Our quick overclocking tests come in several parts. Firstly, locking in frequencies, timings and voltages to take the load off the CPU and memory modules and instead identifying any advantages the board itself has when it comes to memory overclocking, first by simply raising the frequency until we can no longer get a stable run of y-cruncher and pass the AIDA64 benchmark. Next we do a Gear Down Mode off boot test. This forces the command lines to hit every clock cycle, testing a motherboard's physical circuit topology and layer insulation, which will likely see all but the most finely-tuned overclocking-focused motherboards struggle. These tests are straightforward, repeatable, and will hopefully add value whether you're going to be pushing things to their limits or just want to see if a mid-range motherboard can hit higher frequencies.


The ROG Strix B850-I Gaming Wi-Fi7 W offered an impressive start with a final stable frequency for our 8000 MT/sec DDR5 memory of 8400 MT/sec at stock voltages, but we just managed to squeeze out 8500 MT/s by raising the memory voltage to 1.47 V. That matches what we achieved with the mighty Gigabyte X870 Aorus Infinity, although it did 8500 MT/s at 1.45 V. Both boards were excellent at recovering too, although the ROG Strix B850-I Gaming Wi-Fi7 W began to fall over once Gear Down Mode was disabled for the final test, refusing to post again if pushed too far. In the end, 8000 MT/s was the highest frequency that was bootable in Gear Down Mode, while we managed 8400 MT/s on the Gigabyte board.

Moving on to the EFI itself, and anyone that's used an ASUS motherboard previously will find it familiar, especially as this version lacks the added layers and features of the updated version found on other ASUS models we've looked at recently. The array of options and layout are both excellent, and you have the full array of PBO-related controls such as Curve Optimizer, Curve Shaper and Eco Mode within the Ai Tweaker section, so there's no need to head to the AMD Overclocking section under the Advanced menu.