ASUS ROG Strix B650-A Gaming WiFi 6E AM5 (LGA1718) Ryzen 7000 Motherboard(12+2 Power Stages,DDR5,3xM.2 Slots,PCIe® 4.0, 2.5G LAN,WiFi 6E,USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C® Port)

I didn't understand some features until I went to ASUS' site and looked at every feature and its description there. Explanations aren't in the manual for how the hardware works. For example: the EF Fan header is not Exhaust Fan Fan like I thought, it is Extra Flow Fan. Just an extra chassis fan header, I guess. I did have to replace the thermal pads on the M.2 slot, they were too thin and too slim (narrow). 1mm pads worked fine for my 4Tb Crucial T500 drive I put there. I wish the second M.2 slot were mounted on a 1/4" standoff from the back of the board, my temps are 48 for the 4Tb WD SN850X I have there but the drive is so close to the board that I can't fit a heatsink on it and I can't get much air circulating on that side of the board. I did try a big file transfer and it had no effect on that drive's temperature. I've only had this a week and I've got a long ethernet cable to my router to facilitate the setup and the transfer of files from the PC I'm displacing to bedroom status for this one. I mention that to say I have the wifi setup but haven't used it but for a few minutes. I was confused that it was on 5G instead of 2. 4G since it is some distance from the router but maybe that's something to do with WIFI 7 at both ends, the router and this board? Dunno. Oh, and back to the ethernet, 2.5G ethernet at both ends is great. I was downloading a steam game that Steam predicted would take 2 hours and 20 minutes to download. After just a minute Steam suggested it would go faster if I turned on the other PC on my network. I went and flipped that switch. When I got back it was transferring the files instead of downloading. It took just 19 minutes, one seventh of the time or 7 times my ISPs speed of 300 some gbps. Great improvement. Maybe it's time to cable my house and get fiber.

So to be clear: I bought the renewed/used like new version of this MoBo, and this is my experience. I've been using this motherboard for a few days now on a brand new build, and everything is working smoothly and without issue. I was able to boot into Bios easily and make all the necessary adjustments with no major issues. The Bios that it came with is from October so about 8-9 months old, but it still worked right off the bat with my Ryzen 5 9600x, which was my major question. I didn't want to have to do a Flashback immediately before getting things up and running. When I got the package, everything looked as it would have if it were new, except that the anti-static bag the Mobo came in was taped closed, not necessarily factory sealed, but that's sort of irrelevant. I *believe* that it came with all of the extras/accessories/cables but honestly if it did, I would have liked more. There weren't any extra screws, other than the M.2 clip-screw replacements, and there weren't any extra cables, which would have been nice. The manual was there and looked new, and is not a bad manual when it comes to explaining all aspects of the function of the motherboard and features. Speaking of which, the rear ports are a great selection on this mobo, plenty of ports, everything working as they should, and the quality of the board seems great. Another reason I bought this motherboard was the SupremeFX audio codec on board, which as far as mid-tier motherboards go, seems to be a pretty good on-board audio setup. So far, with testing on intricate songs like Steely Dan's Aja and Daft Punk's Touch, the sound is amazing, very clear, multi-layered, and no static-y edge that I was getting in the past.Overall, I think this board is a steal at $160 in 2025, and I am happy to report no issues with a "used" or "renewed" motherboard.I will update this review if there are any major failures or issues.

Probably one of the better newer boards to come out. Read lots of negative reviews about the higher tier X models and the problems they had. Decided to avoid by going with this. Even using the initial BIOS (no update) I had no problems. Updated BIOS after a couple months to fix reading temps on software and it was insanely easy to update. Worked great after.(Just be aware RAM training will occur again after BIOS update. Black screening for about a minute will occur. Just let it sit til the screen comes back up)