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ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero: Comparison
ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero: the chipset difference
They are built to different briefs, and chipset shows it, ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi B850 against ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero X870E. Add m.2 slots to that, 4 on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus 5 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero, and the pattern holds. There is a split on m.2 pcie 4.0 slots as well, 3 on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus 2 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero. There is a split on graphics slot bifurcation as well, None on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus x8/x4/x4 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero.
Who each one is for
Buy the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi 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 the pick for enthusiasts who need X870-level chipset lanes and builds needing dual LAN. 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 the wrong buy for budget AM5 builds where a B850 board delivers the same gaming performance for far less.
Where the two are identical
Everything else lines up. Socket, memory slots, form factor, platform and newest cpu family supported read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 10 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero differ on m.2 slots onboard?
Yes. M.2 Slots Onboard reads 4 on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus 5 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero.
Is the Oldest CPU Family Supported the same on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero?
It is. Both are listed at Ryzen 7000, 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 X870E Hero
- AMD
Model Number
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
Socket
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
Form Factor
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- ATX
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- ATX
Chipset
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- B850
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- X870E
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 9000
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Ryzen 9000
Memory Type
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, up to 8000+ MT/s (OC)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, up to 8600+ MT/s (OC, Ryzen 8000)
Oldest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 7000
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Ryzen 7000
Memory Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 4
M.2 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4-20%
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5Best
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Yes
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Yes
ECC Memory Support
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Unbuffered ECC
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- None
M.2 Slots Onboard
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5
M.2 PCIe 5.0 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 3
M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
SATA Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 4
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- PCIe 5.0
Graphics Slot Bifurcation
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- None
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- x8/x4/x4
Rear USB4 or TB Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 0
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
Rear USB 10Gbps Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 8
Front USB-C Header Speed
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 20Gbps
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 20Gbps
Fan and Pump Headers
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 6
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 7
ARGB Headers
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 3
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 14
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Extreme Engine Digi+ power design (exact phase count and current rating not officially disclosed)
Max Ethernet Speed
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5 GbpsBest
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Wi-Fi 7
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth Version
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 5.4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5.4
Audio Codec
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek ALC4082, 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 B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0 x16 + PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16, x8/x8, or x8/x4/x4)
Connectivity
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- USB 3.2, Nahimic audio software
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 1x SlimSAS, front USB-C headers
Networking
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 7
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Intel 2.5Gb LAN + Realtek 5Gb LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Special Features
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x M.2 (1x Gen5, 3x Gen4)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5x M.2 (3x Gen5, 2x Gen4)
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASRock B850 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 4).
Price comparison
| Retailer | ASRock B850 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.