ASUS Prime X870-P Wi-Fi

[Combatus]

The ASUS Prime X870-P Wi-Fi supports both USB4 and Thunderbolt 4, at a highly attractive price point of just slightly over $200. PCIe Gen 5 support for GPU and SSD is onboard, too, but what has ASUS had to cut in other areas to get there and are similarly-priced B850 offerings better value?

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[Chaitanya]

Only reason to select this board will be it comes with USB4 compared to B850 boards in its price class.

 

[Event Horizon]

The weak nvme heatsinks would be my main reason to avoid this.

 

[_roman_]

With every new mainboard review the bad choice for the ASUS Prime X670-P was not that worse. That mainbaord still costs with wifi around 220€ - price stable for ~2years

I really wonder do people do not use usb anymore?

 

[Makaveli]

When I was upgrading I looked at this board but for like $40 bucks more I chose the ASUS Prime X670E-PRO WIFI its a better option than this for the money.

 

[Juventas]

Is the Curve Optimizer offset limited to a maximum of 50 like the ASUS Prime B650-PLUS?

 

[Gucky]

My God that PCIe-Layout...
If you use the PCIe 3.0x2 Slot, both Sata will be disabled.
If you use the PCIe 4.0x4 M.2 Slots, all 3 lower PCIe-Slots will be disabled. (the upper disables one slot, the lower M.2 2x PCIe slots)

And why the heck does a "big" X870 chip board only have 2x Sata ports?

 

[LabRat 891]

My God that PCIe-Layout...
If you use the PCIe 3.0x2 Slot, both Sata will be disabled.
If you use the PCIe 4.0x4 M.2 Slots, all 3 lower PCIe-Slots will be disabled. (the upper disables one slot, the lower M.2 2x PCIe slots)

And why the heck does a "big" X870 chip board only have 2x Sata ports?

There's only 1 PROM21 on this board. It's a B850 board w/ USB4, basically.

The layout looked attractive until I saw how castrated the lane allotment was.

 

[Hakker]

Only reason to select this board will be it comes with USB4 compared to B850 boards in its price class.

It literally is the only pro but nothing needs it yet so you are doing it for what? I got a B850 Riptide. It has better default audio. A whole ton of USB, 4 NVME slots (1 shared with the second PCIe slot) So I would really say 3 NVME slots but all are at least PCIe 4.0. and this the top of the B850 range I bet most can do with even less.

Back in the day there really were reasons to go top of the line... far better overclocking capabilities a whole ton of more features, but in the past decade it really has saturated. Not worthwhile anymore to really go all out on overclocking as we are close to the walls already so at best minor overclocks tend to be stable and all boards can do that. And feature wise there is little to go for with top line boards.

Just get a new motherboard when you actually would need the USB 4 connection. There that's already 100-200 bucks saved you can put into a better GPU. Get a board with the connections you need now and not what you might need in 4-5 years. As you can always sell your old board and get a newer one.

Same goes for the Wifi. No one needs wifi 7. Wifi should always be the fallback network or at best if you really really can't get a network cable at one point. Wifi might even become faster than a cabled network for the average person, but the stability of a wired one as well as the less latency will always be a bigger pro. Learn to terminate a network cable and you can basically get a cable anywhere.

 

[Makaveli]

It literally is the only pro but nothing needs it yet so you are doing it for what? I got a B850 Riptide. It has better default audio. A whole ton of USB, 4 NVME slots (1 shared with the second PCIe slot) So I would really say 3 NVME slots but all are at least PCIe 4.0. and this the top of the B850 range I bet most can do with even less.

Back in the day there really were reasons to go top of the line... far better overclocking capabilities a whole ton of more features, but in the past decade it really has saturated. Not worthwhile anymore to really go all out on overclocking as we are close to the walls already so at best minor overclocks tend to be stable and all boards can do that. And feature wise there is little to go for with top line boards.

Just get a new motherboard when you actually would need the USB 4 connection. There that's already 100-200 bucks saved you can put into a better GPU. Get a board with the connections you need now and not what you might need in 4-5 years. As you can always sell your old board and get a newer one.

Same goes for the Wifi. No one needs wifi 7. Wifi should always be the fallback network or at best if you really really can't get a network cable at one point. Wifi might even become faster than a cabled network for the average person, but the stability of a wired one as well as the less latency will always be a bigger pro. Learn to terminate a network cable and you can basically get a cable anywhere.

+1 only caring about USB4 when you actually need it and Wired over wifi always.

 

[_roman_]

Just get a new motherboard when you actually would need the USB 4 connection.

My mentioned ASUS mainboard has a 90€ add in board for USB 4. But it has much higher usb power power delivery as the junk on the mainboards. In my point of view - when you need usb 4 just buy the add in card.

MSI has a similar card for only MSI mainboards. Do not forget to read the mainboard manual before purchase carefully.

I bought the metal box and a notebook m2 wifi card to add in later the wifi module. Wifi is replaceable in many boards even when it is not in the manual. Wifi 7 is also something which really many people need now (sarcasm).

 

[azrael]

I've never really understood the need for (built-in) WiFi in desktop motherboards. It's okay, if nothing else has to be sacrificed, but that typically isn't the case.

This is a general statement, by the way, and not just directed at this particular motherboard.

 

[LabRat 891]

I've never really understood the need for (built-in) WiFi in desktop motherboards. It's okay, if nothing else has to be sacrificed, but that typically isn't the case.

This is a general statement, by the way, and not just directed at this particular motherboard.

I used to be of this opinion as well. So far, that I swapped to an X570-Plus from an X570-Plus(wifi).
Ironically, I almost immediately had need for a WiFi adapter (multiple LANs in-home). BT can be a handy plus to have, too.

 

[dgianstefani]

I've never really understood the need for (built-in) WiFi in desktop motherboards. It's okay, if nothing else has to be sacrificed, but that typically isn't the case.

This is a general statement, by the way, and not just directed at this particular motherboard.

Without WiFi you also get no Bluetooth.

 

[b1k3rdude]

Having a PCIe slot right next (1x PCI slot away) to the primary PCIe slot is an instant fail. There are no main GPU's that are less than 2 slots wide, what were Asus thinking exactly when they did this..?

As @LabRat 891 commented, the PCIe layout is hurrendous, even for an X870 board.

 

[azrael]

I used to be of this opinion as well. So far, that I swapped to an X570-Plus from an X570-Plus(wifi).
Ironically, I almost immediately had need for a WiFi adapter (multiple LANs in-home). BT can be a handy plus to have, too.

As is usually the case... However, you could (and did) solve it by using a USB adapter.

Without WiFi you also get no Bluetooth.

True, but, as stated above, there are USB adapters for that, which would be the logical way to go with that crapload of USB ports on today's motherboards (and don't get me started on this... ).

 

[LabRat 891]

As is usually the case... However, you could (and did) solve it by using a USB adapter.

Actually, I bought a BE200* PCIeX1 card w/ extended external antennas, for ~$37 to my door.

Where-possible, PCIe devices are preferable.
Otherwise, there'd be no demand for all those M.2 slots; we'd all just use USB enclosures

*AM4 boards are largely compatible. AM5 platform, is incompatible with BE200 wifi cards, for some reason.

 

[_roman_]

Ironically, I almost immediately had need for a WiFi adapter (multiple LANs in-home). BT can be a handy plus to have, too.

I was foolish enough to search for the metall box, the wifi board and the antennas to convert my non WIFI board to the WIFI version.

The non wifi asus mainboard has all options for wifi in the board. You are out of luck when you have gigglebit or some other brand which solder the wifi on board. Some mainboards have M2-V slots. No one told me its M2-Vertical which fits in the usual notebook wifi card. The metall housing is not easy to find in europe.

wifi should be like asrock sometimes does, like a smaller m2 2280 slot on the mainboard.

-- I'm 80% certain that my previous MSI B550 gaming edge wifi had the wlan on the usb connected on the mainboard. So using an external dongle does not really makes a big difference. It showed up with the usb reading tools

 

[azrael]

Actually, I bought a BE200* PCIeX1 card w/ extended external antennas, for ~$37 to my door.

View attachment 393632
Where-possible, PCIe devices are preferable.
Otherwise, there'd be no demand for all those M.2 slots; we'd all just use USB enclosures

*AM4 boards are largely compatible. AM5 platform, is incompatible with BE200 wifi cards, for some reason.

I stand corrected.

 

[fevgatos]

Only reason to select this board will be it comes with USB4 compared to B850 boards in its price class.

eventually this might be as considered a disadvandage with prolification of USB4 controllers with higher watt power delivery and possibility od dGPU routing

 

[Chaitanya]

eventually this might be as considered a disadvandage with prolification of USB4 controllers with higher watt power delivery and possibility od dGPU routing

Maybe in a generation or 2 but right now there arent too many choices. Also there is USB4 2.0 might be implemented on "flagship" class chipsets while USB4 gets pushed down into budget segment.