Today, we have our ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Review to discuss another well-built board. It is among the latest contributions from the company, which is perfect for budget-conscious users.
What makes this motherboard better than lower-end B650 boards is its extra PCIe 5.0 lanes. However, there is more to this since the product has plenty of noteworthy features, which we will discuss later.
In this ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Review, our focus will be on its design, functions, features, specs, and performance. But before looking deeper into these details, let us discuss its packaging and what ASRock included in the box.
ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Packaging
The motherboard shipped in the standard-looking ASRock packaging. The front displays the company logo and product name at the centre and some features along the base.
The back features various images about the product and a list of its features/specs below. Inside, you will find the following items included by ASRock:
- The PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard
- One User Manual
- Two ASRock WiFi 2.4 /5 /6GHz Antennas
- Two Sata Data Cables
- Velcro Tapes to Manage Your Cables
- WiFi Antennas
- A Graphics Card Holder
- Two M.2 Socket Screws
ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Review – Design and Functionality
A difference we noticed while writing our ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Review is its VRM size. The earlier B550 board does not feature top VRM heatsinks, exposing the MOSFETs.
Its side VRMs are tiny, leaving the I/O exposed. As a result, you would need manual I/O bracket installations.
The rear sides of the motherboard appear simple: there are no soldered chips in the area. Because of this design, you will notice the solder joints and several resistors close to the VRM. A metal plate is available on the right to support its built-in I/O shield.
Although the B650E PG Riptide WiFi is a gaming board, you will not find excessive RGBs here. The only noticeable light on it is the Phantom Gaming logo on the motherboard chipset heat spreader.
Moreover, there is one standard RGB LED header and addressable LED headers on the B650E PG Riptide WiFi.
ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Power Design
The company uses the DrMOS SPS technology for the B650E PG Riptide WiFi. It is a MOSFET unlike others because this allows the product to work with lower operating temperatures while operating efficiently.
Moreover, there is a 14+2+1 VRM design for two SOC and 14 VCORE phases, plus one VDD_MISC phase. Thanks to these, you can have a very stable testing platform.
The motherboard has 14 VRM phases dedicated to the CPU, each capable of handling 60A. These allow the product to tackle the demands of even the most power-hungry Ryzen processors while maintaining notable power efficiency.
It is worth noting that this mid-range motherboard shares the same VRM layout as the top-tier X760E models from ASRock. Furthermore, a substantial heatsink ensures excellent thermal management for the VRMs, eliminating any concerns regarding overheating.
Rear I/O
In this ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Review, learn what you can find on the rear I/O of the motherboard. Here are the following:
- Connections for the 2.5 GbE LAN powered by the Killer E3100-G
- Two Antenna Ports
- Three Type-A
- USB-C Port
- Six USB 2.0 Ports
- Standard HD Audio Jack
- An HDMI Port
- One BIOS Flashback Button
Storage and Expansion
In terms of storage capabilities, this motherboard provides users with four SATA 6 GB/s connectors. Two originate from the chipset, while the additional two come from the ASMedia ASM1061 chip.
Additionally, three M.2 slots are available, accommodating drives up to Type 2280 in size. It encompasses the majority of storage devices currently available in the market.
The top Blazing M.2 slot connects to the CPU for optimal performance. Its remaining two slots link to the chipset itself.
Expansion slots on this motherboard consist of three PCIe slots, each with unique specifications.
The first is a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot reinforced with metal for added durability. The second is a PCIe 4.0 x1, and the third is a PCIe 3.0 x16. Its top and bottom elements are directly connected to the CPU, while the middle links via the chipset.
In addition, the motherboard also includes the standard USB headers for USB Type-C. It also has USB 2.0 and USB 3.2 on the front panel.
These headers support three USB 2.0 ports, a Gen2 Type-C port, and USB 3.2 ports.
Fan Connectors
This motherboard offers a generous number of six fan connectors. Among these, four are for chassis fans or water pump connections.
Another connector is versatile, suitable for a secondary CPU fan or a water pump. The last header is for the CPU fan.
Key Features of the ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard
What elements make the motherboard an ideal option to consider? Are these features on par with your needs and preferences? Continue reading our ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Review and learn more about these.
Smart Power Stage (SPS)
The B65E PG Riptide WiFi uses the latest SPS technology. It is an optimised innovation that monitors the temperature and current of power phases for enhanced performance and OC capabilities. SPS works by delivering neater and smoother power to the CPU.
14+2+1 Power Phase Design for Adequate Power
This ASRock motherboard has 17 total power phases made from sturdy components to ensure smooth power delivery to the CPU. It is an excellent design for optimal system performance when gaming.
Premium PCB Design – Server-Grade Low Loss Eight-Layer PCB
With the eight-layer PCB of this motherboard, your PC can deliver its best performance without compromise. It offers higher energy efficiency while retaining low temperatures by providing stable power shapes and signal traces. As a result, it ensures a reliable system that will last long.
This server-grade low-loss PCB enhances signal integrity. Also, it allows support for PCIe 5.0 for the M.2 SSD and graphics card. The motherboard can deliver optimal memory performance with improved memory OC potential.
DDR5 EXPO and XMP Support
As mentioned in our ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Review, this product has high-quality components. Like all B650E motherboards from the company, it uses premium eight-layer and low-loss materials to enable DDR5 memory overclocking. As a result, enthusiasts can enjoy boosted performance up to up to 6600MHz when using pre-tested profiles.
The design concept of ASRock for this motherboard is building for reliability and stability. With the B650E PG Riptide WiFi, overclocking is satisfying, convenient, and affordable.
Tune the ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard with Blazing OC Tuner
Blazing OC Tuner allows the switching of AM5 CPU between PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) and OC modes. It does not require entering BIOS to set up since you can adjust all settings via the OS.
When above the current threshold, Blazing OC Tuner engages manual OC mode. If it is lower, it activates Precision Boost Overdrive mode. This feature combines overclocking on all cores and automatically boosting one of these to achieve optimal CPU performance.
AMD PBO Technology
Precision Boost Overdrive is an automatic technology that raises clock speeds to improve PC performance. It only activates depending on the condition of your PC, which AMD processors can detect using intelligent thermal sensors.
PCIe 5.0 with Surface-Mount Tech (SMT)
Unlike the conventional DIP type PCIe slot, the SMT style used in B650E PG Riptide WiFi improves signal flow. It also maximises stability under high speed to support the PCIe 5.0 standard.
The latest PCIe 5.0 can perform with 128GBps bandwidth to unleash the highest potential of premium graphics cards.
DDR5 Memory With Protection Circuit
Due to the unique electrical design of the DDR5 DIMM, it is prone to damaging the memory module. Fortunately, ASRock has implemented a trouble-free protection circuit on DDR5 motherboards to prevent this.
Killer Ethernet E3100
In our ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Review, we will discuss one of the most notable product features. The Killer E3100 2.5 Gbps is an Ethernet controller designed for competitive gaming. Its boosted detection and prioritisation engine offers the best networking experience for multimedia applications and gaming.
WiFi 6E 802.11ax for Faster Network with Lower Latency
WiFi 6E extended to the latest 6GHz spectrum band to provide more WiFi capability with faster internet traffic. Aside from higher speeds, WiFi 6E lowers latency and supports 5G-equivalent service levels.
Nahimic Audio
Nahimic Audio makes your listening experience more engaging with rich, vibrant details. Its powerful algorithms ensure crystal-clear conversations and constant vocal levels. Also, this audio engine dynamically lowers voice variation and removes interference noise for less fatigue and better intelligibility.
Polychrome RGB of the ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard
The B650E PG Riptide WiFi has onboard RGB and ARGB headers to connect LED devices. With Polychrome RGB, you can sync these components to create unique lighting effects.
High-Speed M.2 Solution of the ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard
The Blazing M.2 supports the latest PCIe 5.0 standard to provide twice the bandwidth of the previous generation. With 128GBps transfer speeds, it can unleash the maximum potential of future SSDs.
The aluminium alloy M.2 heatsink effectively dissipates heat to maintain top performance by keeping high-speed M.2 SSDs cool.
Auto Driver Installer
ASRock motherboards have a prepacked Ethernet driver in the BIOS ROM, eliminating the need for optical drivers or driver DVDs. After installing the operating system, follow the instructions and allow ADI to download and install all needed drivers.
Convenient BIOS Flashback
The B650E PG Riptide WiFi offers the most convenient BIOS flashing. All you need is a power supply and a USB.
Specifications
- Processor: AMD AM5 Ryzen 7000 Series Processors
- Chipset: AMD B650
- Memory:
– Dual Channel DDR5 Memory Technology
– 4x DDR5 DIMM Slots - BIOS: 256Mb AMI UEFI, supporting GUI
- LAN: 2.5 Gigabit LAN
- Wireless LAN: 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E Module
- Audio: 7.1CH HD (Realtek ALC897 Codec) and Nahimic Audio
- Form Factor: ATX
- OS: Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) and 11 (64-bit)
Hands-on with the ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard
We will focus on using the product in this ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Review. First, we will discuss the BIOS interface before our user experience and performance.
Users familiar with previous ASRock motherboards will see the similarities in the BIOS of the B650E PG Riptide WiFi. It has a straightforward interface that makes navigating easy.
By default, the BIOS launches the Advanced Mode instead of Easy Mode, which usually opens first. You can switch between these by pressing F6.
The B650E PG Riptide WiFi is a gaming motherboard, so all overclocking features are easily accessible in the BIOS. You will find the OC Tweaker tab in Advanced Mode with all the overclocking settings.
There are two areas where you can enable PBO. The first location is within OC Tweaker, where you can activate it and set maximum temperatures. The other is in the PBO options in the AMD Overclocking section under the Advanced Mode menu.
Outside the Advanced Mode is Easy Mode, which provides a straightforward interface that is easier to navigate.
ASRock B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard Review Summary
The B650E PG Riptide WiFi is another capable motherboard from ASRock. It performed excellently during our tests, and we had no issues with its operation and stability. All drivers also worked well out of the box.
The RAM operated at the highest speeds, matching the performance of most AM5 motherboards. It delivers everything we need, and we could not ask for more.
We highly recommend the B650E PG Riptide WiFi for its superb features and excellent performance.
Learn more about the B650E PG Riptide WiFi Motherboard by visiting the official product page of ASRock.