ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming ITX/TB3 motherboard

Plus a bit of Agesa 1.0.0.3 ABB/ ABBA testing

ASRock is back with one of the hippest X570 motherboards I have seen to date, it is the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming ITX/TB3 and as you can guess from its name, this puppy offers an ITX form factor, you house some of the best features of X570. Also, it is one of the faster motherboards for your Ryzen Generation 3 processor while offering PCIe Gen 4.0 and AX Wifi.

AMD has been going strong over the past year, rattling all the cages with an Intel logo on them. From top to bottom they have been able to compete with Intel. With Zen2 (codename 'Matisse') AMD is introducing a new line of processors starting at hexacore processors in the entry-level to mainstream segment (yeah, you read that right), eight and twelve cores for the mainstream to high-end, and up to 16-core Ryzen processors for the enthusiast level. It is batpoop crazy when you think about what AMD has accomplished in, what has it been, two years time? Sure, the initial ZEN Ryzen processors had a bit of a rocky launch with the inter-core latency discussion, 1080p gaming performance as well as memory support. But the tide turned with each month that passed, and over time more and more people would actually consider an AMD processor-based PC for their next purchase. That shift in the paradigm is big when you think about Intel's monopolized position in the desktop processor market. When AMD launched the 12nm update of Zen, called Zen+, the memory compatibility issues were mostly all gone, of course, and with the launch of Ryzen 3000, the 3rd generation Ryzen products, AMD is about to rattle the cages once again with a massively strong and competitive processor lineup. A topic of discussion has been chipset compatibility. Basically, in short, if you have a Series 300 or 400 chipsets AMD motherboard, you should seek a BIOS/firmware update from your motherboard's manufacturer. Ryzen 3000 processors will (read: should) work fine, with one distinction, you have reverted back to PCIe Gen 3.0, and that also goes for the x4 PCIe based interlink between the CPU and chipset. When we reverse the situation (use a Ryzen Series 1000 or 2000 on X570) we see a similar condition, most of the older Ryzen processors will work fine on X570, just not with PCIe 4.0 and dandy features like optional AX Wi-fi 6

ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming ITX/TB3

The ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming ITX/TB3 is made on a Mini-ITX form factor, that means you can seat a processor as powerful as the Ryzen 9 3950X 16-core part into this motherboard that is 17x17 CM. It still has a fully fetched PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 slot, KillerNIC Gigabit Ethernet, AC WIFI-6, USB 3.2 Gen2 and heck even four SATA 6 Gbps ports as well as a PCIe BGen 4.0 M2 slot. So if you go with a proper processor, you'll like want a proper motherboard loaded with the latest and greatest. An Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 adapter is used to give AX Wifi6 a home on this motherboard. The 802.11ax protocol and can broadcast fast signals up to a theoretical peak of 2400Mbps. The motherboard is a very feature-rich product for something so small and will look terrific in any compact DIY PC build. The dark styled PCB comes with shielding and very subtle light accents. Features wise you may a full x16 PCI-Express slots (16x), an 8-channel audio solution, the usual quality components and USB 3.2. Combine this motherboard with a nice Ryzen 3000 series six up-to sixteen-core processors and you'll be pleasantly surprised as to what it offers. Let’s start up the review, shall we?

Oh and for some perspective ....