General Analysis

The system as a whole looks quite nice with the RGB LED effects adding a bit of life. In static color mode, color reproduction is even across all components, being spot on as there are no issues with any LEDs even being slightly off. The software is straightforward and easy to use. However, I noticed one particular flaw: simple put, system memory and other RGB components are limited in terms of lighting effects. While both can cycle through colors, the memory does so smoothly with transitions between each. However, the fans, cooler, and SSD blink between colors, which means rainbow effects, for example, do not work. It's a minor issue since most will pick a static color anyway, but is something worth noting. I found red to be the best color of choice for this system since the parts already feature a black, red, and gray theme. While overall build quality for everything was more than acceptable, the power supply I was provided with had ketchup and mustard cables, which looks ugly. Thankfully, they don't stand out too much. While the case is not one of my favorites considering I typically prefer boxy boxes, all the parts manage to adhere to the Phantom Gaming Alliance theme quite well, and in terms of looks, I have seen far worse. In fact, I can still remember back when PC parts didn't match at all, which conjures up images of Gigabyte's baby blue, orange, and green motherboards from back in the day.


Due to the motherboard using the B365 chipset, overclocking is nonexistent. Not only can the Intel i7-8700K not be overclocked, the system memory is also limited to just 2666 MHz. XMP will show the 3200 MHz rating for the Teamgroup XCALIBUR Phantom Gaming RGB memory, but manually setting it has the BIOS relegate the memory to 2666 MHz. This is honestly a bit disappointing as ASRock offers other boards with RGB functionality that have no issues in this regard. Meanwhile, some of their older motherboard designs, while not of the Phantom Gaming brand, have all the same RGB functionality, offer overclocking, and come in at the same price, making this particular board a bit of a hard sell. However, with that said, the BIOS is still solid, and all other features worked just fine. The layout is simple and clean and should not prove too demanding for a new user to work with.

In terms of typical performance, the I7-8700K performs as it should with no real deviations compared to established baseline performance metrics. Cinebench scores may be a few percentages below what I have seen on Z370 boards, but that is still within the margin of error. Meanwhile, the graphics card, which is affordable enough, is best suited for 1080p gaming. Overclocking the CPU here is out of the question. However, the GPU can be overclocked; that said, we didn't get much more than what ASRock already offers with its OC mode. While performance did improve, it was not enough to be noticeable in game. In general, any extra performance gains are nice to see, but for the average user, going from 1380 MHz to 1435 MHz on the core isn't going to improve performance dramatically.

Manual overclocking of the RX 580 resulted in no real gains beyond the built-in ASRock OC mode via their overclocking software. OC mode offers clocks of 1435 MHz on the core and 2007 MHz on the memory. In our testing, we managed to eke out another 15 MHz on the core and 30 MHz on the memory, which had our sample max out at 1450 MHz on the core and 2037 MHz on the memory. Core clock speeds are thus in line with those of other RX 580 cards reviewed here on Techpowerup. Sadly, the memory overclock was surprisingly bad as most models will hit 2200 MHz and our sample just would not complete the Unigine Valley benchmark at anything beyond 2037 MHz. Still, the performance on offer is solid, and considering it is retailing for $189.99 as I am writing this, the RX 580 proves to be a solid budget performer.


In terms of temperatures, noise, and power consumption, the system did quite well. Under extreme load, total power draw peaked at just 352 watts with the average load being 335 watts with AIDA64 stressing all components. The CPU hit a max temperature of 83°C in this test, while the GPU topped out at 82°C. Noise levels during this test hit 43 dBA from the front and side at a distance of 30 cm, while the reading from directly above the chassis was 46 dBA due to the open mesh panel. Still, the tower sitting on a desk with the system to the left or right resulted in it being noticeable, but not terribly so. Please keep in mind that these temperatures and noise levels occurred at extreme loads that are not indicative of real world usage. Loading up a game resulted in much lower temperatures and far lower noise levels. On average while gaming, the CPU would climb into the low 70°C range, while the graphics card typically hovered at around 75°C. Noise levels were also lower with the system hovering at around 40 dBA in those situations. Other than that, I found no coil whine or other issues during my testing, and everything functioned as it should.

Overall, I am quite pleased with this system build and what it manages to offer as a package. The Phantom Gaming Alliance branded parts offer good compatibility and scale from entry-level to high-end, giving users a solid selection that should grow as time goes on. That said, ASRock needs to improve the variety of parts from their partners sooner rather than later. If they manage to do so, this form of branding could be quite successful as it does offer users a one-stop shop for matching components. Even more so, it provides a good ecosystem for RGB LED support which, love it or hate it, is still a convoluted mess of 12-volt and 5-volt offerings and unique proprietary connectors. First-time buyers being able to grab and go without having to worry about what is supported and why is not something that should be overlooked.

In terms of improvements, one is my fault and not a strike against ASRock or the Phantom Gaming brand. My CPU is not the best fit for this system. Considering what the RX 580 is capable of, something like the Intel i3 8100 would be a far better fit here because it would lower the total system cost by around $230, making the system far more affordable with a price tag of around $800. However, that is not ASRock's fault as I used a CPU I had available for testing purposes. My only other gripe is the RGB lighting of the system memory not being capable of syncing with the RGB headers on the motherboard in all lighting modes. While it is not a huge deal, it would have still been nice as it would have made some of my photo work a bit easier. Other than that, most of my problems stem from component choice or pricing. The B365 board with no overclocking capabilities is similarly priced to ASRock's own Z370M Pro4; while not an apples to apples comparison, it has more features and just lacks the Phantom Gaming branding. However, it's something users have to grapple with depending on which other parts they select.