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ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi vs ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI

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

all judged against motherboards at a similar price

The ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI scores 7.3/10 overall, ahead of the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi at 5.9/10.

The ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi leads on BIOS and support.

The ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI leads on platform and features, connectivity, power delivery and value.

The biggest difference is power delivery, where the ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS 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 TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI

ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI

7.3/10verdict: good, not the best

The ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI is an ATX AM5 board for building a mainstream Ryzen 9000, 8000 or 7000 desktop. It suits buyers who want PCIe 5.0 graphics, Wi-Fi 7, 2.5GbE and a 20Gbps USB-C port on one board. It is less suited to extreme overclockers or anyone who needs several PCIe 5.0 drives.

Typically about £184.90 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 TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI
Platform and features25%6/107/10
Connectivity25%6/108/10
Power delivery20%5/108/10
BIOS and support15%7/106/10
Value15%6/107/10
Overall5.9/107.3/10

Specifications

SpecASRock B850I Lightning WiFiASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI
CPU socket (e.g. AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700)AM5 (LGA1718)AM5; supports AMD Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 series
ChipsetAMD B850AMD B850
Form factor (ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, E-ATX)Mini-ITXATX, 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, maximum 256GB, up to 8000+ MT/s overclocked, ECC and non-ECC unbuffered support
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 moduleThree Key M slots: M.2_1 is 2280 PCIe 5.0 x4 with Ryzen 9000 and 7000 CPUs; M.2_2 is PCIe 4.0 x4; M.2_3 is 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 sharing bandwidth with the second x16 slot
PCIe slots1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot (PCIE1), x16 modeOne PCIe 5.0 x16; one PCIe 4.0 x16 (x8/x4 on 8000 series CPUs, x4 on chipset); two PCIe 4.0 x1
Wired and wireless networking (e.g. 2.5GbE, Wi-Fi 7)Killer E3100G 2.5GbE; Wi-Fi 6E (802.11axe) dual-band 2x2; Bluetooth 5.2Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be, 2x2) with 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)Rear (10 ports): one USB 20Gbps Type-C, three USB 10Gbps Type-A, four USB 5Gbps Type-A, two USB 2.0. Front: one USB 10Gbps Type-C, one USB 5Gbps header, two USB 2.0 headers. USB4 only via internal Thunderbolt 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 TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI

  • + Wi-Fi 7, 2.5GbE and a rear 20Gbps USB-C port
  • + 14+2+1 80A DrMOS power stages with 8+8 pin power
  • + BIOS FlashBack button plus EZ Flash 3 and CrashFree BIOS 3
  • − Only one M.2 slot runs at PCIe 5.0
  • − USB4 only through an internal Thunderbolt header
  • − Some owners report memory and boot problems

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want more than one PCIe 5.0 M.2 drive
  • Buyers who need USB4 ports on the rear panel
  • Extreme overclockers pushing heavy voltage and power limits
Read the full ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI review ›

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