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ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero: Comparison
ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero m.2 slots compared
Start with m.2 slots, because it is the widest measured gap between them: ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi 3 against ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero 5, 40% in favour of ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero. They differ on rear usb 10gbps ports too, 2 on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi versus 8 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero. There is a split on vcore power stages as well, 16 on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi versus Extreme Engine Digi+ power design on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero.
Who each one is for
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. 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. It is not the one for budget AM5 builds where a B850 board delivers the same gaming performance for far less.
What ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero have in common
Everything else lines up. Socket, memory slots, max memory capacity, form factor and platform read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 9 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero differ on m.2 slots onboard?
Yes. M.2 Slots Onboard reads 3 on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi versus 5 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero.
Is the Newest CPU Family Supported the same on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi 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 B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- AMD
Model Number
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
Socket
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
Form Factor
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- ATX
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- ATX
Chipset
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- B650
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- X870E
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 9000
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Ryzen 9000
Memory Type
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, dual-channel, DDR5-7600+ (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 B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 7000
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Ryzen 7000
CPU Overclocking Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Yes
Memory Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 4
M.2 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3-40%
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5Best
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Yes
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Yes
Max Memory Capacity
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 256 GB
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 256 GB
M.2 Slots Onboard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5
M.2 PCIe 5.0 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 3
M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
SATA Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 4
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- PCIe 5.0
Rear USB 10Gbps Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 8
Front USB-C Header Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 20Gbps
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 20Gbps
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 16
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Extreme Engine Digi+ power design (exact phase count and current rating not officially disclosed)
Max Ethernet Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5 GbpsBest
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Wi-Fi 6E
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth Version
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 5.2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5.4
Audio Codec
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek ALC897, Nahimic, 7.1-channel
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound HD Audio CODEC ALC4082 with ESS ES9219 QUAD 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 X870E Hero
- 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16, x8/x8, or x8/x4/x4)
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 X870E Hero
- 1x SlimSAS, front USB-C headers
Networking
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Intel 2.5Gb LAN + Realtek 5Gb LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Special Features
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3x M.2 (1x Gen5, 2x Gen4)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5x M.2 (3x Gen5, 2x Gen4)
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi 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 B650E Steel Legend WiFi | 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.