ASRock B850M Steel Legend WiFi VS Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E

Both boards share the same AM5 socket and B850 chipset foundation, meaning identical CPU compatibility and a similar overclocking ceiling. They also mirror each other on several quality-of-life features: dual BIOS for recovery safety, RGB lighting, HDMI 2.1 output, and a 3-year warranty. For most builders, these shared traits make the platform experience feel very comparable out of the box.

The most consequential difference in this group is the form factor. The ASRock B850M Steel Legend WiFi is a Micro-ATX board at 244×244 mm, while the Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E is a full ATX board at 244×305 mm. This is a build-defining choice: the ASRock fits in smaller, more compact cases and reduces overall system footprint, whereas the Gigabyte's larger PCB typically allows for more expansion slots, better component spacing, and easier cable management in mid-tower builds. Neither is objectively superior — it depends entirely on the chassis and use case.

On wireless connectivity, the ASRock holds a clear edge: it supports Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), the latest standard offering significantly higher theoretical throughput and lower latency than Wi-Fi 6E, while the Gigabyte tops out at Wi-Fi 6E. The ASRock also edges ahead with Bluetooth 5.4 versus the Gigabyte's 5.3, a minor but forward-looking advantage. For users who rely heavily on wireless peripherals or fast home networking, the ASRock's wireless stack is the more future-proof of the two.

Both the ASRock B850M Steel Legend WiFi and the Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E support a maximum memory amount of 256GB. However, the two motherboards differ significantly in terms of RAM speed. The ASRock board supports a maximum RAM speed of 8000 MHz and can overclock to the same speed, while the Gigabyte board supports a maximum RAM speed of 5200 MHz, with an overclocked RAM speed of 8200 MHz.

Both motherboards offer 4 memory slots, allowing for multiple RAM modules to be installed. They also both feature dual memory channels, which can help improve memory performance. As for the DDR memory version, both motherboards use DDR5 memory.

Neither motherboard supports ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory, which is important for certain types of high-performance computing but not typically needed for consumer or gaming builds.

The ASRock B850M Steel Legend WiFi and the Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E both offer a range of USB ports, though with slight differences in their configurations. Both boards feature 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (USB-A) and 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (USB-C). The ASRock model provides 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-A), while the Gigabyte board offers 3. Both motherboards also have 4 USB 2.0 ports, with the ASRock having 1 more USB 3.2 Gen 1 port (USB-A) than the Gigabyte board. Neither board has USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports, USB 4 ports (either 40Gbps or 20Gbps), or Thunderbolt ports.

Both motherboards are equipped with an HDMI output and a DisplayPort output for video connections. Each has 1 RJ45 port for wired networking, and both feature USB Type-C ports. The ASRock B850M Steel Legend WiFi lacks PS/2 ports, whereas the Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E includes 1 PS/2 port, catering to older peripherals.

Neither motherboard includes eSATA ports, DVI outputs, or a VGA connector, and both exclude Thunderbolt 3 and 4 ports. The overall port selection is quite similar between the two, with the key difference being the PS/2 port on the Gigabyte model.

The ASRock B850M Steel Legend WiFi and the Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E both feature similar connector options, but there are some differences in the number of expansion ports and fan headers. The ASRock board offers 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (through expansion), compared to just 2 on the Gigabyte board. Similarly, the ASRock motherboard provides 4 USB 3.0 ports (through expansion), while the Gigabyte board offers only 2. Both models include 4 USB 2.0 ports (through expansion). For storage, both motherboards come with 4 SATA 3 connectors and 3 M.2 sockets.

When it comes to fan headers, the ASRock B850M Steel Legend WiFi includes 5, while the Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E provides 6, giving the latter a slight advantage for cooling options. Both boards include a TPM connector for added security, but neither has a U.2 socket or an mSATA connector. Additionally, both models have no SATA 2 connectors.

In summary, the two motherboards offer similar features in terms of connectors, with the ASRock model providing more USB 3.2 Gen 1 and USB 3.0 ports, while the Gigabyte model includes an extra fan header for more cooling flexibility.

Both the ASRock B850M Steel Legend WiFi and the Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E motherboards feature 1 PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, but neither includes a PCIe 4.0 x16 or PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. The ASRock model offers 1 PCIe x4 slot, while the Gigabyte board lacks any PCIe x4 slots. Additionally, the ASRock board has no PCIe x1 slots, whereas the Gigabyte model provides 2 PCIe x1 slots. Neither motherboard includes PCI slots or PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, and both boards lack PCIe x8 slots.

In summary, while both motherboards support PCIe 5.0 x16 slots for high-speed expansion, the Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E offers more flexibility with 2 PCIe x1 slots, whereas the ASRock model focuses on a single PCIe x4 slot and omits PCIe x1 slots.

Both the ASRock B850M Steel Legend WiFi and the Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E offer 7.1 audio channels, ensuring high-quality surround sound. Neither motherboard includes an S/PDIF Out port, and both have 3 audio connectors. As the audio features are identical between the two models, there are no differences in this category.

In summary, both motherboards provide the same audio capabilities, with 7.1 channel support, 3 audio connectors, and no S/PDIF Out port, making them equal in terms of audio features.

Both the ASRock B850M Steel Legend WiFi and the Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E support RAID 1 and RAID 10 (1+0), offering redundancy and performance options for storage configurations. However, there is a key difference in their support for other RAID levels. The ASRock board does not support RAID 5, while the Gigabyte board does. Both motherboards do not support RAID 0+1.

In summary, the two boards are similar in terms of RAID 1 and RAID 10 support, but the Gigabyte model offers more flexibility with its additional RAID 5 support.