We spent some time in the workshop with the ASRock Phantom Gaming B860I Lightning WiFi. This card has a clear goal: to offer a modern mini-ITX base for a compact configuration based on the LGA1851 socket. But the main argument for ASRock is to offer a reference that does not fall into the price excesses that we see as soon as we look at an ITX motherboard. Just by reading its name, you will understand that this card is based on the B860 chipset. For a compact ITX machine with an Intel CPU, this is a more pragmatic choice. We can therefore happily do without the CPU overclocking options typical of the Z890. However, this card will still be “playful” in this area, as Intel and the B860 allow OC memory. ASRock takes full advantage of this, with two DDR5 slots supporting memory up to DDR5-9333 in OC.
Phantom Gaming B860I Lightning WiFi: the pragmatic motherboard
When building a good ITX configuration, budget is an issue, but size and noise are also major concerns. The consequences of using a mini-ITX board are often compromises on functionality…However, in recent years, their larger ATX counterparts have mostly been caught up in an orgy of features, ports, and connectors that, in the end, are rarely all used. In this regard, this ASRock card scores points by being very comprehensive despite its size constraints.
