ASRock has introduced a miniature motherboard for AMD Ryzen microprocessors, one of a few platforms of such kind in the industry. Despite being very small, the X370 Gaming ITX/ac offers everything that a fairly powerful gaming system might require, and its price is not too high.
The ASRock X370 Gaming ITX/ac is based on the AMD X370 chipset and supports all currently available processors in the AM4 form-factor, including A-series APUs as well as all Ryzen CPUs. The motherboard has a digital eight-phase VRM for the CPU designed to guarantee clean power supply (stability, overclocking potential, etc.). According to ASRock, the mainboard can handle DDR4-3200+ memory (assuming that particular modules work well with AMD Ryzen processors). The new platform has two memory slots in total.
Like many other motherboards in the Mini-ITX form-factor, the X370 Gaming ITX/ac has one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, one M.2 slot for PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA SSDs, and four SATA ports. What is a bit ironic is that the mainboard uses GbE and 802.11ac Wi-Fi controllers from Intel. As for other I/O, everything seems to be pretty standard here: the motherboard has two HDMI outputs, five USB 2.0 ports, six USB 3.0 headers (including one Type-C) as well as a 7.1-channel audio powered by Realtek ALC1220 codec with Creative’s Sound Blaster Cinema 3 enhancing software.
At present, the ASRock X370 Gaming ITX/ac has only one direct rival, the Biostar Racing X370GTN introduced earlier this year. The Racing X370GTN does not have Wi-Fi support, but it has two USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) headers, including one Type-C. Meanwhile, the X370 Gaming ITX/ac seems to have a more advanced VRM for those looking forward overclocking capabilities.
The ASRock X370 Gaming ITX/ac will be available in the coming weeks for $150 – $160, according to the manufacturer. Keep in mind that since there are only two AMD X370-based Mini-ITX motherboards announced so far and small form-factor systems are gaining traction, demand for the X370 Gaming ITX/ac will be very high. That said, expect some overpricing from select retailers.
| ASRock's Mini-ITX Motherboard for AMD Ryzen | |
|---|---|
| X370 Gaming ITX/ac | |
| CPU Support | CPUs in AM4 form-factorAMD Ryzen and AMD A-series APUs |
| Graphics | PCIe 3.0 x16, or integrated in case of APUs |
| Chipset | AMD X370 |
| Memory | 2 x DDR4 DIMM slots |
| Ethernet | 2 × Intel GbE controllers |
| Display Outputs | HDMI and DP for APUs |
| Storage | 4 × SATA 6 Gbps1 × M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA) |
| Audio | Realtek ALC12207.1 channel audioCreative’s Sound Blaster Cinema 3 enhancing software |
| USB | 5 × USB 3.0 Type-A1 × USB 3.0 Type-C5 × USB 2.0 |
| Other I/O | unknown |
| Form-Factor | Mini-ITX |
| MSRP | $150 ~ $160 |
This post was written by Anton Shilov.
