ASROCK B660 STEEL LEGEND Review

Flexible and priced right for Intel 12th Gen Board

Introduction

As many may know, Intel 12th Generation of processor is already around the market for a few months now. So for starters the 12th Gen Processor can either use DDR4 or DDR5 RAM module which is quite flexible however DDR5 RAM kit can be expensive and depends on brand and speed.

Today we will look at the AsRock B660 Steel Legend, a Motherboard that is cater for those who wishes to upgrade their system to the newest 12th Gen platform with premium features offered by ASROCK while still retain the use of the existing DDR4 RAM modules.

Design & Ports

The ASROCK B660 Steel Legend is a fully fledged ATX form factor board with vast array of ports access and choices, it has 1 PCIe 5.0 x16 Slot, 1 PCIe 4.0 x16 Slots, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1, Slot 1 M.2 Key-E for WiFi for future expansions, while the WiFi module is not included, you can just get it online and a pretty good price, and pairs well with AC or AX WiFi modules.

On to the storage portion, it supports 6 SATA3, 1 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4) & 1 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3) ensuring if you have not enough storage, you can just add as you like it and this is great for those who wanted to store more games or even your work files with PCIe Gen4 support. it also has a 2.5Gbps Dragon LAN jack for blazing LAN connectivity.

RAM Module wise, the Motherboard supports up to 128GB DDR4 expansion (all 4 slots occupied) and overclocked data rates up to 5000Mhz with XMP 2. If you plan to use it with RGB based RAM, it supports with with ASROCK’s own ARGBLED application which you can download from the support page.

As part of the Intel B660 family of motherboard, it can support all Intel 12th Generation Core Desktop Processors without hassle and most can be installed and booted off the shelf with its current firmware, and of course, you can update it later after that if required. Another major advantage is the new PCIe 5.0 support which once newer GPU is out, this Motherboard is ready for it.

Inbox Contents

The ASRock B660 Steel Legend comes with the following

• The Motherboard
• Cable Ties
• 2 NVME screws
• Keychain
• 2 SATA Cables
• Motherboard I/O Plate
• 1 ASRock Special Edition Keycap
• User Manual and User Guide

ASRock B660 Steel Legend standard features and specifications (From ASRock Website)

• Supports 12th Gen Intel^® Core™ Processors (LGA1700)
• 9 Phase Dr.MOS Power Design
• Supports DDR4 5000MHz (OC)
• 1 PCIe 5.0 x16, 1 PCIe 4.0 x16, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1
• 1 M.2 Key-E for WiFi
• Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DisplayPort
• Realtek ALC897 7.1 CH HD Audio Codec, Nahimic Audio
• 6 SATA3
• 2 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4)
• 1 M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x2 & SATA3)
• 1 Front USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C
• 1 Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C
• 6 USB 3.2 Gen1 (4 Rear, 2 Front)
• 4 USB 2.0 (2 Rear, 2 Front)
• Dragon 2.5G LAN

Test Bench

For this purpose of review, we will be using the following specifications, all speed will be set to default with RAM set to XMP profile ON.

Benchmark Scores (With BAR/SAM Enabled)

Software Suite and BIOS

The ASRock B660 Steel Legend includes the ASRock Polychrome App that does provide vast flexibility over your RGB lighting control, as long your components supports ARGB lighting and certified by ASRock, so far we have tested with our setup and it does work well with exception of our RAM kit not be able to select some of the lighting style mode, which is normal and it is not a weakness either from the board or the component, we prefer the rainbow style of light mode in general. Other than that you have A-Tuning also if you wish to set your profiles from fan curves to power monitoring without accessing the BIOS.

Audio wise, the motherboard comes with Nahimic Suite by Steel Series that enables user to select different profile for your music and gaming needs, as long you are utilizing your 3.5mm audio jack equipment such as headphones or a combo of headphone and microphone.

Over to the BIOS/UEFI panel, ASRock uses a pretty detail yet flexible interface which you can set fan curves, voltage control and of course updating the BIOS with your flash drive, selecting boot devices, XMP selections for RAM and detailed information on your hardware with Windows 11 full support.

Verdict

Overall, we liked this motherboard for a few reasons, one being its price around RM759, second which is the motherboard ports panel that has over 6 USB 3.x with 1 USB C port that gives flexibility on plugging devices. Third is the great design of the motherboard outlook that looks fitting on any casing, any occasions, being a gaming PC or design focused use PC with 6 Layer PCB. Lastly is the 9 phase power and Dr.MOS integrated power stage solution which provides adequate power over any components you want to pair, with great stability that enable budget minded enthusiast to push their PC System further.

For more information on the Motherboard, Click Here

Special Thanks to ASRock for providing the Motherboard for the purpose of this Benchmark and Review.