ASUS is making waves in the PC building community with the launch of its new B840 and B850 series motherboards. These boards are designed to offer mainstream builders a compelling mix of performance, features, and value. While the top-end X870E and X870 boards cater to the enthusiast crowd, the B-series boards are looking to hit the sweet spot for gamers and everyday users. Let's dive into what these new options have to offer.
Speaking of high-end options, ASUS also teased two upcoming X870E motherboards: the ROG Crosshair X870E Apex, an overclocking powerhouse, and the ROG Crosshair X870E Extreme, expected by the end of Q1 2025.
B850 Motherboards: Upgrading the Mainstream
So, what makes the B850 motherboards stand out? ASUS is focusing on modernization, providing mainstream users with:
- More and faster USB ports
- Additional M.2 slots for SSDs with faster overall selection
- WiFi 7 support on many models for next-gen wireless networking
- Robust support for fast DDR5 RAM
- User-friendly PC building features like tool-free M.2 SSD installation, easy troubleshooting, and a hassle-free GPU removal.
Introducing B840: A New Tier for Efficiency
A new tier, the B840 series, is making its debut in 2025. These motherboards cater to users who don't plan on overclocking or using PCIe 5.0 SSDs or graphics cards. The B840s are designed for budget-friendly and efficient builds, especially for systems utilizing CPUs with integrated graphics.
Improved BIOS Experience
ASUS is also rolling out a BIOS upgrade, with a bumped-up resolution of 1920x1080 for better readability and navigation. Furthermore, the new BIOS Q-Dashboard interface gives a visual perspective of the motherboard, making it easier for builders to find vital components and connections. For those needing additional help, ASUS AI Advisor is on board, ready to provide instant answers to questions on motherboard software, firmware, and hardware.
ROG Strix B850 Series: Gaming Powerhouses
The ROG Strix line is known for gaming performance, bold style, and connectivity. The B850 series pushes the envelope further with features formerly exclusive to the premium ROG Crosshair lineup.
ROG Strix B850-E Gaming WiFi
The top-tier option, the ROG Strix B850-E Gaming WiFi, offers a 16+2+2 VRM design, AI Overclocking, and a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot with the Q-Release Slim mechanism for easy GPU removal. It also boasts dual PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots, a 5Gb Ethernet port, WiFi 7, USB4 and rear panel USB 20Gbps Type-C (with up to 30W PD fast-charge). The ROG SupremeFX audio solution delivers high-quality sound with the ALC4080 CODEC and Savitech amplifier.
Key Specs:
- 16+2+2 power stages
- 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot
- 3 x PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots
- WiFi 7 & 5Gb Ethernet
- USB4 port
- ROG SupremeFX audio
ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi
The ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi offers similar gaming performance to its more premium counterpart, but foregoes features like a USB4 port, a fifth M.2 slot, and fast-charging USB-C port for a lower price point. It offers a 16+2+2 power design, and is ready for PCIe 5.0 GPUs and SSDs.
Key Specs:
- 16+2+2 power stages
- 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot
- 2 x PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots
- WiFi 7 & 2.5Gb Ethernet
ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi
The ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi provides a different visual with a white and silver theme, offering the same PCIe 5.0 support with a slightly toned-down power stage (14+2+2).
Key Specs:
- 14+2+2 power stages
- 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot
- 1 x PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot
- WiFi 7 & 2.5Gb Ethernet
ROG Strix B850-I Gaming WiFi
The ROG Strix B850-I Gaming WiFi is a mini-ITX form factor option, with two DIMM slots for DDR5 RAM and a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot. Despite its small size, it packs two PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots, an extra-thick PCB, and active VRM cooling.
Key Specs:
- 10+2+1 power stages
- 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot
- 2 x PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots
- WiFi 7 & 2.5Gb Ethernet
TUF Gaming B850 Series: Reliability and Essentials
The TUF Gaming series focuses on delivering reliable motherboards with key gaming features. The B850 lineup includes the TUF Gaming B850-Plus WiFi, TUF Gaming B850M-Plus WiFi, and TUF Gaming B850M-Plus. All three boast ASUS AI Advisor, black metallic capacitors with greater temperature tolerance, and TUF LANGuard.
The TUF Gaming B850-Plus WiFi has a full ATX design with PCIe 5.0 slots, WiFi 7, and multiple USB ports. It provides convenient features such as the WiFi Q-Antenna, PCIe Slot Q-Release, and tool-free M.2 Q-Latch.
The TUF Gaming B850M-Plus WiFi and TUF Gaming B850M-Plus are microATX offerings with 14+2+1 power stages and USB 20Gbps Type-C ports.
Key Features:
- ASUS AI Advisor
- Black metallic capacitors
- TUF LANGuard
- Tool-free M.2 Q-Latch system
ASUS Prime B840 Series: Budget-Friendly Basics
The Prime B840 series emphasizes affordability and efficiency for mainstream users. The Prime B840-Plus WiFi is an ATX motherboard and provides three M.2 slots, 2.5Gb Ethernet, and WiFi 6E. The microATX versions, Prime B840M-A WiFi and Prime B840M-A, provide a similar feature set with DisplayPort outputs to suit integrated graphics usage.
Key Features:
- Budget-friendly options for mainstream builds
- Ideal for AMD Ryzen APUs (integrated graphics)
- Multiple M.2 slots for storage
Price Already leaked you can read our leak
Final Thoughts
ASUS's new B840 and B850 motherboard lineups offer a diverse range of options for PC builders. From high-performance gaming rigs to budget-friendly builds, it seems ASUS has a board for just about every use case. As we get our hands on these new motherboards, we'll be sure to bring you comprehensive reviews and benchmarks so stay tuned to TechNetBook.
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