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ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero: Comparison
What is the difference between ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero?
Chipset is the dividing line, ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi B860 against ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero X870E. Add m.2 slots to that, 4 on the ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi versus 5 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero, and the pattern holds. They differ on oldest cpu family supported too, Core Ultra Series 2 on the ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi versus Ryzen 7000 on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero.
Which should you buy, ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi or ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero?
The ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi suits mainstream Intel builds that don't need Wi-Fi 7, though it is the wrong buy for anyone who specifically wants Wi-Fi 7. The same goes for builders who want four M.2 slots at a B-series price with Steel Legend styling. It is the wrong buy for enthusiasts who want the higher memory OC ceiling of the Z890 Steel Legend. Take the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero for enthusiasts running Ryzen 9000 X3D chips who want maximum VRM headroom. It also earns its place with builders who want dual Gen5 M.2 storage and dual-LAN networking on one board. It is not the one for budget AM5 builds where a B850 board delivers the same gaming performance for far less.
What ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero have in common
Everything else lines up. Memory slots, form factor, pcie 5.0 support, wi-fi onboard and ecc memory support read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 5 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero differ on socket?
Yes. Socket reads Intel Core Ultra Processors on the ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi versus AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero.
Is the SATA Ports the same on the ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E 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 B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- Intel
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- AMD
Model Number
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
Socket
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- Intel Core Ultra Processors (Series 2)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
Form Factor
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- ATX
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- ATX
Chipset
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- B860
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- X870E
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- Core Ultra Series 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Ryzen 9000
Memory Type
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, up to 8666+ MHz (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 B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- Core Ultra Series 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Ryzen 7000
Memory Slots
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 4
M.2 Slots
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4-20%
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5Best
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Yes
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Yes
ECC Memory Support
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- None
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- None
M.2 Slots Onboard
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5
M.2 PCIe 5.0 Slots
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 3
M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
SATA Ports
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 4
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- PCIe 5.0
Graphics Slot Bifurcation
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- None
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- x8/x4/x4
Rear USB4 or TB Ports
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
Rear USB 10Gbps Ports
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 8
Front USB-C Header Speed
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 20Gbps
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 20Gbps
Fan and Pump Headers
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 8
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 7
ARGB Headers
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 3
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 3
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock B860 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 B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5 GbpsBest
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- Wi-Fi 6E
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Wi-Fi 7
Bluetooth Version
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 5.3
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5.4
Audio Codec
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek ALC1220, Nahimic
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound HD Audio CODEC ALC4082 with ESS ES9219 QUAD DAC
Expansion
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0 x16 + PCIe 4.0 x16 (x2)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16, x8/x8, or x8/x4/x4)
Connectivity
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- Nahimic audio software, Thunderbolt 4/USB4
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 1x SlimSAS, front USB-C headers
Networking
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 6E
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- Intel 2.5Gb LAN + Realtek 5Gb LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Special Features
- ASRock B860 Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x M.2 (1x Gen5, 2x Gen4, 1x Gen4 x2)
- ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
- 5x M.2 (3x Gen5, 2x Gen4)
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASRock B860 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 B860 Steel Legend WiFi | ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
| Newegg | View on Newegg | View on Newegg |
| Best Buy | View on Best Buy |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.