Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice VS MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E

The Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice and MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E both feature an AM5 CPU socket and the B850 chipset, making them compatible with the latest AMD processors. The Gigabyte board has a slightly larger form factor, being an ATX design (305 mm x 244 mm), while the MSI model uses a more compact Micro-ATX form factor (243.8 mm x 243.8 mm). Both support Wi-Fi 4, 5, 6, and 6E, but the Gigabyte board also supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), whereas the MSI model stops at Wi-Fi 6E. The Bluetooth version differs slightly, with the Gigabyte board offering Bluetooth 5.4 and the MSI model offering Bluetooth 5.3. Both have HDMI 2.1, support overclocking, and come with RGB lighting.

In terms of BIOS features, the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice has dual BIOS but lacks an easy reset option. The MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E also includes dual BIOS but stands out by offering an easy BIOS reset function. Neither board supports aptX, and both have a 3-year warranty. While neither product includes integrated graphics or an integrated CPU, they both have one CPU socket. The height of the Gigabyte board is 244 mm, while the MSI is slightly shorter at 243.8 mm.

Overall, the two boards offer many similar features with minor differences, such as the slightly larger form factor of the Gigabyte board and its support for Wi-Fi 7. The MSI board, on the other hand, has an easy BIOS reset, which may appeal to users who prefer quicker troubleshooting.

Both the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice and MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E support a maximum memory capacity of 256GB, offering ample space for high-performance RAM configurations. The Gigabyte board supports RAM speeds up to 5200 MHz, while the MSI board supports slightly faster speeds at a maximum of 5600 MHz. For overclocked RAM, both boards can handle speeds of up to 8200 MHz. In terms of memory slots, both products provide 4 slots, and they both feature dual-channel memory configurations, ensuring efficient memory bandwidth.

Both motherboards use DDR5 memory, which provides increased speed and efficiency compared to older DDR4 modules. Neither board supports ECC memory, which means they are not designed for error-correcting code memory, typically used in servers or high-reliability environments.

Overall, the key differences in the memory specifications are the maximum RAM speed, where the MSI board has the edge with a higher maximum of 5600 MHz compared to the Gigabyte board’s 5200 MHz, although both can achieve the same overclocked speed of 8200 MHz.

The Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice and MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E both offer a variety of USB ports, with some similarities and a few differences. Both motherboards have 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-A) and 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (USB-C). However, the Gigabyte board provides 2 additional USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-A) ports, while the MSI board only has 4 in total. The MSI model also includes a DisplayPort output, which the Gigabyte board lacks, but both have an HDMI output for video.

Neither board supports USB 4 (40Gbps or 20Gbps) nor Thunderbolt ports (4 or 3). Both feature 1 RJ45 Ethernet port for wired network connections, and neither has eSATA or DVI outputs. Additionally, both boards lack VGA connectors and PS/2 ports. In terms of USB Type-C, both products offer 1 port, but neither has any USB 2.0 or USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports.

Overall, the main differences in port configurations are that the MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E includes a DisplayPort output, while the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice has more USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-A) ports. Both motherboards share many similar features, like HDMI output, USB Type-C, and Ethernet ports.

Both the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice and MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E provide similar expansion options, with 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and 4 USB 2.0 ports available through expansion on each board. The Gigabyte model includes 2 SATA 3 connectors, while the MSI board offers 4 SATA 3 connectors, allowing for more storage device connections. In terms of fan headers, the Gigabyte board has 8, which is more than the MSI board's 5, providing greater flexibility for cooling setup. Both boards offer 2 USB 3.0 ports (through expansion).

For M.2 sockets, the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice has 4, compared to just 2 on the MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E. Both motherboards include a TPM connector for security features, and neither supports mSATA connectors. Additionally, neither board provides U.2 sockets, and both lack SATA 2 connectors.

Overall, the Gigabyte board offers more fan headers and M.2 sockets, while the MSI board has more SATA 3 connectors. Both motherboards share similar expansion capabilities in terms of USB ports and lack support for mSATA and U.2 sockets.

The Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice and MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E offer different PCIe slot configurations. The Gigabyte board has 1 PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and 1 PCIe x4 slot, while the MSI board features 1 PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and 2 PCIe x1 slots. Notably, the Gigabyte board does not have any PCIe 4.0 x16 or PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, and the MSI board lacks a PCIe x4 slot. Both boards do not include any PCI slots or PCIe 2.0 x16 slots.

In summary, the main difference between these two motherboards lies in the PCIe 5.0 support of the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice and the PCIe 4.0 x16 slot on the MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E. The MSI board offers more PCIe x1 slots, which could be useful for adding additional expansion cards, while the Gigabyte board has a PCIe x4 slot for more flexible expansion options.

Both motherboards have similar overall expansion capabilities but vary in the type and number of available PCIe slots.

Both the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice and MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E offer 7.1 audio channels, providing a full surround sound experience. However, the Gigabyte board includes an S/PDIF Out port for digital audio output, while the MSI board does not have this feature. The Gigabyte board also has 2 audio connectors, whereas the MSI board provides 3 audio connectors, offering slightly more flexibility for connecting audio devices.

In summary, the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice has the advantage of an S/PDIF Out port, while the MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E offers one more audio connector, but lacks the S/PDIF Out functionality. Both motherboards support 7.1 audio channels for high-quality sound.

Overall, both motherboards provide similar audio capabilities, with the Gigabyte offering digital audio output through S/PDIF and the MSI offering more physical audio connection options.

Both the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice and MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E support RAID 1 and RAID 10 (1+0), offering redundancy and performance options for storage configurations. Both also support RAID 0, which is designed for performance with no redundancy. However, the Gigabyte board supports RAID 5, providing fault tolerance with a combination of performance and redundancy, while the MSI board does not support RAID 5. Neither motherboard supports RAID 0+1, which combines features of RAID 0 and RAID 1 for redundancy and performance.

In summary, the main difference between these two boards is the support for RAID 5 on the Gigabyte B850 Aorus Stealth Ice, while the MSI B850M Gaming Plus Wi-Fi6E lacks this feature. Both offer the same support for RAID 1, RAID 10 (1+0), and RAID 0.

Overall, the Gigabyte board offers a broader range of RAID options, including RAID 5, while the MSI board is slightly more limited in terms of RAID configurations.