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ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi vs GIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (Rev. 1.x)

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

all judged against motherboards at a similar price

The GIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (Rev. 1.x) scores 6.7/10 overall, ahead of the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi at 5.9/10.

The ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi leads on BIOS and support.

The GIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (Rev. 1.x) leads on platform and features, connectivity and power delivery.

They score the same on value.

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

GIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (Rev. 1.x)

GIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (Rev. 1.x)

6.7/10verdict: good, not the best

This is an AM5 board for Ryzen 7000 and 9000 builders who want a full-size B850 platform with Wi-Fi 7 and 2.5GbE. It suits people who need several NVMe drives, PCIe 5.0 for the graphics card and a fast front USB-C port. It is less suited to anyone who needs rear USB faster than 10Gbps or still runs Windows 10.

Typically about £200 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 WiFiGIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (Rev. 1.x)
Platform and features25%6/107/10
Connectivity25%6/107/10
Power delivery20%5/107/10
BIOS and support15%7/106/10
Value15%6/106/10
Overall5.9/106.7/10

Specifications

SpecASRock B850I Lightning WiFiGIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (Rev. 1.x)
CPU socket (e.g. AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700)AM5 (LGA1718)AM5
ChipsetAMD B850AMD B850
Form factor (ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, E-ATX)Mini-ITXATX (retailer listing; not confirmed on the manufacturer page)
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, up to 256 GB (64 GB per DIMM), dual channel, base speeds 5200/4800/4400 MT/s, up to 8200 MT/s with overclocking profiles
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 M.2 slots: M2A_CPU PCIe 5.0 x4/x2 (Ryzen 9000/7000); M2B_CPU PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 (Ryzen 9000/7000); M2C_SB PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 (chipset)
PCIe slots1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot (PCIE1), x16 modeOne PCIe 5.0 x16 slot from the CPU; two PCIe 3.0 x16-length slots running at x1 from the 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 5.2Realtek 2.5GbE RJ-45 LAN (2.5/1/0.1 Gbps); Realtek Wi-Fi 7 RTL8922AE 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: 1 x USB-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 5 x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 4 x USB 2.0/1.1; 12 rear ports in total

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 ›

GIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (Rev. 1.x)

  • + PCIe 5.0 for graphics slot and primary M.2 slot
  • + Front USB-C header runs at 20Gbps
  • + 14+2+2 phase design with 60A DrMOS on CPU rail
  • − Fastest rear USB port is 10Gbps
  • − Wi-Fi 7 needs Windows 11; no Windows 10 driver
  • − Both chipset PCIe slots run at x1 only

Skip it if:

  • Windows 10 users who want to use the Wi-Fi 7 adapter
  • Buyers who need rear USB faster than 10Gbps
  • Builders planning several wide PCIe expansion cards
Read the full GIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (Rev. 1.x) review ›

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