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As with Intel's H370 and B360 chipsets, the remit of B365 is to offer consumers a platform that is highly affordable but sacrifices overclocking, high-speed memory and multi-GPU configurations. Taking those things out of the equation and B365 motherboard offerings can be remarkably similar to more expensive Z390-counterparts.
In particular ASRock's B365M Phantom Gaming 4 offers a rich feature set at a sub-£90/$90 price point. ASRock offers dual M.2 slots supporting up to 32Gbps PCIe devices, M.2 cooling, full diagnostic LEDs, onboard and expandable RGB capabilities, USB Type-C, high quality audio and a 6+2 phase VRM, to name but a few of the features.
Consumers looking to build a system off the back of this motherboard can be reassured in the knowledge it handled an Intel Core i9 9900K at full speed without any issues, though the price point indicates the typical buyer is more likely to pair up with a Core i5 or Core i7 processor.
Aside from the inherent limitations of the Intel B365 chipset, notably no overclocking or high-speed memory, and the missing VRM heatsink for two of the six CPU VCore phases and the two iGPU phases, there's not much to dislike about this ASRock offering.
The ASRock B365M Phantom Gaming 4 balances a high-end feature set with a cost-conscious target market and the areas in which it falls down can quite reasonably be overlooked given the price.
The ASRock B365M Phantom Gaming 4 has a retail price of £82.46 in the UK at eBuyer and is usually sold with a 2 year warranty.
In the USA it can be had for $89.99 at Amazon and usually has a 2 year warranty.
Pros:
- Affordable price point
- Dual M.2 and M.2 heatsink
- Onboard diagnostic LEDs
- Ample RGB capability and expansion
- Sufficient performance available through Intel Turbo parameters
- Decent audio performance (though peculiar ALC1200 codec)
Cons:
- Only half of the VRMs have a heatsink
- B365 chipset limitations – no overclocking of memory/CPU
KitGuru says: A feature-packed gaming motherboard on a seriously lean budget; if overclocking isn't your thing then take a look at the ASRock B365M Phantom Gaming 4.
