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ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi vs ASUS ROG STRIX B850-F GAMING WIFI

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against motherboards at a similar price

The ASUS ROG STRIX B850-F GAMING WIFI scores 6.8/10 overall, ahead of the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi at 5.9/10.

The ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi leads on BIOS and support and value.

The ASUS ROG STRIX B850-F GAMING WIFI leads on platform and features, connectivity and power delivery.

The biggest difference is power delivery, where the ASUS ROG STRIX B850-F GAMING WIFI scores 8/10 to the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi's 5/10.

ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi

5.9/10verdict: good, not the best

This is a Mini-ITX AM5 board for people building a compact system on the B850 chipset. It suits builders who want a PCIe 5.0 graphics slot, a Gen5 NVMe drive and BIOS Flashback in a small footprint. It is less suited to anyone who needs Wi-Fi 7, many rear USB ports or more than two memory slots.

Typically about £180 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

ASUS ROG STRIX B850-F GAMING WIFI

ASUS ROG STRIX B850-F GAMING WIFI

6.8/10verdict: good, not the best

This board is for AMD AM5 builders who want a B850 ATX board with Wi-Fi 7, 2.5GbE and plenty of NVMe storage. It suits Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 CPUs, including high-core chips, given its 16-phase CPU power design. It is a weaker fit for anyone who needs many SATA ports or rear USB4.

Typically about £270.99 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightASRock B850I Lightning WiFiASUS ROG STRIX B850-F GAMING WIFI
Platform and features25%6/107/10
Connectivity25%6/107/10
Power delivery20%5/108/10
BIOS and support15%7/106/10
Value15%6/105/10
Overall5.9/106.8/10

Specifications

SpecASRock B850I Lightning WiFiASUS ROG STRIX B850-F GAMING WIFI
CPU socket (e.g. AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700)AM5 (LGA1718)AM5, for Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 series
ChipsetAMD B850AMD B850
Form factor (ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, E-ATX)Mini-ITXATX, 12 x 9.6 in (30.5 x 24.4 cm)
Memory: type (DDR4 or DDR5), number of slots, maximum capacity and speedDDR5, 2 DIMM slots, dual channel, up to 128GB, up to 8200+ MT/s (OC)DDR5, 4 DIMM slots, dual channel, max 256GB, up to 8000+ MT/s (OC) with Ryzen 9000/8000/7000; supports ECC and non-ECC unbuffered modules
M.2 NVMe slots and their PCIe generationM2_1 (CPU-attached, PCIe 5.0 x4 on 9000/7000 series); M2_2 (chipset-attached, PCIe 4.0 x4); Key E slot for 2230 Wi-Fi/BT module4 M.2 slots (Key M): M.2_1 and M.2_2 PCIe 5.0 x4 with Ryzen 7000/9000 and PCIe 4.0 x4 with Ryzen 8000; M.2_3 and M.2_4 PCIe 4.0 x4 from chipset, M.2_3 disabled when chipset-fed x16 slot is in use
PCIe slots1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot (PCIE1), x16 mode1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot (Q-Release Slim, SafeSlot) for Ryzen 7000/9000; 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (x4 mode) from chipset
Wired and wireless networking (e.g. 2.5GbE, Wi-Fi 7)Killer E3100G 2.5GbE; Wi-Fi 6E (802.11axe) dual-band 2x2; Bluetooth 5.21 x Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet; Wi-Fi 7 (2x2 802.11be), 2.4/5/6GHz, 160MHz, up to 2.9Gbps; Bluetooth 5.4
Rear USB ports, including USB-C and USB4Rear: 1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 1 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, 4 USB 2.0; front headers for one Gen1 Type-C, one Gen1 header (two ports) and one USB 2.0 header (two ports)12 rear ports: 1 x USB 20Gbps (USB Type-C), 3 x USB 10Gbps (2 Type-A, 1 Type-C), 4 x USB 5Gbps (Type-A), 4 x USB 2.0 (Type-A); no rear USB4 port

Strengths and weaknesses

ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi

  • + PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and CPU-attached Gen5 M.2
  • + BIOS Flashback with dedicated rear USB port and button
  • + Rear USB-C plus a front USB-C header
  • − Wi-Fi 6E rather than Wi-Fi 7
  • − Four of the eight rear USB ports are USB 2.0
  • − 40Gb/s Type-C only on selected processors

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want Wi-Fi 7 built in
  • Builders with many fast USB devices who need more high-speed rear ports
  • Anyone who needs more than two DIMM slots or extra expansion slots
Read the full ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi review ›

ASUS ROG STRIX B850-F GAMING WIFI

  • + Two PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots plus a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot
  • + Wi-Fi 7, Intel 2.5GbE and a rear 20Gbps USB-C port
  • + 16-phase CPU power with BIOS FlashBack
  • − Only two SATA 6Gb/s ports
  • − No rear USB4 port
  • − Owners report BIOS freezes and occasional USB detection problems

Skip it if:

  • Builders who need many SATA ports for bulk drive storage
  • Buyers who want a rear USB4 port
  • Anyone planning heavy manual BIOS tuning who wants minimal reported quirks
Read the full ASUS ROG STRIX B850-F GAMING WIFI review ›

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