Can We Make Chipset Names Even More Confusing Somehow?

There is just something wrong with having a single digit be the only indicator if you are purchasing a motherboard for an Intel chip or an AMD chip, but here we are.  The ASUS ROG Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi is for AMD, the ASUS ROG Strix B860-A Gaming Wi-Fi is for Intel, and really you should not expect a first time system builder to easily spot the difference. 

The B850 is the lower priced current AMD chipset when compared to the X870, however the Strix B850-F Gaming WiFi sells for $300 which makes the difference in price very minimal.  However, the price is somewhat justified by a PCIe Gen 5 x16 slot, two 2x M.2 PCIe Gen 5 x4 ports, a single USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 20 Gbps and an Intel i226-V 2.5Gbps network port.  You can also assume the impressive 80A power delivery and high end VRM cooling add to the price as well.  The only real difference between the B860-A Gaming Wi-Fi and the ROG Strix X870-A Gaming Wi-Fi are that the latter has 90 A power stages, a handful of additional video outputs an extra USB 3.0 header and the fact the X870 Type-C header supports 30 W fast-charging.

TechPowerUp’s testing showed the board to be comparable to the X870 model in performance, and though you lose proper USB4 support you don’t have to worry about balancing PCIe slots.  The existence of the ASUS ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming Wi-Fi makes things even more confusing for buyers.   The full review will help with your decision if these models are among those you are considering for a new build.