Asus Prime B850-Plus VS Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14

Both the Asus Prime B850-Plus and Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 feature an AM5 CPU socket and ATX form factor, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of processors and standard case sizes. The Asus motherboard is equipped with the B850 chipset, while the Colorful model uses the higher-end X870 chipset, which could suggest a difference in feature set or performance capabilities, though this is not detailed in the specs provided. Both boards offer a single CPU socket and lack integrated graphics, requiring a dedicated GPU for display output.

The Asus Prime B850-Plus does not support Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, whereas the Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 includes both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support. The Asus model features HDMI 2.1, while the Colorful board is equipped with HDMI 2.0, offering a slight difference in HDMI version capabilities. When it comes to ease of use, the Asus board has features like dual BIOS and an easy-to-reset BIOS, which are not present on the Colorful motherboard, which lacks dual BIOS and an easy BIOS reset function.

Both motherboards come with a 3-year warranty, and their physical dimensions are nearly identical—height of 244mm for the Asus versus 245mm for the Colorful, and both have a width of 305mm. Finally, both motherboards feature RGB lighting and are easy to overclock, though only the Asus model explicitly mentions the latter's ease.

The Asus Prime B850-Plus supports a maximum memory capacity of 256GB, while the Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 has a lower maximum memory limit of 192GB. Both motherboards offer four memory slots and support DDR5 memory, as well as dual memory channels, which are common features for modern high-performance setups.

When it comes to overclocked RAM speeds, the Colorful board supports a slightly higher maximum overclocked RAM speed of 8200 MHz compared to the Asus model's 8000 MHz. Both motherboards do not support ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory, which is important for certain professional applications but not typical for most gaming and general use scenarios.

In summary, while both motherboards are similar in terms of slots, channels, and DDR5 support, the Asus Prime B850-Plus offers a higher maximum memory capacity, and the Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 has a marginally faster overclocked RAM speed capability.

The Asus Prime B850-Plus offers a variety of USB ports, including three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port. In contrast, the Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 has fewer USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, with only one, but it has a higher number of USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports (four). Both motherboards offer two USB 2.0 ports and lack USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 or USB 4 20Gbps ports, but the Colorful model does have one USB 4 40Gbps port, which the Asus does not have. The Colorful board also includes a Thunderbolt 4 port, while the Asus lacks any Thunderbolt ports.

In terms of display outputs, both motherboards include HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. The Asus Prime B850-Plus has an HDMI 2.1 output, while the HDMI version for the Colorful model is not specified, but both have one DisplayPort output. Both motherboards also have a single RJ45 Ethernet port, but neither includes any eSATA ports, DVI outputs, or VGA connectors, and both lack PS/2 ports.

Lastly, both motherboards feature a USB Type-C port, with the Asus using USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C and the Colorful model having no USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port but also providing a USB 4 40Gbps port. The differences mainly lie in the USB port variety and the inclusion of Thunderbolt 4 on the Colorful board, which is absent from the Asus model.

Both the Asus Prime B850-Plus and Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 offer similar connectivity options, with both featuring 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (through expansion), 4 USB 2.0 ports (through expansion), and 2 USB 3.0 ports (through expansion). Each motherboard also includes 4 SATA 3 connectors and 3 M.2 sockets for additional storage options, ensuring solid support for modern storage drives.

When it comes to fan headers, the Asus Prime B850-Plus has 6 fan headers, while the Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 has 5 fan headers, providing the Asus board with slightly more flexibility for cooling setup. Both motherboards also include a TPM connector for added security, but neither has U.2 or mSATA connectors, and neither supports SATA 2 connectors, which are now largely outdated.

In summary, the two motherboards are nearly identical in their connectivity options, with only a small difference in fan headers—6 on the Asus board versus 5 on the Colorful model. Both motherboards are equipped with essential expansion and storage options like M.2 sockets and SATA 3 connectors.

The Asus Prime B850-Plus features one PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and one PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, providing strong support for modern GPUs and high-speed expansion cards. On the other hand, the Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 does not have any PCIe 4.0 x16 slots but does include one PCIe 5.0 x16 slot. Additionally, the Colorful model offers one PCIe x1 slot and one PCIe x4 slot, which the Asus model lacks entirely.

Neither motherboard includes PCI slots or PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, and both lack PCIe x8 slots, so there are no significant differences in legacy or mid-tier slot types. The Asus Prime B850-Plus has a more straightforward expansion setup, with its focus on PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, while the Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 provides a bit more flexibility with its PCIe x1 and x4 slots.

In summary, the main difference lies in the additional x1 and x4 slots available on the Colorful board, while the Asus board focuses on the latest PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 x16 slots for GPU and high-speed card use.

Both the Asus Prime B850-Plus and Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 feature 7.1 audio channels, ensuring support for high-quality, multi-channel audio output. However, the Asus model does not include an S/PDIF Out port, while the Colorful board does. This means the Colorful motherboard provides an additional option for digital audio output.

When it comes to audio connectors, the Asus Prime B850-Plus has 3 connectors, while the Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 offers 5 connectors. This gives the Colorful model more flexibility for connecting external audio devices like speakers or headphones.

In summary, both boards support 7.1 audio channels, but the Colorful board offers more audio connectors and includes an S/PDIF Out port, whereas the Asus board has fewer connectors and lacks the S/PDIF Out feature.

Both the Asus Prime B850-Plus and Colorful CVN X870 Ark Frozen V14 support the same RAID configurations, including RAID 1, RAID 10 (1+0), RAID 5, and RAID 0. Neither motherboard supports RAID 0+1, which is a less common RAID level. This means that both motherboards provide similar RAID functionality, offering a solid range of options for data redundancy and performance.

In summary, the storage capabilities of the Asus and Colorful boards are identical in terms of supported RAID levels, with both boards covering the most popular RAID setups, but neither supporting RAID 0+1.