In late 2024, we reviewed ASRock’s X870E Taichi motherboard and loved its feature set, DIY-friendly nature, and loads of USB ports on the rear IO. Fast-forward to today and we’re covering the newly released ASRock X870E Taichi White. In addition to the different colorway and updated aesthetics, it also receives some iterative feature updates. This includes native 9950X3D support, faster Ethernet, and it’s ASRock’s first motherboard to feature all-white components. But the biggest changes with are the board’s improved looks.

Priced at $449.99 (or $438.99 on Newegg), it’s not inexpensive. But ASRock’s Taichi lineup always delivered the goods, offering flagship-class hardware that cost less than the competition. It may not have a fancy LCD screen like others, but it doesn’t have that same flagship price. Still, it does come with high-end features, including overbuilt power delivery (now with active cooling), 10 GbE (up from 5 GbE), a flagship audio solution with an integrated DAC, and even support for multi-GPU (AMD CrossFire). You get the same M.2 count (four), but fewer SATA ports (three, from six), DIY-friendly features, and plenty of USB ports on the rear IO, including two USB4 (40 Gbps) and Lightning Gaming ports. In short, it’s handsomely equipped.

Performance testing proceeded without a hitch, and the results were average overall. The results showed it was not only a solid productivity machine, be it rendering, encoding, or office work, but also showed it’s a competent gamer too. While it didn’t set the world on fire performance-wise, it was relatively consistent across the board.

Below, we’ll examine the Taichi White’s performance and other features, and decide if it has a chance to make our list of the best motherboards. But before we share test results and discuss details, here are the specifications from the ASRock website:

Specifications of the Taichi White

Inside the Box

Inside the box with the motherboard are a few accessories to get you started. You get four SATA cables (for three ports), three thermistor cables, an ARGB splitter cable, and last but not least, the Wi-Fi antenna. It’s not much, but it will at least get you a good wireless internet connection and let you attach SATA-based drives without a trip to the store.

Design and Features of the Taichi White

The Taichi White, like the original, keeps the same general design, with a vertical M.2 socket to the right of the RAM, and it uses a white, 8-layer PCB with beefy heatsinks covering the VRMs and two M.2 sockets, with the rest more of a plate-style cooling. Gone is the polarizing look of the original, with the gold dots and distinct cogs as the main design feature, moving to a more subtle look. We spy the Taichi branding on the left VRM heatsink, and you can see the small VRM fan, which is a unique look.

There are two RGB lighting zones: one hidden below the plate heatsink across the bottom and the other on the left VRM heatsink, which lights up the whole surface by the fan. ASRock’s Polychrome Sync software controls the lighting, with several canned light patterns, and most you can adjust (speed and color). The appearance is improved compared to the first X870E Taichi, but you’ll have to design an all-white build to take advantage of it.

Looking at the top left corner, we see your typical configuration with two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) and the VRM heatsink. The latter uses a heatpipe to connect the top portion of the VRMs to the main, actively cooled portion of the heatsink. The tiny little fan remains off at idle and ramps up under load. It was quieter than the AIO we use, so there are no worries about noise. You can control the device in the BIOS and through Windows software. However, there’s better control through the latter. Here we see a tamer version of the Taichi theme, with the Taichi branding written vertically in chrome.

To the right of the socket area, we see the four DRAM slots, with locking mechanisms on both sides. ASRock lists support up to DDR5-8200, which is well above AMD’s sweet spot for the platform, but still a bit lower than some other high-end boards. We didn’t have any issues with our kits, including the DDR5-8000 kit with our APU.

Above the DRAM slots are the first three (of eight) 4-pin fan/pump headers. Each header supports PWM and DC-controlled devices through the BIOS. The lion's share of these headers (CPU_FAN2, CHA_FAN1-4, and both AIO_PUMP headers support a whopping 3W/36A each and also auto-detect 3-pin/4-pin, while the CPU_FAN1 supports up to 1A/12W. There’s plenty of output available.

To the right of the DRAM slots is a vertically oriented M.2 socket that uses ASRock’s M.2 Key Latch to hold the device down and the M.2 heatsink quick release to attach and detach quickly—this socket, M.2_2, is a PCIe 4.0 (64 Gbps) M.2 socket. Don’t let the heatsink fool you. It’s labeled as “Blazing” M.2 (typically reserved for PCIe 5.0-capable sockets), but it’s PCIe 4.0 (what ASRock calls “Hyper”).

Along the right edge, starting in the top-right corner, we spy the two-character Dr. Debug diagnostic panel that displays POST codes in bright white, and below that are LED-backlit Power and Reset buttons. Below those are the first two 3-pin ARGB headers, followed by the 24-pin ATX power lead for the board, a 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), and finally a front panel USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) Type-C connector.

Power delivery on the X870E Taichi White uses the same robust configuration as the original. There are 25 phases total, with an incredible 22 dedicated to Vcore. Power flows from the 8-pin EPS connectors to the Renesas RA229628 controller (there’s a second controller for the SOC, etc.). From there, power goes to the Renesas R2209004 110A SPS MOSFETs. The 2,420A available will handle any processor you throw at it with aplomb. Be it stock, overclocked, or even extreme overclocking, the power bits and active VRM cooler won’t have any issues, even with a Ryzen 9 9950X or the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2.

On the bottom half of the board, starting on the left and hidden under a shroud, is the audio section. ASRock uses the flagship Realtek ALC4082 codec (along with several dedicated audio capacitors) and the ESS SABRE9219 DAC for real panel audio. It also supports direct-drive technology on the front headphone port, supporting up to 600 Ohm headsets. This combination of codec and DAC is one of the best native audio solutions on motherboards.

In the middle of the board are two full-length slots, both of which connect through the CPU and split up x16 PCIe 5.0 lanes. The top slot supports up to x16 while the bottom is up to x8. When both are in use, it’s x8/x8.

Mixed in and around the PCIe slots are three M.2 sockets. Above the PCIe slot is the one and only PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps)-capable M.2 socket hidden under a significant heatsink. Recently, we tested motherboard heatsink contact on the primary M.2 heatsink (also with a quick release) and found that a majority do NOT make good contact with the devices they’re supposed to cool. The good news is the Taichi White was one (of six) that made adequate contact on both sides. The other two M.2 sockets in this area, both PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps), reside under the plate heatsink. Note: The Taichi White doesn’t share bandwidth with PCIe slots, USB ports, or anything. So feel free to stuff this board like a Thanksgiving turkey and get everything possible out of your USB, M.2, and PCIe slots.

Moving right, past the chipset to the edge are your three SATA ports. This is one place where ASRock cut back (from six), but these days, most people can get by with three SATA ports and four M.2 sockets. If you’re into RAID configurations, the SATA ports support RAID 0/1 modes while NVMe supports RAID 0/1/10. Finally, we've included a few images of the board's active ICs. ASRock uses a mix of Realtek (PWM controller, audio, MOSFETs) and Marvell ICs.

At the bottom are several headers, including front-panel audio and USB ports. A complete list of connectivity is listed below (from L to R):

• Front panel audio
• 4-pin RGB
• 3-pin ARGB
• (3) 2-pin Thermistor headers
• (2) USB 2.0 headers
• (4) 4-pin fan headers
• 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen 1 header
• 2-pin Clear CMOS jumper
• Speaker
• Front panel

Flipping the board around to the rear IO, you can see it’s chock-full of colorful USB and other ports. On the left are Clear CMOS and BIOS Flashback buttons. Next to those are the Wi-Fi 7 (remember, it’s ‘only’ 160 Hz) antenna connections and the HDMI (v2.1) port. Next to that are stacks of colored USB ports. In total, there are 12: two USB 4 (40 Gbps) Type-C ports that double as video outputs; five USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), two of which are the Lightning USB ports (yellow - designed to reduce latency by using different controllers). Three USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports (purple) support USB PD 3.0 charging up to 5V@3A (15W). Lastly, there are two USB 2.0 ports in black. Above one of the Type-C ports is the Marvell (Aquantia) 10 GbE, and finally, on the right end, is the audio stack with two 3.5mm and SPDIF outputs.

If you’re an esports gamer where every millisecond counts, the lighting gaming ports could come in handy. Otherwise, it’s not really something that adds value to the average user.

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Firmware

Like other X870E ASRock boards, the X870E Taichi White starts in the informative Easy Mode, but it also lets you adjust several options (XMP, profiles, boot order, access to Fan-Tastic Tuning, etc.) here. The Taichi White uses a grey background and black characters, more or less matching the new Taichi’s theme. The high contrast also makes it easy to read. The standard BIOS displays headings across the top, with subheadings and details below.

You can tweak everything here, as ASRock includes every option you can think of. Overclocking is straightforward, with most options readily available. The layout is logical, and the mouse movement is smooth. We have no significant complaints about the ASRock firmware, but it could certainly use a facelift if it wants to keep up with recent Gigabyte and MSI offerings.

Software

ASRock offers several different software options. These include the App Shop, which lets users install drivers and software; the Nahimic 3 audio control panel; the A-Tuning application that lets you overclock and control fans; the Polychrome RGB software; and more. There’s also a Blazing OC Tuner and a convenient pop-up to install drivers when the system first boots. ASRock’s software provides everything users need to manage and tweak their systems.

Test System / Comparison Products

We’ve updated our test system to Windows 11 (23H2) 64-bit OS with all updates applied as of late September 2024 (this includes the Branch Prediction Optimizations for AMD). Hardware-wise, we’ve updated the RAM kits (matching our Intel test system), cooling, storage, and video card. Unless otherwise noted, we use the latest publicly available non-beta motherboard BIOS. The hardware we used is as follows:

TEST SYSTEM COMPONENTS:

• CPU - AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
• Cooling - Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420
• Storage - Crucial 2TB T705 M.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD
• RAM - Kingston Fury Beast DDR5-6000 CL36 (KF560C36BBEAK2-32)
  Teamgroup T-Force Delta DDR5-7200 CL34 (FF3D518G7200HC34ABK)
  Klevv Cras XR5 RGB DDR5-8000 (KD5AGUA80-80R380S)
• GPU - Asus TUF RTX 4080 16G
• PSU - EVGA Supernova 850W P6
• Windows 11 64-bit (23H2 - 22631.4169)NVIDIA Driver 561.09

Benchmark Settings

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Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo) with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and the memory by enabling the XMP profile. The Windows power scheme is set to Balanced (default) for this baseline testing, so the PC idles appropriately.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics offer a valuable method for evaluating a board's performance, as identical settings are expected to yield similar results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are areas where motherboard manufacturers can still optimize for stability or performance, though, and these settings can impact specific testing scenarios.

Starting with the synthetic benchmarks, the Taichi White performed average to below average. Nothing was inordinately slow (or fast), but some results, like POV-ray and Blender, fell on the slower side of average.

Timed Applications

Results from the timed applications were similar and around the average of our tested boards—nothing anomalous here either.

3D Games and 3DMark

Starting with the launch of Zen 5, we’ve updated our game tests. We’re keeping the F1 racing game but have upgraded to F1 24. We also dropped Far Cry 6 in favor of an even more popular and good-looking game in Cyberpunk 2077. We run both games at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed above). Cyberpunk 2077 uses DLSS, while we left F1 24 to native resolution scaling.

The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used (and CPU/system-bound) resolution with settings most people use or strive for (Ultra). We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most falling within the margin of error. We’ve also added a minimum FPS setting, which can affect your gameplay and immersion.

The Taichi White did well in the 3DMark benchmarks and was towards the top of our results. In the actual games, it was slightly below the average, though you wouldn’t be able to tell without a frame counter staring you in the face.

Overclocking

Over the past few CPU generations, overclocking headroom has been shrinking on both sides of the fence, while the out-of-the-box potential has increased. For overclockers, this means there’s less fun to have. For the average consumer, you’re getting the most out of the processor without manual tweaking. Today’s motherboards are more robust than ever, and they easily support power-hungry flagship-class processors, so we know the hardware can handle them. There are multiple ways to extract even more performance from these processors: enabling a canned PBO setting, manually tweaking the PBO settings, or just going for an all-core overclock. Results will vary and depend on the cooling as well. In other words, your mileage may vary. Considering all the above, we will not be overclocking the CPU. However, we will try out our different memory kits to ensure they meet the specifications.

For memory testing, we start with our fastest non-clock driver kit: Klevv 32GB (2x16) DDR5-8000. Per usual on this platform, it booted to Windows but wouldn’t pass a stress test with our 9900X. It did pass with the 8600G APU as expected.

The Team Group DDR5-7200 kit worked without issue. Those speeds are well past AMD’s ‘sweet spot’ for the platform. And because today’s RAM prices are so out of whack, we doubt many are shooting for these higher speeds anyway.

Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures

We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU, cache, and Memory enabled for power testing, using the processor's peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is obtained from the wall using a Kill-A-Watt meter, which captures the entire PC (excluding the monitor). The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts remain the same. Please note that we have moved to using only the stock power-use/VRM temperature charts, as this section aims to ensure that the power delivery can handle flagship-class processors.

Stress testing this board with our DDR5-7200 kit showed it using a little more power than the average of all our X870 and B850 boards. At idle, it sat around 94W, slightly higher than average, and it peaked at 270W, one of the lower results under load. This averages out to 182W and is a bit more power-hungry than the average board.

VRM temperatures were good during our testing, peaking at just over 51 degrees Celsius on our sensor and 53 degrees on the hottest internal sensor. With 110A MOSFETs pushing ~150W loads, it’s a solid result with plenty of headroom left for a more powerful processor and/or overclocking.

Bottom Line

The ASRock X870E Taichi White ($449.99) takes everything we liked about the original Taichi and wraps it in a notably cleaner, all-white aesthetic while adding a few meaningful upgrades. The jump to 10 GbE, overkill power delivery with active VRM cooling, ample USB ports on the rear IO, and useful DIY-friendly features make it a compelling option for enthusiasts building a high-end AM5 rig.

The elephant in the room is that the original X870E Taichi still exists, and does so at a much lower price point of $319.99. In essence, if you don’t want a white build or don’t need 10 GbE, you can save quite a bit of money going with the original. You can also get the Asus ROG Strix X870E-A Gaming WiFi 6 Neo ($469.99), and while it’s missing a 10 GbE port (it has 5 GbE), it includes two PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots (four total). MSI’s popular X870E Carbon Wifi ($379.99 on sale) is a less expensive option without 10 GbE, but it also offers two PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots and 5 GbE. However, it is black. Gigabyte’s X870E Aorus Pro X3D Ice ($339.99 on sale, normally $436.99) is also a viable option in white, but lacks 10 GbE and, like the others, a flagship-class audio codec or integrated DACs.

Overall, we like the new X870E Taichi White, but it doesn’t quite have what it takes to make our best motherboards list. Although there are some iterative updates, the white aesthetic is the real winner. Not many users can use 10 GbE (you can also buy a 10 GbE card for your existing PC for around $72), but if you’re looking for a high-end white board and don’t want to spend $450, other appealing options are available.

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Buying a motherboard today can be a daunting task. There are more options than ever, with more features than ever, making it harder to know what you really need. Prices have also climbed consistently over the last several generations, with flagship motherboards now routinely costing as much as a high-end CPU or graphics card.

Modern motherboards range in price from under $100 for the most basic, to well over $1,000 for flagship/Halo-type boards from the ‘Big 4’ (Asus, ASRock, Gigabyte and MSI). But more expensive doesn’t always mean a better experience, especially if you’re likely not to use the hardware and features you’re paying for.

Several factors drive motherboard pricing. From the PCB layer count and copper content at your most basic level, chipset (some, like X870E, have two chips), power delivery, to controllers and premium components, they all increase the Bill of Materials (BOM). So what do you actually gain by spending more? It depends on the board, but outside of more robust power delivery, you tend to get additional, improved, or faster everything. Be it storage with M.2 sockets and SATA ports, USB ports, wired or wireless networking, the audio solution, or PCIe slots and bifurcation. And you can’t forget about the aesthetics. In general, the more you spend, the better the specs and the better they look. Some even include integrated screens. But it goes beyond just the hard specifications.

In addition to the hardware, motherboard partners attempt to inject value with DIY-friendly innovations such as toolless M.2 sockets and heatsinks, larger BIOSes with integrated drivers, or even quick-connect Wi-Fi antennas. All things that make building or swapping parts out easier on your PC. They’re even including “AI” features designed to help with overclocking and other functions like networking, or even local AI work, to make getting the most out of your system easier. And while some of those features can be valuable, their true worth is measured by the individual and whether they can get any use out of it.

The real question you need to ask yourself is what you need (and want) for how you use your PC today and in the near future, as every PC user is different. Whether you use your PC primarily for gaming, work purposes, or breaking overclocking records, needs will vary. The point of this article is to help users navigate through a dizzying array of options, determine what’s actually too much versus what you need, and perhaps save money by focusing on the right parts for your usage.

The cost of a motherboard

What, outside of marketing forces, drives motherboard pricing? First, there’s the BOM. Everything you see on the board has a cost. Starting with the PCB itself, it comes in layers like a sandwich, allowing all of the connectivity to reach where it needs to go without electrical interference. Budget boards tend to use fewer PCB layers and less copper, think 6-layer and 1 Oz, while mid-range and higher use 8/10 layers and 2 Oz of copper as selling points. Of course there’s validation and engineering costs that go into it, too.

On top of the PCB, you have various bits like the VRMs, which can range from downright anemic and a hindrance to performance, to overkill for anyone except extreme overclockers. Cheap boards tend only to give you the basics: fewer VRM phases and lower-rated MOSFETs (think 50A/60A), chokes, and capacitors. More expensive boards use a higher phase count and higher-rated MOSFETs, around 80A-110A.

For example, the popular 80A Intersil ISL99380 MOSFET can be found for around $2.72 apiece (@ 100 qty), while the less capable Vishay SIC623 50/60A is $1.69 per (@ 3,000 qty). Now, these prices are just what we can find online in lower quantities. If you need 100,000 units, prices will drop, and we don’t know what price the board partners contracted at. But the point is the difference in cost. The idea that the power bits on a 12-phase board with 50A MOSFETs will cost less than a 24-phase board with high-end 110A SPS MOSFETs should be clear, and we haven’t even touched on the chokes and capacitors that make up the VRMs.

Other onboard items such as network chips, USB controllers/hubs, SATA controllers, audio solutions with DACs and/or amplifiers, PCIe switches, BIOS chips, and more all add up (and that’s just the hardware/ICs). For example, a Marvell Aquantia AQC113 is around $27 apiece for 1,000 units, while the 2.5 GbE Realtek RTL8125BG can be found as low as $2 apiece for 30 units. Pricing isn’t publicly disclosed for many items to compare; for instance, we can’t find pricing for the ASmedia ASM4242 USB4 chip, but you can expect it to fetch a premium over most other supplemental, slower USB controllers. On the other side of the tracks, Intel’s JHL8540 Thunderbolt 4 chip costs a bit over $13 apiece for 2,000 units.

DIY-friendly features such as toolless M.2 sockets and PCIe latches likely also cost more than the basic M.2 socket with screws and PCIe slots without those features, but that’s something more tangible, even if it’s only used for installation and upgrade purposes, and likely not a significant part of the BOM cost.

You also can’t forget the appearance. From basic boards with minimal heatsinks and no RGBs to massive decorative heatsinks and shrouds, RGB lighting, and integrated screens, it all adds up. And of course, you have to factor in R&D to get these boards and all of their features created and to market in the first place. Just remember that not every additional dollar translates into something you’ll notice in everyday use.

Where does the value end?

Unfortunately, we don’t have a black-and-white answer to this question, as it depends on the person making the purchase and their needs, or how they plan to use the PC. Speaking generically, very few people need incredibly robust, 20-plus-phase, 110A MOSFET VRMs, even with a high-power flagship-class processor. Most users with any processor will be fine with a 12-18 phase board with 60-80A MOSFETs. There’s almost no point in paying the premium for a more-capable design so long as what it has can handle your processor without throttling it. And as you can see from our motherboard benchmarks below, performance is generally price-agnostic among these tightly grouped results.

Unless you plan to overclock and use extreme cooling methods, those monster 20-plus-phase 110A MOSFET power systems are overkill. Items like onboard buttons to adjust BCLK, voltage, or the multiplier are useless for all but the most extreme overclocking, used at the brink of stability. 99.9% of users who overclock can do so in the BIOS or use Windows tools without these extra features, which add cost. For example, the ASRock Z890 Taichi OCF with all of the overclocking bells and whistles for ~$400 isn’t the right choice unless you’re overclocking competitively.

Popular processors like the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and other X3D derivatives won’t need anything close to that and work just fine with 10-12 phase 50-60A MOSFETs. The same goes with Intel. You’ll need a better motherboard for a Core Ultra 285K than for a 250K Plus, especially if you plan to overclock.

10 GbE, or even 5 GbE, networking is another item that, chances are, you don’t need for most PC activities. With average download speeds in the US hovering just over 300 Mbps, you don’t need to worry about faster wired connectivity unless you need the bandwidth for your internal network, like a NAS or transferring among devices on your internal network. For example, I have 1 Gbps (sequential) fiber, which is the fastest my area offers currently. In this case, 1 GbE is enough, but leaves no room for upgrades. A good sweet spot for wired networking is 2.5 GbE, so anything over that is overkill for anyone who doesn’t need a fast LAN connection.

Wireless networking is another story. 2025 and 2026 brought Wi-Fi 7 to the masses, supplanting Wi-Fi 6/6E. The problem here is that few have Wi-Fi 7 wireless devices in the first place. Your motherboard, and perhaps your new phone or laptop, may have it, but that’s about it. This also means you need a Wi-Fi 7-capable router, and if you don’t have a capable adapter, buy one, which increases the total cost of ownership. Chances are you’ll be fine on Wi-Fi 6E or even the ‘slower’ Wi-Fi 7 (160 MHz instead of 320 MHz), depending on your device count and bandwidth needs. The more you have of both, the more 320 MHz Wi-Fi 7 can be beneficial.

PCIe lane switches (read: bifurcation) are also something that not many users need unless you have PCIe add-in cards. This is something you’ll need to dig into the specifications to find, as it’s not typically listed as a feature. It generally happens automatically due to lane sharing anyway, but that ability can add cost to the bottom line. You also need to watch out for lane sharing so you get what you pay for with your chosen hardware. Be it M.2 sockets and PCIe, or USB and M.2 sockets, chances are you’ll experience lane sharing in some form or another on Intel and AMD chipsets, more so on the mainstream and high-end boards. And while money doesn’t prevent this occurrence, there are only so many lanes to go around; the more features you try to add to a limited number of lanes, the more it has to share.

Take, for example, the flagship MSI MEG X870E Godlike and Godlike X we reviewed. Even though this is a $1,000 motherboard, it’s still limited to the lanes and bandwidth the chipset offers. In this case, the rear USB4 ports share bandwidth with the second PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 socket (M2_2). Here, because the board supports bifurcation, there are a few ways that setup plays out. If you want all of the bandwidth for the M.2, the USB4 port(s) are disabled. You can split them and share bandwidth, or you can get all the bandwidth for the USB4 ports, disabling the M.2 socket. On the same board, the third PCIe slot and fourth M.2 socket share the chipset's PCIe 4.0 lanes.

If we drop down to the X870 chipset, which uses only one Prom 21 chip and has fewer available lanes for sharing, we see a lot of the same thing. On the X870 Tomahawk Wifi (a $229 board), the rear USB4 port doesn’t share with anything but also only uses one PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket. Lane sharing on it is the same as the $1,000 Godlike between a PCIe slot and an M.2 device. In this case, the M.2 device doesn’t even receive the full x4 bandwidth, no matter what hardware is connected. The moral of the story here is to make sure you check the specifications and see what, if any, lane sharing occurs with your specific hardware configuration.

Who should buy what?

When selecting a motherboard, there are a few basic tenets I look at before purchasing, regardless of how I use the PC:

• CPU compatibility - You can’t fit square pegs into round holes. Intel doesn’t work with AMD, AM4 boards don’t work with AM5 processors, and so on. Make sure the board you want supports the processor you plan to purchase.
• Form Factor - Pick a size that fits your chassis: Mini-ITX, MicroATX, ATX, E-ATX.
• RAM Support - DDR4 or DDR5; again, you can’t fit square pegs into round holes. You can even save some money using DDR4 and not lose much performance.
• Storage - How many M.2 sockets do you need, and at what speeds? How many SATA ports?
• Expansion slots - How many do you need, and at what speeds? PCIe 5.0 or PCIe 4.0?
• Rear I/O and connectivity - Make sure you have enough USB ports and the speeds you need for the usage.
• Networking - How fast for the wired solution? Do I need two? Is Wi-Fi 7 an absolute need or a want?

At a high level, we can say motherboards that cost:

• Under $150: have basic functionality, fewer high-speed connections, weaker VRM designs
• $150-250: additional connectivity, the sweet spot for most users
• $250-400: even more connectivity, storage, and premium features, a sweet spot for enthusiasts
• $400+: enthusiast-class features, extreme VRMs, aesthetics, and diminishing returns
• $1,000+: Halo products where you pay for everything, not necessarily for better performance

Basics aside, how many and what speed you need for each feature varies depending on the person and how they plan to use the PC. Currently, I have seven USB devices, three M.2 drives, and one SATA-based HDD, along with a 9900X3D. By day, my workflows are generally light, with a dozen or two Chrome tabs up at one time along with Google Docs and a messaging application. By night, when my work is done, the kids are taken care of, and my wife goes to sleep, it’s a gaming PC.

A gamer’s needs are different than someone who uses the PC for content creation, for example, or a workstation user (powerful multi-core processors and a lot of RAM), or even a competitive overclocker. You don’t need a ton of or the fastest of anything to get the most out of your CPU, graphics card, and RAM. In other words, each type of user/functionality moves different features up and down on the priority list.

For example, as a budget-conscious gamer planning to use an X3D chip, I’d look at AMD and the B650E or B850 chipset-based motherboards, as they offer the best balance of price and features for a high-end gaming CPU without the tax of unnecessary enthusiast features. If you need advanced connectivity like USB and multiple PCIe 5.0 connections, that’s fine. The same goes for Intel; the B860 boards will do most users just fine.

Content creators often need a well-balanced system with high-speed connectivity such as Thunderbolt 4/5 or USB4, multiple M.2 storage slots, and fast networking to handle large media files and heavy workflows. You tend to see those features in X870/Z890 motherboards, specifically those with “Creator” in the title.

Extreme overclockers should look for boards with robust power delivery and overclocking features, such as integrated buttons on the motherboard or 2-DIMM slots that benefit memory overclocking. Boards like the ASRock X870E Taichi OCF ($499.99) or the Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Apex ($726.50) are good examples with features dedicated to overclocking and getting every last MHz out of your system. They are also overkill for just about everyone who doesn’t have a Dewar full of liquid nitrogen.

Final thoughts

So how much is actually too much? The takeaway is that it depends on the situation. Most of us don’t require overkill power delivery and massive VRM heatsinks. Nor do we need 4-5 M.2 sockets or a dozen USB ports, and we can easily get away with less. Most motherboards in the $250-$400 range in the mainstream and enthusiast segment offer enough of everything to be a ‘good enough’ solution for most users. That said, they can also be overkill. It’s when you get into the budget chipsets (think A620 for AMD and Q870/H810 for Intel) that you may run into problems with VRM capability when using high-end processors, as well as connectivity shortcomings.

It seems counterintuitive, and you do get more features on higher-tier motherboards, but buying a more expensive motherboard doesn’t let you bypass the platform's hard limits. It often adds more lane/bandwidth sharing. For the most part, this isn’t a bad thing. You just have to know what hardware you plan to use and what you need from it. Drawing on the examples above, do you need the USB4 port(s) and that bandwidth for external devices (like storage), or the second PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket and its 128 Gbps of bandwidth? Or do you need the last PCIe expansion slot for an add-in card?

If you can answer these questions, you’re most of the way to avoiding overbuying on your motherboard and can then put that extra cash toward something you can actually benefit from. The best motherboard isn’t the one with the most features: it’s the one with the features you actually need. If you still need some assistance buying a new motherboard, check out our best motherboard list, which covers a wide variety of platforms, form factors, and price points. You can also check out our curated best motherboard deals to stretch your dollar even further.

The ongoing memory crunch has turned the best RAM, specifically DDR5, into halo-tier hardware. In response to the crisis, chipmakers and motherboard vendors have restarted production of hardware compatible with more budget-friendly DDR4. Recently, as reported by VideoCardz, Gigabyte has quietly launched the B450M D3HP and B450M D3HP WIFI6E motherboards, built around AMD's immortal B450 chipset, which launched eight years ago.

Revitalizing older platforms that support more affordable memory options is one way manufacturers are helping consumers cope with the memory shortage. Going as far back as the AMD 400-series chipset may come as a shock to some, but if you look at it, the B450 chipset has been the de facto budget king for the AM4 platform for as long as we can remember.

The B450M D3HP and B450M D3HP WIFI6E have a humble 4+2-phase power delivery subsystem. Although the design is limited compared to more premium offerings, these motherboards support multiple generations of AMD Ryzen processors (Ryzen 3000 to Ryzen 5000) and APUs (Ryzen 3000G to Ryzen 5000G). Similarly, these microATX motherboards accommodate SKUs ranging from energy-efficient 35W processors to the flagship 105W parts. The versatility means you can pair the B450M D3HP or B450M D3HP WIFI6E with anything from an entry-level Athlon 200GE to the premium Ryzen 9 5950X.

The B450M D3HP and B450M D3HP WIFI6E are cut from the same cloth. As its name suggests, the B450M D3HP WIFI6E stands out for including Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. The Realtek RTL8852CE controller provides wireless connectivity and supports the latest Bluetooth 5.4 standard.

Equipped with four DDR4 memory slots, these motherboards support up to 128GB of memory at DDR4-2667 data rates. Storage flexibility is another highlight of these Gigabyte motherboards, with two M.2 2280 slots. One slot operates at PCIe 3.0 x4 speeds, and the other at PCIe 2.0 x2 speeds. For users with legacy storage devices, the motherboards also feature four SATA III connectors.

Expansion options are somewhat limited, though. You receive only one PCIe 3.0 x16 expansion slot, ideal for installing a dedicated graphics card, and one PCIe 2.0 x1 expansion slot for other add-in cards. For those who prefer integrated graphics, the motherboards are equipped with a range of display outputs, including one DisplayPort 1.2 and two HDMI 2.0b ports.

When it comes to connectivity, the motherboards offer seven USB ports: four USB 3.2 Gen 1 and three USB 2.0. A single Gigabit Ethernet port is available and leverages an unspecified Realtek controller. The inclusion of a Q-Flash Plus button is a plus, as it enables seamless BIOS updates, even without a processor, memory, or graphics card installed.

At this stage, Gigabyte has yet to announce official pricing for the B450M D3HP and B450M D3HP WIFI6E. We have not seen either model at major U.S. retailers, either. Gigabyte’s B450 motherboards have disappeared from the market ages ago. When these motherboards were available, entry-level and mid-range models typically started at around $50 and $80, respectively. The high-end models, on the other hand, had a starting price of $100.

The B450M D3HP and B450M D3HP WIFI6E should fall under the entry-level category. However, given the current market conditions, it remains to be seen whether Gigabyte will stick to similar price points.

Maxsun isn't that well-known in the U.S, but the China-based company has been around since 2002, and a player in the motherboard game (as well as things like graphics cards and storage) overseas for decades. In that time, it has released some unique motherboard designs, such as the Intel-based iCraft B760M Cross, which features its anime-based brand mascot, Aijia, on the box, with pink and light blue highlights on the white PCB. It was a cool board, but like many of the company's previous samples, it was not without shortcomings.

Today we're testing Maxsun's Terminator B850M Pro II, a budget Micro ATX AM5 board that sports a black aesthetic and is generally well-equipped for a small-form-factor motherboard. You get support for the latest flagship-class processors like the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 (as well as future AM5 processors), Wi-Fi 7 and 2.5 GbE networking, three M.2 sockets (two PCIe 5.0 x4) and two SATA ports for storage, and room for expansion with two full-length PCIe slots. I would like to see faster USB ports (the fastest is only 10 Gbps) and perhaps a better audio codec, but this board is otherwise comparable to similarly priced B850M options.

The performance portion of our testing went smoothly, but results were average to below average, depending on the test. The Terminator B850M Pro II was competent at gaming and some of the single/lightly threaded tests, mixing in with most other boards, but was slower in heavily multi-threaded tests with our Ryzen 9 9900X.

Below, we’ll examine the B850M Pro II’s performance and other features, although as you have probably guessed from the score above, it won't make it to our list of the best motherboards. But before we share test results and discuss details, here are the specifications from the Maxsun website:

Specifications of the B850M Pro II

Inside the Box

Inside the box along with the motherboard, the only accessories included are the Wi-Fi antennas, two SATA cables, and a warranty card. That’s it. No stickers, extra thermal pads, nada. It’s paltry by any standard, but it’s still enough to get your SATA-based drives connected and your new PC online.

Design and Features of the B850M Pro II

The B850M Pro II uses an 8-layer matte-black PCB, with large heatsinks covering the VRMs, M.2 sockets, and chipset. The black motif is broken up by two crimson lines running diagonally across the heatsinks. You will not find integrated RGB lighting, but can add it using the existing ARGB headers. It’s not an exciting Micro ATX board vying for attention, but does blend in with any black or dark build theme.

Starting our tour in the top-left corner, we see the two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required between the two separate VRM heatsinks. On the left, we get a better look at the Terminator branding on top of the large heatsink. Nothing extraordinary here.

Moving past the socket area to the right, the next feature we encounter is the four DRAM slots, with the locking mechanism located on top. Maxsun lists support up to DDR5-8000, which is a bit lower than most B850 (and X870) boards, but still well past AMD’s sweet spot (6000-6400 MT/s). We couldn’t get our DDR5-8000 kit to boot, even with the APU, but it’s to be expected as those speeds are right at the limit and our sticks weren’t on the memory QVL. No worries, as our DDR5-6000 and DDR5-7200 kits worked just fine without the help of an APU and its generally superior memory controller.

In the upper-right corner, next we see the first of two 3-pin ARGB headers (the other is along the bottom edge). The Maxsun Sync 2 software controls any attached RGB lighting and gives users your typical fare of pre-programmed lighting and customization (speed, color, etc.). But that’s the only piece of software the company offers for this board.

Moving down the right edge, we run into the first two (of five) 4-pin fan headers. Since we don’t have access to the manual (one wasn't included in the box and we can't find one online), and the specifications on the web page don’t mention it, we’re not sure how much each header supports. We’ve reached out to Maxsun for clarity, but until they respond, assume they support 1A/12W each, which should be enough for multiple fans and an AIO without worry. The BIOS is the only way to control the fan headers. Sadly, Maxsun still doesn’t have a dedicated desktop application for monitoring, overclocking, or fan control. And while there are ways around it, if you want to be in the conversation with ‘the big four’ motherboard brands in the US, having Windows-based software helps.

Continuing along the edge, we run into the 24-pin ATX connector for the board power, and the front-panel USB ports. The first is a USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) header, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C connector, and a 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) header. What’s worth noting here is the lack of a 20 Gbps header. And the rear IO’s fastest port is also 10 Gbps. While 20 Gbps ports aren’t common on B850 boards, it would be nice to see at least one.

Power delivery on the B850M Pro II is on the light side, sporting a total of 15 phases, with 12 dedicated to Vcore. Power heads from the 8-pin EPS connector(s) and onto the Realtek RT3678BE PWM controller. From there, it moves to the paltry Vishay Sic654 50A DrMOS MOSFETs. The 600 Amps available is relatively low, but Maxsun lists support for up to 300W TDP, which means, in theory, you can toss in a Ryzen 9 9950X or the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2, and still be OK.

If that’s your plan for this board, make sure you have adequate case cooling, especially if you’re pushing the CPU hard for extended periods, as these VRMs will get toasty with a high-wattage processor. If you’d like to know more about VRMs and what you actually need from a motherboard, check out the Motherboard VRM thermal testing article we recently published.

On the bottom half of the board, starting on the left, is the exposed audio section, consisting of the Realtek ALC897 codec and four dedicated audio capacitors above it. The ALC897 is the most basic audio codec on consumer-class motherboards. In fairness, it is commonly used, especially in the Micro ATX form factor. That said, its direct competitors (by price point) use the improved ALC1220 or the latest-gen ALC4080 codecs. And while you’ll be hard-pressed to notice a difference without plugging in some of the best PC speakers, it’s still a difference among the comparables.

In the middle are two full-length PCIe slots, and under the plate-style heatsink are all three M.2 sockets. Starting with the two PCIe slots, the top slot with the reinforcement is your PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and is primary for graphics. It also uses a quick-release GPU latch for easy removal. Press the button to unlock and remove. Easy. The bottom slot connects via the chipset, supports PCIe 4.0 x4, and is good for expansion cards. You could use it to add faster USB Type-C ports, if needed.

In between the PCIe slots are the three M.2 sockets. The B850M Pro II gives you two PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) M.2 sockets (up to 80mm) that source their bandwidth through the CPU, and a single PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) socket that also supports up to 80mm devices. Note that when using both PCIe 5.0 M.2 sockets, the primary graphics slot drops to PCIe 5.0 x8. Having all three M.2 sockets under the graphics card with a plate heatsink isn’t ideal, especially if you have one of those PCIe 5.0 drives.

We've also included a few images of the active ICs for the board. This Maxsun uses a mix of Realtek (PWM controller, audio) and Vishay (MOSFETs) branded ICs.

At the bottom are several headers, including front-panel audio and USB ports. A complete list of connectivity is listed below (from L to R):

• Front panel audio
• 3-pin ARGB
• 4-pin fan header
• COM port
• Debug header
• USB 2.0 header
• (2) SATA ports
• 4-pin fan header
• Front panel

The rear IO on the B850M Pro II generally has what most users need, just perhaps not the fastest or the largest number of ports. Starting on the left, we see the DisplayPort and HDMI (v1.4) video outputs. Next to that are the first two (of four, in blue) USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps ports, your 10 Gbps Type-C port, and a convenient clear CMOS button. The tall stack of black USB ports is USB 2.0. Above the second set of Gen 2 ports is the Realtek 2.5 GbE port. Next to that is the Mediatek Wi-Fi 7, but note it only uses the 160 Hz frequency and can be slower than the fastest Wi-Fi 7 devices. Last but not least, on the right is a full 5-plug plus SPDIF audio stack.

There’s nothing out of the ordinary here, but I would like to see at least one 20 Gbps port, even on a B850-class Micro ATX motherboard.

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Firmware

Maxsun has updated its BIOS from the ground up, introducing a mobile-inspired interface with larger icons, more buttons, and “card-style modules” for easier navigation. Like most modern BIOSes, it has an informative, functional, easy mode with different sections (modules) on the left, information and buttons (for enabling EXPO, ReSize Bar, EUP, and RGBs), along with other system details like fan speeds and settings, as well as boot priorities. You can also adjust the background with three included images (Sweet Aiga, Sci-Fi Mecha, and Textured Glass), which is unique.

The advanced portion of the BIOS offers plenty of options to tweak your system, but doesn’t appear to have quite as many options as other motherboards. Still, there are lots of options, including PBO, to tweak your CPU. You can also tweak your memory.

In all, the BIOS worked well and will be fine for most users, but the mobile-inspired interface isn’t quite as refined and doesn’t give you the premium vibes we see from Gigabyte, MSI, or Asus BIOSes.

Software

Maxsun Sync 2 is an application that controls RGB lighting, picking up not only the board but also our RAM and GPOU (as expected). There are 10 different lighting effects, most of which you can change (speed, color flow, etc.) to your liking. It worked well in our limited testing, controlling each item it picked up without issue.

For those looking for an application that controls fans, overclocking, and the like, you’ll need to stick with the BIOS, as Maxsun does not offer one at this time. If the company wants to compete with the ‘big four’ (Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock), it needs to offer software, since the competition pretty much all has well-established monitoring and control applications.

Test System / Comparison Products

We’ve updated our test system to Windows 11 (23H2) 64-bit OS with all updates applied as of late September 2024 (this includes the Branch Prediction Optimizations for AMD). Hardware-wise, we’ve updated the RAM kits (matching our Intel test system), cooling, storage, and video card. Unless otherwise noted, we use the latest publicly available non-beta motherboard BIOS. The hardware we used is as follows:

TEST SYSTEM COMPONENTS:

• CPU - AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
• Cooling - Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420
• Storage - Crucial 2TB T705 M.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD
• RAM - Kingston Fury Beast DDR5-6000 CL36 (KF560C36BBEAK2-32)RAM - Teamgroup T-Force Delta DDR5-7200 CL34 (FF3D518G7200HC34ABK)RAM - Klevv Cras XR5 RGB DDR5-8000 (KD5AGUA80-80R380S)
• GPU - Asus TUF RTX 4080 16G
• PSU - EVGA Supernova 850W P6
• Windows 11 64-bit (23H2 - 22631.4169)NVIDIA Driver 561.09

Benchmark Settings

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Benchmark Results

Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo) with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and the memory by enabling the XMP profile. The Windows power scheme is set to Balanced (default) for this baseline testing, so the PC idles appropriately.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics offer a valuable method for evaluating a board's performance, as identical settings are expected to yield similar results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are areas where motherboard manufacturers can still optimize for stability or performance, though, and these settings can impact specific testing scenarios.

Starting with the synthetic benchmarks, the Terminator B850M Pro II performed average to below average in most tests. In fact, Cinebench R24 and POV multi-core scores were the lowest we’ve seen (mind you, it’s only a couple of percent slower from worst to first), which was surprising considering power use was similar to other B850 boards. Outside of that, results were average for the rest.

Timed Applications

3D Games and 3DMark

Starting with the launch of Zen 5, we’ve updated our game tests. We’re keeping the F1 racing game but have upgraded to F1 24. We also dropped Far Cry 6 in favor of an even more popular and good-looking game in Cyberpunk 2077. We run both games at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed above). Cyberpunk 2077 uses DLSS, while we left F1 24 to native resolution scaling.

The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used (and CPU/system-bound) resolution with settings most people use or strive for (Ultra). We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most falling within the margin of error. We’ve also added a minimum FPS setting, which can affect your gameplay and immersion.

In our 3DMark and game tests, the B850M Pro II was dead-on average in the synthetics and slightly above average in both games. While the Maxsun didn’t have a great showing in the rendering, encoding, and other tests, it proved to be a competent gamer.

Overclocking

Over the past few CPU generations, overclocking headroom has been shrinking on both sides of the fence, while the out-of-the-box potential has increased. For overclockers, this means there’s less fun to have. For the average consumer, you’re getting the most out of the processor without manual tweaking. Today’s motherboards are more robust than ever, and they easily support power-hungry flagship-class processors, so we know the hardware can handle them. There are multiple ways to extract even more performance from these processors: enabling a canned PBO setting, manually tweaking the PBO settings, or just going for an all-core overclock. Results will vary and depend on the cooling as well. In other words, your mileage may vary. Considering all the above, we will not be overclocking the CPU. However, we will try out our different memory kits to ensure they meet the specifications.

For memory testing, we start with our fastest non-clock driver kit: Klevv 32GB (2x16) DDR5-8000. Per usual on this platform, it booted to Windows but wouldn’t pass a stress test with our 9900X. The Team Group DDR5-7200 kit worked without issue. Those speeds are well past the ‘sweet spot’ for the AMD platform, and with today’s RAM prices, we doubt many people are looking at these higher speeds anyway.

Dropping in the Ryzen 5 8600G APU, which typically unlocks the ability to run our DDR5-8000 kit, didn’t this time around. We couldn’t get the system to boot with this RAM kit, no matter what we tried. But, between the 8000 MT/s listed spec and our kit not being on Maxsun's QVL, it was an expected result, and nothing to hold against it as it’s well past the sweet spot.

Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures

We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU, cache, and Memory enabled for power testing, using the processor's peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is obtained from the wall using a Kill-A-Watt meter, which captures the entire PC (excluding the monitor). The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts remain the same. Please note that we have moved to using only the stock power-use/VRM temperature charts, as this section aims to ensure that the power delivery can handle flagship-class processors.

Stress testing this board with our DDR5-7200 kit showed it to be less power-hungry than most competitors. At idle, it sat around 89W and slightly higher than average, peaking at 245W, one of the lower results under load. This averages out to 167W, slightly better than the average B850/X870/X870E-based boards.

VRM temperatures were good during our testing, peaking at 50 degrees Celsius on our sensor and 55 degrees on the hottest internal sensor. For 50A MOSFETs pushing 160W loads for this test, that’s a solid result. You can use a higher-wattage processor and possibly overclock, but make sure you have good airflow to keep the budget VRMs running cool.

Bottom Line

The Maxsun Terminator B850M Pro II proved to be a competent budget-class AM5 motherboard, but it doesn’t do enough to stand out. Gaming performance was as expected, but other performance was a bit lackluster with default settings. It offers a solid set of features, including Wi-Fi 7 (though limited to 160Hz), three M.2 sockets (two PCIe 5.0), and support for the latest Ryzen 9 processors. The BIOS is functional and easy to navigate. Still, the lack of Windows-based software for monitoring, fan control, and overclocking is a notable omission, since competing motherboards already have well-established software ecosystems.

For me, the biggest question about this board's market viability is price. Maxsun stated the MSRP is $199.99, but is found on Alibaba for $243.76 and Amazon for $229.00. At those prices, it’s not worth it when the competition is all currently (at the time of this writing) priced below $199. Hardware-wise, MSI’s MAG B850M Mortar Wifi ($199.99) is probably the best-equipped option and arguably one of the better-looking B850 boards. ASRock’s B850M Steel Legend ($149.99) in white is also attractive (the only one of this group with RGB lighting) and the least expensive option. Asus’ Prime B850M-A WiFi-CSM ($191.99) is also a consideration, with similar specs and still less expensive than the Maxsun. With all of these other boards available, the Maxsun is a tough sell anywhere above $200.

Terminator B850M Pro II is an option in the MicroATX B850 space, but not the best. At the currently inflated price, it won't make our best motherboards list. If you can find it for $199, it’s definitely in the conversation, especially for anyone who needs two PCIe 5.0-based M.2 sockets in a budget, small-form-factor board. Until the price comes down for us in the U.S., competing boards are the better option.

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Firmware development company 3mdeb has officially launched the first open-source UEFI firmware for AMD's AM5 platform. In a blog post, the company announced Dasharo v0.9.0, featuring initial support for Zen 4 Phoenix APUs and MSI's Pro B850-P WiFi motherboard. The firmware is built on Coreboot and AMD's openSIL, the latter being AMD’s new open-source firmware framework.

The patch notes are comprised of 19 features to make the open-source code work on the B850 board, including the following: a UEFI-compatible boot interface, UEFI Secure Boot support, fTPM support, fast boot support, EFI system partition scanning, quiet boot and fast boot support, AMD CPU temperature reporting, and integrated SBOM.

Development of this open-source firmware for the MSI Pro B850-P has been an ongoing process over the past several months. We initially saw development announced in February, after 3mdeb developed an open-source firmware for the Gigabyte MZ33-AR1, a server board compatible with AMD EPYC 9005 series CPUs. Development of the open-source firmware version for the MSI Pro B850-P is based on the work done for the MZ33-AR1.

Dasharo is the first development team to produce open-source firmware for AMD's mainstream consumer AM5 platform. AMD is already looking to switch from AGESA to openSIL starting with Zen 6, but 3mdeb has opted to port AMD's openSIL firmware to older Ryzen CPUs.

Open-source firmware represents a big improvement over existing closed-source firmware solutions, particularly AGESA. AMD touts its openSIL firmware as being more secure than AGESA, with better platform security and better vulnerability tracking thanks to its open-source nature. Going open-source opens up room for experts and developers beyond AMD's own firmware development team to check for vulnerabilities in firmware code.

Another benefit of openSIL is that it is compatible with alternative firmware beyond UEFI, including Coreboot, oreboot, FortiBIOS, and Project µ. Projects like Coreboot also provide optimized code compared to closed-source firmwares, improving boot-time performance.

The new firmware can be found on the 3mdeb shop, under the MSI Pro B850-P hardware-firmware bundle.

M.2-based SSDs have been around for about a decade now in PCs, and have all but replaced the much larger and notably slower 3.5-inch hard drives, and even 2.5-inch drives, both spinners and SSDs. Over that time, we’ve seen these tiny drives increase not only in capacity but also in speed as new flash, controllers, and PCIe generations are released. And with that increase in performance comes increased heat that you need to manage. This is especially true when using the latest-generation PCIe 5.0-based drives, which tend to run hotter than previous-generation drives and are more prone to thermal throttling and performance loss.

Many of these drives already come with heatsinks to help manage thermal output. And so long as it isn’t a simple thin plate, many do the job well enough to either delay or prevent thermal throttling.

However, not all include heatsinks, and if your workflows lean on storage, longer transfers can be significantly slower due to the drive overheating and thermal throttling. The amount of throttling, if any at all (some actually won’t), varies by circumstance. Whether by drive and controller, workload, and even case airflow, these factors affect whether you’ll see thermal throttling and how severe it is. If time is money, this is obviously a bad thing. The longer it takes to read or write the files you need, the longer it takes to finish your work and get to something more pleasurable, or move on to the next task.

You may be thinking: My motherboard has heatsinks for M.2 drives, and of course, if you aren’t using a bargain-basement or business board, you would be right. Those also come in all shapes and sizes (plate-style to massive), with varying cooling capabilities. In general, the more mass a cooler has and the greater its surface area, the better it can cool. There are other variables, including thermal pad efficiency, chassis airflow, and, of course, physical contact, but at a high level, this is the way.

But we wondered if these motherboard heatsinks actually make good contact to whisk away the heat? After seeing seemingly random complaints online in forums and on Reddit over the years, we tested the primary M.2 heatsink from the top PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket on 20 different motherboards to see how many actually make good contact with the included heatsink. And I was honestly a bit surprised at what we found.

What thermal throttling looks like and M.2 contact is so difficult

So what does thermal throttling look like on M.2 drives? It’s a sudden, typically severe, drop in data transfer speeds, appearing as a sharp cliff where blazing-fast speeds plummet to a fraction of the drive’s rated performance, or a saw-tooth pattern where it drops, cools below the critical temperature thresholds (typically by reducing the duty cycle and capping the IO stream and data bandwidth), then jumps back up. Some drives even drop back to PCIe 4.0 to limit bandwidth and reduce thermal throttling.

As you can see from the charts below (which contain throttled and non-throttled results from the same drive), the heatsink-less Transcend 260S 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD we used for this testing throttled just after the 50-second mark, dropping from just under 4,000 MB/s to around 1,700 MB/s. It then briefly recovered after dropping below its critical temperature threshold (typically between 70 and 85 degrees Celsius) around 90 seconds into the transfer. Several seconds later, it dropped again, and minutes later, it dropped again, this time slowing performance even further to around 600 MB/s, over six times slower than its steady-state performance and much closer to SATA-based SSDs than PCIe 5.0.

That said, it takes a pretty big file/set of files to transfer for over 10 minutes on these speedy drives, so we don’t expect to see this behavior too often during mainstream workflows. Also, how much performance is lost varies by drive and conditions. But this gives you a great idea of just how much performance you can lose.

You’d think that designing a heatsink for cooling hardware the size of a stick of gum would be easy for engineering teams. However, it’s not as cut-and-dry as you may imagine. The reason is that the M.2 standard (governed by the PCI-SIG) lists only maximum Z-heights for single and double-sided drives, leaving board partners to decide, for example, how thick the thermal pad should be. And while thermal pads work better with some compression, too much reduces efficiency, so there is a Goldilocks zone, but one that’s tough to hit consistently, since heights vary by drive.

Below is a handy table that shows the different M.2 SSD form factor standards. Single-sided devices are identified with the “S” in the table, while double-sided drives use the “D,” which shows the z-heights on the top and bottom.

A single-sided drive has components (NAND chips, controller, and DRAM) on only one side of the PCB. These drives can be 1.2-2.0 mm tall on the top side (2.2 to 2.38 mm with the PCB). Double-sided drives range from 1.2-1.5 mm on the top and 0.7-1.35 mm (3.5 to 3.8 mm total thickness). While 0.8 mm on single-sided drives and 0.15 and 0.3 mm for double-sided don’t sound like a lot, they can be the difference between good contact and none at all. So you can see the problem motherboard partners face when trying to consider all the available M.2 drives and their varying component heights.

Results

We picked 20 modern motherboards from AMD with B850 and X870/X870E chipsets, as well as options for Intel's B760, B860, and Z890. They range from budget boards with simple plate-style primary M.2 heatsinks to flagships with massive coolers. While this is only a small cross-section of available motherboards, it gives us a general idea of how good the contact is across brands at various price points, and whether those variables even matter.

We test the contact by removing the primary M.2 heatsink from the motherboard and taking off any protective plastic film. We then install the drive into the M.2 socket, ensuring the motherboard secures it properly with its default latching mechanism. After that, we reinstall the heatsink, ensuring it’s also properly secured. The process isn’t any different from how you would install yours, though I personally press down a bit on the heatsink (on all of my builds).

Earlier, I mentioned I was surprised at the results of our contact tests, and here’s why. Of our 20 tested motherboards, only six made good contact across the ICs on the PCB, and what we’d consider adequate compression across the length of the drive we used for testing (a double-sided 2TB Crucial T705 that’s 3.8mm thick). Five other boards had questionable contact with very light, but complete compression across the drive. Finally, nine boards didn’t make good contact, only touching the controller (arguably the most important part to prevent throttling), and not everything, be it the top or the bottom. See the pictures from each board below.ALBM (40x - board contact images)

Among the brands, MSI had the worst track record across this selection of boards, with only two of six making good contact (Z890 Tomahawk II and X870E Godlike X Edition). The rest had issues with complete coverage, only touching the NAND or the Controller.

Gigabyte had only one of its three tested boards, the Z890 Aorus Elite Duo X, make complete contact on both sides of our double-sided M.2 module, in part because of the M.2 EZ-Flex technology, which offers a flexible base to improve contact between the heatsink and SSD. The former flagship, the X870E Aorus Xtreme AI Top, also uses double-sided pads. Still, it doesn’t utilize the M.2 EZ-Flex technology, and so it made contact only on the top, and there only with the controller.

ASRock had the most tested boards (seven), and four of those had adequate contact. This includes the new X870E Taichi White, the X870 Livemixer and Taichi Creator, and the Z890 Taichi Lite. The B860I Lightning covered only the controller, while the B860 Challenger made contact with all the bits, but with barely noticeable compression.

We tested four Asus boards, and three of those were good, though all had what we’d consider light compression on our test drive. But any contact is better than none or partial. The B850 Creator Wifi was the sole board found to be insufficient, covering only the controller on top and one of the NAND chips on the bottom of our double-sided drive.

From our limited testing, the primary heatsinks on most motherboards don’t make good contact. It was really only a couple that I looked at and said, "Yep, they’re good." It’s inconsistent across brands, and even price points don’t seem to matter, as we’ve seen expensive motherboards fail to make complete contact while inexpensive ones do. Granted, this is a small sample size. If we tested many more boards, a clearer pattern might emerge. But for now, our results point to a disappointingly inconsistent answer to the question of whether motherboard M.2 heatsinks actually cool your SSD as they should.

Gigabyte boards using the company’s EZ-Flex technology look promising for double-sided drives, but that doesn’t leave me much faith in the top and single-sided drives. As noted earlier, this isn’t a specific shortcoming per se, but rather a problem of z-height variability on the drives themselves, which makes it difficult for companies to consistently achieve good contact. A simple answer would be to use a thicker pad and perhaps softer pads to get compression without warping the PCB. But if it were actually that easy, I’m sure the motherboard vendors would have figured this out already. Right?

Conclusion

So what does all this mean? Well, that depends on who you are, or better, how you use your PC. The reality is that most users won’t be affected by thermal throttling very often in the first place. If you’re primarily a gamer, chances are installation times are limited by your internet connection. Game loads are a mix of large and smaller files, many (if not most) of which don’t take more than a minute to load anyway. At that point, depending on the drive, performance has settled to a steady state and is still using DRAM cache (where applicable). Granted, drive throttling depends on multiple factors, and typically only the fastest PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 drives will throttle.

But if you frequently transfer massive file pools to your M.2 drive, or you're running heavy AI or database workloads, you want to look for two things from the start. First, make sure your drive has a cooling solution on the bottom, in case you have a double-sided drive. Second, but most obvious, is to look for good contact on the heatsink. If you find you don’t have it and absolutely need it, one option is to buy thicker thermal pads with the same or higher thermal conductivity. Something like Thermal Grizzly Minus Pad 8 will do, and it’s a cheap fix with prices ranging from $6.99 to $12.99 for the varying thicknesses (0.5 to 1.5mm). Arctic TP-3 also works well. Another option is to buy a third-party M.2 heatsink (here’s a great article reviewing 30 of them) and remove the cooler that is part of the motherboard.

We certainly expected some variation between boards, but didn’t expect to see so many primary M.2 heatsinks failing to make sufficient contact with our test SSD. Fortunately, for most gamers and mainstream users, it probably won’t matter. But if you regularly move terabytes of data and rely on sustained storage performance on PCIe 4.0 and particularly PCIe 5.0-based drives, it’s worth taking a closer look at your motherboard’s M.2 cooling, or buy one that includes a cooler and use it.

Either way, good airflow inside your case also helps, so keep that in mind, too. But until motherboard vendors find a better way to account for varying drive heights, checking for good contact or spending a few dollars on a thicker thermal pad could mean the difference between getting the performance you bought and leaving it on the table.

The best RAM on the market became even better with the introduction of AMD's EXPO ULL technology, at least for AMD users. Recognizing that not all users have access to EXPO ULL-compatible kits, MSI has stepped up by introducing a new feature called High-Efficiency Mode, which offers comparable optimizations and performance improvements for those who do not own one of the new EXPO ULL memory kits.

AMD EXPO ULL memory kits are similar to standard AMD EXPO memory kits. What really sets them apart is that the former come with specially optimized memory sub-timings that lead to a noticeable reduction in memory latency. The optimizations are done at the factory. MSI's High-Efficiency Mode performs similar optimizations on regular memory kits on AMD motherboards.

Even though machine tuning has improved over the years, it is not a magical formula that works for every single system since each one is unique; The level of optimization will differ with different hardware configurations, and you also have to take into consideration silicon quality. Some samples are just better than others, so you should not expect High-Efficiency Mode to magically match the same optimizations as factory-binned EXPO ULL memory kits. High-Efficiency Mode is essentially the motherboard doing the tuning for you, and as a result, it could introduce system instability similar to manual tuning.

MSI High-Efficiency Mode Benchmarks

MSI’s High-Efficiency Mode is available with four different presets: Tightest, Tighter, Balance, and Relax. Each preset dictates the level of aggressiveness you want the motherboard to use to fine-tune the memory sub-timings for your specific memory kit. There is no one-size-fits-all, so MSI encourages users to experiment with different presets to find the one that is most suited for their hardware.

MSI compared the Trident Z5 Neo DDR5-6000 C30 32GB (F5-6000J3038F16GX2-TZ5N) with its EXPO ULL counterpart, the Trident Z5 NeoX RGB DDR5-6000 C32 32GB (F5-6000A3038F16GX2-TZ5NXRK), to demonstrate the effectiveness of High-Efficiency Mode. On the tightest setting, the Trident Z5 Neo exhibited a 9.8% reduction in memory latency, falling within a hairline of the Trident Z5 NeoX. The other takeaway is that since EXPO ULL memory kits already come with optimized memory sub-timings, enabling High-Efficiency Mode does not offer tangible improvements.

Whether users benefit from improved memory latency depends significantly on the specific workloads they run. For instance, in latency-sensitive workloads such as large-scale databases or compiling complex code, a lower memory latency can lead to substantial improvements. On the other hand, in scenarios like video editing or 3D rendering, memory bandwidth is more important.

Before the memory shortage, the Trident Z5 Neo DDR5-6000 C30 32GB sold for just $119.99. Since then, the same kit now sells for more than 5X its original MSRP. To rub salt in the wound, the Trident Z5 NeoX RGB DDR5-6000 C32 32GB debuts with an additional 4.1% premium on top of the already-inflated price.

While we continue to live in a world with supply shortages and sky-high prices, we'll take anything that can improve performance. If a feature in the motherboard’s BIOS can close the performance gap between standard and premium EXPO ULL memory kits, we are all for it.

If you’re a PC enthusiast, chances are you’ve bought or at least looked into picking a motherboard, and it can be daunting. The list of specifications is long and includes (but is not limited to) CPU support/compatibility, port count and type (think USB, networking, etc.), storage options, audio solutions, slot count and speed, aesthetics, and last but not least, power delivery, which is critical to ensuring you get everything out of your processor.

Should you buy a board with more phases or more powerful MOSFETs? What’s good enough? Using data from our motherboard reviews, we’ll examine details such as temperature and performance to assess the magnitude of the differences and whether power delivery should be a key factor when choosing a motherboard.

What are VRMs?

Some may be reading this and asking, "What are VRMs?" VRM stands for Voltage Regulation Modules. Their primary function is to take the 12V power from your power supply and reduce it to a lower, stable voltage (around 1-1.5V) that your CPU and other components need to function. Or, in electrical terms, they are advanced DC-to-DC step-down converters tasked with smoothing out electrical noise and voltage spikes, which could crash your CPU. If they seem important based on that description, congratulations, you are paying attention.

VRMs are not a single component but a group of parts working together as a “power phase,” and a typical motherboard has multiple phases to share the electrical and thermal workload. The PWM controller is the brain of the whole system, telling the components how much voltage is needed at any given millisecond. The MOSFETs are the switches that rapidly turn the 12V power on and off to regulate the current. The chokes are coils that smooth the pulsating current from the MOSFETs into a steady current, while the capacitors store and release energy to maintain a stable voltage. The controller, MOSFETs, Chokes, and Capacitors all work together and make up your VRMs.

VRM quality is important because, when dealing with significant voltage fluctuations and output (its job), a lot of heat is generated. And if you have a power-hungry processor like a flagship-class Intel Core Ultra or AMD Ryzen 9, the chips require a lot of power and places a lot of stress on the VRMs. Most motherboards have metal heatsinks on top to help remove the heat generated. If it gets too hot (the exact temperature varies by MOSFET, but is generally around 100 degrees Celsius), the CPU then automatically throttles to prevent damage, which can hurt your performance, and that's what we’re here to shed some light on.

What makes VRMs better (or worse)?

VRM quality varies widely by motherboard. Typically, your enthusiast-class chipsets (Z890, X870E) have the most capable power delivery components, followed by the mainstream chipsets (B860, B850) and budget-class (A620 for AMD, “H” series for Intel). On most enthusiast-class boards, you’ll see 80-110A MOSFETs, more phases, and robust heatsinks, while mainstream and budget boards typically have 50-80A MOSFETs, fewer phases, and smaller heatsinks.

Entry-level motherboards, although they list support for flagship-class processors, are designed for low-power CPUs and may throttle under heavy workloads if you overbuy on the processor or don’t have adequate case cooling. These basic boards often come with minimal heatsinks (or none at all), a low phase count, and lower output capability, and are designed for simple tasks and office use. Mid-range motherboards offer a better balance of price and performance and can handle most any processor, even with some overclocking. These are better suited to gaming and productivity builds, where sustained performance needs are more common. High-end boards can support any processor and any type of overclocking (ambient, extreme/sub-ambient).

A ‘better’ VRM has more power stages with higher current capacity. At a high level, 20-phase VRMs with 110A MOSFETs, as you’d see on high-end enthusiast-class boards, are better than a 12-phase VRM with 60A MOSFETs, as is common on budget-class offerings. More details matter, such as whether the phases are ‘teamed’ (as most are today) or the type of MOSFETs used (DrMOS or SPS - the latter relays real-time telemetry), but for the purposes of this article, we’ll stick with count and type and try to stay out of the minutiae.

To understand what a board can handle, you need to know the phase count as well as the output of the MOSFETs. For example, a 12-phase VRM with 80A MOSFETs outputs up to 960A, and a 20-phase VRM with 110A MOSFETs outputs up to 2,200A. The higher the amperage/output, the more it can handle from your processor. In general, for flagship-class processors, I like to have at least 900A available, as this provides enough headroom to avoid stressing the chips too much.

Cooling can also make a big difference. From no heatsinks on the extreme budget and business-class boards to massive, actively cooled hunks of metal on high-end boards, keeping the VRMs cool prevents throttling, ensures sustained performance, and helps prolong their lifespan. Heatsinks come in all shapes and sizes, and some even include fins and heat pipes, along with improved thermal pads to help transfer and dissipate heat. The more power phases and output, the larger and more capable the cooling tends to be. At a high level, unless you’re using a low-power processor (think ~65W TDP), stay away from any boards without heatsinks on the VRMs. And even then, make sure you have good airflow to keep the temperatures in check.

Real-world Results

Our first set of charts shows VRM temperatures for our Intel- and AMD-based systems. We have a lot of data for the AMD X870/X870E/B850 data sets, but less for Intel (Z890/B860). Still, the data we have gives us a good idea of the differences (or lack thereof) between the enthusiast-class and mainstream chipsets. It has been a generation or two since we covered the budget and business-class chipsets and motherboards, so we don’t have information on the latest platforms using the absolute bottom-of-the-barrel motherboards (where you typically see performance/throttling issues due to VRMs).

CHARTS - VRM test result charts (3x - X870, B850, Intel)

As you can glean from the charts above, all of the results are generally close together, a range of around 15 degrees Celsius, for this set of mainstream and enthusiast-class motherboards. Even the hottest board is still 10s of degrees away (think 30 degrees or more) from running ‘too hot’ and potentially throttling.

The next set of charts hails from our motherboard reviews and shows the performance of all the boards across a wide variety of tests, including gaming, productivity, and creative workflows. As you can see, none of the boards, ranging from $179.99 to over $1,000 (new/MSRP), throttled with our flagship Intel Core Ultra 285K, nor did any using the Ryzen 9 9900X.

While we know the 9900X isn’t AMD’s current flagship, it still produces a fair amount of heat (~150W in our testing) for an upper-midrange processor. Even if we had used a high-power Ryzen 9 9950X, it wouldn’t have changed things much.

On the Intel side, we don’t have many datasets as we haven’t reviewed as many of the company’s Z890 motherboards at the time of this writing (we’re covering more now with the release of the new Intel Core Ultra 270K Plus and 250K Plus processors). That said, we’re confident the story remains the same, and you’ll get everything out of your processor on this and the B860 chipset-based boards. But if you plan on extended periods of high CPU use, you should always get more than you need, if only for longevity.

The last set of charts covers previous-gen Intel and AMD, including Z790, B760, and H770 for Intel and X670E and B650 for AMD (though still AM5, like 800-series). In the following multi-threaded tests, you can see a significant difference in performance between budget-class boards and mainstream and enthusiast boards.

Intel budget boards tend to take a bigger hit, as their CPUs use more power than AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X. On the AMD side, we still saw performance differences, but overall not extreme when looking at these data sets, even in some of the cheapest mainstream boards we tested. This could also be due to throttling or BIOS settings, as some budget/business-class boards strictly limit the processor to its baseline specification. In contrast, others take liberties with settings, especially with Intel processors.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, a vast majority of the boards we've tested were able to get the most out of the processor we use for testing. It’s typically only the absolute entry-level offerings, most in the budget/business class, that notably hinder performance. Sadly, there isn’t a smoking gun of ‘...if you’re using this processor, then you want this many phases/amps.’ But at a high level, the more phases and the higher the amperage rating, the better off you are.

Whether you can utilize a budget-tier board depends on several factors. If your primary use cases are office productivity and gaming with a mid-range or budget CPU, you’ll likely encounter few issues. However, if your workflows consist of sustained, heavily multi-threaded workloads, investing in a more capable board is advisable. On top of having paltry power delivery, the cheap boards tend to have fewer ports, slower overall connectivity (think USB and networking), a basic audio solution, and they just don’t look as good as mid-range to high-end boards that offer more and faster connectivity.

Does this mean a flagship motherboard is the only solution? Simply put, no. The vast majority of users don’t require extreme-class VRMs and would do fine with any motherboard from the mainstream or enthusiast chipsets. Your goal should be to find a balance that provides sufficient power headroom for your CPU and usage patterns.

However, if you intend to push high-TDP processors to their limits or want to overclock, VRM quality should be one of your top priorities, aside from the connectivity you need. Now that we have a better idea of what you may need, check out our curated best motherboards article or best motherboard deals to find a board that’s right for you.

The latest board from the budget side of the Z890 lineup to land on our test bench is the MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk Wi-Fi II. This updated Intel board is a streamlined revision of the original, optimized for Intel’s Core Ultra 200S Plus processors. It retains the same aesthetic, core power delivery, and DIY-friendly features, but has two connectivity downgrades: a single TB4 port (down from two) and reduced Wi-Fi 7 speeds. It’s a decent budget motherboard; it’s just that the feature-reduction refresh is a bit curious to me.

Currently listed at $229.99, the Tomahawk Wi-Fi II costs roughly the same as the original Z890 Tomahawk. Aside from the two downgrades, it also tweaks some header locations and, minimally, the aesthetics. Hardware-wise, you still get nearly everything from the original, including capable power delivery (19 phases, 90A MOSFETs), two Type-C ports (one TB4/40 Gbps) and seven Type-A USB ports on the rear IO. There's also Wi-Fi 7 and 5 GbE networking, a last-gen audio solution, along with MSI’s EZ DIY and EZ Overclock features.

Performance on the Tomahawk II was good overall with the MSI Performance setting, landing somewhere in the middle among the boards tested. In short, it’s competent across a wide variety of PC activities, including gaming, rendering, encoding, and office-type work. There’s nothing to worry about on the performance front.

Below, we’ll examine the board's performance and other features to determine whether it deserves a spot on our list of the best motherboards. But before we share test results and discuss details, here are the specifications from MSI.

Specifications of the MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk Wifi II

Inside the Box

Inside the box, MSI includes a few accessories to help get your system running, hopefully, without a trip to the store. You get the typical array of guides and EU notices, a 1 to 3 EZ Conn-Cable (V2), Wi-Fi antenna, EZ M.2 clip remover, (2) EZ M.2 Clips II, and two SATA cables. There isn’t much here, but it is similar to other budget boards.

Design and Features of the Tomahawk Wifi II

Looking at the Z890 Tomahawk II, it’s tough to discern any aesthetic changes versus the original. It sports an all-black 6-layer, server-grade PCB design with black heatsinks all around. There are bright yellow/green branding accents on the chipset heatsink, the primary M.2 heatsink (for which I wish to see a larger one for the PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket underneath), and the top VRM heatsink. As for RGB lighting, the Tomahawk II, like the original, doesn’t include RGB lighting, though it does have multiple headers to connect your own. It’s not begging to be the showpiece of the build, but it surely looks good with a black build theme.

Focusing on the top half of the board, we get a better look at the capable VRM heatsinks and socket area. What is different on this board compared to many others is that the two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) are above the DRAM slots instead of above and to the left of the VRM heatsinks. In its place is the first (of seven) 4-pin fan headers. Each header supports PWM and DC devices, with current/power ratings ranging from 1A/12W (SYS_FAN1-6) to 2A/24W for the CPU_FAN1 and 3A/36W for the PUMP_SYS1 header. There’s plenty of power to go around. Header control is managed via the BIOS or MSI's Control Center software.

Below the EPS connectors are the four DRAM slots, each with a single locking mechanism at the bottom. With the CPU power leads so close above, it makes sense to have them on the bottom, where there is more room to access them. The board supports up to DDR5-9200 MT/s, which is plenty fast for the platform. Our own testing showed the board worked fine at DDR5-8800 MT/s with a 2x24GB kit, so there’s some headroom left with 2x16GB sticks to reach the listed peak.

In the upper-right corner and along the edge, we spy three more 4-pin fan headers, along with the EZ debug (4 LEDs, basic troubleshooting) and the 2-character EZ Digi-Debug LED, which offers more details on POST issues and doubles as a temperature display once booted.

Below that is the JAF_2 EZ-Conn-header V2, which allows you to connect ARGB LED strips, fans, and USB 2.0 devices (with the included adapter cable), saving space on the motherboard. Last but not least, on the top half is a front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) connector.

Power delivery on the Tomahawk II is capable and appropriate for this class of motherboard. It has 19 phases, 16 of which are dedicated to Vcore. Power is supplied to the Monolithic Power Systems (MPS) MPS2477 controller. From there, it heads to 16 MPS 90A SPS MOSFETs. The 1,440A available can handle the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, and even the Core Ultra 9 285K, even with overclocking. Just be sure to keep air flowing in your chassis, as the components here will get warm with sustained heavy use.

On the bottom half of the board, we’ll start on the left with the audio section. There, we see a couple of dedicated audio capacitors and the last-gen flagship codec, the Realtek ALC1220P. While this isn’t the latest/best audio codec available, it’s a good one and makes sense for most budget-class motherboards. You should still be happy with it, as it’s difficult to tell them apart without seeing the actual specifications anyway.

In the middle of the board are three full-length PCIe slots and four M.2 sockets. Starting with PCIe, the topmost slot has reinforcement, which MSI calls Steel Armor II. It is your sole PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and connects through the CPU. The bottom two slots connect via the chipset and support PCIe 4.0 x4. The top slot does not bifurcate, if you’re wondering.

Among and around the PCIe slots are four M.2 sockets. The top socket, M.2_1 (above the top PCIe slot and under the heatsink that, again, I wish were larger), is your CPU-connected PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) socket. The other three M.2s all connect through the chipset and run at PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps), with M.2_4, the bottom-right socket, also supporting SATA-based M.2 devices. All sockets support up to 80mm modules and can run RAID 0/1/5 modes for redundancy and/or increased speed (RAID is not a backup). Between the PCIe slots, M.2, USB, and SATA ports, there is no lane sharing. You can fill all the slots and sockets and still receive the full bandwidth from each.

Finally, moving past the chipset heatsink to the right edge, are two of the four SATA ports (supporting RAID 0/1/5/10). The other two are mounted vertically along the bottom edge.

We've also captured several images of the IC's used to make this motherboard work consisting of a mix of Genesys Logic for a USB hub, Killer/Intel Ethernet, Realtek audio, and Monolithic Power Systems MOSFETs.

At the bottom of the board is a slew of headers. It offers your typical set of connectivity in this area, with nothing missing or worth a specific mention. Below we’ve listed all the connections across the bottom of the board.

• Front panel audio
• 4-pin RGB header
• 3-pin ARGB header
• 2-pin chassis intrusion header
• TB5 AIC header
• 8-pin PCIe connector
• (2) USB 2.0 (380 Mbps) headers
• (3) 4-pin system fan headers
• (2) 3-pin ARGB headers
• TPM header
• 2-pin Clear CMOS header
• Front panel headers

Flipping the board around to the rear IO, the Tomahawk II provides basic connectivity for the platform. You get everything, but compared to the original Tomahawk, you get one less Thunderbolt (40 Gbps) Type-C port. On the left, there's the HDMI (v2.1) output and the TB4/DisplayPort Type-C port, both of which work with integrated video. Next to that is a 10 Gbps Type-C port, while above that are the seven Type-A ports (3x 10 Gbps, 4x 5 Gbps). Below the USB ports are two buttons (BIOS Flashback and Clear CMOS). Next is the Killer 5GbE, the EZ antenna quick-connect for the slower (2.9 Gbps) Wi-Fi 7 connections, and the 3-plug (2x 3.5mm and SPDIF) audio stack. The next stack holds the 40 Gbps Thunderbolt Type-C port and the only USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) port. Next to that are four USB 2.0 ports, and the Realtek-based 2.5 GbE port stacked on top. Rounding out the USB ports back here are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports.

There’s nothing particularly notable here, just a difference in TB4/40 Gbps port count (now one).

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Firmware

MSI has updated its BIOS and renamed it “Click BIOS X.” It arrives with improved aesthetics and functionality. The company changed the format to left-aligned headings, middle-aligned details, and right-aligned system status information, and it’s all logically laid out. Like most other board partners, it features an informational EZ Mode that offers high-level functionality, including access to Game Boost, PBO, XMP profiles, and more. The Tomahawk uses a black background with a yellow highlighting theme and is easy to read.

Overall, we like the layout (it's one of my favorites), and maneuvering around is intuitive after a short time, though it does take some getting used to.

Software

MSI Center is a single utility that offers a wide range of functionality. From hardware monitoring to RGB control with Mystic Light, the software has many applets and is a one-stop shop for downloading other utilities, including overclocking and fan control. Those looking to use the Gamebar feature, Super Charger, or any other utilities MSI offers will find them all in MSI Center. This is the latest version from early 2026.

Test System / Comparison Products

We’ve updated our test system to Windows 11 (25H2) 64-bit OS with all updates applied as of late April 2026. On the hardware front, we’ve updated the RAM kits to ones appropriate for the platform. Peripherals, including cooling, storage, power supply, and graphics cards, remain unchanged. We also use the latest publicly available BIOS unless otherwise noted. The hardware we used is as follows:

TEST SYSTEM COMPONENTS:

• CPU - Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus
• Cooling - Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420
• Storage - Crucial 2TB T705 M.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD
• RAM - Kingston Fury Renegade - 32GB DDR5-7600 CL38 (KF576C38RWAK2-32)
• RAM - G.Skill Trident Z5 CK - 32GB DDR5-8200 CL40 (F5-8200C4052G24GX2-TZZ5CK)
• RAM - V-Color 256GB (2x128GB) DDR5-8000 CL64 (TECQ5128G80Q864K)
• GPU - Asus TUF RTX 4080 16G
• PSU - EVGA Supernova 850W P6
• Windows 11 64-bit (25H2 - 26200.8037)
• NVIDIA Driver 595.97

Benchmark Settings

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Benchmark Results

Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo) with all power-saving features at default. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS, then set the memory by enabling the XMP profile. If there are boosts enabled by the BIOS by default, it runs like that. The Windows power scheme is set to Balanced (default) for this baseline testing, so the PC idles appropriately.

Synthetic Benchmarks and Real World Applications

Synthetics offer a valuable method for evaluating a board's performance, as identical settings are expected to yield similar results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are areas where motherboard manufacturers can still optimize for stability or performance, though, and these settings can impact specific testing scenarios. We’ve also combined our previous ‘timed’ benchmark applications into this section.

Performance on the Tomahawk Wifi II was average among the tested boards. Nothing really stood out either way in this set of benchmarks.

3D Games and 3DMark

Starting with the launch of the Arrow Lake refresh chips, we’ve updated our game tests. We’re keeping the F1 racing game but have upgraded to F1 25. We’ll continue with the ever-popular and aesthetically pleasing Cyberpunk 2077. We run both games at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed in the table above). Both games are set to use DLSS.

The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used (and CPU/system-bound) resolution with settings most people use or strive for (Ultra). We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most falling within the margin of error. We’ve also added a minimum FPS metric, which can affect your gameplay and immersion.

As has been the case with previous motherboards and CPUs, the 3DMark tests don’t show much separation from worst to first, and we see that again across our varied datasets. 3DMark scores were fine, and gaming results were also comparable, although F1 25 was a bit slower and matched the previous-gen 285K for some reason. Still, it’s a performant board, just like the others. Whether you’re using the machine for office productivity, rendering, encoding, or gaming, the results are on par with others.

Overclocking

Over the past few CPU generations, overclocking headroom has been shrinking on both sides of the fence, while out-of-the-box performance has increased. For overclockers, this means there’s less fun to have. For the average consumer, you’re getting the most out of the processor without manual tweaking. Today’s motherboards are more robust than ever, and an overwhelming majority support power-hungry flagship-class processors, so we know the hardware can handle them.

There are multiple ways to extract even more performance from these processors: manually adjust the settings or use some of the fancy AI overclocking board partners have been touting. Results will vary and depend on the CPU's cooling and quality. In other words, your mileage may vary. Considering the above, we’re not overclocking the CPU for these review articles. However, we will try out our different memory kits to ensure they meet the specifications.

Memory testing went without issue. The board was stable with the DDR5-7600 kit, and we went all the way up to our (new) fastest kit, Kingston Fury Beast 48GB DDR5-8800, without issue during our 30-minute stress test.

Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures

We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU, cache, and Memory enabled for power testing, using the processor's peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is obtained from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter, capturing the entire PC (excluding the monitor). The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts remain the same. We have moved to using only the stock power use/VRM temperature charts, as this section aims to ensure the power delivery can handle flagship-class processors.

Stress testing with our flagship-class 270K Plus and the Team Group DDR5-7600 kit at stock yielded a peak of 345W at the wall, which aligns with other boards. The Tomahawk II used 61W at idle. There’s nothing noteworthy, otherwise.

VRM temperatures ran warm, but are not a concern on this board. Throughout the 30-minute test, the system (excluding the monitor) averaged 233W, and our sensors on the back of the board, directly under the MOSFETs, recorded temperatures peaking at 58 degrees Celsius, while Hwinfo and the internal sensor showed temperatures peaking a couple of degrees lower at 56 degrees Celsius. That value is well within specification for the MOSFETs doing all the work below. We’re confident that the power delivery can handle anything you throw at it. Chances are, the CPU temperature will limit you before the board does, but always maintain good airflow to keep temperatures down.

Bottom Line

The Z890 Tomahawk II is an interesting new iteration compared to the original. For all intents and purposes, it’s the same board with native Core Ultra 200S Plus support. However, the II moves away from the Killer-based 320MHz Wi-Fi 7 to the slower (less expensive?) Intel/Mediatek Wi-Fi 7 solution and moves to a single TB4/40 Gbps Type-C port. The Wi-Fi speed is something most can overlook, as few have a Wi-Fi 7 ecosystem in the first place. And, again, for the overwhelming majority, it’s fast enough and supports plenty of concurrent connections. I still would like to see the second Thunderbolt port, though. Most users don’t have two devices that can each utilize 40 Gbps bandwidth, either. So while this likely doesn’t affect many, it’s still a small step back from the original – only a problem if you’re one of the few who need it.

Currently (at the time we published the article) priced at $229.99 (was just on sale for $199.99, so keep an eye out!) on Newegg, it’s on shelves alongside the Asus Prime Z890-P ($229.99 and recently reviewed), Gigabyte’s Z890 Gaming X Wifi7 ($219.00), and the ASRock Z890 Lighting Wifi at $211.99. If we look at the specs of competitors at a similar price point, we see that the Tomahawk II is similarly equipped, if not better. It’s the only one with 5 GbE, and all of these have one Thunderbolt 4/40 Gbps port. The Wi-Fi, you ask? These boards have a mix of Wi-Fi 6E and the even faster Wi-Fi 7.

So while we’re disappointed the Z890 Tomahawk II took a step back in some areas (one of the only reasons it didn’t make our best motherboards list), it isn't effectively any different than the more expensive competition. At the current sub-$230 price point, it doesn’t stand out from most others, and the original is still available for $229.99. If you need faster Wi-Fi 7 and an additional Thunderbolt/40 Gbps port, stick with the original Tomahawk. If you don’t need those features, the Tomahawk II is the preferred option if you can find it cheaper than the original Z890 Tomahawk.

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Asus’ B850-Creator Wifi Neo motherboard is designed to serve the creator community (think 3D modeling and rendering, animation, and other media production). This community tends to use a lot of bandwidth, particularly for storage when you’re dealing with large files, either via physical connections to external drives (think USB-C) or via a NAS over Ethernet. With that, Creator boards tend to focus on faster networking, storage, and USB ports to speed up workflows.

The B850-Creator Neo is a ProArt-class board for creators that tries to serve that niche, offering dual 5 GbE ports and two PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 sockets, neither of which is often found on a $299.99 motherboard. However, it doesn’t have any USB4/40 Gbps ports for connecting external storage (unlike the more expensive X870E-Creator Wifi), so any work that requires speed from your storage will have to come from the internal connections.

Outside of that, the X850-Creator Wifi Neo has enough ports and sockets to keep most budget users happy. On top of the 160 MHz Wi-Fi 7 and dual 5 GbE ports, you get eight total USB ports, though only six Type-A ports will leave some wanting. You also get three M.2 sockets (two PCIe 5.0) and a solid last-gen flagship-class audio codec. If you need more USB ports, you can use one of the two extra PCIe expansion slots for more, and even faster ports. Aside from the hardware specifications, the ProArt uses a clean, professional design with a black PCB and black heatsinks, along with metallic gold accents that spell out the ProArt branding on the VRM heatsinks.

Performance testing went as expected and was quite similar to most other boards we tested. Overall, it performed well across most of our benchmark suite. It was competent at gaming and also above average at most tests, including rendering (as we’ll see in detail later), so there's nothing to worry about in terms of performance, no matter how you want to use this motherboard.

Below, we’ll examine the B850-Creator Neo’s performance and other features, although as you have probably guessed from the score above, it won't make it to our list of the best motherboards. But before we share test results and discuss details, here are the specifications from Asus’ website:

Specifications of the Creator Wifi Neo

Inside the Box

Asus includes a few accessories to get you started, including the typical collection of cables, antennas, and guides, but not much else, as is typical for this class of motherboard. We’ve listed the accessories inside the box below:

• (4) SATA 6Gb/s cables
• Thermal pad for M.2 22110
• ASUS WiFi Q-Antenna
• Q-connector
• (3) M.2 Q-Slide package
• (5) M.2 backplate rubber packages
• ROG stickers
• ROG screwdriver
• Quick start guide

Design of the Creator Neo

The B850-Creator Wifi Neo is decidedly a ProArt board. With its all-black, 8-layer server-grade PCB design, gold accents on the heatsinks spelling out Pro Art in some form (Pro on the chipset heatsinks and Art on the left VRM heatsink. The M.2 heatsinks cover the PCIe 5.0-capable sockets, but I wouldn't call them sufficient for extended use of hot-running 5.0 drives without throttling. Outside of that, there isn’t much bling, like RGB lighting. So if that’s a part of your vision, it would need to come from the case and fans through the onboard headers.

Overall, I like the professional appearance. And what you see, a lot of motherboard showing, is typical for the price point. I just wish at least one of the PCIe 5.0 x4 sockets included a heavier heatsink.

Starting with the top-left corner, we get a better look at the two 8-pin ProCool EPS connectors (one required) to feed the processor. Next, we get a better look at the gold-accented ProArt design on the matte-finish VRM heatsinks. Moving past the socket area, the next feature we encounter is the four DRAM slots, with the locking mechanism located only on the top. Asus lists support for DDR5-8400 with 9000-series processors and higher, and DDR5-8600 for 8000-series APUs. We didn’t have any issues running our DDR5-6000 and DDR5-7200 kits with the 9900X. But, as is typical with our test hardware, we needed to break out the APU for our DDR5-8000 kit to work. If you want to get the most out of your RAM, you can use Asus’ AEMP (Asus Enhanced Memory Profile) functionality, which detects the memory ICs in the kit and provides optimized frequency, timing, and voltage profiles that you can easily apply to increase performance.

Above the DRAM slots are the first three (of seven) 4-pin fan headers. Each header supports PWM and DC-controlled devices. Each header outputs up to 3A/36W, which is plenty of output for any pump-and-fan configuration. You can even run a custom loop off the headers without worrying about power. Control of any attached devices is handled via the BIOS or Fan Expert 4 in the Armory Crate software suite. Or you can use ProArt Creator Hub to monitor PC status, switch fan profiles, and adjust performance modes.

Continuing right and moving down the long edge, the first thing we run into is the 4-LED debug header, which lights up during the POST process. If something goes wrong during this critical time, one of the LEDs corresponding to the problem (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot) remains lit, indicating where the hiccup is. Moving down the same edge, we then see the first two (of three) 4-pin ARGB connectors. The ProArt Creator hub or Armory Crate controls each. Next, we see the 24-pin ATX connector for board power, a front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) connector that also supports 30W PD/QC4+ charging, and a 19-pin front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) header.

Power delivery on the B850-Creator Wifi Neo is plenty capable, sporting 17 phases, with 14 dedicated to Vcore. Power heads from the 8-pin EPS connectors and onto the Digi+ EPU (ASP2205) voltage regulator. From there, it moves to the 80A DrMOS MOSFETs. The 1,120 Amps available isn’t a ton, but it will handle any CPU you throw at it, including the Ryzen 9 9950X or the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2.

At the bottom of the board, on the left, are the last-gen flagship Realtek ALC1220P codec and a couple of dedicated audio capacitors. This audio solution is typical for the price point, and most users won’t have any issues with it.

Next are four PCIe slots in the middle of the board. The top full-length slot uses reinforcement, connects to the CPU, supports PCIe 5.0 x16 speeds, and uses the PCIe Slot Q-Release to simplify removing a PCIe card from the motherboard. The other reinforced full-length slot also connects via the CPU and supports PCIe 5.0 x8 speeds. If both slots are in use, they run at x8/x8. The bottom full-length slot (not reinforced) connects via the chipset and supports PCIe 4.0 x4 (but it shares lanes with M.2_3). The tiny x1 slot also connects through the chipset and runs up to PCIe 4.0 x1 speeds.

There are three M.2 sockets, with the top two (under heatsinks) connecting to the processor and supporting PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) speeds. The last M.2 socket, M.2_3 on the right, connects through the chipset and runs up to PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) speeds. This socket shares bandwidth with the PCIe_3 slot. If either one is populated, the other gets disabled. So keep that in mind if you need to use that slot, as it will take away an M.2 socket.

Along the right edge, we find another 4-pin fan header and two (of four) SATA ports. If you need to run RAID, the SATA ports and M.2 sockets support RAID0/1/5/10 modes.

We also included images of several chips used on the board. Asus uses mainly Realtek (audio, networking), and it's own PWM ICs.

At the bottom are several headers, including front-panel audio and USB ports. A complete list of connectivity is listed below (from L to R):

• Front panel audio
• 2-pin thermal sensor header
• COM port
• 2-pin Clear CMOS
• 3-pin ARGB header
• (3) 4-pin fan headers
• TB/USB4 header
• (2) USB 2.0 headers
• (2) SATA ports
• Front panel
• Battery

The rear I/O on the B850-Creator Neo has all the basics, but lacks native 40 Gbps USB ports, which could be a concern for creators whose files are on an external drive. Outside of that, it does come with two USB-C ports, both running at 10 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 1), and one supporting DP Alt Mode (for video). You get two 10 Gbps and four 480 Mbps Type-A ports for a total of six, which can be limiting for some users (including me). Additionally, there are DisplayPort and HDMI for video output, a BIOS Flashback button, dual 5 GbE ports, quick-connect Wi-Fi 7, and three 3.5mm audio jacks (no SPDIF).

Note: this board uses a ‘slower’ Wi-Fi 7 that’s limited to 2.9 Gbps. It’s still plenty fast, and faster than Wi-Fi 6, but it's worth mentioning in case you’re one of the few who actually need the fastest Wi-Fi around and have the hardware to use it.

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Firmware

Asus updated the BIOS layout and for the Creator Neo, using the familiar white/tan/gold that matches the ProArt theme and the mostly black board. EZ Mode is mostly informative, with system information and temperatures on the left, and quick settings for EZ Flash, Aura RGB, the Driver Hub for easy driver installation, and more in the middle. Fan control and access to full Q-Fan functionality are below. The right block displays DRAM and storage status, and Boot Priority is self-explanatory.

Advanced mode still has the headers across the top, but the shortcuts to Q-Fan and AI OC have been moved to quick settings and other locations. The right panel holds system information, including CPU frequency and temperature, in a colorful display. The main body has all the editable functionality.

Overall, I like the aesthetic update for the BIOS. It’s easy to read, and, as usual with Asus' BIOS, frequently used items are easy to find and not buried too deeply in their menus. Anything that’s a pain to access can be added to the customizable favorites screen.

Software

Armoury Crate has Several applications exist for various functions, ranging from RGB lighting control and audio to system monitoring and overclocking. It's also worth mentioning the included software. When purchasing this Asus motherboard, you get a one-year AIDA64 license – a helpful application for stress and performance testing; Asus’ Driver Hub (get your updated drivers here); Dolby Atmos (for audio); and a custom version of Hwinfo for real-time monitoring — all are helpful applications. We’ve captured a few screenshots of the applications below.

Test System / Comparison Products

We’ve updated our test system to Windows 11 (23H2) 64-bit OS with all updates applied as of late September 2024 (this includes the Branch Prediction Optimizations for AMD). Hardware-wise, we’ve updated the RAM kits (matching our Intel test system), cooling, storage, and video card. Unless otherwise noted, we use the latest publicly available non-beta motherboard BIOS. The hardware we used is as follows:

TEST SYSTEM COMPONENTS

• CPU - AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
• Cooling - Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420
• Storage - Crucial 2TB T705 M.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD
• RAM - Kingston Fury Beast DDR5-6000 CL36 (KF560C36BBEAK2-32)
• RAM - Teamgroup T-Froce Delta DDR5-7200 CL34 (FF3D518G7200HC34ABK)
• RAM - Klevv Cras XR5 RGB DDR5-8000 (KD5AGUA80-80R380S)
• GPU - Asus TUF RTX 4080 16G
• PSU - EVGA Supernova 850W P6
• Windows 11 64-bit (24H2)
• NVIDIA Driver 561.09

Benchmark Settings

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Benchmark Results

Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo) with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and the memory by enabling the XMP profile. For this baseline testing, the Windows power scheme is set to Balanced (default) so the PC idles appropriately.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics offer a valuable method for evaluating a board's performance, as identical settings are expected to yield similar results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are areas where motherboard manufacturers can still optimize for stability or performance, though, and these settings can impact specific testing scenarios.

Starting with our synthetic benchmarks, the Creator Neo was average to above average among the other tested boards. In some tests, such as 7-Zip compression, it was among the fastest. It was average elsewhere and rarely below. This is what we see from most boards—nothing to worry about so far.

Timed Applications

Timed applications also went well. It delivered the slower of the two times in LAME (9.0 seconds) but faster in Corona (41 seconds). Handbrake results were also good, running above average across both sub-tests. Nothing out of the ordinary here, either.

3D Games and 3DMark

Starting with the launch of Zen 5, we’ve updated our game tests. We’re keeping the F1 racing game but have upgraded to F1 24. We also dropped Far Cry 6 in favor of an even more popular game in Cyberpunk 2077. We run both games at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed above). Cyberpunk 2077 uses DLSS, while we left F1 24 to native resolution scaling.

The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used (and CPU/system-bound) resolution with settings most people use or strive for (Ultra). We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most falling within the margin of error. We’ve also added a minimum FPS setting, which can affect your gameplay and immersion.

In our 3DMark and game tests, the Creator Neo was average overall. It scored slightly lower on the 3DMark Speedway test but slightly faster than average on Steel Nomad. In our games, Cyberpunk 2077 results were right around average, while F1 24 was slightly above average at 124/175 FPS (minimum/average, respectively). To summarize, this board has no issues running games or any productivity/creator-related activities.

Overclocking

Over the past few CPU generations, overclocking headroom has been shrinking on both sides of the fence, while the out-of-the-box potential has increased. For overclockers, this means there’s less fun to have. For the average consumer, you’re getting the most out of the processor without manual tweaking. Today’s motherboards are more robust than ever, and they easily support power-hungry flagship-class processors; We know the hardware can handle them. There are multiple ways to extract even more performance from these processors: enabling a canned PBO setting, manually tweaking the PBO settings, or just going for an all-core overclock. Results will vary and depend on the cooling as well. In other words, your mileage may vary. Considering all the above, we will not be overclocking the CPU. However, we will try out our different memory kits to ensure they meet the specifications.

For memory testing, we start with our fastest non-clock driver kit: Klevv 32GB (2x16) DDR5-8000. Per usual on this platform, it booted to Windows but wouldn’t pass a stress test with our 9900X. The Team Group DDR5-7200 kit worked without issue. Those speeds are well past the ‘sweet spot’ for the AMD platform, and with today’s RAM prices, we doubt many people are looking at these higher speeds in the first place.

Dropping in the Ryzen 5 8600G APU, we were able to run our Klevv DDR5-8000 kit without issue, which is a trend we’ve seen since we started using the APU (the IMCs on the APUs are generally better than those on desktop processors). Again, AMD’s sweet spot is around 6000-6400 MT/s, and this board (really any X870E board we’ve tested) can handle that and then some. Asus also offers AI Overclocking for the CPU if you don’t want to adjust settings manually.

Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures

We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU, cache, and Memory enabled for power testing, using the processor's peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is obtained from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter, capturing the entire PC (excluding the monitor). The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts remain the same. We've moved to using only the stock power use/VRM temperature charts, as this section aims to ensure the power delivery can handle flagship-class processors.

Stress testing the Creator with our DDR5-7200 kit showed it to be less power-hungry than most boards. At idle, it sat around 81W and peaked at 256W. This averages out to 169W, which is again slightly lower than the average B850/X870/X870E-based boards.

VRM temperatures are good, peaking at just under 48 degrees Celsius on our sensor (internal sensor readings were off and not listed). Between the capable power delivery and large heatsinks, you won’t have any trouble running flagship-class processors or even overclocking.

Bottom Line

Asus’ B850-Creator Wifi Neo is an OK budget motherboard for Creators. Priced at $299.99, you get dual 5 GbE ports, three display output options, and several of Asus’ EZ DIY and AI Features that all help to make this a viable option for the budget-minded creator. That said, you are lacking in a couple of areas compared to the X870E version of the board, which offers faster USB (40 Gbps USB4 ports) and more USB ports. If you’re hung up on the port count, the next Asus Creator option costs almost $250 more ($549.99), and at that point, there are plenty of other options that would work for less.

One example, ASRock’s X870 Taichi Creator ($319.99), is arguably a better option in the creator space and a direct competitor to the Asus B850 Creator. For $20 more, you get 10GbE and 5 GbE, dual USB4 (40 Gbps) ports, and more USB Type-A ports, along with even more robust power delivery. If this isn't the board for you, check out our best motherboards article to see if one of our best picks are right for you.

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Leading Japanese capsule toy maker Tarlin International has announced an official collaboration with “the four major manufacturers” of the PC components industry. The teased result means that gachapon fans will be able to get their hands on tiny models of ASRock, Gigabyte, MSI, and Intel parts (plus fans, PSUs, and cases), accurate enough “that you can assemble and play with.” In 2026, PC building has become so expensive that perhaps Tarlin’s latest wares will fill an emotional vacuum in the market.

In the image above, you can see Tarlin has inked some kind of official licensing deal with ASRock, Gigabyte, MSI, and Intel. There’s already been four series of networking equipment gachapon launched by Tarlin, for some context.

As far as we can see from the social media posting, the new Tarlin gachapon series includes three branded miniature motherboards: the ASRock Z890 Steel Legend WiFi, the Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Elite WiFi7 Plus, and the MSI MEG Z890 Ace. Premium stuff. Intel’s Core Ultra 7 270K Plus seems to be the only CPU choice. There are also case fans, a PSU, and a tower case for your minuscule components PC build.

Tarlin’s eccentric gachapon pedigree

Compared with gachapon rivals like Bandai and Takara Tomy, Tarlin has carved a niche, eccentric furrow in the industry. It has a reputation for turning everyday, mundane, or highly technical objects into accurate scale miniatures.

Examples of other incredibly niche Tarlin-produced capsules include its Temporary Toilet Series, a realistic Articulated Crayfish, and its series of Cisco rackmount network gear toys. In this context, it's “serious spec” PC component capsule toys, which are made to such exacting precision that they can be assembled to make tiny tower PCs, aren’t so unusual.

In 2024, we spotted a Japanese capsule toy machine filled with Intel CPUs. One gacha chancer acquired an Intel Core i7-8700 CPU after inserting 500 Yen (around $3.25) and twisting the customary knob.

It looks like motherboard vendors are hurting badly. As Prime Day gets underway, we're seeing some price discounts on motherboards that are frankly hard to believe. Take the flagship ASRock Z890 Taichi as an example, which is normally $460, but you can get it for a massive 56% off, bringing the price down to $200. When you see a discount that big (its previous low was $300), you know something is afoot.

That something is the price of RAM and SSDs. With prices high on those components, enthusiasts aren't building new PCs, and by extension, not buying motherboards. Motherboard sales have apparently dropped by as much as 37%, and vendors are massively cutting prices to get those numbers up.

Although the existential dread of PC component pricing right now is omnipresent, let the lose of motherboard vendors be your gain. It's extremely unlikely that we'll see motherboards this cheap again once RAM prices stabilize, so now is the best time to buy if you want to upgrade.

We're picking out some of the most impressive discounts here, but make sure to keep our list of the best motherboard deals handy during Prime Day if you want to check out all of the discounts.

Save $260 on the ASRock Z890 Taichi at a new all-time low price

We're very familiar with the ASRock Z890 Taichi, as it's the motherboard we use for testing LGA 1851 CPUs. Carrying ASRock's Taichi brand, it's a flagship design with all the bells and whistles, and at a list price of $460, those bells and whistles make sense. Right now, however, you can get it for just $200.

The board is high-end across the board. It supports memory speeds up to 9600 MT/s, and it comes with a 20+1+2+1+1 VRM design, giving you plenty of power stages to push your CPU overclocks hard.

Internally, you're spoiled for connectivity options. There are a total of six M.2 slots, one of which supports PCIe Gen5 x4 (the others support PCIe Gen4 x4). The top PCIe slot also supports PCIe Gen5 x16, and the board comes with an internal USB-C header.

Around the rear, you'll find dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, another four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and dual LAN with connections for 2.5Gb and 5Gb. You simply won't find this level of support on a motherboard for $200, or even $300, for that matter.

Get 40% off the Asus ROG Strix B650E-I makes SFF affordable

You'll pay a hefty premium on any premium mini ITX motherboard; take it from a recovering SFF addict. This current deal on the Asus ROG Strix B650E-I, which I personally used for the last few years with a Ryzen 7 7800X3D, makes mini-ITX seem far more reasonable. The board is 40% off, bringing its $300 list price down to $180.

That matches the board's previous all-time low, which it hasn't been to in nearly a year. Despite such limited room, this board has a solid amount of connectivity. It features two M.2 slots, one at PCIe Gen5 and the other at Gen4, along with two SATA connections. There's a single PCIe 5.0 x16 slot that supports PCIe bifurcation through the BIOS, as well. There's even internal headers for USB 3.2 Gen 1 and Gen 2, so you get full front panel connectivity.

Around the back, you get a total of eight USB ports: two USB 2.0, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C. The board also comes with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, so you don't need to muck around with add-in cards. Although the 600-series chipsets debuted with Ryzen 7000 CPUs, this board also supports newer Ryzen 9000 CPUs via a BIOS update.

Flashback to LGA 1700 with the MSI Z790 Gaming Plus Wi-Fi at an all-time low price

MSI's Gaming Plus range doesn't go overboard like a Taichi, but they're reliable boards that we've cycled in and out of the Tom's Hardware test bench several times over the years. The MSI Z790 Gaming Plus Wi-Fi here doesn't have a shocking sticker discount (it's 27% off), but it's down to its lowest price ever, giving you Intel's flagship chipset from the previous generation for just $130.

This is a midrange motherboard that you can buy for an entry-level price. It sports a total of four M.2 slots, one of which supports PCIe Gen5, along with four PCIe expansion slots (the top x16 slot supports Gen5, as well). Networking is excellent, as well, with the board coming with 2.5Gb LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3.

Through the back panel, you get audio hookups for the Realtek ALC897 7.1 audio chip, along with three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, and a single USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C connection. The board features internal headers for USB 3.0 and 3.2 Gen 2, as well.

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If you're in the market for an X870 motherboard with a rich feature set, the Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 is one of them that comes to mind. The premium motherboard, from one of the biggest names in the industry, usually carries a $319.99 price tag. However, for a limited time, the Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 can be your reliable workhorse for $249.99, saving you $70.

• Check out the Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 deal on Newegg

The Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 features a potent 16+2+2-phase power delivery subsystem. It can support entry-level to flagship AMD Ryzen processors across the Ryzen 9000, Ryzen 8000, and Ryzen 7000 lineups. You can outfit the motherboard with up to 256GB of memory with modules ranging from DDR5-4400 to DDR5-8200. AMD EXPO and Intel XMP support let you configure your memory with a single click in the BIOS.

The motherboard has multiple storage ports to take advantage of the latest PCIe 5.0 SSDs. It has one high-speed M.2 PCIe 5.0 x4 port that's complemented by three more M.2 ports that run at PCIe 5.0 x4 or PCIe 4.0 x4, depending on which Ryzen chip you pair it with. If you prefer conventional SATA, there are four SATA III ports on the motherboard with RAID 0, 1, and 10 support.

Expansion and connectivity options on the Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 are also very plentiful. The primary PCIe 5.0 x16 expansion slot is great for a graphics card, while the other two PCIe x16 expansion slots (one PCIe 4.0 x4 and one PCIe 3.0 x2) are more than adequate for other, less bandwidth-demanding devices. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 are also available for high-speed Internet connection and transfers.

With a current price of $249.99, the Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 makes for a very solid foundation for any AMD-based system. It has enough unique features to make the motherboard a great option for a wide range of builds, whether it's a gaming PC, a normal system, or a small consumer-grade workstation.

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AMD announced EXPO Ultra Low Latency at Computex this month, promising to bring it to most AM5 motherboards as part of the EXPO 1.2 update. We've known about EXPO 1.2 since April, when it first showed up in BIOS releases, and it has already been available on 800-series motherboards for a while. Now, the first batch of 600-series motherboards have begun receiving ULL support as well.

MSI and Asus have both just pushed out new AGESA 1.3.0.1b BIOSes to various X670 products. Asus has updated the X670E Hero, X670E Gene, X670 Extreme, X670E-A Gaming Wi-Fi, X670E-E Gaming Wi-Fi, X670E-F Gaming Wi-Fi, and X670 Creator Wi-Fi. The X670E-I Gaming Wi-Fi, X670E-Plus, and X670-E Plus Wi-Fi are missing their subsequent updates for now, but they should be coming soon.

These are all beta releases, so keep in mind they're not intended for most users. We also checked a bunch of B650 support pages manually (since they don't have a dedicated thread like X670), and no Asus motherboard seems to have been updated to AGESA 1.3.0.1b yet. They're all running the AGESA 1.3.0.0 or 1.3.0.1 releases from months ago, but don't explicitly mention EXPO ULL support being added.

Similarly, MSI has updated its X670-E motherboards to AGESA 1.3.0.1b, and the release notes highlight EXPO ULL, while X670 (non-E) boards also received Ultra Low Latency updates with AGESA 1.3.0.1 BIOSes during this or the past week. Some models like the MAG X670-E Tomahawk Wi-Fi actually added ULL support back on May 27th when they were updated to 1.3.0.1, but that news was missed by most of the community.

MSI has also updated their B650 lineup with AGESA 1.3.0.1b this week, with ULL support mentioned in the release notes for all models we checked, including budget A620 offerings. Gigabyte follows a similar pattern; all of its B650 and X670(E) motherboards have the latest AGESA release with Ultra Low Latency checked off in the patch notes. Lastly, we took a look at ASRock and, unfortunately, that was a bit of a confusing endeavor.

First of all, none of its motherboards, not even the highest-end X870E models, have been updated to the very recent 1.3.0.1b release; rather, they're all on 1.3.0.1. That's fine on its own, but the release notes only mention "Optimized Memory Compatibility," and we're pretty sure that doesn't refer to EXPO ULL, given the February/March release dates. At least even the entry-level units are updated with recent BIOSes, though.

The reason we dug this deep is that EXPO Ultra Low Latency can be very useful in eliminating the added latency penalty associated with modern AMD platforms. It can be particularly helpful if you're running a high-frequency kit that forces a 2:1 clock ratio, but even standard 6,000 MT/s CL30 kits can benefit. AMD says ULL profiles can help improve gaming FPS by up to 4% in non-X3D CPUs.

It doesn't help as much in chips equipped with 3D V-Cache because the large amount of SRAM reduces those CPUs' sensitivity to finer adjustments. Moreover, EXPO ULL is not just a software-side solution — you need new RAM kits compatible with the tech to use this feature since the tweaks are baked into the memory's physical SPD. It's not something you can update like your motherboard BIOS.

Technically speaking, AMD is simply codifying what overclockers have done manually for years into an official certification. If you don't want to buy new memory to get the one-click profile, which is understandable in the current RAMpocalypse, you can just mimic the subtimings one-by-one. Of course, going at it manually comes at the cost of potential stability issues.

Intel's next-gen Nova Lake family is expected to land on a new socket, but it will also bring forth a bunch of new chipsets with it. We've already covered them before, but new details have surfaced about the flagship offerings: Z970 and Z990. Both of these will allegedly feature the same PCH that's 22% smaller but more power-hungry than the current-gen Z890 platform, consuming up to 14W at the top-end when fully saturated.

Before we discuss that, a low-resolution picture of the Z990 PCH has also been leaked, with Jaykhin claiming it measures out to 25 x 24mm for the package, while featuring an 11.15 x 6.5mm die. That comes out to 72.5mm² for the die area, while we're looking at 600mm² for the package area. For comparison, Z890's package area was 658mm², and the die area would work out to 92.9mm², constituting a 22% shrinkage for the die and an 8.8% smaller overall package.

This is despite the higher power draw suggested for Z990, which is 14W. However, the platform will only hit that upper limit when running multiple PCIe 5.0 devices simultaneously; otherwise, the base power for the Z990 PCH is just 7.9W — still 1.9W more than the 6W base power of Z890. Even the cut-down Z970 apparently features a 6.4W base power draw. Both chipsets have the same maximum operating temperature of 113°C, 5 degrees higher than Z890.

When you have just a single GPU slotted in the motherboard, it's wired up directly to the CPU and doesn't use any of the downstream PCIe lanes stemming from the chipset. The same goes for a single PCIe 5.0 drive for Z970 and up to two PCIe 5.0 SSDs for Z990. But the moment you add more PCIe 5.0 devices, they're routed through the chipset, which makes it consume more power to maintain signal integrity.

We haven't officially seen any LGA 1954 motherboard yet, but there were some early prototypes at Computex, which is where the leaked PCH image could've come from. Anyhow, Nova Lake is expected to carry up to 52 cores at the top-end, so it makes sense such powerful motherboards are required to handle the silicon. Previous rumors have pointed toward an insane 700W PL4 for the flagship NVL-S part with dual compute tiles.

It's a weird fact of the modern PC industry, but the motherboard "chipset" or "Platform Controller Hub" (to use Intel's terminology) is basically just a PCIe-attached I/O hub that exposes additional PCIe, USB, SATA, and platform services. Contemporary CPUs are built as SoCs, so all the essential functions to run the machine are integrated into the CPU itself. That's why companies have started creating what are effectively I/O breakout boards by slapping motherboard chipsets onto PCI Express cards, including the one pictured above from WisdPi, as well as one coming from Minisforum, as spotted by PC Watch at Computex.

In the case of the AMD Promontory 21 chipset, it really is just a PCI Express I/O controller. In fact, AMD created the X670 chipset by simply wiring up two Promontory 21 chips in series. It's the exact same chip, just used in pairs on the fancier motherboards, so you end up with piles of I/O, though it's all running over the same PCI Express 4.0 x4 link to the CPU.

We've reported on cards like this before; this past December, we highlighted an open-source project for exactly this purpose, and of course, Asusd and ASRock have shipped expansion boards for specific motherboards that "upgrade" them from B650 to X670 by adding the second Promontory 21 chipset. All the way back in 2023, we also covered AMD engineers showing off the same thing in a Gamers Nexus video. Indeed, the very word "Promontory" refers to a projection from a larger body, such as a high cliff or, perhaps, an add-on card.

So, the WisdPi "PROM21 All In Expansion Card" is a half-height PCI Express 4.0 add-in card that offers a whopping four M.2 slots, five USB 10 Gbps ports, six USB 2.0 ports, and an OCuLink port that supports PCI Express 4.0 or can breakout into four SATA ports. That's more connectivity than some motherboards offer, which is no surprise, since the card costs $199 by itself, with no cables. WisdPi is primarily a Raspberry Pi shop, and as you'd expect, the card is compatible with Raspberry Pi devices that expose PCI Express, but that's simply because it's actually compatible with any PCI Express device, from AMD, Intel, Arm, or whoever.

The card spotted by PC Watch at Minisforum's Computex booth is similar in that it also offers four M.2 slots, an OCuLink connector, and at least one high-speed 20 Gbps USB port. However, it lacks the SATA functionality and the other USB ports of the WisdPi offering. Also, unlike WisdPi's card, it seems that it will come with a dedicated cooling unit (with a blower fan and a shroud) for fast SSDs. That's a little ironic considering the card seemingly limits drives to PCIe 4.0 x2 if you install all four, but "cooling" is better than "no cooling". No word on how much the Minisforum offering will cost, but it will apparently be available in Q3 of this year.

It's almost a shame these cards aren't more commonplace. For folks with machines based on entry-level motherboards, one of these cards could be just the ticket to expanding the I/O. Particularly on older-generation motherboards that usually had only one M.2 slot (if any), a card like one of these could enable significant storage expansion now that M.2 SSDs are the only type still being actively produced. You can check out PC Watch's photos of the Minisforum "PCIE TO 4" card at their post over here.