Overall and Final Verdict
For the ROG Strix X870-I Gaming Wifi, Asus went above and beyond what I saw on the ROG Strix X870E-E Gaming Wifi when it comes to styling. Even with it being a compact board the two heatsinks look great with the halo-like reflections on the stainless steel covers. It still fits the look you expect from ROG Strix but typically on a Mini ITX board like this, the styling is very limited if there at all. The Strix X870-I Gaming Wifi impressed me with performance in line with the full-sized boards as well as great performance on its Wifi 7 NIC. The cooling was good, given the board's size but I was most impressed that they managed to get solid cooling for two M.2 drives in the space available. I do hope that the next -I board also gets the tool-less heatsink design that we have seen on the full-sized Asus boards this generation. In addition to packing the board with features, Asus also packed a lot of accessories with the Strix X870-I Gaming Wifi. You have the FPS Card which is a riser card that adds in more connections. I would prefer to see that just be a permanent riser card, especially given that it has the front panel connection on it. You get the ROG Hive II which can stick to your case or sit on your desk and lets you adjust your volume, power your PC on or off, see diagnostic lights, and give on-desk USB and audio connections. The Hive II also has the Strix X870-I Gaming Wifi’s DAC built into it which means that there are no rear audio connections on the board itself, if you want audio you will need to use it. I would like to see a second audio connection on it to allow you to have both speakers and headphones hooked up.
For pricing the Strix X870-I Gaming Wifi is selling for $449.99 which is a pretty penny that is for sure. For comparison the last generation X670E-I launched at 439 but is currently $409. If you are looking for a basic AM5 ITX motherboard, the Strix X870-I Gaming Wifi isn’t the right tool for the job. Without a full ROG Impact in the lineup, the Strix X870-I Gaming Wifi is the highest-end AM5 motherboard on the market. Once we get B850 I would guess that Asus will have an ITX variant, like they have with the B650E-I Gaming Wifi. Overall I was impressed with the Strix X870-I Gaming Wifi, but I’m torn on the ROG Hive II. Especially having to run it for your audio, but assuming you have room for it, it is great to get on-desk control of your PC.
Live Pricing: HERE
