Colorful CVN X870 ARK Frozen V14 Motherboard Review – White Aesthetics & 17-Phase VRM Under $250

Colorful CVN X870 ARK Frozen V14 - Unboxing & Close Up Inspection

The Colorful CVN X870 ARK Frozen V14 motherboard comes in a standard cardboard package. The front features a picture of the motherboard & has a white/black color scheme. The packaging also lists down a few features such as USB4 ports, PCIe 5.0 standard, and iGame software. The motherboard fully supports AMD Ryzen 9000 Desktop CPUs.

The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard, such as the 6x protection against over-voltage and spasmodic electricity current, support for DDR5 memory, up to 3 M.2 SSD slots, PCIe 5.0 Steel Slot, and the CVN Design Armor.

Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories and is located right below the box holder for the board itself. You get a Quick Installation Guide, 2x ARGB cables, and two SATA cables.

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

The Colorful CVN X870 ARK FROZEN V14 motherboard is a standard ATX offering that measures 305 x 245 mm. The motherboard carries a white color scheme with a few silver and orange accents on the heatsinks, mainly to mark the different logos. The CVN White series is great for mainstream builders who are assembling white builds.

While the motherboard doesn't feature any RGB LEDs, it does come with a very nice aesthetic that should please the masses.

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 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.

The CVN X870 ARK FROZEN V14 motherboard features a 14+2+1 (VCore/ VccGT/VccAUX)  phase VRM delivery that utilizes 80A DrMOS Power Stages.

The VRMs and power delivery solution are scattered around the AM5 socket. The motherboard also uses premium electrical components and can support up to the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X3D.

The VRMs receive ample cooling from the CVN Frost Armor solution.

The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8-pin power connector configuration. 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.

Coming to the heatsink solution, there are two blocks of aluminum that feature a fully covered and condensed fin solution to enhance heat dissipation.

The heatsink has three core aspects: the extensively covered alloy thermal armor, which presents a nice appearance with good cooling, the dual large-area heatsinks that cover the DrMOS VRM, and multiple CNC cutouts to increase heat radiation area.

Expansion slots include two PCI Express x16 (1 x Gen 5.0 x16 / 1 x Gen 4.0 x4), a single PCIe 3.0 x1 slot, and three M.2 slots.

• 1 PCIe 5.0 x16 slot
• 1 PCIe x16 slot (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 specification)
• 1 PCIe 3.0 x1 slot
• (When a PCIe 4.0 x4 slot is connected to a device, the M.2.3 slot will be shielded)

The motherboard utilizes a full metallic slot, and the Colorful also features its CVN Pullout Switch release mechanism, which provides for a seamless removal of graphics cards.

The motherboard has three M.2 slots, all of which are featured under dedicated CVN Frost M.2 Thermal Armor heatsinks.

Colorful uses standard standoffs and screws for the M.2 heatsinks. They don't come with an EZ release mechanism.

The small On/Off Switch on the motherboard is the PCIe remove mechanism. When removing an add-in card, the switch needs to be set to Off.

Following is the full list of M.2 ports and their details on the Colorful CVN motherboard:

• Supports 3 M.2 slots and 4 SATA 6Gb/s hard disk interfaces, supporting the creation of RAID 0 and RAID 1 disk arrays using M.2 NVMe hard disk devices
• M.2_1 slot: supports M.2 SSDs (PCIe 5.0/4.0 x4, CPU channel) of 2242/2260/2280/22110 specifications
• M.2_2 slot: supports M.2 SSDs (PCIe 5.0/4.0 x4, CPU channel) of 2242/2260/2280/22110 specifications
• M.2,3 slot: supports M.2 SSDs (PCIe 4.0 x4, PCH channel) of 2242/2260/2280 specifications
• (* Whether PCIe 5.0 is supported depends on the CPU matched with the motherboard)
• (* When a PCIe 4.0 x4 slot is connected to the device, the M.2.3 Slot will be blocked)

The X870 PCH is housed beneath a large heatsink with the CVN logo etched over it. The heatsink has a standard aluminum design.

Once again, there's no RGB LED zone on the motherboard itself, but it comes with three 5V ARGB and a single 12V RGB header.

Storage options include four SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support 4 different storage devices at once. For the front IO, you get 4 USB 2.0 ports, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps, and 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps ports.

Colorful uses a 7.1 CH HD audio design with the latest Realtek ALC1220 CODEC.

There is a large selection of connectors on the motherboard. The full list of connectors on the motherboard is as follows.

• 2 USB 2.0 pins expandable to 4 USB 2.0 Type-A interfaces
• 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 pin expandable with 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 5 Gbps Type-A interfaces
• 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Slot expandable with 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps Type-C interface
• 1 CPU fan pin
• 4 system fan pins
• 1 water-cooled pump pin
• 3 5V 3-pin ARGB pins
• 1 12V 4-pin RGB pin
• 1 front audio pin
• 1 front panel pin
• 1 speaker pin
• 1 serial port pin
• 1 clear CMOS jumper
• 1 BIOS programmer pin
• 1 diagnostic card PIN

For LAN, Colorful leverages the RTL-8126 CG 5GbE LAN solution, while an MT7925 WIFI7 solution is bundled with it with Bluetooth 5.4 capabilities.

The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:

• 2 USB 2.0 interfaces
• 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 5 Gbps Type-A interfaces
• 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps Type-C interface
• 1 USB 4 40 Gbps Type-C interface (supports video output, up to 4K 60Hz resolution)
• 1 DP 1.2 interface, up to 4K 60Hz resolution
• 1 HDMI 2.0 interface, up to 4K 60Hz resolution
• 1 5G network interface
• 2 Wi Fi 7 antenna interfaces
• 5 audio interfaces (audio input/output/microphone)
• Fiber optic audio output interface
• 1 BIOS update button

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