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Software
On the software side, ASRock includes a few utilities that cover overclocking and monitoring (A-Tuning), audio (Nahimic 3), software for updating drivers and downloading applications (App Shop), and of course, RGB control (Polychrome RGB). While this isn’t the most software we’ve seen, what is here worked well and covers the bases for most people.
Firmware
We won’t cover UEFI/BIOS details as, for the most part, there aren’t any significant changes. We’ve captured a majority of the BIOS screens to share with you. ASRock includes an Easy Mode for high-level monitoring and adjustments, along with an Advanced section. The BIOS is organized well, with many of the more commonly used functions accessible without drilling down multiple levels to find them. The BIOS worked well and was easy to navigate and read.
Test System
As of late November 2020, we updated our test system to Windows 10 64-bit OS (20H2) with all threat mitigations applied. We also upgraded our video card driver to 457.30 and reran all the game tests moving to the new 5000 series CPU. We use the latest non-beta motherboard BIOS available to the public unless otherwise noted. The hardware used is as follows:
CPU | AMD Ryzen R9 5950X |
Memory | GSkill Trident Z Neo 2x8GB DDR4 3600 (F4-3600C16Q-32GTZN) |
GPU | Asus ROG Strix RTX 2070 |
CPU Cooler | Corsair H150i |
PSU | Corsair AX1200i |
Software | Windows 10 64-bit 20H2 |
Graphics Driver | NVIDIA Driver 457.30 |
Sound | Integrated HD audio |
Network | Integrated Networking (GbE or 2.5 GbE) |
Benchmark Settings
Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
PCMark 10 | Version 2.1.2177 64 |
Row 2 - Cell 0 | Essentials, Productivity, Digital Content Creation, MS Office |
3DMark | Version 2.11.6866 64 |
Row 4 - Cell 0 | Firestrike Extreme and Time Spy Default Presets |
Cinebench R20 | Version RBBENCHMARK271150 |
Row 6 - Cell 0 | Open GL Benchmark - Single and Multi-threaded |
Application Tests and Settings | Row 7 - Cell 1 |
LAME MP3 | Version SSE2_2019 |
Row 9 - Cell 0 | Mixed 271MB WAV to mp3: Command: -b 160 --nores (160Kb/s) |
HandBrake CLI | Version: 1.2.2 |
Row 11 - Cell 0 | Sintel Open Movie Project: 4.19GB 4K mkv to x264 (light AVX) and x265 (heavy AVX) |
Corona 1.4 | Version 1.4 |
Row 13 - Cell 0 | Custom benchmark |
7-Zip | Version 19.00 |
Row 15 - Cell 0 | Integrated benchmark |
Game Tests and Settings | Row 16 - Cell 1 |
The Division 2 | Ultra Preset - 1920 x 1080 |
Forza Horizon 4 | Ultra Preset - 1920 x 1080 |
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Prev Page Features and Specifications Next Page Benchmarks and Final AnalysisJoe Shields is a Freelance writer for Tom’s Hardware US. He reviews motherboards.
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CerianK "Out of the box, this fan was audible, but not loud. You can turn this down to silent in the BIOS and hot hear it at all."Reply
"How hot is it?"... That typo does bring up a good question: Most 570 boards use a chipset fan, but I have not heard any reports of what happens if the fan stops or fails. Has anyone experienced issues without the fan running? -
saf227 I'm still researching X570 boards, but the ASUS TUF Gaming X570-PRO (WiFi 6) seems to compare very favorably to this board for about $40 less. Have you looked at the ASUS Board?Reply -
mattkiss Multiple errors in the "Specifications" table. Also, should note the top PCIe 4.0 x1 slot is too close to the top x16 slot to ever be used for anything since most discrete graphics cards are dual slot solutions. I'd list this in the "Against" column.Reply -
ClapTrapper Here is maybe a naive question-why do we want wifi on the mobo? You can get a usb3 adapter for dirt cheap.Reply -
Cableaddict The storage limitations seem pathetically limited, although I don't quite understand all the cryptic descriptions. Only two M2 slots? And no M2 at all if you use a TB3 card?Reply
Huh?
What the heck is the point of using an x570 chip, if you're then going to severely limit drive options?