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ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero: Comparison
ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero m.2 slots compared
The gap that matters here is m.2 slots: ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi 4 against ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero 2, which puts ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi 50% ahead. Oldest cpu family supported is not the same on both, Ryzen 7000 on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus Ryzen 3000 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero. Pcie 5.0 support is not the same on both, Yes on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus No on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero.
ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero: which one fits your build
The ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi is the one to take for builders who want four M.2 slots at a B-series price and mainstream AM5 builds with Steel Legend styling preference, though it is not built for enthusiasts who need X870-level chipset lanes and builds needing dual LAN. it is not the pick 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 the wrong buy for anyone starting a new build who should consider AM5 for a longer upgrade path.
Where the two are identical
Where they agree, they agree completely, memory slots, form factor, platform, wi-fi onboard and rear usb 10gbps ports included, so the decision does not turn on any of those. They match on 3 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASRock B850 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 B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus AMD Ryzen 5000 / 4000 G-Series / 3000 /... on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero.
Is the Rear USB 2.0 Ports the same on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero?
It is. Both are listed at 4, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Platform
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- AMD
Model Number
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Socket
- ASRock B850 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 B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- ATX
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- ATX
Chipset
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- B850
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- X570
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 9000
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Ryzen 5000
Memory Type
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, up to 8000+ MT/s (OC)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 4x DDR4 DIMM, dual-channel, up to 128GB, up to DDR4-5100 (OC)
Oldest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 7000
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Ryzen 3000
Memory Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 4
M.2 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4Best
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2-50%
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- No
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Yes
Max Rated Memory Speed
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 8000 MT/sBest
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 5100 MT/s
ECC Memory Support
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Unbuffered ECC
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- None
M.2 Slots Onboard
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2
M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2
SATA Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 8
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 5
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- PCIe 4.0
Rear USB 10Gbps Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 4
Rear USB 5Gbps Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 4
Rear USB 2.0 Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 4
Fan and Pump Headers
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 6
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 7
ARGB Headers
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 14
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 14
EPS 12V Configuration
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Two 8-pin
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 8-pin plus 4-pin
Max Ethernet Speed
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2.5 Gbps
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Wi-Fi 7
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth Version
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 5.4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 5.1
Audio Codec
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek ALC4082, 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 B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0 x16 + PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4)
- 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 B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- USB 3.2, Nahimic audio software
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- Dual LAN, ESS Sabre DAC
Networking
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 7
- 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 B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x M.2 (1x Gen5, 3x Gen4)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
- 2x M.2 (PCIe 4.0/SATA)
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi if you want the higher memory slots (4 vs 4) and the higher M.2 slots (4 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 B850 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.