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On March 30, 2021, Intel will introduce Rocket Lake 11th Gen, the newest generation of processors. We are aware that Rocket Lake brings PCIe 4.0 directly from the CPU and is anticipated to offer improved IPC performance over the Comet Lake architecture of the previous generation. Rocket Lake performs best with Intel’s premium Z590 chipset, which we have already examined 50+ variations of.

However, due to the high cost, users who do not intend to overclock the CPU can choose the more cost-effective B560 chipset. When compared to the earlier B460 models, the B560 adds a few new capabilities, such as support for Wi-Fi 6, up to four USB 3.2 G2 ports, and memory overclocking.

The B series chipsets from Intel are sometimes an underrated platform in terms of pure performance and are concentrated on low-cost computing. They typically offer a more restrained set of specifications at a lower overall cost. Intel has improved upon the B460 chipset’s characteristics in order to provide one of its greatest budget series chipsets in recent years. The chipset has three or four (if you add PCIe Gen4) intriguing new components, making it an intriguing option as technology and specific controllers become more accessible.

The Z590 and B560 chipsets from Intel’s 500 series are planned to work with both 10th generation Comet Lake and 11th generation Rocket Lake processors. Only a Rocket Lake processor, at least at the i5 level, paired with a Z590 or B560 motherboard will support PCIe 4.0.

Regardless of the motherboard model from the 500-series, one of the key advantages of PCIe 4.0 is going to be storage in addition to a complete PCIe 4.0 x16 slot for graphics. One PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot will be enabled by the B560, and any further slots will be PCIe 3.0 from the chipset. Although this seems quite similar to Z590, the devil is in the specifics, as shown in the table below.

ASUS Prime B560M-A AC motherboard Specifications

Two full-length PCIe slots, one operating at PCIe 4.0 x16 and the other at PCIe 3.0 x4, as well as one PCIe 3.0 x1 slot, are provided by ASUS. Two M.2 slots are available for storage, one of which operates at PCIe 4.0 x4 and has a dedicated M.2 heatsink and the other of which is bare but supports SATA drives and operates at PCIe 3.0 x4. Four SATA ports, two with straight and two with right angles, are located in the bottom right corner of the boards and support RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays. Both the ASUS Prime B560M-A AC motherboard and B560M-A offer four memory slots that can accommodate up to DDR4-5000 and up to 128 GB of capacity.

The ASUS Prime B560M-A AC motherboard variant differs from the standard B560M-A model in that it comes with an unidentified Wi-Fi 5 CNVi. Everything else on the rear panel is the same, including a PS/2 combination port, three 3.5 mm audio jacks powered by a Realtek ALC897 HD audio codec, and one Intel I219-A GigabitEthernet connector. One USB 3.2 G2 Type-C port, one USB 3.2 G2 Type-A port, and four USB 2.0 ports make up the USB connectivity. Three video outputs, including two HDMI and one DisplayPort, round out the rear panel.

ASUS Prime B560M-A AC motherboard Specs

ASUS Prime B560M-A AC motherboard Conclusion

The ASUS Prime B560M-A AC motherboard is unquestionably the best and most cost-effective option this year if you’re looking for a mid-range motherboard that’s reasonable, has amazing features, and supports the latest 11th Intel generation.

However, enthusiasts shouldn’t use this board because it doesn’t support CPU overclocking. As an alternative, consider the MSI Z590 PRO WiFi, which offers a terrific price-performance ratio along with a sizable number of VRM phases.