mobo PCB Breakdown: ASUS Strix X870i Gaming WIFI

[@CrazyBRT]

I'm really enjoying your reviews and breakdown of motherboards, please make it more often

[@Rooster_0451]

I second that.

[@thomaswilliams]

I third that, Motherboard and Graphics card breakdowns are my personal favourite content wise.

[@StasRyadinsky]

I fourth that. I might not understand it all and would probably never do extreme overclocking, but the knowledge, insides into motherboard design and components chosen is so nice to listen to. P.s. my dad is into hifi amps and he took mentioned how some of them have crazy ratings of power. But when you actually look at what frequency, they're 99% will not be working at that range/volume. So yeah, keep these smol mobo review/breakdowns coming! I love em

[@乖乖要補-kuaikuai]

Agree, but bz might be runing out of new boards to look at. Maybe make a review of some rack server motherboards or cheapo entry-level motherboards?

[@foodieontour]

I love these "not review" breakdowns. Some of my favorite content that gives the best information to decide if that board is worth the crazy price tag - or not. Thank you! more please!

[@bthjf12003]

agree - color coded headers are a must.

[@shadow7037932]

@36:00 With the scale ASUS is operating at, they probably buy those caps in massive quantities where it makes sense to share it across multiple products and keep the supply chain simplified.

[@jeffsan0.5]

Video starts with: "I will try to make the video shorter, so no extra!" Look at video length, 50 mins, lmao.

[@WSS_the_OG]

50 minutes is short by Buildzoid standards.

[@SeventhCircle77]

Itx boards are fun, I got a b650e-i from Asus and have a 8000mt stable setup with a 7700 and booted 8400 with bclk but it gets too weird

[@TheWhale030]

18:44 istn it about in and out freq at the end? so going higher gives less jitter and spread? as its also more used when spread disable? :) but i guess im very wrong with that

[@wewillrockyou1986]

The worst part about the "disconnect 5VSB to clear cmos" thing is that many ITX power supplies don't have switches on the PSUs themselves, and even if they do, an ITX build often will have the PSU somewhere that is entirely inaccessible without taking apart the whole PC. Also don't the APUs use the vcore rail to supply the iGPU?

[@jensgerntholtz4041]

Yay, thanks for checking out a mini-ITX board

[@retrofitter]

Should probably check at what output load the VRM stops skipping phases

[@Jojobreack324]

There are 2 reasons for the clear CMOS behavior: 1.This is an ITX board meant for SFF, so the capacitor of your SFX power supply won't be as large. 2. Even if the button is recessed, if you accidentally hit it, while plugging something in, it won't reset all your hard work. How I reset my bios: Unplug the PSU cable, because in SFF my switch is inaccessible. Hold the power button until the relay in the PSU makes an audible click. Press the reset CMOS button. This has worked every time. And you can even hear it worked, because the small fans will ramp up to max on the next boot. About the HIVE 2: It should just have a post code. But what I like about it is the flex key! You can configure it to: Boot into bios. Very handy especially if you disable memory context restore and the training takes forever.

[@2keylows]

Piggy backing on your comment. Do you know if the Hive II device uses a proprietary Usbc cable? Sorry to dig up an old reply.

[@Jojobreack324]

@@2keylows I did the following testing for you: the audio and usb ports will work with any cable at any port. the power button and debug leds will only work with the default cable in the specifically marked port, which is quite unfortunate because it is only 1m long. also if you turn off usb power in standby it will also turn it off for the hive. This will then prevent you from starting the PC from the hive, which is also less than ideal.

[@2keylows]

@@Jojobreack324 Your awesome for testing out. No one has documented the function and I was specifically looking at using Hive as a power button with a SFF Pc, but noticed the cord in other reviews looked rather short. I have the board now and I'm hoping I can try to get the power to work using a Active Usb4 cable.

[@Drumaier]

Why arent two dimms more common on atx boards? Most people will be fine with 2x32gb for the lifetime of the platform anyways.

[@MrBeaverwarrior]

Hi, thank you for doing this review. If you dont mind, I've got a couple questions cause I need some help. Last night I tore a tiny chip off the rear of this board while installing it. The chip in question is the uppermost of the rectangular black components with 8 pins soldered to the board, about a centimeter directly to the right of where "ICES" is stamped next to 24pin solder points. You actually run your cursor over it at exactly 9:04 in this video. Under heavy magnification, it appears to be marked S0 HGH4AT. Any idea what this component is? If its nothing major, then is my board safe to run without it? Thanks

[@metalreaper-13]

When these drop, I actually do use these to learn about the nitty gritty to really compare which board to get. So personally for me im fine with the longer videos and going over everything about the boards

[@VeritronX]

That clr cmos setup sounds better than the one on the MSI B650i, where if I reach behind the pc to unplug something and I touch the clr cmos button that sticks out the back the pc will instantly power off and then not boot until I clr the cmos again and wait the 3-5mins for the full first boot sequence For this asus one just unplug the psu while the pc is still on and then press the clr cmos button

[@kunka592]

Actually hardcore backdrilling of slots.

[@Donbros]

I dont overclock anyrhing but it is cool to know like every little detail about mobo before getting it.

[@Sarajiel]

@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking Quick reminder, since I noticed that you weren't certain about them in various videos: For all current AM5 CPUs with a "170W" TDP, the stock TDC is 160A & the stock EDC is 225A, the only difference between 7000 and 9000 series is the actual PPT which is limited to 200W for the 9950X instead of 230W. I'm aware that you rarely overclock AM5 CPUs, but just out of curiosity, how much actual current did you encounter when overclocking a 7950X or 9950X, either static or PBO?

[@Zubexlol]

I was considering buying this for my new 9800x3d build but I am quite happy now that I went with the b650e-i instead. Pulling out the 24pin every time to clear cmos would've been a nightmare in my itx case.

[@OlavAlexanderMjelde]

I have a x670e gene, if I were to upgrade to 9850X3d (when it is released), would the x870i give any gains in CPU performance? I am already running 8000 Mhz 48 Gb kit on the 7950X. As far as I see from specs sheets, the x670e gene has more power stages etc. Of course there is Wifi7 on the new 870 board, but I use wired Lan for my stationary. I might of course be missing some details or knowhow :-) Of course I know my mainboard now is mAtx, but if my x670e gene is performing the same as a new x870i, then I can upgrade my CPU and use a compact case for it.

[@tonep3168]

This clear CMOS thing is not an issue. Here is how to empty your PSU faster. Turn the PC off, then switch the PSU off at the wall. Then quickly hit the power button on the PC. It will start up for about .5 of a second, then within a couple of seconds the PSU will be totally drained, look for any LEDs on the board to go out, then press the CMOS Clear button.

[@SentaDuck]

Thats what I was thinking.

[@YTHandlesWereAMistake]

Key downside: unplugging is seriously inconvenient if you end up having to clear CMOS regularly in the days or weeks of RAM OC.

[@meateaw]

@@YTHandlesWereAMistake its less inconvenient than *unplugging the 24 pin connector* though!

[@naganannan]

Regarding the SOC APU power I don't think the 8000 series APUs use the SOC rail for iGPU power. I haven't been able to measure anything physically so just hwinfo readings, but the SOC power does not go up significantly with iGPU load on my 8700G compared to the 5700G where SOC power could go very high under heavy iGPU load. I have also seen some evidence of iGPU frequency being affected by vcore, not vsoc so I really think the iGPU runs on the regular vcore rail now. Anyways, would love to see you do some 8600G iGPU benching on this board.

[@concinnus]

Used to be, you could drain residual charge from the PSU by turning it off then pressing the computer's power button. Does that not work anymore?

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

that still takes too long comapred to the button just doing it for you

[@lennard9331]

I think this board would actually not have any issues with the iGPU of the 8700G, as that one's powered by the Vcore rail as far as I can tell, so, if we assume that, even a heavily overclocked 780M wouldn't faze this board one bit.

[@FPSDuLe]

We want x870e hero 👀😁

[@TheEnigma6]

In your opinion, what's the best ITX option for AM5 at this point (includes 6** gen)?

[@SeventhCircle77]

I like the b650e-i simply because it has a temp sensor among some other smaller stuff. Plenty of power delivery and 8000 qvl

[@Stratos1988]

Curious myself, I went with asrock B650E PG due to heatpipe, vrm, and gen5 m.2 over cheaper MSI edge. I'm sure I had plenty more reasons, but I was so overloaded with other information I couldn't retain info after making the decision.

[@osterpenpen9379]

Does it appear that ASUS is actually paying for the circuitry to properly balance the output of the VCORE power stages? I was talking to someone who knows a hell of a lot more about electronics than I do, and they theorized that the power draw on the stages is going to be very uneven without some moderately expensive additional circuitry, and that the flatter curve at high power in the SiC850 could be more valuable than having the than the higher peak efficiency of the alternatives. Their background is aerospace rather than commercial electronics, though, so they weren't sure. Though I think that the "110A" thing is absolutely marketing wank.

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

cycle by cycle current balancing has been a standard feature of multiphase controllers for basically forever.

[@jimcoleman52]

​@@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking​ hasn't phase shedding been used nearly as long? I've only listened to a few of these videos now but I have not yet heard mention or consideration to phase shedding algorithms and how the controllers put their smarts to use in balancing load versus phase count in persuit of efficiency. Would love to hear your thoughts on the matter, hopefully I catch whatever video it ends up in

[@MoonKid-b8d]

hello, im searching for ther fl1 socket from amd that is used by the 7945hx and other embedded cpu's. has anyone an idea how to get in touch with amd people?

[@michaelschwarz128]

Aren’t phases turned off? Usually you can overwrite this in the bios by a extreme vrm setting to keep all active all the time.

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

most consumer motherboards don't bother with that.

[@PerfectExsneeder]

Which motherboard should I buy? I want best RAM and CPU overclocking. Strix X870i or MSI Tomahawk or Asrock Nova?

[@napoficial7123]

Thank you ❤

[@Johnny-c6p]

Hi sir. What motherboard do you recommend, low mid high tier ? maybe general brand if possible. I mean im learning something, just from your videos slowly. I just purchased a MSI board that has a lot of ssd slots..

[@marekciostek1458]

I wonder how BZ desing and build his own ideal AM5 motherboard :D What component he will use: SPS, Caps, controlers. What format ITX, ATX, E-ATX?

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

take and X870E Hero and remove the unecessary DIMM slots.

[@beaten_tech]

What about the old trick of disconnecting the power supply and then holding down the power button until there are no led's flashing. Will that not drain all the power in the caps of the psu?

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

still more work then just having a proper clear CMOS.

[@timestamppatrol]

Next mobo PCB Breakdown: ASRock X670E PG Lightning (the cheapest X670E board that I can find)

[@meateaw]

Can't you just push the power button after disconnecting the power supply to drain the caps? I really don't know why people don't know this?

[@ramonzaions7522]

Can you do on X870E Taichi ??

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

Planning to

[@ramonzaions7522]

@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking S2

[@Casey-Gen84]

Why is everything seperated into components ? is that a modular mobo ?

[@brianmiller1574]

This is what I have waited since the release date. Thanks so much. I had this board for 3 days and have returned it because of 1. CMOS nonsense and addon card, this has to be the worse thing on mini-ITX. In my opinion, this is one of the worse ASUS mini-ITX boards. You getting it for the "new features" and to your surprise you have to pull the PSU power off or 24-pin. Imagine small case that you've spend hours or days to work on and to get to either you have to disassemble...phh that is crap. Also, beside that the addon card gets on the way of cables in small ITX, after few inserts and removal it gets wobbly, its garbage concept.

[@spewp]

Didn't you already have an Asus X870i board video wherein you insulted Asus' board naming then you made the video private?

[@nerdynumen]

Aye, It's my Motherboard all naked. I wanna repaste the chipset, and put better thermal pads on the VRMs Maybe just putty up the whole board.

[@r3drumg33k3]

Welp the CMOS just made my mind up on this board.....

[@88tx]

VSOC not having a heatsink is just classic asus being stingy. they could've extend that heatsink a little bit and easily cover the VSOC.

[@Qyngali]

Buildoid, just turn off the PSU, then hold the power button in for a couple seconds to drain the PSU.

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

that still takes longer than pulling the 24pin

[@Qyngali]

​@@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking You manage to unplug the 24pin in less than 5 seconds? Ok let's say 30 seconds... On the bench with a loose 24pin, maybe. Imagine if your whole PC was able to boot with even a glimpse of activity on the monitor with no power attached except the charge in the PSU CAPS... I'll eat my words if you post a video showing the Clear CMOS button doesn't work after turning off the PSU or disconnecting it, holding the power button pressed for 5 seconds, then turn on the PSU again and power on. In a case? Not that it applies to you but most people would like to avoid unplugging the 24pin I assume. :) Should it be fixed on the boards that you have to do either workaround? Definitely lol.

[@VITAS874]

Its like take out sword from rock.

[@meateaw]

@@Qyngali I disagree. You don't want an accidental push of the clear CMOS button to ever reset your cmos. You want a process to clear the CMOS, tbh pushing the power button AND the cmos button at the same time should be the solution. The fact there's a button back there right next to the cmos button has me thinking ... I wonder if you can just push them both at the same time and it works instantly. I think buildzoid has a problem though. It's faster to pull the 24 pin cable, *because he doesn't have a power button*. He had to sharpie the power button pins because in his testing he is using a screwdriver to bridge the connector. This really is a "testing this on a bench without plugging everything in properly makes this one button that is super easy actually hard to use" kind of problem. Basically an open incomplete bench-only problem. Doing memory timing on a case which has an actual power button would probably be simple AF and *way way faster* than pulling the 24 pin cable as he implies.

[@fleurdewin7958]

Does this board has an external clock gen ?

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

no

[@t0oNiCe4YoU]

Youre sure with CMOS? I mean, I use it on Strix 870E-E and the button works fine without unplug power. I trust you but then its better to unplug the power cable directly from power supply. There are tons of how to clear CMOS in www. Thats sooooo annoying. Anyway...thX for your vids!

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

you can check the manual for this board. It literally tells you to unplug the PSU :(

[@t0oNiCe4YoU]

@@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking yeah youre right, found it in manual for my x870E-E too. Mmmmh strange, needs also tons of clear the CMOS :D and never unplug the power cord. Remember me to my B650E-E from Asus...I had to do it there. With this board it was not enough to press the CMOS button. Man it seems those manuals are universal. Sometimes it make sense but not always.

[@marekciostek1458]

0:23 BD: "trying to make this video shorter" VIDEO: 51 min 21sec long. ME: XD Yay 50 min rabling about MOBO :D

[@themice42]

you do realize that at this point Asus (aah-soos) are sending you boards just to annoy you ;D

[@ConeJellos]

You're not an engineer you're an imagineer.

[@Donbros]

I noticed they cram everything possible in these poor premium itx boards, which is not the main intent of itx is, misses the point

[@Stratos1988]

What you see here is an outlier for AM5. Currently it's the only X870. A620 are much simpler units and in case of gigabyte and asrcok they share mobo design with b650 variant (ax and lightning). B650Edge has only gen4 m.2 so few corners were cut. I actually want a robust unit to slap 9800X3D in it and OC the thing and even before that I'm getting 7500F as a placeholder that will also be pushed.

[@jayprosser7349]

1:56 just unplug ac power cord and hold power button down for 15-30seconds

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

That's still too long

[@Flapdr01]

@@ActuallyHardcoreOverclockingstick some resistors in a molex, add a switch maybe.

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

@@Flapdr01 yeah I've been thinking of making a 24pin extension that has a switch on 5VSB.

[@DinuDaniel-v1o]

👍👍👍

[@rotarydude07]

running one of these with a 9800X3D. trying to stablize 6400 1:1......

[@tomstech4390]

I wonder if well see VRM's like on my gtx670 KFA2 EXOC where there are half as many phases but the spacing is maintained and there is a hole in the CPB between each phase or something.

[@camjohnson2004]

i don't know how you 'd have issues knowing which pins are the power switch, the Front panel connector has been the EXACT SAME layout since 2009.

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

I don't even remember the pinout of a PCI-e 6pin or EPS 8pin.

[@camjohnson2004]

@@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking ok thats bad :) lol

[@Reikion_]

Try pressing a clear cmos button a few times, it works for me

[@dvr1337]

We need z890 breakdowns from all companys again!

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

not happening.

[@dvr1337]

@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking why? Most overclockers are intel guys

[@LedNe0nDevil]

FIRST ! LY BUILDZOID

[@sysxtem]

L u b z ❤

[@VITAS874]

Asus is do expensive but poor quality now.

[@ghostlyinterceptor7756]

The apu is not good for itx mobos it pulls too much from the soc

[@ema4770]

Come on you dont know that you can discharge the power supply pressing the power on button of the PC Detach power cable or put the switch off, press power on button it will discharge the caps, clear CMOS, then golden !

[@russb3n]

So far what’s the best memory kit for this board? Can this mobo do a 6600 1:1? I’m looking at 24gb = 48 sticks

[@felentus]

That depends on your CPUs memory controller. Good luck with the lottery. The motherboard mostly only starts to matter approaching around 8000. As for memory Sticks, look for 6000 cl30 36 36 or 6400 cl32 39 39.

[@ActuallyHardcoreOverclocking]

6600 1:1 is all about winning the CPU lottery.