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In a different timeline, era, or even just six months ago, before the onset of the RAMpocalypse, it could have been stated that the Gigabyte B650M Gaming Plus WiFi had the potential to serve as a solid foundation for a compact gaming PC built around an RTX 5060 and a lower-end Ryzen X3D processor.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Positioning and Price
On the other hand, the main advantage of this motherboard is its availability. Priced slightly above $120, it represents a relatively low cost considering its support for DDR5 memory and the AMD AM5 socket.
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There are cheaper options, such as the Gigabyte A620M H. However, in my view, if your budget is so limited that anything more expensive than the A620 is not feasible, it may be preferable to choose an AM4 motherboard, such as the Gigabyte B550M Aorus Elite. Both are priced around $100, but the performance difference is substantial.
Gigabyte B650M Gaming Plus WiFi Package Contents
The Gigabyte B650M Gaming Plus WiFi comes with a minimal set of accessories. It includes an I/O shield, a single SATA3 cable, one set of standoffs for M.2 drives, and – somewhat unusually – a detachable antenna with a connector type that is unfamiliar.
It is called the Wi-Fi EZ-Plug, and as far as I am aware, it is not compatible with standard antenna connectors. Therefore, even if this type is common among Gigabyte motherboards, it is advisable not to lose or damage the included proprietary antenna.
Design and Revisions of the Gigabyte B650M Gaming Plus WiFi
The design of the B650M Gaming Plus WiFi is straightforward and does not present any major issues. It features a brown PCB with diagonal gray accents, along with gray heatsinks accented in darker gray.
It is worth noting that the unit I received for review is version 1.3, or Rev. 1.3. Compared to the three previous revisions, the design remains unchanged; the main difference lies in the BIOS version, FA3 versus FA2. There is, however, one additional detail that is difficult to verify.
The issue is that some Gigabyte motherboard samples have the CPU overclocking and PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive, AMD’s automatic boosting feature) disabled. This does not affect all boards, but has been noted in models such as the B650M D2H 1.0, B650M MH 1.0, B650M S2H 1.0, and B650M Gaming WiFi Rev. 1.0/1.1/1.2. However, this does not apply to the model under review today; the Gigabyte B650M Gaming Plus WiFi manual includes explanations of PBO functionality.
Dimensions and Compatibility
The Gigabyte B650M Gaming Plus WiFi is an mATX motherboard, measuring 244 × 244 mm, making it a compact form factor.
This reduces the number of PCIe expansion slots to a maximum of one PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and one PCIe 3.0 x1 slot at the bottom. The network slot is not included here and will be discussed later.
There are also two M.2 slots, both exclusively PCIe 4.0 with an M key, meaning no SATA M.2 support. The board includes four SATA3 ports, and, somewhat surprisingly, there appear to be no restrictions when the M.2 slots are populated – or if there are, they are not documented. RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10 are supported for both SATA and NVMe devices.
There is an additional detail regarding the M.2 slots. Only the lower slot features a quick-release latch, while the upper slot comes with a bundled 17-gram aluminum heatsink and a pre-installed thermal pad.
There are four DIMM slots (one advantage of the B chipset over the A chipset), supporting DDR5 memory with speeds from 4800 to 8000+ MT/s and a total capacity of up to 256 GB. The board also supports unbuffered ECC memory as well as AMD EXPO and Intel XMP profiles.
CPU compatibility covers all AM5 processors, from the entry-level AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (the cheapest CPU for the LGA 1718 socket) up to flagship X3D models. While pairing a 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X with a budget motherboard may be unconventional, it is not prohibited.
However, based on my assessment, 105-watt processors are most suitable for this board. This is indicated by the CPU power delivery, which consists of a single 8-pin 12V connector.
Power Delivery and Components
The VRM configuration consists of a 5+2+2 setup: five phases for the CPU, two phases for the SoC, and two phases for the DRAM. The MOSFETs include the 4C06NYEXZ23 (30V, 69A), as well as the 4Q10NYEYE35 and 4P=CB7YJ, which have unspecified characteristics. Capacitors used are the 5KF20 6.3V and 5KF18 2.5V models, while the inductors are R15G2526 and R15G2517.
The IT8689E chip handles motherboard monitoring and I/O system control. The PWM controller is a dual-channel RT3678BE. The AMD B650 chipset is manufactured in Taiwan.
The CPU and chipset power delivery components are covered by aluminum heatsinks with thermal pads. The heatsink on the chipset weighs 75 g, while the CPU VRM heatsink weighs 338 g.
Peripherals
I will separate peripherals into wired and wireless categories. The wired peripherals consist primarily of the rear I/O panel. Notably, it includes a somewhat surprising combination of two DisplayPort outputs and one HDMI port.
Although the exact versions are not specified, it is worth noting that these ports are intended for the integrated AMD Radeon graphics. Even a DisplayPort 1.4 can support 4K at 144 Hz, and this board provides two of them, along with an HDMI 2.0 port.
The next points are less favorable. First, the manufacturer combines rear I/O ports and onboard connectors in the specifications. For example, the specs list two USB Type-C 5 Gbps ports (USB 3.2 Gen 1), but the diagram clearly shows only one on the rear panel; the second exists as an internal motherboard header.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the specifications list five USB Type-A 5 Gbps ports and six USB 2.0 ports. As a reminder, this is an mATX motherboard, and accommodating 11 USB-A ports is challenging even on full-size boards. Other notable connectors include three audio jacks, a 2.5 GbE Ethernet port, and a PS/2 port.
For wireless peripherals, the main feature is the EZ-Plug connector. The board includes a Realtek RTL8851BE network controller and a wireless module supporting Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.3, but it does not support 2×2 MIMO, meaning there is only a single antenna.
On the positive side, it is notable that a budget motherboard includes a reasonably capable network adapter with Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6, and it comes fully assembled with a bundled antenna.
Motherboard Connectors
Regarding onboard connectors, no records are set here, as the mATX form factor imposes certain limitations. There are two PWM headers for system fans and one PWM header for the CPU fan, totaling three PWM headers, though they have specific features that will be discussed later. Additionally, there are two ARGB headers and one standard RGB header.
The board supports TPM 2.0 and includes Q-Flash Plus and Clear CMOS buttons, as well as a dedicated jumper for BIOS reset. The BIOS itself is 256 MB in size. Q-Flash functionality has been covered in a separate article, referenced here.
Proprietary Features
One notable feature is Smart Fan 6, a suite of cooling-related functions, some of which are particularly relevant in a compact form factor. For instance, each PWM header supports up to 24 W of fan load and includes OVP protection, allowing fan hubs to be used safely.
The manufacturer has also implemented detailed fan curve customization, including an automatic profile. These settings are retained even after a BIOS update, which – thanks to Q-Flash Plus – can be performed without a CPU, GPU, or even RAM installed.
Conclusions
Despite the current OS-related challenges, budget AMD AM5 builds remain viable, and the Gigabyte B650M Gaming Plus WiFi represents a capable option for such systems. It offers a reliable power delivery design, a solid selection of video outputs, and an integrated modern network adapter with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. While the number of connectors is limited by the mATX form factor, this is expected. Overall, the board is a practical choice for compact AM5 builds.
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