ASRock X870E Taichi White Motherboard Review – The Most Beautiful & Fully Decked-Out Taichi For Enthusiasts Under $500

ASRock X870E Taichi White - Unboxing & Close Up Inspection

The ASRock X870E Taichi White motherboard comes inside a standard white cardboard package. The front of the box has a large Taichi logo with various marketing labels such as Wi-Fi 7, HDMI, and support for AMD Ryzen 9000 Desktop CPUs.

The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard, such as a 24+2+1 Phase design, Dual USB4 Type-C, 10GbE LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Blazing M.2 PCIe Gen5 slots, 64 MB BIOS, 8-Layer PCB, Premium DAC, and lots of other goodies.

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

• 1 x Manual
• 4 x SATA Cable
• 2 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antennas
• 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 White motherboard is an E-ATX offering that measures 305 x 267 mm. ASRock has gone with a white and silver color scheme, and there's also a full-coverage backplate.

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The X870E Taichi White is a beautiful motherboard. It is unlike any of the previous Taichi variants, and comes with a new design philosophy, which is just much better to look at, with styled patterns and curved heatsinks. Honestly, I'd give the Taichi white 10/10 for the design alone, and the white theme gets 100% justice.

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 EXPO 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. The full QVL list can be found here.

The ASRock X870E Challenger WIFI White motherboard features a 24+2+1 phase VRM design with 110A SPS for the VCore and SOC. The main PWM controller is the RAA-229628-W507AM7, while the VRMs are Renesas R2209004 HBD "S2507F20". The 229628 is the ideal choice for high-end motherboards featuring over 20 VRM phases.

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The Taichi White features two aluminum blocks on the VRMs with an Enlarged Heatsink Armor that adopts an XXL design and the Taichi logo on the top. The heatsink on the sides, which acts as an IO cover too, has a reflective material, which looks great.

The CPU is supplied power through two 8-pin EPS power connectors. This will feed the CPU with up to 600 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.

Taking apart the heatsink, we can see that ASRock is using high-quality thermal interface pads, and a dedicated block for the ASMedia controller is also present. The entire unit features a single heatpipe that transfers heat effectively throughout the block. The heatsink also features LEDs that can be controlled through ASRock's Polychrome Sync software.

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Another special feature on the Taichi White is the addition of a dedicated VRM cooling fan. This fan is why the heatsink comes with a 4-pin connector.

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Expansion slots include two PCI Express x16 slots (1 x Gen 5.0 x16 / 2 x Gen 5.0 x8/x8), a Vertical M.2 Key-E slot, 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

ASRock uses a full metallic slot design on both of its PCIe x6 Gen5 slots. The topmost slot also comes with an EZ Release DIY technology, allowing easy installation and removal of graphics cards from the slot.

The motherboard also has four M.2 slots, all of which are featured under dedicated heatsinks. Following is the full list of M.2 ports and their details on the ASRock X870 Taichi White 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
  3 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors

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Storage options include three SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support up to two different storage devices at once.

For USB, you get a total of 21 ports, which include 6 USB 2.0 (2 Rear / 4 Front), 7 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports (4 Front, 3 Rear), 3 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports (Rear), 2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports (Rear), 1 USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port (Front), and two USB4 Type-C ports.

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ASRock uses a 5.1 CH HD audio design with the Realtek ALC4082 CODEC for rear-panel audio. The board also features high-end WIMA capacitors and an ESS SABRE9219 DAC (130dB SNR). There is a large selection of connectors on the motherboard.

The full list of connectors on the motherboard is 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
• 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

In terms of Ethernet, there is a single Marvell Aquantia AQC113 connector that powers 10GbE LAN. The board also offers the latest Wi-Fi 7 capabilities with Intel's 802.11be 2x2 module. It also offers Bluetooth 5.4 capabilities.

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)

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