Last year, Colorful launched its newly upgraded COLORFIRE brand. COLORFIRE products are primarily aligned with diverse style elements such as cute, anime, and trendy lifestyle, aiming to bring young users hardware products that combine aesthetics and performance. As the literal meaning of COLORFIRE suggests, Colorful hopes to "ignite a colorful life with the spark of technology," allowing users to ignite their passion for life through the spark of technology and to fully enjoy life and the joy brought by technology. Previously, COLORFIRE has introduced its MEOW series graphics cards, motherboards, memory, and other hardware products, which were well-received by players after their release. Now, the upgraded COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow motherboard is also presented to us. So, compared to ordinary motherboards, what makes it different?

Motherboard Product Specifications

Socket: LGA 1700

Form Factor: Micro ATX

Memory Slots: DDR5 x4 (up to 192GB, up to DDR5 7200)

Graphics Slot: PCIe 5.0 x16 x1

Expansion Slots: PCIe 3.0 x4 x1 + PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD x3 + SATA 6Gbps x4

Audio Chip: Realtek ALC897 5.1 channel audio chip

Network Chips: Realtek RTL8125 2.5Gb Ethernet + Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200/201 + Bluetooth 5.2 wireless moduleBackplane Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C + USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A + USB 2.0 Type-A + HDMI + DP + RJ45 + Wi-Fi antenna interface + analog audio interface

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Reference Price: 1049 yuan

From the motherboard to the BIOS, it's all about the cat's paw prints.

Analysis of the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange Motherboard

When it comes to motherboards, these products may be perceived as having a black and white color scheme, a cold "big iron block." Even if the motherboard is adorned with some cartoons or beautiful girl images, the BIOS setup screen still maintains a professional style, which can be intimidating for many DIY newcomers. However, the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard will bring users a completely different experience. First, in terms of appearance, this motherboard, like a graphics card, is embellished with a vibrant orange tone from the "Orange Treasure" (IP image, which is the cute orange cat on the motherboard and the packaging box), blending with the gentle beige PCB, bringing a youthful and playful visual beauty. The Orange Shadow Orange motherboard incorporates a large number of "Orange Treasure" elements, including custom "Orange Treasure" thermal armor, battery compartment, audio shielding cover, and the upgraded "Orange Treasure Gaming Gear Library" for the southbridge thermal armor.

Its power supply thermal armor and audio shielding cover are printed with the "Orange Treasure" cute cat head elements, while the memory slots, processor socket area, motherboard battery, and thermal armor feature the "Orange Treasure" cat paw prints. The southbridge thermal armor displays a variety of gaming equipment owned by "Orange Treasure," including game controllers, handheld consoles, and mice, along with the English phrase "Cats rule the world," making the motherboard more dynamic and changing the previous dull and monotonous motherboard design style.

In terms of workmanship and materials, the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard features a luxurious 12+1 phase power supply design, with each phase equipped with F.C.C. ferrite core inductors, high-quality solid capacitors, and DrMOS capable of supporting 55A current load. It can theoretically support a Core i9 processor with a PL1 of 125W and a PL2 of 253W. The motherboard processor power supply interface uses an 8+4Pin high-strength power supply interface design, with internal pins based on a specially made solid structure, ensuring a more complete connection with the power cable, effectively improving power efficiency, reducing impedance, and enhancing durability and stability.To effectively reduce the operating temperature of the power supply section, the "Orange Treasure" heat dissipation armor not only features a cute design but also has a large area full coverage configuration. Its composite groove design increases the contact area with air, enhancing the cooling effect. At the same time, the other side of the heat sink is lined with a high thermal conductivity silicone sheet, allowing high heat-generating components such as MOSFETs, M.2 SSD controllers, and flash memory to make close contact with the heat sink, quickly conducting heat to the heat sink, which is then efficiently carried away by the internal airflow of the case.

In terms of memory support, Colorful has also adopted user feedback and fully optimized the motherboard design and circuitry, featuring 4 DDR5 memory slots with a claimed maximum support for high-speed DDR5 memory at a rate of 7200. It supports a maximum of 48GB per stick and a total of 192GB of memory capacity. With the adoption of the B760 chipset, the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard boasts excellent expandability. Firstly, this motherboard provides one PCIe 5.0 x16 graphics card slot, creating conditions for users to upgrade to PCIe 5.0 graphics cards in the future. Moreover, this slot is designed with a metal reinforcement layer, strengthening the retention and shear resistance of the slot, preventing damage to the motherboard when installing and using heavy high-end graphics cards.

For storage functionality, this motherboard is equipped with three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 SSD interfaces with an interface bandwidth of up to 64Gbps, two of which are provided by the B760 chipset and one by the processor. Since the M.2 SSD interface provided by the processor is closest to the processor and has the lowest latency, it theoretically allows for better performance of the SSD. Therefore, Colorful has also equipped this interface with a large M.2 SSD heat sink to help effectively reduce the operating temperature of the M.2 SSD and prevent thermal throttling. The other two M.2 SSD interfaces are suitable for users to install products with their own heat sinks. All three M.2 SSD interfaces feature a convenient card latch design, requiring no screws, and SSDs can be secured or removed by simply rotating the latch, which is very convenient. In addition, the motherboard also has 4 SATA 6Gbps interfaces, sufficient to meet the storage device installation needs of most users.

In terms of I/O interfaces, in addition to the commonly used HDMI and DP video output interfaces, this motherboard also provides a full set of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C interfaces, USB 3.2 Gen 1, and USB 2.0 interfaces, making it convenient for users to connect various USB storage devices. Functionally, this motherboard not only has a Realtek 2.5G network card, which is much faster than a gigabit network card, but also comes with an Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200+ Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module with a transmission bandwidth of up to 2.4Gbps, allowing users' computers to connect to the network conveniently and at high speeds at home. In terms of audio, the Realtek ALC897 audio chip on this motherboard has an EMI shield that can block electromagnetic interference, coupled with the audio separation line design and the use of professional audio capacitors, providing users with purer and more authentic sound quality.

In other aspects, to enhance stability, this motherboard introduces six major protection designs: overload protection, lightning protection, electrostatic protection, humidity protection, high-temperature resistance, and overvoltage protection, which can effectively prevent damage to the motherboard's power circuit, chipset, memory, various components, interfaces, and slots caused by unstable voltage, poor quality power supplies, or harsh usage environments. Colorful also provides a 4-year free warranty for users who purchase this motherboard and supports individual return for repair.

Meow Stars in the CenterA BIOS Design Style You've Never Seen Before

In addition to its adorable appearance, the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard now introduces the latest "Orange Treasure" BIOS. The R&D team at Colorfire has redesigned the BIOS UI and layout using the "Orange Treasure" elements. For instance, the R&D team has incorporated details such as the "Orange Treasure" cat head and cat paw cursor into the BIOS interface, maximizing the cuteness factor. Coupled with a warm orange background and the ability to display in Chinese, the first impression this BIOS interface gives us is that it resembles a cozy four-panel comic strip.

Importantly, the new version of the BIOS is more intuitive compared to the older version. Basic functions such as memory XMP profile loading, boot device selection, RGB LED toggle, HD Audio switch, and Network switch can all be operated on the EZ interface. On the left side of the EZ interface, the R&D team has added four cooling mode options for users to choose from based on the type of cooler they use. For example, if a standard air cooler is used, the motherboard will limit the processor's PL1 and PL2 power consumption to within 100W to ensure stability. If a 360 water cooler or a custom water cooling system is employed, users can select the corresponding Water Cooler or Split Water Cooler mode, allowing the processor's PL1 and PL2 power consumption to reach over 400W or higher, fully utilizing the performance of the cooler and processor.

It's worth mentioning that to assist DIY beginners in inserting memory into the correct slots, the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard also features a memory slot prompt function. When users have one to two memory modules and accidentally insert them into the first and third memory slots closest to the CPU, the motherboard BIOS will display a prompt, reminding users to insert the memory into the second and fourth slots on the outer side of the motherboard for better performance and stability. This is because the wiring of the memory slots on the motherboard PCB is less likely to leave residual lines between the CPU and the second and fourth memory slots, resulting in better electrical performance and minimal interference. Therefore, when using only one or two memory modules, users should prioritize inserting them into the second and fourth memory slots. Clearly, the new memory slot prompt function of the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard is very practical.

For professional and experienced DIY enthusiasts, the new version of the BIOS on the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard also adds many professional design features. This includes a secondary menu for frequency, power supply, memory, and voltage settings under the OC overclocking menu, with the memory menu adding current parameter display and automatic sub-parameter filling settings. The BIOS also includes a microcode switch entry, with the motherboard defaulting to the latest 123 microcode, allowing users to choose the 104 microcode and combine it with the adaptive mode voltage mode to perform voltage reduction and power consumption reduction operations on the processor.

In terms of memory BIOS settings, the motherboard not only offers a variety of speed, primary memory latency, and sub-parameter adjustment options but also displays the current running parameters for each latency. Users who wish to make changes can manually enter values for each item. For sub-parameters that are uncertain or of lower importance, users can also enter "AUTO" to let the motherboard automatically set the values based on the memory speed. Although B760 chipset motherboards cannot overclock the processor, considering that the motherboard still has the capability to support high-speed memory, the motherboard BIOS also provides a rich set of voltage options. These include memory voltage, memory VDDQ voltage, processor VccSA voltage, Vccddq memory controller voltage, and CPU VDD2 voltage, which are crucial for memory overclocking, allowing the motherboard to better support high-speed memory.The multitude of adjustable options can also present a nuisance. If a user has painstakingly overclocked their memory to DDR5 7200 through various settings, but due to reasons such as a BIOS reset where all options revert to default, achieving DDR5 7200 again would require reconfiguring multiple settings. Moreover, users are highly likely to overlook some critical settings during this process. Therefore, Colorful has designed a BIOS preset save feature for the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow motherboard. For instance, once a user successfully overclocks their memory to DDR5 7200, they can immediately save the current BIOS settings as an archive, much like a game save. The next time the BIOS resets to default and the user wants to overclock the memory to DDR5 8000, they simply need to load this archive, save, and reboot to effortlessly overclock the memory to DDR5 7200 without the need for complex reconfiguration. The motherboard provides up to 8 save slots, allowing users to store multiple different working states of the BIOS.

Additionally, the motherboard BIOS offers a practical favorites feature. Users can select frequently used adjustment options and press the F2 key, and a star icon will appear in front of the settings, indicating that they have been added to the favorites. For example, when overclocking memory, we mainly adjust the VccSA voltage, memory voltage, and memory VDDQ voltage. If all of these are added to the favorites, then pressing the F3 key to open the favorites will only display these three options, facilitating users to quickly and efficiently adjust commonly used settings.

Test Platform:

Motherboard: COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow

Processor: Core i5-14600K

Memory: DDR5 7200 48GB dual-channel memory, DDR5 8000 48GB dual-channel memory

Storage: Crucial P5 PLUS 1TB

Graphics Card: GeForce RTX 4080Power Supply: AORUS AP1200PM Platinum

Operating System: Windows 11

Effortlessly supports DDR5 7200 memory

Since the B760 motherboard does not support CPU overclocking, the ability to support high-speed memory is crucial to ensure the processor's performance output. Therefore, we first tested the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard's capability to support DDR5 7200 memory according to its official specifications, which claim it can support memory up to DDR5 7200. In the test, we used a pair of memory modules with a nominal speed of DDR5 7200 and a latency setting of 36-46-46-115. The results were as expected; it was very straightforward. We simply loaded the XMP profile for DDR5 7200 memory in the motherboard BIOS, saved, and restarted to easily increase the memory speed to DDR5 7200 with one click, achieving excellent results. The AIDA64 read, write, and copy bandwidths were 98836MB/s, 90256MB/s, and 89001MB/s, respectively, with memory latency under 70ns, specifically at 66.5ns. Its performance is comparable to other B760 motherboards that support high-speed memory and have four memory slots, and it should be able to effectively unleash the processor's performance.

The performance of the Core i5-14600K is fully unleashed

For this, we tested the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard with a mid-range 14th generation Core processor: the Core i5-14600K. In addition to pairing with DDR5 7200 memory, we also selected the custom water cooling mode in the BIOS thermal menu, which unlocks the processor's power consumption to unleash its maximum performance. To give readers a more intuitive understanding of the test results, we compared them with the previous test results of the Colorful B760 motherboard. Additionally, since the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard can use the 104 microcode to undervolt the processor, reducing power consumption and temperature, we will also test its performance after enabling the 104 microcode to see if the undervolting operation affects the processor's performance.

From the test results, the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard performs similarly to the previously tested Colorful B760 motherboard in its default state, with each showing wins and losses in various processor performance tests, without significant differences. After enabling the 104 microcode, there is a slight decrease in the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard's performance in Geekbench, PerformanceTest 11.0 processor performance tests, 7-ZIP 23.01 compression and decompression performance tests, and TrueCrypt AES encryption and decryption performance tests, but the drop is not significant and should not noticeably affect user experience. So, in terms of power consumption, how does enabling the 104 microcode affect the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard?For this purpose, we specifically used the AIDA64 FPU test to measure the power consumption performance of the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard with the Intel Core i5-14600K processor under default settings and with the 104 microcode. First, under default settings, the processor's package power consumption was observed to be 212.35W. After more than 33 minutes of stress testing, the processor package temperature reached 89°C, and the processor was operating at a frequency of 5187MHz. Upon enabling the 104 microcode, there was an immediate and significant reduction in the processor's full load package power consumption, dropping to only 184.75W. After more than 34 minutes of stress testing, the processor package temperature was only 74°C, and the processor frequency actually increased to 5287MHz due to the reduced temperature, allowing it to operate at a higher frequency after extended periods of stress testing.

We analyzed that the main reason is that under default settings, the processor's full load voltage is around 1.287V, and enabling the 104 microcode can effectively reduce the processor's working voltage to around 1.244V. This allows the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard to ensure the stable operation of the Intel Core i5-14600K with a lower voltage. Therefore, if users do not mind a slight decrease in performance, they can load the 104 microcode to use the processor and motherboard, which can significantly reduce the processor's power consumption and temperature, with a lower frequency drop and better stability.

Supports DDR5 8000 Memory at Maximum

Finally, we tested the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard's support for high-speed memory. The results were satisfactory. After multiple tests, we found that the motherboard can support memory with a nominal rate of DDR5 8000. During testing, simply loading the memory XMP profile in the motherboard BIOS, saving, and restarting, allowed us to increase the speed of this SK Hynix M-Die chip-based memory to DDR5 8000 at a memory voltage of 1.35V. Its AIDA64 memory read, write, and copy bandwidths were respectively increased to 106.36GB/s, 98709MB/s, and 99916MB/s, which is a significant improvement over the previously tested DDR5 7200 memory, taking the computer's memory performance to the next level.

Significant Progress in Colorful Motherboard and BIOS Design

In summary, our experience with the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard leaves us with the impression that Colorful's motherboard and BIOS design have made significant progress. Firstly, Colorful innovatively brings a warm and cute "Orange Baby" element to the motherboard from the hardware to the peripheral accessories and even the BIOS, rather than simply printing a few beautiful women patterns on the motherboard to consider the task done. Instead, it fully immerses users in the "Orange Baby" world, allowing them to truly experience a different motherboard design. Especially with the new version of the BIOS on the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard, it shows that Colorful has essentially solved the problem of poor motherboard BIOS design.

In the past, one of the most criticized issues with Colorful motherboards was the lack of aesthetic appeal and functionality in the BIOS interface design. However, with the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard, it not only has the "Orange Baby" comic-style BIOS that other motherboard products do not have, but it also brings a rich and comprehensive set of features. These include memory slot installation prompts, various memory-related voltage and latency settings, and the 104 microcode enable function that can effectively reduce processor power consumption and temperature, making it on par with the B760 motherboards from other top-tier brands.It is worth mentioning that the latest version of the "Orange Treasure" BIOS design will be launched today, so users of the "Orange Treasure" motherboard must remember to download and update. Lastly, we hope that the software and hardware design on the COLORFIRE B760M-MEOW WIFI D5 Orange Shadow Orange motherboard can also be applied to other Colorful (a brand name) motherboards as soon as possible, allowing more users to experience the innovative achievements of Colorful motherboards.