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ASRock B650 PG Lightning vs ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero: Comparison
ASRock B650 PG Lightning vs ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero: the m.2 slots difference
Start with m.2 slots, because it is the widest measured gap between them: ASRock B650 PG Lightning 3 against ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero 5, 40% in favour of ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero. Primary graphics slot gen is not the same on both, PCIe 4.0 on the ASRock B650 PG Lightning versus PCIe 5.0 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero. Vcore power stages is not the same on both, 14 on the ASRock B650 PG Lightning versus Extreme Engine Digi+ power design on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero.
Who each one is for
Buy the ASRock B650 PG Lightning for the most budget-conscious full-ATX AM5 builds and builders who don't need built-in WiFi, though it is the wrong buy for anyone who wants WiFi included without buying the separate variant and builds that want more than two M.2 slots. Take the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero for enthusiasts running Ryzen 9000 X3D chips who want maximum VRM headroom. It is equally the pick for builders who want dual Gen5 M.2 storage and dual-LAN networking on one board. Avoid it for budget AM5 builds where a B850 board delivers the same gaming performance for far less.
What ASRock B650 PG Lightning and ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero have in common
Where they agree, they agree completely, socket, memory slots, max memory capacity, form factor and platform included, so the decision does not turn on any of those. They match on 7 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASRock B650 PG Lightning and ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero differ on chipset?
Yes. Chipset reads B650 on the ASRock B650 PG Lightning versus X870E on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero.
Is the Newest CPU Family Supported the same on the ASRock B650 PG Lightning and ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero?
It is. Both are listed at Ryzen 9000, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Platform
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- AMD
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- AMD
Model Number
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- B650 PG Lightning
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
Socket
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
Form Factor
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- ATX
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- ATX
Chipset
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- B650
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- X870E
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- Ryzen 9000
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Ryzen 9000
Memory Type
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, dual-channel, DDR5-7200+ (OC), XMP/EXPO
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, up to 8600+ MT/s (OC, Ryzen 8000)
Oldest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- Ryzen 7000
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Ryzen 7000
CPU Overclocking Supported
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Yes
Memory Slots
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 4
M.2 Slots
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 3-40%
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5Best
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Yes
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- No
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Yes
Max Memory Capacity
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 256 GB
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 256 GB
M.2 Slots Onboard
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 3
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5
M.2 PCIe 5.0 Slots
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 1
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 3
M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
SATA Ports
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 4
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- PCIe 4.0
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- PCIe 5.0
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 14
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Extreme Engine Digi+ power design (exact phase count and current rating not officially disclosed)
Max Ethernet Speed
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 2.5 Gbps
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5 GbpsBest
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 1
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- None
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Wi-Fi 7
Audio Codec
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- Realtek ALC897, 7.1-channel HD Audio with Nahimic
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound HD Audio CODEC ALC4082 with ESS ES9219 QUAD DAC
Expansion
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 2x PCIe 4.0 x16 (2nd slot at x2), 2x PCIe 4.0 x1; 1x M.2 PCIe 5.0 x4, 1x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4, 1x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x2; 4x SATA III; 1x M.2 Key-E (Wi-Fi)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16, x8/x8, or x8/x4/x4)
Connectivity
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 1x Rear USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (20Gbps), 7x Rear USB 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps), 4x Rear USB 2.0
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 1x SlimSAS, front USB-C headers
Networking
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5GbE LAN (no built-in Wi-Fi)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Intel 2.5Gb LAN + Realtek 5Gb LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Special Features
- ASRock B650 PG Lightning
- 3x M.2 total (1x Gen5, 1x Gen4, 1x Gen4x2)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5x M.2 (3x Gen5, 2x Gen4)
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASRock B650 PG Lightning if you want the higher memory slots (4 vs 4).
Choose ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero if you want the higher M.2 slots (5 vs 3).
Price comparison
| Retailer | ASRock B650 PG Lightning | ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
| Newegg | View on 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.