ASRock X870E Taichi Motherboard Review – Stronger VRM, Better Features, Great Price

Conclusion - Upgraded Taichi At An Attractive High-End Price

It's been two years since the launch of the AMD AM5 motherboard platform and the 600-series motherboards. Since its launch, the platform has seen the launch of several CPUs in the Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000, and Ryzen 9000 family. While the 600-series motherboards provide great features & compatibility with newer Zen 5 CPUs, motherboard makers are always looking to enhance user experiences through the latest technologies which is why AMD has introduced a new chipset line called 800-series.

Today, the first wave of AMD 800-series motherboards is hitting shelves in the form of the X870E for Enthusiasts and X870 for high-end gamers. Both of these chips provide brand-new designs and brand-new features that are sure to entice new AMD builders and older AM4 users into investing in a new motherboard for their gaming and content creation needs.

We received a load of motherboards from various manufacturers so let's start by taking a look at these updated designs. For this review, we will be testing ASRock's latest X870E Taichi motherboard which is priced at $449 US.

The AMD AM5 Platform

The AMD AM4 platform has been the longest-running modern-day platform to date which was first introduced in 2017 &  is very much alive and kicking in 2024. The company just recently launched new chips for the platform and it looks like it will stick around for another year till 2025.

AMD is now launching its 2nd Generation AM5 platform under the new 800-series family. The lineup will initially target the high-end enthusiasts with the X870E and X870 chipsets. These chipsets are designed to offer better features, IO memory support, and additional OC features for Ryzen CPUs such as the Zen 5-based Ryzen 9000 "Granite Ridge" family and future Ryzen launches.

Certain aspects that have been upgraded on the AMD X870E & X870 motherboards include:

• USB 4.0 standard on all X870/X870E motherboards
• PCIe Gen5 on Graphics & NVME on all X870/X870E motherboards
• Higher EXPO memory clock support on X870/X870E motherboards

AMD did disclose that there would be new PBO and CO algorithms introduced with Ryzen 9000 CPUs and these new motherboards will fully support them out of the box. In addition to the X870E and X870 motherboards, the company also plans to introduce its B850 & B840 chipsets which will serve the mainstream segment. Following is what the chipset lineup will look like:

• X870E (Promontory 21 x2)
• X870 (Promontory 21 x1)
• B650 (Promonotory 21 x1)
• B840 (Promontory 19 x1)

So in terms of what each chipset offers, the X870E series will use two Promontory 21 dies on the motherboards with support of USB4 & both Gen5 GPU/SSD support. X870 (Non-E) will feature just 1 of the dies but retain the same support in terms of I/O. Just the lanes will be fewer.

AMD Chipset Features and Specifications:

Wccftech	X870E	X870	X670E/X670	B650E/B650	A620
CrossfireX/SLI	2-Way CFX	2-Way CFX	2-Way CFX	2-Way CFX	N/A
CPU Lanes (Usable)	24 Gen 5 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)	24 Gen 5 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)	24 Gen 5 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)	24 Gen 5 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above) 24 Gen 4 for B650	24 Gen 4 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above)
PCH Lanes (Usable)	8 Gen4 12 Gen3	4 Gen4 8 Gen3	12 Gen4 8 Gen3	8 Gen4 4 Gen3	8 Gen 3
USB4	Standard	Standard	Optional	Optional	Optional
USB 3.1/3.2 Gen2	2	1	2	1	0
USB 3.1/3.2 Gen1	12	6	12	6	2
USB 2.0	8	8	8	6	6
SATA 6Gb/s	8	8	8	4	4
DDR5 DIMMs	4	4	4	4	4
DDR4 DIMMs	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Overclocking Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
XFR2 Enhanced	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
Precision Boost Overdrive	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
NVMe	Yes (Gen 5.0)	Yes (Gen 5.0)	Yes (Gen 5.0)	Yes (Gen 5.0)	N/A
Form Factor	ATX/ITX	ATX/mATX/ITX	ATX/mATX/ITX	ATX/mATX/ITX	mATX/ITX

The motherboards will feature support for DDR5-5600 MT/s memory speeds natively and over 8000 MT/s transfer rates on some of the high-end motherboards that we will be getting by the July timeframe.

The AMD B850 motherboards will feature the same Promontory 21 die minus the native USB4 support. They will carry Gen5 GPU support but Gen5 M.2 support will be optional. The B840 will be the entry-level option within the series with the older Promontory 19 die which means you will get just Gen4 GPU/SSD support, no CPU overclocking and only memory overclock support. The B840 motherboards are going to be very affordable in terms of pricing so that will be competitive against sub-$200 US options from Intel.

AMD will also have the A620/A620A series continuing its role to serve the entry-level segment. There are plans to offer even more price adjustments, making them a viable option for ODMs and system builders to attract more customers.

AMD AM5 Chipset Comparisons:

Chipset Name	PCIe Lanes Gen (PCH)	USB Support (Max)	Overclocking Support	Graphics Configs
X870E	Gen5 (GPU & NVMe)	USB4	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
X670E	Gen5 (GPU & NVMe)	USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) USB4 (Optional)	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
X870	Gen5 (GPU & NVMe)	USB4	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
X670	Gen5 (NVMe) Gen4 (GPU)	USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) USB4 (Optional)	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
B850	Gen5 (NVMe / GPU Opt) Gen4 (GPU)	USB 3.2 (20 Gbps)	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
B650E	Gen5 (NVMe / GPU)	USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) USB4 (Optional)	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
B650	Gen5 (NVMe) Gen4 (GPU)	USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) USB4 (Optional)	CPU+Memory	1x16, 2x8
B840	Gen3 (NVMe / GPU)	USB 3.2 (10 Gbps)	Memory Only	1x16
A620	Gen4 (NVMe / GPU)	USB3.2 (10 Gbps) USB4 (Optional)	Memory Only	1x16

Meet The LGA 1718 Socket - How Long Will This One Last?

As mentioned earlier, AM4's reign is finally over and the AM5 socket is here now. The new socket moves from a PGA (Pin-Grid-Array) design to an LGA (Land-Grid-Array) layout. The new LGA 1718 socket offers more pin connections to the CPU, allowing for more communication channels with the board itself and enabling support for enhanced features that the new platform has to offer.

As for longevity, AMD has committed to a 2027+ plan for its latest AM5 socket. The AM4 platform is a testament to AMD's support for its consumers and while the newer 500-series lineup was locked out initially, the company and its partners worked towards extending support for older processors on the newer chipsets and newer CPUs on older motherboards. The AM4 platform continues to be the best seller in the Ryzen lineup but that would change with the introduction of more budget and feature-rich designs for the AM5 socket like the 800-series.

Cooler Compatibility With AM5 Socket

The AMD Ryzen 7000/8000/9000 Desktop CPUs will feature a perfect square shape (45x45mm) but will house a very chonky integrated heat spreader or IHS. The CPUs will be the same length, width, and height as the existing Ryzen Desktop CPUs and are sealed across the sides so applying thermal paste won't fill the interior of the IHS with TIM. That's also why current coolers will be fully compatible with the latest Ryzen CPUs.

The ASRock X870E Taichi motherboard comes in a standard cardboard package. The front features a large Taichi logo. The packaging also lists down a few features such as WIFI7, & support for PCIe 5 (GPU/NVMe), DDR5, and Overclocking.

The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the 24+2+1 SPS power system, the premium EZ Release design, USB4 support, 20K caps with 1000uF capacitance, WIFI7 wireless connectivity, 5GbE LAN and 8-layer PCB.

Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories and is located right below the box holder for the board itself. You get:

• 4 x SATA Data Cables
• 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antenna
• 1 x ARGB Splitter Cable
• 3 x Thermistor Cables

With all the accessories done, it's time to put that box aside and take the motherboard out of its package.

The ASRock X870E Taichi motherboard is an E-ATX offering that measures 267 x 305 mm. The motherboard carries a black color scheme with a few gold accents on the heatsink. This is a very premium design that continues on the foundation of previous Taichi offerings.

ASRock's X870E Taichi is the flagship motherboard within the manufacturer's 800-series "AM5" line and the appearance and visual design agree with this. It's a really good-looking motherboard & the company has put a lot of work into nailing the Taichi design over the generations.

The board uses the LGA 1718 socket to support AMD Ryzen "AM5" processors. The socket works with Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000G, and Ryzen 9000 CPUs and will also support future generations of AM5 Ryzen chips that are supported by the platform.

Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 192 GB of dual-channel (24/48 GB modules) memory.

These slots are rated to support XMP profiles up to 8200 MT/s (OC Plus). Each slot is labeled, making it easier to install DIMMs in the proper orientation. DDR5 memory comes with a different latch position so forcing a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage. Each slot is also combined with a reinforced design to make sure signal integrity remains good while keeping the slots durable for long-term usage.

The full QVL list can be found here. There are at least 9 memory kits rated at DDR5-8200 which are supported by the motherboard. The motherboard fully supports XMP & EXPO profiles.

The ASRock X870E Taichi motherboard features a 24+2+1 (VCore/ VccGT/VccAUX)  phase SPS VRM power delivery that utilizes the Renesas RAA 229628 PWM controller & R2209004 HBD  S2347UBU (110A) stages for the VCore. All capacitors are labeled with 20K "1000B E19 & 270C D49" ratings.

The VRMs and power delivery solution are scattered around the AM5 socket. The board uses an 8-layer server-grade PCB with 2oz Thickened copper in a low-loss design, retaining signal integrity for stable CPU and memory operations.

The VRMs receive ample cooling from the Composite VRM heatsink solution which covers the VRMs, M.2 slots, and the PCH.

The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8 pin power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 300 Watts of power. The AMD Ryzen 9000 CPUs are very power-hungry with the maximum target power going above 220W for the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X CPU.

Coming to the cooling solution, we first have the XXL VRM heatsink which makes use of two aluminum blocks with a series of fins that are stacked together. The heatsink features a heat pipe solution that connects the heatsinks, offering a larger surface for thermal dissipation.

Underneath the VRM heatsink are 9W/mK Thermal pads which transfer heat from the VRMs to the heatsink. The large VRM heatsink also features two cables, one to power the RGB LEDs for the cover over the IO plate and a 4-pin connector for a fan that is cleverly hidden underneath the IO cover. It offers additional cooling and dissipates heat out of the small cut-out on the top of the IO cover. ASRock provides the option to disable the fan entirely. The VRM heatsink also features a small heatsink pillar that cools the Realtek USB4 controller.

Expansion slots include two PCI Express x16 (2 x Gen 5.0 x16) and four M.2 slots.

CPU:

• - 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Slots (PCIE1 and PCIE2), support x16 or x8/x8 modes

Chipset:

• - 1 x Vertical M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT PCIe WiFi module

The motherboard utilizes a full metallic slot and ASRock also implements its Graphics Card EZ release mechanism which allows easy removal of graphics cards without having to release the PCIe lock manually.

The motherboard also has a vast array of M.2 slots, all of which are featured under dedicated M.2 XXL M.2 heatsinks.

One of the larger heatsinks also works as a cover plate for the motherboard's lower portion. It has a matte black finish and underneath, you can find dual-sided thermal pads. You need to remove the plastic sticker from the thermal pads before installing a new SSD for proper heat transfer.

The third M.2 slot is located next to the DIMM slots. This XXL M.2 heatsink features a toolless design and doesn't require you to use any tools for installation or removal of the SSD.

The primary M.2 XXL heatsink is the bigger one and provides better cooling to a Gen5 M.2 SSD. This has the same toolless mechanism for the M.2 SSDs. Following is the full list of M.2 ports and their details on the ASRock X870E Taichi motherboard:

CPU:

• 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode

Chipset:

• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_4, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
• 6 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors

The X870E PCH is housed beneath a large heatsink with the Taichi logo and the Taichi gears engraved into the reflective cover.

The motherboard offers two RGB accent zones. First is the I/O cover which has the Taichi Gears lighting up in various hues, and the second is the bottom cover with several LEDs scattered in a horizontal position. These can be turned off or can be customized using MSI's Polychrome Sync software.

Storage options include four SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support 4 different storage devices at once. There are also 3 USB 3.2 front panel connectors (1 x Gen 2x2 + 4 x Gen 1). 4 USB 2.0 front panel connectors are also included.

ASRock uses a 5.1 CH HD audio design with the latest Realtek ALC4082 CODEC with WIMA audio capacitors and ESS SABRE9219 DAC for rear panel audio, providing up to 130db SRN. There is a large selection of connectors on the motherboard such as the Power On/Off, Reset buttons, a DEBUG LED, and more.

The full list of connectors on the motherboard is listed as follows.

• 3 x Thermistor Cable Headers
• 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
• 1 x RGB LED Header
• 3 x Addressable LED Headers
• 2 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• 4 x Chassis Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• 1 x AIO Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• 1 x Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• 1 x 24-pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
• 2 x 8-pin 12V Power Connectors (Hi-Density Power Connector)
• 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector (15μ Gold Audio Connector)
• 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports)
• 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Headers (Support 4 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
• 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Header (20 Gb/s)
• 1 x Dr. Debug with LED
• 1 x Power Button with LED
• 1 x Reset Button with LED

ASRock is using the latest WIFI 7 Module to power wireless connectivity with a 160MHz channel bandwidth and Bluetooth 5.4. In terms of Ethernet, there is a single LAN port powered by the 5GbE RTL8126 controller.

The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:

• 2 x Antenna Ports
• 1 x HDMI Port
• 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
• 2 x USB4 Type-C Ports (40 Gb/s)
• 5 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Ports (10 Gb/s) (USB32_12 are Lightning Gaming Ports.)
• 3 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A Ports (USB32_34 supports Ultra USB Power.)
• 2 x USB 2.0 Ports
• 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port
• 1 x Clear CMOS Button
• 1 x BIOS Flashback Button
• 1 x Line Out Jack (Gold Audio Jack)
• 1 x Microphone Input Jack (Gold Audio Jack)

For testing, I used the Ryzen 9 9950X CPU which was sent to us by AMD on a range of X870E and X870 motherboards.

AMD 800-series "AM5" Motherboard Test Platform:

Processors	AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
Motherboard	ASRock X870E Challenger WIFI White (4.41) ASRock X870 Challenger WIFI White (4.41) Gigabyte X870E AERO X3D DARK Wood (F3a) MSI MPG X870E Carbon MAX WIFI (7E49v2A10) Gigabyte X870E AERO X3D Wood (F4) MSI MEG X870E ACE MAX (7E85v1A20) ASRock X870E Taichi OCF (v1.03) MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk MAX WIFI (7E84v1A10) Gigabyte X870E AORUS Master X3D ICE (F4) ASRock X870 Taichi Creator (3.40) ASRock PG X870 Nova WIFI (3.30) ASRock X870 Livemixer WIFI (3.31) Colorful CVN X870 ARK Frozen V14 (BIOS 1011) MSI MAG X870E Tomahawk WIFI (7E51v1A24) MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WIFI (7E59v2A3) MSI MPG X870E EDGE TI WIFI (7E59v1A2) MSI MPG X870E Carbon WIFI (7E49v1A12 AGESA 1.2.0.2) ASRock X870E Taichi (3.08 AGESA 1.2.0.2) ASRock X870E Taichi LITE (3.08 AGESA 1.2.0.2) ASRock X870 Steel Legend WiFi (3.08 AGESA 1.2.0.2) AORUS X870 ELITE WIFI7 ICE (F3B AGESA 1.2.0.2)
Power Supply	FSP Hydro G 1200W PSU
Solid State Drive	Crucial T700 2 TB Gen5 SSD
Memory	T-Force Delta RGB DDR5-7200 (CL34 2 x 16 GB)
Video Cards	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
Cooling Solutions	Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420mm AIO
OS	Windows 11 64-bit

Our test rig includes the Crucial T700 2 TB Gen5 SSD that boots up our main OS. In addition to these, we are running an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition graphics card and an FSP Hydro G 1200W PSU. For this specific review, we used the T-Force  Delta RGB DDR5-7200 memory kit running at CL34 timings.

3DMark CPU Profile Benchmark

Instead of producing a single number, the 3DMark CPU Profile shows you how your CPU's performance changes and scales with the number of cores and threads used. The 3DMark CPU Profile has six tests that help you benchmark and compare CPU performance for gaming and other activities.

Blender

Blender is a free and open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, and even video editing and game creation.

Cinebench 2024

Cinebench 2024 utilizes the power of Redshift, Cinema 4D's default rendering engine, to evaluate your computer's CPU and GPU capabilities. Cinebench 2024 is designed to accommodate a broad range of hardware configurations - while it seamlessly supports x86/64 architecture (Intel/AMD) on Windows and macOS.

Cinebench R23

Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities. Improvements to Cinebench Release 20 reflect the overall advancements to CPU and rendering technology in recent years, providing a more accurate measurement of Cinema 4D’s ability to take advantage of multiple CPU cores and modern processor features available to the average user.

CPU-Z

CPUz is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system such as the Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels, Mainboard, chipset, Memory type, size, timings, and module specifications (SPD), and Real-time measurement of each core's internal frequency, memory frequency.

Geekbench 6

Geekbench 6 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures your system's performance with the press of a button.

HandBrake

HandBrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.

PCMark 10

PCMark 10 is a complete PC benchmarking solution for Windows 10. It includes several tests that combine individual workloads covering storage, computation, image and video manipulation, web browsing, and gaming. Specifically designed for the full range of PC hardware from netbooks and tablets to notebooks and desktops, PCMark 10 offers complete Windows PC performance testing for home and business use.

POV-Ray

The POV-Ray package includes detailed instructions on using the ray tracer and creating scenes. Many stunning scenes are included with POV-Ray so you can start creating images immediately when you get the package.

SuperPI

Super PI is used by many overclockers to test the performance and stability of their computers. In the overclocking community, the standard program provides a benchmark for enthusiasts to compare “world record” pi calculation times and demonstrate their overclocking abilities. The program can also be used to test the stability of a certain overclock speed.

WinRAR

WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can back up your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP, and other files downloaded from the Internet, and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.

V-Ray Render Benchmark

V-Ray  Benchmark is a free standalone application to test how fast your system renders. Three custom-built test scenes are also included to put each V-Ray 6 render engine through its paces.

Battlefield V

Battlefield V brings back the action of the World War 2 shooter genre. Using the latest Frostbite tech, the game does a good job of looking gorgeous in all ways possible. From the open-world environments to the intense and gun-blazing action, this multiplayer and single-player FPS title is one of the best-looking Battlefields to date. The game was tested at max settings at 1440p.

DOOM Eternal

DOOM Eternal brings hell to earth with the Vulkan-powered idTech 7.  We test this game using the Ultra Nightmare Preset and follow our in-game benchmarking to stay as consistent as possible.

GTA V

GTA V is one handsomely optimized title for the PC audience. It's scalable across various PC configurations and delivers an impressive frame rate. Rockstar did an amazing job with the PC build of GTA V and it comes with a large array of settings that can be configured by PC gamers. We tested the title at 1440P with everything set to Ultra and 4x MSAA.

Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus continues the journey of Artyom through the nuclear wasteland of Russia and its surroundings. This time, you are set over the Metro, going through various regions and different environments. The game is one of the premier titles to feature NVIDIA’s RTX technology and does well in showcasing the ray-tracing effects in all corners. The game was tested at Ultra setting with RTX settings turned off at 1440p.

Shadow of The Tomb Raider

Sequel to The Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of The Tomb Raider is visually enhanced with an updated Foundation Engine that delivers realistic facial animations and the most gorgeous environments ever seen in a Tomb Raider Game. The game is a technical marvel and shows the power of its graphics engine in the latest title.

The AMD Ryzen 9000 CPUs come in the same two or three chiplet configurations as the Ryzen 7000 series with one or two of which are the aforementioned AMD Zen 4 CCDs fabricated on the 4nm process node. Then we have the larger die around the center, the IOD, based on a 6nm process node. The AMD Ryzen 9000 CCD measures a die size of 70.6mm2 and features a total of 8.6 Billion transistors per CCD. The IOD has a die size of 122m2 and features 3.4 billion transistors.

Scattered around the package are several SMDs (capacitors/resistors) that usually sit under the package substrate if we consider Intel's CPUs. AMD is instead featuring them on the top layer and as such, they had to design a new kind of IHS which is internally referred to as the Octopus.

AMD's Ryzen 9000 Desktop CPUs utilize a brand new Zen 5 core architecture that is built on the 4nm process node as such, these chips are designed to be extremely efficient. The chips feature gold-plated IHS for efficient thermal transfer.

It's been two years since we tested a Taichi motherboard for the AMD Ryzen platform. The last one was the X670E Taichi which was a fantastic motherboard with loads of power and today, we get to see the next-generation Taichi based on the X870E chipset. As you can expect from a Taichi board, the X870E design is loaded with tons of power and features that make it a great upgrade over the previous model and the best part is the pricing.

In terms of performance, the ASRock X870E Taichi delivered great out-of-the-box performance and was also able to easily meet our baseline overclocking test using the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X. It comes pre-loaded with the AGESA 1.2.0.2 BIOS which brings a range of new features and the boot times are also very decent and not an issue as we saw on the first generation of AM5 designs. The 24+2+1 power design with 110A power stages, the use of 20K caps, and a premium 8-layer PCB all make for a motherboard that is meant to rip open the full potential of Ryzen CPUs.

For memory support, ASRock goes for a four DIMM DDR5 solution with up to 256 GB capacity support and up to 8200 MT/s speeds. The motherboard supports both XMP and EXPO modes, pushing for really high frequencies in 1:2 mode. We were able to get it up to DDR5-8000 MT/s. ASRock also uses a slightly newer BIOS design while retaining the BIOS flashback feature which allows users to flash to the latest BIOS with a USB stick without having CPU, Memory, or other components installed on the motherboard.

The motherboard also has some strong cooling capabilities which are required for this beefy VRM design. The VRMs are cooled off by large heatsinks with heatpipe and there's also a fan integrated into the heatsink which doesn't produce a lot of noise but does work to drop the temps by a bit. We saw up to 8C temps drop with the fan enabled versus it disabled so it's a plus. The board also has 8 fan headers, enough for your cooling needs and even the M.2 heatsinks are beefy and enough to handle the fastest Gen5 SSDs.

The things we loved about the ASRock X870E Taichi:

• Attractive Pricing
• Amazing Design
• Strong VRM Solution
• Faster Memory Support
• Great VRM Heatsink With Active-Cooling
• Lots of USB ports (Including USB4)
• Four M.2 slots with heatsinks
• Latest WIFI7 & BT5.4 Support
• EZ Toolless Design For GPU & M.2 Slots
• Solid BIOS Firmware

Things that we would have liked to see:

• Dual LAN ports
• Better placement for CMOS battery
• Toolless design on the second M.2 heatsink
• An optional power delivery port
• More Gen5 M.2 slots

Regarding storage options, you are getting four M.2 slots, one of which is Gen5 while the rest are Gen4 but retain full bandwidth. The PCIe slots are also full x16 designs with Gen5 x16 on a single & Gen5 x8 in dual mode. ASRock has followed some of the latest design approaches to make the GPU and M.2 device installation and removal easy through its EZ Release mechanisms, making for an effortless experience.

On the USB side, the motherboard has a total of 23 USB connections including 2 USB4 Type-C and 15 USB 3.2 ports (Gen 2x2+Gen2+Gen1). All ports support ESD protection and the rear IO ports are also packed with BIOS flashback, USB, and various other options. There's just one 5GbE LAN port which might be seen as a downside for the flagship offering since others are offering dual LAN on their designs. Audio through ALC4082 and wireless connectivity through the WIFI7 chip are also an upgrade over the previous model.

Now for the pricing, the ASRock X670E Taichi launched at $499 US and currently, it retails for $379. The ASRock X870E Taichi has a price point of $449 US which is cheaper than the launch price of its predecessor and given the whole feature upgrade, that's quite an attractive offering. Overall, the X870E Taichi is a solid high-end offering from ASRock, one that has a lot of power and a lot of IO features while upgrading the design that complements modern PCs.

 

Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.