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Firmware
Like the other ASROck boards, the B850 Steel Legend starts in the informative Easy Mode, but it allows you to adjust several options (XMP, profiles, boot order, access to Fan-Tastic Tuning, etc.). The Steel Legend’s silver background and black characters have excellent contrast and are 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, though we’d like to see it updated as it looks dated compared to the updated Gigabyte and MSI UEFIs on their new X870 and any B850 offerings.
Software
ASRock offers several different software options. These include the App Shop, which allows users to install drivers and software, the Nahimic 3 audio control panel, the A-Tuning application, which enables users to overclock their systems and control fans, the Polychrome RGB software, and more. There’s also a Blazing OC Tuner and a 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 non-beta motherboard BIOS that is publicly available. The hardware we used is as follows:
Test System Components
CPU | |
Cooling | |
Storage | |
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 | |
PSU | |
Software | Windows 11 64-bit (23H2 - 22631.4169) |
Graphics | NVIDIA Driver 561.09 |
Sound | Integrated HD audio |
Network | Integrated Networking (GbE to 10 GbE) |
Benchmark Settings
Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
Procyon | Version 2.8.1352 64 |
| Row 2 - Cell 0 | Office 365, Video Editing (Premiere Pro 24.6.1), Photo Editing (Photoshop 25.1.2, Lightroom Classic 13.5.1) |
3DMark | Version 2.29.8294.0 64 |
| Row 4 - Cell 0 | Speed Way and Steel Nomad (Default) |
Cinebench R24 | Version 2024.1.0 |
| Row 6 - Cell 0 | Open GL Rendering Benchmark - Single and Multi-threaded |
Blender | Version 4.2.0 |
| Row 8 - Cell 0 | Full benchmark (all three tests) |
Application Tests and Settings | Row 9 - Cell 1 |
LAME MP3 | Version SSE2_2019 |
| Row 11 - Cell 0 | Mixed 271MB WAV to mp3: Command: -b 160 -- (160Kb/s) |
HandBrake CLI | Version: 1.8.2 |
| Row 13 - Cell 0 | Sintel Open Movie Project: 4.19GB 4K mkv to x264 (light AVX) and x265 (heavy AVX) |
Corona 1.4 | Version 1.4 |
| Row 15 - Cell 0 | Custom benchmark |
7-Zip | Version 24.08
|
| Row 17 - Cell 0 | Integrated benchmark (Command Line) |
Game Tests and Settings | Row 18 - Cell 1 |
Cyberpunk 2077 | Ultra RT Preset - 1920 x 1080, DLSS - Balanced |
F1 2024 | Ultra High Preset - 1920 x 1080, 16xAF/TAA, FPS Counter ON, Great Britain (Clear/Dry) |
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