Asrock B450M Steel Legend AMD Micro-ATX Motherboard
Asrock B450M Steel Legend
AMD Motherboard This now Steel Legend represents the philosophical state of rock-solid durability and irresistible aesthetics. Built around most demanding specs and features, the Steel Legend series aims at daily users and mainstream enthusiasts! Providing a strong array of materials/components to ensure a stable and reliable performance. A motherboard that fulfills every task – with style
Dual USB 3.1 Gen2 (Type-A + Type-C)
This motherboard has a pair of onboard Type-A and Type-C USB 3.1 Gen2 ports built on the rear i/o for supporting next generation USB 3.1 Gen2 devices and to deliver up to 10 Gbps data transfer rates.
XXL Aluminum Alloy Heatsink
Extra large aluminum alloy heat sinks that effectively take away heat from the MOSFET and chipset so that your whole system may perform more stable.
Premium 60A Power Choke
Compared to traditional chokes, ASRock’s premium 60A power chokes effectively make the saturation current up to three times better, thus providing enhanced and improved Vcore voltage to the motherboard.
Nichicon 12K Black Caps
Supreme 12K black capacitors with lifespans of at least 12,000 hours. Compared to other counterparts on high-end motherboards that merely have lifespans of around 10,000 hours, ASRock applied Nichicon 12K Black Caps that offer 20% longer lifespans and provide more stability and reliability.
I/O Armor
A new designed protective cover for all of the crucial parts near the motherboard's rear I/O, so that they won't easily be damaged by static electricity.
Sapphire Black PCB
Pure black PCB appearance. The new Sapphire Black PCB represents rock-solid quality and gives the
motherboard a more mysterious touch.
High Density Glass Fabric PCB
High Density Glass Fabric PCB design that reduces the gaps between the PCB layers to protect the motherboard against electrical shorts caused by humidity.
2oz Copper PCB
Using only carefully selected copper materials for PCB layers, 2oz Copper PCB delivers lower temperature and higher energy efficiency for overclocking.
Asrock B450M Steel Legend Review
It’s been a long time since I’ve had this board in my test rig and even longer since the B450 chipset debuted. As a budget and alternative chipset to X470, it is understandable that many may shy away from it particularly those who are looking at the upper echelon of gaming motherboards from ASRock. Afterall, quite literally my favourite board to date for the X570 chipset is the
ASRock X570 Taichi, par none. However, not all of us are fortunate enough to have the means for such a board and the B series is where we must find our motherboard solutions. Fortunately, this isn’t just any B450
motherboard, it’s the ASRock B450M Steel Legend and legendary it very much is.
Specifications wise, you’re not going to be moved in the slightest here. ASRock is working within a tight budget and it shows. That said Steel Legend isn’t missing any critical functionality, but it does just cover the bare essentials in 2020. There are budget components just about everywhere, but do not let that term fool you into thinking this isn’t a capable motherboard. Nothing could be further from the truth and I’ll say it this early, this is by far the most impressive B chipset board I’ve ever come across. Not only does the B450M Steel Legend hold its own against some of the best in the business performance wise, it actually holds its own against the finest and fastest X570 board there is. As stated above we are looking at a budget board here and the specifications speak to this quite clearly. That said, it is impressive seeing five fan headers when there are full high end ATX boards with an equal amount or fewer. In terms of bare functionality this one has it all, from M.2 connectivity (only one socket) to USB 3.2 Type-C support. Audio isn’t up tot he usual ASRock quality, but it’s good enough for the price this board is retailing for.
