Asus TUF Gaming B850M-E Wi-Fi VS Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice

Both the Asus TUF Gaming B850M-E Wi-Fi and the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice feature an AM5 CPU socket and the B850 chipset, ensuring compatibility with similar processors. However, their form factors differ: the Asus board uses a Micro-ATX design, while the Gigabyte model is larger with an ATX form factor. In terms of Wi-Fi support, both motherboards offer Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), and Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), but the Gigabyte board also adds Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), which is not available on the Asus board.

For Bluetooth, the Asus board is equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, while the Gigabyte board offers Bluetooth 5.4, giving it a slightly newer version of Bluetooth. Both motherboards support HDMI 2.1 and have RGB lighting, but neither offers easy BIOS reset features. Both also come with dual BIOS, ensuring added reliability for system recovery.

Both motherboards lack integrated graphics and CPU, and both have a 3-year warranty. The Asus board is slightly more compact in height (244 mm) compared to the Gigabyte, which is 305 mm in width, though the height is the same at 244 mm. Additionally, neither board supports aptX, and both have a single CPU socket.

Both the Asus TUF Gaming B850M-E Wi-Fi and the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice support a maximum memory amount of 256GB. They are also equipped with 4 memory slots and support DDR5 memory, with dual memory channels. There is no support for ECC memory on either motherboard.

Where they differ is in their overclocked RAM speed. The Asus board supports overclocked RAM speeds up to 8000 MHz, while the Gigabyte board can handle slightly faster speeds, reaching 8200 MHz.

Overall, these two motherboards are quite similar in their memory capabilities, with the key distinction being the slightly higher overclocking potential of the Gigabyte board.

The Asus TUF Gaming B850M-E Wi-Fi and the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice differ slightly in their USB port configurations. The Asus board has 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (USB-A), 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-A), and 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (USB-C). It does not have any USB 2.0 ports, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports, or Thunderbolt ports. In contrast, the Gigabyte board offers more USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A) ports, with 4 in total, and 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (USB-A). It also has 4 USB 2.0 ports, whereas the Asus board has none.

Both motherboards provide 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-C) port, and both support USB Type-C. In terms of video outputs, both boards feature an HDMI output, but the Asus model also includes 2 DisplayPort outputs, while the Gigabyte board has none. For networking, both boards include 1 RJ45 port, ensuring wired connectivity.

Additional differences include the presence of a PS/2 port on the Asus board, which the Gigabyte board lacks. Neither motherboard has eSATA ports, DVI outputs, or a VGA connector.

Both the Asus TUF Gaming B850M-E Wi-Fi and the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice offer similar expansions for USB ports, with both providing 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and 4 USB 2.0 ports through expansion. The Asus board also includes 2 USB 3.0 ports through expansion, while the Gigabyte board does not specify 3.0 ports. In terms of storage, the Asus board features 4 SATA 3 connectors, while the Gigabyte board has only 2 SATA 3 connectors. However, the Gigabyte board provides 4 M.2 sockets, whereas the Asus board has 3.

Another difference is that the Gigabyte board includes a TPM connector, while the Asus board does not. Both motherboards lack U.2 sockets and mSATA connectors, and neither includes SATA 2 connectors.

In terms of fan headers, the Asus board supports 4, while the Gigabyte board offers 8 fan headers, providing more flexibility for cooling options.

Both the Asus TUF Gaming B850M-E Wi-Fi and the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice feature 1 PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, ensuring compatibility with modern GPUs. However, the Asus board includes 1 PCIe x1 slot, while the Gigabyte board does not. On the other hand, the Gigabyte board provides 1 PCIe x4 slot, which the Asus board lacks.

Neither motherboard includes PCI slots, PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, or PCIe x8 slots, which means both are quite similar in terms of older or less common expansion slot types.

In summary, the key difference lies in the additional PCIe x4 slot available on the Gigabyte board, whereas the Asus board has a PCIe x1 slot.

Both the Asus TUF Gaming B850M-E Wi-Fi and the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice support 7.1 audio channels, offering high-quality surround sound capabilities. However, they differ in a couple of important features. The Asus board does not include an S/PDIF Out port, while the Gigabyte board has one, allowing for digital audio output to compatible devices.

In terms of audio connectors, the Asus board provides 3 connectors, while the Gigabyte board offers 2, meaning the Asus board offers slightly more flexibility for connecting audio devices.

Overall, the key differences are the inclusion of the S/PDIF Out port on the Gigabyte board and the additional audio connector on the Asus board.

Both the Asus TUF Gaming B850M-E Wi-Fi and the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice support the same RAID configurations: RAID 1, RAID 10 (1+0), RAID 5, and RAID 0. Neither motherboard supports RAID 0+1, which is consistent across both products.

In terms of storage capabilities, the RAID support is identical between the two boards, meaning users can expect similar storage options for data redundancy or performance, depending on their needs.

Overall, there are no differences in the RAID features between the Asus and Gigabyte motherboards within this specification group.