ASRock X870E Taichi OCF Motherboard Review: ASRock’s First OC Formula For The AM5 Platform Brings Top-Notch OC Features

ASRock X870E Taichi OCF - Unboxing & Close Up Inspection

It's been three years since the AMD AM5 motherboard platform and the 600-series motherboards launched. Since its launch, the platform has seen the launch of several CPUs in the Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000, and Ryzen 9000 families. 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, so AMD has introduced a new chipset line called the 800-series.

Now, AMD has introduced both X870 and B850 series chipsets for high-end and mainstream AM5 motherboards. 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 AM5 refresh motherboard, the X870E Taichi OCF, which is an extreme overclocking variant designed to push the boundaries of CPU and DRAM OC on the AM5 platform.

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 2025. 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. The 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 for 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 chunky 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 OCF motherboard comes in a hefty cardboard package. The front features a picture of the Taichi "OCF" logo in yellow. The packaging also lists support for PCIe 5.0 (GPU / NVMe), DDR5, WIFI7 and full readiness on AMD Ryzen 9000 Desktop CPUs..

The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard, such as the 22+2+1 phase power design, the overclocking toolkit, dual USB4 Type-C ports, Dual Blazing M.2 (Gen5x4) ports, Wi-Fi 7, 5GbE LAN, 20K capacitors, and PD 3.0 Fast Charging support with up to 36W.

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

• 2 x SATA Data Cables
• 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antenna
• 1 x DRAM Cooling Fan
• 1 x ARGB Splitter Cable
• 2 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 OCF motherboard is an enthusiast-grade ATX offering that measures 243.84 x 304.8 mm. The motherboard comes with the iconic black and yellow theme that the Taichi OCF series is known for.

ASRock's OCF or OC Formula series is an iconic line that has served various generations of Intel CPUs. The motherboards feature exquisite designs, primed for overclocking, and this is the first time that AMD's Desktop CPUs will get the OCF treatment. The X870E Taichi OCF retains the yellow/black color scheme, which looks great, and this is the second current-gen OCF motherboard that we are testing, with the first one being ASRock's Z890 Taichi OCF.

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 256 GB of dual-channel memory.

These slots are rated to support XMP profiles up to 10400 MT/s (OC Plus) with Ryzen 8000G APUs and up to 8400 MT/s speeds with Ryzen 9000 CPUs. 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 ensure signal integrity remains good while keeping the slots durable for long-term usage. The full QVL list can be found here.

The ASRock X870E Taichi OCF motherboard features a 22+2+1 (VCore/ VccGT/VccAUX)  phase Duet Rail power delivery that is controlled by the Renesas RAA 229628 PWM controller and utilizes the R2209004 HBD 110A Power Stages.

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The VRMs and power delivery solution are scattered around the AM5 socket. The board uses a 10-layer server-grade PCB with 2oz thickened copper.

The VRMs receive ample cooling from the high-end composite heatsink design, which includes XXL VRM heatsinks with several fin stacks, an integrated heatpipe solution, and even comes with a MOS Fan for further cooling. The fan is etched in the large heatsink and uses a 4-pin PWM connector to operate.

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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/X3D CPUs.

The heatsink and overall motherboard layout give out a very aggressive tone, which is nice to see on this premium OC motherboard.

Underneath the VRM heatsink are 11W/mK Thermal pads, which transfer heat from the VRMs to the heatsink.

Expansion slots include three PCI Express x16 (2 x Gen 5.0 x16/8 / 1x Gen 4.0x4) and six M.2 slots. The PCIe 4.0 x4 slot shares bandwidth with the M.2 Key E slot. If the M.2 slot is occupied, the PCIe slot will downgrade to x2 mode.

CPU:
- 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Slots (PCIE2 and PCIE3), support x16 or x8/x8 modes
Chipset:
- 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 Slot (PCIE1), supports x4 mode
- 1 x Vertical M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT PCIe WiFi module

The motherboard utilizes a reinforced slot design and ASRock's EZ Release mechanism for the first PCIe Gen5 x16 slot. This provides for a seamless removal of graphics cards. Just pull the lever, and you can remove the graphics card with ease.

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

There are six M.2 slots on the ASRock X870E Taichi OCF, making it a formidable storage solution.

The primary Multi-Layered M.2 heatsink is the bigger one and provides better cooling to a Gen5 M.2 SSD. This also comes with an EZ Release mechanism, while the other slots have the enlarged heatsink. Following is the full list of M.2 ports and their details on the ASRock X870E Taichi OCF motherboard:

CPU:

• - 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode*
• - 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode*
  

Chipset:

• - 1 x M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x2 (32 Gb/s) mode*
• - 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_4, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
• - 1 x Ultra M.2 Socket (M2_5, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen3x4 (32 Gb/s) mode*
• - 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_6, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
• - 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors*

Info:

• * Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
• M2_1 is the priority for M.2 installation.
• M2_1 will run at Gen5x4 with 9000 and 7000 series processors and Gen4x4 with 8000 (Phoenix 1 and Phoenix 2) series processors.
• If M2_2 is occupied, both rear USB4 Type-C Ports and M2_2 will downgrade to x2 mode.
• You can switch M2_2 to x4 mode in BIOS settings, but doing so will disable USB4_TC1 and USB4_TC2.
• If M2_3 is occupied, PCIE1 will downgrade to x2 mode.

The X870E PCH is housed beneath a large heatsink with the Taichi Gears, and the enlarged M.2 heatsink comes with a nice "OC Formula" logo etched over it.

The motherboard has its own impressive RGB illumination along the top IO cover and the bottom M.2 heatsink. It also comes with 3 ARGB and 1 RGB LED connectors for users to personalize their PCs using the ASRock Polychrome sync software.

Storage options include two SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support 2 different storage devices at once. For the front IO, you get six USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A, and two USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C ports.

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ASRock uses a 5.1 CH HD audio design with the latest Realtek ALC4082 CODEC.

There is a large selection of connectors on the motherboard. The main highlight is the OC toolkit, which is a wide selection of buttons and switches that make overclocking a tuning a breeze for enthusiasts. The OC toolkit includes +/- buttons to adjust OC frequency on the fly, and there are also 3 pre-adjusted OC profiles from the legendary Nick Shih himself. Lots of debugging options are also available, and to top it all, there's also an external BCLK generator on the motherboard, which should make overclocking easier on Ryzen 9000 CPUs. The full list of connectors on the motherboard is as follows.

• 2 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 24-pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
• 2 x 8-pin 12V Power Connectors (Hi-Density Power Connector)
• 1 x 6-pin Graphics 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
• 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector (15μ Gold Audio Connector)
• 3 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 6 USB 2.0 ports)
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (Support 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
• 2 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Headers (20 Gb/s)
• 1 x Dr. Debug with LED
• 1 x Power Button with LED
• 1 x Reset Button with LED
• 1 x Retry Button
• 1 x Safe Boot Button
• V-Probe™: 6-set of onboard voltage measurement points laid
• Rapid OC Buttons: +/- buttons to adjust OC frequency
• 1 x Slow Mode Switch
• 1 x LN2 Mode Switch
• 1 x NickShih's OC Profile 1 Button with LED
• 1 x NickShih's OC Profile 2 Button with LED
• 1 x NickShih's OC Profile 3 Button with LED

ASRock is using the latest WIFI 7 Module to power wireless connectivity 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 PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
• 1 x HDMI Port
• 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
• 2 x USB4 Type-C Ports (40 Gb/s)*
• 7 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Ports (10 Gb/s)
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s)
• 2 x USB 2.0 Ports
• 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port
• 1 x Clear CMOS Button
• 1 x BIOS Flashback Button
• 1 x BIOS Selection Switch
• 1 x Line Out Jack (Gold Audio Jack)
• 1 x Microphone Input Jack (Gold Audio Jack)

For testing, I used the Ryzen 9 9950X3D 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	MSI MPG X870E Carbon MAX WIFI (7E49v2A10) Gigabyte X870E AERO X3D Wood (13F7) 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, 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 formats.

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 Battlefield titles 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 settings 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.

AMD's Ryzen CPUs, especially the cost-effective X3D options, are currently selling like hotcakes. This huge demand has led motherboard makers to offer new, cost-optimized, and feature-rich options based on the X870 chipset since that is the most popular choice for mainstream builders. ASRock, seeing this demand, is introducing a new set of X870 motherboards, which were initially shown at Computex 2025. Today, we got to test & evaluate their latest X870 Taichi OCF offering, the first OC Formula design for the AMD AM5 platform.

The ASRock X870E Taichi OC Formula leaves no room behind when pushing the AMD Ryzen 9000 such as the flagship 9950X to its peak capabilities and offers incredibly powerful overclocking potential with its 25 total VRM phases and the ever useful OC Toolkit which not only provides three custom OC profiles from the legendary Nick Shih himself, but the external clock generator also enables real-time BCLK OC, putting good use of those +/- buttons on the board itself. It also offers the highest-rated DDR5 spec out of the box, rated at 10,400 MT/s. While these DIMM speeds are only applicable to the Ryzen 8000G APUs, the standard Ryzen 9000 lineup will still be able to support up to 8400 MT/s speeds, a solid increment versus older X670E/X670 motherboards.

Despite the use of a much powerful 110A VRM design, the motherboard's heatsink design is great, and the extra fan added to the heatsink really helps keep the temps in the 50-60 °C range, plus, you won't be bothered by any noise since the fan is very silent.

Besides the overclocking aspects, the motherboard also comes with a strong 6 M.2 SSD layout, dual USB4 Type-C ports, lots of USB 3.2 ports (22 in total), and a surprisingly good design. Connectivity is also strong with WIFI7 and Bluetooth 5.4 support, plus a single 5 GbE LAN port.

The things we loved about the ASRock X870E Taichi OCF:

• Superb VRM With Great CPU & Memory OC Capabilities
• Up To 10,400 MT/s DDR5 Support
• Strong VRM Solution
• Great VRM Heatsink With Active-Cooling
• Lots of USB ports (Including Dual USB4)
• Six M.2 slots with heatsinks
• Latest WIFI7 & BT5.4 Support
• EZ Toolless Design For GPU & M.2 Slots
• Solid BIOS Firmware

Things that we want to see improved:

• Dual LAN ports
• Lower price point
• Lower power draw at idle
• Lane sharing between M.2, USB4, and PCIe slots

ASRock has built a powerful OC Formula motherboard for the X870E platform, which is also its first OCF design for the AM5 socket. This top-tier motherboard is a love letter from ASRock to the overclocking community, who have been waiting for an OCF product for AMD CPUs, and now they have one, which is not just powerful in terms of overclocking capabilities, but delivers a solid range of IO and expansion slots.

Note: As of writing this post (11/06/2025), the latest BIOS (v1.03) is based on the AGESA 1.2.0.3g patch. It should also be pointed out that while ASRock's AM5 motherboards have seen issues with Ryzen CPUs, the company has gone an extra mile in tuning its BIOS to ensure that these issues are fixed. Always check the latest BIOS support for your ASRock boards for fixes and patches.

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