Introduction

Despite the recent boost clock issues reported by many users, the Ryzen 3000 series has lived up to the hype in almost every way. There is finally real competition in the mainstream CPU marketplace, and with competition comes greater consumer choice. One of the biggest debates that is still ongoing with this launch is which chipset to buy. Do you need X570?

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 is 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 has saturated 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 your average game, even the switch from SATA to NVMe can be hard to notice, let alone to 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, which 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 well.

The X570 Biostar Racing X570GT is Biostar's answer for those who want to jump on the AMD bandwagon and achieve entry level workstation status, but desire a smaller package and a lower price. The Biostar Racing X570GT boasts an ultra rare Micro ATX form factor, and a neutral design aesthetic. With X570, there is a fine line between a sensible budget board and an overpriced one. The significant cost of the chipset and the higher PCB quality standards required for PCIe 4.0 make value-oriented boards a serious challenge when older chipsets support the new CPUs at a much lower production cost. Biostar certainly has their work cut out for them to make the Racing X570GT compelling compared to B450 offerings.

Biostar has delivered some great value boards in the past. Have they succeeded once again?

Specifications

Packaging and Contents

The front of the Biostar X570 Biostar Racing X570GT box has a dark background with a dark steel plate print. The Biostar logo is in the top left, and "Racing X570GT" dominates the center, with brand badges along the bottom. A bright multicolored line accents the left corner.

The back of the box hits most of the standard points: several panels detailing prominent features, a diagram outlining the rear I/O, and the specifications list. A good shot of the board would have been a good inclusion here as it is not depicted anywhere on the box.


Opening the box, the board sits encased in an antistatic bag inside a cardboard tray with the accessories hidden underneath.


The accessories are pretty basic, no real surprises here.

The full list of accessories includes:

• Manual and support DVD
• Rear I/O shield
• 2x SATA 6 Gb/s cables

Board Layout

The Biostar Racing X570GT features a black PCB with a pattern of printed angular gray lines for accentuation. "Racing" is printed in white on the rear I/O cover, with "Biostar X570GT" along the side of the memory slots. The back of the Biostar Racing X570GT is a similar black, but without any such printing.


The CPU socket is very open as the lack of VRM heatsinks leaves a fair amount of clearance.


There is just one M.2 slot on the Biostar Racing X570GT, below the PCIe 4.0 x16 slot. The chipset has a sizable heatsink and fan, both unadorned.


The Biostar X570 Biostar Racing X570GT just has one PCI Express 4.0 x16 slot, encased in metal armor, as well as two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots at the bottom of the board. The board has a total of four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, though none are angled 90 degrees from the board.


The Biostar X570 Biostar Racing X570GT has a lackluster rear I/O offering. While the number of USB ports is acceptable, the total lack of USB 3.2 Gen 2 despite native support on the chipset is inexcusable. The VGA port also feels dated, and while the shrunken audio section is expected, it is still disappointing.

• 1x HDMI port
• 1x VGA port
• 1x PS/2 keyboard and mouse combo connector
• 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports
• 2x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
• 1x RJ-45 LAN ports
• 3x 3.5 mm audio jacks

Networking on the Biostar X570 Biostar Racing X570GT is handled by a Realtek RTL8111H controller.