ASUS PRIME B760M

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With the advent of 13th-generation Core chips, Intel managed to level the playing field in the desktop chip segment, returning the attention of demanding users who prefer to assemble their own systems. Raptor Lake processors are supported by all boards with LGA1700 socket, but with the expansion of the CPU line, the manufacturer has provided updated chipsets. It is no exaggeration to say that Intel Bxxx motherboards are becoming “popular”, so it is not surprising that this time around, Intel B760 models are getting special attention. Today we are reviewing ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi. Recently, this model has been used as the basis for a test platform, so we’ll take this opportunity to tell you a little more about the board’s capabilities.

The board is offered in a rather compact cardboard box. ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi comes with a brochure with technical information, a pair of SATA interface cables, a metal cap on the back of the case, screws for mounting M.2 drives, and an amplifying antenna for the wireless network communication module.

The board is offered in mATX format with classic dimensions for this form factor – 244×244 mm. The model is based on the Intel B760 chipset and is ready to work with 12th/13th generation Intel Core chips. The list of supported processors does not include special editions of Core i9-12900KS and 13900KS with increased TDP.

ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi uses a contrasting visual combination of a black PCB and silver cooling system elements.

The power subsystem of the board has a 10-phase circuit (9+1) with an ASP2100R controlling controller. Vishay’s SiRA14DP and SiRA12BDP MOSFETs are used for the VRM. The assemblies are cooled by aluminum radiator blocks. The cooler of the main group of elements located along the interface panel has significantly larger dimensions. The improvised “casing” increases the dissipation area and, accordingly, the possibilities for heat dissipation.

There is one 8-pin EPS12V connector for connecting additional power. Given the overall configuration of the power supply unit, the board is obviously more suitable for mid-range chips (Core i5/i7), and the absence of models with TDP of 150/253 W in the specification is not a coincidence.

ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi has four slots for DDR5 memory modules. The gradual reduction in the cost of RAM of this standard will soon make platforms with this particular generation of RAM a predictable choice even for optimal configurations. The board supports a total memory capacity of up to 128 GB, which implies the use of four 32 GB modules. As for the possibility of working with new strips of increased capacity up to 48 GB, the question remains open. The existing specification does not mention such modules, and the updated BIOS versions do not have such an item in the list of improvements. At the same time, a certain number of kits with 24/48 GB modules are listed among the verified kits.

As for the declared modes, the manufacturer indicates support for up to DDR5-7200+ in overclocking mode for ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi. We will return to this point during practical experiments. In the meantime, we note that the slots use a Q-DIMM mount with one-sided module fixation.

На платі передбачено три слоти розширення, виконані у форматі PCI-E x16. Не дивлячись на схожість габаритів, їх можливості відрізняються. Перший слот з підсилюючими металевими “обладунками” працює у режимі PCI-E 4.0 x16, використовуючи процесорні лінії PCI Express.

In this case, the capabilities of PCI-E 5.0 are not implemented, but even the top current graphics cards are limited to the PCI-E 4.0 interface, so there is no loss here.

Two additional full-size PCI-E slots are serviced by the chipset, with one of them operating in PCI-E 4.0 x4 mode and the other in PCI-E 4.0 x1 mode.

ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi offers two M.2 connectors for connecting high-speed drives. In both cases, it is possible to connect devices up to 2280 with a PCI-E 4.0 x4 data transfer interface. For the SSD that will be connected to M.2_1, an additional aluminum cooler is provided, which will definitely not be superfluous in the case of performance drives.

We recently tested the Kingston KC3000 1024GB using the ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi card and the corresponding port with additional cooling. More details can be found in the separate review.

In the context of the motherboard, we note that it allows you to fully unleash the potential of the SSD, and the radiator block helps to keep the temperature regime without overheating the drive.

The second high-speed port (M.2_2) is located in the lower right corner of the PCB. The connector can be used for lower-speed drives, and if the SSD is a high-performance drive that gets very hot under heavy load, there’s nothing to stop you from using an additional original cooler.

There are four corresponding ports on the board for connecting devices with SATA interface. Two connectors are located near the bottom edge of the PCB, and a couple more are on the right side. The latter are positioned parallel to the PCB plane to allow for the connection of interface cables even when using a video card with a large cooling system.

Next to the drive connectors is the chipset chip, which is cooled by a rather compact radiator. The aluminum modules with a relatively simple profile shape are attached with plastic clips with additional springs.

The board offers four 4-pin connectors for setting up the platform’s cooling system. Two of them are nominally designed for the CPU cooler, and a couple more are for connecting case fans. The configuration can be called minimally sufficient.

As for temperature sensors, only monitoring of the CPU and the overall “Motherboard” value is offered. There are no sensors to detect the heating of VRM and chipset elements. At the same time, the proprietary utility and BIOS display the temperature of DRAM modules, if the latter support this option.

In terms of additional service equipment, ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi offers a Q-LED Core primary diagnostic system. Unlike the more familiar line with several LEDs that light up in case of possible problems, the board with Q-LED Core reacts to issues during the initial POST passage by flashing the main system indicator on the case. The time interval between illumination is used to determine the problematic element of the system.

Among the functional features, we can note the presence of an internal USB Type-C connector for outputting the corresponding port to the chassis panel. In the current case, a version of the USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface with a bandwidth of 5 GB/s is implemented for this connector. In the previous interpretation, it was USB 3.0.

The presence of internal LPT and COM ports near the bottom edge of the PCB is a sign of the platform’s versatility, which can be used for specialized systems where such interfaces can still be useful.

Given the name ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi, it’s not hard to guess that the model is initially equipped with a wireless communication module. The board is equipped with a dual-band Intel AX201 controller that supports Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with a maximum data transfer rate of up to 2.4 GB/s. Bluetooth 5.2 support is also announced. For wired network communication, the board uses a Realtek RTL8125BG controller (2.5 GB/s).

The ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi sound subsystem is based on Realtek ALC897, has an isolated path and several specialized capacitors in the circuit. A picky music lover will surely notice the codec’s not-ideal specifications, but the overall implementation is more important for solutions of this class.

The sound is quite typical for a budget built-in audio: the sound is bright and a little harsh at high frequencies, and the middle frequencies are too emphasized – but in general, it will satisfy the vast majority of users who do not “chase” the highest quality sound and do not choose a motherboard based on the audio chipset installed in it.

To configure the parameters, you use the typical features for Realtek solutions.

ASUS’ proprietary “body kit” includes the ability to use the intelligent Two-Way AI Noise Cancellation system. The ability to remove background noise can come in handy.

ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi has no additional visual decoration in the form of RGB backlighting. But if the owner of the board still has a craving for bright illumination, it is quite possible to satisfy it. For this purpose, the board has as many as three connectors for second-generation addressable aRGB strips on WS2812B elements, as well as one connector for classic RGB with 5050 LEDs powered by 12 V.

Of course, in the settings of the Armory Crate proprietary application, you can pre-calibrate the strips and adjust the backlight modes. While AURY Sync support allows you to synchronize the illumination of different elements of the platform if necessary.

The ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi interface panel does not have a lot of connectors, but the set is sufficient for most cases. Initially, we should note that the metal cover plate is not permanently fixed on the board, so before assembling the system in the case, you should first install the corresponding element.

As for the variety of interface connectors, the panel has four USB 2.0 ports and a pair of USB 3.2 Gen2 (up to 10 Gb/s). In addition, there is also a combined PS/2 port for connecting a keyboard/mouse with the appropriate interface.

The presence of a pair of HDMI and DisplayPort, which allows you to simultaneously connect three 4K@60 Hz screens using integrated processor graphics, is another sign of the platform’s versatility.

The panel also has an Ethernet socket and two connectors for connecting the wireless network module’s amplifying antenna. Three 3.5 mm audio jacks are provided for connecting audio devices.

There are no additional surface mounting elements on the back side of the PCB. From this side of the PCB, the insulating track of the audio subsystem is clearly visible.

As expected, the board is equipped with the primary UEFI shell with the primary EZ Mode, which contains key features sufficient for beginners, as well as Advanced Mode with more detailed platform configuration.

Given that Intel B760 boards are not meant to be overclocked, we shouldn’t expect ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi to offer the capabilities of overclocking models. Here, such detail will only get in the way. Nevertheless, the board offers quite a sufficient set of options for fairly fine tuning if the owner wants to experiment with the memory subsystem first of all. Everything is fine here with the necessary “tools”.

The manufacturer recommends using the familiar Armoury Crate package for software debugging and monitoring of platform parameters.

Processor: Intel Core i5-13600KF (6/12+8; 3.5/5.1 GHz + 2.6/3.9 GHz)

Cooling: ASUS ROG RYUO III 360 ARGB

Video card: ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 OC Edition 12GB GDDR6X (DUAL-RTX4070-O12G)

RAM: Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5-7200 32 GB (KF572C38RWK2-32)

Drive: Kingston KC3000 1024GB (M.2 NVMe; PCI-E 4.0 x4)

Power supply: ASUS ROG STRIX 1000W GOLD (1000W)

To test the board’s capabilities, we used a Core i5-13600KF processor. The older model of the Core i5 line from the 13th generation Intel Core family is a fairly rational choice even for an advanced gaming configuration.

A 14-core, 20-thread chip with a TDP of 125/181W is a pretty good option for testing the capabilities of a mid-range board.

During the maximum multi-threaded load in the Cinebench R23 rendering test, the processor actually consumed about 183-187 W, and the board’s VRM and liquid cooling system allowed it to maintain such parameters in long-term mode.

When building a scene, productive cores were accelerated to 5100 MHz, and energy-efficient cores were accelerated to 3900 MHz.

In other words, if you have an efficient cooler, you can safely use the ASUS Performance Enhancement 3.0 option in the BIOS to get the best performance.

High frequency performance allows us to get the corresponding results. The processor scored 1939 points in single-threaded mode and 23,539 in multi-threaded mode. In general, we also have good results in GeekBench and 3DMark.

According to the declared capabilities, ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi is capable of working with high-speed DDR5 memory modules. The developers have announced support for kits up to DDR5-7200+. During the review of the Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5-7200 32GB dual-channel kit (KF572C38RWK2-32), we were able to make sure that these are far from being limiting values. For a detailed analysis, please refer to the relevant material.

It should be noted that ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi works quite confidently with the DDR5-7200 kit. However, we emphasize that such modes are available for 12th/13th generation Intel Core processors with unlocked multipliers, that is, for models with the “K” index in the name. When using ordinary chips, you can count on stable DDR5-6400.

When testing the DDR5-7200 kit on the ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi, we managed to reach DDR5-7600, and in DDR5-7800 mode we could get a screenshot with the AIDA64 bandwidth test. In general, it’s very good for an ordinary model that is not focused on overclocking at all. However, if you have a desire to use high-speed RAM kits, the board allows you to do so.

The current retail price of ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi is 7200 UAH (~$190). In fact, this model is in the group of Intel B760-based starter solutions that work with DDR5 memory modules and are equipped with a Wi-Fi controller as standard.

If you are confident that you will not need the ability to use wireless networks, and therefore it is unnecessary to pay extra for the corresponding module, you can look at the ASUS PRIME B760M-A-CSM, which is actually based on an identical platform, but is offered without Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201. The price of this version at the time of the review is 6500 UAH (~$170). However, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that the “corporate” modification of the board has slightly more modest dimensions of radiators for VRM elements.

For cases where DDR4 memory is used, there is also a version of the ASUS PRIME B760M-A WiFi D4, which differs from the base model only in the type of supported RAM and price. The model for the still quite popular modules of the previous generation is offered for 6200 UAH (~$162). The ASUS PRIME B760M-A D4-CSM model, which in addition to DDR4 and the lack of a Wi-Fi module also lost one of the coolers on the power supply elements, can be purchased for 5150 UAH (~$135).