ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING 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 ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI at 7.1/10.

The ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI leads on connectivity.

The ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI leads on power delivery, BIOS and support and value.

They score the same on platform and features.

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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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

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

Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI	ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI
Platform and features	25%	7/10	7/10
Connectivity	25%	9/10	8/10
Power delivery	20%	7/10	8/10
BIOS and support	15%	5/10	6/10
Value	15%	6/10	7/10
Overall		7.1/10	7.3/10

Specifications

Spec	ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI	ASUS TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI
CPU socket (e.g. AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700)	LGA1851	AM5; supports AMD Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 series
Chipset	Intel B860	AMD B850
Form factor (ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, E-ATX)	Mini-ITX (6.7 x 6.7 in)	ATX, 30.5 x 24.4 cm
Memory: type (DDR4 or DDR5), number of slots, maximum capacity and speed	DDR5, 2 DIMM slots, max 128GB, up to 9066+ MT/s (OC), non-ECC unbuffered, CUDIMM supported	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 generation	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)	Three 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 slots	1 x PCIe 5.0 x16	One 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)	Intel 2.5GbE (one port); Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) 2x2; Bluetooth 5.4	Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet; Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be, 2x2) with Bluetooth 5.4
Rear USB ports, including USB-C and USB4	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	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

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 ›

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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