The Intel B560 Motherboard Overview: 30+ Budget Models Starting from $75
by Gavin Bonshor on March 29, 2021 7:00 AM ESTChoosing The Right B560 Motherboard
One of Intel's new Rocket Lake (11th gen) processors' biggest driving forces is official support for PCIe 4.0. We've seen AMD implement PCIe 4.0 into the mainstream with its Ryzen 3000 series processors almost two years ago now, back in the summer of 2019. It took a while for Intel to catch up finally, but PCIe 4.0 after March 30th will be a key element of Intel's desktop platforms going forward into 2021 and beyond.
Not just looking forward to the future of its technologies and designs, Intel has also made its Z590, B560, and H510 backward compatible with existing Comet Lake (10th gen) processors too. This allows users to either use existing chips to upgrade to the 500 series chipsets or pick up a cheaper 10-core Comet Lake processor. However, using Comet Lake with 500-series boards willmean PCIe 3.0 as per Intel's specifications.
The most notable additions toB560 over the previous B460 are in networking. Not only do a number of boards come with a Wi-Fi 6 interface, a lot of B4570 models are 2.5 Gb Ethernet enabled. Over half of the models announced so far include either a Realtek RTL8125 or Intel's own I225-V 2.5 GbE controller. Even in a mid-range chipset such as B560, it's a notable statement of intent and an indicator that Gigabit Ethernet could soon be a thing of the past.
When paired with an 11th generation Rocket Lake processor, on all the B560 boards we've looked at so far, at least one of the M.2 ports will support super-fast PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 drives. The rest of the M.2 slots are all PCIe 3.0, as they come from the chipset, which is limited to PCIe 3.0. Regarding the number of M.2 slots on B560 boards, the maximum number we've seen a B560 model includes is three, but this requires an ATX model, and uses 66% of the chipset PCIe lanes in full speed mode (some boards use x2 links instead).
Regardless of the needs or requirements, functionality, storage support, even in rear panel connectivity, we have a handy table that specifies which model includes what specific feature.
Note: We usually include a list of micro-ATX models in the below list, but given that most B560 models are micro-ATX, we've opted to highlight the ATX and mini-ITX boards. Outside of this, it means that the model is micro-ATX.
Choosing the Right B560 Motherboard | |||
If You Need | Then The Options Are | Size | Price |
2.5 Gigabit Ethernet | ASRock B560 Steel Legend | ATX | $130 |
ASRock B560M Steel Legend | mATX | $120 | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-F Gaming WIFI | ATX | - | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-A Gaming WIFI | ATX | $175 | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-G Gaming WIFI | mATX | - | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-I Gaming WIFI | ITX | - | |
ASUS TUF Gaming B560-Plus WIFI | ATX | - | |
ASUS TUF Gaming B560M-Plus WIFI | mATX | - | |
ASUS TUF Gaming B560M-Plus | mATX | - | |
Biostar B560GTQ | mATX | - | |
GIGABYTE B560 Aorus Pro AX | ATX | - | |
GIGABYTE B560M Aorus Elite | mATX | - | |
GIGABYTE B560M Aorus Pro AX | mATX | - | |
GIGABYTE B560M Aorus Pro | mATX | - | |
MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk Wi-Fi | ATX | - | |
MSI MAG B560 Torpedo | ATX | - | |
MSI MAG B560M Mortar Wi-Fi | mATX | - | |
MSI MAG B560M Mortar | mATX | - | |
MSI MAG B560M Bazooka | mATX | - | |
MSI B560M-A Pro | mATX | - | |
MSI B560M Pro | mATX | - | |
3 or more M.2 Slots | ASRock B560 Steel Legend | ATX | $130 |
ASRock B560 Pro4/ac | ATX | - | |
ASRock B560 Pro4 | ATX | $110 | |
GIGABYTE B560 Aorus Pro AX | ATX | - | |
Intel Wi-Fi 6E | MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk Wi-Fi | ATX | - |
MSI MAG B560M Mortar Wi-Fi | mATX | - | |
Intel Wi-Fi 6 | ASUS ROG Strix B560-F Gaming WIFI | ATX | - |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-A Gaming WIFI | ATX | $175 | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-G Gaming WIFI | mATX | - | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-I Gaming WIFI | ITX | - | |
ASUS TUF Gaming B560-Plus WIFI | ATX | - | |
ASUS TUF Gaming B560M-Plus WIFI | mATX | - | |
GIGABYTE B560 Aorus Pro AX | ATX | - | |
GIGABYTE B560M Aorus Pro AX | mATX | - | |
USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C | ASUS ROG Strix B560-F Gaming WIFI | ATX | - |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-G Gaming WIFI | mATX | - | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-I Gaming WIFI | ITX | - | |
Biostar B560GTQ | mATX | - | |
GIGABYTE B560 Aorus Pro AX | ATX | - | |
GIGABYTE B560M Aorus Pro AX | mATX | - | |
GIGABYTE B560M Aorus Pro | mATX | - | |
MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk Wi-Fi | ATX | - | |
MSI MAG B560 Torpedo | ATX | - | |
MSI MAG B560M Mortar Wi-Fi | mATX | - | |
MSI MAG B560M Mortar | mATX | - | |
USB 3.2 G2 Type-C | ASRock B560 Steel Legend | ATX | $130 |
ASUS Prime B560M-A AC | mATX | - | |
ASUS Prime B560M-A | mATX | - | |
ASUS TUF Gaming B560-Plus WIFI | ATX | - | |
ASUS TUF Gaming B560M-Plus WIFI | mATX | - | |
ASUS TUF Gaming B560M-Plus | mATX | - | |
GIGABYTE B560M Aorus Elite | mATX | - | |
BIOS Flashback Button | ASUS ROG Strix B560-F Gaming WIFI | ATX | - |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-G Gaming WIFI | mATX | - | |
ATX | ASRock B560 Steel Legend | ATX | $130 |
ASRock B560 Pro4/ac | ATX | - | |
ASRock B560 Pro4 | ATX | $110 | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-E Gaming WIFI | ATX | - | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-F Gaming WIFI | ATX | - | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-A Gaming WIFI | ATX | $175 | |
ASUS Prime B560-Plus | ATX | $120 | |
ASUS TUF Gaming B560-Pro WIFI | ATX | - | |
Biostar Racing B560GTQ | ATX | - | |
GIGABYTE B560 Aorus Pro AX | ATX | - | |
MSI MAG B560 Tomahawk Wi-Fi | ATX | - | |
MSI MAG B560 Torpedo | ATX | - | |
Mini-ITX | ASRock B560M-ITX/ac | ITX | $95 |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-I Gaming WIFI | ITX | - | |
MSI MPG B560I Gaming Edge Wi-Fi | ITX | - |
As the B560 chipset is considered budget, the vast majority include one of Realtek's budget-friendly HD audio codecs, such as the ALC897. Only one model so far includes one of Realtek's latest ALC4080 HD audio codec (GIGABYTE), with some of the ASUS ROG models, which is using a Realtek S1220A HD audio codec.
Only a minimal selection of modelscomes with anything better than the ALC897.
B560 Motherboard Audio | |
Codec | Boards |
Realtek ALC897 | Almost Everything, Except The Following |
Realtek ALC4080 | GIGABYTE B560 Aorus Pro AX |
Realtek S1220A | ASUS ROG Strix B560-F Gaming WIFI |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-A Gaming WIFI | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-G Gaming WIFI | |
ASUS ROG Strix B560-I Gaming WIFI | |
ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus | |
Realtek ALC1220 | Biostar B560GTQ |
As we receive updates from vendors with more information, we will endeavor to keep this B560 overview updated and as often as possible.
59 Comments
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Flunk - Monday, March 29, 2021 - link
Still limiting overclocking on mid-range boards even though the competition doesn't? Shame Intel, shame.shabby - Monday, March 29, 2021 - link
Do you really need to overclock though? Don't these cpus overclock themselves to 200w+ anyway?Linustechtips12#6900xt - Thursday, April 8, 2021 - link
just adjust the turbo limit time or enable MCE if you can, at least i think you can on b560 not sure and 2933/3000 mhz memory isnt the biggest deal eitherGreat_Scott - Monday, March 29, 2021 - link
The most recent crop of Intel CPUs 1) overclock on their own, and 2) don't have any thermal headroom.Really, getting a Non-K with a B-series motherboard and saving the money for (any) GPU is the better idea...
Martin84a - Monday, March 29, 2021 - link
Not that the work isn't appreciated, but I think you should just hire raisonjohn and call it a day. His work on a massive comparison spreadsheet for the AMD A, B and X motherboard is amazing, and light years ahead of anything I've seen.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wmsTYK9Z3-...
Tomatotech - Monday, March 29, 2021 - link
Decent stack range, but the vast majority have too many SATA and not enough m.2 and not enough USB type C ports. In the next few years there will be more and more type C equipment to plug in.Apart from that, most of them are good for final DDR4 boards as a final home for DDR4 RAM as DDR 5 starts coming in next year (or the year after).
With AMD’s reduction in CPU power the way seems open for some low power desktops to run entirely off USB-C with its power supply of up to 100w (delivered via DC so equal to a wall supply of maybe 130w AC as the transformer losses are in the wall wart not in the desktop PSU). That could mean smaller and cheaper desktops, powered straight from the monitor (if it has a USBC power supply) through the USBC video cable. Apple already has this setup though a few hoops need to be jumped through.
DanNeely - Monday, March 29, 2021 - link
Limited m.2 is mostly down to being mATX and budget. The smaller board size combined with m.2 being attached to the board itself doesn't leave much room for a 2nd slot unless you go with some sort of riser setup. And using a riser crashes into being budget products.USB-C rollout has been strangled by the decision to implement reversibility by adding an extra chip between the physical port and controller whose job is to swap the IO around instead of offloading that to the controller. Adding an extra dollar or two to the BOM per port has resulted in all the board makers deciding that not having multiple C ports is a good way to cut costs.
Lastly, mATX is going to be the last place we see SATA numbers shrink as long as Intel keep offering them on their chipsets. The plugs are dirt cheap, and unless you're building a maxed out full ATX board the chipset has more IO lanes than you can use. If numbers ever start dropping below what's offered in the chipset it'll either be on mITX boards that are badly space constrained or full ATX ones where the designers decide a few more PCIe lanes or USB3 ports would be more valuable.
TheinsanegamerN - Monday, March 29, 2021 - link
Plenty of AMD micro ATX boards have 2 slots, you just need some intelligent board design. Hell they can fit 2 on mini ITX without riser boards.Tomatotech - Tuesday, March 30, 2021 - link
Thanks Dan for the reply. I didn’t know that info about the USB-C extra chip causing issues. USB-IF strikes again!vailr - Monday, March 29, 2021 - link
Gigabyte also has the (full size ATX board) B460 HD3:https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B460-HD3-rev-...