AMD AM5 Mini-ITX Motherboard Roundup for Ryzen 7000/8000/9000

Today, we're taking a look at all the AM5 Mini-ITX motherboards we could get our hands on, from the likes of Asus, Asrock, Gigabyte, and MSI. In total, these board makers have produced just 8 motherboards across the entire AM5 platform. There aren't many options available, which made our job a bit easier than usual, but we would have enjoyed checking out a few more.

The Big Spec Table

All motherboards tested in this roundup, listed from least to most expensive.

Orange Line = top recommendation among its key competitors (form factor, price segment, features, etc.).
More about this in the conclusion.

The Motherboards

MSI MPG B650I Edge WiFi

It's quite surprising to us that, after all this time and the success that the AM5 platform has already had, MSI offers just a single Mini-ITX product: the MPG B650I Edge WiFi. That said, MSI only ever offered a handful of AM4 Mini-ITX boards, so perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised.

The B650I Edge WiFi isn't exactly affordable priced at $290, making it one of the more expensive AM5 Mini-ITX options out there. For that price, it's rather underwhelming; the vcore portion of the VRM features eight 80A power stages, which is certainly sufficient but also a bit lacking compared to competing products.

There's no PCIe 5.0 support, and while PCIe 5.0 isn't a particularly useful feature right now, it might be in the years to come. AM5 will be supported until 2027 and beyond, according to AMD, so there's a good chance any AM5 board you buy now will still be in service beyond that point.

The board does include two PCIe 4.0 M.2 ports, and having a second is nice on a Mini-ITX board, but at this price point, it's not a unique feature. It does, however, include four SATA ports, whereas most only include two, though we doubt you'll be able to use them all in most ITX cases.

As for USB support, there's no USB4, though there are nine USB 3.2 ports and just two USB 2.0 ports. The pre-installed I/O panel isn't particularly well-stocked, with just six USB ports in total, including a single Type-C.

Like all AM5 Mini-ITX motherboards, you do get 2.5 Gbit LAN and WiFi 6E, so the board is very standard in that respect. There are also three 4-pin fan headers, which turns out to be the standard configuration for all AM5 Mini-ITX motherboards.

Asus ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi

The Asus ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi, in typical Asus fashion, is by far the most expensive product here, with an asking price of $410, making it 40% more costly than the MSI model we just looked at. Whether it does enough to justify the price depends on what you're looking for in terms of features, but it is undoubtedly a very high-quality product.

This is the only X670E Mini-ITX motherboard we are aware of, and there are no other X670E or X670 Mini-ITX boards, which is surprising. For this application, B650E probably makes more sense. You're getting a massive ten 110A power stage vcore VRM, providing ample power delivery. The VRM heatsink includes two small fans, though they were inaudible in our testing, which is a good sign.

Given this is an X670E motherboard, you get a PCIe x16 5.0 slot, and the primary M.2 slot is also PCIe 5.0, with an additional PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot. There are just two SATA ports, which makes sense for this form factor.

Crucially, the board offers two USB4 ports, which helps justify the asking price. Additionally, you're getting ten USB 3.2 ports and seven USB 2.0 ports. Of course, there is the standard WiFi-6E and 2.5 Gbit LAN.

There's a lot to like about this board, such as the ten USB ports on the I/O panel, two of which are USB4. The onboard audio has been moved offboard as an external USB device called the "ROG Strix Hive." This external audio solution uses the Realtek ALC4050 codec and ESS Technology's SABRE 9260Q DAC. The Hive includes a volume knob that can be pressed to mute audio and a pair of 3.5mm audio jacks for line-out and line-in. There are also several other features unrelated to audio.

The Hive includes a USB Type-C and Type-A pass-through, and the Type-A port supports BIOS Flashback. There's also a series of LEDs that can be used to debug issues with the system. There's even a PBO button that allows the user to quickly enable or disable AMD's Precision Boost Overdrive feature.

The ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi is an impressive board, and as a flagship AM5 Mini-ITX offering, it has no real competition.

Gigabyte A620I AX

If spending over $400 on a motherboard isn't your cup of tea, maybe the $120 Gigabyte A620I AX might interest you. As the name suggests, this one uses the A620 chipset, so there's no CPU overclocking here, but you still get memory overclocking, which is all that matters for most users.

The VRM is pretty basic; the vcore is supported by five 55A power stages, which should be more than enough to power the likes of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. As expected, there's no PCIe 5.0 support, which is fine, though disappointingly, there is just a single M.2 slot with two SATA ports.

The USB support is limited to just six USB 3.2 ports and five USB 2.0 ports, but you do get WiFi-6E and 2.5 Gbit LAN. So, it's a very basic motherboard, but with comparable Micro ATX A620 boards priced around $110, it's certainly not overpriced at $120.

The VRM is pretty basic, the vcore is supported by five 55A power stages, though that should be more than enough to power the likes of the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. As you'd expect there's no PCIe 5.0 support which is fine, though disappointingly there is just a single M.2 slot with two SATA ports. Still, it is very basic, with just four USB 3.2 ports on the I/O panel and an additional two USB 2.0 ports, and there's no pre-installed I/O shield.

Gigabyte B650I AX

For around $40 more, there is a B650 version called the B650I AX. We're not 100% sure on pricing for the US market yet, as it's not available, but we're going to assume it's at least $20 more than the A620I AX.

For the additional investment, you get the B650 chipset, which means CPU overclocking is now on the table, but with the same five 55A power stages for the vcore, don't expect much headroom here.

Essentially, the Gigabyte A620I AX and B650I AX are the exact same motherboard, with the only difference being the chipset used, making the B650I AX a very underwhelming product in our opinion.

Gigabyte B650I Aorus Ultra

The Gigabyte B650I Aorus Ultra, on the other hand, is far more interesting, and although it costs $240, it does a lot to justify that price. Firstly, the VRM is up to the task with eight 105A power stages for the vcore on a 12-layer PCB.

Given this is a B650 board, you get PCIe 4.0 x16, though the primary M.2 slot is PCIe 5.0 compatible with an additional two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, giving the board a total of three M.2 slots, which is a great feature. There's no USB4 support, but you are getting eight USB 3.2 ports and six USB 2.0 ports, along with the standard WiFi-6E and 2.5 Gbit LAN.

The I/O panel is surprisingly basic, with just four USB 3.2 Type-A ports, an additional Type-C port, and two USB 2.0 ports. While there's a reasonable number of USB ports, a few more 3.2 ports wouldn't have hurt at this price point. Overall, it's a solid board and certainly one of the better-looking AM5 Mini-ITX options.

Asrock A620I Lightning WiFi

Now, let's take a look at some Asrock boards, starting with the A620I Lightning WiFi, which currently costs $140, $20 more than Gigabyte's Mini-ITX A620 board. When compared to Gigabyte's offering, the A620I Lightning WiFi seems to be a much better product.

Firstly, you're getting eight 60A power stages for the vcore, a significant improvement over the five 55A power stages offered by Gigabyte. There's also two M.2 slots, one PCIe 4.0 and the other PCIe 3.0, providing an extra expansion option. Additionally, you get an extra USB 3.2 port.

The I/O shield is pre-installed, which is not something Gigabyte offers on the A620I AX. The layout and connectivity options are very similar, so the A620I Lightning WiFi is quite basic.

Regarding the board layout and design, we think Asrock has done a better job. The VRM heatsink is much larger, and we prefer the M.2 heatspreader. The fan headers are also better positioned, but the higher quality VRM is the main reason we would choose the Asrock board.

Asrock B650I Lightning WiFi

As with Gigabyte's A620I AX and B650I AX, Asrock's B650I Lightning WiFi is a B650 version of the A620I Lightning WiFi. You're getting the exact same motherboard with the B650 chipset.

This means the same eight 60A power stages for the vcore, the same I/O configuration, and the same motherboard layout. The only physical change is a slightly larger M.2 heatspreader, but other than that, it's the same motherboard with CPU overclocking capabilities.

Asrock B650E PG-ITX WiFi

Asrock also offers the B650E PG-ITX WiFi at $290, which is priced to compete with the MSI MPG B650I Edge WiFi. Frankly, it's a better board. While MSI offers eight 80A power stages for the vcore, Asrock raises that to ten 105A power stages, providing a similar configuration to the $410 Asus ROG Strix model.

Since this is a B650E board, you get PCIe 5.0 x16 along with a PCIe 5.0 enabled M.2 slot and an additional PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot. Asrock has also included a very large M.2 heatsink with active cooling, connected to the main VRM heatsink via a heat pipe.

The only disappointing aspect of this board is the I/O panel connectivity. For some reason, there are just three USB 3.2 Type-A ports and one Type-C port, making four ports in total, with another four USB 2.0 ports. While the total number of USB ports is decent, half of them are the older 2.0 spec, which is a bit lacking. Otherwise, it's a nice-looking board.

VRM Temperature Comparison

For testing, we're using the Thermaltake Tower 100 Mini-ITX case and the Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black for cooling. To record temperatures, we're using a digital thermometer with K-Type thermocouples and reporting the peak PCB temperature. We're not reporting Delta T over Ambient; instead, we maintain a room temperature of 21 degrees and ensure a consistent ambient temperature by positioning a thermocouple next to the test system.

For the stress test, we're using the Ryzen 9 7950X, with Cinebench 2024 looped for an hour. At that point, we're reporting the maximum PCB temperature, again recorded using K-type thermocouples. Now, let's get into the results...

As expected, the Asus ROG Strix board provided the coolest result, with a peak temperature of 69°C, thanks to its large heatsinks and 110A power stages. The Gigabyte B650I Aorus Ultra was also impressive, peaking at 76°C and getting the most out of the Ryzen 9 processors. The MSI B650I Edge performed well at 77°C.

Next, we have the Asrock A620I Lightning WiFi, which reached 80°C. While this seems like a great result, the board limited itself to a sustained power delivery of just 165 watts, which is 13% less than the MSI board. The MSI board was quite efficient with its voltages, realistically drawing over 200 watts.

By capping power output, the A620 board reduced the Cinebench score by 6%. This isn't a significant reduction, but it means this board isn't optimal for the 7950X. However, it only ran at 80°C, and this power limit means it will handle all other Ryzen processors with ease, making it a decent board in that regard.

The Asrock B650E PG-ITX WiFi delivered 222 watts, reaching a peak operating temperature of 86°C, which is 10°C more than the Aorus Ultra but still an acceptable result.

The Asrock B650I Lightning WiFi also peaked at 86°C but with a sustained power output of 164 watts, which isn't enough to extract the full performance from a stock 7950X, though it will suffice for all other AM5 Ryzen processors.

The Gigabyte A620I AX and B650I AX both exceeded 100°C and were heavily power-limited to just 137 watts. The Ryzen 9 7950X still performed surprisingly well at these power limits and wasn't much slower than boards allowing for over 200 watts, highlighting the efficiency of these Zen 4 processors. However, given the 137-watt sustained power limit of these Gigabyte boards, we recommend avoiding them if possible.

Choosing Our Favorites

You've seen all the specs and pricing, features and now test results. Let's make some picks, going from most to least affordable. The Gigabyte A620I AX and B650I AX didn't test very well as we just saw. While they will work fine with Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors, especially for gaming, there are better options.

The Asrock A620I Lightning, for example, ran much cooler under the same load and offers much better power delivery while also providing an additional M.2 slot, which is very useful in this form factor, especially if you want to add more M.2 drives without sacrificing PCIe slots. For $20 more than the Gigabyte A620I AX, we recommend the Asrock A620I Lightning at $140.

The Asrock B650I Lightning WiFi is a decent board, too, but apart from CPU overclocking, it doesn't offer much over the A620 version. You're paying a 43% premium for CPU overclocking and a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot, without even getting an extra M.2 slot – just an upgrade on one of the existing ports. So, if CPU overclocking isn't a priority and you're looking to save money, go for the A620 version.

Moreover, if you're willing to push the budget to at least $200, the Gigabyte B650I Aorus Ultra is a great high-end board. There's no power delivery concern here; you're getting three M.2 slots, four SATA ports, and plenty of USB options.

Moving to the $300 range, the Asrock B650E PG-ITX WiFi is somewhat disappointing compared to the much cheaper B650I Aorus Ultra. While it offers PCIe 5.0 for the primary PCIe x16 slot, it has just two M.2 slots and similar USB support, with one less USB 3.2 port. It's not worth the 21% premium.

The MSI MPG B650I Edge WiFi is in a similar position, perhaps even worse. The VRM is no better than the Aorus Ultra, you're still only getting PCIe 4.0 x16, there are just two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, and while it does have nine USB 3.2 ports, there are just two USB 2.0 ports. It's not a bad board, but at $290, it's poorly priced; it would be a good offering at $200.

Finally, we have the Asus ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi, which has no competition as the only X670 Mini-ITX motherboard, and it's the only board priced over $400. Whether or not it's worth it depends on what you're looking for. There's no question it's the best quality board here, but it's also around 70% more expensive than the Aorus Ultra.

Compared to the flagship Gigabyte board, you're getting a slightly higher quality VRM that runs a little cooler, which at this point isn't a significant issue. There's PCIe 5.0 for the PCIe x16 slot, but you're getting one less M.2 slot and two fewer SATA ports. However, you are getting a pair of USB4 ports, which is unique among AM5 Mini-ITX boards, as well as ten USB 3.2 ports and seven USB 2.0 ports, so the USB support is unmatched. The ROG Strix Hive is also an awesome feature for audiophiles, but its usefulness depends on your specific needs. The only downside for Asus is that they don't compete outside the extreme high-end, so they might not be relevant for most users looking to build a Mini-ITX gaming system, which is unfortunate.

Bottom line, the three standout options are the Asrock A620I Lightning WiFi, Gigabyte B650I Aorus Ultra, and Asus ROG Strix X670E-I Gaming WiFi. We think the Aorus Ultra offers the best balance of features and price, and it's the one we'd choose if we were building a Mini-ITX AM5 system.