Skip to content
sudopicks
esc

GIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX 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 GIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AX at 6.2/10.

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

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

They score the same on connectivity and value.

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

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

CriterionWeightGIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AXGIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (Rev. 1.x)
Platform and features25%6/107/10
Connectivity25%7/107/10
Power delivery20%5/107/10
BIOS and support15%7/106/10
Value15%6/106/10
Overall6.2/106.7/10

Specifications

SpecGIGABYTE B650M AORUS ELITE AXGIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (Rev. 1.x)
CPU socket (e.g. AM5, AM4, LGA1851, LGA1700)AM5 (Ryzen 7000, 8000 and 9000 series)AM5
ChipsetAMD B650AMD B850
Form factor (ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, E-ATX)Micro ATX, 24.4 x 24.4 cmATX (retailer listing; not confirmed on the manufacturer page)
Memory: type (DDR4 or DDR5), number of slots, maximum capacity and speedDDR5, 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 supportedDDR5, 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 generation2 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)Three 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 4.0 x16 from CPU (PCIEX16); 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 from chipset (PCIEX4)One 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)Realtek 2.5GbE LAN; Wi-Fi 6E (Realtek RTL8852CE on rev 1.2/1.3); Bluetooth 5.2 or 5.3; no Wi-Fi 7 listedRealtek 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 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 listedRear: 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

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 ›

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 ›

More comparisons

Compare all motherboards · Best motherboards