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ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero: Comparison

ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero chipset compared

Chipset is the dividing line, ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi B850 against ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero Z590. They differ on oldest cpu family supported too, Ryzen 7000 on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus Core 10th Gen on the ASUS ROG Maximus XIII 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 Maximus XIII Hero.

ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Maximus XIII 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. Buy the ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero for enthusiasts completing a high-end LGA1200 system, though it is the wrong buy for budget-first LGA1200 builds. It also earns its place with builders who want the best available 11th/10th Gen Intel board with Thunderbolt 4. It is not the one for new builds better served by a current-generation Intel or AMD platform.

What ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero have in common

Where they agree, they agree completely, memory slots, m.2 slots, m.2 slots onboard, form factor and wi-fi onboard included, so the decision does not turn on any of those. They match on 4 further specifications as well.

Frequently asked questions

Do the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero differ on socket?

Yes. Socket reads AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus Intel 11th / 10th Gen Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron on the ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero.

Is the ARGB Headers the same on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero?

It is. Both are listed at 3, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.

Specs and benchmarks

  • Platform

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    AMD
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    Intel
  • Model Number

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    ROG Maximus XIII Hero (WiFi 6E)
  • Socket

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    Intel 11th / 10th Gen Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron
  • Form Factor

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    ATX
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    ATX
  • Chipset

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    B850
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    Z590
  • Newest CPU Family Supported

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    Ryzen 9000
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    Core 13th Gen
  • Memory Type

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, up to 8000+ MT/s (OC)
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    4x DDR4 DIMM, up to 128GB, up to DDR4-5333 (OC)
  • Oldest CPU Family Supported

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    Ryzen 7000
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    Core 10th Gen
  • Memory Slots

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    4
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    4
  • M.2 Slots

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    4
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    4
  • PCIe 5.0 Support

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    Yes
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    No
  • Wi-Fi Onboard

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    Yes
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    Yes
  • Max Rated Memory Speed

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    8000 MT/sBest
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    5333 MT/s
  • ECC Memory Support

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    Unbuffered ECC
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    None
  • M.2 Slots Onboard

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    4
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    4
  • M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    3
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    1
  • SATA Ports

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    4
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    6
  • PCIe x16 Slots

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    2
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    3
  • Primary Graphics Slot Gen

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    PCIe 5.0
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    PCIe 4.0
  • Rear USB4 or TB Ports

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    0
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    2
  • Rear USB 10Gbps Ports

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    4
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    6
  • Rear USB 2.0 Ports

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    4
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    2
  • Fan and Pump Headers

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    6
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    7
  • ARGB Headers

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    3
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    3
  • Vcore Power Stages

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    14
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    14
  • EPS 12V Configuration

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    Two 8-pin
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    Two 8-pin
  • Max Ethernet Speed

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    2.5 Gbps
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    2.5 Gbps
  • Ethernet Port Count

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    1
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    2
  • Wi-Fi Standard

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    Wi-Fi 7
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    Wi-Fi 6E
  • Bluetooth Version

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    5.4
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    5.2
  • Audio Codec

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    Realtek ALC4082, Nahimic, 7.1-channel
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound HD Audio CODEC ALC4082 with ESS SABRE9018Q2C DAC/AMP
  • Expansion

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    PCIe 5.0 x16 + PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4)
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    2x PCIe 4.0/3.0 x16 + 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4) + 1x PCIe 3.0 x1
  • Connectivity

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    USB 3.2, Nahimic audio software
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    Thunderbolt 4 onboard
  • Networking

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 7
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    2x Intel 2.5Gb LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
  • Special Features

    ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
    4x M.2 (1x Gen5, 3x Gen4)
    ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    4x M.2/NVMe SSD slots

    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 4).

    Choose ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.

    Price comparison

    RetailerASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFiASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero
    AmazonView on Amazon
    NeweggView on NeweggView 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.

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