ASRock X670E

The ASRock X670E Steel Legend is the mid-tier model from ASRock’s X670E family. It has an integrated I/O shield, great RGB implementation (with three aRGB connectors and one RGB compliant), PCIe 5.0 compatibility, PCIe 5.0 NVMe drives support (you can install one), and 4 SATA ports. There are no power/reset/clear CMOS buttons, which could come in handy when overclocking. You get a 2.5+1 Gbe Ethernet and Wi-Fi compatibility. The looks are excellent and should fit most of the builds. ASRock X670E Steel Legend has an excellent power delivery with 16+2+1 phase VRM. That should be enough even for the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and possibly the new processors for the AM5 socket. The power delivery section is cooled with a radiator; no fans are included (so overall, that’s good). There are six fan headers – so you shouldn’t be disappointed in that department, but some would like more (for example, eight). You won’t get Thunderbolt 4.0 ports, but on the other side, you’ll get many USB ports (11x Type-A) at the rear panel. Audio performance is more than decent, but we expect fresher than ALC1220. The price is rather steep, as the chipset itself is expensive. There are “only” 4 SATA ports, but the number of M.2 slots makes it a relatively minor drawback, especially since the 2.5” drives are not necessarily visibly cheaper (and they’re limited to 500 MB/s). We didn’t like that there is no radiator for the M.2 right below the GPU. It would be tough to cool the drive placed there. The ASRock X670E Steel Legend is a very solid (mainly due to the VRM) option, but nothing would stand out; it’s a typical mid-tier product. It’s a bit expensive (due to the used chipset), but we could find it for 299 USD, still - for the X670E motherboard, it's a relatively attractive price. Still, you shouldn’t be disappointed with the performance and the provided features; that’s why we’re granting an “Approved” award for this motherboard.

Three flagship-class X670E boards go head to head to see who reigns supreme!

The E series in that 670E could have been short for Expensive, with a price just below the 600 EUR we feel that only very few people will be interested. But as hardware itself, the ASRock X670E TAICHI is an E-ATX motherboard with a focus on excellence and comprehensiveness. To start, it includes a robust 105A 24+2+1 phase VRM that can power any overclocked AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU. Despite this, it provides two PCI Express 5.0 x16 slots, one M.2 PCI Express Gen5 x4 slot for the fastest possible solid-state drive, and three M.2 PCI Express 4.0 slots for other high-performance devices. Last but not least, the 2.5 GbE network card and the Wi-Fi 6E for wireless connectivity, as well as the Realtek ALC4082 sound chip, are worthy of mention. ASRock clearly knows what it is doing when it comes to heat dissipation, as we observe very manageable under-load temps for the VRM and chipset when running Ryzen 9 7950X at full tilt. The VRM cooling is also quite reliable, and the active VRM fan was surprisingly quiet in our tests. The heatpipe that runs through the middle of the ASRock board is a nice touch. There is not much to complain about other than the lack of 10GbE or perhaps an (LCD/OLED) display and the simplicity of the BIOS. With its massive included heatsink, this board is future-proof and ready for PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 drives. The Killer E3100 2.5G LAN and Killer AX1675 802.11ax (WiFi 6E) + Bluetooth provide lightning-fast LAN connectivity, more than enough for even the most demanding streamer/gamer. Lastly, there is an abundance of connectivity options available to you. There is an HDMI port, a microphone jack, a line-out jack, and a SPDIF out jack, as well as two USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C ports, one USB 3.1 Gen2x2 Type-C port, five USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A ports, three USB 3.1 Gen1 ports on the rear of the motherboard, and four USB 3.1 Gen1 ports on the front. You will not find better functionality anywhere else at this price, though. overall recommended, but if you don't need the features, then go with B650.

ASRock delivers not only on features with the Taichi but nails pricing perfectly, offering a flagship board at mid-range pricing!

So what’s our thoughts on AMD’s new AM5 platform? Well, all I have to say is … this what I’ve been waiting for from AMD, since the announcement of DDR5 ram a couple of years ago. And I’m really glad they followed up on this. AMD’s aging, but still very capable AM4 platform supporting DDR4 ram, has had a good run. So it’s only natural for AMD to take the next step, and implement the support for DDR5 ram on their next-gen AM5 platform. The new AM5 platform features a new LGA1718 socket, but retains the same CPU mounting bracket for cooling, as found on AM4 motherboards. This means you’ll be able to use your existing AM4 CPU cooler, if you make the upgade to AM5. This is something I really like to applaud AMD for!

Heute testen wir auf OCinside.de mit dem ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara ein top ausgestattetes E-ATX AM5 Mainboard für die kürzlich erschienen AMD Ryzen 7000 Raphael Desktop Prozessoren. In dem folgenden Mainboard Test zeigen wir viele neue Features wie DDR5 und USB4 und in einem zusätzlichen Video das schicke Marmor Design und die tollen aRGB Effekte des ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara, das übrigens auch in schwarzer Ausführung als ASRock X670E Taichi erhältlich ist.

The ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara is designed with the future in mind. By supporting PCIe Gen5, DDR5 and M.2 Gen5 NVMe drives, upgrading to a new platform doesn't have to be a one time event every 5+ years. In the coming years, as the adoption rate grows for these new technologies, so will they become more affordable. You can buy this motherboard now and continue to reap the benefits of new technologies next year, and the year after that. Ryzen 7000 series is already a great option for those looking to replace an old computer. Buying any X670E motherboard will be an investment none the less. There are three main reasons right now to buy this motherboard: 1) For those who have enjoyed ASRock products previously 2) For those who are not worried about early adoption growing pains 3) For those who know exactly what they want and ASRock has something no other vendor can offer them ASRock has loaded up the ASRock X670E Taichi with high-speed internal and external connections, with a massive VRM that is just overengineered in every way. This already places the motherboard slightly ahead of some others. If you already are an fan of ASRock motherboards, this is perfect for that guilt free splurge. For everyone else, look around first and you may just end up circling back at some point. There is no shame in window shopping. However, be aware the more you look, the more you may desire it.