Asus TUF Gaming B860-Plus WiFi VS Gigabyte B840M Aorus Elite WiFi6E

The most fundamental difference between these two boards is their CPU socket: the Asus TUF Gaming B860-Plus WiFi uses LGA 1851, making it an Intel platform board, while the Gigabyte B840M Aorus Elite WiFi6E uses AM5, targeting AMD Ryzen processors. This means these boards are not interchangeable — your CPU choice determines which board is even relevant to you. Beyond platform, form factor is another major split: the TUF is a full ATX (305 × 244 mm), offering more expansion room, while the Gigabyte is a compact Micro-ATX (244 × 244 mm), better suited for smaller builds.

On connectivity, the TUF holds a meaningful edge: it supports up to Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), the latest standard offering significantly higher throughput and lower latency on compatible routers, whereas the Gigabyte tops out at Wi-Fi 6E. The TUF also has a marginally newer Bluetooth 5.4 versus the Gigabyte's 5.3, though the real-world difference is minor. Both boards share HDMI 2.1, dual BIOS, and the same 3-year warranty. Notably, the TUF includes RGB lighting and an easy BIOS reset mechanism, features absent on the Gigabyte — small but relevant quality-of-life advantages for builders and enthusiasts.

Overall, neither board is universally superior — the right choice is dictated first by your CPU platform. Within their respective ecosystems, the Asus TUF Gaming B860-Plus WiFi has a clearer feature edge: Wi-Fi 7 support, easier BIOS management, RGB, and a larger ATX layout give it more flexibility and future-proofing. The Gigabyte B840M Aorus Elite WiFi6E trades those extras for a smaller footprint, which is a worthwhile advantage only if your build specifically benefits from the Micro-ATX size.

The Asus TUF Gaming B860-Plus WiFi and Gigabyte B840M Aorus Elite WiFi6E both support a maximum memory amount of 256GB, allowing for ample RAM capacity in either system. However, when it comes to overclocked RAM speed, the Asus board supports speeds up to 8666 MHz, while the Gigabyte board supports a slightly lower maximum of 8200 MHz. Both motherboards feature 4 memory slots and support DDR5 memory, with both products also supporting dual memory channels for better performance.

Neither motherboard supports ECC memory, which is a form of memory protection typically used in workstations or servers to prevent data corruption. In terms of overall memory capabilities, both products offer similar configurations but with a noticeable difference in overclocking potential, with the Asus board supporting a higher RAM speed than the Gigabyte board.

The Asus TUF Gaming B860-Plus WiFi and Gigabyte B840M Aorus Elite WiFi6E both offer a variety of USB ports, but with some differences in the configuration. The Asus board has 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-A) ports, 3 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A) ports, and 2 USB 2.0 ports. In comparison, the Gigabyte board has 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-A) port, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A) ports, and 4 USB 2.0 ports. Both boards lack USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 and USB 4 ports, but the Asus board offers 1 USB Type-C port while the Gigabyte board has 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port.

In terms of video outputs, both motherboards include 1 HDMI output and 1 DisplayPort output. The Asus board, however, does not include a VGA connector, while the Gigabyte board also does not include a VGA connector but has a PS/2 port, which the Asus board lacks. Additionally, both motherboards have 1 RJ45 port for Ethernet connectivity.

Other ports such as eSATA, Thunderbolt 3, and Thunderbolt 4 are not supported on either board, and both products lack DVI outputs. Overall, while the Asus board offers more USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-A) ports and a USB Type-C port, the Gigabyte board provides more USB 2.0 ports and includes a PS/2 port for legacy peripherals.

The Asus TUF Gaming B860-Plus WiFi and Gigabyte B840M Aorus Elite WiFi6E offer similar connector setups with a few key differences. Both motherboards provide 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and 2 USB 3.0 ports (through expansion), as well as 4 USB 2.0 ports (through expansion). In terms of storage, both include 4 SATA 3 connectors, but the Asus board has 3 M.2 sockets, whereas the Gigabyte board has 2 M.2 sockets. Neither motherboard has U.2 sockets or mSATA connectors, and both lack SATA 2 connectors.

When it comes to fan headers, both motherboards feature 6 fan headers, allowing for plenty of cooling options. A notable difference is that the Gigabyte board includes a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) connector, while the Asus board does not. The Asus board does not have any mention of a TPM connector, which may be a factor for users seeking hardware-level security features.

Overall, the main distinctions between these two boards in the connector group are the inclusion of the TPM connector on the Gigabyte board and the extra M.2 socket on the Asus board. Both boards offer similar expandability in terms of USB ports and SATA connectivity.

The Asus TUF Gaming B860-Plus WiFi and Gigabyte B840M Aorus Elite WiFi6E have some notable differences in their expansion slots. The Asus board includes 1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and 1 PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, providing support for the latest high-speed PCIe 5.0 cards. In contrast, the Gigabyte board includes 1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot but lacks a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, limiting it to PCIe 4.0 speeds for graphics cards.

In terms of additional PCIe slots, the Asus board has 1 PCIe x1 slot, while the Gigabyte board does not offer any PCIe x1 slots. On the other hand, the Gigabyte board includes 1 PCIe x4 slot, while the Asus board does not have any PCIe x4 slots. Both boards lack PCI slots and PCIe 2.0 x16 slots.

Overall, the Asus TUF Gaming B860-Plus WiFi offers more advanced PCIe 5.0 support and a PCIe x1 slot, while the Gigabyte B840M Aorus Elite WiFi6E compensates with a PCIe x4 slot, but lacks PCIe x1 slots and PCIe 5.0 support.

The Asus TUF Gaming B860-Plus WiFi and Gigabyte B840M Aorus Elite WiFi6E both support 7.1 audio channels, providing high-quality surround sound capabilities. However, the Asus board offers an additional feature with its S/PDIF Out port, while the Gigabyte board does not include this port. This difference may be relevant for users who need to connect to external audio equipment that supports digital audio output.

Additionally, the Asus board provides 5 audio connectors, giving more flexibility for connecting multiple audio devices. In comparison, the Gigabyte board has only 3 audio connectors, which may limit the number of devices that can be connected simultaneously.

Overall, the Asus TUF Gaming B860-Plus WiFi provides more connectivity options with its S/PDIF Out port and additional audio connectors, while the Gigabyte board offers fewer audio connectors and lacks the S/PDIF Out feature.

The Asus TUF Gaming B860-Plus WiFi and Gigabyte B840M Aorus Elite WiFi6E both support a similar set of RAID configurations, including RAID 1, RAID 10 (1+0), RAID 5, and RAID 0. Both motherboards do not support RAID 0+1. These configurations allow for flexible storage setups, including data redundancy and performance improvements through various RAID levels, such as RAID 1 for mirroring or RAID 5 for striping with parity.

Overall, the storage capabilities of the two motherboards are identical, with both offering the same RAID support options, making them equally equipped in terms of RAID functionality.