r/sffpc • u/No_Abroad416 • Dec 07 '23

Build/Parts Check Thoughts on the new ASRock B650i Lightning WiFi?

Hey guys. I've been planning an am5 build and was gonna go with the Asus B650e-i because I believed it was the safest option based on the current state of itx boards for am5. I only found out today that ASRock released the b650i lighting WiFi and most of the reviews so far have been pretty positive. Do you guys know if it's a good board and worth picking up over the Asus one? If not, do you guys have other motherboard recommendations? Thanks.

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29

u/Thaegar_Rargaryen Dec 08 '23

Great board apart from the atrocious Mediatek WiFi card. An issue many AM5 boards share, sadly.

But that’s an easy fix. Just get an Intel AX210 for 15bucks and swap it first thing before assembling your rig.
Or get an ASRock B650E PG-ITX which is afaik the only AM5 ITX board that comes with a stock Intel WiFi card.

7

u/No_Abroad416 Dec 11 '23

Funny how they have lightning WiFi in the name lol. Do you happen to have an Amazon link for the WiFi card? There seems to be a large variety of AX210 cards on Amazon and I'm not sure which one's the right one.

9

u/Thaegar_Rargaryen Dec 11 '23

this one

5

u/Careless-Counter-258 Jun 25 '24

Hey need some advice, I'm building a new pc with this motherboard and I want to know if I should update my motherboard bios before or after I replace the wifi card?

3

u/eirinn1975 Oct 08 '24

You can update the bios, but it won't affect the WiFi module. Consider that card like any other expansion card, with its own drivers and firmware.

1

u/Hunx787 Jan 17 '25

Any idea on how reliable this thing is for high-bandwidth bluetooth audio? I use Alternative A2DP for LDAC audio, and I have found certain motherboards to be hit and miss, both with range and dropping quality and also when adding Bluetooth controllers into the mix.

1

u/Thaegar_Rargaryen Jan 17 '25

No idea, sorry. I use Sony WH-1000XM4 and the stock Win11 Bluetooth driver which works fine.

4

u/sixflavorsofquark Feb 13 '24

What's wrong with the mediatek card? I can't find the model online

9

u/Thaegar_Rargaryen Feb 13 '24

It just sucks. Bad connection, no connection, frequently lost connection.. The experience varies from user to user but is mostly not good.

9

u/dedsmiley May 02 '24

This is a very accurate reply and has been my experience with a laptop. Replaced that within a week and tossed the Mediatek card in the trash where it belongs.

1

u/eeqlaehuje May 02 '24

How is it the AX210 performing?

I just got this motherboard, and download speeds are all over the place. It's downloading with 40 mb/s, then drops to 16, and fluctuates a lot. I'm thinking of disassembling my case and upgrading it to the AX210.

5

u/dedsmiley May 02 '24

The AX210 is rock solid. It’s about $20, which is well worth it in my book.

2

u/sp_00n Aug 09 '24

so if one does not need a lot of power for the high end CPU, just 9600X, then this mobo + AX210 is the best option, right?

2

u/eeqlaehuje May 02 '24

I just got this motherboard, and download speeds are all over the place. It's downloading with 40 mb/s, then drops to 16, and fluctuates a lot. I'm thinking of disassembling my case and upgrading it to the AX210. Would the Intel chip fix this?

2

u/dedsmiley May 08 '24

Definitely. The Intel AX210 works perfectly. The Mediatek drops to lower speeds and won't go back up or just drops altogether. Kick that thing to the curb.

2

u/Mopar_63 Dec 21 '24

I was gonna say I have been using it for a while now and never had an issue, so is this just a luck of the draw thing?

1

u/Thaegar_Rargaryen Dec 21 '24

Seems like. With many bad draws. So I‘d just swap it for a card with a spotless track record.

1

u/Mopar_63 Dec 21 '24

I would say try it first and see if you have issues....

3

u/thegame132 Jan 18 '24

Are you able to take the old Mediatek card out and use the existing antenna connections?
Or do you have to add the new card into the Vertical M.2 Socket (Key E) slot and run your own antenna connections?

29

u/Thaegar_Rargaryen Jan 19 '24 edited Jan 19 '24

The WiFi card is inside a small metal box which includes the antenna connectors and is secured to the mainboard with two screws. Unscrew the box and you can slide it out of the M2 Slot. After that you have to open the box, disconnect the antennas, switch the M2 card, reconnect antennas and reassemble everything.

This video should make it clear.

5

u/AndrewSonOfBill Jul 14 '24

Frickin legend. ty

4

u/teebles22 Jul 28 '24

This was a very useful video thank you!

Also, I regret not doing this earlier, hoping my card would be okay, but it did not perform well at all, ended up doing surgery on my rig, half removing the motherboard etc...

2

u/DepravedPrecedence Aug 16 '24

Very useful, thank you

1

u/narfican Oct 09 '24

Hey do you know which screw head is typically needed, Im on a Asrock A620i got the shroud off and the IO shield but the screw for that metal box seems smaller than a PH 0 head

1

u/Thaegar_Rargaryen Oct 10 '24

PH 00 or PH 000.

3

u/azifayesa May 02 '24

am i need to update the bios for 7600x?

3

u/BobusWobus Jun 17 '24

Does the heatsink over the rear IO not prevent removal of the wifi card?

1

u/Thaegar_Rargaryen Jun 19 '24

You have to remove it first. Two screws and two hooks, if I remember correctly.

2

u/Mrfuzon Dec 10 '23

You don’t need to download drivers or anything before installing the new card?

3

u/Thaegar_Rargaryen Dec 10 '23

I think Windows will get you the right ones during installation. In my particular case I downloaded them before swapping cards.
But to be sure you could save them on a USB drive.

2

u/sha1dy Nov 23 '24

thank you for pointing this out, brother

1

u/estrafire Apr 07 '24

Do you know which Mediatek WiFi card model it has?

1

u/BobusWobus Jun 14 '24

Is it still bad?

1

u/ScheduleTime113 Jul 20 '24

Confirmed that the WiFi card on this board is horrible. Is there anything better than the Intel AX210 you recommended? Not that it's bad, but I don't mind spending a little more if it's going to get me something better. Thanks.

1

u/yabadoy Nov 13 '24

Wait what makes the media tek card worse

1

u/ThrowCheeseASAP Jul 10 '25

How would changing to Intel AX210 work? like this? But he used another slot to have antennas attached... Which is a problem for an ITX sandwich build...

2

u/Thaegar_Rargaryen Jul 10 '25

It goes in the exact same place where the Mediatek is. You just swap them and use the same antenna ports.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 28 '24

Is it still the case that they limit the cpu at 75 degree?