Asus's Strix X870-I is the 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 800 series AM5 ITX board.

[@rockyyz89]

thx for the review, with how things happened, im just glad with my choice back then of going with a 7800x3d and the b650e-i rog

[@europason2293]

There will almost certainly be B850 ITX boards. Hoping for some better offerings at more reasonable prices.

[@Donbros]

Same, hope it doesnt suck

[@marksulloway5669]

Nice review. No onboard audio - ah no. Magnetic attachment will not work on aluminum or plastic case panels.

[@MachinesMore]

Yup, it most likely will just end up on a desk.

[@Donbros]

This seems like bs

[@meateaw]

Who actually uses onboard audio these days?

[@tekstyle1679]

Just installed this board with a 9800x3d and ddr5 8000 expo tweeked profile , pbo enhanced 85tjmax ,10x scalar +200 overide and it booted up zero issues in 6 seconds and is solid at 5530mhz and never gets past 69c at full load. Cant say the same as my strix x670i board . That one took a long time to get solid. I dont often use the onboard audio but even if you do the large vol knob is handy to have when you travel with a 60% keyboard. I was a bit surprised to see usb2.0 to be fair but i still like it. 👍

[@os8704]

Sind Sie zufrieden mit dem Board und würden es empfehlen?

[@leiferikson2375]

what ram did you buy?

[@tunejunky]

fantastic review, the "Hive" is a loser for me as i run a dac. i can only hope Asrock makes an 870 itx

[@Zalionn]

I really dislike paying for extra useless crap.

[@djnes2k7]

The least important feature of the hive is the audio. You’re focused on the wrong thing

[@meateaw]

Then don't use the hive? And you have less ports on the PC?

[@j00st91]

IMO I'm not a fan of the Hive add-on or mobo vendors using daughter cards to add functionality. I feel like vendors are trying to oversaturate functionality to justify these excessive prices. I feel like they're trying to also justify the 870 chipset over 650/670, which really just boils down to connectivity.

[@420247paul]

well to each there own

[@ouki4925]

Hive is necessary at this level. It comes with its own postcode equivalent via Q-LED lights. I used it to find out that my 7950X3D's I/O die completely died.

[@djnes2k7]

Yall are just bitching now…trying to keep heat at bay with how powerful this is…pcb space is a luxury.

[@Donbros]

@@djnes2k7you are actually kinda right

[@adriankomadowski]

Hey, I have this board for 7 days now, what is your USB4 firmware? It's in BIOS under advanced > AMD PBS > ASM4242. I wonder if there is an update as USB4 ports constantly reconnect my Quest 3 VR headset rendering it useless. Looking for any clues I came from X670E-I Gaming WiFi on which when I had anything plugged into USB-C it had issues waking up from sleep (it was intel thunderbolt controller in this case) & asus decided to take the board and return me money. On the new board everything seems to work beside the VR and I bought a board with USB-C to use it with VR so bummers. EDIT: ​Meta finally added support for ASM4242 in beta firmware so all good now. Asus is returning money for X670E-I and I have working X870 so massive win!

[@SuperGGnoRE]

How do you know it's not the Quest unplugging?

[@adriankomadowski]

@@SuperGGnoRE cause it works when using A to C adapters but I have only 2.0 ones so it's not a solution & it connects then disconnects every 1 second or even lower

[@Tony72495]

I bought the X670E-I Strix as well. The solution for USB-C accessories not being able to wake from sleep is actually a pretty simple fix. In the Device Manager, you have to find the USB-C ports and whatever is listed as the USB-C hub or accessory, open it, go to properties, and where it says "Allow computer to turn off this device to save power", make sure that is unchecked. I have an HTPC setup at a distance so my mouse and keyboard are plugged into a hub that goes into the USB-C port. By ensuring that USB-C port stays active during sleep, and that the hub stays active during sleep, I'm now able to properly wake the PC from sleep.

[@adriankomadowski]

@@Tony72495 sorry, I must have written it wrong. My issue wasn't that my peripherals won't wake PC. It would not wake even by pressing power button and the only way to get back into system was to hard shut down it and start up again. It would only happen when something (doesn't matter what) - an empty HUB or Quest 3 was plugged into any of the USB-C ports. And I thought I got a faulty unit so I bought second one and it was the same

[@Tony72495]

@@adriankomadowski I believe the issue is related, I also had occasional issues where even hitting the power button wouldn't work. I began to believe that my PC was suffering instability issues. Since I changed the power settings for the USB-C ports, however, I haven't had any issues, I can leave the PC for hours and if I wiggle my mouse it springs right back to life.

[@12345harv12345]

Got one for my build. The only option for AM5 mini ITX right now (ordered from factory). Paired it with 9950x. Great board. Build quality is TOP tier.

[@vikhaxnz]

Man, machines and more manages to answer all the questions I end up having when it comes to planning my next build. Thanks again for a great video!

[@turagkhan3469]

This is just sad we need more itx boards

[@dasharius3021]

From other reviews I heard that the clear cmos button only works when you entirely disconnect the boards power. So with high end PSUs it can take a long time till the capacitors are empty and you can finally clear cmos. Otherwise you would need to disconnect the 24 Pin connector every time. Which makes this board kinda weird for overclocking attempts.

[@meateaw]

Unplug PSU the. Push power on button. Instantly emptied capacitors. Then push clear CMOS.

[@screes620]

I feel like the ASRock A620I Lightning Wifi is a hidden gem if you are planning on using an x3d CPU. About the only thing it's lacking is maybe a few extra usb ports on the rear i/o, but otherwise it has basically everything every other AM5 itx board has but at a fraction of the cost. Hardware unboxed reviewed it recently and shows it's a solid board.

[@Tony72495]

Unfortunately I have Thunderbolt accessories from previous PC's and my Macbook, so an expensive ITX board with Thunderbolt/USB4 is basically a necessity.

[@rsher_digital-art]

Great review. All of your videos are top notch.

[@ajmalsarwar6272]

Hi big fan of this review. Quick question would this motherboard be compatible with the peerless assassin 120 mini?

[@shusui9665]

did you know yet for pa120 mini was wondering too

[@paololololol]

Really more interested in that teal PC case. Is that custom?

[@taskmaster5437]

Will this run 8400 CL40 kit from G.Skill? ASUS advertising claims up to 8600 OCed and their memory support lists 8400 kit from G.Skill, tho you'll more than likely need to tune it and add a RAM fan I'd wager.

[@alphasixty1316]

That audio solution on these appears to be useless trash. I just don't see the point. Seems to me folks paying for a high-quality MB have already invested in nice audio options. That thing is ugly without any real functionality for the user. Nice board

[@Erksah02]

I actually use the onboard audio to have lower latency. The quality is worse than a good dac amp combo though. Oboard audio has gotten very good over time

[@djnes2k7]

It’s not an “audio solution” almost no one will be using it for that. It’s about room. It has a usb slot. The main thing is the post lights and reset button. Most sfx case don’t have reset buttons it add it back. Also you can do pbo and update bios with only having your psu hooked up…..

[@meateaw]

Power button and mute switch with volume knob, along with USB extender for the mouse receiver. But in reality, who actually uses onboard audio though? Remote power button is nice. There's a power button header on the board though, so you just do tbuse the hive if you don't need it.

[@garycalliham6643]

I thought most people rspecially gamers use the onboard audio..on board audio bas cone a long way..i have been wondering if anyone uses pci audio cards any more. ​@meateaw

[@gooberdoober22]

cant wait for some solid b series itx motherboards soon, seems there hasnt been a real winner since am5 began

[@gooberdoober22]

(wifi chip on it has to be intel obviously)

[@Braffy]

​@@gooberdoober22 I managed to pick up a Gigabyte B650i v1.1 with the Intel wifi. Also, it's not difficult to replace the wifi card on most boards

[@thewarlock192]

Noisy mini fans again?....Asus never learns 😒😒😒 (BTW...nice video M&M!)

[@samven582]

coil whine?

[@kettusnuhveli]

Feature wise the competition for X870 is actually B650E... yes, AMD downgraded the feature set when moving to 800 series which is a real bummer.

[@vincentvega3093]

I'd recommend the b650i strix at a discount instead.

[@CarnivoryHODL]

Same. What I currently have. Excellent board.

[@MachinesMore]

For most ITX builders that is my recommendation as well. For mid level builds the MSI B650 is also good.

[@EIGAtech]

Cries in coil whine... But yeah, other than that, solid.

[@Aexeq]

​@@EIGAtechyep, I'm on team ASRock for AM5 until we see what else comes out. Just so much random stupid stuff on boards. Like was a fan with 12x110w power stages really necessary? Why external audio? Why have a doughterboard for necessary connectors instead of optional connectors? And I guess we don't have to talk about cooler compatibility, it's mostly at the base level, if keep out zones are properly met.

[@CarnivoryHODL]

@@EIGAtech somehow, very little to no whine in mine. Got lucky.

[@2keylows]

Can any UsbC cable be used with Hive II device?

[@sorenvitarelli]

The video output through USB 4.0 goes through the integrated graphics right? Or does it bypass the IGPU and go straight to the DGPU?

[@tunejunky]

unless your gpu has a USB 4.0 (there's only two models that do) C output, you're getting the igpu

[@sorenvitarelli]

@@tunejunky thanks, that’s what I figured! Not the biggest deal since I can always select the GPU in windows.

[@SuperGGnoRE]

Doesn't the iGPU passthrough the dGPU?

[@sorenvitarelli]

@@SuperGGnoRE you can set it up in windows to pass through the DGPU or use the IGPU. You can be granular about it selecting each program or just have it default to one or the other. It’s really nice, but you lose a tiny bit of performance

[@bryguy2fly]

Do you think that you would be able to use right angle type c extension cables to reposition the ROG FPS Board in the event of a clearance issue?

[@MachinesMore]

Ah, interesting idea, I don’t see why not, if you get two compatible cables it should interface across.

[@nukunuku97]

I am thinking about buying the Asus ROG STRIX B650E-I board for a new build early next year with 9800X3D or 9950X3D and RTX5090, because it supports PCI 5.0 for the GFX, and has neither an add-on pcb nor an external sound device. Do you think this would be a good decision or are there other reasons why I should get either a more high-end board like the X870-I or look for the newer B850 boards next year? I don't think I will need USB4 and I won't be doing any overclocking (neither CPU, RAM nor GPU). I heard B850 will not support PCI 5.0 for GFX, so that's why I think B650E might be a better choice.

[@C21-hv8ch]

B850 may not require PCIe 5.0, but that doesn’t mean manufacturers won’t include it anyway. There’s money to be saved/made in streamlining production. Asus already had PCIe 5.0 on their mid-range board this gen. They will likely continue that trend and/or another manufacturer will do the same.

[@brianmiller1574]

Be aware, the B650E-I has terrible coil whine. Recently I have tried 3 of them and all 3 major coil whine.

[@nukunuku97]

​@@brianmiller1574do you remember the production dates of the affected boards? I heard it should be fixed with newer revisions, but your comment makes me worry. Just ordered one on a good black friday deal but can return it until end of January. Hope the 9950x3d gets released until then so that I can try it out.

[@brianmiller1574]

@@nukunuku97 Not to make you worried, but keep an ear on it because I don't thing ASUS has fixed anything, either on physical front or via Bios. My first board was produced in 07/2024 and that was made in Vietnam. That board had the least coil whine, but you could still hear it, especially in full 4K screen like I have 32" 4K BenQ and the weirdest part was it had the loudest coil whine while in Bios settings. The other 2 where made in China produced one in 08/2024 and 09/2024 and these were intrusively loud, all 3 went back to Amazon. I didn't bother any further as I went through many reviews and this seem to be common for this board. I hope you either be more lucky with yours or figure something else. Good luck

[@grooners5333]

It looks like X870 is closer to B650E in spec rather than X670 even if the price is really high - I'm Gigabyte B550i which was a fraction of this price ans runs well - so not sure what to go for next time

[@baze3SC]

X870 = B650E + USB4

[@lordmustard2880]

I actually like the hive, its io closer and easily accesible and the audio is better

[@46949462]

Guys I have been using ASUS X670E GAMIN WIFI for a year now. Great ITX board for AM5. The new X870 chipset is old candy in a new wrapper. 1) The technical design of the board and the bundling is the same. 2) USB 4.0 was also on the old X670E board (Intel controller). 3) Power supplies are the same 4) Chipset chips are the same 5) The only difference between the two boards is the presence of WIFI7 in the X870 board. X870 is a great board and if right now to build a PC on AMD, you should take X870 because the price difference between X670E -X870 is very small but if you look objectively, the new X870 is X670E in a new package with a new image on the heatsinks.

[@yijiazhan45]

Hi, just confirming, the x670e has usb4??

[@46949462]

@@yijiazhan45 Yes, 2 x USB4 port(s)- with Intel JHL8540 USB4 (X670E vs X870E the biggest difference is wifi7)

[@kasimirdenhertog3516]

Thanks for the comparison. I only use USB for mouse/keyboard and occasionally a thumb drive, I don’t use wifi since I connect through an ethernet cable. So nothing really worth it for me when comparing it to my current B650-I board.

[@46949462]

Man, B650E great board for everything on AM5 socket. AMD produce new ryzen 9000, beautiful CPUs special 3D v cash line, but chipsets for 9000 CPUs is the same on 7000 CPUs. No reason slide on X870, 870 it's only marketing.

[@swizzler8053]

Still enjoying the B650 version.

[@MachinesMore]

I love it too.

[@baze3SC]

Thank you. Ironically, I was prepared to accept the price, but I’m not ready to accept that external audio contraption. Besides, I’m not a fan of magnetic gadgets - they interfere with my old-school mechanical watch😄

[@906iphone]

Can I use it in the ff04 tho

[@bahamut458]

Sorry for the noob question but is this board (and ITX boards in general) not meant to be used with discreet graphics cards? Is that more of a mATX thing?

[@chiefgecko]

>> is this board ... meant to be used with discreet graphics cards?

[@djnes2k7]

Currently using a 7900 xtx

[@djnes2k7]

In a ncore max case

[@MachinesMore]

There’s no requirement, the board itself has an HDMI and DisplayPort out if you want to use integrated graphics, but I can tell you it would be extremely rare for someone to go for a board like this and not build with a GPU. For most builders the iGPU will be more for debug purposes.

[@VolumeNumberOne]

What is the depth of this board? Width and height are standard 170 x 170 x "?". Anyone knows?

[@AzraelIgnis]

I just bought the Corsair 9000D and will be using the Asus Crosshair X870 and this board in my build. I've come to terms that I need to two systems in my life. Aethsetically they both go great together and I can maintain symmetry within the build. But it's definitely overpriced for what you get. I'll probably put this build on Reddit once I get to that point. I'm waiting on the 9000x3d chipsets to release before I can complete the build.

[@AzraelIgnis]

The 9000d should be here on Wednesday Oct. 30th, following the x870-i will be here on Friday Nov 1st. Cooling options will be the H150I LCD on my mainboard and H100i lcd on the itx. I'm going with a cheap cooling option until I can get some help with a more sophisticated watercooling loop. My mainboard has the AX1600i powering it with a 4090, and the itx will have the asus 850 thor.

[@zach1860]

Would there by any in game difference in performance between the b650e-i and this x870i? or would the gaming performance legitimately be identical?

[@MachinesMore]

It would be pretty much identical if you’re more or less using it stock or basic PBO enhancements. The X870 has a few more UI tweaks that makes tuning a bit more user friendly but that by itself is not really going to translate to markedly better gaming performance. On a budget, I’d save money going for the B650 and then putting that towards a better card or X3D chip.

[@SKOOBgotSNAX]

B650E-I seems like a better buy imo

[@cheikhtidianendiaye4286]

Hi, is it possible to use a bluetooth headset without the hive? Also, as the hive as a power button, is it possible to not use the expansion card?

[@djnes2k7]

Yes Bluetooth is handled by the wifi antennae, totally separate

[@MachinesMore]

Yes and yes. This is where the Hive is purely a USB hub/debug LED function. Just to be clear there is a power button header on the board itself, so you can still use that without the add-on card.

[@cheikhtidianendiaye4286]

@@MachinesMore Thanks for the answer! I will get this board because I need 2 nvme on top of the board (not behind) and I hope that the X870 which has only one chipset will bring less heat to the bottom nvme than the X670E. I just don't understand why Asus keeps some features for intel boards like the vertical mount of the ssd on Z890-i...

[@jasonkong5658]

I just really want an itx board that has usb4 on it, really disappointed there are only 2 AM5 mini itx boards at this point, with no guarantee that a B850 board will have it

[@yijiazhan45]

Which is the other mini itx am5 board at this point?

[@jtake9]

Can I remove the M.2 heatsink and use one that came with my SSD (Crucial T705)?

[@michaelw2263]

I was wanting to know this too!

[@jtake9]

@@michaelw2263 I think I've made peace with it. Just need to find compatible dual tower coolers now...

[@CVNTGETENOUGH]

Does X-series boards improve undervolts in any way?

[@MachinesMore]

Not really- however there are some helpful features for core to core tuning with this board which is quite nice.

[@weirdodude1173]

Thumbs up for great videos.

[@karmakh]

I hate that USB-audio dingle and the two small fans. Enough to break the deal for me and unfortunately force me to a full ATX build, because there are no good alternatives in the ITX world.

[@brianmiller1574]

As always you do great reviews, thank you very much. The fact that the power connectors are not on the board itself is huge deal breaker for me I wouldn't use the add-on card it anyways, so this board is no go for me👎

[@MachinesMore]

Appreciate it. Just to be clear there is a power button connector on the board, but all the other front panel items are on the FPS-II card.

[@brianmiller1574]

@@MachinesMore I logged in just to clarify that, you beat me to it. That is a big difference with power Botton being onboard, that is all you need to power on and off the system, makes a difference. Thank you

[@metalmayne]

Not even an iota of interest in this board. But the video is amazing

[@martinmacleod-brown4134]

Top notch quality video as always! In the middle of a build with this board, agree about the quality, it is a hefty mobo and you can feel how much effort has gone into this one. Hive not great, but I do like having the debug LED's easily visible. Im looking forward to seeing how far I can push the 9950X and this mobo once everything has been set up.

[@nhancao4790]

Considering Asus quality & reputations these days, 'For those who dares' is like a warning

[@djnes2k7]

No it’s not. It’s not that serious

[@rachelcheung2247]

Perfect review and now i know what i'm looking for on Black Friday

[@enkedo]

high price and no audio ports at back ....

[@jenesuispasbavard]

I guess AM5 pricing remains obscene.

[@zach1860]

Nooo.... I was waiting for a review that included the noctua d15 g2 and that fps card and you're saying you have to push the fan 10mm higher? That's brutal... Brutal brutal brutal. That ruins this for me as I have basically on the millimeter clearance already for the d15 g2. Do you think the bottom m.2 gen5 cooling solution is good enough given it only has a thermal pad on the top side of the ssd? Most of these gen 5 ssds are dual sided so only have thermal contact on the top side seems insane.

[@MachinesMore]

If you can live without the riser card it will make life a lot easier for the D15. The second fan does get pushed up a lot even with non LP RAM on a some ITX boards.

[@GlassPup]

Don’t lose/break the daughterboard or hive… ASUS won’t replace it and will recommend you buy a new board if you contact RMA.

[@sergeys2505]

Do you want a surprise, other brands would tell you the same maybe in different words 😅

[@djnes2k7]

They’re on eBay for like 40. I have one on Mercari, for the hive

[@jkteddy77]

All-white part builders: Wait for the Gigabyte X870i for $299. You'll regret the if you don't wait a month

[@shusui9665]

do you think its a issue that this board is not an e mainboard

[@vincentvega3093]

There's literally no physical room for the lanes

[@upyermaw2732]

@@vincentvega3093 odd that asrock could fit them last gen on their ITX boards, multilayer pcbs and all that

[@shusui9665]

​@@vincentvega3093thx. i was wo dering abput this because even the strix x670 itx is an e board. do you know if x870 is different when it come to lanes?

[@MachinesMore]

They’re not able to take advantage of the extra lanes anyway in this form factor so it’s kind of a waste for them to go for the 870E here. With the 870-I you essentially have the same high speed port count as the 670E-I.

[@shusui9665]

​@@MachinesMorethx very much. i was wondering if it is worth it to go with a x670ei or even x870i because there is the b650e-i i ordered but thinking about to return it but not sure if the x670ei or x870 is worth it?

[@chairs-dimension]

Asus has fallen a long way since the Strix b550-i

[@endintiers]

Strix B650e-i is very good. PCIE 5 on that.

[@djnes2k7]

It’s a great board. Pricey, but a great board.

[@Ididntknowicouldchagethis]

I miss EVGA boards so much… this is the best board for itx, just sucks it’s Asus.

[@teo_dd]

anybody who has this also has a super mushy power button on the hive addon?

[@jumpstream8336]

I originally bought this but according to Aus retailers the ball was quietly recalled. Ended up going with the X670E-i instead and havent had any regrets.

[@Kur7ma]

An independent review, so much so that it doesn't even say anything about the number of layers of PCB, here 6.... for high freq RAM, lol

[@opaldix]

ASUS should've made all their AMD 800 series motherboards without intel components with their Strix X870-I using Realtek's 5GbE instead of intel's 2.5GbE. Hell, I wouldn't mind if it had Realtek's 2.5GbE. At lease they're using Mediatek's real WiFi 7 chipset with 320MHz bandwidth support.

[@MachinesMore]

Agreed a 5G NIC would have been very desirable.

[@tttomtxhc]

Content creators need to stop giving Asus free press until they resolve RMA issues with customers across their entire line of products

[@Bound4Earth]

Hopefully others at least launch Dtx to something small. Not even front panel with that card, trash design hardpass. F why does Asus do this. Their expansion cards for extra M.2 drives is also poorly placed and cannot be used with a lot of CPU coolers. Just garbage design with no real thought. Reminds me of Asus using F8 for Bios when it was used by windows for SafeMode, just brainrot over there.

[@bobbymoss6160]

Not for $450 USD... That's straight up scalping.

[@tinostarks]

boo...all this but no 10Gbit networking... I'd gladly trade off the Wifi7 for a 10Gb port... why doesn't anyone make this on a ITX board?! It's maddening.

[@upyermaw2732]

As soon as asrock bring out thier itx boards this will only be the most expensive board. ASUS have had the worst out of all the itx boards component-wise/price wise last two gens oh and thier breakout m.2 board increases latency so is a worse option if you want the fasted gen 5 drives. And if something breaks ASUS will tell you to fcuk off as they have the worst costomer service out of all of them. In short ASUS can go do one, never getting a penny from me.

[@Jghosn13]

It says all...Best because is the only... all prior Mini ITX Asus motherboard sucks on recognizing M2 sticks, USB onboard slots, CPU power connectors and horrible sound features...

[@daesz]

* insert photo of obama medaling obama * xdd

[@julfy_god]

what even is the point of having x870i board if it only has 2 m.2s lol

[@djnes2k7]

2x 4tb nvme is enough for the above average. There’s no advantage to multiple smaller drive. I’ve picked up 990 pro 4tb for 260 and later a we 850 for the same on a deal…. How much do would you need?

[@julfy_god]

@@djnes2k7 i mean, main advantage of better chipset is more pcie lanes. And they don't even use those

[@kendragon2827]

Another daughter board? No thanks. I'd rather buy the b650e-I

[@mndlessdrwer]

Asus does tend to make some of the best mITX boards out there with ASRock being their only real competition when it comes to feature set parity. I do actually like that Asus uses daughter boards when designing their ultra-premium mITX boards in order to pack in as many features as possible.

[@Cyrus10000]

miniITX is dead :( ^^

[@baohoaily]

Default, Default, Default!

[@-----pepsi-----]

Yes we dare!😊

[@thefooshisloose]

How can you recommend Asus with a straight face? The worst company currently and they should be avoided at any costs for so many reasons.

[@TheZoefje1987]

Really? Asus? Dont think so😂

[@Striker-rw4rd]

This motherboard is garbage just like all the other asus motherboards, just wait for another brand to make a itx board

[@sergeys2505]

Face-palm 🤦‍♂️

[@djnes2k7]

You’re kind of stupid…

[@The_Metalorian]

Hoes mad

[@Donbros]

Its actually all things considered pretty dumb for them to make dac outside. Its just not neat

[@JeremyArchie]

I like it...but my wallet does not. 🥲