Which MB is better: Asus ROG STRIX B850-A GAMING WIFI OR GIGABYTE X870 EAGLE WIFI7?

[Don.]

I bought components elsewhere, but will only be getting the motherboard in January?!?

PC Build

I dont know much about components or what features to look for.

Which of these MB's is better?
Some channel claimed that X870 is better than B850?... Is that true in this case?
In the deals Ive found, both of these boards are similar prices.. its just that Im not keen on waiting that long.

Any info on these boards would be appreciated.

GIGABYTE X870 EAGLE WIFI7

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/X870-EAGLE-WIFI7-rev-1x/sp

Asus ROG STRIX B850-A

ROG STRIX B850-A GAMING WIFI | ROG Strix | Gaming Motherboards｜ROG - Republic of Gamers｜ROG United Kingdom

ROG Strix B850-A: Unleash AI power with AMD Ryzen™ 9000 support, PCIe 5.0, DDR5, WiFi 7, USB 20Gbps, ASUS AI Advisor. Elevate your build to new heights!

rog.asus.com

Thanks.

 

[mickyflinn]

X870 gives you USB 4 .

Tell us your budget , how many m2 slots and features you need .

 

[Don.]

X870 gives you USB 4 .

Tell us your budget , how many m2 slots and features you need .

Both boards are in the £175 range
I bought the ASUS ROG Strix B850-A on Prime Day for £174, but its only going to turn up in January.
The GIGABYTE X870 EAGLE WIFI7 is currently on sale for £176 and is available right away.

Probably 2 M2 slots and at least 1 SATA.
Im not sure what features I should be on the lookout for...


I dont intend on upgrading the computer for a good many years (Current PC is nearing 9 yrs old)
It will be used for gaming and messing about with local LLMs

If you know of a better board in that price range, Id be happy for the advice.

 

[mickyflinn]

Both boards are in the £175 range
I bought the ASUS ROG Strix B850-A on Prime Day for £174, but its only going to turn up in January.
The GIGABYTE X870 EAGLE WIFI7 is currently on sale for £176 and is available right away.

Probably 2 M2 slots and at least 1 SATA.
Im not sure what features I should be on the lookout for...


I dont intend on upgrading the computer for a good many years (Current PC is nearing 9 yrs old)
It will be used for gaming and messing about with local LLMs

If you know of a better board in that price range, Id be happy for the advice.

I wouldn't be waiting till January for the motherboard if you've got all the parts as you need to test them.

Would get the x870 eagles as it gives you usb 4.

 

[Tetras]

Some channel claimed that X870 is better than B850?... Is that true in this case?

X870 doesn't offer higher performance, but it does guarantee USB4, whereas USB4 is only a rare feature on B850.

Which of these MB's is better?

This is subjective, because it really comes down to the features you want/need, but I would say that the B850-A Strix is better overall, because it is a higher-end B850 motherboard, whereas the X870 Eagle is an entry-level X870.

To give you some examples:
- B850-A has a stronger VRM and an 8-layer PCB, versus 6-layer on the Eagle.
- B850-A has 4x M.2 slots (though only 2x SATA), versus 3x M.2 slots on the Eagle.
- B850-A has a higher-end sound codec and rear SPDIF.
- B850-A has DP and HDMI on the rear I/O, X870 only has HDMI.

But, the only feature you're likely to notice for the average desktop is that the X870 board has USB4 and the B850 board doesn't (though it does have 2x lower-spec Type-C on the rear I/O).

 

[Don.]

X870 gives you USB 4 .

Tell us your budget , how many m2 slots and features you need .

Thanks for the help.

Will go for the X870.

USB4 is great future proofing.... and I cant be bothered waiting months for the B850-A...

 

[Don.]

X870 doesn't offer higher performance, but it does guarantee USB4, whereas USB4 is only a rare feature on B850.


This is subjective, because it really comes down to the features you want/need, but I would say that the B850-A Strix is better overall, because it is a higher-end B850 motherboard, whereas the X870 Eagle is an entry-level X870.

To give you some examples:
- B850-A has a stronger VRM and an 8-layer PCB, versus 6-layer on the Eagle.
- B850-A has 4x M.2 slots (though only 2x SATA), versus 3x M.2 slots on the Eagle.
- B850-A has a higher-end sound codec and rear SPDIF.
- B850-A has DP and HDMI on the rear I/O, X870 only has HDMI.

But, the only feature you're likely to notice for the average desktop is that the X870 board has USB4 and the B850 board doesn't (though it does have 2x lower-spec Type-C on the rear I/O).

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. You gave me some points to think about.

Im going with the X870 due to the USB4.

Im also annoyed that the B850-A is back being sold at regular price and next day delivery, but I have to wait two months to get one delivered?!?
Better VRM would be nice.
3x M.2 slots is adequate
Better sound is always good and will be missed.
i'll have a graphics card so DP port on the MB wont matter, but if it did apparently the USB4 ports can be used as DP outlets.

Another issue I've seen mentioned is the that PCIE 5 slot is right under the Graphics Card which could be an issue if it gets hot.
Also only 6 fan pins on the X870 ... which shouldnt be an issue on my build.

 

[mickyflinn]

Thanks for the help.

Will go for the X870.

USB4 is great future proofing.... and I cant be bothered waiting months for the B850-A...

Your welcome.

First boot on AM5 it can take up to 15mins for anything to show on screen and may reboot a few times this is because the motherboard is training the memory so be patient.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Don.]

Your welcome.

First boot on AM5 it can take up to 15mins for anything to show on screen and may reboot a few times this is because the motherboard is training the memory so be patient.

Let us know how you get on.

Ah, good to know. Thanks.

I've got a couple PC Build videos that I'll be watching this week. Will probably be putting it together over the weekend.

 

[Worthy]

Please stop mentioning competitors in your posts when discussing things that OcUK stock.