GIGABYTE B850M FORCE WIFI6E REV 1.1 Motherboard Review

Start a PC build or you're due for a platform upgrade? the GIGABYTE B850M FORCE WIFI6E is a great starting point that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

It’s a difficult time to build a PC right now to be honest. Lofty DDR5 prices and GPU shortages here and there and watch as you and your wallet cry over what’s left - sad bank accounts, I tell you. Other manufacturers are resorting to backtracking to DDR4 support just to ease up on the pricing landscape for us mere folks. Thankfully, motherboards are still affordable if you know what you need and you know where to look. Enter the GIGABYTE B850M FORCE WIFI6E, a very affordable motherboard that doesn’t skimp on features and design.

GIGABYTE B850 FORCE WIFI6E Technical Specifications

CPU Support	AMD Socket AM5, support for: AMD Ryzen™ 9000 Series Processors/ AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series Processors/ AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Processors
Memory	Support for DDR5 9600(OC)/ 9200(OC)/ 8800(OC)/ 8600(OC)/ 8400(OC)/ 8200(OC)/ 8000(OC)/ 7800(OC)/ 7600(OC)/ 7200(OC)/ 7000(OC)/ 6800(OC)/ 6666(OC)/ 6600(OC)/ 6400(OC)/ 6200(OC)/ 6000(OC)/ 5600(OC)/ 5200/ 4800/ 4400 MT/s memory modules 2 x DDR5 DIMM sockets supporting up to 128 GB (64 GB single DIMM capacity) of system memory Dual channel memory architecture Support for non-ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8/1Rx16 memory modules Support forAMD EXtended Profiles for Overclocking (AMD EXPO™) and Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules
Storage	1x M.2 connector (M2A_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2280 SSDs: AMD Ryzen™ 9000/7000 Series Processors support PCIe 5.0 x4/x2 SSDs AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 1 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 2 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs 1 x M.2 connector (M2B_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2280 SSDs: AMD Ryzen™ 9000/7000 Series Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 1 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 2 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x2 SSDs 1 x M.2 connector (M2C_SB), integrated in the Chipset, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2280 PCIe 4.0 x2 SSDs 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 support for NVMe SSD storage devices * RAID 5 is only available on AMD Ryzen™ 9000 Series Processors. RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10 support for SATA storage devices
Audio Codec	Realtek® Audio CODEC High Definition Audio 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
USB	CPU: - 1 x USB Type-C® port on the back panel, with USB 3.2 Gen 1 support - 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port (red) on the back panel - 1 x USB 2.0/1.1 port on the back panel Chipset: - 1 x USB Type-C® port with USB 3.2 Gen 1 support, available through the internal USB header - 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header) - 5 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (1 port on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers)
Expansion Slots	1 x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX16), integrated in the CPU: AMD Ryzen™ 9000/7000 Series Processors support PCIe 5.0 x16 mode AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 1 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x8 mode AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 2 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode * The PCIEX16 slot can only support a graphics card or an NVMe SSD. If only one graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot. Chipset: - 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 4.0 and running at x4 (PCIEX4)
Unique Features	Support for GIGABYTE Control Center (GCC) * Available applications in GCC may vary by motherboard model. Supported functions of each application may also vary depending on motherboard specifications. Support for Q-Flash Support for Q-Flash Plus Support for Smart Backup
Form Factor/Dimensions	Micro ATX Form Factor; 24.4cm x 24.4cm
Price	Php8,450 Php15,999 (Intel Core i5 10400F bundle)

 

UNBOXING

The GIGABYTE B850 FORCE WIFI6E is presented in the traditional GIGABYTE presentation here - that familiar black and orange that, while doesn’t come with the usual flair that AORUS boxes sport, is simply for packaging so this is a non-issue. Also to note, there are three versions of the B850 FORCE WIFI6E, with two different color versions and different header placements. Based on what I’ve seen locally, both REV 1.0 and 1.1 are available here, so do check first what you’ll get.

Moving forward, you’ll get the motherboard itself, plus the G CONNECTOR for your case header, a pair of M.2 spacers, antenna, and paperwork. That’s about it. No badges for us unfortunately, that’s reserved for AORUS motherboard sadly.

DESIGN AND LAYOUT

As mentioned, there are three revisions of the B850 FORCE WIFI6E, with two different colorways, and what we have right here is REV 1.1 that does away with the orange accents and instead dons a flatter color of white, gray and black.

The GIGABYTE B850 FORCE WIFI 6E is an mATX AM5 motherboard that comes with everything you’ll need this gen. You’ll get 1x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 slot here, as well as three m.2 slots with one PCIe 5.0 and two for PCIe 4.0. These are also tool-free M.2 slots, which are always welcomed since I always lose an M.2 screw. Both PCIe 5.0 slots for M.2 and GPU are reinforced, too, so that’s a plus. 

Four SATA slots are on the right of the motherboard, alongside a USB 3.2 Gen 1 header. To note, GIGABYTE says RAID 5 is available, but only for Ryzen 9000 series CPUs. There are 2x DIMM slots here, which is reasonable given that you’ll likely only have two for stability. No issues on the placement of fan headers here.

As for the I/O panel, you may find the number of USB ports somewhat limiting. There are 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 USB Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, and that’s about it for USB ports. You’ll get a 1x HDMI port and 1x DisplayPort, as well as Mic, Line Out, and Line In for audio, and PS/2 because why not? You can also just plug-in the antenna here instead of screwing it so that’s a nice touch, too. Lastly, there’s a Realtek® 2.5GbE LAN port here if your setup prefers it over Wi-Fi. 

When it comes to power delivery and cooling, the B850 FORCE WIFI6E comes with an 8+2+2 phase DrMOS VRM design. You’ll likely be pairing this board with a Ryzen 5 7/8/9000 CPU given the pricing setup, but don’t let that stop you if you plan to use higher tier CPUs. 

BIOS

The GIGABYTE B850 FORCE WIFI6E has a pretty much simplistic and clean user-interface for its BIOS. You get access to Easy Mode and Advanced Mode, with the former giving you the lowdown of your system such as the CPU, RAM, BIOS Version, motherboard model, storage and boot sequence XMP/EXPO Profiles, as well as a quick and easy access to Smart Fan 6 and enabling/disabling X3D Turbo Mode. No complaints here.

BIOS

CONCLUSION

The PC landscape at the time of writing doesn't look quite as welcoming as it was last year just because of how much things are nowadays. With that said, if you're thinking it's high time to get into it or you're simply due for a system upgrade, the GIGABYTE B850M FORCE WIFI6E opens the door for you with a very affordable entry price (~PHP8,450 at the time of writing), presenting a feature-packed offering that's also backed with GIGABYTE's longstanding reputation and nifty features you'd find quite useful. You get PCIe 5.0 for both GPU and M.2, so there's no reason to go for B650 boards that may cut your path ahead early.  The AM5 platform is still great and will still be a great option in the coming years, so you're likely not locked out if you choose to start with this and stick with it. And let's not forget, it's got white.