ASUS ROG STRIX B350-I Gaming Motherboard Revealed by Online Retailer

[Papahyooie]

Swedish online retailer Inet has listed an as-yet unannounced ASUS motherboard, the ROG STRIX B350-I-Gaming. It looks to be a smaller version of the ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING, featuring similar black styling, as well as ASUS's AURA Sync RGB lighting technology, in a mini-ITX format. According to Inet, the board features the AMD B350 chipset that is the board's namesake, with AMD AM4 processor support as well as up to 32 gigabytes of DDR4 3200 MHz (OC) RAM. As with most mini-ITX gaming motherboards, a single PCI-Express x16 slot is present for graphics card connectivity. However, belying the board's small size, the B350-I-Gaming features a wealth of connectivity options, including two external USB 3.1 Generation 2 ports as well as four USB 3.1 Generation 1 ports. Additionally, one USB 3.1 Generation 1 header, and even a USB 2.0 header are available internally. Four SATA 6.0 Gbit/s headers, along with two M.2 slots round out the connectivity options, all of which is great for a board this size. Gigabit ethernet as well as built-in wifi, and SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio are also featured.

While other mini-ITX AM4 motherboards are already on the market, the ASUS ROG brand has a loyal following. ASUS fans looking to build a Ryzen-powered machine with a smaller footprint will no doubt be waiting patiently for an official announcement, as the board is of course listed as Out of Stock on the retailer's site. The amount of connectivity options on such a small board will be a compelling option for portable LAN party machines, and gamers without enough space to house a larger ATX computer, without compromising on storage or speed. Inet has listed the board with a price of 1 899 kr, equivalent to about $233.49 USD. Comparing other product prices on the site with those on Newegg reveals a difference of up to 30%, so regional prices will vary and direct currency conversion is not necessarily a good indicator of local prices.



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[TheLostSwede]

You have 25% VAT in Sweden, whereas Newegg has no sales tax in their prices, which would help explain most of that 30% price difference.

The board itself is a bit meh though. No USB-C, one of the M.2 slots is most likely PCIe 2.0 and although it doesn't matter right now, no APU support due to lack of any kind of video out. Imho it's not worth the asking price.

 

[EntropyZ]

HOLY! It has a decent heatsink and the ATX power is not located in some awkward position (maybe because they skimp on PCB layers). Something that can't be said for other B350 ITX offerings. But the price, prepare your wallet's rear end. ASUS wants too much for their Strix branding IMO.

 

[azdesign]

bit late into the market. The only am4 itx board with m.2 on the front so far I've seen. But the price though. This should've come with X370

 

[cdawall]

bit late into the market. The only am4 itx board with m.2 on the front so far I've seen. But the price though. This should've come with X370

Why would it need to be x370? What features does that add that are pertinent to a mini itx board?

 

[azdesign]

Why would it need to be x370? What features does that add that are pertinent to a mini itx board?

nothing; its just given the price, they should include higher chipset i guess.

 

[cdawall]

nothing; its just given the price, they should include higher chipset i guess.

In this situation it makes zero difference other than numbers on the box.

 

[dyonoctis]

What happened to the x300 that was meant for itx board ?

 

[R00kie]

i am yet to see any A320 mini itx boards, what happened to those? LET ME BUILD MY HTPC IN PEACE!!!

 

[RH92]

ASUS have done some good work on the VRM / heatsink placement on this one when compared to Z270i , but relative late availability and pricing ( certainly much more expensive than competition ) is what breaks the deal for me , especially when options like Asrock AB350 ITX ( with better connectivity options ) are available at a Much lower price tag .

 

[Valantar]

What happened to the x300 that was meant for itx board ?

This was never more than a rumor. AMD's slides said 'SFF', which might mean laptops, custom boards, or NUC-like form factors. ITX is not SFF in those terms, as it's essentially just "really tiny ATX".


As for the board itself, this is the first board I've seen that (almost) lives up to my Biostar. The lack of USB-C is a real bummer, though. But three fan headers, top m.2 and a good layout? All with Asus' excellent BIOS and software utilities (yeah, Biostar software sucks). Don't mind that at all.

 

[Dimi]

How is this even an ROG board? Laughable IO and not even Supreme FX audio. Is this a joke? This is a 75$ value board.

 

[Valantar]

How is this even an ROG board? Laughable IO and not even Supreme FX audio. Is this a joke? This is a 75$ value board.

You're right that the IO is pretty weak (the lack of USB-C is particularly bad), but for the target market, the lack of display outputs is probably a non-issue (given that Ryzen doesn't have an iGPU and all). the lack of a full audio setup is rather weird, but who really uses rear line-in or mic ports? S/PDIF has some value, though, but an USB DAC is a better solution anyhow if you want high quality audio. On the other hand, it doesn't take a lot of scrolling on the source page to find the entry for "SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio S1220A", so I don't quite see what you're on about there. And given the challenges of fitting any AM4 socket in an ITX board, let alone squeezing in dual m.2 slots while still maintaining a sensible connector layout and good VRM cooling? Yeah, that's your added value right there. Oh, and a freaking pump header on an ITX board? Sign me up (or, I would have, had I not upgraded before the summer)!


Oh, I just took a look at the IO of my Biostar X370GTN: this has every port I either want or need, and pretty much none of the useless ones (HDMI, DVI, PS2) - with the sole exception of USB-C. Then again, I doubt I'll use rear-panel USB-C more than a few times in the coming years.

 

[StrayKAT]

You're right that the IO is pretty weak (the lack of USB-C is particularly bad), but for the target market, the lack of display outputs is probably a non-issue (given that Ryzen doesn't have an iGPU and all). the lack of a full audio setup is rather weird, but who really uses rear line-in or mic ports? S/PDIF has some value, though, but an USB DAC is a better solution anyhow if you want high quality audio. On the other hand, it doesn't take a lot of scrolling on the source page to find the entry for "SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio S1220A", so I don't quite see what you're on about there. And given the challenges of fitting any AM4 socket in an ITX board, let alone squeezing in dual m.2 slots while still maintaining a sensible connector layout and good VRM cooling? Yeah, that's your added value right there. Oh, and a freaking pump header on an ITX board? Sign me up (or, I would have, had I not upgraded before the summer)!


Oh, I just took a look at the IO of my Biostar X370GTN: this has every port I either want or need, and pretty much none of the useless ones (HDMI, DVI, PS2) - with the sole exception of USB-C. Then again, I doubt I'll use rear-panel USB-C more than a few times in the coming years.

HDMI is still useful, imo. I'll agree on the others.

 

[Valantar]

HDMI is still useful, imo. I'll agree on the others.

Why, if you're using a Ryzen CPU? Because it looks nice? Sure, it could be useful for debugging or troubleshooting if you have an AM4 APU lying around, but until Raven Ridge appears, that's a pipe dream.

They'll probably bring out a ROG Strix B350-IDV with video outputs once RR hits the market.

 

[StrayKAT]

Why, if you're using a Ryzen CPU? Because it looks nice? Sure, it could be useful for debugging or troubleshooting if you have an AM4 APU lying around, but until Raven Ridge appears, that's a pipe dream.

They'll probably bring out a ROG Strix B350-IDV with video outputs once RR hits the market.

My bad, I'm hardly familiar with Ryzen (although I'm considering it).What's RR? Generally speaking though, I like having HDMI. I'm just used to intel.

 

[Frick]

My bad, I'm hardly familiar with Ryzen (although I'm considering it).What's RR? Generally speaking though, I like having HDMI. I'm just used to intel.

Raven Ridge I assume; AMDs upcoming APU.

 

[StrayKAT]

Raven Ridge I assume; AMDs upcoming APU.

That sounds sweet actually.. if press can be believed ("PS4" quality graphics). I tend to play strategy or lightweight mouse centric games on a monitor with just Intel gfx. But more demanding games on TV through a separate gpu. edit: Bah.. praised it too quick. Less cores.

 

[Valantar]

That sounds sweet actually.. if press can be believed ("PS4" quality graphics). I tend to play strategy or lightweight mouse centric games on a monitor with just Intel gfx. But more demanding games on TV through a separate gpu. edit: Bah.. praised it too quick. Less cores.

True, but a 4c8t RR APU with 11 Vega NCUs should still be a decently powerful gaming chip. Surely far superior to anything Intel has to offer (although the question of RAM bandwidth holding the iGPU back is a concern). Still, if they can do a 4c8t ~3.7GHz APU with 1080p-capable graphics within 95W, that's going into my HTPC as soon as I can afford the upgrade.

 

[Frick]

True, but a 4c8t RR APU with 11 Vega NCUs should still be a decently powerful gaming chip. Surely far superior to anything Intel has to offer (although the question of RAM bandwidth holding the iGPU back is a concern). Still, if they can do a 4c8t ~3.7GHz APU with 1080p-capable graphics within 95W, that's going into my HTPC as soon as I can afford the upgrade.

I honestly can't imagine that happening. Personally I think the high end APUs should have a ~130W TDP.

 

[Valantar]

I honestly can't imagine that happening. Personally I think the high end APUs should have a ~130W TDP.

I agree, but I'd consider that a good thing. Although a selectable TDP would be best, obviously. 95W stock, "unlocked" at 130W+ if you have the cooling and want the performance.