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ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero: Comparison
What is the difference between ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero?
Start with m.2 slots, because it is the widest measured gap between them: ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi 3 against ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero 2, 33% in favour of ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi. Memory type is not the same on both, 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, dual-channel, DDR5-7600+ ,... on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi versus 4x DDR4 DIMM, dual-channel, up to 128GB, up to... on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero. There is a split on oldest cpu family supported as well, Ryzen 7000 on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi versus Ryzen 3000 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero.
ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero: which one fits your build
The ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi suits builders who want extra SATA ports for legacy drives and budget AM5 builds that don't need Wi-Fi 7, though it is not built for anyone who wants the latest B850 or X870 chipset features and builds that want a fourth M.2 slot. it is the wrong buy for builds that want PCIe 5.0 or DDR5 support. It is equally the pick for high-end AM4 builders who want the strongest available VRM for a Ryzen 5800X3D or 5950X. It is not the one for anyone starting a new build who should consider AM5 for a longer upgrade path.
What ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero have in common
Everything else lines up. Memory slots, form factor, platform, cpu overclocking supported and wi-fi onboard read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 3 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero differ on socket?
Yes. Socket reads AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi versus AMD Ryzen 5000 / 4000 G-Series / 3000 /... on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero.
Is the M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots the same on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero?
It is. Both are listed at 2, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Platform
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- AMD
Model Number
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Socket
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- AMD Ryzen 5000 / 4000 G-Series / 3000 / 3000 G-Series / 2000 / 2000 G-Series
Form Factor
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- ATX
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- ATX
Chipset
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- B650
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- X570
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 9000
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Ryzen 5000
Memory Type
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, dual-channel, DDR5-7600+ (OC), XMP/EXPO
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 4x DDR4 DIMM, dual-channel, up to 128GB, up to DDR4-5100 (OC)
Oldest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 7000
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Ryzen 3000
CPU Overclocking Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Yes
Memory Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 4
M.2 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3Best
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2-33%
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- No
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Yes
Max Memory Capacity
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 256 GBBest
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 128 GB
Max Rated Memory Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 7600 MT/sBest
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 5100 MT/s
M.2 Slots Onboard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2
M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2
SATA Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 8
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 5
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- PCIe 4.0
Rear USB 10Gbps Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 4
Rear USB 5Gbps Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 4
Rear USB 2.0 Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 4
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 16
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 14
EPS 12V Configuration
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Two 8-pin
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 8-pin plus 4-pin
Max Ethernet Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2.5 Gbps
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Wi-Fi 6E
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth Version
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 5.2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 5.1
Audio Codec
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek ALC897, Nahimic, 7.1-channel
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound HD Audio CODEC with ESS ES9023P DAC
Expansion
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode); 1x M.2 PCIe 5.0 x4, 2x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4; 2x SATA III; 1x M.2 Key-E (Wi-Fi)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8) + 2x PCIe 3.0 x16 + 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x8) + 1x PCIe 4.0 x1
Connectivity
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1x Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (10Gbps), 1x Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (10Gbps), 4x Rear USB 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps), 2x Rear USB 2.0; 1x Front Panel USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C header (20Gbps)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Dual LAN, ESS Sabre DAC
Networking
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Realtek RTL8125-CG 2.5G LAN + Intel I211-AT 1G LAN, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
Special Features
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3x M.2 (1x Gen5, 2x Gen4)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2x M.2 (PCIe 4.0/SATA)
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi if you want the higher memory slots (4 vs 4) and the higher M.2 slots (3 vs 2).
Choose ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Price comparison
| Retailer | ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi | ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark 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.