GIGABYTE B650M Aorus Elite AX ICE DDR5 AMD Motherboard

The GIGABYTE B650M Aorus Elite AX ICE is a Micro ATX motherboard built on the AMD B650 chipset, designed for AMD Socket AM5 processors including the Ryzen 7000 and Ryzen 8000 series. Its compact 24.4 cm × 24.4 cm footprint makes it a capable foundation for space-conscious builds without compromising on feature depth. At the heart of its power delivery sits a 12+2+2 phase digital VRM solution paired with a one-piece heatsink featuring a 6 mm heatpipe, multi-cut airflow channels, and a 5 W/mK thermal pad, collectively working to maintain stable voltages under sustained processor loads. Two M.2 slots offer genuine storage flexibility: one PCIe 5.0 x4 slot (supporting up to 25110 form-factor drives) and one PCIe 4.0 x4 slot (up to 22110), both covered by M.2 thermal guards. Four SATA 6 Gb/s ports round out storage connectivity, with RAID 0, 1, and 10 supported for both NVMe and SATA arrays. Memory support extends to four DDR5 DIMM slots in a dual-channel configuration, accommodating up to 192 GB of system memory (48 GB per slot). Speeds from 4400 MT/s up to 8000 MT/s (OC) are supported, with compatibility for AMD EXPO and Intel XMP profiles. A PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (from the CPU) handles discrete graphics, while a second PCIe 4.0 x4 slot (from the chipset) provides additional expansion. Networking is handled by a Realtek 2.5GbE LAN controller and a Realtek Wi-Fi 6E module (RTL8852CE) supporting 2.4/5/6 GHz bands, 11ax 160 MHz, and Bluetooth 5.3. Rear I/O includes HDMI 2.1 (up to 4096×2160@60 Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 3840×2160@144 Hz), a USB Type-C port at USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s), two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, five USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and four USB 2.0 ports. An internal USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C header (20 Gb/s) is provided for front-panel use. Audio is delivered via a Realtek HD Audio CODEC supporting up to 7.1-channel output and S/PDIF optical out. The Smart Fan 6 system manages up to six fan/pump headers with PWM and DC support, each rated up to 24 W (12 V × 2 A) with over-current protection and a FAN STOP function. ARGB and RGB headers (2 × ARGB Gen 2, 2 × RGB, 1 × CPU cooler LED) are present for lighting customization via GIGABYTE Control Center. Q-Flash Plus enables BIOS updates without a CPU or memory installed. Key Specifications: – Socket: AMD AM5 | Chipset: AMD B650 – Form Factor: Micro ATX, 24.4 cm × 24.4 cm – Memory: 4 × DDR5 DIMM, up to 192 GB, 4400–8000 MT/s (OC), dual channel, AMD EXPO & XMP – Storage: 1 × PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 (25110/2280), 1 × PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 (22110/2280), 4 × SATA 6 Gb/s – Expansion: 1 × PCIe 4.0 x16 (CPU), 1 × PCIe 4.0 x4 (chipset) – Networking: Realtek 2.5GbE LAN, Realtek Wi-Fi 6E (RTL8852CE, 2T2R), Bluetooth 5.3 – Display: HDMI 2.1 (4K@60 Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (4K@144 Hz) – USB Rear: 1 × USB-C 10 Gb/s, 2 × USB-A 10 Gb/s, 5 × USB 3.2 Gen 1, 4 × USB 2.0 – Audio: Realtek HD Audio CODEC, 7.1-channel, S/PDIF optical out – BIOS: 256 Mbit flash, AMI UEFI, Q-Flash, Q-Flash Plus – OS: Windows 11 64-bit, Windows 10 64-bit