ASUS has quietly unveiled the “TUF GAMING B850-BTF WIFI W” motherboard, showcasing a sleek back-plug design. This marks not only the first instance for the B850 chipset but also ASUS’s debut AMD platform motherboard with this innovative feature. All power, hard drive, input/output, and fan interfaces are neatly arranged at the rear, leaving the front of the motherboard clean and minimalist. Paired with its elegant white aesthetic, it promises to elevate the visual appeal of any custom-built PC.
Notably, ASUS has incorporated its proprietary GC-HPWR slot at the end of the PCIe 5.0 x16 graphics card slot. This cutting-edge addition can deliver up to an impressive 600W of power directly to compatible graphics cards. Essentially, this relocates the traditional 16-pin connector from the GPU to the motherboard, eliminating the need for additional wiring.
However, this functionality depends on compatibility—currently, only ASUS and Maxsun GPUs support it. For those using standard graphics cards, the conventional power cables remain a reliable option.
The motherboard further enhances usability with an upgraded Q-Release Slim design for effortless installation and removal of graphics cards. By removing the metal bracket, this thoughtful feature minimizes potential wear on the gold fingers of the GPU. Moving forward, ASUS plans to integrate this user-friendly design into future B850 and X870 motherboards.
In terms of performance, the TUF GAMING B850-BTF WIFI W boasts an impressive 14+2+1 power phase setup, each capable of handling 80A of current. It supports DDR5 memory with frequencies exceeding 8000 MT/s and features three M.2 slots, one of which is PCIe 5.0 compatible. Connectivity options are robust, including a rear USB-C port offering 20Gbps speeds and a front USB-C port delivering 10Gbps.
Additionally, users can enjoy next-generation Wi-Fi 7 wireless networking alongside a 2.5G wired network card. Audio enthusiasts will appreciate the inclusion of an ALC1220P sound card for premium audio quality.
This motherboard is truly a powerhouse designed to cater to both aesthetics and high-performance demands.
Chloe Holmes 
Katherine Myers 
Ashley Murphy