The concept of the motherboard is as old as time. No changes and no major innovations have been seen for over 20 years. Certainly, there has been progress, new high-speed interfaces, but are they really new? How many years has PCI-Express been around? 22 years! And it is still the modern standard for graphics cards. Of course, it has gained speed over two decades, but the form factor remains unchanged. It has become a classic like the ATX standard, which dictates all the rules of the component base. To release something new means to challenge the very essence of a personal computer, to disrupt the universality of the entire component market. There were those who tried. Formats like BTX, STX, DTX, and others fell victim to this boldness. At best, they found a place in the server segment. Despite all this, ASUS introduced a new motherboard to the world – TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI, marking it with the new BTF standard.
Whether it will be successful or not is not so important. It’s a breakthrough, a revolution, which means it’s a driving force for progress. Soon, time will place everything in its proper perspective and reveal the positive and negative qualities of the standard. For now, let’s take a detailed look at the new motherboard and the cutting-edge BTF form factor.
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The price of the novelty is $240. On one hand, the cost doesn’t make much sense to discuss. There are no similar boards (for now), and there’s no one to compare the B760M-BTF with. On the other hand, the product’s price doesn’t stand out among motherboards with similar characteristics. No markup for progress. It’s a clever but excellent marketing move! How many people would buy a motherboard of an unknown format at an inflated price? I don’t think many. But when the cost is democratic and more than competitive, the sales start could be rapid. Essentially, the ASUS TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI is a top gaming platform with all modern interfaces. As for its actual performance, that’s something we’ll delve into.
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“Back To Future” is a very interesting abbreviation; however, it is not devoid of logic. The main idea of the new standard is that many interfaces are moved to the backside of the motherboard. This approach to arranging connectors offers several advantages. Firstly, it looks nicer when the main cable bundles are not in plain view. Secondly, it facilitates cable management. Thirdly, the load on the board becomes more even. Specifically, this refers to the mechanical impact of components on the PCB. A common scenario is a bent board after several years of use with a propeller-like effect. Such a problem no longer threatens when using the Back To Future layout.
These are far from all the advantages of the new standard. Many will become apparent as technology evolves. For instance, the updated PCI-Express port, with which you no longer have to connect additional power for the graphics card. Yes, the video adapter must be of the new BTF format. For now, you won’t find such products on the market; it’s a feature reserved for the future.
As you probably guessed, standard cases won’t fit BTF components. Currently, ASUS only has the A21 model, but soon there will be many more compatible cases.
As the standard continues to improve, compatible components will emerge. Most likely, the form factor itself will change to better accommodate users. This is entirely normal. ASUS is embarking on a long and challenging journey to refine and implement BTF. I sincerely hope that the company succeeds and does so at the highest level.
So why is the TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI described as a micro-ATX format? I don’t have a definitive answer, only speculations. Personally, I lean towards the idea that the new standard may not be fully approved yet, either from a legal or perhaps a patent perspective. Since the board is close in size to micro-ATX, they might have labeled it as such. By the way, I hope the patent for BTF will be open, allowing other companies to contribute to the development of cutting-edge components. That would be great.
Despite its novelty, the ASUS TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI comes in a branded box crafted in the finest ASUS traditions. In other words, it’s not a sample but a fully-fledged retail version.
In addition to the motherboard itself, the package includes a dual-band Wi-Fi antenna, as expected from the B760M-BTF WIFI name. The antenna is good and standard for motherboards based on the Intel B760 chipset. Additionally, there are a couple of SATA cables in the box, which, in my opinion, is somewhat outdated. The inclusion of mounting screws and rubber spacers for storage drives is a nice touch. So, those are all the extras included in the package. It’s a fairly standard set, though I was expecting something more interesting, considering it’s the first motherboard of the new standard.
The manufacturer didn’t skimp on the print materials. The package includes a set of TUF GAMING stickers, a quality certificate, a brief installation manual for the motherboard, and a user guide.
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Despite the new concept, the TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI looks quite familiar on the outside. Significant differences from ATX become noticeable only upon closer inspection. However, one thing immediately catches your eye: the plastic cover that spans almost the entire surface of the motherboard.
It looks attractive and tidy, but not without its criticisms. For instance, the BIOS battery is placed outside the accessible zone, requiring the removal of about a dozen screws for replacement. They have also concealed the chipset heatsink under the plastic cover. Its branded casing peeks through cooling holes, which looks a bit untidy.
Maintaining the motherboard will also take more time due to the fuss with the decorative cover. Overall, the concept seemed cool to me but somewhat poorly thought out. On the B760M-BTF WIFI, everything else is mature. Shielded PCI-Express slot, sturdy VRM heatsinks, and a protective panel for external ports.
And, of course, the backside of the motherboard isn’t bare but comes with a plethora of ports, but we’ll get to that a bit later. It turns out these are all the unique design features of the BTF on the B760M-BTF WIFI. While it’s not bad, let the technologies evolve gradually. It’s more reliable and practical that way.
Well then, let me tell you about the connectors, ports, and interfaces available on the ASUS TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI. The most interesting part, the backside, right? So, on the rear side of the motherboard, you’ll find the power sockets for both the motherboard and the processor. This is excellent, as you won’t have to struggle with neatly routing thick cable bundles to the front side. There are also connectors for cooling system power here – a total of 6, and they are all PWM. Additionally, there are 4 connectors available for Aura RGB lighting. Output to the case panel includes USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen 1, and two classic USB 2.0 ports. Thunderbolt support is also present according to the USB4 specification. There’s space for four SATA 3.0 connectors, a COM port, and an audio jack. One of the PCI-e 4.0 M.2 format drives can also be installed on the backside of the motherboard.
No cable is connected to the front side of the B760M-BTF WIFI! This space is reserved only for components. Perhaps the power cables for the graphics card might slightly blur the perfect picture. So, we have 4 slots for DDR5 standard RAM and 2 slots for M.2 PCI-e 4.0 drives, each with separate heatsinks. The most progressive PCI-Express 5.0 interface is provided for the graphics card, and for other devices, there are two PCI-Express 4.0 slots, one in full size and one truncated. Naturally, the CPU socket is also present, but that’s all. And that’s the most wonderful feature of the BTF standard. No unnecessary cables! Everything is hidden from your eyes. Just imagine the stunning builds you can achieve with the ASUS TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI.
Let’s shift our focus to the block with external connectors. I’ll start with the standard interfaces for motherboards of this class. So, the standard 3.5mm jacks won’t surprise anyone. Neither will HDMI and DisplayPort. Ethernet and Wi-Fi antenna connectors are also standard solutions for TUF GAMING boards. What’s notable? 10 diverse USB ports! 4 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3.2 Gen 1, and 3 USB Type-C ports. Plenty of room for maneuvering! You can connect a whole array of various devices. By the way, they’ve also placed a BIOS reset button on the panel. A very interesting solution.
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New technologies are all well and good, but it’s time to understand what the ASUS TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI is capable of in a real gaming setup. I’ll tell you straight away, without unnecessary preamble – this is one of those motherboards that have no restrictions when it comes to hardware and performance. Absolutely any graphics card is supported, be it the latest and most advanced, thanks to the full-fledged PCI-Express 5.0 interface. With 192GB of cutting-edge DDR5 memory, it’s more than enough for any gamer, with a huge reserve. The same goes for the processor. You can install an i9-14900KF, and it will work flawlessly!
And in terms of software implementation, the motherboard didn’t disappoint either. All sorts of parameters, from cooling adjustments to overclocking management, are reliably configured at the BIOS level. It’s done in a convenient, well-crafted, and understandable interface. Working with profiles, RAM timings, processor frequencies, and the incredible variety of parameters is easy and intuitive. And if something goes wrong – you already know where the BIOS reset button is located.
Like on other modern ASUS boards, the entire configuration of parameters is done in the Armoury Crate utility. It’s a management center where you can easily update drivers, adjust cooling modes, tweak RGB lighting profiles, and much more. Are there any unique, ASUS TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI-exclusive settings in the application? The answer is no. Everything is standard for a motherboard of this class. However, if you want to explore Armoury Crate and other ASUS software in more detail, I recommend checking out the review of the ASUS TUF GAMING Z790-PRO WIFI, where I’ve already provided comprehensive information.Certainly, today I’ll just share a few interesting screenshots from Armoury Crate with you. In the meantime, I’ll move on to testing the motherboard.
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Well, let’s see how the new BTF layout has contributed to reducing motherboard temperatures. First, I’ll set up the test bench in the new A21 case. Just look at how neat and tidy everything is.
Now, I’ll take the baseline temperature of the chipset after an hour of system operation with no load. It reads +33°C, with room temperature at +24°C.
Next, a stress test for 30 minutes.
In my case, the chipset warmed up to +33°C, which means it didn’t warm up at all. How did this happen, considering there’s no additional cooling with fans? Most likely, the cooling heatsinks are installed with a significant margin. On top of that, there’s no additional heat from cables. Also, I didn’t install a graphics card in the build. That’s BTF for you. To me, it’s simply impressive.
All key voltages on the B760M-BTF WIFI remained stable as well. The conclusion is that the board demonstrates a high level of reliability.
And finally, let me show you the results from PCMark 10, where the motherboard scored 6110 points in the standard test and 4825 points in the extended test.
ASUS TUF GAMING B760M-BTF WIFI has left me with only positive impressions. The BTF concept introduced technical innovations, but in a measured way, without fanaticism. The new standard has great potential, and its essence is logical. It’s not just marketing; it represents a new milestone in technological solutions. One can hope for the continuous development and modernization of this new form factor. As for the motherboard itself, I can say it’s excellent. It supports the latest hardware, offers outstanding build quality, and comes with a reasonable price tag. A fantastic choice for assembling a cutting-edge gaming station, nothing more, nothing less.
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