Reviews

At $165, this is one of the cheapest LGA1851 motherboards and it includes a surprisingly decent specification with USB4, PCIe Gen 5, and Wi-Fi 7. The Ultra V20 handled a Core Ultra 9 285K just fine too. But has Colorful done enough to compete with better-known manufacturers overall?
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
With the Taichi Lite, ASRock aims to offer a cost-optimized, RGB-less, trimmed version of the popular X870E Taichi. The result is a price that's $50 lower than the big Taichi. Is it a no-brainer if you want the same basic package, or did ASRock cut away too much?
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
The ASRock Z890 Taichi OCF is built for extreme overclockers and aspiring enthusiasts, with physical controls for precise tweaking. Also included are dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 7, and five M.2 SSD slots, with excellent cooling and tool-free operation.
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
The ASUS Prime X870-P Wi-Fi supports both USB4 and Thunderbolt 4, at a highly attractive price point of just slightly over $200. PCIe Gen 5 support for GPU and SSD is onboard, too, but what has ASUS had to cut in other areas to get there and are similarly-priced B850 offerings better value?
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
If you want to jump on the Socket AM5 bandwagon for as little cash as possible without skimping on important features, then ASRock has hit the nail on the head and even managed to beat far more expensive boards when it comes to temperatures.
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
With three B860 Mini-ITX motherboards available for around $220, ASRock has its work cut out to stand out from the crowd. What can it offer to appeal to small form factor fans, especially in an overclocking-free environment on the B860 chipset?
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
Arguably one of the best-looking motherboards out there, but what does the latest ProArt motherboard for AMD Ryzen CPUs bring to the table considering its high price tag? Is it worth it compared to the competition, even for creators?
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
With a sub $200 price tag, the latest MSI B860 Tomahawk aims to give your Intel Core Ultra processor an affordable home while still offering cutting edge features. The Tomahawk has a solid reputation but can it deliver on B860 or should you point your wallet at the Z890 version?
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
The Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro is a great option if you need the extra bandwidth perks of X870E as well as an impressive set of features, without breaking the bank. At $360, the board is considerably less expensive than some competing offers.
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
If you want the latest Wi-Fi standard, PCIe Gen 5 and decent VRM cooling for less than $250 then there's a decent amount of choice out there. MSI's Tomahawk boards have been solid choices in the past but has MSI cut too many features this time?
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
If you're looking for a home for that shiny new Ryzen 7 9800X3D could this be the best sub $300 board for you? It looks fantastic, but what do you lose by dropping down to X870 from X870E and has Gigabyte had to cut any other corners to get here?
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
If recent graphics card launches have persuaded you to consider a new CPU, the Z890 MSI Tomahawk Wi-Fi has the advantage of being able to tap into the overclocking potential of the latest Intel Core Ultra series 2 processors for less than $250.
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
ASRock's B860 Steel Legend Wi-Fi comes at highly competitive pricing of just $200. You get a white color scheme, great cooling for the VRMs and M.2 SSD, and even Thunderbolt 4. But has ASRock had to cut back in other areas to hit this affordable price point?
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
The ASRock Phantom B850I Lightning is a good choice if you want a Mini-ITX board for around $200. Compared to most of its B650 predecessors it has two additional power phases. In our testing it handled a 16-core Ryzen CPU just fine, making it a good value choice for any compact AMD system.
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
If you don't need all the bells and whistles of X870E and have a bit more than $300 to spend on a motherboard that still includes USB4, Wi-Fi 7 and PCIe Gen 5 support then the ASUS ROG STRIX X870-A Gaming Wi-Fi this could be the board for you. Even better is that it comes in white.
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
Intel's B860 chipset is here and offers Wi-Fi 7, CUDIMM memory support, PCIe Gen 5 and USB4, at lower pricing than Z890. But does this white motherboard have enough to tempt upgraders, especially considering Intel's Core Ultra processors' poor reception.
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
AMD's B850 chipset is here and the first board we're looking at costs $300, but still includes PCIe Gen 5 support for SSDs and graphics cards while maintaining great VRM cooling and plenty of features. However, how does it stack up against cheaper B650 or slightly pricier X870 options?
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
Dropping into the packed $500 X870 motherboard segment, Gigabyte has a slightly different take on aesthetics, features and performance. With an updated EFI and software, plus refreshingly functional design elements, lets see how this motherboard fares in our testing.
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
The MSI MPG X870E Carbon Wi-Fi sits between more affordable X870E options and enthusiast boards, striking a good balance of features with great cooling, plenty of USB ports and a solid EFI.
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
The ASRock X870E Taichi comes at $450, which is a relatively affordable price point for an X870E board, yet features everything the new platform brings, like USB4, Wi-Fi 7, and more. In our review we really liked the strong cooling on the VRM and M.2 slots.
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
The ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero is the first motherboard using AMD's new X870 Ryzen 9000 chipset that we're testing. You now get support for USB4, Wi-Fi 7 and five M.2 slots, of which three are Gen 5. Our VRM testing with the Ryzen 9 9950X confirms that ASUS did a great job engineering a good cooling solution.
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Author:Combatus
In:Motherboards
Gigabyte readies the budget-friendly AORUS Elite AX built upon the X670 chipset. Offering a robust 16+2+2 VRM configuration, DDR5 support, PCIe Gen 4 and four M.2 Gen 4 sockets, Gigabyte knows not everyone has a lot to spend. Does this X670 offering perform, or is it a flop? Follow along as we find out!
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Author:ir_cow
In:Motherboards
ASRock has teamed up with SEGA for this special Sonic themed Z790 Phantom Gaming motherboard. Marketed towards gamers and Sonic lovers everywhere, ASRock wants you to go fast and collect all the rings. As we look for the Chaos Emeralds, is it possible this Z790 PG Sonic motherboard is actually an Eggman trap? Read the review to find out!
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Author:ir_cow
In:Motherboards
Featuring a 24+1+2 VRM setup using 105 A power stages, DDR5 support, PCIe Gen 5, five M.2 sockets and loads of high-speed USB ports, does this motherboard have what you're looking for? Follow along as we take a deep dive into all the features to see if MSI really does have an ACE in the hand!
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Author:ir_cow
In:Motherboards
ASUS presents the ROG Crosshair X670E HERO. Featuring a top of the line 18+2+2 VRM using 110 A power stages, USB4 ports, PCIe Gen 5 slots and four M.2 sockets all packed into the standard ATX form factor. Follow along as we take a deep dive and check out all the features this motherboard has to offer!
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Author:ir_cow
In:Motherboards
Apr 24th, 2025 21:49 EDT change timezone

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