Overall, the ASRock Phantom Gaming Alliance offers a decent look into what a lineup of branded parts from multiple manufacturers can accomplish. Everything worked out of the box, and there was no need to guess or agonize over whether the motherboard had the right RGB headers or if the fans, SSD, and cooler would all sync. The only component that didn't completely sync up was the system memory, but that is not entirely unexpected due to the difference in how it's controlled via software. It would, however, be nice to see more lighting modes that sync memory and other components. There is also the added benefit of a matching theme across all parts leading to a system that looks good all around, and build quality is above average overall. The only part that felt a bit cheap was the Cooler Master MasterBox K500 chassis, but all the panels were straight with no dings or dents, and everything worked just fine. It was just a bit lighter than I had expected, which made the K500 chassis feel as though it is of lower quality, but in the end, that wasn't the case. I had no issues building in this particular chassis, and fit and finish is stellar, so the problem is more with the initial perceived quality.

In regards to actual performance, the i7-8700K remains a solid CPU, but it is an unnecessary expense in this particular build. Considering the other parts used along with the Radeon RX 580 are suited for 1080p gaming, a CPU like the Intel i3 8100 would be a more affordable option that better fits this build. There is also the benefit of it bringing substantial cost reductions for potential builders. However, this issue is on me and not ASRock as the only CPU I had on hand for testing this build was an Intel i7-8700K.

Keep in mind that the reason to use a K-series CPU is to overclock or get the most out of a high-speed memory kit. You would, as such, also want to move up to a Z370 or Z390 board. I say so because the Teamgroup XCALIBUR Phantom Gaming RGB memory rated at 3200 MHz is limited to just 2666 MHz no matter what on this B365 motherboard. Users can easily find older Z370 boards at the same price as the B365 Phantom Gaming 4 with more features and support for higher speed memory. However, if you must have a Phantom Gaming motherboard, an extra $30 will let you move up to the Z390 Phantom Gaming 4 motherboard that lets you run higher speed memory and overclock any K-series CPUs. That said, minor issues aside, overall performance was excellent with the system performing as it should, delivering a solid gaming experience in line with what was expected.

Improving performance by overclocking the graphics card was lackluster. Having lost the silicon lottery, our provided sample did not overclock much further than the OC mode provided by ASRock in their Phantom Gaming Tweak Utility. I was able to push the GPU to 1450 MHz on the core, up from the OC mode's 1435 MHz, and the memory increased to 2037 MHz from 2007 MHz. While the core clock is similar to what has been seen on other RX 580s, the memory failing to overclock well was a bit disappointing as most cards seem to hit 2200 MHz or thereabout. It could also be a quirk of Unigine Valley, but suffice it to say, our OC efforts yielded little results. However, that won't always be the case, but at least it proved to be an example that users should manage their expectations all the same.

As for noise and power, the system did quite well with heavy loads only resulting in a power draw of 335 watts on average with a peak of 352 at the wall. Under these conditions, temperatures peaked at 83°C on the CPU and 82°C on the GPU. Under more traditional tests, power draw was lower and temperatures were down 5–10 °C on both the CPU and GPU. During these tests, noise levels hovered at around 43 dBA from the front and side under heavy loads. Under more typical loads, noise levels stayed below 40 dBA, making the system reasonably quiet overall.

Considering the review focuses exclusively on the Phantom Gaming Alliance and the various vendors and parts they have available, I can say the part selection is alright for now. Motherboard and graphics card have numerous options at various price points. ASRock just needs to improve CPU cooler, system memory, and SSD selection. Doing so would flesh out the product lineup, giving users exceptional choice.

ASRock can achieve this by gaining a few more partners to then create a more varied selection of parts. That said, for now, ASRock has nine motherboards featuring the Phantom Gaming branding with the majority being Intel-based. A few more AMD options would be a welcome addition as well. Hopefully, ASRock keeps pushing forward with the new branding as based on what I have seen here today, it does offer some value for end users even if it's just to guarantee better compatibility and a matching parts theme.

In the end, ASRock's Phantom Gaming Alliance with Cooler Master and Teamgroup as members delivers a robust platform on which to build a gaming PC out of parts with a matching theme—making doing so just a bit easier for first-time builders who want a lot of RGB LEDs, but don't want to worry about specific brands and various proprietary connectors, among other headaches.