Introduction

The wait is finally over. After CES, Computex, and finally E3, it seemed as if the hype for the new AMD Ryzen lineup had overwhelmed the whole industry. Now, it is finally time to see what lies beneath the hype. Was Ryzen 3000 worth the wait and is the new X570 chipset worth the cost? What has ASRock brought to the table with their latest installment in an award-winning line of motherboards with the ASRock X570 Taichi?

Unlike Intel, AMD has made a commitment to supporting the AM4 socket over multiple CPU generations. So far, the team in red has held to that promise, and the new Zen 2 processors are widely supported on older-generation motherboards. While this is great for consumers, it also creates more complexity as more choice inevitably must. Do you need a new X570 motherboard? Due to the cost of the new chipset, the new generation of boards are more expensive feature for feature than the last two generations. This is largely due to PCIe 4.0, a costly and complex feature to implement.

In the graphics department, no card on the market saturates even PCIe 3.0 yet, at least in the x16 configuration. The largest immediate benefit is with high-speed storage. NVMe drives in RAID configurations can and will take advantage of the extra bandwidth to push never before seen sequential read and write speeds. With the average game, even the switch from SATA to NVMe can be hard to notice, let alone an even faster and more expensive RAID array. This is more relevant for content creation and media production, where high-speed storage can save significant time and therefore money. This role is further bolstered by the near-HEDT core counts on the high-end Ryzen 3000 CPUs. Of course, graphics cards will eventually catch up as well, so for the discerning gamer who only upgrades every three to five years, the new standard could prove a good investment.

As for the ASRock X570 Taichi, it holds to the Taichi theme, but with a significant update to the implementation. The new look is modernized and features an even more premium build quality and feature set—from the newly integrated rear I/O shield to the metal backplate or intricate cog and gear motif. The ASRock X570 Taichi even features WiFi 6 support, offering the best wireless connectivity available. For power delivery, the ASRock X570 Taichi relies on a 14 phase VRM design, which should handle even the yet-to-release AMD Ryzen 3950X.

A great new style on a brand new chipset, the X570 Taichi has a lot going for it, but is the performance able to match the hype?

Specifications

Our exhaustive coverage of AMD's 7/7 Launch Day includes the following content:
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12-core processor | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-core processor | AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics card | AMD Radeon RX 5700 graphics card | AMD Zen 2 Memory Performance Scaling | Ryzen 3900X and 3700 on X470 vs X570 platforms | Radeon RX 5700 XT Navi PCI-Express 4.0 Performance Scaling | ASRock X570 Taichi motherboard | ASUS Prime X570-Pro motherboard

Packaging and Contents

The front of the ASRock X570 Taichi box is split, with the left side hosting a brushed gray background and the right side featuring the trademark Taichi cogs and gears. "X570 Taichi" is in the bottom left, with brand badging below it along the bottom-left edge. "ASRock" is in the top-right corner.

The back of the box checks all the boxes I look for: a top-down shot of the board, several panels detailing prominent features, a diagram outlining the rear I/O, and the specifications list. ASRock is pushing WiFi 6 support as well as the new metal backplate. The box design is standard, but well executed.


Opening the box, the board sits in a cardboard tray, encased in high density foam with the accessories hidden underneath. The Taichi logo is displayed on the underside of the box. No anti-static bag for the ASRock X570 Taichi, a feature I do not miss.


ASRock continues the tradition of zip-tying the board to a foam surround for shipping, which holds it in place very securely.


The accessories are pretty standard. Notably absent is any kind of rear I/O shield because the shield is integrated into the board. ASRock gets big points from me for this feature, and frankly, I am disappointed that it hasn't become an industry standard by now. Additionally, ASRock has included a Torx driver for the M.2 heatsink.

The full list of accessories includes:

• Manual and support DVD
• Post card and software setup guide
• 4x SATA 6 Gb/s cables
• 1x SLI HB bridge L
• 3x M.2 mounting screws
• TR8 driver

Board Layout

ASRock has made a big effort to modernize their aesthetic over the past year. This started with the introduction of the Phantom Gaming family of products and has been carried over into the Taichi line. While the cog and gear theme is still readily present, the implementation is vastly different.


While the PCB is a matte black, not much of it is visible. A large monolithic heatsink covers the entire bottom half of the board and features a very intricate cog and gear motif over the chipset. The rear I/O shield also features reflective gears. Attention to detail with regards to hardware design and build quality is something ASRock has long excelled at, and it shows with the X570 Taichi. The cogs and gears printed on the M.2 heatsink and backplate are centered around the mounting screws, which has the necessary hardware bring everything together thematically instead of breaking up the look.


The back of the ASRock X570 Taichi is a similar black, but not empty. 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, as well as add to the overall aesthetic. Like many X570 boards, the ASRock X570 Taichi features more than just the typical 8 pin with an extra 4 pin next to it for extra CPU power.


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 Taichi; 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 monolithic M.2 heatsink interfaces with the chipset heatsink with a thermal pad. I did not have any problems with the thermal pad of the chipset heatsink sticking as with the Phantom Gaming 7. The mounting screw for the heatsink is also used to retain the M.2 drive, which is a clever solution, but be careful when removing the heatsink with a drive installed as they like to stick.


The ASRock X570 Taichi 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 Taichi has a good rear I/O offering that includes Clear CMOS and BIOS Flashback buttons, as well as an optical S/PDIF out port. Combined with the WiFi 6, the ASRock X570 Taichi has a well-rounded compliment.

• 2x Antenna ports
• 1x HDMI port
• 1x Clear CMOS button
• 1x BIOS Flashback button
• 1x PS/2 keyboard and mouse combo connector
• 6x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports
• 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A ports
• 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port
• 1x RJ-45 LAN port
• 1x Optical SPDIF out port
• 5x 3.5 mm audio jacks

Networking on the ASRock X570 Taichi is handled by an Intel I211AT. WiFi 6 is provided by an Intel 802.11ax module.