ASUS TUF Gaming A620-Plus Wi-Fi (90MB1F00-M0EAY0) Review: Budget AM5 Powerhouse?

ASUS TUF Gaming A620-Plus Wi-Fi (90MB1F00-M0EAY0) Review: Budget AM5 Powerhouse?

Table of Contents

Introduction

The ASUS TUF Gaming A620-Plus Wi-Fi is a budget-friendly AM5 motherboard aimed at gamers and enthusiasts looking to build a powerful system without breaking the bank. It boasts a strong feature set, including support for AMD’s latest Ryzen 7000 series processors, DDR5 memory, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6, and a 2.5Gb Ethernet port. But does it deliver on its promises? Let’s dive into our in-depth review to find out.

Key Features

The ASUS TUF Gaming A620-Plus Wi-Fi packs a punch in the features department, offering a compelling value proposition for its price point. Here are some of its key highlights:

Feature Specification
Exterior Color Black
CPU Socket AMD Socket AM5
Chipset AMD A620 Chipset
Memory 4 x DIMM slots, Max. 192GB, DDR5 7600+(OC)/ 7200(OC)/ 7000(OC)/ 6800(OC)/ 6600(OC)/ 6400(OC)/ 6200(OC)/ 6000(OC)/ 5800(OC)/ 5600(OC)/ 5400(OC)/ 5200/ 5000/ 4800, ECC and Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
Graphics 2 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI™ port
Expansion Slots 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots
Storage Total supports 2 x M.2 slots and 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
Ethernet 1 x Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet, TUF LANGuard
Wireless & Bluetooth Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth® v5.3
USB Rear USB: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5G) ports (Type-A), 4 x USB 2.0 ports (Type-A) Front USB: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5G) connector (supports USB Type-C®), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5G) header supports 2 additional USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, 2 x USB 2.0 headers support 4 additional USB 2.0 ports
Audio Realtek 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC
Back Panel I/O Ports 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5G) ports (Type-A), 4 x USB 2.0 ports (Type-A), 2 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI™ port, 1 x Wi-Fi Module, 1 x Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet port, 3 x Audio jacks, 1 x BIOS FlashBack™ button, 1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse combo port
Internal I/O Connectors 1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header, 2 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headers, 1 x 24-pin Main Power connector, 1 x 8-pin +12V Power connector, 2 x M.2 slots (Key M), 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5G) connector (supports USB Type-C®), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5G) header supports 2 additional USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, 2 x USB 2.0 headers support 4 additional USB 2.0 ports, 3 x Addressable Gen 2 headers, 1 x Aura RGB header, 1 x Clear CMOS header, 1 x COM Port header, 1 x Front Panel Audio header (AAFP), 1 x S/PDIF Out header, 1 x Speaker header, 1 x 10-1 pin System Panel header
Special Features ASUS TUF PROTECTION (DIGI+ VRM, ESD Guards, TUF LANGuard, Overvoltage Protection, SafeSlot Core+, Stainless-Steel Back I/O), ASUS Q-Design (M.2 Q-Latch, Q-DIMM, Q-LED Core, Q-Slot), ASUS Thermal Solution (VRM heatsink design), ASUS EZ DIY (BIOS FlashBack™ button, BIOS FlashBack™ LED), Aura Sync, Armoury Crate, AI Suite 3, TUF GAMING CPU-Z, MyASUS, Norton 360 for Gamers (60 Days Free Trial), WinRAR, UEFI BIOS (ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3, ASUS EZ Flash 3, ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode)
BIOS 256 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS
Manageability WOL by PME, PXE
Accessories Cables: 2 x SATA 6Gb/s cables, Miscellaneous: 1 x ASUS Wi-Fi moving antennas, 1 x I/O Shield, 1 x TUF Gaming sticker, 1 x Screw package for M.2 SSD, Documentation: 1 x TUF Certification card, 1 x User guide
Operating System Windows® 11, Windows® 10 64-bit
Form Factor Micro-ATX Form Factor (9.6 inch x 9.6 inch)

Performance

I tested the ASUS TUF Gaming A620-Plus Wi-Fi with a Ryzen 7 7700X processor and 32GB of DDR5-6000 memory. The motherboard delivered impressive performance, easily handling demanding tasks like gaming, video editing, and content creation. I noticed no stability issues or bottlenecks throughout my testing.

The motherboard’s built-in Wi-Fi 6 connectivity was consistently fast and reliable, allowing me to seamlessly stream 4K content and play online games without lag. The 2.5Gb Ethernet port provided even faster wired connections, ideal for demanding network-intensive tasks.

I particularly appreciated the board’s robust power delivery system, which kept my Ryzen 7 7700X cool and stable even under heavy load. The VRM heatsink design effectively dissipated heat, preventing throttling issues.

Pros & Cons

Here’s a summary of the ASUS TUF Gaming A620-Plus Wi-Fi’s strengths and weaknesses:

Pros

  • Solid performance for its price point
  • Excellent feature set for a budget motherboard
  • Supports AMD’s latest Ryzen 7000 series processors
  • DDR5 memory compatibility
  • PCIe 4.0 support for high-speed storage and peripherals
  • Wi-Fi 6 and 2.5Gb Ethernet for fast network connectivity
  • Robust power delivery system with VRM heatsink
  • User-friendly BIOS with EZ Mode
  • TUF Protection features for enhanced reliability
  • Affordable price

Cons

  • Lacks some advanced features found on higher-end motherboards (e.g., onboard RGB lighting, Thunderbolt support)
  • Micro-ATX form factor might not be suitable for all builds

Final Verdict

The ASUS TUF Gaming A620-Plus Wi-Fi is a solid choice for budget-minded PC builders who prioritize performance and features. It offers excellent value for money, delivering a compelling combination of power, connectivity, and reliability. While it lacks some premium features, the overall package is hard to beat at its price.

I highly recommend the ASUS TUF Gaming A620-Plus Wi-Fi for users building a gaming PC or a workstation on a budget. It’s a well-rounded motherboard that will meet the needs of most users.