While we discussed the AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs in our main review, the focus here was solely on the motherboards. Now, we have to focus on the most important lineup within the AM5 ecosystem, the B650 series motherboards. Why the B650 series is so important because this lineup is designed for mass adoption and offers the best value if you are building a new Ryzen 7000 system. We took a look at four motherboards and the following is what we think of each motherboard.
ASRock B650E Taichi
Starting off with the B650E Taichi from ASRock, the motherboard shares a similar design as the X670E Taichi but it also has a similar price point. The ASRock B650E Taichi retails at $449.99 US which makes it an extremely expensive option that also sits above the majority of the X670E and X670 options. Considering the price difference between the B650E and X670E Taichi is just $50 US, we would definitely recommend getting the X670E option.
It’s not just about value but there are certain features where the X670E Taichi is overall a better purchase. First of all, you are missing the Blazing M.2 heatsink fan which comes as a standard with the X670E Taichi. You are also getting a toned-down heatsink design that lacks the extended heat pipe solution that extends from the top VRMs to the bottom PCH. Furthermore, the X670E Taichi is equipped with double the SATA ports (8 in total) compared to just 4 on the B650E Taichi. The X670E option also comes with an extra Gen 4 x4 slot and dual PCIe 5.0 x16 slots versus a Gen 5 and Gen 4 combo on the B650E. While the performance is still there and the board looks as good as ever, the value proposition offered here is just too hard to recommend. The X670E Taichi is simply the better design here and is well worth the price even in the X670E segment.
MSI B650M Mortar WIFI
The MSI MAG B650M Mortar WIFI is priced at $239.99 US which makes it a very nice option with a decent set of features. The motherboard has an ample VRM solution that offers great performance and the whole black layout of this motherboard looks great. The two sets of heatsinks provide just enough cooling to make even the Ryzen 9 7950X run up to mark. The board has a single PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 slot while the rest are rated at lower PCIe link speeds. There are 6 SATA III ports but having just two M.2 slots might be a slight downside. If MSI could’ve replaced the two additional PCIe slots and added a third M.2 Gen 4 slot, that would have made this motherboard a perfect solution.
In addition to the hardware features, MSI also implements brand new software (BIOS) features in the form of “Performance Switch” which lets users select between various PBO performances and also PBO thermal points for enhanced undervolting and tuning options.
Despite that, the motherboard offers a great set of I/O with lots of USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Gen 1 ports and the Audio/LAN capabilities are just as good as you can expect from a motherboard in this price range. The pricing makes the MSI MAG B650M Mortar WIFI a very decent option for AMD Ryzen PC builders.
AORUS B650 Elite AX
The AORUS B650 Elite AX is the cheapest motherboard we have on our AM5 test bed, starting at just $230 US (currently at $220 US). The motherboard comes with a most basic feature set and retains decent IO such as WIFI 6E support and a good audio interface which I least expected from an entry-tier AORUS design. The motherboard has support for RGB Fusion with onboard LEDs & also several ARGB/RGB connectors for expandability. The unit we got was based on the AMD WIFI 6E solution and the newer one is based on Intel’s WIFI 6E solution. I have used both and found no difference between them.
Some interesting features of this board are definitely its EZ-Latchj PCIe slot implementation that makes removing graphics cards easier. There are good expansion options too in the form of triple M.2 slots, all of which are covered by heatsinks and a PCIe Gen 5.0 x16 slot for newer GPUs. The motherboard has just four SATA III ports but the extra M.2 slot makes up for it. The heatsinks are great in looks but the thermals were still a bit on the high side with the Ryzen 9 7950X. Since the board is aimed at the mainstream segment, using a Ryzen 5 7600X or Ryzen 7 7700X makes the most sense with it and you can expect great performance out of the box.
ASRock B650E PG-ITX
The ASRock B650E PG-ITX is our first AM5 Mini-ITX motherboard and I really love the way this board is designed. Given its smaller footprint, ASRock had to make sacrifices here and there but at $290, it is an option that you should consider if you are in the market for an SFF Ryzen 7000 PC build. The PG ITX comes with a 10-phase VRM which was enough to handle the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X despite the top Zen 4 chip pulling in up to 230W at load. This was made possible thanks to the undervolting capabilities that Zen 4 desktop CPUs offer. Despite running at a lower power input, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X managed to deliver about the same performance as a high-end offering on the ASRock PG ITX B650E motherboard.
But if you really want to build a PC around this motherboard, you will be better off with a 105W chip such as the Ryzen 5 7600X or the Ryzen 7 7700X. Due to its smaller size, you are limited in terms of storage options with just two M.2 slots and two SATA III ports. The number of SATA III ports is a big letdown as I would have loved to see four on this board but the additional M.2 slot at the back kind of makes up for it. The back M.2 slot has no cooling solution attached and you need a casing with a large cut-out on the motherboard tray to support an NVMe heatsink solution.
Else, you will require a good amount of internal chassis airflow to keep the secondary M.2 heatsink cool. The front heatsink has the cooling covered with a beefy Blazing M.2 heatsink that comes with an active cooling fan and heat pipe solution that cools the Gen 5 SSD, and the B650E chipset and also takes some of that heat away from the VRMs. The I/O on the board is strong given its size and that makes me fully recommend the ASRock B650E PG-ITX to users who want to build a small AM5 PC.
The post AMD B650E & B650 Motherboard MEGA Review Ft. ASRock Taichi, AORUS Elite AX, MSI Mortar WiFi & ASRock B650E PG-ITX by Hassan Mujtaba appeared first on Wccftech.
