ASRock B860 Challenger WIFI White Motherboard Review – Budget-Friendly, & Intel 200S Plus Ready!

ASRock B860 Challenger WIFI White Unboxing & Close Up Inspection

The ASRock B860 Challenger WIFI White motherboard comes in a standard white-colored package. The front features a picture of the motherboard & this is a Challenger product, which offers great value along with a great set of features. The packaging also lists a few features, such as support for Intel's 200S CPUs, Wi-Fi 7, and HDMI.

The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard, such as the 10+1+1 phase power design, Wi-Fi 7, Blazing M.2 SSD slots, Toolless multi-layer M.2 heatsinks, Lightning Gaming ports, Nahimic Audio, a Pre-Installed I/O Shield, and a BIOS Flashback button.

Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories and is located right below the box holder for the board itself. These include:

• 2 x SATA Data Cables
• 2 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antennas
• 1 x Screw for M.2 Socket
• 1 x Standoff for M.2 Socket

With all the accessories done, it's time to put that box aside and take the motherboard out of its package. The ASRock B860 Challenger WIFI White motherboard is a standard ATX offering that measures 305x244 mm.

ASRock has opted for a white and silver color scheme for its Challenger series, making them a perfect option for those investing in white PC builds while staying on a budget.

The board uses the LGA 1851 socket to support Intel Core Ultra 200S "Arrow Lake" processors. So far, the LGA 1851 socket will only support the Arrow Lake CPUs and the Core Ultra 200S Plus lineup.

Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 256 GB of dual-channel memory.

These slots are rated to support EXPO/XMP profiles up to 8666 MT/s (OC Plus). Each slot is labeled, making it easier to install DIMMs in the proper orientation. DDR5 memory comes with a different latch position, so forcing a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage. The full QVL list can be found here. The motherboard fully supports the CUDIMM memory technology.

The ASRock B860 Steel Legend WIFI motherboard features a 10+1+1+1+1 (VCore+GT+SA)  phase Dr.MOS power delivery that utilizes 80A Power Stages.

The VRMs and power delivery solution are scattered around the LGA 1851 socket. As for the cooling, you get bigger aluminum heatsinks.

The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8-pin power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 600 Watts of power. Intel's Arrow Lake "Core Ultra 200S" Desktop CPUs can sip up to 250W of power by default.

Expansion slots include two PCI Express x16 (1 x Gen 5.0 x16/8 / 1x Gen 4.0 x2) and four M.2 slots.

• CPU:
  - 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1), supports x16 mode
• Chipset:
  - 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2), supports x4 mode
  - 1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT PCIe WiFi module and Intel CNVio/CNVio2 (Integrated WiFi/BT)

The motherboard utilizes a full metallic "Reinforced Steel" slot, which features extra anchor points, a strong latching mechanism, and ensures great signal stability when running the latest PCIe 5.0 graphics cards.

There are a total of three M.2 slots on the motherboard, which include one PCIe Gen5 Blazing M.2 slot, and two Hyper M.2 Gen4 x4 slots. Two of these slots are cooled by M.2 heatsinks, which include an XXL M.2 heatsink with an anti-drop screw design. The top design features a toolless design, too, which makes it easy to access the slot.

Following is the full list of M.2 ports and their details on the ASRock B860 Challenger WIFI White motherboard:

CPU:

• 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode

Chipset:

• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2230/2242/2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
• 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors

The motherboard doesn't feature any RGB lighting of its own, but comes with 3 ARGB and 1 RGB LED connectors for users to personalize their PCs using the ASRock Polychrome RGB software.

Storage options include four SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support 4 different storage devices at once. For the front IO, you get a total of 16 ports, which include 6 USB 2.0, 7 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C, and a single rear USB 3.2 Gen1 port.

The full list of connectors on the motherboard is as follows.

• 1 x SPI TPM Header
• 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
• 1 x RGB LED Header
• 3 x Addressable LED Headers
• 2 x CPU Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• 4 x Chassis Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• 1 x AIO Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• 1 x 24-pin ATX Power Connector
• 2 x 8-pin 12V Power Connectors (Hi-Density Power Connector)
• 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
• 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports)
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
• 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen1 Header* Supports in total up to 12V/3A, 36W LED Strip Support in total up to 5V/3A, 15W LED Strip

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ASRock is using the latest WIFI 7 Module to power wireless connectivity and Bluetooth 5.4. In terms of Ethernet, there is a single LAN port powered by the 2.5GbE Dragon RTL8125BG controller. Audio is run by the ALC897 controller.

The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:

• 2 x Antenna Ports
• 1 x HDMI Port
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C Port
• 6 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (USB32_56 are Lightning Gaming Ports.)
• 2 x USB 2.0 Ports
• 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port
• 1 x BIOS Flashback Button
• HD Audio Jacks: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone

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