B850M-X [WiFi] quick review.
Printed From: ASRock.com
Category: Media&User's Review
Forum Name: AMD Motherboards
Forum Description: ASRock AMD Motherboards
URL: https://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=97529
Printed Date: 14 Apr 2025 at 5:27am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: B850M-X [WiFi] quick review.
Posted By: eccential
Subject: B850M-X [WiFi] quick review.
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2025 at 8:56pm
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Finally built an AM5 system, after building 10 AM4 systems, all AsRock. I go for AsRock for their ECC memory support. * B850M-X WiFi * Ryzen 7 9800X3D with Noctua NH-D12L * Micron MTC20C2085S1EC56BR (ECC Unbuffered 5600MT/s 46-45-45-90) * Micron MTC20C2085S1EC56BR (ECC Unbuffered 5600MT/s 46-45-45-90) * NVMe0: SK Hynix Platinum P41 2TB * NVMe1: SK Hynix Gold P31 1TB * SATA0: Samsung 850 PRO 1TB * SATA1: Samsung 850 PRO 1TB * SATA2: LG WH14NS40 BD-RW (flashed to WH16NS60 1.03 Mk) * SATA3: LG WH14NS40 BD-RW (flashed to WH16NS60 1.03 Mk) * No dGPU at the moment. * One Intel i210 PCIe ethernet card. * Seasonic PRIME PX-500 (Fanless) * MediaTek MT7922 WiFi card replaced with Intel AX210NGW Some interesting notes about B850M-X and B850M-X WiFi. * It's the only non-mini-ITX board with just two DIMM slots. I consider four DIMM slots useless on AM5, except for in niche use cases. The ratio of 4-DIMM to 2-DIMM motherboard is inverted in my opinion, but I bet normies flock to 4-DIMM boards anyway. 64GB DDR5 DIMMs just started to show up in the market, so we can get 128GB with just two DIMM slots. No need to reduce speed/reliability with 4 DIMMs. * It's unlike all other AsRock B850 (and maybe B870) micro-ATX models, in that both m.2 NVMe slots are connected directly to the CPU. All their other motherboards route 4 CPU-direct PCIe lanes to the 2nd PCIe x4 slot. This can be more flexible, since you can always use an m.2 NVMe PCIe adapter, whereas the other direction is a lot more complicated. But for my use, I like both NVMe slots being connected directly to the CPU. A couple of complaints. * What's up with the cheap Realtek ALC897? Give me ALC1220 or ALC1200 and charge $10 more. Heck, I'd have paid $20 more for it. * MediaTek MT7922 (AMD RZ616) is probably fine, but I wish they'd give you the option to choose. Yes, I could've bought a non-WiFi version, but it doesn't come with the antenna connectors, so I chose to get the WiFi version and replace the WiFi card. It was only $10 difference, though, plus $20 for the AX210, of course. All in all, pretty unusual board for a great price. Last note: Some people might feel uneasy with 6+1+1 VRM, maybe with 9950X or something. It's probably fine for most uses, though. I never enable boost on any of my CPUs, so it's not an issue for me. Heck, I'm running in ECO mode (65W TDP, 88W PPT). I might be the only person in the world who runs 9800X3D in that setting, without dGPU and with ECC memory. What's crazy is that the 9800X3D's base clock is way higher than 5800X3D's boost clock. Big generational difference. |
Replies:
Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 15 Feb 2025 at 12:22am
Thanks for your review eccential, let us know how it holds up for you long term  ------------- 
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Posted By: etre
Date Posted: 16 Feb 2025 at 9:35pm
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B850M-X has 6-2-1 vrm phases. Isn't that too little for a 9800x3D ? For this reason alone I went with a ASRock B850M Pro-A which has 8+2+1 phases. Recommended for OC would have been B850M Steel Legend WiFi but wasn't available where I am. For me Pro-A and Pro RS models are the best entry level MBs for 9800x3D. All the basic requirements, like supporting 3 m.2, 2.5Gb network, decent VRMs with 8+4 pins connectors. I don't care so much about sound since I'm using an external DAC. How hot are the VRMs on that B850-X running with a 9800x3D at full load ? |
Posted By: eccential
Date Posted: 16 Feb 2025 at 11:14pm
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AsRock lists every AM5 CPU in its supported list, including 170W 9950X. Even boards like AsRockRack B650D4U have relatively simple VRM setup. I think the "gamer" motherboard market is a bit overboard. You're asking the wrong person for the VRM temp question, because I'm running my CPU in 65W ECO mode (laugh). Basically, it's non-issue to me. I might run it at 105W ECO mode if I needed more perf, but I wouldn't bother going further. As for B850M Pro-A comparison, I prefer the 2-DIMM slots on B850M-X, and I can always add the 3rd NVMe by using an x4 PCIe slot. B850M-X has an extra PCIe slot over Pro-A, after all. |
Posted By: Peter425
Date Posted: 17 Feb 2025 at 1:17am
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That?™s an impressive AM5 setup! AsRock is definitely a solid choice for ECC memory support, and your component selection is well thought out. The B850M-X WiFi is an interesting motherboard, especially with both NVMe slots connected directly to the CPU?”great for performance. Your choice of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D with a Noctua NH-D12L makes for an efficient, cool-running system, especially with ECO mode enabled. Running it at 65W TDP / 88W PPT is a unique approach, but it?™s great for stability and longevity. It?™s fascinating how much of a leap the 9800X3D's base clock is compared to the 5800X3D's boost clock?”definitely a huge generational jump. As for your complaints, I totally get the ALC897 frustration. It?™s surprising they didn?™t go with ALC1220 or ALC1200, considering the cost difference is minimal. The MediaTek MT7922 (AMD RZ616) is decent, but I agree?”having an option to choose WiFi modules would be ideal. Your AX210NGW swap makes perfect sense for better compatibility and performance. Overall, this is a well-balanced, forward-thinking build, especially with ECC memory, dual NVMe, fanless PSU, and BD-RW drives. It?™s rare to see someone optimize an AM5 system this way, but it?™s refreshing to see a focus on stability, efficiency, and longevity rather than just raw power. Nice work. ------------- PTR425 |
Posted By: ATF
Date Posted: 21 Feb 2025 at 7:27pm
In the past they did that even when the board was configured with some kind of VRM limit.. |
eccential wrote:Posted By: ATF
Date Posted: 21 Feb 2025 at 7:29pm
How much better is the ALC1220 actually? |
Posted By: ATF
Date Posted: 21 Feb 2025 at 8:40pm
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No edit option? Does this board have no 10 gbit USB ports? Thought these came 'for free' from the CPU and chipset? |
Posted By: eccential
Date Posted: 21 Feb 2025 at 10:55pm
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My new system is replacing a B450 Gaming-ITX/ac (or X470 version of the same) system, which had ACL1220. I gave up on "audiophile" ages ago, although I still have some hardware from those days, like Audio Research preamp and Bryston amps. Anyway, I noticed reduced sound quality when I swapped in the new build. Considering I wasn't even thinking about that, I'd say there's definitely some difference. Note I can also hear the difference between some cheap(ish) DACs, like between FiiO D3 an Topping D20. As for 10Gbps USB (3.2 Gen.2), you're right. This board has none. It's NOT the CPU/chipset limitation, as something a bit higher end like the B850 Steel Legend has them. You can see the difference when you look at the Block Diagrams of these boards in the user manuals. USB 3.2 Gen.2 (10Gbps) requires re-drivers at each connection. That's additional cost! I don't have any USB device that can even hit 5Gbps, so it's a non-issue for me. Just less components to fail on me (LOL). |
Posted By: eccential
Date Posted: 01 Mar 2025 at 9:10pm
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About the audio situation. Back when I was using B450/X470 Gaming-ITX/ac with ALC1220 -- I have four B450 version and two X470 version, so I forget which one was used where --, I used to use FiiO D3 DAC (optical), but switched to using ALC1220 output directly because the sound quality was close enough. I didn't want to bother with an extra equipment. With B850M-X, I immediately noticed reduced sound quality. I understand there is more to sound quality than audio chip used, so it's possible to design a motherboard using ALC1220 with bad sound quality. Regardless, it was noticeable enough, I switched to a cheap audio interface I had sitting around: NEOHIPO H1 (CMedia CM6533 based device), and it was noticeably better. Mind you, this thing isn't anything special, and I got it a while ago for just over $30. Then, I said, if I can afford a 9800X3D with 64GB of ECC memory, I can afford another DAC, so I bought a Topping D10s. I know, it's kind of old at this point, and there are many other options out there, but I have some experience with ESS DACs (Oppo BDP-83SE) as well as with Topping brand, whereas I have zero experience with AKM DACs, so I went with the safer route. Is D10s better sounding than the cheap CMedia CM6533? I'd say so, but I don't have good enough speakers connected to the computer to matter. If anything, that cheap CMedia CM6533 device is pretty darn good for what it is. Regardless, I'm now done messing with it. It's kind of sad that the motherboard audio out couldn't be "good enough" for even my basic needs, making me jump through hoops to get to my fairly low standards. Oh well, I guess they were targeting the very low cost market with this model. As I wrote already, I would have paid more for it, but what I want rarely coincides with what the general market wants. |
Posted By: terribleperson
Date Posted: 02 Mar 2025 at 11:59am
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I have to concur on the audio situation. I recently put together a new build with the B650M-HDV/M.2 (which is an extremely similar board that also uses ALC897) and a 9800x3d. I'm very happy with the board, but the audio quality difference is stark. The audio chipset wasn't something I was really thinking about, but once I got back into Windows and started testing things out I immediately noticed how much worse the audio was compared to my previous build (on an old X99 motherboard with ALC1150). That's with earbuds. Despite that, though, I'm satisfied with my B650M-HDV/M2 and will be recommending the B850M-X to people. |
Posted By: ATF
Date Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 6:17pm
| Why are you satisfied if the audio is so bad? |
Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 6:41pm
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Audio isn't a deal breaker for a lot of people. There are so many bluetooth, USB and other external audio options out there, many of which people already own, the onboard audio is not as critical, particularly with more budget oriented boards. Even your GPU has audio through it's HDMI/DP output. If audio is a big concern then there are other board options available, both from ASRock and other manufacturers. Eccential was simply noting that the onboard audio was an area that had been compromised on with this board (B850M-X Wifi). There is always compromise on lower cost boards, this is why there are so many models to choose from. Some may be OK with weak audio, others may prefer not having as many M.2 slots, some may only want or need 2 RAM slots etc. Personally, I use high end sound devices on my systems so the onboard audio is completely unnecessary for me, I don't use it. I am far from the only one. -------------
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Posted By: eccential
Date Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 7:29pm
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Me personally? Because I worked around it using an external DAC. Ultimately, I ended up with better audio, although the DAC alone cost almost as much as the motherboard (LOL). |
Posted By: MarkWreckless
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2025 at 8:38am
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I'm specing a new server to replace my 13 year old server, and I'm intrigued by this ASRock B850M-X motherboard paired with ECC memory. Were to buy the ECC memory? Is this memory a good choice? https://www.newegg.com/nemix-ram-64gb/p/1X5-003Z-01FR9?Item=9SIA7S6K3T3030" rel="nofollow - https://www.newegg.com/nemix-ram-64gb/p/1X5-003Z-01FR9?Item=9SIA7S6K3T3030 I usually only buy memory that is officially supported, but I don't see any ECC memory on their list: https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/B850M-X/index.asp#Support" rel="nofollow - https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/B850M-X/index.asp#Support Is it a safe bet that ECC memory will be compatible, assuming it is the right kind? |
Posted By: eccential
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2025 at 7:17pm
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I bought mine directly from Crucial.com. Crucial is subsidiary of Micron, so I know exactly what I would get. Unfortunately, they stopped selling directly soon after I got mine, so now they just point you to external vendors, like CDW, Inslight, etc. You'll get the same thing, but I think there's a bit of middlemen profits involved. I've always stuck to Micron and Kingston Server Premier memory. From Micron, I know I'm getting Micron DRAM. From Kingston, I know which brand and die I'm getting (SK Hynix or Micron, depending on model). Kingston sometimes sells directly, also, and I've gotten my DIMMs that way before. I don't know why all these companies stopped doing that. I've seen NEMIX brand listed on various sites before, but I've never used them. In theory, they should work the same way. This is just anecdotal, but found this when I searched: https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/ram-ecc-and-non-ecc-un-buffered-dimm" rel="nofollow - https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/ram-ecc-and-non-ecc-un-buffered-dimm . "I can't really speak to DDR5 with Nemix RAM but my DDR4 system with Nemix was not stable with 4 sticks (128GB) at idle so my confidence level with them isn't as good as let's say genuine Crucial/Micron but other than that they seemed to work and I saved some money at the time. In retrospect I ended up buying Crucial/Micron later to solve the problem and would have been better served just buying that option up front for the extra $100 or so premium at the time. I don't know why but there is a reason Nemix is cheaper and you pay for what you get." I've never used QVL because they almost never test ECC memory. I have 416GB worth of DDR4 and DDR5 ECC UDIMMs. They're all JEDEC standard, because they simply are. Never had problems with them. Remember, ECC will only work on PRO grade APUs (Phoenix, Kracken), whereas it will work on all chiplet CPUs (Raphael and Granite Ridge). Lastly, we now have standard 64GB DIMMs in the market, so I assume both Micron and Kingston will release 64GB EUDIMMs "soon." I don't know how "soon" that will be though. Mmmm, 128GB with just two DIMMs.... |
Posted By: MarkWreckless
Date Posted: 21 Mar 2025 at 2:12am
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Thanks eccential for providing so much good information. This information was especially vital: "Remember, ECC will only work on PRO grade APUs (Phoenix, Kracken), whereas it will work on all chiplet CPUs (Raphael and Granite Ridge)." I was planning on getting the cheap and efficient AMD 8500G, but, based on what you wrote, and what I see on the AMD Ryzen Wiki page, it sounds like that CPU does not support ECC memory. If I understand correctly, the cheapest "chiplet" processor, that has integrated graphics, would be the 7600 or 9600. And the ECC memory should be unbuffered 2R. Please correct me if I'm mistaken. Note, at this point I'm just in a learning phase. I'd like my server to be rock solid stable, so the ECC sounds attractive. However, the cost is making me leery, so at this point I'm thinking I'll probably stick with a more mainstream consumer computer as my "server". They again, I'm hoping to use this "server" for at least 10 years, so an extra $200-300 isn't out of the question. Thanks again for all the information! |
Posted By: M440
Date Posted: 21 Mar 2025 at 2:54am
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you need to buy B850M Steel Legend WiFi to have pcie4x4 slot wired to the cpu there is no thunderbolt header on the new boards, so lets hope it wont be needed for the usb4 cards mt7922 had AP ------------- asrock b650m/hdv.m2, ryzen 7700x@85watt |
Posted By: eccential
Date Posted: 21 Mar 2025 at 4:14am
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Ryzen 5 8500G won't support ECC, unless you can find *PRO* 8500G. It's pretty hard to find them, especially so soon after their release. You're absolutely correct about power consumption. In particular, idle power consumption is way lower with these monolithic APUs that were originally designed for mobile devices (laptops, tablets, mini-PCs). This is precisely why my current server is using Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G. This is a fairly neat Zen2 chip, in that only one of the two CCX's inside the chip is enabled (4-cores, 8MB L3). The other CCX is completely disabled. It's the APU equivalent of the Ryzen 3 3300X, as opposed to the Ryzen 3 3100. It is more than fast enough for my 24/7 server use, and it is incredibly power efficient. Mine is running off DC power supply + optional solar, using Mini-Box M3-ATX "pico" style power supply. I'd love to be able to buy an AM5 PRO APU, like Ryzen 7 PRO 8700GE, but I don't know where to get one. I got the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G from Amazon seller who imported them from South Korea. I also got my Ryzen 5 PRO 4650G from a Hong Kong seller. Is AMD an American company or what? Yes, the lowest cost chiplet AM5 CPU would be R5-7600 or R5-9600. Their idle power consumption will be quite a bit higher than for monolithic APUs, though. ECC memory just needs to be unbuffered. 2R just means dual-rank. 1R and 2R just indicates how the chips are arranged. All large capacity DIMMs will be 2R because chips just don't have enough bits to do 1R at that capacity. 16GB DIMMs are likely all 1R. As for the cost of ECC memory, I agree. There's really not that much difference between regular unbuffered DIMM and ECC unbuffered DIMM. I wrote in Crucial.com review, "I'm paying 100% more for 25% more DRAM chips!" (laugh) Funny enough, ECC RDIMMs (Registered DIMMs) are CHEAPER than ECC UDIMMs. I think this is purely because of the volume. Big data center EPYC/Xeon uses RDIMMs, so the sales volume is way higher than that of UDIMMs. I have no use for giant EPYC chips, though. Note EPYC 4004 series chips for AM5 are basically the same thing as Ryzen 7000 series, and can only use unbuffered DIMMs. |
Posted By: terribleperson
Date Posted: 23 Mar 2025 at 4:51am
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I am satisfied because I got a highly capable motherboard that met all my requirements (mainly a 4.0 x4 slot in addition to the x16) for a very low price. Even accounting for the price of an external audio solution, it was an excellent deal. I can't buy an accessory to fix an unsuitable PCIe distribution. I have since purchased a Behringer UCA222 for $19 which solves my audio issue. |
Posted By: M440
Date Posted: 24 Mar 2025 at 1:49pm
Exactly. The performance of a chipset PCIe 4x4 NVMe slot was half that of an NVMe drive in an adapter plugged into the CPU PCIe 4x4 slot. (I checked it over a year ago?”maybe it's better with BIOS updates or the B850.) You don?™t know what kind of controllers you?™ll be able to install in three years, so having PCIe 4x4 wired to the CPU is a must. I suspect running USB4 controllers through a chipset 4x4 lane is nonsense, even today. I have better sound cards in my monitors than the onboard one. It's crazy that people still buy ATX boards in 2025 with an inferior PCIe lane configuration and think they have more features. :) ------------- asrock b650m/hdv.m2, ryzen 7700x@85watt |
Posted By: ATF
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2025 at 4:23pm
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The PEG release mechanism is impossible to reach without a tool with a tower cooler installed, and a screwdriver isn't recommended. Also, how do I boot an old Windows install that's on a SSD with a MBR partition table? I've enabled CSM but the screen basically stays blank after the BIOS message. |
Posted By: M440
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2025 at 5:32pm
Hard to tell if it is stalls at bios or os boot. I would recommend converting to GPT and/or migrating this install to VM. ------------- asrock b650m/hdv.m2, ryzen 7700x@85watt |
Posted By: ATF
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2025 at 10:05pm
| It's not that old, it's my regular W10 install from the old system. I'd rather not re-install Windows / all apps, though I'm aware it's recommended. |
Posted By: M440
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2025 at 3:48am
you don't have to re-install, in either suggestion i gave ------------- asrock b650m/hdv.m2, ryzen 7700x@85watt |