The ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 7 is an excellent addition to ASRock's lineup, featuring some killer good looks and solid build quality. The addition of an integrated rear I/O shield is a welcome and maybe even overdue feature. Not only is it one less thing for people to worry about (and it does not matter how many computers you have built, there is always a risk of forgetting to install the shield before putting everything else together), but it also shows an attention to detail and determined adherence to the theme of the board. The RGB implementation shows similar attention to detail. While the two zones over the I/O shield and the chipset are standard fare for boards at this point, the execution is flawless and tactful enough to not be intrusive. Additionally, there are three RGB LED headers for expansion, including one addressable RGB header.

As for performance, memory stability was absolutely excellent, the best I have seen on any board so far. It is nice to see that ASRock is still prioritizing performance and compatibility with their boards. CPU overclocking went very well also, matching the best overclock I have seen on this 9900K sample. ASRock has plenty of tweaking built into these boards to keep even the most avid enthusiasts occupied.

ASRock has a history of providing premium LAN connectivity at a relatively low price point, and it is good to see the brand expanding that with this new Phantom Gaming 2.5 Gigabit LAN offering. While the number of buyers who can fully take advantage of these features is quite low, that number is increasing rapidly.

I think a few things could be improved, though. First, I understand why ASRock did not include WiFi with this board. It is a feature most enthusiast avoid taking advantage of if they can help it, and it is an easy way to bring the overall price down. However, by placing the M.2 WiFi slot in the middle of the PCIe slots, they deprived the board of a third M.2 storage slot, and more importantly created a cable-routing challenge for anyone installing WiFi. This is in some ways a nitpick as I seriously doubt many people make use of all three M.2 storage slots, and routing the thin antenna cables to the rear I/O would not be hugely difficult. Routing those wires without disrupting the exceptionally clean look of the board, however, could be. ASRock has created a small problem for themselves by designing the ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 7 as well as they have; on a more cluttered board, I would hardly bother to bring the issue up.

The ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 7 comes in at US$195.99, which is about fifteen dollars over the Phantom Gaming 6 that has a largely similar feature set. That extra cost comes down largely to looks, and in that regard, it is hard for me to make a judgment on such a subjective point of differentiation. What I can say is that if it were me putting my money down, I would absolutely spend the extra cash for the updated look.