Motherboard Asrock B860M LIGHTING WIFI

Asrock B860M LIGHTING WIFI is a micro ATX motherboard for the new LGA 1851 socket with Intel B860 chipset – a good choice for a mid-range build with current Intel Core Ultra processors. You get a stable foundation with DDR5 memory, serious RAM capacity, and full modern connectivity. Despite the compact form factor, the board offers a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for a graphics card and a rich M.2 set for fast NVMe SSDs. The built-in WiFi 6E and 2.5G LAN give you freedom on how to connect the machine – wired or wireless, without dealing with additional cards.

What you get

LGA1851 socket supporting Intel Core Ultra processors means you can step into the current generation of CPUs and later upgrade without changing the motherboard. The four slots for DDR5 memory with a capacity of up to 256 GB and frequencies up to 8666+ MT/s (OC) allow you to combine fast RAM for gaming with enough volume for heavy multitasking, working with large files, or virtual machines. Storage is also serious: one Blazing M.2 PCIe Gen5x4 slot for the fastest NVMe drives plus three Hyper M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 for high-speed SSDs and an additional 4 x SATA3 for larger, slower drives or RAID arrays. The built-in WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, and 2.5G LAN make the system flexible – from gaming and streaming to working through VPN and fast local transfers. And with the USB configuration, including Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, you have enough ports for peripherals, external SSDs, and docking stations.

• LGA 1851 socket with Intel B860 chipset, oriented towards current Intel Core Ultra processors for modern gaming and productivity builds.
• 4 x DDR5 slots supporting up to 256 GB and frequencies up to 8666+ MT/s (OC), providing a wide range from budget to high-speed RAM configurations.
• 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot from CPU for a graphics card, ensuring maximum bandwidth for current and future GPUs.
• Total of 4 x M.2 slots: 1 x Blazing M.2 PCIe Gen5x4 and 3 x Hyper M.2 PCIe Gen4x4, plus 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s for a flexible combination of fast NVMe and larger HDD/SSD.
• Support for RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 via SATA for speed, redundancy, or a combination based on your needs for security and performance.
• Built-in WiFi 6E (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.3, so you have fast wireless connectivity and readiness for wireless headphones, mice, and other devices.
• 2.5 Gigabit LAN with Killer E3100G for lower latency and higher bandwidth compared to standard gigabit, suitable for online gaming and heavy traffic.
• A rich set of USB: Thunderbolt 4 Type-C (Rear), USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (Front), USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, USB 3.2 Gen1, and USB 2.0 for all types of peripherals and fast external devices.
• Built-in audio with Realtek ALC1220 for better sound quality compared to basic audio codecs – useful for headphones and desktop speakers.

Who it is suitable for

This board is suitable if you want a compact Micro ATX build with the new generation Intel Core Ultra, aimed at gaming, streaming, and serious productivity. It is also suitable for power users who want many fast NVMe drives, RAID via SATA, and modern network connectivity without additional cards. If you need extreme overclocking or more PCIe slots for multiple expansion cards, you should rather look towards larger and higher-class platforms.