ASRock B850 Motherboards Review – RIPTIDE, LIGHTNING, STEEL LEGEND & LiveMixer Aiming The $200 US AM5 Segment

ASRock B850 LiveMixer WIFI - Unboxing & Close Up

The ASRock B850 LiveMixer WIFI motherboard comes in a standard cardboard package. The front features a picture of the motherboard & is part of the LiveMixer series that is geared towards the content creator segment. The packaging also lists down a few features such as Polychrome SYNC, WIFI 7 & HDMI.

The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard, such as the 14+2+1 phase power design, Wi-Fi7, 23 USB ports, USB Power Delivery, PCIe Gen5, Tool-less M.2 heatsinks and Blazing M.2 ports.

Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories and is located right below the box holder for the board itself. These include:

• - 2 x SATA Data Cables
• - 2 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antennas
• - 1 x Thermistor Cable

With all the accessories done, it's time to put that box aside and take the motherboard out of its package. The ASRock B850 LiveMixer WIFI motherboard is a standard ATX offering that measures 305x244 mm.

The motherboard carries a black color scheme with large silver covers with a reflective touch and grey-colored heatsinks.

The board uses the LGA 1718 socket to support AMD Ryzen "AM5" processors. The socket works with Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000G, and Ryzen 9000 CPUs and will also support future generations of AM5 Ryzen chips that are supported by the platform.

Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 256 GB of dual-channel memory.

These slots are rated to support EXPO/XMP profiles up to 8000 MT/s (OC Plus). Each slot is labeled, making it easier to install DIMMs in the proper orientation. DDR5 memory comes with a different latch position so forcing a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage. The full QVL list can be found here.

The ASRock B850 LiveMixer WIFI motherboard features a 14+2+1 (VCore/ VccGT/VccAUX)  phase Dr.MOS power delivery that utilizes 80A Power Stages. Once again, a very similar VRM design as RIPTIDE and Steel Legend offerings.

The VRMs and power delivery solution are scattered around the AM5 socket. The board uses an 8-layer server-grade PCB. Underneath the VRM heatsink are 7W/mK Thermal pads which transfer heat from the VRMs to the heatsink.

The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8 pin EPS power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 600 Watts of power. The AMD Ryzen 9000 CPUs are very power-hungry with the maximum target power going above 220W for the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X CPU.

Expansion slots include three PCI Express x16 (1 x Gen 5.0 x16/8 / 2x Gen 4.0 x4) and three M.2 slots. The PCIE2 slot will become disabled when the fourth M.2 slot is occupied.

• CPU:
  - 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1), supports x16 mode
• Chipset:
  - 2 x PCIe 4.0 x16 Slots (PCIE2 and PCIE3), support x4 mode
  - 1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT PCIe WiFi module
  - 15μ Gold Contact in VGA PCIe Slot (PCIE1)

The motherboard utilizes a full metallic slot and ASRock also uses a new mechanism called Graphics Card Lite Release which has an enlarged latch for easy pressing that should help in removing the graphics card from the slot.

The motherboard also has a vast array of M.2 slots, all of which are featured under dedicated M.2 Frozr heatsinks.

There are a total of three M.2 slots on the motherboard which include one PCIe Gen5 Blazing M.2 slot and two Hyper M.2 Gen4 x4 slots. All of these slots are cooled by M.2 heatsinks which include a XXL M.2 heatsink with anti-drop screw design. The top design features a toolless design, too, which makes it easy to access the slot. Following is the full list of M.2 ports and their details on the ASRock B850 LiveMixer WIFI motherboard:

• CPU:
  - 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode
  - 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
• Chipset:
  - 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2230/2242/2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
  - 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors

The motherboard has a single RGB LED zone underneath the larger M.2 heatsink, and it also comes with 3 ARGB and 1 RGB LED connector for users to personalize their PC using the Polychrome Sync software.

Storage options include two SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support up to two different storage devices at once. For USB, you get a total of 23 ports which include 1 USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C, 1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 8 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A and 12 USB 2.0 ports.

The full list of connectors on the motherboard is listed as follows.

• - 1 x SPI TPM Header
• - 1 x Thermistor Cable Header
• - 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
• - 1 x RGB LED Header
• - 3 x Addressable LED Headers
• - 2 x CPU Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• - 3 x Chassis Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• - 1 x AIO Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• - 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector
• - 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
• - 1 x 4 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
• - 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
• - 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports)
• - 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Headers (Support 4 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
• - 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Header (20 Gb/s)

ASRock uses a 7.1 CH HD audio design with the latest Realtek ALC1220 CODEC. Other than that, you get a BIOS Flashback button on the rear IO panel.

ASRock is using the latest WIFI 7 Module to power wireless connectivity and Bluetooth 5.4. In terms of Ethernet, there is a single 2.5 GbE LAN port powered by the Dragon RTL8125BG controller.

The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:

• - 2 x Antenna Ports
• - 1 x HDMI Port
• - 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
• - 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
• - 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s)
• - 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s)
• - 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A Ports
• - 8 x USB 2.0 Ports
• - 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port
• - 1 x BIOS Flashback Button
• - 1 x Line Out Jack (Gold Audio Jack)
• - 1 x Microphone Input Jack (Gold Audio Jack)