ASRock B365M IB-R (Pro4) motherboard review

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ASRock have been in the computer parts manufacturing game for an extremely long time now, and over time the company have gained a stellar reputation. When it comes to motherboards, they offer a vast array of options, covering every need or want a PC builder could have. Today, we’ll be taking a look at one of these motherboards, that being the ASRock B365M IB-R.



More commonly known as the ASRock B365M Pro4, the motherboard was designed to be used with Intel CPUs. Because of its lower cost and decent performance, it’s become quite popular among PC builders. The question then is, is it the right motherboard for you? After all, it’s a very attractive motherboard, and we’re sure you’re interested in how it performs.

Well, worry not, we’ve got you covered with our full review for the ASRock B365M IB-R. By the time you’re done reading this review, you’ll know all the specifications of the motherboard, as well as a simplified version of its strengths, cons and features. So, without further ado, let’s get straight into the review.

Specifications on the ASRock B365M IB-R motherboard

Before we get into the review proper, let’s do a quick rundown of the specifications for the ASRock B365M IB-R. The main caveats that are instantly obvious are how it only supports 8th and 9th gen Intel Core Processors. However, if you’re building your PC around the motherboard, then you’ve probably already got this in mind.

  • Model: B365M IB-R
  • Part Number: 80-MXBBG0-A1A01
  • Compatible Part Numbers: 80-MXBBG0-A1A11
  • Chipset: Intel B365
  • Socket: Intel LGA1151
  • Compatible/Supported CPU: 9th and 8th Gen Intel Core Processors
  • Max Supported Memory: 64GB
  • Number of Memory Slots: 4
  • Memory Type: DDR4 SDRAM
  • Storage Interface: SATA 6Gb/s
  • Wireless Lan Support: Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
  • Audio: Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec
  • Input/Output Ports: 1x HDMI Port; 1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C Port (Supports ESD Protection); 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 Ports (Supports ESD Protection); 1x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED); HD Audio Jacks: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone.
  • Expansion Slots: 2x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slots; 1x PCI Express 3.0 x1 Slot;
  • Form Factor: Micro ATX
  • Type: Desktop Motherboard
  • Supported Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
ASRock B365M IB-R

Overview of the ASRock B365M IB-R Motherboard

As the name would imply ASRock B365M Pro4 is nearly identical in design with the bigger ASRock B365 Pro4. They both have the same PCB graphics and heatsink color & shape. The dimensions of this motherboard are: 24.4 cm x 22.9 cm, so it’s pretty standard for a MatX board.

The motherboard offers a total of five(5) 4-pin fan headers that are controlled through the BIOS settings. We have a single fan header on the upper right corner of the CPU socket, with the next header located on the right. The next fan header is found on the upper left corner of the top M.2 socket and the last two headers are found on the lower edge of the motherboard.

There are 6 x SATA ports for hard drives, and on the rear I/O panel, there’s 2 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2, USB Type-C connector,  gigabit LAN, HD audio connectors, PS/2 connector for your keyboard and mouse, HDMI, Displayport and even a DVI output. You’ll find 2 x M.2 slots for your SSDs, 1 x full coverage M.2 heatsink, and 4 x DDR4 DIMM slots for RAM.

Performance of the ASRock B365M IB-R motherboard

The BIOS of the B365M Pro4 is practically the same as any other B365M mobo from ASRock. The BIOS will boot in Easy Mode, which offers the important information of the system. This includes options for the RAM and its frequency, the speed of the connected fans and even the boot order for storage devices. It’s quite simplified, though power users will crave a little more.

The rest of the BIOS, called Advanced Mode, gives you access to all the features you’d normally expect from a BIOS. It’s still quite simple and straight forward, and the menus are all still fairly simple to read. Overall, the BIOS is great, works well and is easy to use, can’t go wrong with it.

Finally, the performance for the ASRock B365M IB-R is solid stuff. It works just as well as most other B365M boards, with a VRM system that’s pretty decent. The cooling of the VRM on the motherboard is average at best due to the usage of a single heatsink for the entire VRM area, but all things considered it’s still solid.

ASRock B365M IB-R ports

For a MATX, the ASRock B365M IB-R does pretty well in most circumstances. The performance here isn’t mind blowing by any stretch of the imagination, but considering the price tag on it, you really can’t complain. It’s an above average performer for a low cost, and it works great for basically anything you’d want to do.

Conclusion about the ASRock B365M IB-R motherboard

The only real flaw we’ve found with the ASRock B365M IB-R is its lack of overclocking. It’s an unfortunate limitation of the chipset here. On top of that, your PC RAM speeds can only go up to DDR4-2666, meaning you miss out on the faster 3200MhZ and 3600MhZ RAM speeds. Outside of that however, it’s a solid motherboard as long as you’re building with it in mind.

It’s extremely affordable, to the point that it’s difficult for other boards to compete with it. It has 2 Ultra M.2 slots for SSDs which is rare on motherboards around this price. Even the performance is pretty decent, and you also can’t not mention how it can connect up to 3 monitors, which is more than even some gaming motherboard.

Other than that, the ASRock B365M Pro4 is a very good motherboard. It’s quite simple to setup and relatively affordable, which means it’s an easily accessible board for hobby builders. It’s also an excellent choice for builders trying to make a compact PC using the MATX form factor. Frankly you really can’t go wrong with this motherboard, it’s great value all throughout.

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