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ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI vs GIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX

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 GIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX at 6.2/10.

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

The GIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX leads on BIOS and support.

They score the same on value.

ASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFI

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 (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

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

GIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX

GIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX

6.2/10verdict: good, not the best

The GIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX is a micro ATX AM5 board for compact builds on Ryzen 7000, 8000 or 9000 processors. It suits buyers who want one PCIe 5.0 NVMe drive, 2.5GbE and built-in Wi-Fi. It fits a general-purpose desktop, a small workstation or a light homelab box that needs four SATA ports.

Typically about £144.99 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

CriterionWeightASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFIGIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX
Platform and features25%7/106/10
Connectivity25%9/107/10
Power delivery20%7/105/10
BIOS and support15%5/107/10
Value15%6/106/10
Overall7.1/106.2/10

Specifications

SpecASUS ROG STRIX B860-I GAMING WIFIGIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX
CPU socket (e.g. AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700)LGA1851AM5 (Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 series)
ChipsetIntel B860AMD B650
Form factor (ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, E-ATX)Mini-ITX (6.7 x 6.7 in)Micro ATX, 24.4 x 24.4 cm
Memory: type (DDR4 or DDR5), number of slots, maximum capacity and speedDDR5, 2 DIMM slots, max 128GB, up to 9066+ MT/s (OC), non-ECC unbuffered, CUDIMM supportedDDR5, 4 DIMM slots, up to 256 GB (64 GB per DIMM), dual channel; base speeds 5200/4800/4400 MT/s with OC profiles up to 8000 MT/s; EXPO and XMP supported
M.2 NVMe slots and their PCIe generation2 slots: M.2_1 PCIe 5.0 x4 (CPU-attached, 2260/2280); M.2_2 PCIe 4.0 x4 (chipset-attached, 2242/2260/2280)2 x M.2 slots, both CPU-connected: M2A_CPU PCIe 5.0 x4/x2 and M2B_CPU PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 (Ryzen 7000/9000)
PCIe slots1 x PCIe 5.0 x161 x PCIe 4.0 x16 from CPU (PCIEX16); 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 from chipset (PCIEX4)
Wired and wireless networking (e.g. 2.5GbE, Wi-Fi 7)Intel 2.5GbE (one port); Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) 2x2; Bluetooth 5.4Realtek 2.5GbE LAN; Wi-Fi 6E (Realtek RTL8852CE on rev 1.2/1.3); Bluetooth 5.2 or 5.3; no Wi-Fi 7 listed
Rear USB ports, including USB-C and USB4Rear: 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 headerRear: 1 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s, from CPU), 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 5 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 4 x USB 2.0; no rear USB4 or 20 Gb/s port listed

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 ›

GIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX

  • + PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot plus a second CPU-connected M.2
  • + Q-Flash Plus updates BIOS with no CPU, RAM or GPU
  • + Front 20Gb/s USB-C header and 2.5GbE onboard
  • − No Wi-Fi 7; Wi-Fi 6E only
  • − No rear USB4 or 20Gb/s port
  • − Graphics slot is PCIe 4.0 x16

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want Wi-Fi 7 built into the board
  • Anyone needing rear USB4 or 20Gb/s ports for fast external storage
  • Builders planning several add-in cards, given the two expansion slots
Read the full GIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX review ›

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