Best Budget Intel B660 Motherboards, VRM Thermal Test

[Steve]

Our first look at VRM thermal performance of entry-level Intel B660 motherboards. On hand we have models boards from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Asrock, Soyo and Maxsun. Pricing starts at $100 up to $140.

Permalink to review.

https://www.techspot.com/review/2426-intel-b660-motherboards/

 

[Crinkles]

This looks like a lot of work for cheapie motherboards, I wouldn't buy any of these. I am not surprised by Asrock's poor performance, they've been doing a VRM dance for years. Are the number on the charts squinchy on your end,? it could be prob with Firefox.

 

[hahahanoobs]

This is really disappointing. I'd be bummed out if I couldn't afford or didn't want a Z series board.
Hopefully 13th gen boards are MUCH better.

 

[Irata]

This looks like a lot of work for cheapie motherboards, I wouldn't buy any of these. I am not surprised by Asrock's poor performance, they've been doing a VRM dance for years. Are the number on the charts squinchy on your end,? it could be prob with Firefox.

The MSI board actually looks pretty decent, but it‘s already at $140 - when available. Amazon lists it for much more.

As far as the review goes, I very much doubt a potential customer will have anywhere near the cooling/case set-up used in this review.

Otoh, if they stick to a 12400 that should be OK.

I find the fact that performance seems to be all over the place when it comes to entry level B660 boards a bit disconcerting.

 

[KaitouX]

This is really disappointing. I'd be bummed out if I couldn't afford or didn't want a Z series board.
Hopefully 13th gen boards are MUCH better.

Doubt it, there is a clear trend for motherboards to become even more expensive, probably AM5 motherboards are also going to be really expensive.
But I still hope for better cheaper boards.

 

[EdmondRC]

MSI makes really good motherboards, it's almost always the brand I buy for the mobo, EVGA for power supply, Corsair for RAM. Solid, quality products that I stick with. Unfortunately, I had to settle for Zotac for my GPU this time because it was all that was available, but, it's been pretty solid so far.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Doubt it, there is a clear trend for motherboards to become even more expensive, probably AM5 motherboards are also going to be really expensive.
But I still hope for better cheaper boards.

I meant the VRM's.

 

[Grinnie Jax]

Pathetic VRMs considering how hot and power hungry is 12th Gen. 120+ degress - what is this? This is even dangerous for an average user, when the PC gets dusty, it will raise even above. The users should be clearly informed that their CPU choice is limited to only 12400 maximum.

 

[PEnnn]

This is the most pathetic line up I have seen in a long time!!

Thank you MSI for saving the butt of the article....

 

[flee2020]

It would appear that most of these motherboards can only run Celeron, Pentium and Core i3 CPUs. If you want to run Core i5, i7 and i9 processors, only the MSI, Soyo and Maxsun motherboards are worth considering.

Having said that, if I had a K processor, I would be getting the Z690 boards. So it is a moot point.

 

[Dntdnt]

Hi
What would be the best budget mb for I5-12400 ?
I am inclined towards Asus B660m k d4 as it is within my budget and it is having Vrm heat sink
Can it handle without any Throttling issue