ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi vs ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI

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

all judged against motherboards at a similar price

The ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI scores 7.1/10 overall, ahead of the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi at 5.9/10.

The ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi leads on BIOS and support.

The ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI leads on platform and features, connectivity and power delivery.

They score the same on value.

The biggest difference is connectivity, where the ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI scores 9/10 to the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi's 6/10.

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

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ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI

7.1/10verdict: good, not the best

This is a Mini-ITX LGA1851 board for compact Intel builds that need a lot of fast I/O. It suits buyers who want Thunderbolt 4, a 20Gbps USB-C port and Wi-Fi 7 on a B860 platform. It is less suited to anyone who wants BIOS Flashback or needs settled memory behaviour.

Typically about £199.99 in the UK when we researched itSearch Amazon UK

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Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi	ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI
Platform and features	25%	6/10	7/10
Connectivity	25%	6/10	9/10
Power delivery	20%	5/10	7/10
BIOS and support	15%	7/10	5/10
Value	15%	6/10	6/10
Overall		5.9/10	7.1/10

Specifications

Spec	ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi	ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI
CPU socket (e.g. AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700)	AM5 (LGA1718)	LGA1851
Chipset	AMD B850	Intel B860
Form factor (ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, E-ATX)	Mini-ITX	Mini-ITX (6.7 x 6.7 in)
Memory: type (DDR4 or DDR5), number of slots, maximum capacity and speed	DDR5, 2 DIMM slots, dual channel, up to 128GB, up to 8200+ MT/s (OC)	DDR5, 2 DIMM slots, max 128GB, up to 9066+ MT/s (OC), non-ECC unbuffered, CUDIMM supported
M.2 NVMe slots and their PCIe generation	M2_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 module	2 slots: M.2_1 PCIe 5.0 x4 (CPU-attached, 2260/2280); M.2_2 PCIe 4.0 x4 (chipset-attached, 2242/2260/2280)
PCIe slots	1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot (PCIE1), x16 mode	1 x PCIe 5.0 x16
Wired and wireless networking (e.g. 2.5GbE, Wi-Fi 7)	Killer E3100G 2.5GbE; Wi-Fi 6E (802.11axe) dual-band 2x2; Bluetooth 5.2	Intel 2.5GbE (one port); Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) 2x2; Bluetooth 5.4
Rear USB ports, including USB-C and USB4	Rear: 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)	Rear: 1 Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, 1 USB 20Gbps USB-C, 1 USB 10Gbps Type-A, 3 USB 5Gbps Type-A, 2 USB 2.0 Type-A (8 ports); front USB-C 10Gbps header

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 B860-I GAMING WIFI

+ Thunderbolt 4, 20Gbps USB-C and Wi-Fi 7 on one board
+ PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot
+ 10+1+2+1 VRM with 80A DrMOS, praised by owners
− No BIOS Flashback, according to TechPowerUp
− Some memory boot and profile problems reported
− Armoury Crate software criticised by an owner and a reviewer

Skip it if:

Buyers who want BIOS Flashback for updating without a CPU installed.
Builders who need more than two DIMM slots or a second Ethernet port.
Anyone pairing the top LGA1851 chip with a cramped, poorly ventilated case.

Read the full ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI review ›

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