The ASRock X399M Taichi proved a revealing experience for me. Manufacturers call their products all sorts of things, looking for something catchy that embodies what they think their end user might like. The use of "GAMING" all over shows this well; clearly, these are products intended for gaming first and come equipped with a set of features catering towards those who play video games. We get WS products catering to workstations users who demand more reliability and stability, but perhaps without the same sort of overclocking abilities in BIOS as boards with "OC" in the name, boards that are definitely purpose-designed for overclocking. The intent in these names is immediately evident, without question. So what about that "Taichi" name?

The martial art of Tai Chi is Chinese in origin, one that intended to promote good health and a long life through fluidity and ease of movement. If we think of that directly with how this series of boards have been named, and what they've offered the end user, it is obvious that ASRock has chosen this name with a purpose that cannot be mistaken, and rather than that name reflecting on the physical design, it seems to focus on the user experience. You might make that a thing of higher importance for good reason; boards tuned for extreme overclocking can be temperamental and finicky at times, while entry-level products aren't always as capable as you'd hope. Finding that middle ground that can do it all isn't easy, but for those of us who have grown with this industry, it's an obvious critical element that holds the keys to success.

As an older PC enthusiast myself, ASRock's Taichi boards offer exactly what I am looking for, and in a way nobody else does. They are that perfect mix of strength and reliability that ties in an ease-of-use that makes it easy for me to introduce new people to the hobby, while offering such a robust set of features as to meet my needs as an overclocker who wants to push realistic clocks for 24/7 use and not just for benchmarking at extreme temperatures. These boards aren't overly flashy, but still have a bit of bling to them to catch the eye, and try as I might to find a fault in them, I can only come up with tiny things that may not even be due to the board itself, but something more inherent to the platform. The ASRock Taichi boards do it all nearly perfectly, and that's not me overstating things at all. There is little room for improvement here, and that's just how ASRock likes it. The X399M Taichi deserves the name it carries for sure, and I know that when you get yours, you'll readily agree.