ASUS Rolls Out a Pair of Intel B365 Chipset Motherboards

[btarunr]

ASUS today rolled out a pair of entry-level motherboards based on Intel B365 Express chipset for 8th and 9th generation Core processors. The B365 has been extensively detailed in our older article as trading off features such as integrated USB 3.1 gen 2 and an older version of Management Engine, in exchange for significantly more downstream PCIe lanes than the B360 Express. Intel's decision to fallback to the 22 nm node for chipsets resulted in the B365. Among ASUS' new motherboards include the Prime B365M-A and Prime B365M-K. The company is also working on three quasi gaming-grade motherboards targeting gaming i-Cafes, namely the B365M-KYLIN, B365M-BASALT, and the B365M-PIXIU, which are essentially cosmetic variations of the B365M-K with one less SATA port.

The Prime B365M-A is the slightly better endowed of the two micro-ATX boards launched today. Pulling power from a 24-pin ATX and an 8-pin EPS, it uses a 4+2 phase CPU VRM. The CPU is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, and the board's sole PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, which features a metal reinforcement brace. Two additional gen 3.0 x1 slots wired to the PCH make for the rest of the expansion. Storage connectivity includes an M.2 slot with PCIe gen 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, and six other SATA 6 Gbps ports. As expected, there are no USB 3.1 gen 2 ports, as the chipset lacks it. You get four USB 3.1 gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports, two of which are on the rear panel, and two via headers. A 1 GbE interface pulled by a Realtek RTL8111H controller, and 6-channel HD audio handled by an entry-level Realtek ALC887 make for the rest of it. The Prime B365M-K is the more cost-effective of the two Prime B365M-series boards, and is built with a narrower PCB, and hence only serves up two DDR4 memory slots. You also lose out on Vcore VRM heatsink, and metal reinforcement on the PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot.



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[Ruru]

The thing I hate most in these cheap motherboards is how the SATA ports are aligned. Not very cable management-friendly.

 

[bonehead123]

low budget boards for low budget builds, and the feature set reflects that market.....cost-cutting compromises have to be made at this level... the mickey mouse vrm and lack of USB 3.1 being the worst possible choices for most people....

So if you're looking for better or more massive feature sets, look elsewhere.....

As Forest would say: "Cheap is as Cheap does"

 

[Bones]

For some the arraingement of the SATA ports as shown is "Better", not worse and I've had to fight with such in the past.
If the ports had been like these I would had been much better off in my case...... But as we know not every system is the same.

If shopping for a board and it suits you, buy it - If not look elsewhere.

 

[Ruru]

For some the arraingement of the SATA ports as shown is "Better", not worse and I've had to fight with such in the past.
If the ports had been like these I would had been much better off in my case...... But as we know not every system is the same.

If shopping for a board and it suits you, buy it - If not look elsewhere.

It just sucks with a large graphics card when the SATA cable is standing below it. Remember that with my Z68 budget board and R9 280 some years ago.

 

[ironwolf]

Yuck on the SATA port placement. Going to likely need right-angled data cables if you are using a large multi-slot video card.

 

[Ruru]

Yuck on the SATA port placement. Going to likely need right-angled data cables if you are using a large multi-slot video card.

Exactly. I remember cables bending and after few times taking the card away and putting back broke cables sooner or later.

 

[cdawall]

These are cheap just a step above oem board, boards. They aren't targeted at someone with a mile long gpu.

Cheap and functional is all these exist for. Most of them probably won't ever even have a gpu in them let alone a large one.

 

[Ruru]

These are cheap just a step above oem board, boards. They aren't targeted at someone with a mile long gpu.

Cheap and functional is all these exist for. Most of them probably won't ever even have a gpu in them let alone a large one.

Well I wouldn't be that sure, at least here in Finland if people buy non-K Intel CPUs, they usually get a B-chipset motherboard instead of the H one. And they are usually budget gaming PCs, like i5-8400 & GTX 1060 for example from last generation.

 

[cdawall]

Well I wouldn't be that sure, at least here in Finland if people buy non-K Intel CPUs, they usually get a B-chipset motherboard instead of the H one. And they are usually budget gaming PCs, like i5-8400 & GTX 1060 for example from last generation.

Well that's not exactly a large gpu now is it.

 

[Ruru]

Well that's not exactly a large gpu now is it.

Well, depends on model. At least with a mATX board a normal-length dual-slot card could intervene with SATA connectors.

 

[Bones]

Also depends on the case you have the setup in, that was part of the troubles I had with angled SATA ports and if they had been facing straight out like these I'd had no problem.
The case I have now is good for anything you'd want to set in it so it's a non-issue now however they face.

 

[cdawall]

Well, depends on model. At least with a mATX board a normal-length dual-slot card could intervene with SATA connectors.

Connectors or one connector. Looks like depending on model the designed it to not be in issue. Not that your common user needs more than two SATA connectors anyway.

 

[Ruru]

Connectors or one connector. Looks like depending on model the designed it to not be in issue. Not that your common user needs more than two SATA connectors anyway.

Yeah, I guess.. Though many of us here are more or less not basic users, I myself have 3 SATA devices atm (SSD and two HDDs).

edit: I still hate when the connectors are like that, not angled. Those suck when thinking about cable management.

 

[cdawall]

Yeah, I guess.. Though many of us here are more or less not basic users, I myself have 3 SATA devices atm (SSD and two HDDs).

edit: I still hate when the connectors are like that, not angled. Those suck when thinking about cable management.

So even you who calls yourself a less than basic user would have an entire extra SATA port left over assuming the worst case scenario.

 

[Ruru]

So even you who calls yourself a less than basic user would have an entire extra SATA port left over assuming the worst case scenario.

I mean this should be a standard.

 

[cdawall]

I mean this should be a standard.

What part of budget board are you missing?