Page 4 - BIOS and Test System
Once I fired up my PC, I mashed the "Delete" key on my keyboard, which got me into the BIOS. Hitting F2 also works for getting into the BIOS. The default screen is the EZ Mode configuration, which is shown in the screenshot above. Here, we can see the general information for the motherboard, the CPU temperature, core voltage, motherboard temperature, DRAM status, storage information, fan profile, and CPU fan curve. The boot priority is also shown on the right side with system tuning available above. The boot menu can be accessed by pressing the F8 key.
Before beginning, I updated the BIOS using ASUS' Flash 3. EZ Flash 3 is a feature on your BIOS that allows users to upgrade their BIOS safely with no issues. Upgrading the BIOS is a relatively simple process, starting with going to the product webpage to get the download the latest BIOS revision. Using a USB stick, you can put the latest BIOS image on it and use EZ Flash 3 to update the BIOS. The motherboard we used came with BIOS version 1009, so I updated to the latest version at the time of testing, which was 1620.
AI Tweaker has many applications as shown in the above screenshots. Even though the Intel B660 chipset does not support CPU overclocking, there is still a lot you can play around with. While CPU overclocking is not supported, memory overclocking is along with various voltage adjustments. You can change inputs by directly using your keyboard rather than having to scroll through a long list of numbers to select your desired input. The bottom of the screen shows the permitted voltage ranges and increments, which I find very helpful.
The following voltage ranges and increments are allowed:
CPU Core/Cache 0.600V to 1.700V @ 0.005V increments
CPU L2 0.700V to 1.800V @ 0.001V increments
CPU System Agent 0.700V to 1.600V @ 0.001V increments
CPU Input 1.500V to 2.100V @ 0.010V increments
DRAM 0.800V to 1.435V @ 0.005V increments
IVR Transmitter VDDQ 0.700V to 2.200V @ 0.005V increments
PCH 1.8V Primary 1.800V to 1.900V @ 0.100V increments
Included in the screenshots above are more photos from Tweaker's Paradise, which can be accessed through AI Tweaker. The following voltage ranges and increments are allowed:
Core PLL 0.900V to 1.845V @ 0.015V increments
GT PLL 0.900V to 1.845V @ 0.015V increments
Ring PLL 0.900V to 1.845V @ 0.015V increments
System Agent PLL 0.900V to 1.845V @ 0.015V increments
Memory Controller PLL 0.900V to 1.845V @ 0.015V increments
CPU 1.8V Small Rail 1.800V to 1.900V @ 0.100V increments
PLL Termination 0.800V to 1.800V @ 0.010V increments
PCH 1.05V Primary 1.050V to 1.150V @ 0.100V increments
PCH Core 0.820V to 0.920V @ 0.100V increments
Overall, using ASUS' UEFI BIOS was a good experience. I had no troubles moving my mouse around the screen. The screen transitions were smooth and seamless. There is surprisingly high amount of voltage control provided by the ASUS ROG Strix B660-I Gaming WiFi, considering CPU overclocking is not supported by the B660 chipset. In the end, I have no complaints with the BIOS experience.
Our test configuration using the ASUS ROG Strix B660-I Gaming WiFi is as follows:
CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K
CPU Cooling: DeepCool AK400
RAM: Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5-6000 2x16GB
Graphics: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 TI
Chassis: Antec DF800 FLUX
Storage: Patriot P400 1TB
Power: SilverStone Decathlon DA850 Gold 850W
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
I did not include any other motherboards for results comparison, because any minor motherboard performance differences can usually be attributed to manufacturers giving slight overclocks to the CPU at default settings. Instead, I have included the results of all benchmarks, including testing of various subsystems, to verify the ASUS ROG Strix B660-I Gaming WiFi is within the expected performance range.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Bundle and Chipset
3. Physical Look - Hardware, Board Layout
4. BIOS and Test System
5. Benchmark: AIDA64
6. Benchmark: Cinebench R23
7. Benchmark: PassMark PerformanceTest 10
8. Benchmark: PCMark 10
9. Benchmark: 3DMark
10. Onboard Sound Frequency Analysis
11. Thermal Measurements
12. Conclusion
