VRM Overview

Unlike the cheaper ASRock X870E Taichi, the VRMs here are completely passively cooled and also lack a rear backplate. Not necessarily an issue, but backplates do aid cooling and also help to protect components on the rear of the motherboard from being dislodged by case standoffs and the like. The large VRM heatsinks are linked with a heatpipe and also make contact with the USB4 controller heatsink below.


The 18 + 2 + 1 power phases cater for vCore, SOC and MISC Power respectively and are powered by Renesas R2209004 110 A smart power stages and a Renesas RAA229620 PWM controller. Thermals proved to be a little warmer than the other X870E boards we've tested so far, with the software reporting a peak of 65°C and IR probe at 59°C. Still well away from any danger zone and with plenty of room to spare too, plus a small upgrade in terms of power compared to the X670E model that had fewer phases and 105 A versus 110 A vCore, not that this will have any impact for anyone except extreme overclockers.