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ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi vs Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE: Comparison

What is the difference between ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi and Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE?

Chipset is the dividing line, ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi B850 against Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE X870. There is a split on rear usb 5gbps ports as well, 1 on the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi versus 2 on the Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE. There is a split on rear usb 2.0 ports as well, 4 on the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi versus 2 on the Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE. There is a split on vcore power stages as well, 10 on the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi versus 8 on the Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE.

Which should you buy, ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi or Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE?

it is not the pick for anyone wanting the heavier 10-layer PCB of the PG-ITX WiFi. It is equally the pick for B850 builders who want a disclosed 110A SPS VRM at a lower price than PG-ITX. It is the wrong buy for buyers assuming USB4 works with any Ryzen CPU on this board. it is the wrong buy for anyone needing three M.2 slots for extra storage capacity and buyers wanting an official, precisely disclosed VRM amperage rating. It also earns its place with builders doing an all-white SFF theme who also want USB4 connectivity.

Where the two are identical

Everything else lines up. Socket, memory slots, max memory, max memory capacity and m.2 slots read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 23 further specifications as well.

Frequently asked questions

Do the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi and Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE differ on networking?

Yes. Networking reads 2.5GbE , Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 on the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi versus Realtek 2.5GbE LAN, Realtek Wi-Fi 7 RTL8922AE, Bluetooth 5.4 on the Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE.

Is the M.2 Slots Onboard the same on the ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi and Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE?

It is. Both are listed at 2, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.

Specs and benchmarks

  • Platform

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    AMD
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    AMD
  • Model Number

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    B850I Lightning WiFi
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    X870I AORUS PRO ICE (Rev. 1.0)
  • Socket

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
  • Form Factor

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    Mini-ITX
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    Mini-ITX
  • Chipset

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    B850
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    X870
  • Newest CPU Family Supported

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    Ryzen 9000
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    Ryzen 9000
  • Memory Type

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    2x DDR5, dual-channel, up to 128GB, up to 8200+ MT/s (OC), ECC and non-ECC unbuffered
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    2x DDR5 DIMM, dual channel, up to 128 GB, DDR5 8400 (OC)
  • Oldest CPU Family Supported

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    Ryzen 7000
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    Ryzen 7000
  • Memory Slots

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    2
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    2
  • Max Memory

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    128 GB
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    128 GB
  • Board Width

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    170 mm
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    170 mm
  • M.2 Slots

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    2
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    2
  • PCIe 5.0 Support

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    Yes
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    Yes
  • Wi-Fi Onboard

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    Yes
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    Yes
  • Memory Channels

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    2
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    2
  • Max Memory Capacity

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    128 GB
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    128 GB
  • Max Rated Memory Speed

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    8200 MT/s
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    8400 MT/sBest
  • ECC Memory Support

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    Unbuffered ECC
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    None
  • M.2 Slots Onboard

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    2
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    2
  • M.2 PCIe 5.0 Slots

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    1
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    1
  • M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    1
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    1
  • M.2 CPU Attached Slots

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    1
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    1
  • SATA Ports

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    2
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    2
  • PCIe x16 Slots

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    1
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    1
  • Primary Graphics Slot Gen

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    PCIe 5.0
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    PCIe 5.0
  • Rear USB 10Gbps Ports

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    3
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    3
  • Rear USB 5Gbps Ports

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    1
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    2
  • Rear USB 2.0 Ports

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    4
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    2
  • Front USB-C Header Speed

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    5Gbps
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    10GbpsBest
  • Fan and Pump Headers

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    3
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    3
  • ARGB Headers

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    2
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    2
  • Vcore Power Stages

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    10
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    8
  • Power Stage Current Rating

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    110 A
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    110 A
  • EPS 12V Configuration

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    One 8-pin
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    One 8-pin
  • BIOS Flashback

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    Yes
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    Yes
  • Max Ethernet Speed

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    2.5 Gbps
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    2.5 Gbps
  • Ethernet Port Count

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    1
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    1
  • Wi-Fi Standard

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    Wi-Fi 6E
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    Wi-Fi 7
  • Bluetooth Version

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    5.2
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    5.4
  • Audio Codec

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    Realtek ALC1220
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    Realtek ALC4080, 2-channel
  • Expansion

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    1x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU; Gen5 x16 with Ryzen 9000/7000, Gen4 with Ryzen 8000)
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    1x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU-dependent: PCIe 4.0 x8/x4 with Ryzen 8000)
  • Connectivity

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C with DP-alt (up to 40Gbps with selected processors), 2x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen1, 4x USB 2.0
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    Rear: 1x USB4 Type-C (DP Alt), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 2x USB 2.0, HDMI; front USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 header
  • Networking

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    2.5GbE (Killer E3100G), Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    Realtek 2.5GbE LAN, Realtek Wi-Fi 7 RTL8922AE, Bluetooth 5.4
  • Special Features

    ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi
    BIOS Flashback button, Blazing M.2 Gen5 slot, Nahimic Audio
    Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    White "ICE" aesthetic, USB4, M.2 EZ-Latch Plus, PCIe EZ-Latch Plus, Q-Flash Plus

    Which one should you pick?

    Choose ASRock B850I Lightning WiFi if you want the higher memory slots (2 vs 2), the higher max memory (128 GB vs 128 GB) and the higher M.2 slots (2 vs 2).

    Choose Gigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.

    Price comparison

    RetailerASRock B850I Lightning WiFiGigabyte X870I AORUS PRO ICE
    AmazonView on 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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