Three years after NZXT's foray into motherboards, the company has finally introduced a model for AMD users, the N7 B550. This, perhaps like NZXT's first Intel motherboard, the N7 Z370, marks the beginning of the AMD party with a mid-range chipset.

On that note, the announcement is a bit bit bittersweet; NZXT celebrated the announcement on Twitter, "We heard you loud and clear!" and stated, "We heard you loud and clear! That's good. However, I wish NZXT had announced the X570 instead of or in addition to the N7 B550.

Anyway, the N7 B550 is here, and it costs $230, the same as the N7 Z490 we reviewed last year, which is also a beautiful design NZXT is offering a streamlined layout with a matte white or matte black It either offers a metal cover or sticks to its blueprint of selling a bare-bones version (all three options are priced the same).

One selling point is the integration of smart controls: the N7 B550 has built-in digital RGB and fan control, allowing users to customize four RGB lighting channels and seven fan channels through the company's CAM utility NZXT also, stated that lighting accessories from all manufacturers are supported.

I/O options include three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI output, 2.5G LAN port, various audio ports (analog and S/PDIF) on the rear panel. There is also a front panel header to support additional USB ports. [Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 are built into the N7 B550, and for storage there are two M.2 slots and six SATA 6Gbps ports. Other notable features include BIOS flashback and CMOS clear buttons, LED diagnostics, and power and reset buttons.

Overall, it looks like a solid entry into the AMD space; NZXT's first motherboard was a bit of a mess, with the BIOS falling short of its rivals in this highly competitive space. But now, NZXT has partnered with ASRock to make the N7 B550's BIOS more fully functional.

However, our friends at Tom's Hardware were so impressed that they awarded it an Editor's Choice badge.

The N7 B550 is available now and comes with a 3-year warranty.