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ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero: Comparison
ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero: the m.2 slots difference
On m.2 slots the spread is 50%, ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi 3 against ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero 6, so ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero takes it. There is a split on oldest cpu family supported as well, Ryzen 7000 on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi versus Core Ultra Series 2 on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero.
ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero: which one fits your build
Buy the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi for builders who want extra SATA ports for legacy drives and budget AM5 builds that don't need Wi-Fi 7, though it is not the pick for anyone who wants the latest B850 or X870 chipset features and builds that want a fourth M.2 slot. The ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero is the one to take for builders who need six M.2 slots on a Z890 board, though it is the wrong buy for anyone who doesn't plan to push memory overclocking. It also earns its place with Intel enthusiasts who want the highest officially supported DDR5 OC speed in this catalog. It is the wrong buy for budget Intel builds where a Prime or TUF Z890 board delivers the same gaming performance.
Where the two are identical
Where they agree, they agree completely, memory slots, max memory, form factor, cpu overclocking supported and pcie 5.0 support included, so the decision does not turn on any of those. They match on 6 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero differ on socket?
Yes. Socket reads AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi versus Intel Core Ultra Processors on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero.
Is the Wi-Fi Onboard the same on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero?
It is. Both are listed at Yes, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Platform
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Intel
Model Number
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
Socket
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Intel Core Ultra Processors (Series 2)
Form Factor
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- ATX
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- ATX
Chipset
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- B650
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Z890
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 9000
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Core Ultra Series 2
Memory Type
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, dual-channel, DDR5-7600+ (OC), XMP/EXPO
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 4x DDR5 DIMM (CUDIMM), up to 256GB, up to 9200+ MT/s (OC)
Oldest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 7000
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Core Ultra Series 2
CPU Overclocking Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Yes
Memory Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 4
Max Memory
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 256 GB
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 256 GB
M.2 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3-50%
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 6Best
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Yes
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Yes
Max Rated Memory Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 7600 MT/s
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 9200 MT/sBest
M.2 PCIe 5.0 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 3
M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 3
SATA Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 4
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 2
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- PCIe 5.0
Rear USB 10Gbps Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 5
Rear USB 5Gbps Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 4
Front USB-C Header Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 20Gbps
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 20Gbps
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 16
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 22
EPS 12V Configuration
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Two 8-pin
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Two 8-pin
Max Ethernet Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 5 GbpsBest
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 2
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Wi-Fi 6E
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth Version
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 5.2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 5.4
Audio Codec
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek ALC897, Nahimic, 7.1-channel
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 + ESS ES9219 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 Maximus Z890 Hero
- PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16 or x8/x4/x4) + PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4) + 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 Maximus Z890 Hero
- 2x Thunderbolt 4, SlimSAS, Q-Release
Networking
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Intel 2.5GbE + Realtek 5GbE dual LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Special Features
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3x M.2 (1x Gen5, 2x Gen4)
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 6x M.2 (4x CPU incl. 3x PCIe 5.0, 2x Gen4 chipset)
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi if you want the higher memory slots (4 vs 4) and the higher max memory (256 GB vs 256 GB).
Choose ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero if you want the higher M.2 slots (6 vs 3).
Price comparison
| Retailer | ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi | ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 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.