Conclusion
This review gave us a chance to look at a new motherboard series from ASRock. The X870 CHALLENGER WiFi White is a budget-minded gaming motherboard with a performance expectation that reaches into the next tier up. This full-sized ATX board supports AMD socket AM5, DDR5 RAM, Gen5 x16 PCIe and Gen5 M.2 storage. We saw that the performance in benchmarking is on par with or slightly better than that of similar ASRock boards we reviewed in late 2024.
Installation and Use
This motherboard gave us no issues with installation or upon initial boot. There were no space issues with the CPU cooler or RAM. The RAM slots are double-latched, and the spacing should be no issue. The board is a bit shy in the EZ-push button category. Only the primary M.2 slot has an EZ-Release mechanism. The PCIe slots have the old-school clasp, which is a bit of a tight squeeze in the primary slot. (had to use a pencil with an eraser end to depress the clasp) The secondary M.2 slots all need a Phillips screwdriver. Other than that, the M.2 slots are tool-less, and the hold-downs are rotary clasps. You do need to pay attention to the numbering scheme of the slots, which is 1-2-4-3. Remember, if you want M.2_2 to run full Gen4 x 4, you must disable the USB4 ports in the BIOS. M.2 height will be an issue, as the GPU sits on top of each slot except the primary. These issues are not exclusive to this board by any stretch, as we have seen this in some form all along the X870 reviews.
First boot, BIOS navigation, and Windows 11 installation were without a single hitch. The BIOS is very similar, if not identical, to the other ASRock X870 motherboards we have reviewed in the recent past. We had no issues updating the BIOS to the most recent release using the “Instant-Flash” software. The BIOS is very responsive and well-organized. All benchmarks ran without error. VRM temperatures were very unremarkable on this board during prolonged Cinebench R23. There were no thermal issues.
Final Points
Our review looks at a new addition to ASRock’s motherboard offerings. The ASRock X870 CHALLENGER WiFi White is a budget-friendly board that certainly doesn’t skimp on the performance or hardware. In fact, this board has more power phases and more M.2 slots than the motherboards in the gaming tier above it, and throw in a 64MB BIOS chip, too. Well, you do miss out on some EZ-Release buttons, RGB bling, and two SATA ports. Quite honestly, if you can get by that, this is a well-designed motherboard at a very nice price. We found that this board meets or exceeds the performance of the higher-priced ASRock X870 Steel Legend and X870 RIPTIDE. (Both currently have price reductions offered) Overall, we liked this motherboard. It more than makes up for minimal design changes with performance and price. Whether building a gaming board on a budget or just looking to save a few dollars without performance sacrifice, this is a very good place to start. Oh, yeah, it also comes in black.
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