BIOS Overview

The EFI is HD, so instantly looks a little more appealing than some we've seen recently, but it's still quite dated-feeling compared to others out there. The EZ Mode page allows you to tweak the boot order and adjust the XMP profiles to set your memory correctly, plus there's also handy links to flashing the BIOS and to the Fan-Tastic Tuning page, which is where you can tweak fan speeds. If you'd rather not install any software, the in-built ASRock Polychrome tab allows you to apply basic lighting effects from the EFI to the pair of 3-pin ARGB headers.

It was a shame to see the lack of a search function, which is present on other ASRock boards, as this can make it a little easier for EFI newcomers to find things without delving into scary menus, but there is a favorites section, which allows you to add regularly-used options pressing the F5 key for quick access. There are overclocking controls too, but as B860 doesn't support overclocking, you'll be limited to voltage and power adjustments.

The fan control section proved to a little hit or miss, with the main issue being lack of the ability to switch between DC and PWM mode on all but the AIO pump header. You can switch header assignments to some extent, which is useful seeing as those headers will likely be buried deep in a Mini-ITX case once you're done. The actual fan control suite is where you'd expect to find all of these controls but fan mode switching has to be adjusted in the less appealing fan configuration page. As expected you can switch the fan control input here, for example to the onboard 2-pin thermistor header, but in general the whole thing is a lot less polished and easy to use than the competition.