The video reviews 23 AMD B850 motherboards under $200, highlighting ASRock’s ProA series and Riptide Wi-Fi models as top performers with strong VRM designs, excellent thermal management, and great value, while criticizing ASUS’s offerings for poor VRM quality and overheating issues. Gigabyte and MSI provide competitive alternatives with some trade-offs in power limits and features, making the roundup a comprehensive guide for budget-conscious Ryzen builders.
The video presents an extensive roundup of 23 affordable AMD B850 motherboards priced under $200, with a focus on testing and comparing their features, VRM performance, and value. The host begins by showcasing ASRock’s budget-friendly options, highlighting models like the B850M-X and its newer R2.0 revision, noting their limitations in power delivery and PCIe specifications. ASRock’s ProA series is praised for offering impressive VRM setups and multiple M.2 slots at competitive prices, with the ATX B850 ProA standing out for its 14 80-amp power stages and rich feature set. The B850M Pro RS and Riptide Wi-Fi models further elevate performance with larger heatsinks, pre-installed IO shields, and Wi-Fi 7 support, making them solid choices in the sub-$200 range.
ASUS’s offerings, particularly the Prime B850M-K and Prime B850 Plus Wi-Fi, receive criticism for their underwhelming VRM designs, limited features, and poor thermal performance, which likely explains why ASUS declined to provide samples for testing. These boards run significantly hotter under load and offer less value compared to competitors. Gigabyte’s lineup is mixed, with certain models like the B850M DS3H and B850M Gaming X Wi-Fi 6E providing decent VRM configurations and features, while others like the B850 Gaming Wi-Fi 6 suffer from weak VRMs and aggressive power limits. The B850 Gaming XY 6E and B850M Orus Elite Wi-Fi 6E ICE stand out for their strong VRM setups, multiple M.2 slots, and robust cooling solutions.
MSI’s selection includes three models under $200, with the Pro B850M-P Wi-Fi and Pro B850M- Wi-Fi offering competitive features such as Wi-Fi 7, 5 Gb LAN, and multiple M.2 slots. However, MSI’s use of discrete MOSFETs in some models results in less efficient VRMs compared to power stage designs, impacting thermal performance and potentially limiting overclocking headroom. The MSI B850 Gaming Plus Wi-Fi is noted for its confusing naming scheme and mixed feature set, competing directly with ASRock and ASUS boards but generally falling short in VRM quality and USB port availability.
Thermal testing using a Ryzen 9 9950X and Cinebench 2024 reveals that ASRock’s B850 Pro RS, Live Mixer, Riptide, and ProA boards deliver the best VRM temperatures, all staying below 100°C without throttling. Gigabyte’s higher-end models also perform well thermally, while MSI’s power-limited Pro B850MP runs cooler but at the cost of reduced CPU clock speeds and performance. ASUS boards fare the worst, reaching temperatures as high as 128°C, confirming their unsuitability for high-end Ryzen processors. Power limits on some Gigabyte and MSI boards restrict performance but help maintain safer temperatures, though these limits are sometimes unchangeable.
In conclusion, the video recommends ASRock’s ProA series and Riptide Wi-Fi models as the best value and performance options under $200, with Gigabyte’s and MSI’s higher-end microATX boards also being strong contenders depending on user preferences and regional pricing. ASUS’s budget B850 boards are largely dismissed due to poor VRM performance and thermal issues. The host teases a forthcoming second part of the roundup covering additional motherboards and encourages viewers to subscribe for updates. Overall, the roundup provides valuable insights for buyers seeking affordable yet capable B850 motherboards for AMD Ryzen builds.