Board Layout

The ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X follows the theme of it's Z390 counterpart: a matte black PCB that is almost entirely obscured by the massive heatsink that covers the chipset and all three M.2 slots, as well as a rear I/O cover and integrated I/O shield all in the Phantom Gaming colors.


The back of the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X is a similar black, but not empty as a large metal backplate takes up more than half the rear of the board. The backplate does add structural integrity as the heatsinks are mounted to it. ASRock has placed several controllers on the back of this board, most notably for the 2.5 Gb/s LAN. The ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X is very sharp and modern-looking, with a great level of detail.


The CPU socket is open enough to accommodate most coolers, and the VRM heatsink looks quite capable.


There are three M.2 slots on the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X; one above the first PCIe x16 slot and another between the second and third PCIe x16 slots. All three (and the chipset besides) share a single monolithic heatsink. While not a hugely complex part, the machining and finish on the heatsink are absolutely excellent. The Torx screws are an interesting twist, though I wish they had been used throughout the board instead of just for the three M.2 heatsink screws.


The top M.2 heatsink overlaps with the chipset heatsink, and the two are interfaced with a thermal pad. I did not have any problems with the thermal pad of the chipset heatsink sticking because ASRock has included a plastic tab over the pad. It should be removed for best thermal performance, though it is not catastrophic if it is not.


The ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X offers three PCI Express 4.0 x16 slots, all encased in steel armor, as well as two PCI Express 4.0 x1 slots. The board has a total of eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and all are angled 90 degrees from the board.


The ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X has a superb rear I/O offering that includes two LAN ports and an optical S/PDIF out port. Combined with the WiFi 6, the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X has some serious horsepower when it comes to networking.

• 2x Antenna ports
• 1x HDMI port
• 1x DisplayPort 1.2
• 1x PS/2 keyboard and mouse combo connector
• 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports
• 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A ports
• 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
• 2x RJ-45 LAN ports
• 1x Optical SPDIF out port
• 5x 3.5 mm audio jacks

Networking on the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming X is handled by an Intel I211AT, while a Dragon RTL8125AG from Realtek provides the 2.5 G LAN (red port). WiFi 6 is provided by an Intel 802.11ax module.