GIGABYTE's B850M AORUS Stealth Brings Back-Connector Design to Micro-ATX

GIGABYTE's B850M AORUS Stealth Brings Back-Connector Design to Micro-ATX

Motherboard · PC Hardware News

GIGABYTE has introduced the B850M AORUS Stealth, a Socket AM5 micro-ATX motherboard built on the AMD B850 chipset that moves most of its cable connectors to the back of the board for cleaner builds. It's one of the first GIGABYTE micro-ATX boards to get this backside-connector treatment, and it pairs the layout with Wi-Fi 7 and multiple M.2 slots.

GIGABYTE has expanded its 'Project Stealth' lineup with the B850M AORUS Stealth, a Socket AM5 micro-ATX motherboard built around the AMD B850 chipset, according to TechPowerUp. The board's defining feature is that most of its cabling — including the 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, SATA ports, front USB Type-C, and RGB/ARGB and fan headers — is relocated to the rear of the PCB, per Wccftech's report. GIGABYTE says this is among the first of its microATX boards to get this backside-connector treatment, which is aimed at builders who want cleaner cable routing without moving to a larger form factor.

Under the hood, the board uses an 8+2+2 phase CPU VRM paired with a thermal armor heatsink design and a 5 W/mK thermal pad, as detailed by Wccftech. It supports four DDR5 DIMMs and a single PCI-Express 5.0 x16 slot for the graphics card. Storage options include three M.2 NVMe slots — one Gen5 x4, one Gen4 x4 (both from the CPU), and a third Gen4 x4 slot wired to the B850 chipset — plus two SATA 6 Gbps ports. GIGABYTE also includes its M.2 EZ-Flex design for tool-less SSD installation and a Rear EZ button for troubleshooting.

Connectivity on the rear panel covers a mix of USB 3.2 Gen 1, Gen 2, and USB 2.0 ports, along with a 20 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 header. Networking is handled by a Realtek RTL8922AE module for Wi-Fi 7 (160 MHz) and Bluetooth 5.4, alongside a 5 Gbps wired Ethernet connection via a Realtek RTL8126 PHY. Onboard audio uses the familiar Realtek ALC1220 codec. GIGABYTE has not yet disclosed pricing or availability for the B850M AORUS Stealth.

What We Know

Spec Detail
Socket / Chipset AM5, AMD B850
Form Factor Micro-ATX
VRM 8+2+2 phase CPU VRM design
Memory 4x DDR5 DIMM slots
Expansion 1x PCI-Express 5.0 x16 slot
Storage 3x M.2 NVMe (1x Gen5 x4, 1x Gen4 x4 from CPU, 1x Gen4 x4 from chipset); 2x SATA 6 Gbps
Networking Wi-Fi 7 (160 MHz) + Bluetooth 5.4 via Realtek RTL8922AE; 5 Gbps Ethernet via Realtek RTL8126
Audio Realtek ALC1220 HDA codec
Looking to build or upgrade?
Build Your Own PC at GamerTech

Frequently Asked Questions

What chipset does the GIGABYTE B850M AORUS Stealth use?

It's built on the AMD B850 chipset and uses the Socket AM5 platform.

What makes the B850M AORUS Stealth different from a standard micro-ATX board?

Most of its connectors — including the 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, SATA ports, front USB Type-C, and fan/RGB headers — are moved to the back of the PCB for cleaner cable management, a design GIGABYTE calls Project Stealth.

How many M.2 slots does the board have?

It has three M.2 NVMe slots: one Gen5 x4 and one Gen4 x4 wired from the CPU, plus a third Gen4 x4 slot wired to the B850 chipset.

Does the B850M AORUS Stealth support Wi-Fi 7?

Yes, it includes Wi-Fi 7 (160 MHz) and Bluetooth 5.4 via a Realtek RTL8922AE module.

Sources: TechPowerUp · Wccftech