slots.
Is an EVGA 500GD 80+ Gold good enough for this motherboard with an i5 12400f or should I go for a 700GD 80+ Gold?
What should be best SMPS for this board? The extra 4 pin is not available in a lot of model. Please sujest
Sir please help, does B660M mortar has High Quality Audio Jack?
I want i for Music Production
I have a question recently i have bought Samsung 970 evo plus 512 nvme ssd and i installed into this board it causing some problem sometimes it boots shows black screen even restart power on off also doesnt work but sometimes it boots. Mostly it doesn't boot on the first time power on so will help me what causing this issue?
please do some tests on h610 too, not everyone have the budget to buy b660
Would this board need a bio update if I'm running i5 12400F with a RX 6600 xt ? Gonna be building this in a month or 2
So I have an older infinite x prebuild that has a Z370M. Would I be able to put this in it & build around it? The dimensions of the board are the same.
I currently have an ASUS H610M-A with an outdated BIOS, which still gives me undervolt usage on my 12600K BUT I bought a Gen4 SSD which doesn't run at full speed on my H610. When researching cards, I'm between this Asrock Z690 (155 usd), MSI Pro B660m A Wifi (132 usd) and ASUS H770 Plus D4 (155 usd). that many reports on the internet say that it comes factory set with voltage above normal and that the undervolt in it is kind of complicated. I'm wondering if I really leave my H610 just because of the SSD... And there's still the VRM issue... Even the Z690 PG4 using DrMOS I don't know to what extent it's a better VRM than the H770 Plus D4 or the MSI Pro B660m A.
Hey man, may I ask why I can't find any H670 motherboards for Alder lake CPUs here in the Asia. Thanks.
Is it sufficient to use cooler master 550W SMPS for this motherboard? I mean compaibility.
Well done
and does this motherboard have igd Multimonitor/similar option on the bios ( so we can use igpu and dgpu on same time and by igpu of the processor as recording stuff whill gaming on dgpu on the same time since i have 6500xt and it don't have encoder 😑)
Yes, you can use both iGPU and dGPU simultaneously,for whatever tasks you want.
I got the B. Version how does it compare ? Is it just a few heat sinks missing?
Nice video, planning on paired it with an rx 6700xt power color red devil but seems the pcie is alligned with the ram slots. Do you think it would fit? it seems this mobo is made for little GPU´s
No, it will always fit. The pcie slots do not overlap ram slots - the ATX specifications prohibit it.
hi, can i use a i5 12600kf on MSI PRO B660M-A and im gone have a 4.9 ghz, but no more because de board dont give me de function off overclock right?
I have an Asus H610m-A. I'm not one to update BIOS unless I actually have a problem and this time I was lucky. Undervolt on my 12600K works flawlessly. Offset use of 0.150mv and Full Load temperatures go from 85º to 64º using a Deepcool AG400...
I was wanting to get a B660M from MSI but many reports of problems. Upgrading to a Z690 increases the cost too much and I'm not going to overclock. It seems to me that I am lucky to have my H610m A... I wish I could use a high speed SSD and my other 2 DDR4 modules that are stopped due to lack of available slots on the Motherboard but it is difficult to define which card to go with so many limitations of these new BIOSes.
Appreciate the covered details. Could you please let me know where is the CMOS Battery located?
Stuck to the back of the ethernet port. If you need to clear CMOS, just use the jbat1 pins above the power switch connectors.
@@BuildPicker Thank you so much for your quick reply
I paired this board with an i7 12700 after watching your video. While in OC menu in bios I found the option to enable All P Cores and All E Cores. They are set in auto but when I enter the settings the core counts shows only 7 and 3 respectively but an i7 has 8P cores and 4E cores show why that option is not present there? I am currently using a stock cooler.
The count starts at 0, so cores 0-7 = 8 cores.
Hello, thanks for the informative video. I need help. MSI PRO B660M-A or Gigabyte B660 Gaming X AX ?
I'd go with the MSI PRO B660M-A from those two. The Gaming X is Gigabyte's really budget board, it's similar to the D3SH which we don't recommend.
good review bro
i need help to lower my temp with this motherboard and 13600k
i tried cpu power limit to 181 watt but that also didn't work it's touching 97 digree and also decrese cpu mhz to 4.7 ghz
please help.
Will this run an i7-12700 at full power If i select tower air cooler? I'm doing a build with a 12700 and air cooler
I had some ram stability issues after upgrading the bios from v 1.0 to 1.2. With an i3 12100f and 2x8GB Corsair Vengence LPX 3200 16-20-20-38 using XMP it ran 6 memtest passes on v1.0, but wound not post on v1.2. I haven't tried 1.1 or messed with the ram settings outside of XMP, but on 1.0 its been performing perfectly for games. I might run more memtest passes for ensuring stability while I can still return my ram, but overall I'm satisfied with the board. I was going to cheap out originally, but I wanted an in socket upgrade path and it seemed worth spending the extra 40 bucks rather than replacing the board down the line.
Any progress on this? 🤔
@@marcus9x9 Still running stable on v1.0, haven't tried any other bios versions, but I don't really plan to since I'm constantly using my PC and it would be a lot of time and effort to make sure its stable.
If I ever swap the CPU I may do more testing, but for now I'm leaving it as is.
I've read issues with i3-12100F and this mobo regarding bios if it is and older version bios than required.
Do you think this motherboard is worth getting or should I look for another one?
@@satisfiedcustomer I've actually just tested the latest bios and it did 12 memtest passes and it finally seems stable. If you can get a similar Asus option at the same price that might be the better choice. Otherwise, if you decide to get the MSI, just make sure to test your memory within your return period.
I will pick this motherboard for my build, just with wifi. I will pair it with i5-12400F, Patriot RAM 16GB at 3200. I already ordered Asus RX 3050 8GB for 320€ with bundled mouse.
Any progress?
It is best budget mobo for i5 13600kf ?
01:15
so will be there any problem like bsod or windows crash if we use only 8 pin power connector and leave the rest 4 pin free?
No, you only need the 8 Pin!
I got this for my build, I coudnt get Ballistix 3600 CL16 to that spec with XMP. I m running 3500 Cl15-17-17-38 G1 on a 12400 non f . instead of the original 3600 cl16-18-18-38. Mine didnt let me run 3600 cl16...only G2
Yes a lot of people are saying this about the Crucial Ballistix 3600Mhz Kit. It's a shame, but a very minor differenece in the real world.
Will this work properly with a Crucial Ballistix RGB 4000 Mhz ?
I am planning to pair this board with i5 12500 and then hook it to 2560*1440p 165 Hz monitor (LG 32GN650-B) without dedicated gpu, can this motherboard's displayport run this specific monitor using igpu of 12500 alone which can support up to 7680*4320 @60Hz via dp1.4.
i have a problem with this mainboard when go with 32gb ram corsair bus 3000 + i5 12600k( can not xmp to 3000, just can run 2133), still not fixed haizz i think because msi not support corsair ram
I bought the worst board and will be refusing delivery today. I'm going to buy this board. Appreciate your review on these boards!
should i get MSI PRO B760M-A for 10$ more? (im planning to use 15 12400 & rtx 3060 12gb)
hi, first thanks for great detail review. In the actual date(24.10.22) and the last bios update aviable for this board, Is confirmed the 100% compatibility with XMP and 3200 MHz rams ?
Absolutely, that's within spec for all compatible CPUs and you won't have a problem.
i have a question ❓
If u can plz ans
I jave i5 12400
Gtx 1060 6gb
Gskill 8*8 16gb
Msi spatium ssd gen 3
Gamdius 600w psu
Mouse a4yech p91 (very lower mouse)
Monitor lgmk600 75hz
I play only Apex legends
So which part should i upgrade first for better gaming performance?
Can someone tell me if the msi pro B760 m-a performs on par with this board??
ty