Gigabyte vs asrock: Who is the clear winner in 2022?

Who is the clear winner in 2022?

Choosing the right motherboard is crucial when building a new computer. ASRock and Gigabyte are two of the most popular motherboard brands on the market, but which one is better? In this article, we will compare and contrast ASRock and Gigabyte motherboards to help you decide which one is right for you.

ASRock motherboards

ASRock motherboards are designed with a variety of features to appeal to a wide range of users. From casual PC builders to hardcore gamers, ASRock has a motherboard that will meet your needs. One of the most popular features of ASRock motherboards is their support for multi-GPU configurations. This allows you to pair two or more graphics cards together for enhanced performance. If you’re looking for ultimate gaming performance, an ASRock motherboard is a great option. Another popular feature of ASRock motherboards is their support for overclocking.

Overclocking allows you to push your CPU andGPU beyond their stock speeds for increased performance. Whether you’re looking for a little extra power for gaming or you want to squeeze every last bit of performance out of your system, an ASRock motherboard can help you reach your goals. With so many great features, it’s no wonder that ASRock motherboards are so popular.

Gigabyte Motherboards

Gigabyte motherboards offer a great combination of features, performance, and value. They’re perfect for gamers and power users who want to get the most out of their PC. Some of the features that set Gigabyte motherboards apart include support for multiple graphics cards, multiple CPU sockets, and robust overclocking features. Gigabyte motherboards are also known for their excellent build quality and attention to detail. Whether you’re looking for a high-end gaming motherboard or a budget-friendly option for your first build, Gigabyte has a motherboard that will fit your needs.

ASRock vs Gigabyte Motherboards: Performance

ASRock and Gigabyte are two of the leading manufacturers of motherboards. Both companies offer a wide range of products that cater to different needs and budgets. When it comes to performance, however, there are a few key areas where ASRock has the edge over Gigabyte.

First, ASRock motherboards tend to offer better overclocking potential. This means that they can provide a higher level of performance for gamers and other power users who need every last bit of speed from their system.
Second, ASRock motherboards also tend to offer better stability at high temperatures. This is important for anyone who pushes their system to the limit, as it can help prevent crashes and other issues.
Finally, ASRock motherboards typically offer better support for multiple graphics cards. This is ideal for gamers who want to take advantage of the latest technologies, such as 4K resolution and VR gaming.

Overall, ASRock offers better performance than Gigabyte in a number of important areas.

ASRock vs Gigabyte Motherboards: Design

ASRock is widely known for its innovative and unique designs. The company’s motherboards tend to stand out from the crowd, thanks to their unique features and bold aesthetics. ASRock also offers a good selection of budget-friendly options, as well as high-end models for power users. Gigabyte, on the other hand, is more focused on functionality than style. While the company’s motherboards may not be as flashy as ASRock’s, they offer great performance and reliability. Gigabyte also has a good selection of budget-friendly options.

So, which is the better choice? It really depends on your individual needs and preferences. If you’re looking for a flashy motherboard with unique features, ASRock is a great option. If you’re more concerned with performance and reliability, Gigabyte is worth considering. Ultimately, the best motherboard for you is the one that best meets your specific needs.

ASRock vs Gigabyte Motherboards: Specifications

Both ASRock and Gigabyte offer a wide range of options, but ASRock holds the edge in terms of CPU support, with their boards supporting a wider range of CPUs. Another important factor is memory support. Once again, both brands offer a good range of options, but ASRock motherboards allow for higher memory speeds, which can be a significant advantage if you’re looking to build a high-performance system. Next, we’ll take a look at I/O support.

This is where we see the biggest difference between the two brands. ASRock motherboards offer a more comprehensive range of I/O ports, includingUSB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, while Gigabyte motherboards only offer USB 3.0 ports. In terms of expansion slots, both brands offer a good selection, but ASRock’s boards offer more PCIe 3.0 slots, which is important if you’re looking to build a system with multiple graphics cards.

Finally, we’ll look at overclocking features. Once again, both brands offer a good selection of options, but ASRock’s are more comprehensive and user-friendly.

ASRock vs Gigabyte Motherboards: Software

In terms of software, ASRock has the edge. The company’s motherboards come with a variety of features and utilities that make it easy to tweak settings and get the most out of your system. Gigabyte’s motherboards are also feature-rich, but they can be more difficult to navigate. As a result, ASRock is the better choice if you’re looking for a motherboard with easy-to-use software.

ASRock vs Gigabyte Motherboards: Price

When it comes to price, ASRock motherboards tend to be slightly cheaper than Gigabyte motherboards. For example, the ASRock X299 Taichi is currently available for $279.99, while the Gigabyte X299 Aorus Gaming 7 is priced at $289.99. However, it is important to note that prices can vary depending on the specific model and retailer. In general, though, ASRock motherboards are usually slightly less expensive than their Gigabyte counterparts.

ASRock vs Gigabyte Motherboards: Warranty

ASRock offers a standard 3-year warranty on all of its motherboards, while Gigabyte only offers a 2-year warranty. In addition, ASRock’s warranty is transferable, so if you sell your motherboard, the new owner will still be covered. Gigabyte’s warranty is not transferable. So if you decide to upgrade your motherboard or sell it, the new buyer will not be covered by the warranty. In addition, ASRock’s customer service is widely considered to be superior to Gigabyte’s. So if you’re looking for the best motherboard warranty, ASRock is the clear choice.

Top ASRock motherboards series

ASRock motherboards are some of the most popular on the market, and for good reason. They offer a wide range of features and options, making them perfect for both casual and enthusiast PC builders.

The Aqua line of motherboards is designed for water cooling, with an integrated pump and reservoir for easy installation. The Phantom line is geared towards gamers and features LED lighting, M.2 Heatsinks, and support for multiple graphics cards.
The Creator line is perfect for content creators, with options for Thunderbolt 3 and USB Type-C connectivity.
Finally, the Taichi line is ASRock’s top-of-the-line offering, with premium features like a Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 module and a Realtek ALC1220 codec.

No matter what your needs are, ASRock has a motherboard that will fit the bill.

Top Gigabyte motherboards series

AORUS and AERO are two of the most popular lines of gigabyte motherboards.

AORUS motherboards are known for their durability and innovative design, while AERO motherboards offer a more traditional style with a focus on performance. Both lines of motherboards offer a wide range of features and support for a variety of different processors, making them a great choice for any build. AORUS motherboards also come with a host of built-in features, such as support for RGB lighting, M.2 SSDs, Intel Thunderbolt 3, and more.

AERO motherboards, on the other hand, offer a more stripped-down approach with a focus on raw performance. However, both lines of motherboards offer excellent value for the price and are sure to appeal to a wide range of gamers and enthusiasts.

Conclusion

In general, ASRock motherboards are the better choice for most builds. They offer a wider range of features and options, as well as superior customer service and warranty coverage. Gigabyte motherboards are also excellent choices, but they may be more difficult to use and can be more expensive. So if you’re looking for a new motherboard, it’s hard to go wrong with ASRock.

ASUS vs Gigabyte vs MSI vs ASRock — Best Motherboard Brands

There are a lot of motherboard manufacturers out there, but four of them are the most prominent names in terms of production and popularity. They are ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte and ASRock. In today’s article, we are going to find out how these brands stack up against each other and if there’s really one best motherboard manufacturer that stands out among the bunch.

All these companies have tons of products at pretty much any price you can ask for. While this is a great thing for buyers, it can certainly be confusing especially when you hear both good and bad things about the manufacturers from their customer reviews. We will provide you with some of the positives and negatives about each of these brands to help you decide what might be the best motherboard company out of them.

ASUS vs Gigabyte vs MSI vs ASRock

1. ASUS

A few years ago, ASUS was single-handedly the top choice for a lot of gaming and productivity PCs. The market has changed a lot now and while other manufacturers are pretty much on point with their deliverables, ASUS has kept its pace and still is one of the top quality companies out there. ASUS motherboards can be on the expensive side of products, but there is a lot going for them in terms of style, premium components and features. Luckily, ASUS offers some solid options even at their affordable segments of products.

They seem to put a lot of effort into their design, with sleek and subtle aesthetics, well-implemented RGB and the high-quality build and construction. Their ROG Strix and TUF line of motherboards are not unfamiliar to any PC builder thanks to the consistency in performance, hardware and value for money. Whereas TUF focuses on the practicality and essential aspects of the motherboards, ROG is geared more towards style and flashiness. Regardless of what the model is called, you generally get excellent build quality and solid VRMs, even on the cheaper models.

ASUS offers a wide range of products for all budgets, be it entry-level multimedia PCs or high-end noiseless gaming laptops, and you are almost always expected to get powerful VRMs and robust performance with the added bonus of great looks. The quality reputation is reflected in the great customer service that ASUS provides. ASUS boards feature probably the most user-friendly interface we have seen, which makes them great for overclocking and tweaking your rig. The only thing we hope ASUS improves on is their updates on the lower-end models and of course, the price.

PROS —

Great aesthetics and RGB in general.
Probably the most premium build quality from top-to-bottom.
Make the most out of CPU clock speeds.

CONS —

Fewer features per dollar than other brands.

2. Gigabyte

In our opinion, Gigabyte motherboards are some of the best looking and most stable pieces of hardware in the market. As with any other manufacturer on this list, you are bound to see both positive and negative reviews for Gigabyte as well. Based on our experiences, they are consistently a top tier company and produce some of the most well-built products in the market. While they do provide high-quality motherboard components and decent performance across their extensive range of products, much of the premium you pay is for the aesthetics.

Gigabyte is known to excel at both affordable as well as premium hardware. A good example will be their AORUS series. AORUS motherboards are ubiquitous in the market, ranging from some solid value for money options to the most high-end ones with the latest and greatest hardware. While some other products from them tend to stick to the basics offering essential quality and features at great prices.

On comparing ASUS vs Gigabyte motherboard, the BIOS on Gigabyte is nothing exceptional but is pretty functional and intuitive enough for overclocking and tinkering. Though they have greatly improved on the software control and user friendliness with their recent BIOS improvements. We believe that Gigabyte boards are too much focussed on being ‘balanced’ such that they don’t excel at any single category. Turns out that this might be the reason why they are often overlooked in favor of ASUS or MSI.

PROS —

Reliable and Stable hardware in general.
Their mid to high-end boards look gorgeous.
Good customer support.
Decent value for money.

CONS —

Don’t stand out at anything in particular.
Their software is mediocre.

3. MSI

MSI is most known for their gaming components and hardware which includes everything from GPUs, motherboards to gaming laptops and PC cases. Most MSI boards are aggressively geared towards gamers with their signature red and black aesthetics and great performance on a budget. The amazing value sometimes leads to corner cuts or cheaper workarounds, but that hasn’t stopped MSI from becoming the best motherboard company for budget gamers. On the other hand, this raises the doubt are MSI motherboards good for other environments, say content creation or workstations. Turns out the answer is yes.

MSI’s aesthetics are more distinctive, or we should say less expensive than ASUS, which is a hit-or-miss when it comes to the reception by the masses. We don’t worry too much about the looks on our motherboards, but some of you might do. Nevertheless, some of the more premium X570 motherboards from MSI look gorgeous. They are also shifting from long in the tooth red-black design to a sleeker all-black styling with their newer models.

You’ll find a wide range of MSI products at all budget levels, but they have received a lot of criticism for their newer models, especially the most recent X570 line of motherboards. Many users have complained about BIOS issues or the VRMs running too hot when using these newer chipset motherboards with Ryzen 3000. We can definitely understand the case with that but the problems are specific to a few motherboards only.

On the flipside, their more affordable chipset models, particularly the B450 and X470 motherboards have been huge success, with the MSI B450 Tomahawk widely accepted as the single most recommended motherboard for the entire B450 inventory across all brands. MSI has always been quick to deliver BIOS updates and will be one of the leading brands as long as they keep making products like their B450 motherboards.

PROS —

Great range of products for all budgets.
Highly competitive prices in the entry level market.
Very well suited for gaming centric rigs.

CONS —

MSI did break the BIOS and VRM on some of their newer chipset motherboards.
Not the most ‘expensive’ looks.

4. ASRock

ASRock offers some of the cheapest products among these brands, but that doesn’t translate the same way to the quality they offer at those prices. ASRock offers the most bang for the buck as far as motherboards go. We keep hearing from the numerous customer feedbacks about ASRock being extremely good in terms of build quality and fairly quick with their BIOS updates. Some of their most popular series like the Taichi and Fatal1ty motherboards seem to offer a lot more than they are worth, outclassing many other manufacturers when it comes to value for money.

Unlike the big brands like ASUS, ASRock is not mainly about their customer support, which seems to have a lot of mixed experiences. You’ll find users exceptionally pleased with their RMA service and customer support with pertinent responses from the company. On the other hand, you might come across builders who have had underwhelming experiences when it comes to prompt customer service or parts failed, but that is the case with most companies these days.

ASRock motherboards might not look the best or have the coolest RGB onboard, but they more than make up for that with their impressive feature-set and performance per dollar. Some of their most popular products – the X470 Taichi, and its successor X570 Taichi are well-received by PC builders as one of the best value products for the respective chipsets. Although they have managed to include some nice RGB LEDs in the motherboards, their proprietary Polychrome RGB lighting system is very unintuitive and weak when compared to other manufacturers.

What’s best about this company is that even their lowest-end products do not seem to cut corners on essential features. ASRock should always be on your bucket list if you’re in the market for super low-end PC builds, and that goes all the way up to enthusiast-grade desktops with premium motherboards like the X570 Phantom Gaming and X399 Professional which is one of the best X399 motherboard for threadripper.

PROS —

Excellent value for money motherboards.
Fast and stable BIOS updates.
Build quality is usually great for the price.

CONS —

Their Polychrome RGB software is trash.

Conclusion

We hope you liked our comparison of ASUS vs Gigabyte vs MSI vs ASRock and gained some knowledge about these companies when it comes to motherboards. In general, ASUS has the most premium hardware but also is the most expensive, whereas ASRock is the cheapest but very respectable when it comes to hardware. MSI and Gigabyte are widespread in the hardware market and offer great value for money.

In the end, we would strongly suggest you look at the reviews and opinions for a specific motherboard rather than judging with a low-level idea of the brands. All of the ‘big four’ manufacturers have a wide spectrum of products with substantial amounts of overlap when it comes to similar price ranges. We would like to know which one of these companies is your favourite. Leave us a comment sharing some of your experiences with any of them!

0028 vs 32GB

Supports memory debug code?

2 more USB 2.0 ports?
4 vs 2

17mm lower? narrower
188mm vs 205mm

47mm?
197mm vs 244mm

Why is Gigabyte B450M Gaming better than ASRock h510M-HDV?

1 more fan connectors?
3 vs 2
2 more USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A) ports? nine0026 4 vs 2
M.2 connectors 1 more?
1 vs 0
RAID 1 support?
RAID 0 support?
Support for RAID 10 (1+0)?
1 more PCIe x1 slots?
2 vs 1
2 more USB 2.0 ports (pass-through expanders)?
4 vs 2

Which comparisons are the most popular?

ASRock h510M-HDV

ASRock h510M-HVS

Gigabyte B450M Gaming

ASRock B550M-HDV

ASRock h510M-HDV

Gigabyte B360 Aorus Gaming 3

Gigabyte B450M Gaming

Gigabyte B450M DS3H

ASROCK H510M-HDV

GIGABYTE A520M H

GIGABYTE B450M GAMING

ASROCK A520M-HDV

9000m-HDV

9000 GIGABY0003

Gigabyte B450M Gaming

Asus Prime A520M-A

ASRock h510M-HDV

Asus Prime h410M-E

Gigabyte B450M Gaming

Asus TUF A520M-Plus Gaming

ASRock H510M-HDV

ASROCK B460 PRO4

GIGABYTE B450M GAMING

GIGABYTE A520M DS3H

ASRO0004

ASROCK HU0004 Gigabyte B450M Gaming

ASRock B460 Steel Legend

ASRock h510M-HDV

ASRock h570M Pro4

Gigabyte B450M Gaming

ASRock B450M Steel Legend

ASRock h510M-HDV

ASUS H61M-E

GIGABYTE B450M GAMING

ASUS Prime B550M-K

ASROCK H510M-HDV

MSI H210M-A PRO M2

GIGABYTE B5550003

Asus Prime A520M-E

Price comparison

User reviews

Memory

maximum memory

Maximum memory (RAM).

RAM speed

2933MHz

Can support faster memory which speeds up system performance.

RAM speed

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock h510M-HDV)

3600MHz

The motherboard supports overclocking the RAM to a higher speed. By increasing the memory speed, we increase the performance of the computer.

memory slots

The more memory slots (DIMMs), the more RAM you can add to your computer. This is relevant for the upgrade, because. The memory bar can be installed in an empty slot, rather than replacing an already installed one.

DDR memory version

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock h510M-HDV)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Gigabyte B450M Gaming)

DDR (Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) is the most common type of main memory. New versions of DDR memory support higher maximum speeds and are more energy efficient.

memory channels

More memory channels increase the speed of data transfer between memory and processor. nine0003

Supports memory error recovery code

✔ASRock h510M-HDV

✖Gigabyte B450M Gaming

Memory error recovery code can detect and repair data corruption. It is used when necessary to avoid distortion, such as in scientific computing or when starting a server.

Ports

USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-A) ports

USB 3.2 Gen 2 supports speeds up to 10 Gbps. It was previously known as USB 3.1 Gen 2. These ports use the older USB-A connector. nine0003

USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A) ports

USB 3.2 Gen 1 supports speeds up to 5 Gbps. It was previously known as USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.0. These ports use the old USB-A connector.

USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB-C) ports

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock h510M-HDV)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Gigabyte B450M Gaming)

USB 3.2 Gen 2 supports speeds up to 10Gbps. It was previously known as USB 3.1 Gen 2. These ports use a USB-C connector. nine0003

USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-C) ports

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock h510M-HDV)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Gigabyte B450M Gaming)

USB 3.2 Gen 1 supports speeds up to 5Gbps. It was previously known as USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.0. These ports use a USB-C connector.

USB 2.0 ports

The more USB 2.0 ports, the more USB 2.0 compatible devices you can connect to your computer.

USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 ports

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock h510M-HDV)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Gigabyte B450M Gaming)

USB 3. 2 Gen 2×2 was introduced in 2019. It supports speeds up to 20Gbps and uses a USB-C connector.

USB 4 40Gbps ports

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock h510M-HDV)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Gigabyte B450M Gaming)

This version of USB 4 supports very high speeds up to 40 Gbps. Unlike USB 3.2, USB 4 can allocate bandwidth for video and data. These ports use a USB-C connector.

USB 4 20Gbps ports

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock h510M-HDV)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Gigabyte B450M Gaming)

This version of USB 4 supports speeds up to 20Gbps. Unlike USB 3.2, USB 4 can allocate bandwidth for video and data. These ports use a USB-C connector. nine0003

Thunderbolt 4 ports

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock h510M-HDV)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Gigabyte B450M Gaming)

Number of Thunderbolt 4 compatible USB ports. These ports support speeds up to 40 Gb/s, including a minimum PCIe speed of 32 Gb/s. This ensures that it can support two external 4K screens (or one external 8K screen).

Connectors

USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (via expansion)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock h510M-HDV)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Gigabyte B450M Gaming)

The number of USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports that can be added using the USB headers on the motherboard.

USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (via expansion)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (ASRock h510M-HDV)

Unknown. Help us offer a price. (Gigabyte B450M Gaming)

The number of USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports that can be added using the USB connectors on the motherboard.

USB 2.0 ports (pass-through expanders)

Number of USB 2.0 ports that can be added via pins (USB headers) on the motherboard.

SATA 3 connectors

SATA is an interface used to connect storage devices such as hard drives and Blu-ray discs. The native data transfer rate of SATA 3 is 6 Gb/s, which is twice as high as that of SATA 2. It can be useful to use an SSD, because it improves the speed. nine0003

fan headers

These are the contact surfaces on the motherboard to which fans can be connected. Fans, of course, can also be connected directly to the power supply, but by connecting them through the motherboard, we get the ability to control devices through software.

USB 3.0 ports (pass-through expanders)

The motherboard has pins in the form of male connectors to which additional USB ports can be connected.

M.2 slots

M.2 is an interface used to connect various devices, mainly storage devices such as M.2 SSDs. It is a revision of mSATA and supports much higher data transfer rates.

There is a TPM connector

✔ASRock h510M-HDV

✔Gigabyte B450M Gaming

Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a component that greatly improves security. For example, it enables the creation of RSA keys in a secure environment, minimizing the risk of hackers. nine0003

U.2 connectors

U.2 is an interface used to connect various types of devices, mainly storage devices. It is equal in performance to M.2, but U.2 SSD drives are manufactured in the format of regular 2.5″ SATA drives, and because of this, they support much larger volumes than mSATA drives. PCIe slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards such as sound and network. «x16» indicates the number of lanes. The more lanes, the higher the data transfer rate. PCIe 3.0 offers faster speed than PCIe 2.0 and better performance.

PCIe 4.0 x16 slots

PCIe slots allow you to connect various components such as video cards and SSDs to the motherboard. The number of data lanes (determined by the number after the «x») determines the data rate. PCIe 4.0 provides transfer speeds of 16GT/s, doubling the bandwidth provided by PCIe 3.0.

PCIe x1 slots

PCIe slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards: for example, sound and network. «x1» indicates the number of tracks. The more tracks, the higher the data transfer rate. nine0003

PCI slots

PCI slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards: for example, sound and network cards. PCI technology has been superseded by PCI Express technology, which offers higher data transfer speeds, but there are still many cards using PCI slots these days.

PCIe 2.0 x16 slots

PCIe slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards: for example, sound and network. «x16» indicates the number of tracks. The more tracks, the higher the data transfer rate. nine0003

PCIe x4 slots

PCIe slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards: for example, sound and network. «x4» indicates the number of tracks. The more tracks, the higher the data transfer rate.

PCIe x8 slots

PCIe slots are designed to connect peripherals to the motherboard, mainly graphics cards, less often other cards: for example, sound and network. «x8» indicates the number of tracks. The more tracks, the higher the data transfer rate. nine0003

Audio

Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)

When a digital signal is converted to analog (for example, when playing sound through speakers or headphones), a certain amount of noise is carried in the signal. Higher SNR means less noise and better audio quality when converting.

audio channels

Each channel is a separate stream of audio information. The more channels, the more realistic the experience, such as surround sound. nine0003

S/PDIF out port available

✖ASRock h510M-HDV

✖Gigabyte B450M Gaming

S/PDIF is an interface used to transfer high quality digital audio.

audio connectors

The more connectors, the more audio devices (speakers, microphones) you can connect.

Memory

RAID 1 support

✖ASRock h510M-HDV

✔Gigabyte B450M Gaming

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple drives in one array. RAID 1 is a technology of mirror duplication of information on disks. Provides increased data storage security, as if one drive fails, the data will be available from another drive. nine0003

Support for RAID 10 (1+0)

✖ASRock h510M-HDV

✔Gigabyte B450M Gaming

RAID is a data storage technology that combines multiple drives into one array. RAID 10(1+0) is a technology for striping and mirroring information on disks. Has higher processing capacity and performance compared to a single drive. It also provides increased data storage security, as if one drive fails, the data will be available from another drive. nine0003

RAID 5 support

✖ASRock h510M-HDV

✖Gigabyte B450M Gaming

RAID is a data storage technology that combines multiple disks in one array. RAID 5 is a disk striping technology. It has higher performance compared to a separate disk. It also provides enhanced data storage security, as if one disk fails, the data will still be available on the other, thanks to the use of non-dedicated parity disk technology. nine0003

RAID 0 support

✖ASRock h510M-HDV

✔Gigabyte B450M Gaming

RAID is a data storage technology that combines multiple drives in one array. RAID 0 is a disk striping technology. Has higher processing capacity and performance compared to a single drive. The disadvantage is that if one drive fails, data will be lost on all drives.

RAID 0+1 support

✖ASRock h510M-HDV

✖Gigabyte B450M Gaming

RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disk drives into a single array. RAID 0+1 is a technology of striping and mirror duplication of information on disks. It has higher processing capacity and performance compared to a single drive. It also provides increased data storage security, because if one drive fails, the data will be available from another drive.

Price comparison

Which motherboards are better?

ASUS Prime H610M-K D4 vs. ASRock H610M-HDV/M.2 Gigabyte H610M S2H DDR4 vs. MSI PRO H610M-G DDR4 — i2HARD Comparison Test

We recently looked at the capabilities of different 600 series motherboards. Today we will take a different approach. For the review, we bought 4 of the cheapest models and intend to test their capabilities. What is the difference between motherboards from different vendors within the same H610 chipset?

Test bench

Video Card: Palit GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GameRock OC
Processor: Intel Core i5-12400
Motherboard #1: ASUS Prime H610M-K D4
Motherboard #2: ASRock H610M-HDV/M.2
Motherboard #3: Gigabyte H610M S2H DDR4
Motherboard #4: MSI PRO H610M-G DDR4
DDR4 RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT[BLS8G4D30AESCK] 3000 MHz CL15 2x8GB

9002- Cooling SE-224-XT BLACK V2

Cooling System #2: ID-Cooling IS-60 v2
Drive: Crucial MX500 2 TB
Power Supply: Deepcool DQ850-M-V2L
Chassis: Open Stand
Operating System: Windows 10 For

The main test as a cooling system will be ID-Cooling SE-224-XT Black V2. This budget cooler with four heat pipes and a 120 mm fan has proved to be one of the most efficient in its segment, and we’ll talk about the ID-Cooling IS-60 V2 a bit later. nine0003

Differences of motherboards

Everything is similar in the kit: 2 Sata cables, a disk, a plug and waste paper for everyone. The only difference is the presence of a foam substrate on the ASRock board.

Already more differences in the number of connectors and ports of the motherboards themselves. For example, if MSI and ASUS have a total of two fan connectors, then Gigabyte already has 3, and ASRock has as many as 4. The latter also has 2 PCI-E x1 slots, and not one, like the others, M.2 connector for Wi-FI and, accordingly, 2 places for antennas. But at the same time, I had to sacrifice two USB ports. Otherwise, everything is similar. 2 slots for RAM, one for M.2 storage, 4 for SATA, sound, network, PS / 2, except that ASUS does not have a Displayport for displaying images from integrated graphics, and ASRock does not have power for RGB lighting. nine0003

No less important is the quantity and quality of the elements responsible for powering the processor, that is, the VRM.

If we look at the number of mosfets allocated to processor cores, then ceteris paribus, GIgabyte would lead with a total of 18 pieces, then MSI, then ASRock, and finally ASUS.

But we all understand that this is only a superficial judgment. Not only are mosfets in the lower arm usually better than those in the upper arm, but different manufacturers put different power elements. Add to that board thickness, location, LLC, and a million other factors. So let’s jump straight into the stress test. nine0003

The first thing you should pay attention to is the limits. Recall that, starting from the 12th generation, Intel completely gave control over them to motherboard manufacturers. Self-confident ASUS and Gigabyte set a short-term limit of 241 watts, and a long-term limit, usually less than a minute away, of 125 watts. ASRock, in turn, is modest and sets the limits at 117 and 65 watts, respectively, while MSI — at 169 and 65 watts. As a result, the 12400, which consumes about 80 watts without limits, resets the frequency to fit within the 65 watt limit. In this scenario, with an ASRock motherboard, you lose a little more than 200 MHz, and in the case of MSI, a little less than 300.

As for the temperatures of the power circuits, they are not pleasing to the eye. The top photos are above the socket and the bottom photos are to the left of the socket. It can be seen that these limits are not set in vain. On a windproof outdoor bench, where the only airflow is provided by the CPU cooler, a 65-watt processor was enough to warm them up to almost 100°C in 10 minutes. Asus, which could be branded the worst board in terms of mosfets, was cooler despite the fact that the processor without a limit consumed 10 watts more; and Gigabyte, at which the TDP was equal to 85 Watts, according to the sensor, turned out to be the best, as expected. As you can see, you can’t guess. nine0003

As for the mosfet temperature sensor, everything is ambiguous here. ASUS has nothing close to it, ASRock has one of them showing almost the right temperature, Gigabyte has all the indicators far below its 84 ° C, like MSI.

The next step: remove the limits on ASRock and MSI. This is done in a few clicks. At ASRock, the item is placed in a prominent place, but more than 95 watts cannot be put here. If you go deeper, there will be more settings, but the long-term limit is still 95 watts. In MSI, this setting is also easy to notice. It’s funny that the set limit of 65 watts is calculated for a boxed cooler, and not a weak VRM. nine0003

Now that the limits have been lifted, we can pay attention to a few more parameters. For example, MSI and Gigabyte supply a higher voltage to the processor, which causes it to have higher power consumption. Although we are not used to trusting these sensors, the system with these motherboards also consumes more from the outlet.

Also interesting is the fact that Gigabyte took care not only of low VRM temperatures, but also of processor cooling. By default, it has the most aggressive fan speed curve. Whereas MSI needs to rethink their chart, which has a fan on the cooler spinning at 6000 RPM. nine0003

If we transfer this to the general graph, then everything becomes much clearer. What is the conclusion from this? If you like silence, and you have a noisy cooler, then on the gigabyte board you will need to correct the curve.

So. What is the temperature without limits? Due to the higher voltage and, as a result, the consumption of the i5-12400 without limit, MSI got hotter than ASRock. She gained 7°C while ASRock added 5°C. It is difficult to say how dangerous these temperatures are, because it depends on many factors, the main of which is the duration of such a load. From this we can conclude that the i3-12100 will not cause problems even in the worst-case scenario, and you should not count on something more than the i5-12400. nine0003

Even Gigabyte starts throttling with the i5-12600K after 2.5 minutes. With his 135 watts, he warmed it up to 120 ° C. By the way, the integrated graphics could not warm up any of the boards above 70°C.

Can the situation be improved somehow? One option is to replace the classic tower with a top-flow cooler. For example, the ID-Cooling IS-60 v2 is one of the few that supports 1700 sockets. But there’s a problem. Due to its design, a small heatsink and a thin fan with matching blades, its efficiency is much worse than that of a conventional tower. nine0003

The temperature of the processor with it is almost 20°C higher, which increased power consumption. If instead of its fan there was a full-fledged 120 with efficiency, like the classic Arctic P12, then the processor would heat up 3-4 degrees less, but the difference is still great.

With regards to VRM, even mosfets blown with hot air heat up a little less on one of the sides, especially with the arctic. It’s funny to note that this cooler with its own fan should be placed vertically with the heatsink fins to effectively cool the area to the left of the socket, and horizontally to cool the area above the socket. nine0003

The next point of our comparison will be the performance of the processor. In many tasks, including games, it depends on the RAM, for which we set the maximum and most popular XMP 3200 MHz with timings of 16-18-18-36. The motherboards themselves were responsible for the rest of the timings. And if you’ve watched the i5-12400 review, you may remember how we mentioned that our motherboards set much higher tertiary timings than previous generations.

nine0004 Then we suggested 2 options: either this is a feature of all boards with 600 chipsets, or only ASUS. Both options are correct. True, then we had two-rank modules on Samsung B-die chips, and now we have single-rank modules with Micron Rev.E chips. But even so, we see that ASUS really has the highest thirds. However, for other boards they are higher than they would be on previous generations of Intel processors. Since we only have two peer-to-peer modules, let’s hide the thirds that are not related to them. ASUS has the worst timings, followed by MSI, then Gigabyte, and ASRock showed the best thirds. How does this affect synthetics? nine0003

Synthetic tests

In AIDA 64, the differences are small. ASUS has a slower copy speed compared to other boards, and Gigabyte has slightly lower latency than others. The error in this benchmark is considerable, so you should not take these differences seriously.

CPU-Z is memory independent, so it doesn’t matter which motherboard you choose.

In Cinebench R23 it’s the same, even a single core boost works the same way.

But in Geekbench 5 there is already a difference not in favor of ASUS. And it’s not just that she has the worst timings. No, the problem here is mainly in the presence of AVX-512 instructions, which were disabled on the latest ASUS BIOS versions, unlike motherboards from other vendors. nine0003

The Premiere Pro 12400, located in the ASUS Prime H610M-K, renders the scene a couple of percent longer.

Tests in games

Cyberpunk, preset: ultra ray tracing, RT reflections disabled, DLSS: ultra performance, high crowd density. Here, the 12400 in the board from ASUS demonstrates the lowest FPS, but the gap is much smaller than on dual-rank modules from the review for the same i5. With other motherboards, FPS is 3-4% higher. Power consumption is in the range of 50-60 watts. Cyberpunk parallels well, so in most other games the CPU gluttony will be lower, especially due to the emphasis on the video card. However, if you have it literally powerful, then the hot air from it will warm up the case and it will be more difficult for the mosfets to cool down. nine0003

Far Cry 6, ultra preset, DXR reflections and shadows enabled, HD textures disabled, FOV 90, FSR performance. This game parallelizes worse, so the processor consumption on all boards does not exceed 50 watts. The lag in FPS from other boards in the processor in the motherboard from ASUS also decreased to 1-2%, which is comparable to the measurement error.

StarCraft II, all settings maxed out. Regardless of the motherboard vendor, the presence of a small background load from monitoring does not allow the processor to use a 2-core turbo boost. FPS differs within the margin of error, so when it comes to gaming, you won’t care which board you choose. nine0003

Undervolt

And immediately a bummer. Our i5-12400 cannot be undervolted. This happens with Alder Lake, this unusual behavior was noticed during the i7-12700K test, but today the i5 confirmed this strangeness. Some processors in the Alder Lake family lose their performance at the slightest undervolt. Checked on different boards — the same thing.

A familiar situation, isn’t it? Ryzens also lose performance after a certain voltage offset threshold. But here it happens immediately, although not on all processors. Fixed voltage and frequency won’t help you either. Plus, this cannot be tracked by the effective frequency, which immediately drops on ryzens, it is normal for alders. You have to run Cinebench to make sure everything is in order. And as you can see, the losses are terrible. Caches have slowed down in Aida, and a lot of points are lost in bluebench. Depends on the degree of load, but you know, it’s not worth it. Okay, what about memory settings? nine0003

There are also differences here. In all cases, overclocking is only timing adjustment, since for i5-12400 on H610 chipset, the maximum memory frequency cannot exceed 3200 MHz. The BIOS of ASUS and MSI will allow you to select a higher value, but will not start after the settings are applied.

In the case of ASUS, we recommend manually setting Gear 1 and memory voltage, since in the machine this board sets Gear 2 and 1.5 V for memory even at such a low frequency. A plus is that there is no need to reset the BIOS with unsuccessfully selected timings. In any situation, when you do not start, you can turn off the computer by holding the power button for a long time, and then turn it on and further customize your overclocking. nine0003

On ASRock, the third timing can be lowered to 11, while on ASUS it is unstable below 15, and tWTR and tWR timings do not need to be set through tertiary timings, which is convenient. But at the same time, you cannot turn off Power Down Mode here, which reduces latency in Hades, you cannot set any special Command Rate 1, as well as zeros or ones in unused tertiary timings for visualization convenience.

Gigabyte has much more restrictions. If the 3rd timing is set below the 2nd, the board will ignore you and set it equal to the 2nd. Forget about tRC timing, it’s just for show. Even the fields displaying its current value are empty. You can put any — there will be no effect. tREFI on other boards can be set up to more than 200 thousand, here the old limit is 65 thousand. tXP seems to recommend setting it manually when Power Down cannot be turned off, but here you will also be ignored. nine0003

The MSI had an odd BIOS update. The last version was perceived by the board as foreign, and on the penultimate one there was no launch with a memory voltage higher than 1.39 V. Fortunately, it was possible to roll back.

In addition to Command Rate 1, Real 1N mode can be selected. For ease of perception, unused tertiary timings can be set to ones, and for some reason the tRDWR group was unstable at nines. Power Down can be turned off.

To consolidate the result, all the timings are in front of you, you can consider as much as you like.
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Despite disabled Power Down and special command rate 1, latency on ASUS and MSI is not the lowest. In general, everything here is within the limits of a considerable error.

In GeekBench, the lack of AVX-512 instructions for the processor in the board from ASUS again had a negative effect. The rest of the participants are equal.

In Premiere Pro, these instructions also seem to help a little, but the difference of a couple of percent is too small to be taken seriously.

In Cyberpunk, for some reason, the processor in the ASRock board shows the highest FPS. Cross-checking the results and other attempts to find out the reason for this led to strange results. If we equate the third timing and tREFI to the values, as on Gigabyte, then the FPS drops, while the same actions on MSI led to FPS fluctuations within the margin of error. Either they are actually ignored on MSI, or the Great God of Random is playing with us. nine0003

FarCry 6 no longer has this difference. She’s within the margin of error. By the way, adjusting the timings on Gigabyte and MSI increased the average FPS by 8%, and on ASUS and ASRock — by 11 and 10%, respectively. In Cyberpunk, these values varied even more — from 8 to 15% depending on the board.

Everyone is equal in StarCraft too, and overclocking here gave from 6 to 9% on average FPS. In general, it is difficult to track any difference from the presence or absence of any timings settings. As you can see, all boards except MSI were somewhat limited, but at the same time it was not a leader either in synthetics or in games. nine0003

Therefore, you can rely on the conclusions announced before overclocking. Globally, nothing has changed. No choice is wrong, each board has its own small advantage. And we told you about them

Conclusion

As a result, we can mark the Gigabyte H610M S2H DDR4 as the favorite, on which you do not need to remove the limits for the processor. It has a better VRM, two (not one) case fan headers, but it has an aggressively tuned fan speed curve, which is a small thing.