Intel’s 12th Generation CPUs introduced additional options for Competitive gamers and fans. Along with the arrival of 12th Gen CPUs, we’ve seen a slew of new motherboards hit the market, each with its own features and options to suit various budgets and PC build types. Read more about ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Review motherboard.
This chipset delivers the most recent extra features with 12th Generation Intel CPUs but at a reduced price, providing budget builders a better chance with some of the most cutting-edge components available. The motherboard we’ll be evaluating here, the ASUS Prime B660M-A D4 is powered by this low-cost chipset. This term tries to incorporate many of the new features of the 12th Generation but at a lesser cost and more reasonable pricing point. Read more about ASUS X570 ROG Crosshair VIII HERO motherboard.
Pros:
- Includes 2.5 Gigabit LAN port
- It has ARGB and RGB ports
- Support for three PCIe NVMe SSDs
- Support Thunderbolt 4
Cons:
- The I/O panel is simple
- Not compatible with LGA1200 heatsinks
Design
The ASUS Prime B660M-A appearance is relatively straightforward. The PCB mixes black, brown, and some white stripes for extra effect. There was no expectation for this cheap board to appear beautiful, but the grey heatsinks add some lovely highlights. You wouldn’t even notice if this board was concealed within a case stuffed with components. Its absence of outrageous design elements undoubtedly helps it blend in. Read more about ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming Review.
Aside from that, the ASUS Prime B660M-A is a conventional, low-cost micro-ATX board. The concentration of this platform is undoubtedly on the functionality supplied to users rather than the design, hence the ‘bare bones’ appearance. Ideally, I would have loved to see an RGB strip on the board, or maybe another heatsink, simply to give the board something additional to look at, but considering the motherboard’s price point, this isn’t a ‘deal-breaker.’ Read more about ROG Maximus XIII Hero Z590 motherboard.
Compatible Processors
Although the ASUS Prime B660M-A D4 is suitable with any contemporary Intel 12th Gen chipset, we do not advise pairing it with the i9 or I7 series of CPUs. This will give you a better sense of which functions work well with higher-speed CPUs, ensuring you get the most out of your costly CPU. For this board, we recommend sticking to Core i3 and, sometimes, Core i5 processors for a better balance of functionality and connections.
Features
Despite its high price, the Prime B660M offers various features and connections that should satisfy most mid-range and economic builders. Below are some of the characteristics that we feel set this motherboard apart.. We appreciate the dual Gen 4 M.2 SSD compatibility, which allows for numerous, super-fast SSDs.
Rear IO
For a low-cost option, your selection of Rear IO is pretty broad. Two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (excellent for rapid read and write rates) and a small audio suite are included. If PS/2 is your thing, you may utilize a legacy mouse or keyboard. The remaining USB ports are filled with USB 2, which is unfortunate because USB 3 could have been preferred; but, by using the inner USB headers, you have accessibility to faster Connectors (including USB-C) Ethernet is a Gigabit LAN architecture that supports wired connections.
Internal IO
The inside IO is similar to the Rear IO, featuring an abundance of flexibility, including RGB possibilities. The Prime B660M-A comes with four AURA sync integrated RGB headers, three of which are directly accessible. If you want to add some flare with fans, CPU coolers, and other parts, this board is well-equipped for the task. For the Front IO, you may also utilize USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers, USB 2 (great for RGB controllers), and different available fan headers.
Gen 4 M.2 SSD Support
It’s great to see excellent PCI-E Gen 4 connectivity for fast SSDs on this inexpensive board with multiple SSD ports. If you’ve saved some money elsewhere and are looking for a new fast SSD, see our evaluation of the Seagate FireCuda 530. This M.2 SSD offers some of the fastest speeds on the market right now.
Q-LED Core
The presence of debugging LEDs is a nice feature because the quality of life elements aren’t often included on motherboards that cost less money. The Q-LED Core’s goal is to diagnose difficulties with your build-upon startup. When you turn on your computer, it will cycle via POST codes to resolve issues like empty or broken RAM, no boot devices, etc. Other manufacturers should follow ASUS’ lead here since this is an excellent addition to the Prime B660.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Asus Prime B660M-a D4 a better product?
The ASUS Prime B660M-A D4 chipset is an invaluable asset to the B660 series. The main disadvantage of this board is that it isn’t visually appealing, but it compensates for this with its functionality.
Can the Asus Prime B660M-a D4 handle a DIMM speed of 3200mhz?
Yes, it supports 3200 MHz; plus, you may utilize faster RAM because it includes XMP. My son’s PC has Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3600 MHz RAM, which was as simple as going into the BIOS and selecting XMP.
Is WiFi available on the Asus Prime B660M-a D4?
The Prime B660M includes two M. 2 slots with PCIe 4.0 data-transfer speeds of up to 64 Gbit/s, enabling quicker boot-up and program load times with OS or software discs.
Conclusions
In terms of the ASUS Prime B660M-A WiFi D4 WiFi, we can state that it is a Motherboard at the top of its price range, if not a little above, in my humble view. Primarily because of its comprehensive connection and the chance it provides when we want to build a PC and handle all of the cable management within the tower.
On the other side, if I had to choose a flaw, this would be the appearance of the back IO. This is because individuals not used to seeing the tickets so far apart may take a step back while purchasing them, but it is always covered by the slit, giving it a different look. In addition, I would have wanted to see one additional USB-C connector in the indicated section to allow for a broader compatibility with current gadgets.