Asus Prime B860-Plus VS MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi

Both boards share the same LGA 1851 socket and B860 chipset, meaning they support the same CPU lineup and offer identical overclocking headroom within that chipset's limits. They also match on HDMI 2.1 output, dual BIOS, easy BIOS reset, RGB lighting, and a 3-year warranty — so neither has an edge on the core feature checklist most buyers scan first.

The real divide is in form factor and connectivity. The Asus Prime B860-Plus is a full ATX board (305 × 244 mm), giving it more PCIe slots, RAM slots, and header space for complex builds — but it ships with no Wi-Fi and no Bluetooth, meaning wireless connectivity requires an add-in card or adapter. The MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi is a Micro-ATX board (243.8 × 243.8 mm), which fits smaller cases and is noticeably more compact, yet it includes built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth — a meaningful convenience advantage, especially in tighter builds where a PCIe slot is too valuable to spend on a wireless card.

The MSI holds a clear general-spec edge for anyone building a compact or wireless-first system: it packs more connectivity into less space at no loss in chipset capability or warranty coverage. The Asus is the better pick only when a full ATX footprint is a hard requirement — for maximum expansion slots or chassis compatibility — and the builder is comfortable adding wireless separately.

The memory specifications of the Asus Prime B860-Plus and MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi are largely similar. Both motherboards support a maximum memory amount of 256GB and feature 4 memory slots. They also both support DDR5 memory with dual memory channels. In terms of ECC memory support, neither board offers this feature.

The main difference between the two products lies in their overclocked RAM speed. The Asus Prime B860-Plus can achieve a slightly higher overclocked RAM speed of 8666 MHz, compared to the MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi, which is limited to 8600 MHz.

Overall, these two boards have almost identical memory specifications, with the only noticeable difference being the minor overclocked RAM speed discrepancy.

The ports available on the Asus Prime B860-Plus and MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi are quite similar, but with some differences in the number and types of USB ports. The Asus Prime B860-Plus has 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-A), 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 port (USB-A), and 2 USB 2.0 ports. It also includes 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port, but lacks USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-C), USB 4, Thunderbolt, or eSATA ports. Additionally, it offers 1 HDMI output, 1 DisplayPort output, and 1 RJ45 port.

The MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi has a different distribution of USB ports, with 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (USB-A), 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-A), and 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 port (USB-C). Notably, the MSI board lacks the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port that the Asus board offers, but it does include 1 USB 4 40Gbps port and 1 Thunderbolt 4 port, which the Asus board does not. Like the Asus board, it includes 1 HDMI output, 1 DisplayPort output, and 1 RJ45 port.

Both motherboards have the same number of USB 2.0 ports (2) and a lack of VGA and PS/2 connectors. Overall, while both boards offer similar core port features, the MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi stands out with additional support for USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4 ports.

The connectors available on the Asus Prime B860-Plus and MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi are similar in several aspects, but with some key differences. Both motherboards provide 4 SATA 3 connectors and 3 M.2 sockets. They also offer 4 USB 2.0 ports (through expansion) and have no SATA 2 connectors or mSATA connectors.

In terms of USB expansion, the Asus Prime B860-Plus has 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and 2 USB 3.0 ports, while the MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi offers 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and 4 USB 3.0 ports. The Asus board also features 6 fan headers, whereas the MSI board has 5.

Both boards are equipped with TPM connectors and lack U.2 sockets. Overall, the MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi offers slightly more USB 3.2 Gen 1 and USB 3.0 ports but falls short by 1 fan header compared to the Asus Prime B860-Plus.

Both the Asus Prime B860-Plus and MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi feature a mix of PCIe slots, but with some differences in their configuration. Both boards include 1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and 1 PCIe 5.0 x16 slot. Neither motherboard has PCIe 3.0 x16, PCIe 2.0 x16, PCIe x4, or PCIe x8 slots.

The key difference lies in the PCIe x1 slots: the Asus Prime B860-Plus does not have any, while the MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi offers 2 PCIe x1 slots. Both motherboards lack PCI slots altogether.

In summary, the MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi provides more flexibility with the addition of PCIe x1 slots, while the Asus Prime B860-Plus focuses on higher bandwidth PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 x16 slots without offering PCIe x1 slots.

Both the Asus Prime B860-Plus and MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi share identical audio specifications. Both motherboards support 7.1 audio channels and come with 3 audio connectors. Additionally, neither of the boards includes an S/PDIF Out port.

There are no differences in the audio capabilities between these two models, as they both offer the same number of channels and audio connectors, as well as lacking an S/PDIF Out port.

In summary, the audio features are identical for both the Asus Prime B860-Plus and MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi, with both offering 7.1 channel support and 3 audio connectors, without the S/PDIF Out option.

The storage capabilities of the Asus Prime B860-Plus and MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi are identical in terms of RAID support. Both motherboards support RAID 1, RAID 10 (1+0), RAID 5, and RAID 0. Neither board supports RAID 0+1.

With identical RAID options, both boards provide the same level of flexibility for storage configurations and redundancy.

In summary, the storage features of the Asus Prime B860-Plus and MSI B860M Gaming Plus WiFi are perfectly matched, offering the same RAID support without any differences.