Asus TUF Gaming B850M-Plus Wi-Fi7 VS Asus X870 Max Gaming Wi-Fi7

The Asus TUF Gaming B850M-Plus Wi-Fi7 and Asus X870 Max Gaming Wi-Fi7 both feature the AM5 CPU socket and support Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), and Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), providing a comprehensive range of Wi-Fi technologies. Both motherboards are equipped with Bluetooth 5.4, and both support HDMI 2.1 for video output. They also include RGB lighting, making them visually appealing for gaming builds. However, the form factor differs, with the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus being a Micro-ATX, and the X870 Max Gaming Wi-Fi7 being a larger ATX, which affects the overall size and expansion potential of the board.

Both motherboards are easy to overclock, but the X870 Max Gaming lacks the dual BIOS and easy BIOS reset features that the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus includes. The TUF Gaming model offers dual BIOS support and a convenient BIOS reset function, while the X870 Max model does not. Additionally, both motherboards come with a 3-year warranty, ensuring a similar level of long-term support.

In terms of physical dimensions, the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus measures 244 mm by 244 mm, while the X870 Max Gaming Wi-Fi7 is slightly larger at 244 mm by 305 mm. Neither board has integrated graphics, and both have one CPU socket. Additionally, neither board includes aptX support or integrated CPUs, and both lack any mention of an integrated CPU.

Both the Asus TUF Gaming B850M-Plus Wi-Fi7 and Asus X870 Max Gaming Wi-Fi7 have identical memory specifications. They each support a maximum memory amount of 256GB and feature four memory slots, offering flexibility for high-capacity RAM installations. Both motherboards are also capable of supporting DDR5 memory, which is the latest standard for faster speeds and higher bandwidth.

In terms of overclocked RAM speed, both models support up to 8000 MHz, ensuring excellent performance when running high-speed memory. Additionally, both motherboards have dual memory channels, providing a balanced and efficient memory configuration for better performance in multitasking and gaming scenarios.

Neither motherboard supports ECC memory, meaning they are not designed for error-correcting code RAM, which is typically used in more critical applications like servers or workstations. This is consistent across both models, so there is no difference in their support for ECC memory.

The Asus TUF Gaming B850M-Plus Wi-Fi7 and Asus X870 Max Gaming Wi-Fi7 have several differences in their port configurations. For USB-A ports, the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus offers 3 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports and 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, while the X870 Max Gaming provides fewer USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (1) and 3 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. The TUF Gaming B850M-Plus also features a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port (1) and an HDMI output, both of which the X870 Max lacks. On the other hand, the X870 Max Gaming has USB 4 40Gbps ports (2) and Thunderbolt 4 ports (2), while the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus has neither of these high-speed ports.

Both motherboards feature 4 USB 2.0 ports, an RJ45 port for Ethernet connectivity, and an HDMI output. The TUF Gaming B850M-Plus also has a DisplayPort output (1), whereas the X870 Max Gaming has no DisplayPort output. Neither model has VGA connectors or PS/2 ports, which keeps their legacy port support consistent.

Both motherboards include USB Type-C support, though the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus does not feature USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 or USB 4 40Gbps ports, which are present on the X870 Max Gaming. Additionally, the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus lacks Thunderbolt 3 and 4 support, while the X870 Max Gaming supports Thunderbolt 4. Overall, the X870 Max Gaming has more advanced, high-speed connectivity options, particularly with its USB 4 and Thunderbolt ports.

The Asus TUF Gaming B850M-Plus Wi-Fi7 and Asus X870 Max Gaming Wi-Fi7 both provide similar connector options. Both motherboards offer 4 SATA 3 connectors, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports through expansion, and 2 USB 3.0 ports through expansion. The number of USB 2.0 ports through expansion differs slightly, with the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus providing 3 and the X870 Max Gaming offering 4. Additionally, the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus has 5 fan headers, while the X870 Max Gaming has 6, giving the latter a slight edge in terms of cooling options.

Both motherboards are equipped with 3 M.2 sockets, allowing for fast storage options. Neither has U.2 sockets, and both lack mSATA connectors. A key difference is that the X870 Max Gaming includes a TPM connector, which the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus does not have.

Overall, the two motherboards have very similar connectivity in terms of expansion ports and M.2 sockets, with the main differences being the additional fan header and the inclusion of the TPM connector on the X870 Max Gaming.

The Asus TUF Gaming B850M-Plus Wi-Fi7 and Asus X870 Max Gaming Wi-Fi7 differ in their PCIe slot configurations. The TUF Gaming B850M-Plus has 1 PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and 1 PCIe x1 slot, while the X870 Max Gaming provides a broader range of expansion with 2 PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, 1 PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, and 1 PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. This makes the X870 Max Gaming more flexible in terms of GPU and other PCIe expansion card options.

Neither motherboard includes PCI slots or PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, so there is no difference in terms of legacy expansion. Both motherboards also do not feature PCIe x8 slots, which means they do not have additional middle-range bandwidth slots for expansion cards.

Overall, the X870 Max Gaming offers more PCIe x16 slots, allowing for greater flexibility in adding multiple GPUs or other high-bandwidth expansion cards compared to the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus.

Both the Asus TUF Gaming B850M-Plus Wi-Fi7 and Asus X870 Max Gaming Wi-Fi7 offer 7.1 audio channels, ensuring a rich and immersive audio experience. Neither motherboard includes an S/PDIF Out port, which means both lack support for digital audio output through this connector.

In terms of audio connectors, both motherboards are equipped with 3 audio connectors, providing standard connectivity options for speakers, headphones, or other audio devices. The audio specifications for both models are identical across the board.

Overall, the audio capabilities of the TUF Gaming B850M-Plus and X870 Max Gaming are quite similar, with both offering 7.1-channel audio, no S/PDIF Out port, and 3 audio connectors.

Both the Asus TUF Gaming B850M-Plus Wi-Fi7 and Asus X870 Max Gaming Wi-Fi7 support the same RAID configurations, including RAID 1, RAID 10 (1+0), RAID 5, and RAID 0. This provides similar flexibility for setting up redundancy and performance boosts through various RAID levels. Neither motherboard supports RAID 0+1, which is a common but less frequently used RAID setup combining RAID 0 and RAID 1.

As such, the storage capabilities of both motherboards are identical in terms of supported RAID levels, meaning there is no distinction between the two when it comes to RAID support.

In summary, the Asus TUF Gaming B850M-Plus and X870 Max Gaming offer the same RAID options, allowing for a variety of storage configurations but both lack support for RAID 0+1.