NZXT N7 B650E review: Good looks meet functional performance

I'm a fan of NZXT's minimalism and matte finish aesthetic and the company's motherboard series is no exception. I was impressed by how far NZXT could push the AMD platform with the AM4 B550. The brand launched the N7 B650E in 2023 and I found it fitting to review the motherboard alongside the new Ryzen 9000 series since AMD is pushing support for older motherboards. The B650E is still a solid platform for building an AMD system with the latest chips so I used the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X to see how good this NZXT motherboard is.

Like the NZXT motherboards that came before it, the N7 B650E looks smart in white or black. The massive shroud covers the entire motherboard, which could be viewed as a hindrance to thermal control, but through extensive use, these boards don't tend to perform at higher temperatures than the competition. The AMD Ryzen 9000 series works well with this board, though you will encounter a slight performance dip due to the latest BIOS running older AMD Generic Encapsulated Software Architecture (AGESA). Connectivity is great for hooking up all your accessories and the BIOS is clean with a modern design.

Building a PC with this motherboard is a joy with the physical onboard power button, though I would like to see an LCD for error code reporting. Unfortunately, NZXT hasn't been able to roll out a BIOS from ASRock with AMD (AGESA) 1.2.0a to unlock the AMD Ryzen 9000 series. Once this BIOS hits, I'll recommend this motherboard for newer builds. Overall, the NZXT N7 B6550E is a fantastic motherboard. It's pricey but worth it if you want a reliable foundation for a killer gaming PC.

About this review: NZXT provided XDA with a sample for this review but had no input to its contents.

Price, specs, and availability

Costing more than $320 (discounted to $260 at the time of publication), the NZXT N7 B650E isn't a cheap motherboard. It's more expensive than some X670 motherboards, which makes sense in this confusing AMD chipset line-up with PCIe 5.0 lanes for expansion cards and some other highlight features. The full-size ATX platform supports AMD Ryzen 7000, 8000, and 9000 series CPUs with a 16+2+1 90A power phase design, perfect for running more powerful chips with scope for overclocking. Connectivity is good with two internal USB-A 3.2 Gen1 headers (for a maximum of four ports), USB-C 3.2 Gen2x2, and an array of rear-facing ports.

Memory support comes in the form of DDR5-6000+ and I've been able to hit DDR5-7200 through EXPO without trouble, though your mileage with memory speeds will always vary depending on processor, board, and RAM. Four SATA III ports are available for storage, joined by a single PCIe 5.0 M.2 and two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots. Expansion is solid with a full-size x16 PCIe 5.0 sot and two PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, just in case you have an additional GPU or more than three M.2 SSDs. The Realtek ALC1220 is the norm at this price point and performs as expected. Finally, Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E ensure you're good for future wireless upgrades.

Design and features

The design of the NZXT N7 B650E is clean, especially in white. The entire shroud can be removed after extracting some screws on the rear side of the PCB, but you'll likely leave it attached since you're buying an NZXT motherboard for the aesthetic as well as the performance. There are three metal covers around the PCI and M.2 slots that can be removed for easier access to the slots below. Only the primary M.2 cover has an integrated heatsink and pad for dissipating heat from power-hungry PCIe 5.0 solid-state drives.

Like the NZXT motherboards that came before it, the N7 B650E looks smart in white or black.

The VRM heatsink makes contact to aid cooling and the rear I/O shield is pre-attached like many motherboards of today. There's just one screw for the primary M.2 cover, but the rest of the board is tool-less. A drawback of the N7 B650E compared to other motherboards in this price range is the lack of a quick GPU release. The manual PCI slot latch can be difficult to reach with cards becoming larger. NZXT provides numerous headers for hooking up other PC components and the layout is great for building a system.

Building a PC

A motherboard isn't worth its price if it's difficult to build a PC. There are four fan headers at the top of the board, two for the CPU (fan and AIO) and an additional two for chassis cooling. Two NZXT lighting headers are present, but don't worry if you're not using branded lighting gear as two standard RGB headers (and two more NZXT headers) are at the bottom. The two USB-A 3.2 Gen1 headers are adjacent to the four SATA III ports and are angled for easier connections. That's about it, it's a simple motherboard.

Updating the BIOS is painless as the system will search a connected drive for compatible files, making it possible to start patching the latest BIOS in a few seconds.

The 16 power phases present with an RAA229620 controller use the same ISL99390B mosfets found on ASRock motherboards, which ensure smooth and reliable power delivery to the processor. Updating the BIOS is painless as the system will search a connected drive for compatible files, making it possible to start patching the latest BIOS in a few seconds. The BIOS is clean and easy to use, even if you're a beginner. There's no beginner or advanced view and everything is arranged as one would expect from a modern UEFI experience.

Performance

You may have missed the AMD Ryzen 9000 series if you've been hiding away from the latest CPU launches. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, 7 9700X, 9 9900X, and 9 9950X are powerful yet efficient processors. Using the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X with this NZXT N7 B650E motherboard, I achieved similar results to other boards minus 5-10% due to the outdated AGESA. Temperatures were great across the board (pun intended). The VRMs weren't too toasty thanks to the passive heatsink that makes physical contact. The same goes for other parts of the board.

The primary PCIe 5.0 SSD heatsink is a thick chunk of metal with some fins for better passive cooling performance. Some holes cover the chipset and the rest of the shroud is warm to the touch during operation, showing it does more than look smart. Even without active cooling for the CPU, you won't have to worry about the motherboard getting too hot. I would consider having fans inside the chassis near the motherboard since relying on passive cooling alone could risk eating into component lifespans.

Should you buy the NZXT N7 B650E?

You should buy the NZXT N7 B650E if:

• You enjoy using NZXT CAM software.
• You want a clean-looking AMD motherboard.
• You want a board with good connectivity.

You shouldn't buy the NZXT N7 B650E if:

• You plan on using the latest Ryzen 9000 series CPUs immediately.
• You want to build the most powerful AMD-powered system.
• You don't want to spend more than $300 on a motherboard.

NZXT and ASRock have nailed the branded motherboard range with these latest iterations. There were a few issues with NZXT's previous manufacturing partner and early ASRock boards were solid with a few BIOS updates. Even out of the box, the N7 B650E performs well. Installing the latest BIOS is easy and brings AMD's chipset up to snuff with the latest advancements. The NZXT N7 B650E is a joy to build a PC with. Headers are aplenty for cooling and lighting. The onboard power buttons are handy for troubleshooting, though I would like an error code LCD at this price.

You will not be disappointed if you buy the NZXT N7 B650E today for your AM5 system build.

It's a shame we didn't have access to a BIOS with AGESA 1.2.0a to see what the board could do with the latest AMD processors, but it works well even with outdated AMD code and full support is present with no system instability running the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X. It's difficult to recommend spending more than $200 on a motherboard when there are some excellent examples in the $100-150 region, but NZXT offers a lot of motherboard for the price, especially at this discount from the $320 MSRP. You will not be disappointed if you buy the NZXT N7 B650E today for your AM5 system build.