A motherboard for ROG Enthusiast / Fans?

ASUS ROG has sent us their B860 Series motherboard specifically the ROG STRIX B860-F to be reviewed. This motherboard is for the newest Intel ULTRA CPUs or the 15th Gen if you will base it on the previous naming schemes.

So, let’s dive in if this motherboard is worth to buy as a normal consumer or it’s only worth it for the ROG Enthusiast / Fan.

Specifications:

CPU Support	Intel® Socket LGA1851 for Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 2) Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0** *Refer to https://www.asus.com/support/download-center/ for CPU support list. ** Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 support depends on the CPU types.
Memory	4 x DIMM slots, max. 256GB, DDR5 Support up to 9066MT/s (OC), Non-ECC, Un-buffered ,Clocked Unbuffered DIMM (CUDIMM)* Dual channel memory architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory module DIMM Fit ASUS Enhanced Memory Profile III (AEMP III)
Graphics	1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI™ port  1 x Intel® Thunderbolt™ 4 port (USB Type-C®) supports DisplayPort and Thunderbolt™ video outputs
Expansion Slots	Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors(Series 2) 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot (supports x16 mode) Intel® B860 Chipset 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (supports x4 mode)
Storage	Supports 4 x M.2 slots and 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors(Series 2) M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode) Intel® B860 Chipset M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode) M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2280/22110 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode) M.2_4 slot (Key M), type 2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode) 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
Ethernet	1 x Intel® 2.5Gb Ethernet ASUS LANGuard
Wireless & Bluetooth	Wi-Fi 7 2×2 Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) Supports 2.4/5/6GHz frequency band Supports Wi-Fi 7 160MHz bandwidth, up to 2.9Gbps transfer rate. Bluetooth® v5.4
USB	Rear USB (Total 9 ports) 1 x Thunderbolt™ 4 port (1 x USB Type-C®) 1 x USB 20Gbps port (1 x USB Type-C®) 1 x USB 10Gbps port (1 x Type-A) 6 x USB 5Gbps ports (6 x Type-A) Front USB (Total 6 ports) 1 x USB 10Gbps (1 x USB Type-C®) 1 x USB 5Gbps header supports 2 additional USB 5Gbps ports 2 x USB 2.0 headers support 3 additional USB 2.0 ports
Audio	ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC ALC4080* – Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs – Supports: Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel MIC Jack-retasking – High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 110 dB SNR recording input – Supports up to 32-Bit/384 kHz playback on front panel Audio Features – SupremeFX Shielding Technology – Savitech SV3H712 AMP – Rear optical S/PDIF out port – Premium audio capacitors- Audio cover
Back Panel I/O Ports	1 x Thunderbolt™ 4 (1 x USB Type-C®) 1 x USB 20Gbps port (1 x USB Type-C®) 1 x USB 10Gbps port (1 x Type-A) 6 x USB 5Gbps ports (6 x Type-A) 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI™ port 1 x Wi-Fi module 1 x Intel® 2.5Gb Ethernet port 2 x audio jacks 1 x Optical S/PDIF out port 1 x BIOS FlashBack™ button 1 x Clear CMOS button
Internal I/O Connectors	Fan and Cooling Related 1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header 1 x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan header 1 x 4-pin AIO Pump header 4 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headers Power Related 1 x 24-pin Main Power connector 2 x 8-pin +12V CPU Power connectors Storage Related 4 x M.2 slots (Key M) 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports USB 1 x USB 10Gbps connector (supports USB Type-C®) 1 x USB 5Gbps header supports 2 additional USB 5Gbps ports 2 x USB 2.0 headers support 3 additional USB 2.0 ports Miscellaneous 3 x Addressable Gen2 headers 1 x Chassis Intrusion header 1 x Front Panel Audio header (F_AUDIO) 1 x Start button 1 x 10-1 pin Front System Panel header 1 x Thermal Sensor header 1 x Thunderbolt™ (USB4®) header
Accessories	Cables 2 x SATA 6Gb/s cables Miscellaneous 1 x ASUS WiFi Q-Antenna 1 x Cable ties package 1 x M.2 Q-Latch package 1 x M.2 Q-Slide package 1 x ROG key chain 1 x ROG Strix stickers 4 x M.2 rubbers Documentation 1 x Quick start guide

Closer Look

The box comes with its very “ROG Style,” showcasing the motherboard and some features in the front.

At the back are the specifications and some features of the CPU Motherboard.

Unboxing an ROG product is still quite the same but awesome experience, as you can feel the premium touch on it.

Inside the box are the following: the quick-start guide, ROG stickers, ASUS Web Storage Guide, two SATA cables, Wi-Fi Q-antenna, cable ties, four rubber pads for M.2, and the ROG keychain.

Lastly, the ROG STRIX B860-F GAMING WIFI Motherboard at its glory.

The ROG Strix B860-F Gaming WiFi comes in with that signature Strix flair—bold STRIX lettering paired with the “For Those Who Dare” slogan right on the board. It’s a clean, stealthy aesthetic that still pops just enough.

ASUS keeps things sleek with an all-dark color scheme, accented by RGB lighting on the I/O shroud that glows behind a plastic casing.

The VRM section is cooled by a pair of chunky heatsinks, with one extending slightly toward the I/O area for a bit of extra surface coverage. ASUS uses thermal pads to maintain contact with the power stages, and everything’s secured with screws for a solid, no-nonsense fit.

The more modern M.2 standard which is the PCIe 5.0 x 4 slot gets priority placement on the board, as expected—and ASUS keeps things user-friendly with its toolless M.2 Q-Release and Q-Latch mechanisms. It’s a simple touch, but one that makes installing or swapping drives way more convenient—no more fiddling with tiny screws.

Bonus points for the included dust plugs on the fan headers—it’s a small touch, but a welcome one for anyone aiming for a cleaner, longer-lasting build.

Connectivity
The ROG Strix B860-F Gaming WiFi carries over familiar networking features with a 2.5Gb Ethernet port, plus support for Bluetooth 5.4 and WiFi 7. Even if your setup isn’t up to those bleeding-edge standards just yet, backward compatibility has you covered.

Rear I/O & USB Ports
ASUS does a solid job with USB connectivity here. You get six Type-A ports running at 5Gbps—not a single USB 2.0 in sight, which is refreshing. I wish more brands would ditch the outdated 480Mbps ports entirely. On top of that, there’s a 10Gbps Type-A, a 20Gbps Type-C, and even a 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 header. With nine high-speed ports total, it’s honestly more than enough for most mainstream setups.

Around the back, you’ll find an ROG logo and the “For Those Who Dare” tagline printed directly on the PCB. It looks cool, sure—but let’s be real, it’s the backside of the board. Once installed, it’s going to be hidden away, so it feels more like a flex for the factory line than the end user.

Benchmarks

For benchmarking, I will use Cinebench 2024, 3DMARK (Time Spy & Steel Nomad), and AIDA64 Extreme Memory Benchmark.


Here are the specs of the components I will use for testing.

Specifications:
Intel Core Ultra 5 235
PNY GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER OC VERTO
Kingston NV2 M.2 SSD (1TB)
Kingston Fury Renegade DDR5 RGB (48GB) 7200 MT/s
FSP VITA GM 850W
Thermaltake CORE P3 TG PRO

Results

Conclusion

Performance-wise, you’re getting dependable connectivity with WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and a 2.5Gb LAN port—future-proof, but still friendly for current-gen setups. And while some design elements (like the graphics on the back of the PCB) might feel more like branding than necessity, the board nails the essentials where it matters.

USB connectivity also gets a solid thumbs-up from me. No outdated USB 2.0 ports here—just fast, usable ports across the board, including Thunderbolt 4 and Gen 2 Type-C support. Combined with support for speedy DDR5 memory and a noticeable NPU boost for AI-heavy workloads, this board punches well above what you’d typically expect in the B-series lineup.

When you look at the ROG Strix B860-F Gaming WiFi in the market, you’ll notice it’s priced higher than some other B860 options. It falls closer to the Z890 boards, like the ASRock Z890 NOVA. If you’re into overclocking, the Z890 chipset will give you that extra headroom, making it a solid choice. But if you’re an ROG fan and don’t plan on overclocking your CPU, this B860-F is a great pick.

Overall, if you’re building a next-gen Intel rig and want something that balances style, solid features, and ease of use, the B860-F is definitely worth a look. It doesn’t try too hard to impress—it just gets the job done and does it well.

You can buy the ASUS ROG STRIX B860-F GAMING WIFI Motherboard around P20,300.00 or $358.00 at your nearest ASUS affiliated Online and Physical Stores.

With that, the ASUS ROG STRIX B860-F GAMING WIFI Motherboard will receive the Recommended Award if and only if you are truly a ROG fan who wants to build a ROG PC.