The ASUS ROG STRIX B760A-D4 is a brand new motherboard featuring Intel’s B760 chipset in line with the release of the mainstream 13th Gen CPUs. Sporting a White color scheme like other ROG STRIX “A” model series motherboards, let’s see what it has to offer.
Since I have earlier reviewed the higher end model ROG STRIX Z790A-D4, which in practice has a bigger feature set, I’ll keep this review as simple and straight forward as possible. Majority of the functionalities found on the STRIX B760A-D4 can be found in the STRIX Z790A-D4, however since this is a lower tier model, I will focus more on the physical aspects of the board.
Table of Contents
ROG STRIX B760A-D4 Unboxing
Unboxing the STRIX B760A-D4 presented me with the following items:
- Motherboard
- Manuals
- M.2 Q-Latch
- Cable Ties
- M2. Rubber pieces
- ROG STRIX Sticker pack
- ROG key chain
- ROG Thank you card
- ASUS Wi-Fi Antenna
These items are the same as what I got from the Z790A-D4 after unboxing it, except it had more of the extra M.2 Q-Latch, and M.2 rubber pieces, to compensate for more M.2 slots on the higher-end board. It’s not bad if you look at it.
STRIX B760A-D4 Impressions and Quick Review
Right off the bat, the major difference between the B760 and B660 is just the CPU support. B660 only supports 12th gen out of the box, requiring users to update the motherboard’s bios. B760 being newer, supports both.
Comparing to the 12th Gen predecessor
I’ve reviewed the STRIX B660F DDR5 model last year as part of a promotion ASUS and Kingston did and looking at the spec sheet of the B660F and B760A they are both similar, just outside of the supported memory version. Also, the B660F being a higher-end model in the STRIX lineup has a leg-up on power delivery, having a 16+1 power stage setup. That and its DDR5 support has it running way faster. And is able to sustain the loaner CPU (12700k) boosted speed of 4.9GHz for its performance cores.
Physical Design
The 13th Generation Intel boards from ROG carry a retro gamer motif. As I’ve mentioned in the STRIX Z790A-D4 review, it has a Pac Man theme with its characters found all around the motherboard. The STRIX B760A-D4 is no exception either. This time, it has a more generic arcade space shooter theme, giving a throwback on games like Galaga or Space Invaders. It gives a quirky character to the board, and I’m much more partial to this motif than the Pac Man in the Z790A… now if only I can get the Z790 re-silk screened… The ROG logo on the heat shroud behind the rear ports are smaller, having a bigger part of the heatsink exposed.
Like the STRIX B660 board (F/A) that came before, PCIe slots are limited to 2x PCIe x16 (1x PCIe 5.0, 1x PCIe 3.0) and 2x PCIe x1 (PCIe 3.0).
There are 9 USB ports at the back and a total of 6 USB ports in front (if the case allows). It also has a thunderbolt header making it suitable for a Thunderbolt add-in card to be installed, a bonus for a mainstream motherboard. As a leg up to the STRIX B660 predecessor, ROG upped the onboard Wi-Fi with the WiFi 6E version and Bluetooth 5.3.
For STRIX motherboards, the BIOS Flashback lets us perform BIOS updates w/o the need of a CPU to run, makes it easy for updating.
Comparing to the STRIX Z790A-D4
Now, without needing to swap motherboards (STRIX Z790A and STRIX B760A), the Z790 would of course have a higher performance output, especially if using a K processor as the AI Overclocking feature by ROG is locked behind to the Z-series motherboards. AI Overclocking does the job of overclocking for those looking to overclock the CPU to what the motherboard perceives as the best and safest based on the cooler installed by the user. However, we still have Intel Turbo Boost included in B series motherboards so non-K CPUs are still able to take advantage of that.
As mentioned at the start, the STRIX B760A-D4 is a direct subset of the STRIX Z790A-D4 which I’ve covered comprehensively before. Unless this is from a different motherboard brand, the onboard software is exactly the same for the STRIX B760A-D4. We get Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation, Fan-Xpert4, BIOS Flashback, The M.2 Q-Latch, and Q-Release for the PCIE slot as major features. For software, there’s MemTest86, Sonic Studio III and more.
The things missing in the STRIX B760A-D4 is the ability to manually overclock, as well as the ROG AI Overclocking, and then there’s one less USB port available both on the front and rear. Same with one less full (x16) length PCIE slot, while the second x16 PCIE slot is limited to only using PCIE 3.0 speed, which is the same with all x1 PCIE slots. It’s a balance to keep the cost down, while still letting the board behave as if it’s the Z790 version.
Conclusion
To conclude, I will say the STRIX B760A-D4 is for those new into PC building looking to have a taste of the ROG experience without going all out on their build budget. Whilst one can pair this motherboard with an overclockable K CPU, it’s better partnered with a non-K CPU which will still be able to push its performance thanks to Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology. It carries the important ROG features such as Q-Latch and Q-Release are included, making installation and removal of GPUs and M.2 Drives all the easier. PCIE 5.0 slot is reserved for the GPU, making it future proof. And all of the M.2 PCIE slots support PCIE 4.0 as well. All the important bits are covered.
And speaking of processors, the new 13th Gen Intel CPUs recently released have arrived and best paired with this motherboard. These 13th Gen CPUs, while non-K models, have efficiency cores included, improving processor performance further.
The price of this motherboard runs around Php 16,120 SRP and is much cheaper than its Z790A D4 counterpart. It makes a case for those starting up with a new ROG build, or building a second machine for enthusiasts who’d like to have the ROG features on a second machine without stretching the budget, or having it manually overclocked.
The ASUS ROG STRIX B760A-D4 runs a good balance in price and performance. The ample amount of ports But if going for full value, I still recommend getting a Z790 board. But I understand that not everyone will be able to afford or have the budget to setup a PC. Therefore, for those looking for a mainstream/enthusiast motherboard that will simply outperform and out-feature in the B760 line, then the ROG STRIX B760-A D4 is the board at the top of the list.