ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 9
October, 2018Type
MotherboardPrice
$268.99 USASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 9 Motherboard - Features
Before we detail the flagship parts, we will first be talking about the new Phantom Gaming lineup. ASRock has been pushing their Phantom Gaming brand since the introduction of their Radeon RX series gaming graphics cards. While the regular boards offer great features for enthusiasts and the gaming community, ASRock didn't really have a gaming-specific brand on their motherboard lineup for a while. With the Phantom Gaming brand, ASRock finally has their own marketing for gaming-specific motherboards just like every major motherboard manufacturer in the industry.
Some key features of the Phantom Gaming lineup would be the use of 2.5 Gbps LAN interface instead of the conventional 1 Gbps Ethernet LAN switch. While they are branded as gaming motherboards, the features on the Phantom Gaming lineup are fully compliant with enthusiast grade overclocking and stability, rocking some impressive power delivery designs.
ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 9 Motherboard Specifications:
- Supports 9th and 8th Gen Intel Core processors (Socket 1151)
- Phantom Gaming 2.5 Gigabit LAN, Dual Intel Gigabit LAN
- IR Digital PWM, 12 Power Phase design
- Supports DDR4 4266+(OC) MHz
- 3 PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1
- NVIDIA Quad SLI, AMD 3-Way CrossFireX
- Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DisplayPort
- 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec)
- Supports Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 5
- 8 SATA3, 3 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)
- 5 USB 3.1 Gen2 (1 Front Type-C, 1 Rear Type-C, 3 Rear Type-A)
- 8 USB 3.1 Gen1 (4 Front, 4 Rear)
- Intel 2T2R Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi (2.4/5GHz), supports up to 1.73Gbps wireless network and BT v5.0
- ASRock Polychrome SYNC
- Hyper BCLK Engine II
ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 9 Motherboard Gallery:
ASRock’s Phantom Gaming lineup of Z390 motherboards will feature the Z390 Phantom Gaming 9 as the flagship offering. This motherboard will be equipped with the LGA 1151 socket, offering support for both 8th and 9th Gen Core processors. The motherboard will feature a 12 phase IR Digital PWM supply and power will be delivered through an 8+4 pin connector configuration. There are four DDR4 DIMM slots which support up to 64 GB of memory capacities with speeds of up to 4266 MHz (OC+).
12 Power Phase Design (IR Digital PWM)
The improved power phase design offers smooth power delivery to the more powerful 9th Generation Intel Core Processors, providing unmatched overclocking capabilities, lower temperature for advanced gamers, and reinforced system stability for taking on all sorts of arduous computing tasks. Following are the features offered in ASRock’s Super Alloy motherboard design:
- XXL Aluminum Alloy Heatsink
Extra large aluminum alloy heat sinks that effectively take away heat from the MOSFET and chipset so that your whole system may perform more stable.
- Premium 60A Power Choke
Compared to traditional chokes, ASRock’s premium 60A power chokes effectively make the saturation current up to three times better, thus providing enhanced and improved Vcore voltage to the motherboard.
- Premium Memory Alloy Choke
Specifically designed for memory power delivery, these new alloy chokes feature a highly magnetic and heat resistant design, thus delivering more stable and reliable power to the motherboard and memory modules.
- Dual-Stack MOSFET (DSM)
Dual-Stack MOSFET (DSM) is another innovative MOSFETs design by ASRock. The silicon die area is increased by stacking two dies into one MOSFET. The larger the die area, the lower Rds(on). Compared to traditional discrete MOSFET, DSM with larger die area provides extreme lower Rds(on) 1.2 mΩ, so the power supply for the CPU Vcore is more efficient.
Combo Caps
A combination of 820uF and 100uF capacitors. Together these capacitors provide clearer, efficient and more responsive CPU Vcore power, and overclockers may achieve higher scores.
- Nichicon 12K Black Caps
Supreme 12K black capacitors with lifespans of at least 12,000 hours. Compared to other counterparts on high-end motherboards that merely have lifespans of around 10,000 hours, ASRock applied Nichicon 12K Black Caps that offer 20% longer lifespans and provide more stability and reliability.
- I/O Armor
A new designed protective cover for all of the crucial parts near the motherboard’s rear I/O, so that they won’t easily be damaged by static electricity.
- Matte Black PCB
A new mysterious matte black and copper color scheme to match the prestigious components on ASRock’s high-end motherboards.
- High Density Glass Fabric PCB
High Density Glass Fabric PCB design that reduces the gaps between the PCB layers to protect the motherboard against electrical shorts caused by humidity.
In terms of expansion slots, the motherboard features three full-lengths PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots and triple M.2 ports with M.2 heatsink shield on the one on the lower section. Storage options include 6 SATA III ports. The rear panel I/O on the motherboard comes with dual antenna ports, PS/2, HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2, 3 USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-A), 1 USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-C), 4 USB 3.1 Gen 1, triple LAN ports, a clear CMOS button, and an HD audio jack.
Contents
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If you are going to build a new 8th or 9th Gen Intel-based PC, the ASRock Phantom Gaming 9 delivers you flagship features and performance for a slightly lower price which is impressive.
- Enthusiast Grade Motherboard Design
- Full Support For 8 Core Intel CPUs
- Excellent Design and Build Quality
- Excellent VRM Cooling With XXL Design
- Excellent Overclocking Performance
- High-Quality Components With 12 Phase IRDigital PWM
- Phantom Gaming 2.5G LAN and WiFI + BT5.0 Capabilities
- Triple M.2 slots (One with full coverage heatsink)
- Dual USB 3.1 (Type-A + Type-C) Ports
- Lots of USB 3.1 Gen 1 Ports
- Polychrome RGB LEDs System Looks Stunning
- Creative Sound Blaster 5 Audio (ALC1220 Codec)
- PCIe Steel Slots
Pros
- High Price ($268.99 US)
- Software and bundled applications aren't much of use
Cons
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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