ROG STRIX B850-F Gaming WiFi7 NEO Motherboard (Hardware) – Review

The motherboard is the foundation of any PC build, and while it’s easy to get distracted by processors, graphics cards and whatever ridiculous amount of RGB lighting we’re adding this time around, choosing the right board can make a big difference when it comes to installation, upgrades and the features available later on.

The ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi7 Neo Motherboard continues ASUS’s support for the AM5 platform, working with Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 Series processors while offering PCIe 5.0, DDR5, Wi-Fi 7 and plenty of room for expansion.

Using the standard ATX form factor, it measures 30.5cm x 24.4cm, giving everything plenty of room to breathe, with dedicated CPU and optional CPU fan headers, an AIO pump connection, and four additional 4-pin chassis fan headers positioned around the board.

Compared to some motherboards we’ve reviewed recently, the ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi7 Neo Motherboard keeps things relatively subtle.

The black PCB blends nicely with the dark metallic VRM and M.2 heatsinks, while RGB lighting across the I/O shroud adds a little colour without completely taking over the build. It also includes three additional Addressable Gen 2 headers for anyone who wants to take the lighting further through Aura Sync.

Storage is handled by four M.2 slots, with two supporting PCIe 5.0 x4 on compatible Ryzen 9000 and 7000 Series processors, while the remaining two support PCIe 4.0 x4. All four are covered by heatsinks, with ASUS’s M.2 Q-Latch, Q-Release and Q-Slide systems making installation considerably easier without having to chase tiny screws around the bottom of your case.

There are also two SATA 6Gb/s connections, although the third M.2 slot shares bandwidth with the secondary PCIe 4.0 expansion slot, so using that slot will disable the corresponding M.2 position.

For graphics cards, the primary PCIe slot offers PCIe 5.0 x16 support when paired with a Ryzen 9000 or 7000 Series processor. ASUS’s PCIe Slot Q-Release Slim also makes removing larger graphics cards much easier once the rest of the system is assembled.

The four DIMM slots hold up to 256GB of DDR5 memory, with speeds reaching 9000+MT/s through overclocking depending on your processor and configuration. AMD EXPO and ASUS Enhanced Memory Profile are also available to help compatible kits reach their rated speeds.

ASUS has included a few features that make troubleshooting much easier, such as the Q-LED indicators. These provide quick information on the CPU, DRAM, graphics and boot device during startup, while BIOS FlashBack and Clear CMOS buttons sit on the rear I/O. The board also uses a 64MB BIOS, giving ASUS more room for its interface and future AM5 processor support.

Externally, the rear I/O has twelve USB ports: four 10Gbps connections, six 5Gbps ports and two USB 2.0 sockets. Internal headers add USB 20Gbps Type-C support alongside extra USB 5Gbps and USB 2.0 connections through your case.

Networking comes courtesy of Realtek 5Gb Ethernet alongside Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. The supplied ASUS WiFi Q-Antenna also avoids the fiddly screw-on connections we’ve traditionally dealt with, making installation much quicker.

Audio is delivered through the ROG SupremeFX ALC4080 codec, supported by a Savitech amplifier, premium capacitors and SupremeFX shielding, with optical S/PDIF also available on the rear panel.

Being part of the ROG lineup also brings plenty of software to play with. Armoury Crate provides access to Aura Sync and Fan Xpert 4 with AI Cooling II, while TurboV Core supports overclocking adjustments from within Windows. AI Networking II can help optimise network performance, while AI Cache Boost is designed to improve local AI workloads when paired with Ryzen 9000 Series processors.

The ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi7 Neo Motherboard offers plenty of room to build and upgrade around AMD’s AM5 platform. Four M.2 slots, PCIe 5.0 support, up to 256GB of DDR5 memory, 5Gb Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7 and a strong selection of USB connections cover the performance side nicely. At the same time, Q-Release, Q-Latch, Q-LED and BIOS FlashBack make putting everything together and maintaining it considerably easier.