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ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero: Comparison
ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero: the m.2 slots difference
Start with m.2 slots, because it is the widest measured gap between them: ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi 4 against ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero 6, 33% in favour of ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero. There is a split on oldest cpu family supported as well, Ryzen 7000 on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus Core Ultra Series 2 on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero.
ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 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 the wrong buy for enthusiasts who need X870-level chipset lanes and builds needing dual LAN. Buy the ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero for builders who need six M.2 slots on a Z890 board, though it is not the pick for anyone who doesn't plan to push memory overclocking. The same goes for Intel enthusiasts who want the highest officially supported DDR5 OC speed in this catalog. Avoid it for budget Intel builds where a Prime or TUF Z890 board delivers the same gaming performance.
What ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero have in common
Everything else lines up. Memory slots, max memory, form factor, pcie 5.0 support and wi-fi onboard 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 Maximus Z890 Hero differ on socket?
Yes. Socket reads AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi versus Intel Core Ultra Processors on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero.
Is the M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots the same on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 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 Z890 Hero
- Intel
Model Number
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
Socket
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Intel Core Ultra Processors (Series 2)
Form Factor
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- ATX
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- ATX
Chipset
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- B850
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Z890
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 9000
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Core Ultra Series 2
Memory Type
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, up to 8000+ MT/s (OC)
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 4x DDR5 DIMM (CUDIMM), up to 256GB, up to 9200+ MT/s (OC)
Oldest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 7000
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Core Ultra Series 2
Memory Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 4
Max Memory
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 256 GB
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 256 GB
M.2 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4-33%
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 6Best
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Yes
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Yes
Max Rated Memory Speed
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 8000 MT/s
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 9200 MT/sBest
ECC Memory Support
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Unbuffered ECC
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- None
M.2 PCIe 5.0 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 3
M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 3
M.2 CPU Attached Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 4
SATA Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 4
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 2
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- PCIe 5.0
Graphics Slot Bifurcation
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- None
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- x8/x4/x4
Rear USB4 or TB Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 0
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 2
Rear USB 10Gbps Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 5
Rear USB 5Gbps Ports
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 4
Front USB-C Header Speed
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 20Gbps
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 20Gbps
Fan and Pump Headers
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 6
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 8
ARGB Headers
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 3
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 14
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 22
EPS 12V Configuration
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Two 8-pin
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Two 8-pin
BIOS Flashback
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Yes
Max Ethernet Speed
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 5 GbpsBest
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 2
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Wi-Fi 7
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth Version
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 5.4
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 5.4
Audio Codec
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek ALC4082, Nahimic, 7.1-channel
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 + ESS ES9219 DAC
Expansion
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0 x16 + PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4)
- 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 B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- USB 3.2, Nahimic audio software
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- 2x Thunderbolt 4, SlimSAS, Q-Release
Networking
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 7
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
- Intel 2.5GbE + Realtek 5GbE dual LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Special Features
- ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x M.2 (1x Gen5, 3x 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 B850 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 4).
Price comparison
| Retailer | ASRock B850 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.