With its AB350N-Gaming WiFi motherboard, Gigabyte goes small and allows you to pack your gaming-quality right into a Mini-ITX PC chassis. That is not overly novel, aside from the truth that this board makes use of the budget-minded AMD B350 chipset, bringing less-often-seen assist for AMD AM4 CPUs and APUs to small, single-video-card gaming PCs. The board is not as cheap as MSI’s competing B350 Tomahawk, however the AB350N-Gaming WiFi sports activities some options that may persuade you make room in your construct funds. Anybody searching for a Mini-ITX board that helps AMD’s Ryzen CPUs will wish to try Gigabyte’s potent little $109.99 gamer, which incorporates show outputs for these opting to make use of AMD’s latest G-series CPUs with built-in Vega graphics; you possibly can construct a tiny, respectable funds PC with no video card in any respect.
A PCB That is Jam-Packed
Smaller even than MicroATX motherboards, Mini-ITX boards measure 6.7 inches sq. (170mm by 170mm). The size present simply sufficient room for a single PCI Categorical x16 slot, limiting the PC to a single video card and simply two reminiscence slots. However Gigabyte makes good use of the area it has with the tiny AB350N-Gaming WiFi.
The AM4 socket eats up a big portion of the tiny AB350N-Gaming WiFi. Regardless of the shut quarters, the board does not look cluttered—at the least, whereas it is freed from add-on elements. As soon as you put in the CPU, its cooler, the reminiscence modules, and your video card, you will have a troublesome time seeing a lot of the PCB.
Mini-ITX boards have completely different designs than normal ATX layouts, in fact. Reminiscence slots take up the complete proper aspect of the AB350N-Gaming, forcing all the usual right-edge headers and connectors elsewhere. The twin-channel reminiscence slots are brilliant purple and look nice when the board is empty, however you will not be capable to see a lot of the slots as soon as the reminiscence (and different elements) are put in. The 2 slots assist as much as 32GB of DDR4 reminiscence or 16GB of ECC DDR4 reminiscence. (For extra on motherboard lingo, try our primer Shopping for a Motherboard: 20 Phrases You Must Know.)
Gigabyte covers the B350 chipset with a skinny heatsink that’s too small for any form of fascinating RGB LED aptitude to be embedded in it. As an alternative, Gigabyte opts for “Gigabyte Gaming” on one fringe of the heatsink. The chipset stands within the upper-left nook of the board.
The lone PCI Categorical x16 slot stands alongside the decrease fringe of the AB350N-Gaming WiFi, additionally crowding out the connectors that might line that edge on a big motherboard. The slot is purple, just like the reminiscence slots, however metal envelops a lot of the slot. The metal is the extra seen of two options that defend the PCI Categorical slot. The protect guards towards the edges of the slot bending in response to the burden of your video card. The opposite function is Gigabyte’s two locking brackets, which move by means of the PCB to carry the PCI Categorical slot itself in place. Gigabyte solders the brackets on the again aspect of the board for further energy.
The AB350N-Gaming WiFi additionally has two M.2 growth slots. One stands close to the I/O panel and holds a 2240 Intel Wi-fi AC card. The cardboard stands vertically, as there is not room on the highest of the board for a horizontal storage card. There may be, nevertheless, room on the again of the board, so Gigabyte tucked an M.2 slot subsequent to the AM4 socket’s backplate. It helps Sort-2260 or -2280 gadgets (60mm or 80mm lengthy) with M.2 connectors.
It is price mentioning that Gigabyte does a wonderful job of labeling connectors on the AB350N-Gaming WiFi. The labels are brilliant and straightforward to identify (earlier than you add elements, that’s) and they’re detailed sufficient that even new DIY-ers will be capable to use them. For instance, Gigabyte labels the front-panel header so to join your PC case’s cables with out consulting the guide’s diagram. That is a time saver that just about makes up for the board not together with an Asus Q-Connector-style front-panel header adapter in its equipment bundle.
A Have a look at the Ports and Headers
Gigabyte makes use of practically all the AB350N-Gaming WiFi’s left aspect for the I/O panel, leaving simply sufficient room in your video card. Normal audio ports stand simply above the video-card slot, adopted by six Sort-A USB ports. 4 of these ports are USB three.1 Gen 1 ports, whereas the 2 purple ports are true USB three.1 Gen 2. Gigabyte additionally places the Gigabit LAN port right here, full with exercise LEDs. By the way in which, though the audio ports do not embody a S/PDIF-out port, a two-pin header sits simply behind the I/O panel, in case you wish to put money into an extension.
The I/O panel additionally sports activities DisplayPort and HDMI ports, together with an old-school PS/2 port and two USB 2.zero ports. The video-outs will allow you to use the board with one in all AMD’s AM4-socket APUs or G-series Ryzen three or 5 chips with no separate video card. Additionally, connectors for the Wi-Fi antenna poke out of the I/O plate. Some motherboards ship with antenna poles that connect on to the connectors on the I/O panel, leaving you little room to regulate them, however the AB350N-Gaming WiFi has a big, discrete antenna that you may transfer round to determine a stronger connection.
As for the connectors, they stand in clumps, consuming up what little area stays on the PCB. The front-panel headers are on the high of the board, subsequent to the front-panel USB 2.zero and three.zero headers. Gigabyte additionally places 4 Serial ATA (SATA) connectors right here, all of which face up, as a substitute of to the aspect of the motherboard. The 24-pin energy connector can be on the high of the board, which is not a giant problem from a cable-management perspective. Sadly, the opposite energy connector (the eight-pin) is sandwiched between the I/O panel and the power-phase heatsink, close to the center of the motherboard. Routing the ability cable to that connector is not prone to be as simple or as neat.
Gigabyte additionally places a fan connector on the high of the AB350N-Gaming WiFi. It is one in all simply two complete fan connectors, which can bug DIY builders who plan to incorporate a number of followers. They will clear up the issue with a fan controller, however the two-header restrict is sure to harass builders who’ve been constructing with ATX motherboards for years.
Small although it could be, the AB350N-Gaming WiFi has room for some onboard RGB LED bling, together with two onboard headers for plug-in aftermarket LED strips. The onboard LEDs run alongside the best fringe of the board (on the again of the PCB) to create a glow towards your motherboard tray. The headers are at reverse sides of the board, close to the decrease edge, making them moderately simple to succeed in with third-party RGB LED strips. That is extra lighting than I anticipated from this tiny gaming motherboard.
Equipment and Take a look at Construct
Gigabyte actually did not go overboard when planning the AB350N-Gaming WiFi’s equipment bundle; it is simply the fundamentals.
You get an I/O plate, two SATA cables (one in all which has a L-shaped head for cable administration), and an antenna for the 802.11ac adapter. As I discussed earlier, I just like the antenna design as a result of it has a wire that lets me transfer it round whereas looking for one of the best reception location.
I additionally like Gigabyte’s guide, which is loaded with diagrams and clear explanations of the motherboard’s options. The equipment package could also be gentle on enjoyable add-ons, however it’s worthwhile.
AMD’s latest Ryzen processors (together with the AMD Ryzen three 2200G that I put in in my check construct) will not run on older boards that have not obtained a BIOS replace. The AB350N-Gaming is not outdated, however some prospects will find yourself with boards that have not had the replace. It is a difficulty price conserving in thoughts, however it’s additionally not restricted to Gigabyte. The everyday repair is to put in an older processor after which replace the BIOS.
The BIOS problem seems to be resolving, although, as many purchasers are reporting (on on-line retailers’ web sites) that their boards are arriving already flashed and prepared for motion with the Ryzen 2000 sequence processors. In my case, the board had no hassle booting, as soon as I accomplished the PC buildout.
The construct itself went with no hitch. The AB350N-Gaming WiFi match neatly right into a RioToro CR480 PC case and had had no hassle with the AMD Ryzen three 2200G CPU. I put in a cumbersome MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X 6G video card, which the steel-wrapped PCI Categorical x16 slot dealt with with out grievance.
The BIOS: A Temporary Look
Whether or not you wish to or not, you will possible find yourself working with the PC’s BIOS sooner or later or one other, so we took a take a look at what the AB350N-Gaming WiFi presents. To get into the BIOS, press the Delete key after beginning the PC.
The BIOS has an unassuming design. Seven tabs run throughout the highest of the web page, with the present tab’s choices showing beneath. It is a easy format that permits you to rapidly transfer by means of menus. Trays on the proper and decrease edges of the display come out to show system data whenever you run the mouse cursor over the tray arrows.
Though the design is not overly fancy, it will get the job completed properly. Additionally, the BIOS has overclocking choices and gives loads of management over your motherboard’s settings, together with the onboard RGB lighting.
If you happen to’re searching for a fast overview of your PC’s standing, click on Straightforward Mode on the decrease pop-out tray. This mode covers temperatures, part statuses, and your BIOS model. You may entry the Good Fan 5 fan-control menu from right here, or use the EZ OC button to rev up your PC—relying in your . That stated, this being a Mini-ITX board, I believe that heavy overclocking is just not within the playing cards given the thermal constraints of such instances.
A Little Ryzen Star
Gigabyte’s AB350N-Gaming WiFi is a strong possibility for anybody seeking to construct a slim gaming PC. The board crams loads of worthwhile options onto its small sq., and it calls for fewer sacrifices than you would possibly count on from a Mini-ITX format.
That is to not say that the board is ideal. It has simply two fan headers, which goes to drive some DIY builders away—or simply irk them. And spending $109 on a motherboard that has a single PCI Categorical slot could ship some DIYers again to planning a normal ATX-size PC; then once more, that is the breaks with Mini-ITX. However in case you’re decided to go slim and plan to sport, these minor drawbacks aren’t prone to dissuade you from choosing up an AB350N-Gaming WiFi. Nor we could—that is, on the entire, an excellent Mini-ITX resolution for the Ryzen-minded.