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Firmware
Like the other boards, you start in Easy Mode when jumping in the BIOS, which is mostly informative but lets you change a few options (XMP, profiles, boot order, Fan-Tastic Tuning, etc.). Advanced mode displays headings across the top, with details below.
Here you can tweak everything that can be tweaked, as ASRock includes every option you can think of. Overclocking is easy, with most options on the same page, although some power options are in a different section. It’s a logical layout. The movement is smooth, and it’s easy to read. No significant complaints from us about the ASRock firmware.
Software
For software, ASRock provides several different options. It has the App Shop to install drivers and software, the Nahimic 3 audio control panel, the A-Tune application that overclocks your system (if applicable), control fans, the Polychrome RGB software, and more. There’s even a pop-up to install drivers when you first boot the system. ASRock’s software provides everything users need to manage and tweak their system.
Test System / Comparison Products
We’ve updated our test system to Windows 11 64-bit OS with all updates applied. We kept the same Asus TUF RTX 3070 video card from our previous testing platforms but updated the driver. We also updated to F1 22 for our games and kept Far Cry 6. We use the latest non-beta motherboard BIOS available to the public. The hardware we used is as follows:
CPU | Intel Core i9-13900K |
Memory | Kingston Fury Beast DDR5-6000 CL36 (KF560C36BBEAK2-32) |
GSkill Trident Z DDR5-5600 CL36 (F5-5600U3636C16GX2-TZ5RK) | |
GPU | Asus TUF RTX 3070 |
Cooling | Coolermaster MasterLiquid PL360 Flux |
PSU | EVGA Supernova 850W P6 |
Software | Windows 11 64-bit (22H2) |
Graphics Driver | Nvidia GeForce Driver 522.25 |
Sound | Integrated HD audio |
Network | Integrated Networking (GbE or 2.5 GbE) |
EVGA supplied our Supernova 850W P6 power supply (appropriately sized and more efficient than the 1.2KW monster we used previously) for our test systems, and G.Skill sent us a DDR5-5600 (F5-5600U3636C16GX2-TZ5RK) memory kit for testing.
Benchmark Settings
Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
Procyon | Version 2.1.459 64 |
Office Suite (Office 365), Video Editing (Premiere Pro 22.6.2.2), Photo Editing (Photoshop 23.5.1, Lightroom Classic 11.5) | |
3DMark | Version 2.22.7359 64 |
Firestrike Extreme and Time Spy Default Presets | |
Cinebench R23 | Version RBBENCHMARK330542 |
Open GL Benchmark - Single and Multi-threaded | |
Blender | Version 3.3.0 |
Full benchmark (all 3 tests) | |
Application Tests and Settings | |
LAME MP3 | Version SSE2_2019 |
Mixed 271MB WAV to mp3: Command: -b 160 --nores (160Kb/s) | |
HandBrake CLI | Version: 1.2.2 |
Sintel Open Movie Project: 4.19GB 4K mkv to x264 (light AVX) and x265 (heavy AVX) | |
Corona 1.4 | Version 1.4 |
Custom benchmark | |
7-Zip | Version 21.03-beta |
Integrated benchmark (Command Line) | |
Game Tests and Settings | |
Far Cry 6 | Ultra Preset - 1920 x 1080, HD Textures ON |
F1 2022 | Ultra Preset - 1920 x 1080, Ultra High (default) Bahrain (Clear/Dry), FPS Counter ON |
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Prev Page Feature 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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HideOut
Thats EXACTLY what I was thinking. But remember, THG gets a % of the sale when you buy from their link. You are encouraged to do so.LolaGT said:It is bordering on ridiculous to call $400 mid range -
palladin9479 LolaGT said:It is bordering on ridiculous to call $400 mid range
Prices have been out of control these past few years, but inflation is a thing and it sucks. -
spongiemaster
THG doesn't set the prices for motherboards. In case you haven't been paying attention, motherboard prices have skyrocketed over the past 5 years more than any other component. Sadly, $380 is legitimately in the midrange of the market now where halo boards easily clear $1000, and the highend is over $500.HideOut said:Thats EXACTLY what I was thinking. But remember, THG gets a % of the sale when you buy from their link. You are encouraged to do so. -
Albert.Thomas $379.99 is a mid-range price? Excuse me?! WHAT?!Reply
$200 is a mid-range price. $380 is absolutely friggin high end. I personally think spending that much on a motherboard is absolutely ridiculous. -
Albert.Thomas
There are plenty of good, solid 90 series motherboards for around $150-180.spongiemaster said:THG doesn't set the prices for motherboards. In case you haven't been paying attention, motherboard prices have skyrocketed over the past 5 years more than any other component. Sadly, $380 is legitimately in the midrange of the market now where halo boards easily clear $1000, and the highend is over $500. -
Amdlova The prices for a motherboard is insane nondays. Got this h670 for 100us... pci 5 on graphics, 3 nvme pci 4.0, four slots ddr4 5000mhz+ capable boost 180w on cpu. Support thunderbolt via add-on card.Reply
Only drawback Can't overclock -
ocer9999 Not sure if I agree with the Lost premium look in the conclusion, the motherboard looks great, it's just unfortunate that good motherboards these days are expensive and it was the smart move by Asrock to come up with the Lite version of the Z790 Taichi, if I had to buy one It would most likely be this one.Reply -
Co BIY ASRock did nice on this. Dumped the junk and kept the substance.Reply
Still more substance than I want to spend on.
Put the Steel Legend on a diet.