AMD's hotly anticipated gaming CPU, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D "Zen 4," which launches early-April, is beginning to show up in online benchmark databases. The 8-core/16-thread processor has 64 MB of 3D Vertical Cache, which takes its L3 cache size up to an impressive 96 MB, and total cache up to 104 MB. The chip is showing up on the SiSoftware SANDRA online database, where it was tested on an MSI MEG X670E Ace motherboard. It obtained a score of 395.07 GOPS, with 527.56 GIPS dhrystone INT, 552.04 GIPS dhrystone long; 316 GFLOP/s whetstone single-precision floating point, and 264.71 GFLOP/s whetstone double-precision floating point.

The score puts it at roughly 37% faster than the Ryzen 7 5800X3D "Zen 3," although it's somewhere between its other 8-core "Zen 4" compatriots, the 7700X and 7700. The 7800X3D, much like its predecessor, is expected to perform either on-par or slightly worse than the 7700X in frequency/IPC dependent "lightweight" tasks, but zoom past in cache-favoring workloads such as gaming. Its predecessor, the 5800X3D, beat the fastest Intel processor of its time, the i9-12900K, so the 7800X3D has its task cut out—to beat the i9-13900K in gaming.

Gigabyte is also apparently testing the new BIOS update that should bring non-binary memory support to AMD's 600-series chipset motherboards. With the official AGESA update for AMD X670 and B650 apparently just around the corner, it does not come as a surprise that all motherboard makers are implementing it and testing it on their motherboards.

The latest comes from Gigabyte over at Coolaler forums, showing the AORUS X670E Master motherboard running 192 GB of DDR5 memory. This time around, the memory was running at 6000 MT/s, so the official support is certainly around the corner, even for overclocked kits. Both Corsair and G.SKILL have already announced their own 24 GB and 48 GB modules running at up to DDR5-8000. The official AGESA update is rumored to come in April, but there is no official word from either AMD or various motherboard makers.

ASUS today announced availability of a BIOS update for its X670 and X670E motherboards that enables full compatibility with the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 Series X3D CPUs featuring AMD 3D V-Cache technology.

The proven gaming performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU made it a long-standing favorite for PC builders. ASUS motherboards gave those builders high-performance, feature-rich options for assembling a potent gaming machine built around one of these chips. Now, AMD is upping its game with two new Ryzen 7000 Series CPUs with AMD 3D V-Cache technology: the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and the Ryzen 9 7900X3D. Combining a 3D vertical cache and all the advantages of the cutting-edge X670 platform, these chips are poised to seize the gaming performance crown.

MSI announced today a new lineup of AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors with AMD 3D V-Cache Technology that will be compatible with all MSI's X670 and B650 motherboards. The new AMD Ryzen processors include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D which will have a TDP of 120 W while increasing its L3 Cache by 50% compared to the regular Ryzen 7000 processors. Even with a slightly lower TDP of 120 W, these AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors with AMD 3D V-Cache Technology processors have up to 16 cores and 32 threads while still being able to hit their theoretical max boost clock of up to 5.70 GHz.

With the latest AGESA COMBO PI-1.0.0.5c BIOS from MSI will be ready and have the most performance-optimized patch for the new AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors with AMD 3D V-Cache Technology. However, previous BIOS versions are still compatible with any MSI's X670 and B650 motherboards as well. With the latest launch of AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D processors, MSI is proud to announce the MAG X670E TOMAHAWK WIFI to our AMD Series lineup of the motherboard and will support all AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors at launch. Inspired by military concept, the design MAG X670E TOMAHAWK WIFI is shown as a symbol of robust and durability that allow the users to have the optimal experience.

ASRock has released new BIOS to support the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Processors with AMD 3D V-Cache Technology, with new BIOS on ASRock X670E/B650E/B650 motherboards, you may enjoy the enhanced gaming performance powered by AMD Ryzen 7000X3D series processors. The latest BIOS is already available to download on ASRock website, be sure to update to the latest BIOS to enjoy the ultimate gaming experience with AMD 3D V-Cache Technology.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices today, is excited to announce a list of compatible motherboards for AMD's newly announced AMD Ryzen 7000X3D processors. AMD Ryzen 7000X3D processors, which include the Ryzen 9 7950X3D, Ryzen 9 7900X3D, and Ryzen 7 7800X3D, promise unparalleled gaming and compute performance thanks to their groundbreaking 3D V-Cache technology. Expected to provide top-of-the-line performance for demanding users, BIOSTAR announces that their AMD-AM5 motherboards are ready to support these new processors.

Flagship tier X670E VALKYRIE, RACING series B650EGTQ, and B650M-SILVER motherboards are the first batch of compatible BIOSTAR motherboards, ready to take on the shiny new AMD Ryzen 7000X3D processors. They are engineered with cutting-edge technology to ensure smooth and efficient performance for high-end gaming and professional applications.

EK, the premium PC liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is launching the EK-Quantum Momentum² Strix X670E-I Gaming D-RGB - Plexi, the latest AMD AM5 socket-based monoblock. It is engineered specifically for the ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING motherboard and features the latest EK Velocity² cooling engine for top-level CPU cooling. This Quantum line monoblock has addressable D-RGB LED compatible with ASUS Aura Sync RGB control, offering complete lighting customization for every diode at any time. It is also EK-Matrix7 compatible and doesn't require removing the factory-mounted heatsink before installation.

AMD's high-end X670E motherboard chipset combines two Promontory 21 chips working together to deliver a single solution. With regularly-sized ATX motherboards, having two chips to form a chipset is fine, as there is much room on the PCB. However, with Mini-ITX motherboards, packing two Promontory 21 chips is difficult as the PCB area is limited. To combat this, ASUS introduced an interesting solution to solve the problem and allowed the company to ship the high-end X670E chipset inside a Mini-ITX form factor. Thanks to UNIKO's Hardware's findings, we look at the exciting solution ASUS used to solve this problem.

Instead of two Promontory 21 chips side by side, one is placed on the motherboard directly, while the other stands vertically attached by M.2 PCIe slot. Below, the chipset's pictures and the highlight show how it looks disassembled.

EK, the premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is releasing a new AMD AM5 socket-based monoblock, the EK-Quantum Momentum² ROG Crosshair X670E Hero D-RGB - Plexi. The monoblock is engineered specifically for the ROG Crosshair X670E HERO motherboard from ASUS. It features addressable D-RGB LEDs compatible with ASUS Aura Sync RGB control and offers a full lighting customization experience for every single diode at any given time. This Quantum monoblock is EK-Matrix7 compliant and allows the use of the stock I/O shield with LED implementation.

This is a complete, all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solution for AMD's Ryzen 7000-series processors compatible with the AM5 socket on the ROG Crosshair X670E Hero motherboard. The monoblock packs the latest generation Velocity² cooling engine to ensure the best possible CPU cooling without reducing flow to other components. It directly cools the AMD Ryzen 7000-series CPU and VRM section.

GIGABYTE displayed their latest motherboards and graphics cards at the 2023 International CES, covering their Socket LGA1700 Intel 700-series chipset; and Socket AM5 AMD 600-series chipset. The Z790 AORUS Tachyon is the company's top-grade LGA1700 motherboard targeting the professional overclocking crowd. The board is designed to chase down CPU and memory overclocking world records, featuring the company's most powerful CPU VRM solution, and a 1 DIMM-per-channel DDR5 memory setup that preferred by overclockers for supporting the highest memory overclocks with the tightest timings. There are several overclocker-friendly features besides the onboard buttons—dual-BIOS ROMs, angled connectors for bench cases, consolidated voltage measurement points, and a feature-packed BIOS setup program.

Over in the AMD side, GIGABYTE's top Socket AM5 motherboard is the X670E AORUS Xtreme, which is a feature-packed motherboard with possibly the strongest CPU VRM solutions in the market for Ryzen 7000 processors, and with the best VRM cooling. In addition to the PCIe Gen 5 M.2 slot wired to the AM5 SoC, you get additional Gen 5 slots that subtract from the x16 PEG slot. The AORUS Xtreme also has the most feature-rich BIOS available among GIGABYTE's AM5 lineup. The B650I AORUS Ultra is a premium Mini-ITX Socket AM5 motherboard based on the AMD B650 chipset. Despite its compact size, it gives you a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 PEG slot, a Gen 5 M.2 slot, and two additional Gen 4 M.2 slots, besides the latest wired- and wireless connectivity. We also snapped the B650 AERO G motherboard targeting creators, and the mainstream B650 AORUS Elite AX.

AMD released the latest version of the AGESA microcode for Socket AM5 platform. The new version 1.0.0.3 most notably reintroduces a Precision Boost C-state limiter that [accidentally?] got removed with version 1.0.0.2. This limiter prevents the CPU cores from boosting above 5.50 GHz when more than 4 cores are active (i.e. experiencing heavy workload). SkatterBencher demonstrated how this affects performance on Ryzen 7000-series desktop processors.

NopBench, a utility developed by ElmorLabs, lets you figure out the maximum boost frequency obtainable as workload scales across available CPU cores (i.e. starting from 1-thread, to n-thread). NopBench invokes the NOP instruction, and measures the number of NOP instructions can be processed per second. To make the NOP throughput comparable among processors of different microarchitectures, an architecture-specific factor is used, which for "Raphael" is 2.5x. By comparing the NOP throughput of a Ryzen 9 7950X processor tested with AGESA 1.0.0.2 to 1.0.0.3 (ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme BIOS versions 0611 vs. 0705); SkatterBencher was able to confirm that that the boost limiter is back in place, and limits Precision Boost frequency to 5.50 GHz when the NopBench load exceeds 4 cores.

ASUS today announced the new Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) enhancement, an exclusive temperature control feature for its range of X670 and B650 motherboards designed for AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors.

These latest CPUs push the limits of performance farther than ever before. They dynamically take advantage of available thermal headroom to give users higher clock speeds. This means that users might see higher CPU temperatures than they are used to in a new AMD Ryzen-powered machine. To put users in control, ASUS is rolling out a BIOS update for its X670 and B650 motherboards with new options for its PBO enhancement feature that makes it easy to balance thermals and performance. With just a few clicks, users will be able to dramatically reduce CPU temperatures—and maybe even increase performance and reduce fan noise in the process.

This one is likely to go down ASRock's internal history as a failure of sticking proportions. Namely, it seems that some ASRock motherboards in the newly-released AM5 X670 / X670E family carry stickers overlaid on the DDR5 slots. The idea was to provide users with a handy, visually informative guide on DDR5 memory stick installations and a warning on abnormally long boot times that were to be expected, according to RAM stick capacity. But it seems that these low-quality stickers are being torn apart as users attempt to remove them, leaving behind remnants that are extremely difficult to clean up and which can block DRAM installation entirely or partially. I, for one, would never install a DDR5 module if I thought there was a chance for some paper bits to have fallen on to the DRAM slots - paper and glue bits within the DRAM slots don't seem particularly conducive to a successful motherboard POST.

In the meantime, the company has already announced that it's not only aware of the problem, it's willing to accept RMAs for motherboards that sport the impossible-to-cleanly-peel stickers (consumers should contact their retailers and e-tailers for the exchange). Information around forums where this issue is being discussed don't seem to point to any instance of actual motherboard damage resulting from the stickers - enough patience or an entire motherboard exchange seem to be two solutions to this problem. The company also announced that its latest motherboard batches on AMD's X670 chipsets no longer carry the stickers themselves, due to several BIOS-level improvements that have brought down the boot times, making the informative stickers unneeded. Still, when one takes into account the consumer and company cost of activating an RMA process, it seems that the company shouldn't have skimped on the sticker quality itself.

EK, the European manufacturer of premium liquid cooling gear, and MSI, a world-leading gaming brand, have traditionally partnered up to launch an X670E-based motherboard that comes packaged with a Quantum-design monoblock. This time, it will come in a Limited Edition run. The monoblock offers unparalleled cooling for the VRM section and the AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPUs, as well as a plethora of other nifty features, like the integrated flow meter and temperature sensor, allowing users to have precise checks on their loop status.

Cooling the Ryzen 7000 CPUs is no small feat, and air coolers struggle to get the most out of them. The new Ryzen 7000 series CPUs don't have a fixed frequency as CPUs used to. Instead, the boost clock is primarily contingent on thermals and, secondarily, power. Here's where liquid-cooled EK-Quantum Momentum² Monoblock comes into play. Not only does it make sure that your CPU is properly cooled, but it also ensures the power delivery system is as cool as possible. This allows the user to push performance to the limits while having a quiet system that stays as cool as possible.

Gamers everywhere trust AMD Ryzen CPUs for their battlestations. Packed to the brim with cores, these chips excel at tasks that call for an extra dose of parallel computing power, like heavy multitasking, livestreaming game sessions on Twitch—and, of course, powering through the latest games at high frame rates. Now, AMD has fired off its fourth salvo of AMD Ryzen CPUs, and we've readied the X670E and X670 motherboards you'll need to harness the full potential of these new chips.

Our X670E and X670 motherboard lineup includes a wide range of tempting choices for gamers everywhere. The ROG Crosshair series returns to offer uncompromising performance and style for those who dare to build a gaming PC like none other. ROG Strix boards deliver gaming prowess in a wide range of designs. We've also added X670E and X670 motherboards to our TUF Gaming, ProArt, and Prime motherboard families? Ready to find the perfect partner for your new AMD Ryzen CPU? In this guide, we'll walk you through the core features of the platform and introduce you to our ROG X670E and X670 motherboards. Whether you're an experienced PC enthusiast or a newcomer planning out your first build, we'll help you find the best Ryzen motherboard for your needs and budget.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions announced the launch of their latest AMD X670 motherboards, including two segments of X670E and X670 chipsets which showcase an abundance of notable features. High-end X670E models natively support PCIe 5.0 graphics cards with enhanced slot design, while mainstream X670 models adopt PCIe 4.0 graphics card slot design. The lineup supports PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots with PCIe and M.2 EZ-Latch design, which makes it easier for users to upgrade graphics cards and M.2 SSDs, avoiding accidental damage to the surrounding components. Further, the features of 18+2+2 direct power, 105 Amps Smart Power Stage, and 8 layer PCB provide higher stability, optimal compatibility, and performance for coming AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors. With the advanced thermal design, VRM temperature is reduced. This stabilizes the power and performance of the PCIe x16 slot and M.2 SSD, avoiding thermal throttling. Meanwhile, the enhanced shielding design of SMD slots strengthens the reliability of signals and slot structure. In addition, the lineup takes advantage of Active OC Tuner technology and all-new GCC (GIGABYTE Control Center) software to align with GIGABYTE's new PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSD and EXPO/ XMP dual mode DDR, delivering extreme performance with more user- friendly experience.

"The new GIGABYTE X670 motherboard lineup offers exclusive features and new designs, enhancing the excellent performance and multifunctioning capabilities for AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors," said David McAfee, Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Client Channel Business Unit, AMD. "The AM5 platform is well-supported to bring the best-in-class experience that AMD users have come to expect."

MSI announced the brand new Socket AM5 motherboards which includes MEG X670E GODLIKE, MEG X670E ACE, MPG X670E CARBON WIFI and PRO X670-P WIFI to the brand-new AMD X670 Motherboard product lineup. MSI's X670 motherboards and AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors are here for a new generation of high-speed and efficient computing. As a world-leading motherboard brand MSI's X670 motherboards are designed to provide the best every performance for gamers, creators and users. With the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors, MSI is ready to push this platform by provided the best performance available for everyone. In use of the 5 nm architecture and an all-new DDR5 platform, AMD Ryzen 7950X processors will have a ~13% IPC uplift with a boost frequency of up to 5.70 GHz and an average 29% Single Thread Performance gain compared to last generation,. Let's take a look at some of the new features from MSI X670 Motherboards.

"MSI's new lineup of X670 motherboards are purposefully designed to give users a new generation of high-speed, efficient computing with AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Desktop processors," said David McAfee, Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Client Channel Business Unit, AMD. "Optimized for performance-enhancing features like AMD EXPO and Precision Boost Overdrive, together AMD and MSI are pushing the boundaries of performant computing."

The AM5 motherboard prices that cropped up over the weekend do indeed appear to be placeholders or early cash grab pricing, as MSI has revealed its official pricing for four of its upcoming motherboards in a live stream. Although the pricing is still very high, it's not as insanely high as the early listing suggested. Starting at the bottom with the Pro X670-P WiFi, we're looking at a US MSRP of US$329 excluding tax and an EU MSRP of €395 including VAT. Next up we have the MPG X670E Carbon WiFi for US$499/€599, which is a steep jump in the eurozone, but it's actually less than what the current exchange rate from US dollar to Euro is, if you add 20 percent VAT.

This is followed by the MEG X670E ACE for US$799/€969, which doesn't look like a particularly attractive option. Finally we have the MEG X670E Godlike, which retails for US$1299/€1599, but with early listings in Europe showing it at €2399. It puts the Godlike more in line with the previous Godlike board from MSI, but it's likely to be one of the most expensive X670E boards on the market. It's mentioned in the live stream that prices are expected to come down sometime after the initial launch and this is something we've also heard from other motherboard vendors. MSI aren't mincing any words about their pricing, but that's not going to help anyone interested in getting onboard AMD's AM5 platform. The live stream is linked below for those that are interested in more details about these boards from MSI.

With only a couple of days to go until the official retail availability of the Ryzen 7000-series CPUs and accompanying X670 and X670E motherboards, early pricing of the motherboards are starting to crop up in Europe. Courtesy of @momomo_us we now have pricing from an unknown European retailer for 11 ASUS models, as well as MSI's Godlike board. We also managed to dig up some additional pricing over at Geizhals, which is a European price comparison site, for five ASRock models and one from Gigabyte. Hopefully we're looking at placeholder pricing here, as it's not looking good in terms of value for money. Admittedly, ASUS is known for charging a premium over its competitors, but it's not looking good anywhere right now.

Starting with @momomo_us pricing and MSI for no specific reason, its upcoming MEG X670E Godlike is listed at €2,399 and that doesn't include any kind of liquid cooling accessories. This has to be one of the most expensive consumer motherboards ever, if this is the actual retail pricing it'll sell for. Moving over to ASUS, its Prime X670-P model is listed at €418.53, with the WiFi version jumping to €446.89. This is the first indicator that these are not the actual retail prices, as WiFi versions of motherboards tend to have a $/€/£10-20 premium over non-WiFi models. We're not going to go over every individual board price here, simply look at the attached pictures, but based on these early prices, ASUS has two models for well over €1,000, the ROG Crosshair X670E Hero and the ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme, with the latter being listed at €1,486.95.

BIOSTAR, a leading brand of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today announces the brand new X670E VALKYRIE ATX motherboard. Designed based on the AMD X670 chipset, the X670E VALKYRIE supports all new AMD AM5 Ryzen 7000 Processors, capable of extracting unprecedented performance for gaming, content creation, or any compute-heavy task thrown at it.

The X670E VALKYRIE motherboard carries BIOSTAR's top-shelf VALKYRIE range styling with a heavy emphasis on performance and cooling. DDR5 RAM support, PCIe 5.0, and PCIe 5.0 M.2 are essential features of any high-end motherboard in 2022. The new X670E VALKYRIE has it all with exceptional performance and synergy enabled by BIOSTAR's signature 22-phase power design and Digital PWM technology.

Leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, is proud to announce its X670E motherboard series, ready for new AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors. This first wave of AMD Socket AM5 motherboards includes Special Edition X670E Taichi Carrara, flagship X670E Taichi, high-end X670E Steel Legend, mainstream X670E PRO RS, and entry X670E PG Lightning.

"With the AM5 platform we're investing in the next generation of high-performance computing and gaming," said David McAfee, Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Client Channel Business Unit, AMD. "With the continued support of best-in-class partners like ASRock, AMD is bringing the most advanced features and technologies to desktop. The X670 Extreme is designed to bring the best connectivity and ultimate overclocking with PCIe 5.0 support."

Leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, has built new BIOS decreasing AM5 booting time. ASRock is dedicated to providing products with the best user-experience. The new BIOS providing better compatibility and shorter booting time has been built, and it will be available on ASRock website after product launch. Besides, all ASRock X670E/X670 motherboards support BIOS flashback, which allows users to update their motherboards to the newest BIOS with merely 24-pin power supply and a USB drive.[Editor's Note: This news post will provide more context.]

A user named "orangezone" submitted a CPU-Z validation for an alleged retail AMD Ryzen 7 7700X processor, revealing its key specs that include 5.425 GHz clocks at 1.152 V core-voltage. The submission includes a CPU-Z Bench run for the processor, which puts the single-threaded performance at 774 points, and the multi-threaded performance of the 8-core/16-thread processor at 8381 points. The single-threaded performance is around 20% higher than that of the previous-gen flagship Ryzen 9 5950X, and about 1% faster than the Core i9-12900K ("Golden Cove" P-core). This particular bench run was performed on a Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master motherboard, with DDR5-6400 CL30 memory.

In separate news, BenchLeaks spotted a Geekbench run of the Ryzen 7 7700X (by a different user); on an ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Hero and DDR5-6000 memory. Here, the processor scored 2209 points in the single-threaded test, and 14459 points in the multi-threaded one, in Geekbench 5.4.5. This is a surprising result, as it puts the single-threaded performance of the 7700X at about 16% higher than the Core i7-12700K, and a fascinating 2% higher than the 8P+4E "Alder Lake" chip in multi-threaded tests. The 7700X launches in the same market segment as the i7-12700K, when it goes on sale this September 27.

MSI has put up the pricing of its upcoming X670E and X670 motherboards on its website and it's already causing a stir online, as MSI seems to have priced itself out of the market. Starting at the bottom of the product stack, where the Pro X670-P WiFi sits at US$289.99, which should be compared to the X570-A Pro (without WiFi) which retails for around $110. Admittedly we don't know the exact pricing of MSI's competitors at this point in time, but this seems like a very steep price for a lower-end board in the category. However, things don't improve, as the MPG X670E Carbon WiFi comes in at US$479.99, or about $200 more than its X570S counterpart is currently selling for. This is also at least $70 more than what we expect Gigabyte's X670E Aorus Master to sell at.

Next step up is the MEG X670E ACE which comes in at a steep $699.99, which is at least $100 more than what Gigabyte's X670E Aorus Xtreme is expected to sell for and around twice the current retail price of the MEG X570 ACE Gaming. Finally, MSI is asking for a whopping US$1,299.99 for the MEG X670E Godlike, a price we can't see many being willing to pay for what appears to be a fairly unexciting flagship board, at least compared to what we've seen from ASUS. It's obviously far from the first $1,000 plus board, but despite a fairly feature packed bundle, this board is simply bad value for money no matter how you look at it. Hopefully MSI will adjust their pricing based on the comments that are already posted around the internet, but we're going to have to wait until the official retail date to see if these boards will come down in price or not.

At this point, we don't know if this is a limitation at AMD's level or ASRock's, but someone with access to a retail ASRock X670E Steel Legend motherboard, with all its packaged paraphernalia in place, spotted an interesting sticker covering the board's four DDR5 DIMM slots. The sticker has some info on the ideal DIMM slot selection for dual-channel memory (4x sub-channels); but what catches our eye is a table which states just how long the motherboard will take to train the memory the first time it's booted up, or after a clear-CMOS operation (where your BIOS settings are erased).

The table says that a typical setup with two 16 GB modules (read: two single-rank modules in a 1 DIMM per channel/1DPC configuration), takes 100 seconds to train (or until first boot). Two 32 GB modules (typically a pair of dual-rank modules in 1DPC configuration) take 200 seconds, as do four 16 GB modules (four single-rank modules in a 2DPC configuration). The least optimal config, four dual-rank modules in a 2DPC configuration, takes a whopping 400 seconds (almost 7 minutes) to train. That's 100 to 400 seconds of a black screen, or no display signal, enough to unnerve anyone and assume something is DOA.Update Sep 2nd: The source behind this story confirmed that this is an ASRock-level issue, and that it's been "fixed" with the latest BIOS.

Update Sep 8th: This has been fixed according to ASRock.