GIGABYTE B650I AORUS Ultra mATX Motherboard 2X DDR5~64GB,1x PCIe x16, 3X M.2, 4X SATA 6, 4X USB 3.2, 1x USB-C, 2X USB 2.0

It is what it is

This board was almost plug and play. I didn't require the SATA daughterboard, so it was just a matter of installing the CPU and memory, mounting the cooler, installing the rear NVME, and mounting to the case. The entire back of this board acts as a heatsink for a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, so make sure to install that first before putting it in your case.Make sure to update your BIOS to the latest version. This can be done at any time, even after installing Windows. Some CPUs run hot until you update, so don't skip it. This board includes a backup bios, so if you somehow screw up you can restore everything and try again. You can download the BIOS from Gigabyte's website, and you can find your board's version number on the box's sticker or silkscreened in the corner of the board itself.I don't understand the complaints about cable management. Mine's messy, but only because I crammed a SFX PSU (SF1000L) into a Fractal Terra and chose to use its included flat cables instead of ordering shorter customs. You'll be fine. If you're building a Mini-ITX PC in a windowed case and are concerned about aesthetics, then you should know that custom PSU cables are common, if not expected. If in doubt, there are plenty of videos featuring this board on Youtube and the manuals can be downloaded from Gigabyte, so you should be able to plan your route in advance.Boot times are about 35-40 seconds with ultra fast boot enabled, which is slower than I'd hoped. I never had the memory training problem with my G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 64GB 6400MT/s. If you care about enabling XMP/EXPO for your ram, make sure your ram is on the QVL list before you order (Google "B650I AORUS QVL"). This board supports both XMP and EXPO, but better safe than sorry.

If you are deciding whether or not to buy this motherboard for your ITX enclosure, I'd advise you to look elsewhere. This board has multiple issues that make it specifically difficult and counterintuitive to use with small form factors:1) One thing that other reviewers will not mention is that the CPU socket sits very high on this board compared to others. This prevented me from using an exhaust fan above my CPU cooler in the NR200.2) Like many AM5 ITX motherboards, you will be playing the lottery to get boards that don't have coil whine. My Gigabyte B650i unfortunately had an awful buzzing sound emitting from the capacitors behind the CPU socket.3) The header locations are ridiculous and make cable management even more difficult in tight enclosures. For example, the HD audio header is tucked into the VRM heatsink. And the only way to access it is to remove 2 layers of the M.2 heatsink. The front panel headers and one of your fan headers are located on a mini motherboard that you have to install at the bottom-right--which is hard to access if you have anything to the right of your board.Save yourself from any headaches.

For the price, this is the BEST Mini-ITX AM5 motherboard. The build quality is exceptional. This thing is HEAVY because it comes with a 12-layer PCB with serious cooling as well as a metal back-plate and integrated IO shield. This board has surprising cooler compatibility, even if it comes close to not fitting some larger coolers. Everything is robust and reinforced, and the ports are solid and satisfying. I had minor issues with the included WiFi which seems to have sorted itself out. However, the WiFi signal quality and speed are among the best I've ever seen! The included antenna is not one to throw away. It's actually nice because it can fold to different positions, and attach with solid magnets. Another thing I really appreciate is that it can hold 3x NVME drives, which I find very impressive. One star off for the lack of an included user manual and the terrible instructions for a BIOS upgrade. A user manual is important because this board makes some really strange design choices to fit all of the expected connectivity on this board. For example, I had to remove the M.2 cooling shroud to get to the HD audio connector. I recommend using the Q-Flash Plus button on the back of the motherboard for BIOS upgrades because it makes it very easy. Just note there are very specific instructions that you have to follow, easily found online. I feel that $260 was a fair price considering how premium this motherboard is. It easily matches or surpasses the quality of some $500 motherboards.

About a year ago I purchased Asus Rog Strix B650E-I for $340. It's a fine MB but it has a loud and annoying coil whine. Just recently bought this Gigabyte B650I AORUS ULTRA used for $170, and it's super silent, boots faster, works great and has 3 NVME drive slots. I'm supper happy with this purchase, thank you Gigabyte and Amazon.