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ASRock A520M-HDV vs Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14: Comparison
What is the difference between ASRock A520M-HDV and Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14?
The gap that matters here is memory slots: ASRock A520M-HDV 2 against Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14 4, which puts Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14 50% ahead. Add m.2 slots to that, 1 on the ASRock A520M-HDV versus 3 on the Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14, and the pattern holds. There is a split on newest cpu family supported as well, Ryzen 5000 on the ASRock A520M-HDV versus Ryzen 9000 on the Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14.
Which should you buy, ASRock A520M-HDV or Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14?
The ASRock A520M-HDV suits the most budget-conscious AM4 builds using a Ryzen APU and HTPC or office builds that use integrated graphics, though it is not the pick for anyone who wants four memory DIMM slots and discrete GPU builds that don't need HDMI/DVI from the motherboard. Buy the Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14 for budget B850 builds where Colorful's regional pricing undercuts major-brand equivalents, though it is the wrong buy for buyers who need every spec confirmed and documented before purchasing and anyone prioritizing brand-name support networks over price. It is equally the pick for buyers comfortable verifying final networking/audio specs against the retailer listing before purchase.
Where the two are identical
Where they agree, they agree completely, form factor, platform, sata ports, pcie x16 slots and rear usb 5gbps ports included, so the decision does not turn on any of those. They match on 1 further specification as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASRock A520M-HDV and Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14 differ on chipset?
Yes. Chipset reads A520 on the ASRock A520M-HDV versus B850 on the Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14.
Is the Ethernet Port Count the same on the ASRock A520M-HDV and Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14?
It is. Both are listed at 1, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Platform
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- AMD
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- AMD
Model Number
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- A520M-HDV
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
Socket
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- AMD Ryzen 5000/5000G/4000G/3000/3000G series
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
Form Factor
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- Micro-ATX
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- Micro-ATX
Chipset
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- A520
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- B850
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- Ryzen 5000
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- Ryzen 9000
Memory Type
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 2x DDR4 DIMM, up to 64GB, dual-channel, DDR4-4733+ (OC)
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 192GB, up to DDR5-8400 (OC)Best
Oldest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- Ryzen 3000
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- Ryzen 7000
CPU Overclocking Supported
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- No
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- Yes
Memory Slots
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 2-50%
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 4Best
M.2 Slots
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 1-67%
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 3Best
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- No
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- Yes
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- No
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- Yes
Max Memory Capacity
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 64 GB
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 192 GBBest
Max Rated Memory Speed
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 4733 MT/s
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 8400 MT/sBest
M.2 Slots Onboard
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 1
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 3
SATA Ports
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 4
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 4
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 1
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 1
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- PCIe 3.0
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- PCIe 5.0
Rear USB 5Gbps Ports
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 4
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 4
Rear USB 2.0 Ports
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 2
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 4
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 6
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 14
Max Ethernet Speed
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 1 Gbps
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 2.5 GbpsBest
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 1
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 1
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- None
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- Wi-Fi 7
Audio Codec
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- Realtek ALC887/897, 7.1-channel HD Audio
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- Realtek ALC1220, 7.1-channel
Expansion
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 1x PCIe 3.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x1; 1x M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 / SATA3), 4x SATA III
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 1x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU) + 1x PCIe 4.0 x1 (chipset)
Connectivity
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 4x Rear USB 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps), 2x Rear USB 2.0; D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI outputs
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 4x rear USB 2.0, 4x rear USB 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps), 3x rear USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps), 1x rear USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (20Gbps)
Networking
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- Realtek Gigabit LAN (10/100/1000, no built-in Wi-Fi)
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- Realtek RTL8125G 2.5Gb LAN, Wi-Fi 7 (MediaTek MT7925), Bluetooth 5.4
Special Features
- ASRock A520M-HDV
- 1x Ultra M.2 socket (type 2242/2260/2280)
- Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14
- 3x M.2 (2x PCIe 5.0 x4 CPU-attached, 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 chipset), part of Colorful's "Ark Frozen" line
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASRock A520M-HDV if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Choose Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14 if you want the higher memory slots (4 vs 2) and the higher M.2 slots (3 vs 1).
Price comparison
| Retailer | ASRock A520M-HDV | Colorful CVN B850M Ark Frozen V14 |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | View on Amazon | |
| Newegg | View on Newegg |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.