Maxsun Terminator B850M Pro II Motherboard Review: Comparable features, but US pricing is over MSRP

Maxsun isn’t that well-known in the U.S, but the China-based company has been around since 2002, and a player in the motherboard game (as well as things like graphics cards and storage) overseas for decades. In that time, it has released some unique motherboard designs, such as the Intel-based iCraft B760M Cross, which features its anime-based brand mascot, Aijia, on the box, with pink and light blue highlights on the white PCB. It was a cool board, but like many of the company’s previous samples, it was not without shortcomings.

Today we’re testing Maxsun’s Terminator B850M Pro II, a budget Micro ATX AM5 board that sports a black aesthetic and is generally well-equipped for a small-form-factor motherboard. You get support for the latest flagship-class processors like the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 (as well as future AM5 processors), Wi-Fi 7 and 2.5 GbE networking, three M.2 sockets (two PCIe 5.0 x4) and two SATA ports for storage, and room for expansion with two full-length PCIe slots. I would like to see faster USB ports (the fastest is only 10 Gbps) and perhaps a better audio codec, but this board is otherwise comparable to similarly priced B850M options.

The performance portion of our testing went smoothly, but results were average to below average, depending on the test. The Terminator B850M Pro II was competent at gaming and some of the single/lightly threaded tests, mixing in with most other boards, but was slower in heavily multi-threaded tests with our Ryzen 9 9900X.

Below, we’ll examine the B850M Pro II’s performance and other features, although as you have probably guessed from the score above, it won’t make it to our list of the best motherboards. But before we share test results and discuss details, here are the specifications from the Maxsun website:

Specifications of the B850M Pro II

Inside the Box

Inside the box along with the motherboard, the only accessories included are the Wi-Fi antennas, two SATA cables, and a warranty card. That’s it. No stickers, extra thermal pads, nada. It’s paltry by any standard, but it’s still enough to get your SATA-based drives connected and your new PC online.

Design and Features of the B850M Pro II

The B850M Pro II uses an 8-layer matte-black PCB, with large heatsinks covering the VRMs, M.2 sockets, and chipset. The black motif is broken up by two crimson lines running diagonally across the heatsinks. You will not find integrated RGB lighting, but can add it using the existing ARGB headers. It’s not an exciting Micro ATX board vying for attention, but does blend in with any black or dark build theme.

Starting our tour in the top-left corner, we see the two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required between the two separate VRM heatsinks. On the left, we get a better look at the Terminator branding on top of the large heatsink. Nothing extraordinary here.

Moving past the socket area to the right, the next feature we encounter is the four DRAM slots, with the locking mechanism located on top. Maxsun lists support up to DDR5-8000, which is a bit lower than most B850 (and X870) boards, but still well past AMD’s sweet spot (6000-6400 MT/s). We couldn’t get our DDR5-8000 kit to boot, even with the APU, but it’s to be expected as those speeds are right at the limit and our sticks weren’t on the memory QVL. No worries, as our DDR5-6000 and DDR5-7200 kits worked just fine without the help of an APU and its generally superior memory controller.

In the upper-right corner, next we see the first of two 3-pin ARGB headers (the other is along the bottom edge). The Maxsun Sync 2 software controls any attached RGB lighting and gives users your typical fare of pre-programmed lighting and customization (speed, color, etc.). But that’s the only piece of software the company offers for this board.

Moving down the right edge, we run into the first two (of five) 4-pin fan headers. Since we don’t have access to the manual (one wasn’t included in the box and we can’t find one online), and the specifications on the web page don’t mention it, we’re not sure how much each header supports. We’ve reached out to Maxsun for clarity, but until they respond, assume they support 1A/12W each, which should be enough for multiple fans and an AIO without worry. The BIOS is the only way to control the fan headers. Sadly, Maxsun still doesn’t have a dedicated desktop application for monitoring, overclocking, or fan control. And while there are ways around it, if you want to be in the conversation with ‘the big four’ motherboard brands in the US, having Windows-based software helps.

Continuing along the edge, we run into the 24-pin ATX connector for the board power, and the front-panel USB ports. The first is a USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) header, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C connector, and a 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) header. What’s worth noting here is the lack of a 20 Gbps header. And the rear IO’s fastest port is also 10 Gbps. While 20 Gbps ports aren’t common on B850 boards, it would be nice to see at least one.

Power delivery on the B850M Pro II is on the light side, sporting a total of 15 phases, with 12 dedicated to Vcore. Power heads from the 8-pin EPS connector(s) and onto the Realtek RT3678BE PWM controller. From there, it moves to the paltry Vishay Sic654 50A DrMOS MOSFETs. The 600 Amps available is relatively low, but Maxsun lists support for up to 300W TDP, which means, in theory, you can toss in a Ryzen 9 9950X or the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2, and still be OK.

If that’s your plan for this board, make sure you have adequate case cooling, especially if you’re pushing the CPU hard for extended periods, as these VRMs will get toasty with a high-wattage processor. If you’d like to know more about VRMs and what you actually need from a motherboard, check out the Motherboard VRM thermal testing article we recently published.

On the bottom half of the board, starting on the left, is the exposed audio section, consisting of the Realtek ALC897 codec and four dedicated audio capacitors above it. The ALC897 is the most basic audio codec on consumer-class motherboards. In fairness, it is commonly used, especially in the Micro ATX form factor. That said, its direct competitors (by price point) use the improved ALC1220 or the latest-gen ALC4080 codecs. And while you’ll be hard-pressed to notice a difference without plugging in some of the best PC speakers, it’s still a difference among the comparables.

In the middle are two full-length PCIe slots, and under the plate-style heatsink are all three M.2 sockets. Starting with the two PCIe slots, the top slot with the reinforcement is your PCIe 5.0 x16 slot and is primary for graphics. It also uses a quick-release GPU latch for easy removal. Press the button to unlock and remove. Easy. The bottom slot connects via the chipset, supports PCIe 4.0 x4, and is good for expansion cards. You could use it to add faster USB Type-C ports, if needed.

In between the PCIe slots are the three M.2 sockets. The B850M Pro II gives you two PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) M.2 sockets (up to 80mm) that source their bandwidth through the CPU, and a single PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) socket that also supports up to 80mm devices. Note that when using both PCIe 5.0 M.2 sockets, the primary graphics slot drops to PCIe 5.0 x8. Having all three M.2 sockets under the graphics card with a plate heatsink isn’t ideal, especially if you have one of those PCIe 5.0 drives.

We’ve also included a few images of the active ICs for the board. This Maxsun uses a mix of Realtek (PWM controller, audio) and Vishay (MOSFETs) branded ICs.

At the bottom are several headers, including front-panel audio and USB ports. A complete list of connectivity is listed below (from L to R):

• Front panel audio
• 3-pin ARGB
• 4-pin fan header
• COM port
• Debug header
• USB 2.0 header
• (2) SATA ports
• 4-pin fan header
• Front panel

The rear IO on the B850M Pro II generally has what most users need, just perhaps not the fastest or the largest number of ports. Starting on the left, we see the DisplayPort and HDMI (v1.4) video outputs. Next to that are the first two (of four, in blue) USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps ports, your 10 Gbps Type-C port, and a convenient clear CMOS button. The tall stack of black USB ports is USB 2.0. Above the second set of Gen 2 ports is the Realtek 2.5 GbE port. Next to that is the Mediatek Wi-Fi 7, but note it only uses the 160 Hz frequency and can be slower than the fastest Wi-Fi 7 devices. Last but not least, on the right is a full 5-plug plus SPDIF audio stack.

There’s nothing out of the ordinary here, but I would like to see at least one 20 Gbps port, even on a B850-class Micro ATX motherboard.

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Firmware

Maxsun has updated its BIOS from the ground up, introducing a mobile-inspired interface with larger icons, more buttons, and “card-style modules” for easier navigation. Like most modern BIOSes, it has an informative, functional, easy mode with different sections (modules) on the left, information and buttons (for enabling EXPO, ReSize Bar, EUP, and RGBs), along with other system details like fan speeds and settings, as well as boot priorities. You can also adjust the background with three included images (Sweet Aiga, Sci-Fi Mecha, and Textured Glass), which is unique.

The advanced portion of the BIOS offers plenty of options to tweak your system, but doesn’t appear to have quite as many options as other motherboards. Still, there are lots of options, including PBO, to tweak your CPU. You can also tweak your memory.

In all, the BIOS worked well and will be fine for most users, but the mobile-inspired interface isn’t quite as refined and doesn’t give you the premium vibes we see from Gigabyte, MSI, or Asus BIOSes.

Software

Maxsun Sync 2 is an application that controls RGB lighting, picking up not only the board but also our RAM and GPOU (as expected). There are 10 different lighting effects, most of which you can change (speed, color flow, etc.) to your liking. It worked well in our limited testing, controlling each item it picked up without issue.

For those looking for an application that controls fans, overclocking, and the like, you’ll need to stick with the BIOS, as Maxsun does not offer one at this time. If the company wants to compete with the ‘big four’ (Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock), it needs to offer software, since the competition pretty much all has well-established monitoring and control applications.

Test System / Comparison Products

We’ve updated our test system to Windows 11 (23H2) 64-bit OS with all updates applied as of late September 2024 (this includes the Branch Prediction Optimizations for AMD). Hardware-wise, we’ve updated the RAM kits (matching our Intel test system), cooling, storage, and video card. Unless otherwise noted, we use the latest publicly available non-beta motherboard BIOS. The hardware we used is as follows:

TEST SYSTEM COMPONENTS:

• CPU – AMD Ryzen 9 9900X
• Cooling – Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420
• Storage – Crucial 2TB T705 M.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD
• RAM – Kingston Fury Beast DDR5-6000 CL36 (KF560C36BBEAK2-32)RAM – Teamgroup T-Force Delta DDR5-7200 CL34 (FF3D518G7200HC34ABK)RAM – Klevv Cras XR5 RGB DDR5-8000 (KD5AGUA80-80R380S)
• GPU – Asus TUF RTX 4080 16G
• PSU – EVGA Supernova 850W P6
• Windows 11 64-bit (23H2 – 22631.4169)NVIDIA Driver 561.09

Benchmark Settings

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Benchmark Results

Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo) with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and the memory by enabling the XMP profile. The Windows power scheme is set to Balanced (default) for this baseline testing, so the PC idles appropriately.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics offer a valuable method for evaluating a board’s performance, as identical settings are expected to yield similar results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are areas where motherboard manufacturers can still optimize for stability or performance, though, and these settings can impact specific testing scenarios.

Starting with the synthetic benchmarks, the Terminator B850M Pro II performed average to below average in most tests. In fact, Cinebench R24 and POV multi-core scores were the lowest we’ve seen (mind you, it’s only a couple of percent slower from worst to first), which was surprising considering power use was similar to other B850 boards. Outside of that, results were average for the rest.

Timed Applications

3D Games and 3DMark

Starting with the launch of Zen 5, we’ve updated our game tests. We’re keeping the F1 racing game but have upgraded to F1 24. We also dropped Far Cry 6 in favor of an even more popular and good-looking game in Cyberpunk 2077. We run both games at 1920×1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed above). Cyberpunk 2077 uses DLSS, while we left F1 24 to native resolution scaling.

The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used (and CPU/system-bound) resolution with settings most people use or strive for (Ultra). We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most falling within the margin of error. We’ve also added a minimum FPS setting, which can affect your gameplay and immersion.

In our 3DMark and game tests, the B850M Pro II was dead-on average in the synthetics and slightly above average in both games. While the Maxsun didn’t have a great showing in the rendering, encoding, and other tests, it proved to be a competent gamer.

Overclocking

Over the past few CPU generations, overclocking headroom has been shrinking on both sides of the fence, while the out-of-the-box potential has increased. For overclockers, this means there’s less fun to have. For the average consumer, you’re getting the most out of the processor without manual tweaking. Today’s motherboards are more robust than ever, and they easily support power-hungry flagship-class processors, so we know the hardware can handle them. There are multiple ways to extract even more performance from these processors: enabling a canned PBO setting, manually tweaking the PBO settings, or just going for an all-core overclock. Results will vary and depend on the cooling as well. In other words, your mileage may vary. Considering all the above, we will not be overclocking the CPU. However, we will try out our different memory kits to ensure they meet the specifications.

For memory testing, we start with our fastest non-clock driver kit: Klevv 32GB (2×16) DDR5-8000. Per usual on this platform, it booted to Windows but wouldn’t pass a stress test with our 9900X. The Team Group DDR5-7200 kit worked without issue. Those speeds are well past the ‘sweet spot’ for the AMD platform, and with today’s RAM prices, we doubt many people are looking at these higher speeds anyway.

Dropping in the Ryzen 5 8600G APU, which typically unlocks the ability to run our DDR5-8000 kit, didn’t this time around. We couldn’t get the system to boot with this RAM kit, no matter what we tried. But, between the 8000 MT/s listed spec and our kit not being on Maxsun’s QVL, it was an expected result, and nothing to hold against it as it’s well past the sweet spot.

Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures

We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU, cache, and Memory enabled for power testing, using the processor’s peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is obtained from the wall using a Kill-A-Watt meter, which captures the entire PC (excluding the monitor). The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts remain the same. Please note that we have moved to using only the stock power-use/VRM temperature charts, as this section aims to ensure that the power delivery can handle flagship-class processors.

Stress testing this board with our DDR5-7200 kit showed it to be less power-hungry than most competitors. At idle, it sat around 89W and slightly higher than average, peaking at 245W, one of the lower results under load. This averages out to 167W, slightly better than the average B850/X870/X870E-based boards.

VRM temperatures were good during our testing, peaking at 50 degrees Celsius on our sensor and 55 degrees on the hottest internal sensor. For 50A MOSFETs pushing 160W loads for this test, that’s a solid result. You can use a higher-wattage processor and possibly overclock, but make sure you have good airflow to keep the budget VRMs running cool.

Bottom Line

The Maxsun Terminator B850M Pro II proved to be a competent budget-class AM5 motherboard, but it doesn’t do enough to stand out. Gaming performance was as expected, but other performance was a bit lackluster with default settings. It offers a solid set of features, including Wi-Fi 7 (though limited to 160Hz), three M.2 sockets (two PCIe 5.0), and support for the latest Ryzen 9 processors. The BIOS is functional and easy to navigate. Still, the lack of Windows-based software for monitoring, fan control, and overclocking is a notable omission, since competing motherboards already have well-established software ecosystems.

For me, the biggest question about this board’s market viability is price. Maxsun stated the MSRP is $199.99, but is found on Alibaba for $243.76 and Amazon for $229.00. At those prices, it’s not worth it when the competition is all currently (at the time of this writing) priced below $199. Hardware-wise, MSI’s MAG B850M Mortar Wifi ($199.99) is probably the best-equipped option and arguably one of the better-looking B850 boards. ASRock’s B850M Steel Legend ($149.99) in white is also attractive (the only one of this group with RGB lighting) and the least expensive option. Asus’ Prime B850M-A WiFi-CSM ($191.99) is also a consideration, with similar specs and still less expensive than the Maxsun. With all of these other boards available, the Maxsun is a tough sell anywhere above $200.

Terminator B850M Pro II is an option in the MicroATX B850 space, but not the best. At the currently inflated price, it won’t make our best motherboards list. If you can find it for $199, it’s definitely in the conversation, especially for anyone who needs two PCIe 5.0-based M.2 sockets in a budget, small-form-factor board. Until the price comes down for us in the U.S., competing boards are the better option.

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