Asus’ ROG Strix product line wants no introduction, however the ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming Wi-Fi motherboard ($289.99) introduces itself anyway with an RGB-illuminated ROG image on the VRM heatsink. As its identify implies, this board is designed for the newest AMD processors, with loads of options because of the B650E chipset. For lower than three C-notes, you get PCI Categorical 5.0 assist on one M.2 socket in addition to the graphics-card slot, a premium audio resolution, Intel-based wired and wi-fi networking, a rear I/O panel with a dozen USB ports, and energy supply adequate for flagship-class CPUs. This midrange platform is a handsome board that ought to work with most construct themes and has a strong specs record for the bucks.
Board Design, CPU, and Reminiscence
The B650E-F Gaming Wi-Fi is constructed on an eight-layer PCB with a matte black end and matching heatsinks. The left VRM heatsink sports activities a brushed end and deep miter cuts to extend floor space, in addition to built-in RGBs illuminating the ROG brand. There’s extra branding on the chipset and M.2 heatsinks on the underside of the board. Total, we just like the motherboard’s look, as its principally black theme is impartial sufficient to slot in with a plethora of builds.
The board helps AMD Ryzen (AM5) processors with succesful 14-phase energy supply. The 960A out there (12 phases devoted to the processor utilizing 80A SPS MOSFETs) was sufficient to deal with our flagship Ryzen 9 7950X each at inventory and whereas overclocked throughout our testing. The VRM heatsinks do a superb job protecting the facility supply cool and inside spec. As with most motherboards these days, your CPU overclocking headroom might be decided extra by your cooling technique slightly than the board.
Reminiscence assist tops out at DDR5-6400+ (OC), which is kind of common for the platform; DDR5-6000 appears to be right this moment’s candy spot, past which you are spending increasingly more for much less and fewer of a real-world efficiency acquire. The board accommodates as much as 128GB of RAM through the 4 slots secured with locking mechanisms on either side.
Our DDR5-5600 and DDR5-6000 kits have been completely steady by setting the inner profile (XMP on one equipment, AMD EXPO on the opposite). If you happen to’re eager on overclocking your reminiscence, you may discover loads of reminiscence timings to tweak within the BIOS.
Format and Inside Connectors
Beginning at prime left, you may see the 2 EPS connectors, one 8-pin and one 4-pin, to energy the processor. (Solely the previous is required.) Flanking these connectors are the 2 VRM heatsinks designed to chill the facility bits beneath. Together with the crimson accent stripe, the ROG image sports activities the one built-in RGB lighting on board. Its colours are wealthy and saturated, however if you need your lighting to face out brightly, you may want so as to add your individual to the inner headers.
Transferring previous the socket space and earlier than the DRAM slots, we run into the primary two (of seven) 4-pin fan headers. Every helps PWM and DC-controlled units and outputs as much as 1A/12W, even on the pump header. That is not a number of headroom; it needs to be sufficient for simplest builds, however make certain to not overload the headers.
Subsequent, we transfer previous the unreinforced DDR5 RAM slots to the highest proper nook. Right here we discover one other 4-pin fan/pump header and our first RGB headers, on this case a 3-pin ARGB header and a 4-pin RGB header. Management over the built-in and any connected RGB lights is achieved through Asus’ Aura Sync software program.
Persevering with down the suitable edge, we spy the 4 Q-LEDs that mild up throughout the POST course of. If there is a glitch at this crucial time, one of many lights (CPU, DRAM, Boot, VGA) stays on, supplying you with a basic thought of the place the issue lies. Lastly, we encounter the 24-pin ATX connector to energy the board, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Kind-C port, and a 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) connector for the entrance panel.
Audio, Enlargement, Storage, and Rear I/O
At backside left is the audio part. Asus spared little expense in implementing the newest audio codec: Hidden beneath the shiny Faraday cage is a ROG Supreme FX (aka the Realtek ALC4080). You may additionally see a number of capacitors devoted to audio, together with a Savitech SV3H712 amplifier. This is among the higher audio implementations at this value level, as rival boards do not have a devoted amp or the identical audio chip.
In the course of the board are 4 enlargement slots: two full-length, and two closed-end x1 slots. The highest slot is strengthened to stop shearing from heavy graphics playing cards; it additionally has a Q-Launch button to detach the cardboard from the motherboard simply. This slot connects by means of the CPU and runs as much as PCIe 5.0 x16 speeds. The second full-length slot on the underside connects by means of the chipset and runs at PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds. (It shares its bandwidth with the M.2_3 drive socket, so each cannot be populated without delay.) The 2 small x1 slots additionally supply their bandwidth by means of the chipset and run as much as PCIe 4.0 x1. Total, you may discover loads of slots and bandwidth to go round.
Hiding out among the many PCIe slots are three M.2 sockets. The highest socket beneath the biggest heatsink, M.2_1, is the one PCIe 5.0 x4 (128Gbps) possibility. The opposite two M.2 sockets assist as much as PCIe 4.0 x4 (64Gbps) speeds. All assist modules as much as 80mm (the commonest dimension). If you happen to’re into RAID storage arrays, the B650E-F Gaming Wi-Fi helps RAID 0, 1, and 10 modes throughout each the SSD sockets and the 4 SATA ports alongside the suitable edge.
Alongside the underside fringe of the board are a number of headers, together with extra USB 2.0 ports, fan headers, entrance panel audio, a Thunderbolt AIC header, two extra 3-pin ARGB headers, and a thermal sensor header for a temperature probe.
On the rear is a preinstalled I/O plate with white port labels on a grey background. We depend a dozen USB ports again right here, together with two Kind-C (one 20Gbps, the opposite 10Gbps); two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps); 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps); and 4 USB 2.0 (480Mbps) ports. HDMI and DisplayPort outputs will serve these utilizing built-in video. You may additionally discover a BIOS Flashback button to flash the BIOS with out a processor, together with Intel 2.5Gbps and Wi-Fi 6E community connections, and a five-plug audio stack.
A Temporary Have a look at the UEFI BIOS and Utilities
The B650E-F Gaming Wi-Fi has an ordinary ROG-themed BIOS sporting white and yellow textual content on a grey background with crimson accents. The EZ Mode is generally informative, although you’ll be able to change some performance. It shows high-level system information together with the processor, RAM, BIOS model, fan management, and storage and affords an EZ System Tuning button for one-touch overclocking.
The superior portion of the BIOS affords an ordinary configuration with main headings throughout the highest, together with My Favorites (customizable), Principal, AI Tweaker, Superior, Monitor, Boot, and Instruments. All the improved performance is on this rather more complete mode.
The Ai Tweaker part comprises all of the choices to tweak and overclock your system. Right here you’ll be able to alter voltages, RAM speeds and timings, and overclocking choices for the CPU. For the reason that B650E platform would not overclock your processor, you are restricted to tweaking voltage and reminiscence, however there are many choices for doing so.
Contained in the Superior part are a number of subheadings the place you’ll be able to alter platform energy, configure I/O ports, browse AMD’s overclocking part, and take a look at PC Well being, which shows system knowledge together with voltages and temps. Right here you may discover choices to allow/disable audio and built-in graphics and configure USB, NVMe, SATA, audio, and community {hardware}, amongst a slew of different performance.
The monitoring part shows detailed details about temperatures, fan speeds, and voltages and is the place you entry the Q-Fan menu to tweak your fan profiles. There are each canned profiles and the flexibility to create and save customized fan curves.
Asus’ BIOS is logically laid out, simple to learn, and straightforward to navigate; it is sometimes amongst my favorites. It offers all of the choices you want, and our model (1634) was steady in our time with the board.
On the software program facet, Asus has Armoury Crate, which homes a slew of performance together with system tweaking and monitoring and management over RGB lighting and followers. The applying matches the ROG theme and is simple to work with. The primary screenshot beneath exhibits the touchdown web page and all of the {hardware} it may well management on our check system.
Fan Professional 4 controls all of the followers and water pumps related to the 4-pin headers. You may cycle by means of 4 canned settings or customise every header with your individual curve(s).
The Aura Sync part controls the RGB lighting and consists of a number of preset modes (static, respiratory, colour cycle, rainbow, comet, glowing yo-yo, starry evening, flash and sprint, and strobing) which you can too tweak individually.
Asus’ software program suites provide full Home windows options to regulate absolutely anything you’ll be able to within the BIOS. If you wish to overlock (on a board that helps it), the AI Suite 3 software program provides you probably the most management over the processor. Nonetheless, on this chipset, most features for the CPU won’t be out there.
Verdict: A Good-looking Midrange Possibility
The Asus ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming Wi-Fi motherboard presents itself as a midrange providing at a good value and achieves that purpose with a satisfying record of feaures and the fashionable Strix look. You get assist for high-powered processors, seven storage choices (three M.2 sockets and 4 SATA ports), loads of USB ports, a deluxe audio resolution, and Intel-based networking together with Wi-Fi 6E. All in all, it is a formidable platform for beneath $300.
There are a great deal of aggressive selections on this value vary, together with ASRock’s personal B650E Metal Legend (a bit cheaper at $259.99 however with solely two SATA ports and a primary audio codec). Gigabyte’s B650 Aorus Professional AX is inexpensive at $249.99, whereas MSI’s MPG B650 Edge Wi-Fi is even cheaper ($239.99) and arguably probably the most bang on your buck. The Asus flaunts that ROG Strix model and our construct carried out nicely in productiveness and gaming assessments, however it earns three and a half as a substitute of 4 stars as a result of it is priced on the prime of its class. A $20 or $30 low cost would even the rating.
