Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi VS MSI Pro B840-P WiFi

At a glance, the Asus ROG Strix B850-A and the MSI Pro B840-P are nearly identical in their general profile: both use the AM5 socket with an ATX form factor, ship with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, support HDMI 2.1, feature RGB lighting, dual BIOS, and carry a 3-year warranty. Their physical footprints are also virtually the same, differing by less than 0.5 mm in each dimension. For most users scanning this category, the two boards look like a dead heat.

The single meaningful differentiator here is the chipset: the ROG Strix runs on B850, while the MSI Pro uses the lower-tier B840. Within AMD's hierarchy, B850 sits above B840 and unlocks full memory overclocking support, including EXPO profiles for high-speed DDR5 kits. B840, by contrast, is AMD's entry-level chipset in this generation and imposes tighter restrictions on memory tuning. Both boards are listed as ″easy to overclock,″ but that descriptor is more meaningful on the B850, where the platform actually supports it without limitations. If you plan to pair either board with fast DDR5 RAM, the B850 chipset on the ROG Strix will let you run those kits at their rated speeds, whereas the B840 on the MSI Pro may not.

Edge: Asus ROG Strix B850-A. Every shared feature in this group is equivalent, but the B850 chipset gives the ROG Strix a tangible, real-world advantage for anyone who wants to get full performance from modern DDR5 memory. The MSI Pro B840-P is a reasonable alternative only if memory overclocking is not a priority and the lower platform cost is the goal.

The Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi and MSI Pro B840-P WiFi motherboards differ in several key memory-related specifications. The Asus model supports a maximum memory amount of 192GB, while the MSI model can handle up to 256GB. Both motherboards feature 4 memory slots and support DDR5 memory, with 2 memory channels available on each board. They also both support overclocked RAM speeds of 8000 MHz.

When it comes to maximum RAM speed, the Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi supports a higher RAM speed of 8000 MHz, which is significantly faster than the MSI Pro B840-P WiFi's maximum of 5600 MHz. However, both models are listed with the same overclocked RAM speed of 8000 MHz, indicating they can reach that speed when overclocked.

Both motherboards do not support ECC memory, which is typically used for error-correcting in high-reliability applications. Overall, while the MSI model can accommodate more RAM, the Asus model offers a higher maximum RAM speed.

The Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi and MSI Pro B840-P WiFi motherboards both offer a variety of USB ports but differ in the number and types of ports available. The Asus model provides 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-A) ports, 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A) ports, and 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-C) port, while the MSI model has 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-A) port, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A) ports, and 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-C) port. The Asus board also includes 2 USB 2.0 ports, while the MSI board offers 4. Additionally, the Asus model has 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port, while the MSI board lacks this feature.

Both motherboards have 1 HDMI output, but only the Asus model includes a DisplayPort output, while the MSI model does not. Both products feature an RJ45 port for networking. Neither motherboard offers Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 ports, USB 4 40Gbps ports, eSATA ports, or DVI outputs. Additionally, neither product has a VGA connector or PS/2 ports.

In summary, the Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi offers more USB ports, including a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port and an extra DisplayPort output, compared to the MSI Pro B840-P WiFi. The MSI model, however, provides more USB 2.0 ports than the Asus model.

The Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi and MSI Pro B840-P WiFi motherboards have several similarities and differences when it comes to connectors. Both models offer 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (through expansion) and 4 USB 2.0 ports (through expansion). They also both provide 2 USB 3.0 ports (through expansion) and 6 fan headers. The Asus model has 2 SATA 3 connectors, while the MSI model offers 4 SATA 3 connectors, giving the MSI board a slight advantage in terms of storage connectivity.

For M.2 sockets, the Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi includes 4 M.2 sockets, which is double the number of M.2 sockets on the MSI Pro B840-P WiFi, which has only 2. This could be a key factor for users needing more M.2 storage options. The MSI board, however, has a TPM connector, which the Asus model lacks.

Both motherboards lack U.2 sockets and mSATA connectors, and neither offers SATA 2 connectors. Overall, while both motherboards offer a similar set of expansion options, the Asus model stands out with more M.2 sockets, while the MSI model provides a TPM connector for enhanced security.

The Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi and MSI Pro B840-P WiFi motherboards differ in their expansion slot configurations. The Asus model offers 1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and 1 PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, but it does not have any PCIe 3.0 x16, x1, x4, or x8 slots. On the other hand, the MSI model also has 1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, but it features 1 PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, along with 3 PCIe x1 slots. The MSI board does not have any PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, unlike the Asus model, which provides a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for faster performance.

Both motherboards lack PCI slots, PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, and PCIe x4 or x8 slots. The key difference is the Asus model’s support for a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, which the MSI model does not include. Additionally, the MSI board offers more PCIe x1 slots, with 3 available, while the Asus board provides none.

In summary, the Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi offers the advantage of a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, while the MSI Pro B840-P WiFi has more PCIe x1 slots, making it more suitable for those needing multiple expansion cards.

Both the Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi and the MSI Pro B840-P WiFi motherboards support 7.1 audio channels, providing high-quality sound for users. However, they differ in their audio features. The Asus model includes an S/PDIF Out port, which allows for digital audio output, while the MSI model does not offer this feature.

In terms of audio connectors, the Asus board has 2 audio connectors, whereas the MSI board has 3. This gives the MSI motherboard an additional audio connection option compared to the Asus model.

In summary, both motherboards support 7.1 audio channels, but the Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi has the advantage of an S/PDIF Out port, while the MSI Pro B840-P WiFi offers an extra audio connector.

The Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi and MSI Pro B840-P WiFi motherboards both support several RAID configurations, with some key differences. Both models support RAID 1 (mirroring) and RAID 10 (1+0, a combination of mirroring and striping). However, the Asus model also supports RAID 5 (striping with parity), which is not supported by the MSI model. Neither motherboard supports RAID 0+1, a combination of RAID 0 and RAID 1.

In summary, the Asus ROG Strix B850-A Gaming WiFi offers more flexibility in storage configurations with its support for RAID 5, while the MSI Pro B840-P WiFi lacks this support but retains the same RAID 1 and RAID 10 options as the Asus model.