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ASRock · AM5 · B650

ASRock B650 PG Lightning

ATX · DDR5 · 4 DIMMs · 14-phase VRM

Quality
56
VRM
41
Value
86
Amazon
$124
ASRock B650 PG Lightning
View ASRock B650 PG Lightning Gallery in high resolution
$124
Available Updated 3 days, 8 hours ago Prime FBA
Overall56.2
VRM41.0
Chipset68.0
Expansion / storage76.0
Connectivity56.0
Audio40.0
Quality / price86.0
$124 on Amazon Motherboard table Compare this motherboard

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Written analysis

ASRock B650 PG Lightning at a glance

The ASRock B650 PG Lightning uses the ATX form factor, AM5 socket, and B650 chipset. This is a balanced mainstream platform: enough expansion and connectivity for a performance PC without paying only for flagship extras.

Memory support is DDR5 across 4 DIMM slots, with up to 256 GB and rated overclocked speeds up to 7200 MT/s. ECC modules are accepted, subject to CPU support. XMP / EXPO memory-profile support is recorded for easier tuning.

Best fit: a mainstream gaming, home, or office system with moderate expansion needs.

Power delivery

The calculated VRM score is 41.0, placing the power delivery in the mid-range class. The board lists 14 CPU power phases, 60 A power stages in a 14+2+1 layout. CPU power input is listed as 2. It is a sensible match for mainstream processors, with conservative tuning on higher-power chips.

Expansion and storage

The expansion and storage score is 76.0: well equipped . The platform supports PCIe 4.0. Physical expansion includes 2 ×16 slots, and 2 ×1.

On-board storage consists of 3 M.2 slots and 4 SATA ports. Supported M.2 lengths are listed as 2280. That is enough NVMe capacity for a multi-drive gaming or creator setup without immediately relying on an add-in card.

Connectivity and rear I/O

The connectivity score is 56.0, rated adequate . There is no recorded onboard Wi-Fi ; wired networking is 2.5 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000/2500 Mb/s at up to 2500 Mbps. The recorded USB provision is 12 rear connections and 7 front-panel connections. The specification sheet below separates every USB speed and connector type.

Display connectivity includes HDMI 2.1. These motherboard outputs require a processor with integrated graphics.

Audio

The audio score is 40.0. This is a standard onboard solution using Realtek ALC897 Audio Codec. It covers normal gaming and communication; demanding headphones or production work still benefit from an external interface. The rear panel has 3 analogue jacks.

Buying verdict

Overall quality is 56.20, a mainstream result. The essential platform features are covered, while premium I/O and tuning extras are more selective.

At the recorded Amazon price, the quality-to-price score is 86.0—an excellent value relative to the other boards in the catalog.

Board data

Full specifications

Platform, expansion, storage, rear I/O, internal headers, networking, audio, and board controls in one sheet.

General

Manufacturer
ASRock
Motherboard
ASRock B650 PG Lightning
Chipset / socket
B650 / AM5
Form factor
ATX
Launch price
—
Amazon price
$124
Availability
In stock
Price updated
3 days, 8 hours ago

VRM

CPU phases
14 (60 A)
Power design
14+2+1
EPS connector
2

Memory

Type / slots
DDR5 / 4 DIMMs
Max capacity / OC
256 GB / 7200 MT/s
Per DIMM
64 GB
XMP / EXPO
Yes
ECC
Modules supported

PCIe

Supported version
PCIe 4.0
x16 physical
2
x16 Gen 4
2
x1 physical
2
x1 Gen 4
2

Storage

M.2 slots
3
M.2 lengths
2280
SATA ports
4

Display outputs

HDMI
Yes · 2.1 · 4K 120Hz
DisplayPort
No
USB-C DisplayPort
No

USB

Rear USB 2.0
4
Rear USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps
7
Rear USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C 20 Gbps
1
Front USB 2.0
4
Front USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps
2
Front USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 10 Gbps
1
Header USB 2.0
4
Header USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps
2

Networking

Ethernet
2.5 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000/2500 Mb/s
LAN ports
1
LAN speed
2500 Mbps
Wi-Fi
Not included
Antenna connectors
2
Bluetooth
No

Audio

Chipset
Realtek ALC897 Audio Codec
Analog jacks
3
Gold-plated jacks
No
Optical S/PDIF
No
Spatial audio
Rear output

Buttons

BIOS flashback
Yes
Clear CMOS
No
Q-Flash Plus
No
Smart button
No
Onboard start / reset
No

Additional information

Memory notes
Supports un-buffered memory. Also supports EXTended Profiles for Overclocking (EXPO) memory modules. Users are advised to refer to the Memory Support List for more information.
Display notes
Features Integrated AMD RDNA™ graphics, but actual support may vary by CPU. The HDMI port is TMDS/FRL 8G Compatible and supports HDR and HDCP 2.3.
Expansion notes
The first PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (PCIE1) supports x16 mode and has 15μ Gold Contact. The second PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (PCIE3) is from the chipset and only supports x2 mode. There is also one M.2 Socket (Key E) for a WiFi/BT module. All PCIe slots support NVMe SSDs as boot disks.
M2_1
5.0 4 · 2280 · CPU
M2_2
4.0 4 · 2280 · CPU
M2_3
4.0 2 · 2280 · Chipset
Storage notes
Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks. Supports ASRock U.2 Kit.
USB notes
All USB ports support ESD Protection. The rear USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port and the front panel Type-C USB 3.2 Gen2 header both feature a ReDriver. Two of the rear USB 3.2 Gen1 ports are Lightning Gaming Ports. Four of the rear USB 3.2 Gen1 ports are from an ASMedia ASM1074 hub.
Audio notes
7.1 CH HD Audio. Nahimic Audio.
Networking notes
2 x Antenna Mounting Points
Fan / RGB headers
1 CPU · 1 OPT · — AIO · 4 chassis · 3 ARGB · 1 RGB
Other headers
Front audio · System panel · TPM
Dimensions
30.5 cm x 24.4 cm

Extracted notes sit here. Official manufacturer copy is at the bottom of the page.

Amazon

Price history

Nearby quality

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VRM fit

VRM-appropriate CPUs

AM5 processors whose TDP sits in this board’s VRM window. Socket match is required; chipset extras still matter on sTR5. This is a power-delivery filter, not a ranked CPU guide.

Open AM5 CPUs in the CPU table

Discussion

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Vendor copy

Official manufacturer data

Raw manufacturer text kept for reference. Structured specs above are extracted from this copy and are the source for scores and tables.

Memory

Dual Channel DDR5 Memory Technology
- 4 x DDR5 DIMM Slots
- Supports DDR5 ECC/non-ECC, un-buffered memory up to 7200+(OC)*
- Max. capacity of system memory: 256GB*
- Supports Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) and EXTended Profiles for Overclocking (EXPO) memory modules

*Please refer to Memory Support List for more information.

Graphics

Integrated AMD RDNA™ graphics (Actual support may vary by CPU)
- 1 x HDMI 2.1 TMDS/FRL 8G Compatible, supports HDR, HDCP 2.3 and max. resolution up to 4K 120Hz

Expansion slots

CPU:
- 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1), supports x16 mode*
Chipset:
- 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 Slot (PCIE3), supports x2 mode*
- 2 x PCIe 4.0 x1 Slots (PCIE2 and PCIE4)*
- 1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT PCIe WiFi module

- 15μ Gold Contact in VGA PCIe Slot (PCIE1)

*Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks

Storage

CPU:
- 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode*
- 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
Chipset:
- 1 x M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x2 (32 Gb/s) mode*
- 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors

*Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
Supports ASRock U.2 Kit

USB

1 x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (Rear)
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (Front)
- 9 x USB 3.2 Gen1 (7 Rear, 2 Front)
- 8 x USB 2.0 (4 Rear, 4 Front)

*All USB ports support ESD Protection

Internal I/O

1 x SPI TPM Header
- 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
- 1 x RGB LED Header*
- 3 x Addressable LED Headers**
- 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)***
- 1 x CPU/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)****
- 4 x Chassis/Water Pump Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)*****
- 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector
- 2 x 8 pin 12V Power Connectors (Hi-Density Power Connector)
- 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
- 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports)
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
- 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2 Header (ReDriver)

*Supports in total up to 12V/3A, 36W LED Strip

**Support in total up to 5V/3A, 15W LED Strip

***CPU_FAN1 supports the fan power up to 1A (12W).

****CPU_FAN2/WP supports the fan power up to 2A (24W).

*****CHA_FAN1~4/WP support the fan power up to 2A (24W).
CPU_FAN2/WP and CHA_FAN1~4/WP can auto detect if 3-pin or 4-pin fan is in use.

Rear I/O

2 x Antenna Mounting Points
- 1 x HDMI Port
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C Port (20 Gb/s) (ReDriver)
- 7 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (USB32_34 are Lightning Gaming Ports) (USB32_12 and USB32_56 are from ASMedia ASM1074 hub)
- 4 x USB 2.0 Ports
- 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port
- 1 x BIOS Flashback Button
- HD Audio Jacks: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone

Audio

7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC897 Audio Codec)
- Nahimic Audio

Special features

Superb Productivity
- PCIe Gen5 (M.2)
- Dual Channel DDR5
Rock-Solid Durability
- 14+2+1 Power Phase, 60A SPS
- Pre-Installed I/O Shield
Ultrafast Connectivity
- 2.5G LAN
- ASRock Lightning Gaming Ports
EZ Update
- BIOS Flashback Button
- ASRock Auto Driver Installer
EZ Troubleshooter
- ASRock Post Status Checker

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