Recently we had the opportunity to look at an Intel Z790-based motherboard from Maxsun, a manufacturer not well-known to the West, and liked what the Terminator Z790M D5 Wi-Fi had to offer. Today, we have the company's iCraft B760M Wi-Fi on the test bench. For $199.99, you get a well-provisioned motherboard with three M.2 sockets, a 2.5Gbps port, integrated Wi-Fi 6E, adequate power delivery for flagship-class processors, and a handsome black and silver design. The major difference between them is that the B760 platform allows overclocking of the memory but not the processor. We'll look at the features of this MicroATX board and see how it fares compared to the brands we're more familiar with.
Board Design, CPU, and Memory
The iCraft B760M Wi-Fi sports a multi-layer PCB with black slots and sockets, along with silver heatsinks covering the VRM, an M.2 socket, and the chipset. The contrasting colors are still neutral and, helped by the integrated RGB lights, should fit in with most build themes. Unlike the Terminator Z790M D5, this board's VRM heatsinks don't come with a fan, but since you can't overclock on the platform what's present cools the MOSFETs below without issue. If you need more than four SATA ports, you'll have to put an add-in card in one of the PCI Express slots, but the iCraft is otherwise just as full-featured as its competition.
(Credit: Joe Shields)The motherboard supports Intel's 12th and 13th Generation LGA1700 processors up to and including the Core i9-13900K/KS. The dozen 60A MOSFETs dedicated to the processor handled our CPU with no issues during testing. The passive heatsinks kept the VRMs below running well within spec, though they did tend to get warm with sustained multithreaded loads. If you're pushing a high-end processor, be sure your chassis has good airflow and your CPU good cooling, as this board (like the Terminator) lets the processor run at the higher 253W power limit instead of jumping back to 125W.
Memory support for the iCraft B760M Wi-Fi peaks at DDR5-6800+ (OC), which is about average for the platform and price point and is actually past the price/performance sweet spot. Much beyond DDR5-6000 or DDR5-6400, you're spending big bucks for tiny performance gains anyway. If you need plenty of RAM, the board accommodates up to 192GB, which should satisfy even the most hardcore home users.
(Credit: Joe Shields)Our DDR5-5600 and DDR5-6000 kits were stable by setting the internal XMP profile, so all is well around these speeds. Since the iCraft doesn't list support over DDR5-6800, we didn't try the fastest kit we had on hand (DDR5-7200). There are plenty of memory bits to adjust in the BIOS for those seeking to maximize their performance.
Layout and Internal Connectors
Starting in the motherboard's top left corner, we spy the EPS connectors to power the processor. In this case, there are two: an 8-pin (required) and optional 4-pin. The silver VRM heatsinks have a fair amount of mass and enough surface area to keep the VRMs running well within specification. Atop the left VRM heatsink is an infinity-mirror-like RGB element that shows off the Maxsun branding. Just underneath that, on the back of the board, are several additional RGB LEDs that produce a nice glow. The board's multiple RGBs will really light up your chassis.
Moving right, between the top VRM heatsink and DRAM slots, is the first 4-pin fan/pump header. Each of the four total headers supports PWM and DC-controlled devices. The manual doesn't specify their output; I contacted Maxsun and the company confirmed all headers output 1A/12W. That's not a lot, so be careful not to overload the headers.
Continuing on, we encounter the four DRAM slots, each with a single locking mechanism at the top. Above them is another 4-pin fan header and finally the RGB headers, in this case two 3-pin ARGB and one 4-pin RGB. Control over integrated RGBs and any lights attached to the headers is handled by the MaxsunLED software. The app looks like it will do the job with a variety of effects, speeds, and brightness control, but we're not sure what most of its other features are as the version we could download for review wasn't entirely in English.
(Credit: Joe Shields)Heading down the right edge, we spy the 24-pin ATX connector to power the board. Next are USB headers. From top to bottom, you'll note two USB 2.0 headers, a front-panel USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) connector, and a 19-pin USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) header.
Audio, Expansion, Storage, and Rear I/O
In the bottom left corner is the audio section, consisting of a Realtek ALC897 codec and four yellow capacitors. It's a bare-bones solution, missing the audio separation line (for help with EMI) that a vast majority of modern boards have, but many users will find it acceptable for daily use.
In the middle of the motherboard are three PCI Express slots and three M.2 sockets. The top, reinforced PCIe slot is the primary location for graphics cards; it has the most bandwidth, running up to PCIe 5.0 x16. The smallest slot in the middle peaks at PCIe 3.0 x1, while the bottom open-ended x4 slot runs up to PCIe 3.0 x4. This layout gives you enough slots to expand if you need to; just be sure you're not adding high-bandwidth cards since you're limited to PCI Express 3.0.
(Credit: Joe Shields)Just above the primary GPU slot is the first of three M.2 sockets. All three of these sockets support up to 80mm PCIe modules—SATA-based M.2 storage will not work—at speeds up to PCIe 4.0 x4 (64Gbps). You won't find the latest and greatest PCIe 5.0 M.2 sockets on this budget board (or many others, for that matter). Four SATA ports along the bottom edge round out the storage options. If you prefer to use RAID for storage, the board supports RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 modes only on the SATA ports.
Along the bottom edge of the board are just a couple of headers, since the RGBs are on the top half. Moving from left to right are front-panel audio, a COM port, a 4-pin fan header, the four vertically mounted SATA ports, TPM, speaker, and front-panel headers.
(Credit: Joe Shields)The rear of this Maxsun motherboard has a preinstalled I/O plate with gray labels on a white background. The nine USB ports should be enough for most users; they include a speedy USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20Gbps) port, four USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) ports, and four USB 2.0 (480Mbps) ports. There are HDMI and DisplayPort ports for integrated video output next to a convenient clear-CMOS button to reset the BIOS. On the networking side are a 2.5Gbps Realtek port and Intel Wi-Fi 6E antenna connectors. Last is the audio stack, with five analog plugs and the SPDIF. The only thing missing that I'd like to see back here are some 10Gbps USB ports.
UEFI BIOS and Utilities
The Maxsun BIOS is useful enough, but it won't win any awards for looks. First, it doesn't have an Easy Mode as we're used to from other board partners—just an Advanced mode with headings listed across the top. The design combines a black background with a portal/door image; white text with yellow headers makes it easy to read. There are plenty of options for tweaking (but again, no CPU overclocking on the B760 platform), but the lack of an Easy Mode and a less refined appearance put it at a disadvantage to the four major motherboard makers.
(Credit: Maxsun)The Main section is more informative than anything, showing BIOS, processor, and RAM information in the left two-thirds with system details at right. The latter include CPU and VRM temperature, fan speeds, voltages, and more.
(Credit: Maxsun)What Maxsun calls an Advanced section is the place to configure your hardware. From the CPU to the network, graphics, and USB, you’ll find it here. There's also a Power section that deals with hibernation and how the system responds to power-off and power-on situations (not pictured here).
(Credit: Maxsun)The Turbo section is where you'll find all the performance tweaking options. Here you can set XMP modes for RAM and manually tweak the speed and timings. Processor options include voltage and frequency adjustments, offsets, and more, though you're limited to the maximum turbo multiplier.
Ultimately, the BIOS works fine but lacks the maturity of other firmware, at least in terms of appearance. The primary board partners give their users more refined UEFIs. But this shouldn't be a deal-breaker, as you'll find all the functionality you need (minus an Easy Mode) to tweak this board to the limit.
Maxsun doesn't offer much in the way of utility software; all I could find on the website was the abovementioned MaxsunLED app, mostly not written in English, to control compatible RGB LEDs attached to the integrated headers. I could make out eight LED modes and sliders for speed and brightness adjustments, but that's as far as I got. You can also input a custom color in hexadecimal or RGB.
(Credit: Maxsun)Verdict: Pricey But Worthy
The Maxsun iCraft B760M Wi-Fi is a well-rounded option in the B760 space, though its $199.99 MSRP is a bit higher than most of its rivals'. For the money, you get a neutral black-and-silver appearance and a specifications list comparable to those of the brands we're more familiar with; three M.2 sockets and four SATA ports for storage; integrated Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5Gbps Ethernet; ample power delivery; and performance above and beyond the Intel specification.
(Credit: Joe Shields)The least expensive alternative, MSI's Pro B760M-A Wi-Fi, is only $169.99 but has only two M.2 sockets, as do the Asus TUF Gaming B760M Plus Wi-Fi ($189.99) and Gigabyte B760M Aorus Elite AX ($174.99). Last but not least, the ASRock B760M PG Sonic ($184.99) is the closest in price to the Maxsun and the only other board in this list with three M.2 sockets. Looks are subjective; of the quintet, only the Maxsun, ASRock, and Gigabyte have integrated RGB lighting. Of these boards, we probably like the Gigabyte best if you can get by with only two M.2 sockets. If the iCraft was $20 cheaper, we'd be singing a different tune.