ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi Motherboard Unboxing Review

ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi, which supports AMD AM5 Ryzen 9000, 8000 and 7000 series processors, has 10+1+1 phase 110A power supply and 8-layer PCB hardware specifications, with two M.2 SSDs, Blazing M2 PCIe Gen5 x4, Hyper M2 PCIe Gen4 x4, and Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.2 wireless connection and RJ-45 2.5 Gigabit LAN cable. M.2 SSD expansion mounts with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 wireless connectivity, and RJ-45 2.5 Gigabit LAN wired connectivity.

ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi Motherboard Specification.

Size: Mini-ITX 17 x 17 cm
Processor Support: AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000
Processor Pin: AM5 LGA1718
CPU power supply phase: 10+1+1 phases
Chipset: AMD B850
Memory Expansion: 2x DDR5 DIMM slots, 8200(O.C.) MT/s, up to 128 GB (single slot supports 64 GB capacity)
Memory Certification: AMD EXPO (Extended Profiles for Overclocking), Intel XMP 3.0 (Extreme Memory Profile)
Display output: 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB 10Gbps Type-C (supports DisplayPort 1.2)
Expansion slot for graphics cards: PCIe 5.0 x16
Storage expansion slots: 2x SATA 6Gb/s, Blazing M2_1 2280 PCIe Gen5 x4, Hyper M2_2 2280 PCIe Gen4 x4
Network: Killer E3100G 2500 Mb/s
Wireless: 802.11axe Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Audio: Realtek ALC1220
USB Ports (Front Expansion): 1x USB 10Gbps Type-C, 1x USB 5Gbps (supports two USB 5Gbps Type-A ports on front), 1x USB 2.0 (supports two USB 2.0 ports on front)
USB Ports (Rear I/O): 1x USB 10Gbps Type-C, 2x USB 10Gbps Type-A, 1x USB 5Gbps Type-A, 4x USB 2.0
RGB: 2x ARGB 5v 3-Pin
FAN: 1x 4-Pin CPU Fan, 1x 4-Pin AIO PUMP, 1x 4-Pin SYS_FAN

ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi Motherboard Unboxing

ASRock ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi motherboard uses AMD B850 chipset, is it the best choice for Mini-ITX motherboards that don't blindly pursue endless expansion?

The AM5 pin supports AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series processors, but the author recommends using X3D or Ryzen 9 7900 processors with lower TDPs, partly to reduce the power requirements of the motherboard, and partly to minimize the ITX chassis mounting hassle by using a downdraft cooler.

The 17 x 17 cm size of the ITX will definitely limit the power supply design and related cooling planning, but relatively small size is a space-saving advantage, so the author would not recommend to use Ryzen 9 9950X with a higher TDP model for long time multi-core use, as it will definitely cause a decline in multi-core performance due to overheating, and also need to be paired with a larger cooler such as 360 AIO water cooler for installation. The 360 AIO water cooler and other large coolers would defeat the purpose of an ITX mainframe.

∆ ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi.

∆ Motherboard features and related specifications.

∆ Mini-ITX specification 17 x 17 cm.

∆ The back of the motherboard is equipped with a block heat sink for some inductors.

 

The motherboard's 10+1+1-phase power supply block is equipped with XXL VRM cooling fins to help dissipate waste heat from the power supply chip through the use of aluminum alloy and thermal pads.

The B850 motherboard still uses the AM5 LGA 1718 socket to support AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 processors, and because it retains the same heatsink grommets and the same hole spacing as the AM4, gamers can install it directly along the AM4 heatsink grommet set.

∆ There is a heat sink in the power supply area of the main board.

∆ AM5 LGA 1718 pin.

∆ Channel Configuration Diagram.

 

Let's take a look at the expansion and power supply slots on the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi motherboard. On the upper left side of the motherboard, there is an 8-Pin ATX_12V power supply slot for the processor.

On the top right corner of the motherboard, there is a temperature sensor cable slot and two 5V 3-Pin ARGB slots, next to the CPU_FAN 4-Pin fan power supply slot and AIO_PUMP water pump power supply slot, where the water cooling head PUMP power supply and water cooling exhaust fan cable can be installed when installing the all-in-one water cooling.

∆ The ATX_12V 8-Pin processor power supply slot in the upper left corner of the motherboard.

∆ One temperature sensing cable slot, 2x 5V 3-Pin ARGB slots, CPU_FAN 4-Pin fan power supply slot, AIO_PUMP water pump power supply slot.

 

Dual-slot DDR5 DIMM single-snap memory slots support ECC Un-buffered DIMM/non-ECC Un-buffered DIMM memory usage, and the maximum expansion capacity of both slots is 128 GB in total, which means that the single capacity is capped at 64 GB.

The memory overclocking QVL compatibility list features dual-channel memory modules with Ryzen 9000 series processors that can pass the compatibility stress test at a maximum frequency of 8200 MT/s. Once again, it is better to choose the memory model to be installed based on the motherboard memory QVL (Qualified Vendor List) compatibility report. Vendor List (QVL) compatibility report of the motherboard to select the best memory model.

ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi also supports AMD EXPO (Extended Profiles for Overclocking) and Intel XMP 3.0 (Extreme Memory Profile) memory one-click overclocking technology.

∆ 2x Un-buffered DIMM DDR5 memory slots, supports up to 128 GB capacity expansion, and up to 8200 MT/s (O.C.) with QVL on both modules.

 

The right side of the motherboard features a motherboard 24-Pin power supply slot, two SATA 6Gb/s, one USB 5Gbps slot (supports two front USB 5Gbps Type-A mounting ports), 1x USB 2.0 (supports two front USB 2.0 ports), front panel slot (PANEL1), and one front USB 10Gbps Type-C slot. .

∆ A view of the expansion slots on the right side of the motherboard.

 

There is a Clear CMOS jumper slot on the right side of the graphics card slot, but it's in a relatively discreet location, while on the left side of the graphics card slot there's a chassis fan slot, front audio jack slot, and buzzer slot.

∆ Clears the CMOS jumper slot.

∆ Chassis fan slot, front audio jack slot, buzzer slot.

 

The motherboard PCIe slot provides only one x16 length slot, which is directly connected to the CPU channel with PCIe 5.0 x16 bandwidth specification. The slot is usually used for installing graphics cards, so there is a metal-reinforced design, so gamers don't have to worry about the slot being skewed when using a heavy graphics card.

∆Metal-reinforced graphics card slot is PCIE 5.0 x16 bandwidth.

 

There are only two M.2 SSD expansion slots natively on the motherboard, the first Blazing M2_1 slot under the processor is the only PCIe Gen5 x4 expansion slot on this motherboard, while the Hyper M.2 slot on the back of the motherboard only has PCIe Gen4 x4 bandwidth, all M.2 SSD expansion slots on this motherboard only support M.2 2280 length. All M.2 SSD expansion slots on this motherboard only support M.2 2280-length SSDs.

∆ One PCIe Gen5 x4 expansion slot (processor direct access) is unfortunately only configured with a single-sided thermal pad connected to a heatsink for cooling.

∆The second PCIe Gen4 x4 expansion slot on the back of the motherboard only supports 2280 length mounts.

 

I/O on the rear of the motherboard provides one USB 10Gbps Type-C (supporting internal display output), two USB 10Gbps Type-A, RJ-45 2500 Mb/s LAN wired network port, one USB 5Gbps Type-A (the yellow LIGHTNING GAMING gaming port indicated by the thick blue box), HDMI internal display output slot, four USB 2.0, optical S/PDIF digital audio output, two audio ports, BIOS Flashback button, Wi-Fi 6E antenna port.

In addition to HDMI 2.1 (HDR, HDCP 2.3) on the back of the motherboard, which supports 4K 120Hz maximum resolution, USB 10Gbps Type-C also supports internal display output at 4K 60Hz maximum resolution. If your processor model is F-figure, then you can't use it because it doesn't include an internal graphics card. If your processor model is F, you can't use the internal display output because the processor doesn't include an internal graphics card.

∆ Rear I/O at a glance.

∆ Wi-Fi 6E antenna installation demonstration.

 

Additional accessories include: ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz antenna kit, two SATA cables, two M.2 SSD screws, one temperature sensing cable, and two devil's blanket cable ties.

∆ Accessories at a glance.

 

ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi Motherboard Power Supply / 10+1+1 Phase Power Supply, 8 Layer PCB

The ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi motherboard is powered by a 10+1+1-phase Dr. MOS SPS (Smart Power Stage), in which the 10-phase 110A SPS is responsible for CPU VCORE Phases, 1-phase 110A SPS is responsible for SOC Phases (internal display and memory overclocking), and the last 1-phase is responsible for VDD MISC Phases. Overclocking), and the last phase is for VDD MISC Phases.

∆ 10+1+1 phase Dr. MOS SPS (Smart Power Stage) supply.

∆ Two aluminum alloy heat sinks with thermal pads.

 

BIOS Function Setting Menu

After the motherboard has passed the self-checking program, press the F2 or DEL button to enter the BIOS, where gamers can make adjustments to the voltage, frequency, and other parameters.

∆ EZ Mode.

∆ Advanced Mode Main Menu tab.

∆ Overclocking Tools sub-page.

∆ Memory overclocking related.

∆ Memory timing dependent.

∆ Overclocking voltage setting.

∆ Advanced menu.

∆ Advanced menu CPU settings.

∆ Advanced menu PCI settings, there is Re-Size BAR here.

∆ Built-in device settings.

∆ Storage device setting.

∆ Power Management.

∆Reliable setting related.

∆ USB Settings.

∆ AMD overclocking related.

∆ AMD PBO Settings.

∆ Tool-related settings.

∆ Hardware monitoring.

∆ Security Interface.

∆ Boot setting related.

∆ Fan speed curve setting.

 

ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi Motherboard Performance Testing

The ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi motherboard is tested with 16 cores and 32 threads. AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D The motherboard BIOS was updated to version 3.20, and the XPG LANCER RGB DDR5 8000MT/s 2X 24GB dual-channel memory kit was used to build the barebones platform and open the Profile 1 profile for the memory.

Also manually set AMD PBO to Enabled, and manually enable Zen5 Gaming Optimizations and TDP to 105W in the BIOS.

Testing Platform

Processor:AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (PBO activated)
Radiator:LIAN LI GA II LITE 360 RGB (full speed)
Motherboard: ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi (BIOS version: 3.20)
Memory: XPG LANCER RGB DDR5 8000MT/s 2X 24GB CL 40-48-48-128 1.45V
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Founders Edition 8GB
Operating System: Windows 11 Professional 24H2
Power supply:MONTECH TITAN PLA 1000W
Case: STREACOM BC1 Benchtable V2
Graphics driver: GeForce Game Ready 572.83

 

firstly CPU-Z View this testbed hardware information.AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D The processor has 16 cores and 32 threads, the series name is Granite Ridge using TSMC 4nm FinFET process, the motherboard uses ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi supporting PCI-E 5.0 lanes, and the BIOS is 3.20 version.

Also ran CPU-Z internal tests Version 19.01.64 (beta)The results are provided for your reference.

∆ CPU-Z information at a glance and Version 19.01.64 (beta) built-in test score results.

 

AIDA64 Cache & Memory Benchmark It is mainly used to test the performance of processor caches and RAM. The read/write/copy bandwidth performance score represents the rate of transfer between CPU and memory, which means the efficiency of data throughput (the higher the score, the better), and the time delay score of accessing data indicates the responsiveness of the memory system.

Tested on this motherboard with Memory Profile 1 open, read speeds were 78.7 GB/s, write speeds were 82.8 GB/s, copy speeds were 69.8 GB/s, and latency was 77.4 ns.

∆ AIDA64 cache and memory test.

 

new version Cinebench 2024 MAXON ONE is Maxon's benchmark software for MAXON ONE software. MAXON ONE includes Cinema 4D, Red Giant Complete, Redshift, ZBrush, Universe, and Forger, and is a powerful tool for creating animation effects, motion design, motion graphics, film-grade portraits, and game art scenes. Each of these software programs fits together to provide a complete visual solution for creators.

Cinebench 2024 uses Cinema 4D's default Redshift rendering engine to test GPU and CPU performance. If multiple graphics cards are used to run Cinebench 2024 tests, the software utilizes multiple cards for the rendering tests at the same time, and Cinebench 2024 performs multiple rendering tests with six times the amount of computation when compared to Cinebench R23. Compared to Cinebench R23, the Cinebench 2024 multi-threaded rendering tests show a six-fold increase in the amount of computation for scenes. This reflects improvements in CPU performance and the higher hardware requirements that multimedia workers must now meet.

∆ Cinebench 2024.

 

V-Ray 6 Benchmark V-Ray Engine Test Software is an image rendering program developed by Chaos Group. The free Benchmark examines the rendering speeds of the CPU and GPU on the V-Ray Engine, which tests the rendering performance of the processor.

∆ V-Ray 6 Benchmark.

 

Corona Benchmark is a free test software based on the Corona 10 rendering core that evaluates the performance of a system by using Corona 10 rendered scenes to measure the rendering speed of the system in terms of rays per second (rays/s). More rays per second means faster rendering, and the scores are linearly scaled. For example, a system with 6 million rays per second will have twice the rendering speed and performance of a system with 3 million rays per second.

∆ Corona Benchmark.

 

Geekbench 6 CPU Benchmark can be used to test CPU and memory performance, including data compression, image processing, machine learning, optical tracking, and many other daily use and professional productivity tests.

∆ Geekbench 6_ CPU Benchmark.

 

CrystalMark Retro 2.0.0 It is a comprehensive benchmark software that measures CPU, HDD, 2D graphics (GDI) and 3D graphics (OpenGL) performance. Developed by hiyohiyo and koinec, the authors of CrystalDiskMark and CrystalDiskInfo, the results are individual scores and not in any common units.

∆ CrystalMark Retro 2.0.0.

 

PCMark 10 It also simulates test scenarios to determine the overall performance of the computer. The common basic functions include application launching, web browsing, and video conferencing tests, while productivity simulates document and spreadsheet writing, and the last item, video content creation, includes professional tests such as photo editing, video editing, and rendering.

∆ PCMark 10 test.

 

CrossMark There are a total of 25 items, including productivity, creative content work, system responsiveness and other work simulation load test, the following three scores have different scoring criteria and use of the context, Productivity (Productivity) includes document editing, spreadsheets, web browsing, the second Creativity (Creativity) includes photo editing, photo organizing, video editing, the last Responsiveness (Responsiveness) has opened the file, document response speed, multi-processing context. The second category, Creativity, includes photo editing, photo organizing, and video editing, while the last category, Responsiveness, includes file opening, document response speed, and multitasking scenarios.

∆ CrossMark Everyday Use Scene Test Program.

 

OCCT CPU BENCHMARK CONFIGURATION Single thread and Multiple threads will be tested using AVX and SSE instruction sets respectively.

∆ OCCT CPU BENCHMARK CONFIGURATION.

 

Use with empty disk CrystalDiskMark Software to test ADATA LEGEND 970 PRO PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 2280 2TB Read/write performance on the motherboard was tested in NVMe SSD configuration mode with the file capacity set to 1GiB.

The author removed the heatsink from the SSD and used a bare bar with the motherboard's own heatsink for the test, to show how well the motherboard's heatsink dissipates the heat, and the maximum temperature was recorded by the default HWiNFO 64 software.

After confirming that the thermal pads under the motherboard's heatsink are indeed in contact with the main controller chip, and confirming that the motherboard's own heatsink is insufficient for use with Gen5 SSDs, the M.2 SSDs will slow down due to overheating in real-world testing, and then the additional fan blowing directly on the heatsink to resume testing will keep the M.2 SSDs from slowing down without overheating and pass the test, it is recommended that consumers use the Gen5 SSDs with the included heatsinks, or replace the heatsink with an additional one to use. It is recommended that consumers use the Gen5 SSD with its own heatsink or replace the heatsink with an additional one.

∆ CrystalDiskMark Setting:NVMe SSD / Profile:Default, Sequential Read/Write and Random Read/Write test results, and also check the cooling effect of the motherboard heatsink.

 

Next up, the 3DMark series, one of the most benchmarks for gaming scores, was used to compare the theoretical results of the same graphics platform with different processors through a series of tests with different picture quality and different GPU APIs.

3DMark CPU Profile This test will measure the performance of MAX, 16, 8, 4, 2 and 1 threads respectively, while the performance of 16 threads and above is more for 3D rendering or audio/video professional work, most of the mainstream DirectX 12 games can refer to the score of 8 threads, while the score of 4 and 2 threads are related to the old games developed with DirectX 9.

∆ 3DMark CPU Profile.

 

In addition, the author has also used the commonly used game performance simulation test 3DMark Fire Strike、3D Mark Time SpyThe two programs are Fire Strike, which represents the 1080p quality DirectX11 GPU API situational game simulation test, and Time Spy, which represents the 1440p quality DirectX 12 GPU API situational game simulation test.

∆ 3DMark Fire Strike.

∆ 3DMark Time Spy.

 

Conclusion

ASRock has always been adopting a cheap product strategy for AMD's ITX motherboards, such as the previous A620 chipset, and now that Taiwan's sales channel, PriceHouse, has opened up the AM5 ITX motherboards, the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi is still the cheapest choice among the new-generation X870E / B850 chipsets. If you want a cheaper option, you can consider the previous generation.

In terms of expandability, the B850I Lightning WiFi may be slightly weaker, for example, competitors of the same level have Wi-Fi 7 while the more expensive X870 competitors have USB4, it depends on whether consumers want to invest more in the budget for more usage specifications or not. In conclusion, when assembling a small computer with an ITX motherboard, the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi is sufficient and not too much. Lightning WiFi is enough and not too much, I personally think that using expansion boards on ITX motherboards is a cult operation, which defeats the purpose of mini-homes.

The only thing that needs to be improved on this motherboard is the Blazing M2_1 heatsink. For ITX motherboards, due to the use of down-blown heatsinks and the compatibility of space, it is not possible to use a larger heatsink with the PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 SSD expansion slot, so if you want to use a PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 SSD, it is recommended to purchase a model with its own heatsink. If you want to use PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 SSDs, we recommend buying a model with its own heatsink, which should be able to run at full speeds without any additional heatsink modifications.