Sapphire is continuing its motherboard adventure, leveraging Computex 2025’s visibility to present its latest creations. Alongside its Nitro+ B650I, the brand is adding yet another eight models. These cover all kinds of budgets, from barebones with minimal features to the fully equipped boards. This time, the focus is on ATX and MicroATX formats.
Sapphire Nitro+ X870EA WiFi PhantomLink
Starting with the most unique of the bunch, we have Nitro+ X870EA WiFi PhantomLink. It is set to become one of the first non-Asus motherboards to feature the GC-HPWR power connector, making it compatible with BTF-ready graphics cards. This allows the motherboard to take power from the 12V-2×6 cable, before routing it directly to the graphics card via the GC-HPWR header near the PCIe slot. This means that a BTF-ready GPU no longer require a power cable to run, making for an aesthetically pleasing and easily maintainable build.
In case you were wondering, this board remains compatible with regular graphics cards, just adding the BTF ones as a cherry on top. That said, unlike other BTF motherboards, Nitro+ X870EA WiFi PhantomLink doesn’t hide its connectors on the rear side. In other words, it’s a hybrid that updates the standard layout with the new GC-HPWR connector. So, to encourage user adoption, the brand has also announced a compatible GPU, that follows a similar design theme.
Aside from its innovative power delivery system, the board also carries all the features you may want, making it perfectly suited for any Ryzen 7000, 8000, or 9000-based machine. On it, you will find four DDR5 DIMMs supporting up to 256B of RAM, one PCIe 5.0 x16, two PCIe 4.0 x4, two Gen 5 M.2, and two Gen 4 M.2. Not to forget the handy debug display, tool-less M.2 heatsink, and power/reset buttons. Lastly, on the I/O side, you will find two USB 4, four USB 3.2 Gen 2, four USB 3.2 Gen 1, two USB 2.0, 5GbE LAN, plus the usual complement of WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, HDMI, and audio ports.
To sum it up, Nitro+ X870EA WiFi PhantomLink is a great-looking board with great features. So, if you plan on getting RX 9070 XT PhantomLink, this is hands down the best choice to complement that build.
Sapphire Nitro+ B850A WiFi MB
If PhantomLink feels too flashy or perhaps too expensive, look no further than Nitro+ B850A WiFi MB. This model has all you need, and some more, all on a simpler black/grey form that fits any build. This time, Sapphire went with the B850 chipset to lower cost while retaining a great expandability and connectivity.
Once more you will find three PCIe slots, but this time the first runs at Gen 5 x16, the second at Gen 4 x4, and the third at Gen 4 x2. A non-issue for most users. Same goes for memory, where this model drops the total supported capacity to 192GB (4x48GB), which is still far above most systems. As for storage, there’s one Gen 5 M.2 plus two Gen 4 M.2 slots should suffice.
Moving to I/O, we find four USB 2.0, three USB 3.2 Gen 2, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, plus a 2.5GbE LAN. Unsurprisingly, we lose the faster USB 4 Type-C ports – optional on this chipset, but at least we gain an extra DisplayPort to complement the HDMI. WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 are still present. If you need a solid mid-range motherboard for your Ryzen CPU, this one has you covered.
Sapphire Nitro+ B850M WiFi MB
This one is simple, you take the aforementioned Nitro+ B850A WiFi MB, remove one PCIe and one M.2 slot to fit within the MicroATX format, and you are good to go. Every other aspect is identical.
Sapphire Pulse B850MP WiFi MB
Another MicroATX board that further reduces the feature set to save on cost. Say goodbye to the main PCIe 5.0 x16, as PCIe 4.0 is what you get – plenty fast for today’s best GPUs without encountering the dreaded Gen 5 issues. Same for fast USB: you get two USB 3.2 Gen 1, with the remaining six advancing at USB 2.0 speed to tailor to budget users.
At the same time, the M.2 offering is still decent enough, with one Gen 5 M.2 plus another Gen 4 slot, enough to provide 16TB of storage to those bold enough to install that on such a board. Lastly, it’s nice to see 2.5GbE LAN alongside WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.
Sapphire Pure B650M WiFi MB
Pure is the only white model in this lineup, again following the MicroATX standard but this time built on top of last-gen’s mid-range chipset. In addition to its RGB-suited coat, you get another 192GB DDR5 beast, with a main PCIe 5.0 x16 plus a secondary PCIe 4.0 x4. Again, due to its compact size, SSD support is limited to two M.2 slots, one running at Gen 5 speeds while the other makes do with Gen 4. In other words, no complaints.
I/O is surprisingly identical to Nitro+ B850M WiFI MB, with four USB 2.0, three USB 3.2 Gen 2, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, and one 2.5GbE LAN. The same goes for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.
Sapphire Pulse B650M WiFi MB
Pulse B650M WiFi MB is built for those who don’t care about extra features that they may never use. Forget about extra PCIe x16 slots or countless M.2, here you get just what you need for a functional system without being too barebones. The board carries one PCIe 5.0 x16 for the graphics card, an additional PCIe 4.0 x4 for an add-on card, one Gen 5 M.2 slot, plus another Gen 4 M.2. The I/O remains the only thing I’d question, ending up with six painfully slow USB 2.0 and two USB 3.2 Gen 1. WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 try to uplift this set, but that may not be enough.
The RAM slots have been reduced to just two, bringing the maximum memory capacity to 96GB. The secondary M.2 slot lost its heatsink, but most Gen 4 SSDs don’t need one to begin with. Even the VRM and chipset heatsinks are just enough to do their job correctly. Lean is the name of the game here, so you didn’t waste money on fancy RGB or extra slots that only serve as dust collectors.
Sapphire B650M E
Here, we enter the barebones territory where you only find the bare necessities. Thankfully, we still find PCIe 4.0 x16 for the graphics card, plus an extra PCIe 4.0 x4, but nearly all the heatsinks are gone. RAM capacity sticks with the lower 96GB ceiling, though storage retains its Gen 5 speed on the first M.2 slot. The second M.2 slot runs at Gen 4 speed.
I/O is basic, offering two USB 3.2 Gen 1 plus six USB 2.0. At least the LAN port sticks with 2.5GbE, helped by WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.
Sapphire A520M MB
Lastly, A520M MB is one for those who want the cheapest board that can handle a Ryzen 3000, 4000, or 5000 CPU. Yep, you heard that right, Sapphire is releasing an AM4 board based on the entry A520 chipset. Unsurprisingly, the main PCIe drops to Gen 3 x16 speed, with the secondary going even lower to Gen 3 x1. DDR4 RAM is a blast from the past, with support for up to 64GB max. As for I/O, two USB 3.2, six USB 2.0, 1GbE LAN, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3 is your lot.
Sapphire plans to release Nitro and Pulse models in July 2025, followed by the Pure in August, and lastly, PhantomLink in September. That said, nothing is set in stone, so these dates could change in the future.
