AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16 Core CPU Review – Revisiting Zen 4 on ASRock’s X670E Taichi & Gigabyte’s X670E AORUS Xtreme
A new era is upon us, an era that involves a re-envisioned focus on performance and efficiency leadership in the CPU landscape. There are two companies that are battling hard to hold the throne of this segment but given the incremental (and sometimes revolutionary) changes that each chipmaker is bringing to the field in a span of a few quarters, there's no decisive victor. In return, the consumers keep on reaping the benefits of this heated battle between red and blue which is the most intense it's ever been.
While Intel may have managed to take the performance, value, and efficiency throne from AMD with its 12th-Gen Alder Lake lineup, AMD isn't going to sit silent. They planned two brand new CPU launches this year, one being a demonstration of how 3D V-Cache can allow gamers to benefit from faster performance in a mainstream package. But that's just one chip, The bigger and the main CPU launch has always been scheduled for the second half of 2022 in the form of Ryzen 7000 and it's going to fundamentally change everything for the Ryzen Desktop CPU platform.
In the five years of Zen, the company went from performance leadership to core leadership, efficiency leadership, and gaming leadership. And today, the red team even manages to secure the clock speed leadership, something that we thought was impossible against a rival such as Intel. The clock leadership will be short-lived considering the competition has planned chips that are 6 GHz capable of launching next month but it's an impressive feat for AMD regardless.
Intel 12th Gen vs AMD Ryzen 5000 Desktop CPU Prices:
| Intel CPU | Cores / Threads | Clocks (Max) | Price (MSRP) | Prices (Newegg) - 01/11/2021 | Prices (Newegg) - 01/11/2021 | Price (MSRP) | Clocks (Max) | Cores / Threads | AMD CPU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $749.99 US | $799 US | 4.7 GHz (105W) | 16/32 | AMD Ryzen 9 5950X |
| Intel Core i9-12900K | 16/24 | 5.2 GHz (241W) | $589 US (K) $564 US (KF) |
$649.99 K $629.99 KF |
$559.99 US | $549 US | 4.6 GHz (105W) | 12/24 | AMD Ryzen 9 5900X |
| Intel Core i7-12700K | 12/20 | 5.0 GHz (190W) | $409 US (K) $384 US (F) |
$449.99 K $419.99 KF |
$394.99 US | $449 US | 4.7 GHz (105W) | 8/16 | AMD Ryzen 7 5800X |
| Intel Core i5-12600K | 10/16 | 4.9 GHz (150W) | $289 US (K) $264 US (KF) |
$319.99 K $299.99 KF |
$309.99 US | $299 US | 4.6 GHz (65W) | 6/12 | AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
So this year, AMD has decided to launch a second architecture overhaul, and oh boy! It's a big one. Enter AM5 & Zen 4, a brand new architecture with a prime focus on efficiency and multi-threading performance, and comes with a brand new platform that is outfitted with next-generation features such as DDR5 and PCIe 5.0. The AMD Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" lineup will include the top-to-bottom Ryzen 9, Ryzen 7, and Ryzen 5 CPUs.
The main features of AMD's Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs include:
- Up To 16 Zen 4 Cores and 32 Threads
- +29% Performance Uplift In Single-Threaded Apps
- Brand New Zen 4 CPU Cores (IPC / Architectural Improvements)
- Brand New TSMC 5nm process node with 6nm IOD
- 25% Performance Per Watt Improvement Vs Zen 3
- >35% Overall Performance Improvement Vs Zen 3
- ~13% Instructions Per Clock (IPC) Improvement Vs Zen 3
- Support on AM5 Platform With LGA1718 Socket
- New X670E, X670, B650E, and B650 Motherboards
- Dual-Channel DDR5 Memory Support
- Up To DDR5-5600 Native (JEDEC) Speeds
- 28 PCIe Lanes (CPU Exclusive)
- 105-120W TDPs (Upper Bound Range ~170W)
Today, we will be taking a look at the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X on two flagship motherboards from AORUS & ASRock, the X67E AORUS Xtreme & the ASRock X670E Taichi.
Before we talk about CPUs, we have to talk about the platform itself. The AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs will be migrating to a new home known as AM5, the successor to the long-lasting AM4 platform. It marks a fresh start for the Ryzen Desktop family and as such, existing Ryzen CPUs starting with Ryzen 1000 & all the way up to Ryzen 5000 won't be supported by the new platform we will tell you why it is so.
The AM5 platform will first and foremost feature the brand-new LGA 1718 socket. That's correct, AMD isn't going the PGA (Pin Grid Array) route anymore and now focusing on LGA (Land Grid Array), similar to what Intel uses on its existing desktop processors. The main reason to go LGA is due to the addition of enhanced and next-gen features such as PCIe Gen 5, DDR5, etc that we will get to see on the AM5 platform. The socket has a single latch & gone are the days of worrying about pins underneath your precious processors.
In terms of features, the AM5 platform will initially support AMD's Ryzen 7000 'Zen 4' Desktop CPUs and extend that support to future Ryzen CPUs and APUs. The platform offers DDR5-5200 (JEDEC) memory support, up to 28 PCIe lanes (Gen 5 standard), increased NVMe 4.0, and USB 3.2 I/O lanes & we have also heard chatter about native USB 4.0 support which will be a game-changer.
A new feature called EXPO (AMD Extended Profiles for overclocking) will allow enhanced DDR5 memory OC on the new platform, similar to Intel's XMP. It has been a rough road for AM4 to offer decent DDR4 OC capabilities but that has more or less been sorted out by now, we can only expect DDR5 to have a much better OC and compatibility experience compared to DDR4 on AM4 platforms. Furthermore, it looks like the platform will only be DDR5 compatible and we won't see DDR4 options as we do on Intel's existing platform. But with DDR5 prices and availability improving, that won't be that big of a deal for most high-end consumers for who AMD will be aiming first.
AMD X670 Series Platform
The AM5-compliant AMD 600-series motherboards are currently being prepped up by the board makers, The 600-series lineup will initially consist of three chipsets, the X670E, X670, B650E, and B650.
In terms of features, the X670E (Extreme) is designed for the higher-echelon of motherboards with unparalleled capabilities, and extreme overclocking, and will have PCIe 5.0 support for both GPU and storage.
The X670 motherboards will be very similar in offering enthusiast-level overclocking but PCIe Gen 5.0 support for storage and graphics will depend on the manufacturers. It is likely that some board makers will go to the cost-effective route and enable PCIe 5.0 support only for the GPU while keeping storage limited to PCIe 4.0. Both X670 chipsets will come in a dual-PCH solution on the motherboard to allow for the increased I/O for the next-gen platform.
AMD B650 Series Platform
Finally, there are the B650E & B650 chipsets which will be aimed as a mainstream motherboard solution with the Extreme series featuring both PCIe Gen 5.0 and M.2 while the non-E boards will adopt only PCIe 5.0 slot designs.
The B650 motherboards will be the successor to the B550 motherboards and come in a similar price range. Compared to the X670/E offerings, the B650 chipset will come in a single PCH design. The motherboards will carry support for RDNA 2 iGPU too which will be featured on Ryzen 7000 'Raphael' CPUs and offer both HDMI / DP outputs.
You can check out our full roundup of all the X670E & X670 motherboards that have been revealed so far here.
One of the highlighted features of the AMD AM5 600-series platform is SAS or Smart Access Storage. This technology will enable GPU decompression with supported Microsoft DirectStorage games. Although there aren't many of those out there yet but expect industry-wide support for this on newer platforms.
SmartAccess Storage gets you out of the load screen and into your gameplay
Traditional game loading takes a significant amount of compute power to decompress the game’s data, requiring the CPU to do the decompression and data transfer, which introduces latency and takes up considerable system resources.
To help bypass these bottlenecks, AMD has created SmartAccess Storage, a suite of technologies supporting Microsoft DirectStorage that utilizes Smart Access Memory with new AMD platform technologies along with Radeon GPU asset decompression to improve both game load times and texture streaming.
AMD AM4/TR4 Chipset Features and Specifications:
| Wccftech | X670E/X670 | X570 | X399 Refresh | X399 | X470 | X370 | B450 | B350 | A320 | X300 | A300 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrossfireX/SLI | Triple CFX/2-Way SLI | Triple CFX/2-Way SLI | Quad SLI/CFX (Max 6 GPU Support) |
Quad SLI/CFX (Max 6 GPU Support) |
Triple CFX/2-Way SLI | Triple CFX/2-Way SLI | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| PCIe Gen 5 Lanes | 24 (with Ryzen 7000 CPUs & above) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| PCIe Gen 3/4 Lanes | TBD | 30 +16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU) | 60 (With Threadripper CPU) 4 Lanes Reserved for PCH |
60 (With Threadripper CPU) 4 Lanes Reserved for PCH |
16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU) | 16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU) 8 (with Bristol Ridge) |
16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU) | 16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU) 8 (with Bristol Ridge) |
16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU) 8 (with Bristol Ridge) |
16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU) 8 (with Bristol Ridge) |
16 (with Ryzen 7 CPU) 8 (with Bristol Ridge) |
| PCIe Gen 2 Lanes | N/A | N/A | 8 PCIe Lanes (reserved) | 8 PCIe Lanes (reserved) | 8 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe) | 8 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe) | 6 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe) | 6 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe) | 4 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe) | 4 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe) | 4 (plus x2 PCIe Gen3 when no x4 NVMe) |
| USB 3.1/3,2 Gen2 | TBD | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| USB 3.1/3.2 Gen1 | TBD | 12 (PCH + CPU) | 13 (PCH+CPU) | 13 (PCH+CPU) | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| USB 2.0 | TBD | N/A | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| SATA 6Gb/s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| SATA Express | TBD | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| DDR5 DIMMs | 4 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| DDR4 DIMMs | N/A | 4 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Overclocking Support |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| XFR2 Enhanced | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Precision Boost Overdrive | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| NVMe | Yes (Gen 5.0) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Form Factor | ATX | ATX, MATX | ATX, MATX | ATX, MATX | ATX, MITX | ATX | ATX, M-ATX | ATX, M-ATX | M-ATX, Mini-ITX | Mini-ITX | M-ATX, Mini-ITX |
Meet The LGA 1718 Socket - How Long Will This One Last?
As mentioned earlier, AM4's reign is finally over and the AM5 socket is here now. The new socket moves from a PGA (Pin-Grid-Array) design to an LGA (Land-Grid-Array) layout. The new LGA 1718 socket offers more pin connections to the CPU, allowing for more communication channels with the board itself and enabling support for enhanced features that the new platform has to offer.
As for longevity, AMD hasn't promised anything but they have stated that they want to see the new AM5 socket last at least four to five years, similar to AM4. While there has been a lot of controversy regarding Ryzen support on the initial AM4 motherboards, I believe that AMD has learned and will not follow the same route as AM5. With that said, the AM4 platform will still continue forward & will be supported in the foreseeable future (possibly with newer hardware and software launches).
Cooler Compatibility With AM5 Socket
The AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs will feature a perfect square shape (45x45mm) but will house a very chonky integrated heat spreader or IHS. The CPUs will be the same length, width, and height as the existing Ryzen Desktop CPUs and are sealed across the sides so applying thermal paste won't fill the interior of the IHS with TIM. That's also why current coolers will be fully compatible with Ryzen 7000 chips.
Coming to the CPUs now, we have managed to get hold of the final specifications of AMD's Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPU family which, as expected, are going to feature four SKUs based on the Zen 4 core architecture. Once again, these SKUs include:
- AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
- AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
- AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
- AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
So before getting into the core specifications of these four SKUs, we have to point out that the AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs are based on a TSMC 5nm process node with a CCD die size of 70mm2 compared to 83mm2 for Zen 3 and featuring a total of 6.57 Billion transistors, a 58% increase over the Zen 3 CCD with 4.15 Billion transistors, The CPUs adopt the Zen 4 architecture, bringing with it a 13% IPC uplift but the majority of the performance benefit comes from the higher clock speeds and a higher TDP that is supplemented to each chip versus the prior generation.
AMD has highlighted a +29% Single-Threaded, >35% Multi-Threaded and >25% Perf/Watt increases when comparing Zen 4 to Zen 3 cores. The IOD is fabricated on the 6nm process node and houses an iGPU which comes with 2 RDNA 2 Compute Units running at up to 2200 MHz as detailed here. It features a die size of 124.7mm2 which is almost the same size as the Zen 3 IOD which measured at 124.9mm2.
AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPU Render (With/Without IHS):
As per AMD, the main improvements for IPC come from a new Front End & Load/Store + Branch Predictor that makes up for 80% of the gains while the L2 cache structuring and Execution Engines offer the remaining 20% uplifts.
AMD also highlighted that AVX-512 & VNNI add up to 30% faster FP32 (multi-thread) inferencing performance and a 2.5x gain in INT8 (multi-thread) CPU performance uplift. In addition to the larger caches, the Micro-op cache has been increased from 4 KB to 6.75 KB, the L1I and L1D cache stick to 32 KB, the L2 cache size has doubled to 1 MB and now runs at 14 cycles instead of 12 while the L3 cache also features slightly higher latency, going up from 46 cycles to 50 cycles. The L1 BTB has also been increased from 1 KB to 1.5 KB.
Compared to Zen 3, Zen 4 architecture is also going to be really efficient, offering 62% lower power at the same performance, and 49% more performance at the same power. The CPUs also feature 50% less area versus the competition (10nmESF Alder Lake) thanks to their 5nm process node and up to 47% higher power efficiency.
AMD Ryzen 'Zen 4' Desktop CPU Features:
- Up To 16 Zen 4 Cores and 32 Threads
- +29% Performance Uplift In Single-Threaded Apps
- Brand New Zen 4 CPU Cores (IPC / Architectural Improvements)
- Brand New TSMC 5nm process node with 6nm IOD
- 25% Performance Per Watt Improvement Vs Zen 3
- >35% Overall Performance Improvement Vs Zen 3
- ~13% Instructions Per Clock (IPC) Improvement Vs Zen 3
- Support on AM5 Platform With LGA1718 Socket
- New X670E, X670, B650E, B650 Motherboards
- Dual-Channel DDR5 Memory Support
- Up To DDR5-5600 Native (JEDEC) Speeds
- 28 PCIe Lanes (CPU Exclusive)
- 105-120W TDPs (Upper Bound Range ~170W)
The CPUs will come with an optimized cache restructuring, featuring double the L2 cache (1 MB vs 512 KB), a shared L3 cache like the previous generation, support for DDR5 memory with EXPO (AMD's Extended Profiles For Memory Overclocking), PCIe Gen 5.0 graphics card, and M.2 SSD support. Overclocking features such as PBO and XFR will also carry over from the past chips. So with all of that said, let's get on with the specifications.
AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU Box Packages:
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16 Core "Zen 4" Desktop CPU
Starting with the flagship of them all, we have the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X which retains its healthy 16 core and 32 thread count from the previous two generations. The CPU will feature an impressive base frequency of 4.5 GHz and a boost clock of up to 5.7 GHz (5.85 GHz F-Max) which should make it 200 MHz faster than Intel's Alder Lake Core i9-12900KS which has a boost frequency of 5.5 GHz on a single-core.
It looks like AMD is extracting every ounce of Hertz that it could within that 170W TDP (230W PPT) for the Ryzen 9 chips. As for the cache, the CPU comes with 80 MB of that which includes 64 MB from L3 (32 MB per CCD) and 16 MB from L2 (1 MB per core). The flagship is going to cost $699 US which means that it will be priced slightly higher than the Core i9-12900K while offering a significant performance leap in multi-threading apps such as Chaos V-Ray of up to +57% and doing so with up to 47% higher energy efficiency.
In terms of gaming performance, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X will be offering up to 35% higher uplift in games such as Shadow of The Tomb Raider versus the Core i9-12900K.
AMD also showcased the performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X against the Intel Core i9-12900K in both gaming and content creation tasks. The CPU was anywhere from -1% to +23% faster in the gaming benchmarks and +36 to +62% faster in creation workloads.
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core "Zen 4" Desktop CPU
Next up, we have another AMD Ryzen 9 chip, the 7900X, which as the name suggests, would come equipped with 12 cores and 24 threads. The CPU comes with an even higher base clock of 4.7 GHz and a boost clock adjusted at 5.6 GHz across a single core. The CPU retains its 170W TDP and gets 76 MB of cache (64 MB L3 + 12 MB L2). The CPU will be positioned in the same ballpark as the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X but with performance that would shake the ground from below the Core i7-12700K. The Ryzen 9 7900X will retain the same prices as the Ryzen 9 5900X while offering better processor capabilities.
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 8 Core "Zen 4" Desktop CPU
Moving over to the Ryzen 7 family, here we have the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, an 8-core and 16-thread part. AMD positions this as the sweet spot for gamers and as such, the CPU will feature a base clock of 4.5 GHz and a boost clock of 5.4 GHz but at a lower 105W TDP (142W PPT). The CPU will get a 40 MB cache pool which consists of 32 MB L3 from the singular CCD &8 MB L2 from the Zen 4 cores.
Now one interesting thing to mention is that there is so far no update by AMD on a Ryzen 7 7800X chip. It is likely that AMD wants to replace that part with a successor to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D with Zen 4 cores (3D V-Cache). If that was the case, we can expect an update later this year to the CPU lineup since the V-Cache parts have been confirmed for a late Q4 2022 launch by AMD themselves. The Ryzen 7 7700X will be priced at $399 US and will be competing with the Core i7-12700K during launch.
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 6 Core "Zen 4" Desktop CPU
Last up, we have the most budget-tier chip (if you can call it that but the pricing won't be reflective of that), the Ryzen 5 7600X. This will be a 6-core and a 12-thread part that features a high 4.7 GHz base clock and a 5.3 GHz single-core boost frequency. The CPU will also run at a 105W TDP (142W PPT) which is much higher than its 65W predecessor though once again, that's the sacrifice you've to pay to achieve the faster clock speeds. The CPU will carry 38 MB of cache which comes from 32 MB of L3 and 6 MB of L2 on the die. This chip is going to be priced at $299 US and will be offering a 5% performance gain over the Core i9-12900K in gaming.
AMD will be bringing back its PBO and XFR overclocking features to the Ryzen 7000 Zen 4 CPUs along with enhanced DDR5 memory and overclocking support through EXPO technology. The CPUs will also come equipped with RDNA 2 iGPU with up to 2 Compute Units running at 2.2 GHz which would be usable through HDMI 2.1 FRL and DP 1.4 connectors on the latest AM5 motherboards. In addition to the CPU & GPU, there will be an expanded instruction set for AI acceleration (AVX-512 anyone?).
AMD Ryzen 7000 'Raphael' Desktop CPU Specs (Official):
| CPU Name | Architecture | Process Node | Cores / Threads | Base Clock | Boost Clock (SC Max) | Cache | TDP | Prices (TBD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Ryzen 9 7950X | Zen 4 | 5nm | 16/32 | 4.5 GHz | 5.7 GHz | 80 MB (64+16) | 170W | $699 US |
| AMD Ryzen 9 7900X | Zen 4 | 5nm | 12/24 | 4.7 GHz | 5.6 GHz | 76 MB (64+12) | 170W | $549 US |
| AMD Ryzen 7 7700X | Zen 4 | 5nm | 8/16 | 4.5 GHz | 5.4 GHz | 40 MB (32+8) | 105W | $399 US |
| AMD Ryzen 5 7600X | Zen 4 | 5nm | 6/12 | 4.7 GHz | 5.3 GHz | 38 MB (32+6) | 105W | $299 US |
AMD's EXPO tech which stands for "Extended Profiles For Overclocking" for Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs will be aiming for the high-end "Extreme" series 600-series motherboards in the X670 and B650 family. The profile will be an extension for XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) which will also be available on the AM5 platform but to benefit from higher speeds, AMD has designed the EXPO technology.
Based on what AMD has shown, EXPO will enable one-click DDR5 overclock support on AM5 motherboards and offer up to 11% faster performance at 1080p resolution. The EXPO memory kits from various memory makers will be designed to hit low latencies of around 63ns and there will be a range of public certification reports that will provide users with full specifications and OC settings that they can work with.
New for the Ryzen 7000 Series Desktop processors and optimized for AMD Socket AM5 motherboards, AMD EXPO technology provides users with advanced profile settings for DDR5 memory overclocking. When optimized for high-performance gaming, consumers can expect to see up to 11% faster gaming performance with AMD EXPO technology in F1® 2022.
AMD EXPO technology was designed to achieve higher gaming performance from pre-configured overclocking profiles and is easy to implement. PC enthusiasts who want to understand the finer details of an AMD EXPO technology-enabled module can find public self-certification reports, which clearly lay out the module’s full timing table, components, and the system configuration used to finalize the memory’s specifications. AMD is offering EXPO technology to its industry memory partners without royalties or licensing fees.
AMD EXPO technology arrives to market alongside the AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors, with offerings from ADATA, Corsair, GeIL, G.SKILL, and Kingston. Over 15 AMD EXPO technology-enabled memory kits will be initially available, with memory speeds up to DDR5-6400.
As for the first EXPO products, AMD announced that their memory partners such as ADATA, Corsair, GeIL, G.Skill, and Kingston, will have a total of 15 kits at launch with speeds of up to DDR5-6400. The native speeds will be rated at:
- 1x1R - 5200 MT/s
-
1x2R - 5200 MT/s
-
2x1R - 3600 MT/s
-
2x2R - 3600 MT/s
We also had previously reported that DDR5-6000 will be the sweet spot for AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs based on the Zen 4 core architecture using the EXPO technology. The DDR5-6000 memory kits that are optimized with EXPO support will offer the best performance with the lowest latency in a 1:1 FCLK mode.
Now as per Robert, we now know that the default FCLK for AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs is set to 1733 MHz. Robert also states that memory overclocking is a little bit different with Ryzen 7000 since 1:1:1 (FCLK:UCLK:MCLK) isn't important anymore. It is mentioned that to achieve the best results, you should leave the FCLK to auto and overclock the memory modules and memory controller in 1:1 mode. There will be some corner cases where users will be able to get better performance results by hitting over 2 GHz FCLK speeds but those aren't a big priority, as AMD mentions.
At the native setting, DDR5-5200 will operate in a 2:1:1 mode or 1733:2600:2600 clock. Robert also confirmed something that we had stated early on that DDR5-6000 will "Roughly" the sweet spot & by sweet spot, he means the best compromise to cost/stability/performance/availability/ease. So as of right now, we have the following sweet spots as mentioned directly by AMD:
- Ryzen 3000 "Zen 2" Sweet Spot - DDR4-3800 (Official AMD)
- Ryzen 5000 "Zen 3" Sweet Spot - DDR4-4000 (Official AMD)
- Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" Sweet Spot - DDR5-6000 (Official AMD)
It is stated that DDR5-5200 C28 kits should go really well with Ryzen 7000 too as they are pretty fast but there aren't a lot of kits in those configurations available right now.
As Robert states:
The reason why we say "AUTO:1:1" is now ideal because the FCLK will automatically change depending on what memory speed is in the DIMM slots. There's no "one size fits all" ideal fabric frequency. For example: JEDEC 5300 fclk goes to 1767, 6000 RAM should go to 2000 fclk. Each memory speed has its own optimal fclk, which is why I'm gently guiding people to not worry about what the fclk is because it's going to change with RAM speed and the AUTO setting will usually give the most performant result unless you have an astonishing overclocker.
And "get the highest possible fclk" is no longer the rule like it was on AM4. In short.
In addition to these, MSI's in-house overclocker, TOPPC, has revealed that EXPO memory kits will be fully compatible with Intel XMP profiles. Simply put, Intel XMP memory can still support EXPO but it is worth it to have an EXPO-enabled kit to ensure the best possible profile for AMD's Ryzen 7000 CPU lineup.
As for the first EXPO products, AMD announced that their memory partners such as ADATA, Corsair, GeIL, G.Skill, and Kingston, will have a total of 15 kits at launch with speeds of up to DDR5-6400. The native speeds will be rated at:
- 1x1R - 5200 MT/s
-
1x2R - 5200 MT/s
-
2x1R - 3600 MT/s
-
2x2R - 3600 MT/s
The AMD EXPO DDR5 memory kits will launch alongside the Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs and AM5.
G.Skill is one of the top memory manufacturers known to gamers and enthusiasts in the PC industry. The company has been specializing in the memory industry for several years and its memory kits are very popular among the masses. There are memory lines from G.Skill that have been the eye-catcher since the company was formed, Trident and Ripjaws.
Both of these series have now become the choice of enthusiasts and overclockers as they come with an impressive specifications list and some of the best design schemes on the market. With the launch of the DDR5 standard, G.Skill is introducing its brand new Trident lineup, the Trident Z5 NEO, which comes in high-speed flavors with Samsung ICs and many options to choose from.
For this particular testing, G.Skill sent me its Trident Z5 NEO 'F5-6000J3038F16GX2-TZ5N' 32 GB (16 GB x 2) kit which comes with clock speeds of 6000 MT/s. The memory kit consists of dual 16 GB DIMMs which make up a total of 32 GB in capacity. Following are the full specifications of the kit I'll be testing:
- Memory Type: DDR5
- Capacity: 32GB (16GBx2)
- Multi-Channel Kit: Dual Channel Kit
- Tested Speed: 6000 Mbps
- Tested Latency: 30-38-38-96
- Tested Voltage: 1.35V
- Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
- Error Checking: Non-ECC (On-Die)
- SPD Speed: 4800 Mbps
- SPD Voltage: 1.10V
- Fan Included: No
- Warranty: Limited Lifetime
- Features: AMD EXPO Ready
- Additional Notes: Rated XMP/EXPO frequency & stability depends on MB & CPU capability
The memory kit has a tested latency spec of CL36 and the timings are 36-38-38-96 for this specific kit. The voltage set at reference is 1.30V and the memory kit comes in an unbuffered package with a non-ECC (On-Die Error Correction) design.
The memory kit is fully compliant with AMD's EXPO and can be easily set to its rated clock speeds through the BIOS shipped on the latest Intel motherboards. Memory compatibility differs from motherboard to motherboard so make sure that your board is high-end and rated to support high-clock speed memory sticks.
G.Skill offers a limited lifetime warranty with their G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO series memory kits. They are a bit bulky and the heatsinks extend from the top making it harder to install these with a dual-fan heatsink cooler. Make sure there's enough space with an air cooler before installing these. The kit would go perfectly well with an AIO liquid cooling solution, leaving room for the RGB lighting showcase.
G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO 32 GB DDR4 Memory Kit Unboxing and Close Up
The G.Skill Trident Z5 series memory comes in a standard cardboard package. The box has the G.Skill Trident Z5 and DDR5 labels on the front and also tells you that it is AMD EXPO compliant.
We are looking at the F5-6000J3038F16GX2-TZ5N SKU which features 32 GB of RAM capacity and is clocked in at 6000 Mbps at CL30 timing.
Within the package are two DDR5 DIMMs along with a G.Skill case sticker badge.
Outside the package, the G.Skill Trident Z5 series offers a very aggressive look that features a high-end heat-spreader. The design choice that G.Skill has gone with is very eye-catching and will look great even without the RGB LEDs. Do note that an RGB flavor is also available.
G.Skill provided us with their silver-colored Trident Z5 series memory. Do note that there are both silver and black-colored DIMMs available. The top of the heatsink is colored black and looks great with almost any PC build.
G.Skill experimented a lot with its diffuser system on the previous generation DDR4 Tridents. The new Tridents come in both RGB and Non-RGB flavors but even without the LEDs, their design looks very premium and the heat spreader and the multi-sided curve at the top really stand out from the rest of the DDR5 offerings.
The heat spreader makes use of a black brushed-aluminum strip inset into a metallic silver or matte black body and is topped with a sleek black top bar.
The frame of the memory DIMMs is of a high-class design that uses polished aluminum heat spreaders of either black or silver color (silver in our case).
The memory modules are bulky and pack a solid heatsink that delivers optimal thermal performance. The sides feature a large Trident Z5 RGB logo. The DRAMs are fully covered by this aluminum shielded heatsink so higher temperatures won't be an issue on these sticks.
Following is how the memory looks when installed on a X670E motherboard. Do note that we will have an RGB kit with us soon so we can show you how that looks too soon!
Initially, ASRock will be launching five new X670E motherboards for the AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPU family. Each motherboard will be placed within its own segment which includes the CARRARA Taichi, Standard Taichi, Phantom Gaming, Steel Legend, and Pro Series lineup. ASRock X670 & B650 motherboards support the latest Blazing OC Tuner software which we detailed here. Following are the motherboards to expect from ASRock:
- ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara
- ASRock X670E Taichi
- ASRock X670E Steel Legend
- ASRock X670E Pro RS
- ASRock X670E PG Lightning
So with the motherboards out of the way, let's take a look at the individual specs and features that each product has to offer.
ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara
The ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara is a special edition motherboard, designed to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of ASRock, Taichi Carrara resembles the high strength as well as the esthetic of Carrara marble, they are also the key elements while developing this motherboard. The motherboard has a high-end 26-Phase SPS Dr.MOS power delivery and features four DDR5 DIMM slots supporting up to 128 GB capacities and overclocked (EXPO) profiles up to DDR5-6600+(OC). The CPU socket is powered by a dual 8-pin connector configuration.
Expansion slots include two PCIe Gen 5.0 x16 slots (x16/x8 electrical), a single PCIe Gen 5 x4, and three PCIe Gen 4 x4 M.2 slots, all of which are covered by large metallic heatsinks. There are also eight SATA III ports. I/O includes 5 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 7 USB 3.2 Gen 1, and dual USB 4 ports. It also comes with WiFi 6E capabilities and a 2.5 GbE Ethernet LAN port.
Specification
- Supports Ryzen 7000 series processors (AM5)
- 26 Phase SPS Dr.MOS Power Design
- Supports DDR5 Memory (DDR5-6600+ OC)
- 1 PCIe 5.0 x16, 1 PCIe 5.0 x8
- Graphics Output Options: HDMI
- Realtek ALC4082 7.1 CH HD Audio Codec, ESS SABRE 9218 DAC, WIMA Audio Caps
- 8 SATA3, 1 Blazing M.2 (PCIe Gen5 x4), 2 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4), 1 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4 & SATA3)
- 2 Thunderbolt
4/USB4 Type-C, 1 Front USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C - 5 Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type A, 7 USB 3.2 Gen1 (3 Rear, 4 Front)
- Killer E3100G 2.5G LAN, Killer AX1675X 802.11ax (WiFi 6E) + Bluetooth
- Killer DoubleShot Pro
- Lightning Gaming Ports
ASRock X670E Taichi
The ASRock X670E Taichi shares the same design as the Carrara offering. Both motherboards are equipped with many exciting features and new technology such as PCIe 5.0 & DDR5 capability, the insane IO capability including the support of Thunderbolt 4.0 has pushed the X670 platform even further into a high-end desktop category, and ASRock went all out on the VRM design too, with a total of 26 phases SPS Dr.MOS design on the X670E Taichi, it is the most powerful AM5 product ASRock can offer.
Besides the color difference, I expect the standard Taichi to cost a bit lower considering the other model is more of a collectible item.
Specification
- Supports Ryzen 7000 series processors (AM5)
- 26 Phase SPS Dr.MOS Power Design
- Supports DDR5 Memory (DDR5-6600+ OC)
- 1 PCIe 5.0 x16, 1 PCIe 5.0 x8
- Graphics Output Options: HDMI
- Realtek ALC4082 7.1 CH HD Audio Codec, ESS SABRE 9218 DAC, WIMA Audio Caps
- 8 SATA3, 1 Blazing M.2 (PCIe Gen5 x4), 2 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4), 1 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4 & SATA3)
- 2 USB4 Type-C, 1 Front USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C
- 5 Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type A, 7 USB 3.2 Gen1 (3 Rear, 4 Front)
- Killer E3100G 2.5G LAN, Killer AX1675X 802.11ax (WiFi 6E) + Bluetooth
- Killer DoubleShot Pro
- Lightning Gaming Ports
ASRock X670E & X670 Motherboard Specs
| Motherboard Name | ASRock X670E Taichi Carrara | ASRock X670E Taichi | ASRock X670E Steel Legend | ASRock X670E Pro RS | ASRock X670E PG Lightning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chipset | X670E | X670E | X670E | X670E | X670E |
| Form Factor | E-ATX | E-ATX | ATX | ATX | ATX |
| PCB Color | Black | Black | Black White (Camo) | Black Grey (Texture) | Black Grey (Texture) |
| PCB Layers | 8-Layer | 8-Layer | 8-Layer | 8-Layer | 8-Layer |
| Motherboard Color | White Black | Black Gold | White Black | White Black | All-Black |
| VRM Design | 26 Phase SPS Dr.MOS | 26 Phase SPS Dr.MOS | 18 Phase SPS Dr.MOS | 16 Phase SPS Dr.MOS | 18 Phase SPS Dr.MOS |
| VRM Heatsink | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PWM Controller | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Power Stages | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Power Delivery (CPU) | 8+8 | 8+8 | 8+8 | 8+4 | 8+4 |
| Memory DIMMs | 4 DDR5 DIMM | 4 DDR5 DIMM | 4 DDR5 DIMM | 4 DDR5 DIMM | 4 DDR5 DIMM |
| Memory Support | DDR5-5600 (JEDEC) DDR5-6600+(EXPO) |
DDR5-5600 (JEDEC) DDR5-6600+(EXPO) |
DDR5-5600 (JEDEC) DDR5-6600+(EXPO) |
DDR5-5600 (JEDEC) DDR5-**** (EXPO) |
DDR5-5600 (JEDEC) DDR5-**** (EXPO) |
| Memory Capacity | 128 GB (Max) | 128 GB (Max) | 128 GB (Max) | 128 GB (Max) | 128 GB (Max) |
| PCIe Gen 5.0 Slots | 2 (x16/x8) | 2 (x16/x8) | 1 (x16) | 1 (x16) | 1 (x16) |
| PCIe Gen 4.0 Slots | 0 | 0 | 1 (x4) | 2 (x4) | 3 (x4) |
| M.2 Gen 5.0 Slots | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| M.2 Gen 4.0 Slots | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| M.2 Heatsinks | Yes | Yes | Yes (3) | Yes (3) | Yes (2) |
| SATA III Ports | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| WiFi Capabilities | WiFi 6E | WiFi 6E | WiFi 6E | WiFi 6E | N/A |
| LAN Capabilities | Killer E3100G 2.5G LAN | Killer E3100G 2.5G LAN | Dragon 2.5Gbps LAN Intel 1Gbps LAN |
Dragon 2.5Gbps LAN | Dragon 2.5Gbps LAN |
| USB 4.0 Ports | 2 | 2 | 2 | N/A | N/A |
| USB 3.2 Ports | 13 | 13 | 13 | 10 | TBD |
| USB 3.1/3.0/2.0 Ports | 6 (Front Panel) | 6 (Front Panel) | 6 (Front Panel) | 6 (Front Panel) | 6 (Front Panel) |
| RGB Sync Software | Polychrome Sync | Polychrome Sync | Polychrome Sync | Polychrome Sync | Polychrome Sync |
| Price | $529 | $499 | $299 | $279 | $259 |
The ASRock X670E Taichi motherboard comes in a large cardboard package. The front is themed in black and gold. You can also note the Taichi logo on the front and sides which looks great. The front side also lists down support for AMD's Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" processors, DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen 5.0.
The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the 24+2+1 Power Phase design that uses 105A SPS, Enhanced USB4 Type-C ports, Blazing M.2 Gen5 Fan heatsink and several other features.
Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories at the bottom. It is very easy to access although the accessories and each of them are nicely packed in two compartments.
Following is the full list of accessories in the package.
- 1 x User Manual
- 4 x SATA Data Cables
- 1 x Wireless Dongle USB Bracket
- 1 x Blazing M.2 Gen5 Fan Heatsink
- 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antenna
- 4 x Screws for M.2 Sockets
- 1 x Standoff for M.2 Socket
The motherboard is housed above the accessories and has anti-static wrapping to protect it from any built-up electrical resistance that can affect the board. One of the most important accessories in the package is the Blazing M.2 Fan heatsink which is an entirely separate heatsink unit with an active fan cooler and a thermal pad underneath it for PCIe M.2 SSDs. The whole unit has a single 4-pin connector coming oui from it to power the fan. It is up to you if you want to use it passively or with the active fan cooler.
The ASRock X670E Taichi is a very loaded motherboard, one that looks very premium for its $500 US pricing. The whole gold and black look on it look super appealing.
The ASRock X570 Taichi is styled in black and gold. The motherboard comes with the standard ATX form factor so compatibility won't be an issue on a wide range of PCs. The Taichi theme looks absolutely brilliant and eye-catching on the motherboard as well as the overall design layout which has been upped from the past Taichi variants.
The board uses the LGA 1718 socket to support AMD Ryzen 7000 processors. The socket is compatible only with Ryzen 7000 CPUs for now but will also support future iterations on the AM5 platform.
Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 128 GB of dual-channel memory. These slots are rated to support EXPO profiles up to 6600 MHz (OC Plus). The DIMM slots feature metallic shielding around them for extra durability. Each slot is labeled, making it easier to install DIMMs in the proper orientation. DDR5 memory comes with a different latch position so forcing a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage.
The ASRock X670E Taichi features a 22+2+1 (VCore/ VccGT/VccAUX) phase digital power delivery that makes utilizes the Renesas RAA229628 PWM controller and RAA22010540 (105A) MOSFETs for the VCore & SOC. The Vcc GT and Vcc AUX MOSFETs are spec'd at 60A & 70A respectively.
As you can see, the VRMs are getting ample cooling from the Composite VRM heatsink that is both beefy in terms of size and features active cooling too. This motherboard is designed specifically for enthusiasts and overclocking so expect a smooth & stable operation of the electrical circuitry when this board is running. The motherboard also comes with a backplate that features thermal pads for extra cooling performance.
The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8 pin power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 300 Watts of power. The AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs are very power-hungry with the maximum package power rating of 230W & more if you are planning to overclock these chips.
Getting a closer look at the VRM heatsinks reveals an aluminum fin design on both heatsinks. Each heatsink has thermal pads located underneath for efficient transfer of heat.
There's a large heat pipe that runs all the way from the top most heatsink to the PCH heatsink and is very bulky in design.
Expansion slots include two PCI Express x16 (1 x Gen 5.0 x16 or 2 x Gen 5.0 x8) and four M.2 slots.
ASRock is using a metallic cover on the sides of the expansion slots which provides protection to some extent. It adds more retention and shearing resistance by reinforcing the slots with metal plates. Aside from adding more protection, they do look really sweet.
All four M.2 slots are cooled off by the thermal pad and aluminum baseplate cooling. This will ensure stable operation for M.2 storage devices. The thermal adhesive has a plastic cover over them which needs to be removed before being used with the storage devices.
The topmost M.2 slot will house the primary PCI Gen 5.0 M.2 at the top which offers even more cooling performance through a larger heat sink. Following is the M.2 config on the motherboard:
CPU:
- - 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode
Chipset:
- - 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2230/2242/2260/2280/22110 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s & PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) modes
- - 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
- - 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_4, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
- - 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors
The X670 dual PCHs are housed beneath a large heatsink with the Taichi eagle logo etched over it that looks great.
The PCH heat sink and the I/O cover feature RGB LEDs, as a part of the Polychrome Sync suite, embedded within it and there is also a wide range of RGB connectors on the motherboard if you want to set up your own lighting.
Storage options include eight SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support 8 different storage devices at once. There are also three USB 3.2 front panel connectors (1 x Gen 2x2 + 2 x Gen 1). USB 2.0 dual connectors are also included.
ASRock is using a Realtek ALC4082 Audio Codec for audio output through a 5.1 channel HD audio jack that comes with WIMA audio capacitors (front outputs) and an ESS SABRE9218 DAC (front panel).
The LED DEBUG along with the Power On/Off and Reset switches can be found below the PCH heat sink.
The full list of connectors on the motherboard is listed as follows.
- - 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
- - 1 x RGB LED Header
- - 3 x Addressable LED Headers
- - 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)
- - 1 x CPU/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
- - 6 x Chassis/Water Pump Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
- - 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
- - 2 x 8 pin 12V Power Connectors (Hi-Density Power Connector)
- - 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector (15μ Gold Audio Connector)
- - 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports)
- - 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Headers (Support 4 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
- - 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Header (20 Gb/s)
- - 1 x Dr. Debug with LED
- - 1 x Power Button with LED
- - 1 x Reset Button with LED
ASRock is using a 2.5G Killer E3100G LAN switch along with the latest 802.11ax WiFi 6E module to power connectivity.
The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:
- - 2 x Antenna Ports
- - 1 x HDMI Port
- - 1 x Optical SPDIF OutPort
- - 2 x USB4 Type-C Ports (40 Gb/s)*
- - 5 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Ports (10 Gb/s) (ReDriver) (USB32_12 are Lightning Gaming Ports. USB32_3 supports Ultra USB Power.)
- - 3 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports
- - 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port
- - 1 x Clear CMOS Button
- - 1 x BIOS Flashback Button
- - 1 x Line Out Jack (Gold Audio Jack)
- - 1 x Microphone Input Jack (Gold Audio Jack)
Gigabyte has so far revealed a total of five motherboards, four within its AORUS lineup and one within its AERO lineup. The company has already detailed the prices of its motherboards during a previous event so let's take a look at the lineup itself which includes:
- Gigabyte X670E AORUS Xtreme
- Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master
- Gigabyte X670 AORUS Pro AX
- Gigabyte X670 AORUS Elite AX
- Gigabyte X670E AERO D
Gigabyte X670E AORUS Xtreme Motherboard - Around $500 US Flagship Pricing
The Gigabyte X670E AORUS Xtreme will be the first AM5 flagship from the manufacturer, featuring the AM5 (LGA 1718) socket and an 18 Phase (105A) power delivery that will deliver juice to the AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs. The motherboard features dual 8-pin connectors and a 24-pin ATX plug while next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that feature EXPO (Ryzen Extended Profiles For Overclocking) support and will support up to 128 GB capacities.
In terms of I/O, the motherboard is equipped with three PCIe x16 slots (1x Gen 5 x8, 2x Gen 4 x 4) and a total of four PCIe Gen 5.0 M.2 slots. The huge number of Gen 5 M.2 slots do cut the PCIe slot bandwidth to just x8 lanes but that still provides the same amount of bandwidth as a PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 interface.
The motherboard comes with 6 SATA III ports, large aluminum fin stacks covering the VRMs, and an all-heatsink shroud for the M.2 slots plus the PCH. There's also a Marvell AQC113C chip controller that is routed through a PCIe 4.0 interface for 10 GbE Ethernet LAN along with a huge variety of I/O on the backplate which includes Q-Flash Plus and Clear CMOS buttons. There are at least 10 USB Gen 2 ports plus HDMI/DP ports for the RDNA 2 iGPU.
Gigabyte X670E AORUS Xtreme Motherboard Features:
- AMD Socket AM5：Supports AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Processors
- Unparalleled Performance： Direct 18+2+2 Phases Digital VRM Solution
- Dual Channel DDR5：4*SMD DIMMs with AMD EXPO & Intel XMP Memory Module Support
- Next Generation Storage：4*PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 Connectors
- Fins-Array III & M.2 Thermal Guard III： To Ensure VRM Power Stability & 25110 PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSD Performance
- EZ-Latch Plus：SMD PCIe 5.0 x16 Slot & M.2 Connectors with Quick Release & Screwless Design
- Hi-Fi Audio with DTS:X Ultra：ALC1220 CODEC and Rear ESS SABRE Hi-Fi 9118 DAC with Front ESSential USB DAC Bundled
- Fast Networks：Marvell AQtion 10GbE LAN & Intel Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax
- Extended Connectivity： DP, HDMI, USB-C 10Gbps, Dual USB-C 20Gbps and Upcoming GIGABYTE USB4 AIC Support
- Q-Flash Plus： Update BIOS Without Installing the CPU, Memory, and Graphics Card
Gigabyte X670E & X670 Motherboard Specs
| Motherboard Name | Gigabyte X670E AORUS Xtreme | Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master | Gigabyte X670 AORUS PRO AX | Gigabyte X670 AORUS Elite AX | Gigabyte X670(E) AERO D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chipset | X670E | X670E | X670 | X670 | X670(E) |
| Form Factor | E-ATX | E-ATX | ATX | ATX | ATX |
| PCB Color | Black | Black | Black | Black | Black |
| Motherboard Color | Black | Black + Grey | Black + Grey | Black + Grey | Silver |
| VRM Design | Direct 18 Phase (105A SPS) | Twin 16 Phase (105A SPS) | Twin 16 Phase (90A SPS) | Twin 16 Phase (70A SPS) | Twin 16 Phase (90A SPS) |
| VRM Heatsink | Fins-Array III (8mm Heatpipe) 12W/mK Therma Pad | Fins-Array III (Enlarged Heatsink + 8mm Heatpipe) 12W/mK Therma Pad | Full-Cover Heatsink (8mm Heatpiipe) 7W/mK Therma Pad | Full-Cover Heatsink (8mm Heatpiipe) 5W/mK Therma Pad | Full-Cover Heatsink (8mm Heatpiipe) 7W/mK Therma Pad |
| PWM Controller | Renesas RAA229628 | Renesas RAA229620 | Infineon XDPE192C3 | Infineon XDPE192C3 | Infineon XDPE192C3 |
| Active OC | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Power Delivery (CPU) | 8+8 Pin | 8+8 Pin | 8+8 Pin | 8+8 Pin | 8+8 Pin |
| Memory DIMMs | 4 DDR5 DIMM | 4 DDR5 DIMM | 4 DDR5 DIMM | 4 DDR5 DIMM | 4 DDR5 DIMM |
| Memory Support | DDR5-5600 (JEDEC) DDR5-**** (EXPO) |
DDR5-5600 (JEDEC) DDR5-**** (EXPO) |
DDR5-5600 (JEDEC) DDR5-**** (EXPO) |
DDR5-5600 (JEDEC) DDR5-**** (EXPO) |
DDR5-5600 (JEDEC) DDR5-**** (EXPO) |
| Memory Capacity | 128 GB (Max) | 128 GB (Max) | 128 GB (Max) | 128 GB (Max) | 128 GB (Max) |
| PCIe Gen 5.0 Slots | 1 (x16) | 1 (x16) | 0 | 0 | 1 (x16) |
| PCIe Gen 4.0 / 3.0 Slots | 1/1 (x4/x2) | 1/1 (x4/x2) | 2/1 (x16/x4/x2) | 2/1 (x16/x4/x2) | 1/1 (x4/x2) |
| M.2 Gen 5.0 Slots | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| M.2 Gen 4.0 Slots | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| M.2 Heatsinks | 1 4cm Height Heatsink 3 Enlarged Thermal Guard Heatsinks |
1 4cm Height Heatsink 3 Enlarged Thermal Guard Heatsinks |
1 4cm Height Heatsink 3 Enlarged Thermal Guard Heatsinks |
4 Enlarged Thermal Guard Heatsinks | 1 4cm Height Heatsink 3 Enlarged Thermal Guard Heatsinks |
| SATA III Ports | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| WiFi Capabilities | WiFi 6E (AX210) | WiFi 6E (AX210) | WiFi 6E (AX210) | WiFi 6E (RZ616) | TBD |
| LAN Capabilities | 10 GbE (Aquantia AQC113c) | 2.5 GbE (Intel i225V) | 2.5 GbE (Intel i225V) | 2.5 GbE | TBD |
| USB 4.0 Ports (FP Header) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Total USB Ports | 21 | 21 | 22 | 22 | TBD |
| RGB Sync Software | RGB Fusion | RGB Fusion | RGB Fusion | RGB Fusion | RGB Fusion |
| Price | $699 | $499 | $399 | $289 | ~$300 US |
The X670E AORUS Xtreme motherboard comes in the standard cardboard package. The front is themed in black and orange which has been part of the AORUS lineup for a while now. You can also note the AORUS Eagle logo on the front which looks great. The front side also lists down support for AMD's Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4" processors while the motherboard is clearly labeled as a gaming product.
The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the Direct 18+2+2 Phase Digital VRM Solution, Advanced Thermal Design with Fins Array III / M.2 Thermal Guard III heatsinks, PCIe 5.0 design, DDR5 & PCIe EZ-Latch Plus support.
Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories at the bottom. It is very easy to access although the accessories and each of them are nicely packed in three compartments.
Following is the full list of accessories in the package.
- Quick Installation Guide, User's Manual
- 4 x SATA Cables
- 2 x Thermistors
- 3 x Screws for M.2 Sockets
- 3 x Standoffs for M.2 Sockets
- 1 x Gigabyte G-Connector
- 1 x Antenna (WiFi)
The motherboard is housed above the accessories and has anti-static wrapping to protect it from any built-up electrical resistance that can affect the board.
The X670E AORUS Extreme is as high-end as Gigabyte gets on the X670E platform. The motherboard carries tons of I/O and features in the $800 US segment.
The X670E AORUS Xtreme motherboard features matte black and silver/grey colors. The pricing and quality of this product make it feel more premium than the previous generation Xtreme offerings from AORUS. All of Gigabyte's recent AORUS Xtreme motherboards have been upgraded to an E-ATX form factor. It also has a more futuristic look to it.
The board uses the LGA 1718 socket to support AMD Ryzen 7000 processors. The socket is compatible only with Ryzen 7000 CPUs for now but will also support future iterations on the AM5 platform.
Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 128 GB of dual-channel memory. These slots are rated to support EXPO profiles up to 6666 MHz (OC Plus). The DIMM slots feature metallic shielding around them for extra durability. Each slot is labeled, making it easier to install DIMMs in the proper orientation. DDR5 memory comes with a different latch position so forcing a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage.
The X670E AORUS Xtreme features an 18+2+2 (VCore/ VccGT/VccAUX) phase digital power delivery that makes utilizes the Renesas RAA 229628 PWM controller and RAA2201105 (105A) MOSFETs for the VCore.
As you can see, the VRMs are getting ample cooling from the Fin-Array III heatsinks (with Nano Carbon Coating) that are both beefy in terms of size and also feature actual cooling fins. This motherboard is designed for overclocking so expect a smooth & stable operation of the electrical circuitry when this board is running. The motherboard also comes with a backplate that features thermal pads for extra cooling performance.
The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8 pin power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 300 Watts of power. The AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs are very power-hungry with the maximum package power rating of 230W & more if you are planning to overclock these chips.
Getting a closer look at the VRM heatsinks reveals an aluminum fin design on both heatsinks. Each heatsink has thermal pads located underneath for efficient transfer of heat. The thermal pads on the X670E AORUS Master are rated at 12w/mK. While the heatsinks don't feature any heat pipe-based interconnection, they do feature Direct-Touch Heatpipe II solutions underneath the fins that make direct contact with the VRMs.
Expansion slots include three PCI Express x16 (1 x Gen 5.0 x16 / 1 x Gen 4.0 x4 / 1x Gen 3.0 x 2) and four M.2 slots. All four M.2 slots are rated to support NVMe PCIe Gen 5 x4.
AORUS is using a metallic cover on the sides of the expansion slots which provides protection to some extent. It adds more retention and shearing resistance by reinforcing the slots with metal plates. Aside from adding more protection, they do look really sweet.
All four M.2 slots are cooled off by the thermal pad and aluminum baseplate cooling. This will ensure stable operation for M.2 storage devices. The thermal adhesive has a plastic cover over them which needs to be removed before being used with the storage devices.
The topmost M.2 slot that will house the primary M.2 is based on the new Thermal Guard III heatsink design that offers even more cooling performance through a larger heat sink. Following is the M.2 config on the motherboard:
CPU:
- 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 25110/2280 PCIe 5.0* x4/x2 SSD support) (M2A_CPU)
* Actual support may vary by CPU. - 3 x M.2 connectors (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 5.0* x4/x2 SSD support (M2B_CPU/M2C_CPU/M2D_CPU)
* Actual support may vary by CPU.
Chipset:
- 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
The X670 dual PCHs are housed beneath a large heatsink with the AORUS eagle logo etched over it that looks great.
The PCH heat sink and the I/O cover feature RGB LEDs, as a part of the RGB Fusion 2.0 suite, embedded within it and there is also a wide range of RGB connectors on the motherboard if you want to set up your own lighting.
Storage options include six SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support 6 different storage devices at once. There are also two USB 3.2 front panel connectors (Gen 2x2 + Gen 1). USB 2.0 dual connectors are also included.
AORUS is using its AMP-UP Audio system for audio which is a combination of hardware, and software audio solutions. 7.1 CH HD audio with the latest Realtek ALC1220-VB CODECaudio codec.
The DEBUG LED can be seen next to the DDR5 DIMM slots.
The full list of connectors on the motherboard is listed as follows.
- 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
- 2 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connectors
- 1 x CPU fan header
- 1 x water cooling CPU fan header
- 4 x system fan headers
- 4 x system fan/water cooling pump headers
- 2 x addressable LED strip headers
- 2 x RGB LED strip headers
- 1 x CPU cooler LED strip/RGB LED strip header
- 4 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors
- 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
- 1 x front panel header
- 1 x front panel audio header
- 1 x USB Type-C® header, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support
- 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers
- 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
- 1 x noise detection header
- 1 x THB_U4 add-in card connector
- 1 x Trusted Platform Module header (For the GC-TPM2.0 SPI/GC-TPM2.0 SPI 2.0 module only)
- 1 x power button
- 1 x reset button
- 1 x reset jumper
- 1 x Clear CMOS jumper
- 2 x temperature sensor headers
- Voltage Measurement Points
AORUS is using Intel's WiFi 6E 802.11 AX210 WiFi Module to power wireless connectivity such as 802.11ax WiFi (2.4/5/6 GHz WiFi) and Bluetooth 5.2. In terms of Ethernet, there is also a single 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet LAN port which is powered by Intel's network controller chip.
The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:
- 1 x Q-Flash Plus button
- 2 x SMA antenna connectors (2T2R)
- 1 x DisplayPort
- 1 x HDMI port
- 1 x USB Type-C port (DisplayPort), with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support
- 1 x USB Type-C port, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support
- 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red)
- 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
- 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
- 1 x RJ-45 port
- 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
- 2 x audio jacks
For testing, I used the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and the motherboard used included the X670E AORUS Master plus the ASRock X670E Taichi.
| Processors | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X |
|---|---|
| Motherboard (BIOS) | ASRock X670E Taichi (1.09) X670E AORUS Xtreme (F6a) X670E AORUS Master (F8a) ASUS X670E ROG HERO (0705) |
| Power Supply | ASUS ROG THOR 1200W |
| Solid State Drive | Samsung SSD 980 PRO M.2 (1 TB) |
| Memory | G.SKILL Trident Z5 32 GB (2 x 16GB) CL36 6000 Mbps (DDR5 Platforms) |
| Video Cards | MSI GeForce RTX 3090 SUPRIM X |
| Cooling Solutions | Corsair H115i (With LGA 1700 Mounting Kit) |
| OS | Windows 11 64-bit |
Our test rig includes the Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB SSD that boots up our main OS while a 2 TB Seagate HDD is used for the storage of games and applications. In addition to these, we are running an MSI GeForce RTX 3090 SUPRIM X graphics card, and an ASUS ROG Thor 1200W power supply. For this specific review, we used G.Skill's latest Trident Z5 NEO DDR5-6000 memory kit running at CL30 timings. We also got an AM5 mounting kit for the Corsair H115i to use as a cooling solution for our test setup.
3DMark Time Spy CPU Performance
3DMark Time Spy is a widely popular video card benchmark test for Windows that is designed to measure your PC’s gaming performance. While the overall benchmark is great, the utility also provides a good indication of the CPU performance.
3DMark TimeSpy CPU (Higher is Better)
3DMark TimeSpy CPU 5.1 GHz OC (Higher is Better)
Blender
Blender is a free and open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, and even video editing and game creation.
Blender 2.8 (Lower is Better)
Cinebench R20
Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities. Improvements to Cinebench Release 20 reflect the overall advancements to CPU and rendering technology in recent years, providing a more accurate measurement of Cinema 4D’s ability to take advantage of multiple CPU cores and modern processor features available to the average user.
Cinebench R20 (Higher is Better)
Cinebench R23
Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities. Improvements to Cinebench Release 20 reflect the overall advancements to CPU and rendering technology in recent years, providing a more accurate measurement of Cinema 4D’s ability to take advantage of multiple CPU cores and modern processor features available to the average user.
Cinebench R23 (Higher is Better)
CPU-Z
CPUz is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system such as the Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels, Mainboard, and chipset, Memory type, size, timings, and module specifications (SPD), and Real-time measurement of each core's internal frequency, memory frequency.
CPU-z (Higher is Better)
Geekbench 5
Geekbench 5, the latest major upgrade to Primate Labs’ easy-to-use cross-platform benchmark, is now available for download. Geekbench 5 allows you to measure your system’s power more accurately than ever before.
Geekbench 5 (Higher is Better)
HandBrake
HandBrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.
Handbrake (Higher is Better)
PCMark 10
PCMark 10 is a complete PC benchmarking solution for Windows 10. It includes several tests that combine individual workloads covering storage, computation, image and video manipulation, web browsing, and gaming. Specifically designed for the full range of PC hardware from netbooks and tablets to notebooks and desktops, PCMark 10 offers complete Windows PC performance testing for home and business use.
PCMark 10 (Higher is Better)
POV-Ray
The POV-Ray package includes detailed instructions on using the ray-tracer and creating scenes. Many stunning scenes are included with POV-Ray so you can start creating images immediately when you get the package.
POV-Ray 3.7 (Higher is Better)
SuperPI
Super PI is used by many overclockers to test the performance and stability of their computers. In the overclocking community, the standard program provides a benchmark for enthusiasts to compare “world record” pi calculation times and demonstrate their overclocking abilities. The program can also be used to test the stability of a certain overclock speed.
SuperPi (Lower is Better)
WinRAR
WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can back up your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP, and other files downloaded from the Internet, and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file format.
Winrar 5.8 (Higher is Better)
X264 HD Encode Benchmark
This benchmark measures the encoding performance of the processor. It offers a standardized benchmark for the clip as well as the encoder used is uniform.
X264 HD Encode Benchmark (Higher is Better)
Battlefield V
Battlefield V brings back the action of the World War 2 shooter genre. Using the latest Frostbite tech, the game does a good job of looking gorgeous in all ways possible. From the open-world environments to the intense and gun-blazing action, this multiplayer and single-player FPS title is one of the best-looking Battlefields to date. The game was tested at max settings at 1440p.
Battlefield V (1440P)
Battlefield V (1440P) 5.1 GHz OC
DOOM Eternal
DOOM Eternal brings hell to earth with the Vulkan-powered idTech 7. We test this game using the Ultra Nightmare Preset and follow our in-game benchmarking to stay as consistent as possible.
DOOM Eternal (1440P)
GTA V
GTA V is one handsomely optimized title for the PC audience. It's scalable across various PC configurations and delivers an impressive frame rate. Rockstar did an amazing job with the PC build of GTA V and it comes with a large array of settings that can be configured by PC gamers. We tested the title at 1440P with everything set to Ultra and 4x MSAA.
GTA V (1440P)
Metro Exodus
Metro Exodus continues the journey of Artyom through the nuclear wasteland of Russia and its surroundings. This time, you are set over the Metro, going through various regions and different environments. The game is one of the premier titles to feature NVIDIA’s RTX technology and does well in showcasing the ray-tracing effects in all corners. The game was tested at Ultra setting with RTX settings turned off at 1440p.
Metro Exodus (1440P)
Shadow of The Tomb Raider
Sequel to The Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of The Tomb Raider is visually enhanced with an updated Foundation Engine that delivers realistic facial animations and the most gorgeous environments ever seen in a Tomb Raider Game. The game is a technical marvel and really shows the power of its graphics engine in the latest title.
Shadow of The Tomb Raider (1440P)
Sid Meier's Civilization VI
Civilization VI is the pinnacle of the series. It features huge, sweeping changes, and nothing was left out. Everything has found a purpose, they all work together in tandem but also have a reason to stand alone. It uses a more fleshed-out engine that now supports DirectX 12 capabilities. We tested the game with every setting maxed out (4x MSAA, 4096x4096 shadow textures) at 1440P in DirectX 12.
Sid Meier's Civilization VI (1440P)
Watch Dogs Legion
Watch Dogs: Legion is a 2020 action-adventure game published by Ubisoft and developed by its Toronto studio. It is the third installment in the Watch Dogs series and the sequel to 2016's Watch Dogs 2. Set within a fictionalized representation of a futuristic, dystopian London, the game's story follows the hacker syndicate DedSec as they seek to clear their names after being framed for a series of terrorist bombings
Watch Dogs Legion (1440P)
Ashes of The Singularity (4K)
Stardock's Ashes of the Singularity RTS title is a new take on the historical genre. The game incorporates several things that many pc gamers have been curious about and anxious to try for themselves such as Explicit Multi-Adapter Support and full Asynchronous Compute under DirectX 12 API. We tested the game at 4K with 4x MSAA on Crazy Settings under DirectX 12.
Ashes of The Singularity (4K)
AMD's Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs utilize a brand new Zen 4 core architecture that is built on the 5nm process node as such, these chips are designed to be extremely efficient.
Power Consumption (Stock) Stress Test
Power Consumption (Stock) Gaming Test
Power Consumption Overclocked
The AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs either have two or three chiplets, one or two of which are the aforementioned AMD Zen 4 CCDs fabricated on the 5nm process node, and then we have the larger die around the center which is the IOD and that is based on a 6nm process node. The AMD Ryzen 7000 CCD measures at a die size of 70mm2 compared to 83mm2 for Zen 3 and feature a total of 6.57 Billion transistors, a 58% increase over the Zen 3 CCD with 4.15 Billion transistors,
Scattered around the package are several SMDs (capacitors/resistors) that usually sit under the package substrate if we consider Intel's CPUs. AMD is instead featuring them on the top layer and as such, they had to design a new kind of IHS which is internally referred to as the Octopus. We've already seen the delidded IHS before but now we get to see a final production chip with no lid on it to cover those gold Zen 4 nuggets!
With that said, the IHS is an interesting component of the AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPUs. The one picture shows the arrangement of the 8 arms which Robert Hallock 'Director of Technical Marketing at AMD' refers to as the 'Octopus'. Each arm has a small application of TIM beneath it which is used to solder the IHS to the interposer. Now delidding the chip is going to be really hard since each arm is right next to the massive array of capacitors. Each Arm is also slightly raised to make room for the SMDs and users shouldn't worry about heat getting trapped beneath.
The most interesting area of the AMD Ryzen 7000 Desktop CPU IHS, besides the arms, is the gold-plated IHS which is used to increase thermal dissipation off of the CPU/IO dies and directly to the IHS. The two 5nm Zen 4 CCD's and singular 6nm IO die have liquid-metal TIM or Thermal interface material for better heat conductivity and the aforementioned gold plating does help a lot with heat dissipation. What remains to be seen is whether the capacitors will feature silicone coating or not but from the previous package shot, it kind of looks like they do.
The thermal testing was carried out with the Corsair H1150i AIO liquid cooler:
Temperatures
While we discussed the AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs in our main review, the focus here was solely on the motherboards. We got to test both flagships from ASRock and AORUS and there are some unique aspects to both products. Since we waited out the launch, we now have access to fine-tuned BIOS releases that we used for both motherboards to see the experience that end-users will be getting.
Starting with the ASRock X670E Taichi motherboard, for $499 US, this is one of the lowest prices for a flagship design that comes with a great set of features. The ASRock X670E Taichi comes with a 27 Phase VRM design and a product that looks phenomenal with its gold and black design. But looking good just isn't enough for a motherboard. It has to offer good support and provide an optimal CPU experience. That's where ASRock's BIOS comes in which has seen some refinements & works really well.
The motherboard has it all with four M.2 slots, 2 PCIe slots, 4 DDR5 slots (6600+ support), 8 SATA III ports, and tons of USB 3.2 ports to work with. Some of the unique features of this motherboard are its Blazing M.2 heatsink and active heatsink cooling solution. If you are planning to use a high-end PCIe Gen 5 SSD or plan to do some serious overclocking, then the active cooling solution can come real handy. You will have to sacrifice some of that quite passive operation but the fans don't get as loud as a PC within normal operation so they won't hinder your experience a lot.
Boot Time (First Load)
The boot time was said to be one of the main issues of the ASRock X670E Taichi at launch but that has been fixed since then. With the latest BIOS installed, we noticed a vast reduction in boot times which was pretty much close to the other boards we used for testing. But this is just a one-off thing and loading it up for the second time was just as fast as any modern PC. While the board is packed full of features, it does lack 10 GbE LAN which we miss and used to be an addition on the previous Taichi motherboards. I hope there's a revision of the X670E Taichi that comes with dual LAN ports or a 10 GbE option but despite that, the motherboard is a killer product for its price.
We now move on to the second motherboard in the lineup and that's the AORUS X670E Xtreme. Starting at $699, this motherboard is $200 US more expensive than the Taichi and the Master by AORUS. Given the higher price, one should also expect better features and yes, it does come with one powerful power delivery solution that comprises 22 phases and although it is lower than the Taichi, it gets the job done and offers similar overclocking capabilities. One thing where the AORUS motherboard shines is DDR5 compatibility. On the AORUS Xtreme, I had no problem getting the memory to run at DDR5-6400 while with the Taichi, it was a bit more complicated (but still ran in the end after a few hours of tuning).
Just like the Taichi, the Xtreme is a looker and has a lot of fancy RGB and acrylic plates to shine out but I feel like the Xtreme lacks a bit in its I/O capabilities. The Taichi has all four of its M.2 slots rated at Gen 5 x4/x2 while the Xtreme has just one slot running at Gen 5 x4 speeds. The Taichi also has 2 PCIe Gen 5.0 PCIe slots while the Xtreme splits each slot into Gen 5/4/3. There are 8 SATA III ports on the Taichi whereas the Xtreme has 6. The Taichi offers two USB4 and 13 USB 3.2 ports while the Xtreme doesn't have any USB4 ports. The Xtreme does have a 10 GbE LAN but there's still just one port and a second one would have been nice on a $700 US motherboard.
Once again, both motherboards are similar in overclocking but the AORUS Xtreme does have a slightly better experience with its BIOS, not saying that the Taichi doesn't but AORUS feels more responsive. So if I was to recommend a high-end flagship X670E motherboard out of these two, I would definitely say ASRock because they have pretty much nailed the design at this price point. With an absolutely rich feature set and a BIOS that works well, the Taichi is ready for AM5 CPUs. But if you want to go the extra mile with a motherboard that sets the style tone for your PC, then the Xtreme from AORUS is a choice to consider though it might prove to be heavy on your wallet.
Note: Both motherboards get a Recommended award from us!
The post AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16 Core CPU Review – Revisiting Zen 4 on ASRock’s X670E Taichi & Gigabyte’s X670E AORUS Xtreme by Hassan Mujtaba appeared first on Wccftech.
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