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Nearly four months following AMD’s initial announcement regarding its budget-focused B850/840 chipset, the first motherboards featuring these have finally materialized. The first model that was scrutinized closely is the Asus ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi— an ATX-sized variant that may represent the upper tier of the B850 lineup.
If you are not acquainted with the new chipset, it is noteworthy to mention that the main distinction between AMD’s Xx70 and Bx50 is the assortment of connectivity features, like USB and M.2 ports, but there are more complexities involved. For instance, X870 motherboards typically include at least one USB4 port, whereas such a feature is entirely optional for B850 models.
What you are receiving in this case is essentially all the features you would anticipate from a previous-gen X670 motherboard. The ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi includes four M.2 slots for SSDs (the primary slot being Gen5 and the others all operating at full-speed Gen4), which is a refreshing shift from witnessing a mix of M.2 slots functioning at varying speeds.
The good news continues with the USB offerings. Although USB4 isn’t included, you do have one 20 Gbps Type-C, one 10 Gbps Type-C, two 10 Gbps Type-A, four 5 Gbps Type-A, and four USB 2.0 ports located on the rear IO panel. These twelve USB ports are complemented by an additional four headers on the motherboard (1x 10 Gbps, 1x 5 Gbps, 2x USB 2.0) totaling 16 USB ports.
Asus ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi specifications
Socket: AMD AM5
Chipset: AMD B850
CPU compatibility: AMD Ryzen 7000/8000/9000 desktop
Form factor: ATX
Memory support: DDR5-4800 to DDR5-8000+(OC), up to 256 GB
Storage: 4x M.2, 2x SATA
USB (rear): 1x USB 3.2 Type-C 20 Gbps, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C 10 Gbps, 2x USB 3.1 Type-A 10 Gbps, 4x USB 3.0 Type-A 5 Gbps, 4x USB 2.0 Type-A
Display: 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4
Networking: Intel 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 7
Audio: ROG SupremeFX 7.1 ALC4080
Price: $300 / £348 / AU$541
Nonetheless, the trade-off for all these storage and connectivity capabilities is a scarcity of SATA ports and PCIe slots. You receive two of each and that’s all. This is likely adequate for the majority of gamers constructing a new AM5 system, and at least both PCIe slots operate electrically at x16 (one being Gen5 and the other Gen4), yet having only two SATA ports does feel a bit inadequate.
Should you require additional SATA options, then this motherboard may not suit your needs, but I have a strong inclination that most B850 models will likely be similarly configured.
The ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi motherboard is compatible with all AM5 Ryzen processors, and due to its 20 power phases (80 A each, with 16 assigned to the CPU), it should manage a 170 W Ryzen 9 9950X or similar without any issues.
When it comes to RAM, you can install up to 192 GB of DDR5, yet the more you install, the less probable it is to run at higher frequencies. As is the case with all AM5 processors, DDR5-6000 provides the most optimal equilibrium between stability and performance, so it is advisable to stick with just two DIMMs.
Asus, MSI, and others have taken advantage of the introduction of new CPUs and motherboard chipsets to enhance the overall usability of their products. In this instance, however, not much has been offered—just Asus’ Q-Release systems for the primary PCIe and M.2 slots.
The former functions by securely holding a graphics card in position until it is removed at an angle, which retracts the mechanism. I would greatly prefer to see the mechanism implemented on other Asus variants, where a lever is pulled on the side.
of the panel to launch the graphics card. At least the one in the M.2 slot is quite user-friendly and truly deserves the Q-Release designation.
Acquire if…
✅ You seek the quickest B850 motherboard available: The ROG Strix B850-F exceeds the performance of X870 motherboards at the same cost, so if frame rate reigns supreme, this is the model to select.
Refrain from purchasing if…
❌ You desire excellent cooling and numerous features: The VRM and SSD thermal solutions leave much to be desired, and X870 boards feature a greater number of ports and connectors.
However, that’s precisely where the quality of life (QoL) features begin and conclude on the ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi. For instance, there are no chassis fan headers centrally located on the board—all three are situated at the bottom. There is no display for BIOS codes, merely four small LEDs indicating the status of the CPU, RAM, GPU, and boot status.
A small, nearly obscured power button (however, no restart option) is present on the board, but it’s positioned right at the top, making it quite inconvenient once installed in a case, with cooling and cables all connected. While such attributes may not be critically important to everyone, I would anticipate better options on a motherboard with a $300 price point.
You do have a BIOS reset and flashback switch on the rear I/O panel, though both are rather tiny and tricky to operate. It would cost almost nothing to replace them with more substantial buttons.
On the other hand, this motherboard is intended to be installed once and gradually upgraded with components over time, and I presume most PC enthusiasts will be more focused on the prominent heatsinks enveloping the VRMs and main M.2 slot, or the inclusion of a built-in Wi-Fi 7 module.
Benchmarks and performance
PC Gamer test configuration
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
Cooler: Asus ROG Ryujin III 360 Extreme
RAM: 32 GB Lexar Thor OC DDR5-6000
Storage: 2 TB Corsair MP700
PSU: Corsair RM850x Shift 850 W
OS: Windows 11 24H2
Chassis: Open platform
Monitor: Acer XB280HK
Since we have just recently refreshed our motherboard benchmark suite, we do not possess an abundance of other models to compare the ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi with. Following the arrival of the first Zen 5 processors, AMD has been consistently enhancing the performance of its Ryzen 9000-series chips through Windows and BIOS updates.
This implies that certain performance results may not be fully comparable as the underlying performance environments are not entirely identical. Nevertheless, at the very least, one can observe the figures and assess how the ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi stands against an Asus ROG Crosshair X670E Hero and an MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk according to their status in October 2024.
At a minimum, the Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro accounted for in the figures is as current as possible, and both it and the MSI board share a similar price range with the ROG Strix B850-F Gaming.
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Nevertheless, I have re-evaluated the ROG Crosshair with its most recent BIOS version alongside Windows 11 24H2, and although there is no change in the average frame rates since my last benchmarking of the motherboard, the 1% low statistics show a decrease of approximately 5 to 7%. On a brighter note, in Windows 11 24H2, the Factorio benchmark performance has improved by 13%, as has the compression outcome in the 7zip assessment.
While it’s advisable not to overinterpret these statistics, primarily due to the influence of Windows 24H2, the Asus B850-F is evidently as proficient as the others and in the case of Cyberpunk 2077, even superior to the $640 Crosshair X670E Hero. However, it is important to highlight that the data for that board and the MSI Tomahawk were obtained using an ‘all-high’ power profile setting.
AMD suggests using Balanced in the Control Panel, followed by Balanced or Best Performance in Windows Settings, but I consistently observe that the Ryzen 9 9900X and 9950X yield better performance in gaming when utilizing the High Performance option in the Control Panel.
If your sole requirement is a motherboard for PC gaming and nothing more, the compact Asus appears to be the one to choose. However, it’s essential to note we’re discussing just a handful of frames per second here and there, and at $300, you would indeed expect a tad more than merely gaming capabilities.
In terms of CPU-intensive tasks, such as offline rendering and file compression/decompression, the ROG Strix B850-F is comparable to the two X870 boards and it surpasses the X670E model in the 7zip benchmark.
This is to be anticipated, of course, as the B850 chipset does not offer any significant advantages over the preceding generation regarding performance enhancements, but the newer motherboards do accommodate higher RAM velocities. This implies that manufacturers have enriched the foundational memory designs, enhancing stability and diminishing latencies.
Nonetheless, while relative performance aligns with the Gigabyte and MSI boards, the Asus B850-F lags behind in a different dimension.
Despite the ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi featuring substantial metal heatsinks covering the power stages and the primary M.2 slot, they are evidently not as proficient as those found on the Gigabyte and MSI variants. I suspect the issue lies with the thermal pads utilized between the sinks and components, as removing the M.2 heatsink after all assessments indicated that the thermal pad barely connected with some of the Corsair MP700 chips.
This might be acceptable on a $120 budget motherboard, but on a $300 device? Not at all, and it slightly undermines the reality that the ROG Strix B850-F features two PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots. If the primary SSD cooling mechanism isn’t capable of efficiently managing a Gen5 drive, the other one certainly won’t be able to.
This also raises concerns regarding the motherboard’s gaming efficiency, as numerous PC gamers would aim to overclock their CPU, employ ultra-fast RAM, or install a Gen5 SSD. If the motherboard is truly incapable of handling the thermal demands, is it worth acquiring solely for a slight increase in frames per second?
Conclusion
Based on the latest thermal performance data, you can likely deduce where this review’s conclusion is headed. However, to be unequivocal, here’s how the Asus ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi stacks up against the Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro and MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi regarding pricing and features.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | Asus ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi | Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro | MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi |
| Cost | $300 | $359 | $300 |
| PCIe slots | 1x Gen5x16, 1x Gen4x16 | 1x Gen5x16, 1x Gen4x4, 1x Gen3x4 | 1x Gen5x16, 1x Gen4x4, 1x Gen3x1 |
| M.2 slots | 2x Gen5x4, 2x Gen4x4 | 3x Gen5x4, 1x Gen4x4 | 2x Gen5x4, 1x Gen4x2, 1x Gen4x4 |
| SATA connectors | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| USB rear connectors | 1x USB 3.2 20 Gbps, 3x USB 3.1 10 Gbps, 4x USB 3.0 5 Gbps, 4x USB 2.0 | 2x USB4 40 Gbps, 3x USB 3.1 10 Gbps, 4x USB 3.0 Gbps, 2x USB 2.0 | 2x USB4 40 Gbps, 3x USB 3.1 10 Gbps, 3x USB 3.0 5 Gbps, 4x USB 2.0 |
Aside from the inadequate cooling solutions, the Asus B850-F stands out as an excellent motherboard. Nonetheless, its features do not warrant the expenditure, particularly when better options are available for the same price with more USB and SATA connections, and additional PCIe slots.
If Asus had priced it around $240, it would have been a significantly more appealing choice.
The Asus ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi is a solid motherboard, yet it suffers from some peculiar choices regarding component selection, layout, and heat management. The price is also a drawback, and if you’re intending to allocate $300 for a new AM5 motherboard, Gigabyte and MSI offer superior alternatives.
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