Gigabyte B850M Force VS MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E

The Gigabyte B850M Force and MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E both feature the AM5 CPU socket and the B850 chipset, but they differ in form factor. The Gigabyte B850M Force is a Micro-ATX board, while the MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E uses a larger ATX form factor. This size difference can impact the number of expansion slots and overall layout of components.

When it comes to connectivity, the MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which the Gigabyte B850M Force lacks. Both boards support HDMI 2.1, but the MSI model includes more modern wireless connectivity options, making it more versatile for users who need those features. In terms of BIOS, the Gigabyte board has dual BIOS support, while the MSI board does not, but the MSI board does offer an easier way to reset the BIOS.

Both motherboards come with a 3-year warranty, though their physical sizes are slightly different. The Gigabyte B850M Force has a height and width of 244 mm, while the MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E is slightly larger with a height of 243.8 mm and a width of 304.8 mm. Neither product has integrated graphics or an integrated CPU, and both have one CPU socket. RGB lighting is present on both, and both are easy to overclock, although the Gigabyte board does not make resetting the BIOS as simple as the MSI board.

The Gigabyte B850M Force and MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E differ in several key memory specifications. The Gigabyte B850M Force supports a maximum memory amount of 128GB, whereas the MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E can handle up to 256GB, offering significantly more capacity. Both motherboards support DDR5 memory and have two memory channels, but the MSI board offers more memory slots (4 vs 2 on the Gigabyte board), which could allow for greater expandability in terms of RAM modules.

In terms of RAM speed, the Gigabyte B850M Force supports a maximum RAM speed of 5200 MHz, while the MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E supports slightly higher speeds at 5600 MHz. However, the Gigabyte board can achieve an overclocked RAM speed of up to 9600 MHz, which is considerably faster than the MSI board's overclocked speed of 8200 MHz.

One notable difference between the two products is support for ECC memory. The Gigabyte B850M Force supports ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory, which is beneficial for error detection and correction in memory-intensive applications, while the MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E does not support ECC memory.

The Gigabyte B850M Force and MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E have several differences in their port offerings. The Gigabyte B850M Force includes 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (USB-A), 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-A), and 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 port (USB-C). It also has 2 USB 2.0 ports, but it lacks USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, USB 4, Thunderbolt, or eSATA ports. The MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E, on the other hand, offers more USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (3 USB-A and 1 USB-C), and 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (USB-A), but it does not have any USB 2.0 ports.

Both motherboards feature HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, as well as an RJ45 Ethernet port for networking. The Gigabyte board includes a PS/2 port, whereas the MSI board does not. Neither product includes VGA or DVI outputs. Additionally, both motherboards support USB Type-C, with the MSI board offering USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C and the Gigabyte offering USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C.

In summary, the MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E provides more USB ports and has an additional USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, while the Gigabyte B850M Force offers fewer USB ports and includes a PS/2 port, which the MSI board lacks. Both have similar video output options and an Ethernet port.

The Gigabyte B850M Force and MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E share some similarities in terms of connectors but differ in a few areas. Both motherboards offer 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, 4 USB 2.0 ports, and 2 USB 3.0 ports through expansion, along with 4 SATA 3 connectors. Both also support TPM connectors, though neither has an mSATA connector or SATA 2 connectors. The Gigabyte board offers 3 M.2 sockets, while the MSI board has 2 M.2 sockets, providing a slight advantage in terms of M.2 expansion on the Gigabyte board.

Another difference between the two products is in the number of fan headers. The Gigabyte B850M Force has 4 fan headers, while the MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E includes 6 fan headers, offering more flexibility for cooling options on the MSI board.

Overall, the two boards are quite similar in terms of connectors, with the main differences being the number of M.2 sockets and fan headers, which could impact users looking for more expansion or cooling options.

The Gigabyte B850M Force and MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E have some differences in their expansion slots. The Gigabyte B850M Force features a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and a PCIe x4 slot, but it does not have any PCIe 4.0 x16, PCIe 3.0 x16, or PCIe x1 slots. It also lacks PCIe x8 slots. In contrast, the MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E has a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, along with a PCIe x1 slot and a PCIe x4 slot, but it does not include a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot.

Both motherboards lack PCI slots and PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, and neither features any additional specialized expansion slots. However, the key difference is the PCIe 5.0 x16 slot on the Gigabyte board, which offers faster data transfer speeds compared to the PCIe 4.0 x16 slot available on the MSI board.

Overall, the main distinction in expansion slots comes down to the Gigabyte B850M Force’s support for PCIe 5.0, while the MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E offers a more traditional PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and a wider variety of expansion options with its PCIe x1 slot.

The Gigabyte B850M Force and MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E are identical in terms of audio features. Both motherboards support 7.1 audio channels and include 3 audio connectors. Neither motherboard has an S/PDIF Out port, so users seeking optical audio output will not find it on either board.

Given that all the audio specifications are the same between the two models, there are no distinguishing features in this category. Both provide solid audio capabilities suitable for general use, but both lack S/PDIF support for users needing that feature.

In summary, the audio features of the Gigabyte B850M Force and MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E are practically identical, offering 7.1 audio channels, 3 audio connectors, and no S/PDIF Out port.

The Gigabyte B850M Force and MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E have similar RAID support, with both boards supporting RAID 1 and RAID 10 (1+0). However, the Gigabyte B850M Force offers broader RAID support, including RAID 5, while the MSI Pro B850-S Wi-Fi6E does not support RAID 5. Both motherboards do not support RAID 0+1, which is a mirrored RAID 0 configuration.

In terms of RAID functionality, the Gigabyte board offers a bit more flexibility due to its support for RAID 5, which is useful for redundancy and performance, while the MSI board lacks this option.

Overall, the key difference is the RAID 5 support on the Gigabyte B850M Force, giving it an edge for users who need that specific RAID configuration.