Assassin 4S doesn't fit this mobo.
So I originally wanted to go SFF, but then I saw that Sapphire had re-entered the motherboard market. No ITX B850 though, so I changed my plans and went MFF + mATX instead, which was also interesting to me tbh. The build didn't go exactly as planned, because I originally intended to use a DeepCool Assassin 4S cooler, but it blocked the first PCI-E slot. So I had to use my old DeepCool AK400 temporarily😅
Now about the Sapphire parts:
1) Sapphire Pure RX 9060 XT 16GB
Absolute banger, as usual from Sapphire. Quiet, runs cool, love the white look. Comes with PTM7950 from factory – massive W. (Samsung gddr6 btw)
2) Sapphire Pure B850M
This one's a mixed bag, but honestly I knew what I was getting into since Sapphire just re-entered the mobo market. Design, VRM, and heatsinks are all great. On the hardware side, two things bothered me:
- ALC897 audio chip (calling it "Pure Sound" is straight up trolling😅). Super budget, would've liked something better.
- Also the old-school GPU latch – most boards in this price range have either extended latches or a button now.
But the real pain is software:
- The boot screen is white with a stretched "Pure" logo and a black square cutout for the Windows spinner. Not a dealbreaker, but guys... it's ugly.
- The BIOS is generally fine, though it has some oddities. For example, I didn't immediately realize that you can't adjust timings without enabling EXPO.
- TriXX-M is rough. Saw a review where a guy had RGB control issues with some no-name RAM. At least his worked a bit. Meanwhile, I have Kingston Fury and... the current version of TriXX-M doesn't detect it at all. Older version saw it but only turned it red. I reported this to support 3+ months ago, multiple updates later... still nothing.
So, do I regret buying this motherboard? Nah, not at all. Hardware quirks are fine for me, and I'm hoping they'll fix the software eventually. Plus I mainly wanted to support Sapphire in this new (well, not exactly new) venture. Their GPUs have never let me down, so I hope the mobos get there too.
But if someone asked me for a recommendation with similar needs? Yeah, I'd probably say grab a white Asus TUF Gaming B850M instead which was simmilar price in my country.
Full parts list:
- CPU: Ryzen 7 7700
- GPU: Sapphire Pure RX 9060 XT 16GB
- Mobo: Sapphire Pure B850M
- RAM: 32GB Kingston Fury Beast RGB
- PSU: Phanteks AMP GH 1000W Platinum
- SSDs: 500GB Samsung 970 Evo Plus + 1TB Kingston NV3
- Cooler: DC AK400 (temp)
- Case: Jonsbo D32 Pro
- Fans: Jonsbo ZA-360 (reversed), ZA-240, ZA-120
- Thermalright AM5 Secure Frame BLACK V2