ASUS ROG Strix B850-I Gaming WiFi AMD AM5 B850 Mini-ITX mITX Motherboard 10+2+1 Stages, DDR5, 2.5G LAN, WiFi 7, 2X M.2, PCIe® 5.0 x16, USB 20Gbps Type-C®, AI Overclocking, AI Networking II, Aura Sync

I didn't understand some features until I went to ASUS' site and looked at every feature and its description there. Explanations aren't in the manual for how the hardware works. For example: the EF Fan header is not Exhaust Fan Fan like I thought, it is Extra Flow Fan. Just an extra chassis fan header, I guess. I did have to replace the thermal pads on the M.2 slot, they were too thin and too slim (narrow). 1mm pads worked fine for my 4Tb Crucial T500 drive I put there. I wish the second M.2 slot were mounted on a 1/4" standoff from the back of the board, my temps are 48 for the 4Tb WD SN850X I have there but the drive is so close to the board that I can't fit a heatsink on it and I can't get much air circulating on that side of the board. I did try a big file transfer and it had no effect on that drive's temperature. I've only had this a week and I've got a long ethernet cable to my router to facilitate the setup and the transfer of files from the PC I'm displacing to bedroom status for this one. I mention that to say I have the wifi setup but haven't used it but for a few minutes. I was confused that it was on 5G instead of 2. 4G since it is some distance from the router but maybe that's something to do with WIFI 7 at both ends, the router and this board? Dunno. Oh, and back to the ethernet, 2.5G ethernet at both ends is great. I was downloading a steam game that Steam predicted would take 2 hours and 20 minutes to download. After just a minute Steam suggested it would go faster if I turned on the other PC on my network. I went and flipped that switch. When I got back it was transferring the files instead of downloading. It took just 19 minutes, one seventh of the time or 7 times my ISPs speed of 300 some gbps. Great improvement. Maybe it's time to cable my house and get fiber.

Would not boot in a dual channel memory configuration. Two different RAM sets. (Both from the qualified vendor list.) Tried 2 different CPUs. (Both worked fine on different boards). Tried Flashing the BIOS. Nothing. No dice. It's not memory training, either. Left it on for 20 minutes.You're paying a premium for pretty subpar build quality and quality control, even outside the obvious defect. This board is not worth the price. Do yourself a favor and buy from a different brand.Outside it's

Great mobo! Been a fan of ROG for years! So once I decided to build my mini itx, I already knew which mobo to go with. So far works perfectly. No complaints.

As a compact yet powerful Mini‑ITX board, the Strix B850‑I genuinely impresses. ASUS has managed to cram a wealth of advanced features into a tiny 17 × 17 cm form factor—two PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots, a PCIe 5.0 x16 SafeSlot, up to 96 GB of DDR5 memory (OC beyond 8,400 MT/s), and robust 10 + 2 + 1 power phases rated for 70 A per stage—ideal for pushing Ryzen 7000/8000/9000 CPUs to their limits.What really sets this board apart is its connectivity and build quality: a 20 Gbps USB‑C port, five 10 Gbps USB ports, HDMI 2.1, Wi‑Fi 7, 2.5 Gb Ethernet, SupremeFX ALC4080 audio backed by a Savitech amp, and tidy DIY‑friendly touches like Q‑Latch and pre‑mounted I/O shield. ASUS’s AI Suite—offering AI Overclocking, Networking II, and Advisor—simplifies fine-tuning even for novices. Overall, it's a “premium mini-ITX marvel”.Strengths 👍* Specs-to-size: Dual PCIe 5.0 M.2 and PCIe 5.0 GPU slot are rare in sub‑20 cm boards.* Power delivery: Strong VRM setup allows stable overclocking.* Port selection: No shortage of USB, high-speed networking, and modern video outputs.* User-friendly extras: Q‑releases, pre‑mounted shield, BIOS FlashBack, and RGB headers make building and upgrading simpler.Minor Drawbacks 👎* Pricey: Positioned at the premium end of B850 boards (~$300+), rivaling even some X870 options.* Wi‑Fi module warts: Users report inconsistent performance with the MediaTek MT7925—ping spikes and lag under load, sometimes resolved only by swapping to an Intel AX210.* Audio quirks: The ALC4080 audio can misbehave—distortion/clipping on line-out unless front‑panel jack routines are manually disabled.Overall Verdict: If you're building a compact, performance-oriented, Ryzen-based rig and want bleeding-edge features like PCIe 5.0 and Wi‑Fi 7, the Strix B850‑I delivers in style and substance. It’s easy to assemble, well-appointed, and rock-solid in power delivery. However, that premium comes at a cost—not just in money, but in occasional wireless/audio quirks and the potential for coil whine.Why 4★? Because it offers top-tier specs, polished design, and future-proofing, but misses perfect marks due to some real-world annoyances and its elevated MSRP. In many cases, it’s an excellent choice—if the price fits and you don’t mind applying a few workarounds for connectivity and audio.Final Thoughts: ASUS hasn’t skimped on ambition here. The Strix B850‑I is a triumph in packing flagship tech into an ultracompact form—but if you’re sensitive to wireless dropouts, audio fidelity, or coil noise, budget in a Wi‑Fi card or DAC, or compare it to slightly cheaper boards like the ASRock Phantom or Steel Legend. Still, for a high-end Mini‑ITX build, this board nails almost everything it attempts.

Booted on the first attempt and going on and strong. Never had to fiddle with anything. Transferring drive with windows 11 from my older x570 rig was a bit of a hassle. But that’s part of DIY PC hobby.Tons of usb ports(8nos), great quality aluminum heat sinks for the VRMs and onboard connectivity options, PCIe 5.0 X16 slot and M.2, wifi7. This thing is future proof till 2030.At $300 it’s the cheapest I’ve seen this board go on sale. I think it’s a steal in this economy.Highly recommended.

Drivers were a mess on windows 10.Had to use driverless u-green gigabit usb ethernet port just to connect to internet for Windows 11. For whatever reason it downloaded some asus drivers utility app and from there it fetched and allowed me to download the right drivers.The good news is bios flashing was easy as u put usb drive in right usb bios port and hold simply for 3-5 seconds. When you download the latest bios, it even has a handy renamer tool if youre that lazy to rename it lol.It will be 5-10 mins long process, so literally dont panic and try to restart or take out the cmos battery. It will restart a good 3-4 times so just be patient.Tldr: asus drivers are useless for probably a majority on windows 10. Get a cheap u green or equivalent usb ethernet port to get right drivers on windows 11.