Gamer Specialization ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi Motherboard Unboxing Review

ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi from ASRock comes with silver armor on the PCB, 12+1+1 phases of power supply and four M.2 SSD expansion slots in M-ATX size, as well as Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 wireless connectivity. If the motherboard's native expansion specs aren't enough, there's a Thunderbolt 4 onboard for more connectivity with expansion ports. There's also an onboard Thunderbolt 4 that can be used with expansion ports for additional interfaces.

ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi Motherboard Specification.

Size: Micro ATX 24.4 x 24.4 cm
Processor Support: Intel Core Ultra 200 Series
Processor Footprint: Intel LGA 1851
CPU power supply phase: 12+1+1 phases
Chipset: B860
Memory: 4x DDR5 DIMM slots, 8666(O.C.) MT/s, 256 GB max capacity (single slot supports 64 GB capacity)
Memory Certification: Intel XMP 3.0 (Extreme Memory Profile)
Display output: 1x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DP 1.4
Expansion slot for graphics cards: PCIe 5.0 x16
Storage expansion slots: 4x SATA 6Gb/s, Blazing M2_1 2280 PCIe Gen5 x4, Hyper M2_2 2280 PCIe Gen4 x4, Hyper M2_3 2280 PCIe Gen4 x4, Hyper M2_4 2280 PCIe Gen4 x4
Wireless: 802.11axe Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Audio: Realtek ALC1220
USB Ports (Front Expansion): 1x USB 10Gbps Type-C, 1x USB 5Gbps (supports two USB 5Gbps Type-A ports on front), 2x USB 2.0 (supports four USB 2.0 ports on front)
USB Ports (Rear I/O): 1x Thunderbolt 4 40Gbps Type-C, 2x USB 10Gbps Type-A, 4x USB 5Gbps Type-A, 2x USB 2.0
RGB: 3x ARGB 5v 3-Pin, 1x RGB 12v 4-Pin
FAN: 2x 4-Pin CPU Fan, 1x 4-Pin AIO PUMP, 4x 4-Pin Chassis/PUMP

ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi Motherboard Unboxing

ASRock's ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi motherboard supports Intel Core Ultra 200 Series processors, and its Micro ATX (M-ATX) size brings better compatibility with compact chassis, which is more suitable than ATX size for renters or dormitory students who have limited space for their PCs. For renters or dormitory students with limited space for their PCs, this is indeed more suitable than ATX-sized motherboards, but the expansion specification is also reduced due to the size constraints.

The motherboard PCB and heatsinks use the silver and white Steel Legend theme, this generation of Steel Legend is more of a technological line style, and the previous diamond camouflage style is not quite the same as the contemporary style I personally think that acceptance is relatively high (I prefer it myself), for the number of gradually increasing the number of white Legion players, it is also a choice to go to the color scheme, but a pity! The memory slots are not whitened.

∆ ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi.

∆ Motherboard features and related specifications.

∆ Micro ATX (M-ATX) size.

∆ There is no reinforced backplane on the back of the motherboard.

 

The 12+1+1-phase power supply block on the motherboard 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.

Intel B680 chipset motherboards have changed to use LGA 1851 feet, which currently only support Intel Core Ultra 200S processors, and the previous Intel Core 12 / 13 / 14 th series of processors are incompatible and can not be used, but the LGA 1851 and 1700 keep the same hole spacing on the heatsink planning, so players can basically install along the LGA 1700 heatsink fastener set. However, LGA 1851 and 1700 have the same hole spacing in the heatsink layout, so gamers can basically just follow the LGA 1700 heatsink grommet set and use it, unless there is a special update from the heatsink manufacturer.

∆ The motherboard power supply block is armored for heat dissipation.

The ∆ B860 will only be used with Intel Core Ultra 200S processors supporting LGA 1851 pinout, but can be used with the LGA 1700 pinout cooler.

∆ Channel Configuration Diagram.

 

Let's take a look at the expansion and power supply slots on the ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi motherboard. On the top left side of the motherboard, there are dual 8-Pin ATX_12V power supply slots for the processor.

On the top right corner of the motherboard, there are two CPU_FAN 4-Pin fan power supply slots, CPU_FAN1, CPU_FAN2, and a light gray AIO_PUMP water-cooling power supply slot, where the water-cooling header PUMP power supply and the water-cooling exhaust fan cables can be installed when installing an all-in-one water-cooling system.

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

∆ CPU_FAN2, AIO_PUMP, CPU_FAN1.

 

The four-slot DDR5 DIMM Dual-Clip memory slot supports non-ECC Un-buffered DIMMs as well as the new Clocked Un-buffered DIMM (CUDIMM/CKD) memory, with a maximum expansion capacity of 256 GB total across all four slots, which means that a single slot has a maximum capacity of 64 GB.

The memory overclocking QVL frequency flaunts 8400 MT/s (oc) for two memory modules, but the current QVL list shows that those that can go up to 8400 MT/s should be CKD memory, reminding you again to choose the memory model to be installed with or to select the best one based on the compatibility report of the memory QVL (Qualified Vendor) list of the motherboard. The motherboard supports Intel XMP 3.0 (Extreme Memory Profile) memory one-click overclocking technology.

For the 2 DIMMs dual-channel memory kits that are commonly purchased in today's orders, it is recommended to prioritize the installation in slots A2 and B2 (the second and fourth slots counting from left to right), as installing the two memories in these two locations will make it easier for the memories to operate at a higher frequency.

∆ 4x Un-buffered DIMM DDR5 memory slots, supports up to 256 GB capacity expansion, up to 8400 MT/s (O.C.) with QVL on both modules, supports UDIMM/CUDIMM memory.

 

There are two 5V 3-Pin ARGBs on the right side of the motherboard, motherboard 24-Pin power supply slots, one front USB 10Gbps Type-C slot, one USB 5Gbps (supports two front USB 5Gbps Type-A ports), and four SATA 6Gb/s.

∆ Two 5V 3-Pin ARGBs, motherboard 24-Pin power supply slots, one front USB 10Gbps Type-C slot, one UUSB 5Gbps (supports two front USB 5Gbps Type-A ports).

∆ Four SATA 6Gb/s.

∆ The mainboard battery is CR2032.

 

The bottom row has dedicated debug code device expansion slot (UART1), front panel slot (PANEL1), buzzer slot, TPM module slot, clear CMOS jumper slot, three CHA_FAN fan power slots, two USB 2.0 slots (supports four front USB 2.0 ports), one temperature sensor cable slot, 1x 12V 4-Pin RGB, 1x 5V 3-Pin ARGB, front audio jack slot. RGB, 1x 5V 3-Pin ARGB, front audio jack slot.

There is also a CHA_FAN slot near the top of the Wi-Fi card, which can be used with the exhaust fan at the back of the chassis.

∆ Dedicated debug code device expansion slot (UART1), front panel slot (PANEL1), buzzer slot, TPM module slot, clear CMOS jumper slot, three CHA_FAN fan power supply slots.

∆ Two USB 2.0 slots (supports four front USB 2.0 ports), one temperature sensor cable slot, 1x 12V 4-Pin RGB, 1x 5V 3-Pin ARGB, front audio jack slot.

∆ There is also a CHA_FAN slot near the Wi-Fi card, which can be used with the exhaust fan at the back of the chassis.

 

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.

However, since there are no other PCIe slots, you'll have to look elsewhere if you want to use it with other expansion card devices, so you can say that this motherboard is basically just for discrete graphics card installation.

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

 

There are four M.2 SSD expansion slots natively on the motherboard. The first Blazing M2_1 slot below the processor is the only PCIe Gen5 x4 expansion slot on the motherboard, while the following three Hyper M.2 slots (M2_2, M2_3, and M2_4) are PCIe Gen4 x4 only. All four slots only support 2280-size SSD expansion.

Unfortunately, the bottom two Hyper M2_2 and M2_4 slots are only equipped with single-sided thermal pads, which makes it a bit awkward to expand a dual-sided cell SSD, and the Hyper M2_3 slots on the PCH chipset heatsink are not equipped with heatsinks, so it's recommended to install them with an M.2 SSD with its own aluminum heatsink.

∆ Onboard native four M.2 SSD expansion slots, one PCIe Gen5 x4, three PCIe Gen4 x4, and M.2 heatsink thermal pad configuration.

 

The rear I/O of the motherboard provides a BIOS Flashback button, Wi-Fi 6E antenna port, HDMI output slot, DP output slot, one Thunderbolt 4 40Gbps Type-C, two USB 2.0, four USB 5Gbps Type-A, and two USB 10Gbps Type-A. The rear I/O of the motherboard also includes an RJ-45 2500 Mb/s LAN LAN port, fiber optic S/PDIF digital audio output, and two audio ports, RJ-45 2500 Mb/s LAN wired jack, fiber optic S/PDIF digital audio output, two audio ports.

Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, HDMI 2.1, DP 1.4 (DisplayPort 1.4) supports the processor's built-in graphics card display output function, which allows users to have an additional display output slot available through the internal display. If your processor model number ends in F, the internal display output function will not be available as the processor does not include an internal graphics card.

∆ Rear I/O at a glance.

∆ Wi-Fi 6E antenna installation demonstration.

 

Extra accessories include: one M.2 SSD screw, two devil's felt harnesses, one temperature sensing cable, ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz antenna set, one faith sticker, and two SATA cables.

∆ Accessories at a glance.

 

ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi Motherboard Power Supply Material / 12+1+1 Phase Power Supply

The ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi motherboard is powered by a 12+1+1-phase Dr. MOS SPS (Smart Power Stage), with a 12-phase 80A SPS for CPU VCORE Phases, a 1-phase 80A SPS for VCCGT Phase, and a final 1-phase for VCCSA Phases. One 80A SPS is for CPU VCORE Phases, one 80A SPS is for VCCGT Phase, and the last one is for VCCSA Phases.

∆ 12+1+1 phase Dr. MOS SPS (Smart Power Stage) supply.

∆ Two aluminum alloy heat sinks with thermal pads.

 

ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi Lighting Showcase

In addition to the lighting effects that can be set in the BIOS, the motherboard can also be customized with POLYCHROME RGB in the system. The motherboard itself has a lighting effects setup area, which is centered on the bottom of the motherboard underneath the two M.2 heatsinks.

∆ Motherboard lighting effect display.

 

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.

∆ Processor overclocking related settings.

∆ Memory overclocking related.

∆ Overclocking voltage setting.

∆ CPU DLVR Setting.

∆ Advanced menu.

∆ Advanced menu CPU settings.

∆ Advanced Menu Chipset Settings, there is Re-Size BAR here.

∆ Storage device setting.

∆ Thunderbolt 4 Settings.

∆ Power Management.

∆ USB Settings.

∆Reliable setting related.

∆Tools paging.

∆ Hardware monitoring.

∆ Security Interface.

∆ Startup options.

 

ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi Motherboard Performance Testing

The ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi motherboard is tested with a 24-core, 24-thread motherboard. Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor and updated the motherboard BIOS to version 1.19, and the memory is used for the Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 RGB CUDIMM 8400MT/s 48GB (2x24GB) Dual-channel memory kits to build testbeds.

Testing Platform

Processor:Intel Core Ultra 9 285K QS
Cooler: Montech HyperFlow Silent 360 (full speed)
Motherboard: ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi (BIOS version: 1.19)
Memory:Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 RGB CUDIMM 8400MT/s 48GB (2x24GB) cl 40-52-52-132 1.45v
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Founders Edition 8GB
Operating System: Windows 11 Professional 24H2
Power supply:MONTECH TITAN PLA 1000W
Case: Montech XR Wood
Graphics driver: GeForce Game Ready 572.83

 

firstly CPU-Z Viewing the hardware information of the test platform, Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor has 24 (8P+16E) cores and 24 threads, series code Arrow Lake using TSMC process, motherboard using ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi supporting PCI-E 5.0 lanes, and BIOS is version 1.19. BIOS version 1.19.

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 126.86 GB/s, write speeds were 98.491 GB/s, copy speeds were 109.37 GB/s, and latency was 79.8 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 and write performance on the motherboard was tested in NVMe SSD configuration mode with the file size set to 1GiB, and sequential read and write speeds of 11702 MB/s and 10611 MB/s were measured in the default profile.

The Z890 chipset motherboard is limited by the IOE D2D bandwidth between the SoC Tile and the IOE Tile, so the onboard native slots with PCIE Gen5 x4 SSDs can't run at the theoretical speed of about 12000 MB/s, but if the M.2 SSDs are installed in the PCIE slots of the graphics card with an adapter, they can run at up to 14000 MB/s. The PCIE 5.0 x16 slots of the graphics card are in the SoC Tile; the onboard M.2 PCIE Gen5 x4 SSD slots are in the IOE Tile. The M.2 SSD can run up to 14000 MB/s if installed by an adapter card using the PCIE 5.0 x16 slot of the graphics card, because the PCIE 5.0 x16 slot of the graphics card is on the SoC Tile, while the M.2 PCIE Gen5 x4 SSD slot on the board is on the IOE Tile, and the two are on different wafers.

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.

∆ 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

Unpacking the ASRock B860M Steel Legend WiFi, we can see from the specifications that this board is "good enough" for most users, especially for those who don't upgrade and expand their computers after installation, this motherboard is quite sufficient because this motherboard can't be overclocked on the processor, and once the computer is installed, it will be used all the way to the end of its life. Once the computer is installed, enter the BIOS to open the profile in the memory, and then use it all the way to the end of its life.

Although the motherboard itself is relatively ordinary in terms of expandability and moderate in terms of USB expansion, the motherboard has all the USB-related ports it should have for the expansion ports provided by most chassis and for the external devices that people would normally use with them.

In terms of storage expansion, there are still four M.2 SSD expansion slots, but unfortunately one of them does not come with a heatsink, so it is recommended that gamers install the M.2 SSD with its own aluminum heatsink, and there is only one PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, which is meant to be used with a discrete graphics card unless you don't have a need for gaming or rendering.