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What Does $190 Get You?
Review Summary
The ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi is a $189.99 motherboard and falls into the budget category. The motherboard offers plenty of fine features for its price, like WiFi 6E connectivity, heatsink armor for VRMs and NVMe drives. It performs fine on most parts but runs slightly hotter than most other competing motherboards. However, the aesthetics of the motherboard sure look appealing.
Hours Tested: 9
Overall
-
Performance - 8/10
8/10
-
Features - 8/10
8/10
-
Design - 9/10
9/10
-
Value - 8.5/10
8.5/10
Pros
- Good memory speed (reaching 8000+ MT/s)
- Decent-looking design
- Strong power delivery system (14+2+1 with 80A SPS)
- Includes 21 USB ports
- Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2
- 4x M.2 expansion slots
- EZ Update + EZ Troubleshooter
Cons
- VRMs run a little hot (65°C)
- Shared storage lanes
We have been testing and reviewing several B850 motherboards over the past few weeks, including plenty of MicroATX and Mini-ITX options. Well, now is the time to take things back to the standard ATX-size motherboards. The one we’re going to take a look at today is the ASRock B850 Pro RS Wi-Fi. The motherboard comes with an MSRP of $189.99 USD and stands at a place where cost-cutting happens a lot to fit within the budget. So, let’s get right into it and see how much ASRock has managed to pack at this low price tag.
Key Takeaways
- The ASRock B850 Pro RS Wi-Fi is a budget-friendly ATX motherboard that offers essential features, decent performance, and good aesthetics.
- You should buy the ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi if you’re not looking to do a lot of overclocking and want something that gets the job done pretty well and doesn’t make too much trouble.
- You should not buy the ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi if you’re after the best-performing or feature-packed B850 motherboard.
Take a sneak peek into the actual specifications of the motherboard:
| Specs | ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi |
|---|---|
| CPU Support | AMD Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000, Ryzen 9000 |
| Memory Support | Up to DDR5 8000+ MT/s (OC) |
| PCIe Slots | 1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| M.2 Slots | 1x PCIe 5.0 x4, 2x PCIe 4.0 x4, 1x PCIe 3.0 x4 |
| SATA Ports | 4x 6Gb/s |
| Audio | Realtek ALC897 Audio Codec |
| Network & Connectivity | Dragon RTL8125BG 2.5G LAN, WiFi 6E, BT 5.2 |
| USB Ports | 21 Ports |
| Size | 305 mm x 244 mm, ATX |
| MSRP | $189.99 USD |
Packaging & Unboxing
The motherboard comes in a beautiful and minimalistic white cardboard box. The information here is kept to a minimum. We can see the motherboard printed on the box, and right under it, we can look at the chipset name as well as the “ASRock” branding. Similarly, on the left side of the box, we can see the model name printed over the white minimalistic background.
The accessories include:
- Two SATA Cables
- Two ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antennas
- Quick Installation Guide
- Regulatory Notice
Since it’s a budget-oriented motherboard, it only comes with two SATA cables, two Wi-Fi antennas, and some paperwork. Other than that, there’s no other accessory included.
Design
Unlike the ASRock B850 Steel Legend Wi-Fi, this motherboard incorporates a mix of both black and white colors to give an overall pleasant look. The combo of the all-black PCB and matte white heatsinks looks quite graceful. Besides the color scheme, we can also see that one of the four M.2 slots lacks an aluminum heatsink. However, it’s a PCIe Gen4 slot, so the NVMe will be fine without a heatsink.
As far as the RGB integration goes, it doesn’t fully drop it, because it sure has some of it underneath the 3rd and 4th M.2 slot’s armor. Moving forward, the PCB features an 8-layer PCB design that works well in the mid-range segment motherboards.
The block diagram shows the integration of the AMD PROM21 chipset in this motherboard, which handles a lot of features and slots parallel to the AM5 processor itself. According to the diagram, the PROM21 chipset provides life to the front & rear USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, the front USB Type-C Gen2 port, and the rear & front USB 2.0 ports. Besides the connectivity ports, the chipset is also responsible for M.2_4, M.2_3, the PCIe2 Gen4 slot, two SATA ports, WiFi, and Realtek 2.5G LAN.
The number of each port that the chipset handles can be seen in the block diagram itself. As for the rest of the stuff, like the RAM, primary GPU slot, other USB ports, and audio codec, the CPU handles them pretty well.
CPU Socket And Power Delivery
The ASRock B850 Pro RS Wi-Fi rocks the same LGA1718 socket that houses all the new and old AM5 processors. You can look at the socket more prominently in the picture attached above.
Taking a look at the power delivery system of the motherboard reveals that it features the same 14+2+1 power phase design with the same 80A SPS for VCore, SOC, and MISC. This configuration is the same as the motherboards that cost slightly more than this ASRock B850 Pro RS Wi-Fi. It’s more than capable of handling not just budget but also higher-end processors if not pushed too hard.
If you look closely at the top left side, we can also see the EPS power connectors. ASRock has used two of its high-density EPS power connectors to provide juice to the CPU.
To allow the motherboard to keep delivering unhindered performance, it uses two enlarged heatsinks with good quality thermal pads. The heatsinks are not connected with each other so there is no heat pipe involved. We will see how these heatsinks perform in the real world as we monitor the VRM thermals under load.
DIMM Slots
The motherboard features four DDR5 DIMM slots in a dual-channel configuration and can support up to 256 GB of DDR5 RAM at once. Moreover, the ASRock B850 Pro RS Wi-Fi also has support for high-frequency memory kits. This board specifically supports 8000+ MT/s (OC) straight out of the box. You can enable these settings via the preloaded Intel X.M.P or AMD EXPO overclocking profiles.
Storage
The motherboard makes good use of the available space over the PCB and boasts four M.2 storage expansion slots. Furthermore, it also offers four SATA3 6 Gb/s slots as well. The M.2_1 slot supports type 2280 drives and features PCIe Gen5 speeds. The M.2_2 and M.2_3 both are PCIe Gen4 and support type 2280 drives, however, the M.2_3 slot also has support for type 2230, 2242, and 2260 drives as well. Lastly, the fourth M.2_4 slot maxes out at PCIe Gen3 speed and has the same 2280-type drive support.
Another thing to keep in mind is the limitations of this board, if you happen to utilize SATA3_1 and SATA3_2 slots, the M.2_4 expansion slot will downgrade its speed to PCIe Gen3x2 instead of Gen3x4. Meaning that it will be delivering data at 16 Gb/s instead of the standard 32 Gb/s. However, this limitation is only for Phoenix 2 processors which are AMD’s 8000 series desktop APUs.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the M.2 drive slots also feature heatsinks with thermal pads to keep them cool while utilizing. Interestingly, though, only 3 out of 4 slots have heatsinks, The M.2_2 slot features no cooling solution and relies on the PC’s airflow.
PCIe Slots
This ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi also features two PCIe x16 expansion slots. The primary slot has all 16 lanes and runs at full Gen5 speed if a Ryzen 7000 or 9000 series processor is installed. The 2nd PCIe slot, however, supports x4 mode only and runs at PCIe Gen4 speed. Moreover, this 2nd PCIe slot will get disabled if the M.2_3 slot is occupied, meaning that you can’t use all the slots on this motherboard simultaneously. The primary PCIe Gen5 slot also has ASRock’s PCIe armor installed which ensures increased overall rigidity while holding bulky graphics cards.
USB Connectivity
Surprisingly, this budget motherboard also has a plethora of USB ports:
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (Rear)
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A (Rear)
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C (Rear)
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (Front)
- 6 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A (2 Rear, 4 Front)
- 10 x USB 2.0 (6 Rear, 4 Front)
The USB port selection on this motherboard is impressive as it features so many USB ports on both, the front and the rear. Since it’s a budget motherboard, we can’t expect ports like USB4, however, we are still at least getting USB 3.2 Gen 1/2 ports. Moreover, the USB 3.2 Gen 1 port also has DP 1.4 standard with HBR3 support that can output a max resolution of 2160p at 60 Hz.
Networking And Connectivity
The motherboard, while being budget-oriented, doesn’t drop the wireless connectivity and retains its WiFi chip. The ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi has an 802.11axe WiFi module as seen in the picture uploaded above. This enables the motherboard to have Wi-Fi 6E connectivity and Bluetooth 5.2. Similarly, for wired connection, the motherboard comes with a Dragon RTL8125BG LAN controller that supports speeds up to 2.5G.
Audio Solution
In terms of audio solution, we get the Realtek ALC897 Audio Codec. This is a decent audio codec for budget and mid-range motherboards and is mostly for casual gaming and everyday use. It’s fine for the most part but may struggle if you’re looking to connect high-impedance headphones right into it. Mainly due to the lack of DAC features within the codec itself. As for this motherboard, the audio solution is more than capable for the casual use.
Internal Connectors And Components
This is the full of connectors that the ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi has:
- 1 x SPI TPM Header
- 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
- 1 x RGB LED Header
- 3 x Addressable LED Headers
- 2 x CPU Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
- 4 x Chassis Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
- 1 x AIO Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
- 1 x 24-pin ATX Power Connector
- 2 x 8-pin 12V Power Connectors (Hi-Density Power Connector)
- 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
- 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports)
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Headers (Support 4 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
- 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Header (20 Gb/s)
The board comes with pretty much all the basic connectors and headers like the ARGB headers, AIO pump header, two CPU fan connectors, and four chassis fan connectors. Moreover, it also has the EZ troubleshooter which means the ASRock’s post status checker that helps with troubleshooting the type of error it is experiencing.
Going further, we have the Nuvoton NCT6796D-S I/O controller in place that takes care of the monitoring and controlling part for all the connectors and headers.
Rear I/O
- 2 x Antenna Ports
- 1 x HDMI Port
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s)
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C Port (DP-alt mode supports DP1.4a)
- 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A Ports
- 6 x USB 2.0 Ports
- 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port
- 1 x BIOS Flashback Button
- HD Audio Jacks: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone
On the rear I/O side of the motherboard, we can see two Antenna ports, one USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port, and one USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C that also support the DP-alt mode. Besides these, we have some more USB ports but Type-A and one 2.5G LAN port as well as the three audio jacks. Last but not least, it also features the EZ Update button labeled as “BIOS Flashback”.
In this attached picture, you can examine the motherboard without all the heatsink covers.
Test Setup
This is the rest of the setup that we use to run our benchmarks:
Here is our test bench and configuration:
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X 16C/32T
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 420 Liquid CPU Cooler
- G. Skill Trident Z5 Royal NEO DDR5-6000 CL28 EXPO Kit (2×16 = 32GB)
- XPG Lancer RGB 32GB 7200MHz DDR5 RAM
- Nvidia GeForce Gigabyte RTX 4090 Gaming OC
- Western Digital SN850 Black 500GB NVMe SSD [For OS]
- Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB Gen4x4 NVMe SSD [For Software]
- Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 4TB Gen4x4 NVMe SSD [For Games]
- Sabrent Rocket NANO V2 4TB Portable SSD
- Corsair HX1200i Platinum PSU
- Windows 11 Pro Build 23H2
Synthetic Benchmarks
The ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi ends up collecting 139 points for the single-core test and, 2296 points for the multicore test in our Cinebench 2024 benchmark. This places it right behind the ASRock B850 Steel Legends—a slightly more expensive motherboard.
In our Geekbench 6’s multi-threaded test, the motherboard somehow performed even worse than its M-ATX version. This board secured 21682 points, which in comparison to others isn’t too far behind. However, a difference is a difference, even if it’s almost non-existent.
Fortunately, this time around, it performed better than its M-ATX variant and completed the Blender 4.0.2 rendering run in 53 seconds. This makes it 1 second behind the M-ATX B850 Steel Legend and 2 seconds behind the standard ATX variant.
In the Corona 11 benchmark, the ASRock B850 Pro RS Wi-Fi is yet again performing slightly slower than its M-ATX variant. The difference between them is just 1.3 seconds, which isn’t that big of a deal.
For our last synthetic benchmark, we used V-Ray, and here the B850 Pro RS WiFi performing slower than every other motherboard. However, taking the higher MSRP of most of the competing motherboards in mind. The difference starts to make sense.
Gaming Benchmarks
Starting the gaming benchmarks with Cyberpunk 2077, we get to see that the motherboard is performing the same as many other more expensive motherboards like the MSI MAG B850 Tomahawk WiFi. Both have the same 143 average FPS, and the B850 Pro RS WiFi has only 1 less minimum FPS than the Tomahawk.
The ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi again performed very well and is comparable to other motherboards. In terms of numbers, it gained 110 average FPS while having 79 as the minimum in Starfield.
This time, in Far Cry 6, the B850 Pro RS WiFi has the same minimum FPS as the Tomahawk, though it’s still falling behind in average FPS by 1 frame.
Power Consumption, Boot Times, And VRM Temperatures
One good thing about this board is its low power consumption. It takes about 105W on idle, consumes 114W while gaming, and ends up using 370W on full load. Though these numbers are still less than many other motherboards.
The boot times aren’t too terrible either, though they do come in last with one of the slowest boot times of 24 seconds against the 23 or 21 seconds of competing boards. Take these differences with a grain of salt, as you won’t be noticing them on a daily basis use.
Another positive thing about this board is its VRM cooling solution; the VRM cooling heatsinks work well enough to maintain VRM temperatures at 65°C after 30 minutes of stress testing.
Should You Buy It?
Buy It If:
✅ You want a cheap ATX board: If you’re looking for a cheap ATX board that doesn’t perform terribly and also does not overheat too much, then this board seems like a fine fit for you.
✅ You want acceptable performance and design: The board is also a great pick if you do not wish for the best of the best and are fine with the average performer and decent-looking board.
Don’t Buy It If:
❌ If you want to utilize all available storage options at full potential: While the motherboard does come with a lot of storage ports. However, in reality, they are restricted due to shared lanes. The M.2_4’s speed cuts in half when the SATA3_1 and SATA3_2 ports, meaning you can’t use all storage options at full speed at once.
My Thoughts
Coming to the end of our review, the motherboard turns out to be actually quite decent for the price, sure, it lacks some bit here and there. But that’s part of being a budget motherboard where you have to have compromises on some features and overall functionality of the board. What we like about this is that the board offers the most essential features and does not skip on those, like the high-speed memory support, PCIe Gen5 NVMe storage expansion as well as PCIe Gen5 graphics card expansion slot.
Besides the functionality, the motherboard also looks fine with its white and black aesthetics, so you’re insured on the good-looks part too. I can recommend this motherboard if you’re planning on building a casual mid-range gaming PC without hindering the overclocking side of things too much.
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[Reviews Specialist]
Usman Saleem brings 8+ years of comprehensive PC hardware expertise to the table. His journey in the tech world has involved in-depth tech analysis and insightful PC hardware reviews, perfecting over 6+ years of dedicated work. Usman’s commitment to staying authentic and relevant in the field is underscored by many professional certifications, including a recent one in Google IT Support Specialization.
8+ years of specialized PC hardware coverage
6+ years of in-depth PC hardware analysis and reviews
Lead PC hardware expert across multiple tech journalism platforms
Certified in Google IT Support Specialization
Get In Touch: usman@tech4gamers.com
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