Brief review of the ASRock B850 Steel Legend WiFi Motherboard, which combines top-tier audio quality with a budget-friendly price tag.
The ASRock B850 Steel Legend, a sturdy contender in the motherboard market, was put to the test in a comprehensive review. Equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9 9900X CPU, the system boasts a state-of-the-art graphics card, the Asus TUF RTX 4080 16G, and a high-performance cooling system, the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420.
The sound system for this test system utilises integrated HD audio, while the graphics driver used is NVIDIA Driver 561.09. The power supply unit is the EVGA Supernova 850W P6, ensuring a steady power supply for the system's components.
The storage for the test system is a Crucial 2TB T705 M.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD, offering lightning-fast data transfer speeds.
The ASRock B850 Steel Legend's standard BIOS displays headings across the top with subheadings and details below, providing a clear and easy-to-navigate interface. ASRock includes every option in the firmware that users might think of, making it a versatile choice for system builders.
The ASRock BIOS starts in Easy Mode but allows adjustments to several options, including XMP, profiles, boot order, and Fan-Tuning. Overclocking on the ASRock B850 Steel Legend is straightforward, with most options readily available. The layout of the ASRock firmware is logical, and the mouse movement is smooth, ensuring a user-friendly experience.
ASRock offers several software options, including the App Shop, Nahimic 3 audio control panel, A-Tuning application, Polychrome RGB software, Blazing OC Tuner, and more. These tools provide everything users need to manage and tweak their systems effectively.
In terms of firmware updates, ASRock's updates for their new X870 and B850 motherboards are functional and stable but considered somewhat dated in comparison to the more modern UEFI interfaces from Gigabyte and MSI. However, ASRock has been addressing Ryzen 9000 CPU boot issues on B850 and X870 boards early in 2025, indicating ongoing support.
MSI's UEFI firmware on B850 and X870 boards is notably more refined and user-friendly. It features redesigned BIOS with dual modes (easy and advanced), better power limit management in updates, and integrated MSI Center software for RGB, fan control, overclocking, and diagnostics all in one place. MSI also actively updates their BIOS to improve performance and compatibility.
Gigabyte's UEFI, while not extensively detailed in the provided sources, is implied to be on par with MSI’s firmware in terms of being modern and updated, with ASRock considered behind both brands in firmware polish.
In summary, MSI and Gigabyte currently lead in UEFI update polish and modernity on X870 and B850 motherboards, with ASRock performing well but needing firmware UI updates to catch up. The ASRock B850 Steel Legend, however, offers a robust and comprehensive set of features, making it a strong choice for system builders seeking versatility and performance.
- The ASRock B850 Steel Legend, despite being slightly behind MSI and Gigabyte in terms of UEFI firmware updates, showcases a robust and comprehensive set of features that make it a strong choice for system builders who prioritize versatility and performance.
- While the technology of the ASRock B850 Steel Legend's firmware is functional and stable, it could benefit from updates to bring it in line with the more modern UEFI interfaces found on Gigabyte and MSI motherboards, as technological advancements continue to shape the motherboard market.
