The Redditor who had thousands of PC-DIY enthusiasts on tenterhooks with posts charting their extraordinarily long BIOS update odyssey (100 hours+) had some sad news to share today. GoatWithAGun posted a defeated “Welp, we’re done here,” and shared a picture of their famous-for-15-minutes PC, which was described as “completely unresponsive” after the monitor seemingly lost signal from the machine.

Welp, we’re done here from r/pcmasterrace

In the above post, which serves as both an obituary and epitaph for the deceased PC, GoatWithAGun sensitively told those gathered around this virtual deathbed “As of 2:14 PM Philippine Standard Time, my monitor lost signal from the PC and I returned to it completely unresponsive to any troubleshooting.” The Redditor graciously thanked those who had followed their fight to resuscitate the PC, and those who had donated.

Our previous coverage saw the efforts to update the BIOS of this PC’s BioStar A320MH motherboard extend past the 24-hour mark (flashing 66% complete). Actually, follow-up posts saw the Redditor start new threads at 48-hours+, and 100-hours+ before quiet darkness descended today.

It may be unfortunate what has happened to this PC, which the Redditor said they decided to BIOS-flash due to the lure of BioStar stability fixes. However, it shouldn’t be the end of the system, with replacement motherboards readily available. Other components of this system like the AMD Ryzen 3 1200 CPU, 4GB of DDR4-2400 Kingston HyperX memory, an Asus GTX 1660 GPU, a 128GB Transcend SATA SSD, and a 480GB Crucial SATA SSD are all likely unconcerned with the motherboard’s sticky end.

Before signing off, GoatWithAGun seemed to hint that they may soon have a new way to reanimate the dead BioStar A320MH motherboard. The Redditor said that a BIOS programmer is on the way (with a spare BIOS chip, we would hope). Thus, there may be a chance that this bricked single-BIOS device could rise again – if the BIOS contents are the only hurdle to it being able to boot.

GoatWithAGun will probably announce the result of the BIOS programmer tinkering off of Reddit, due to a segment of the platform the Redditors says have “grown tired of me.” It’s a shame those folks couldn’t just go and read and comment on something else.

Biostar’s Valkyrie line of motherboards has been on the market for a few generations and is available in AMD and Intel flavors. Each generation has brought improvements in appearance and functionality. Fast-forward to today, and we get a chance to look at the AMD-based X870E Valkyrie, the latest and greatest in the series. The updated Valkyrie receives a minor facelift, faster memory support, an improved audio solution, and more robust power delivery.

At the time of this writing, Biostar’s X870/X870E product stack consists of the Valkyrie and nothing else. There are no budget offerings, MicroATX, or Mini-ITX form factors, just the X870E Valkyrie in all its mid-range ATX glory. The company has three boards at varying price points (though all ATX) for Intel, but, for now at least, there is only one for the AMD X870E.

Hardware-wise, the X870E Valkyrie gets you almost everything you expect and want from the platform: native support of the Zen 5 processors (including the recently announced X3D chips with a BIOS update), 40 Gbps Type-C support (Thunderbolt 4 in this case), robust power delivery with 110A MOSFETs, four M.2 sockets and six SATA ports, a quality audio solution, and 2.5 GbE. Even though you see Wi-Fi antenna connections on the rear IO, this board does not include Wi-Fi, which is misleading.

The Valkyrie performed well overall, allowing our Ryzen 9 9900X to let loose and mix in with the other tested boards. We expect nothing less. It did better in gaming than productivity, but as we know, it would be difficult to discern between them in most tests as many of the results are very close.

Below, we’ll examine the board's details and determine whether it deserves a spot on our Best Motherboards list (spoiler: it will not). But before we share test results and discuss details, we’ll list the specifications from Biostar’s website. 

Specifications of the Biostar X870E Valkyrie

Inside the Box of the Biostar X870E Valkyrie

The X870E Valkyrie’s accessory stack is surprisingly light, offering stickers, an easy-connect header for the front panel, and four SATA cables. That said, you should be fine as the M.2 sockets all have a quick connect (read: not screws!).  

Design of the Valkyrie

The updated Valkyrie presents users with a mid-range vibe and, at least to this reviewer, it’s improved over the X760E version. The matte black PCB is still high-quality, with eight layers, and uses two ounces of copper. Above the rear IO, on the beefy VRM heatsink, is the Valkyrie branding backlit with RGB LEDs. The Valkyrie symbol graces the chipset area, with plate heatsinks covering all the M.2 sockets. A pink stripe shoots through those same plates as well. Overall, I like the look, and it will blend in with most build themes. But I would have liked to see a large heatsink for the PCIe 5.0-capable M.2 socket - an impossible feat with this design due to its location below the primary PCIe slot. 

Starting in the top left, we get a better look at the oversized, heatpipe-connected VRM heatsinks and the RGB feature. The VRM heatsinks are heavy, and the miter cuts increase surface area for what looks to be an effective solution. Above are the two 8-pin EPS connectors to power the processor.

Moving our focus right and past the socket area, we find the four reinforced DRAM slots with locking mechanisms on both sides. Biostar lists capacity up to 192GB and speeds to DDR5-8000 (an improvement of 2000 MT/s over X670E Valkyrie). We had no issues running our DDR5-6000 kit for baseline testing, but our sample quit working (never to work again) after we installed our Klevv DDR5-8000 kit and enabled XMP. Much more on that later.

Just above the DRAM slots are the first two (of six) 4-pin fan headers. Each header supports PWM and DC-controlled devices. The manual doesn’t list the output, and we’re also waiting for Biostar's reply with the details on that front. Until then, assume each has 1A/12W available, and do not overload the headers. The BIOS and Aurora software can control these headers through presets or manually.

Tucked in the upper-right corner are three of five RGB headers. Here, there are two 3-pin ARGB headers and one 4-pin RGB header, with the other two ARGB headers located along the bottom edge. Looking down the right side, we spy power and reset buttons labeled with LED backlit “P” and “R” letters and another system fan header just below. Following that is the 24-pin ATX to power the board, a front panel USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) Type-C header, and a 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) connector.

The X870E Valkyrie's power delivery has plenty of oomph to power flagship-class Zen 4 and Zen 5 processors. Biostar lists the VRMs as 22 phases, with 18 dedicated to Vcore. Power travels from the EPS connector(s) onto a Renesas RAA229628 20-phase PWM controller. From there, it hits the 18 Renesas R22209004HBO 110A MOSFETs in a teamed configuration. The 1,980A available is more than enough for any overclocking you may do with any compatible processor. Per usual, you’ll be limited by your cooling before the power delivery.  

The audio section is on the bottom half of the board (left) and is mostly hidden from the user. Under the shroud is the high-end, last-gen Realtek ALC1220-VB2 codec, and four dedicated audio capacitors poke out through the shroud. We’d like to see the latest generation Realtek audio based on the Realtek 408X series. Still, the last-gen flagship is a fine audio solution that an overwhelming majority would find acceptable.

In the middle, between all of the heatsinks, are three reinforced full-length PCIe slots. The top two slots connect through the CPU with the primary graphics (top) slot running at PCIe 5.0 x16 or x8/x8, with the middle running at a maximum of PCIe 5.0 x8 when using a desktop-class processor. The bottom full-length slot connects through the chipset and runs at PCIe 4.0 x4. With this configuration, there is plenty of room physically and also bandwidth-wise for expansion cards.

A total of four M.2 sockets sit among the PCIe slots. The topmost M.2, just below the primary PCIe slot, supports up to 80mm PCIe 5.0 x4 modules. The bottom three slots connect via the chipset and run up to PCIe 4.0 x4. The M2M_SB_2/3 connector supports up to 80mm devices, while M2M_SB_1 is 110mm. When using M2M_SB_3, the bottom PCIe slot (PCIEX16_3) will be disabled. Moving right, past the chipset, are six SATA ports for additional storage. If you’d like to RAID these, the Valkyrie supports RAID0/15 modes, but only on the SATA ports. I would like to see an additional PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket, but otherwise, there are plenty of storage options, especially if you have a lot of SATA-based drives.

Across the bottom of the board are several exposed headers. You’ll find the usual, including additional USB ports, RGB headers, and more. Below is a complete list from left to right.

• Front panel audio
• (2) 3-pin ARGB header
• (2) System fan headers
• COM Port
• Thunderbolt AIC header
• (2) USB 2.0 headers
• System fan header
• Debug LED
• Front panel
• Clear CMOS button

The rear IO has a lot going on, with a wide range of connectivity. Starting with USB, there are 10 total ports out back: eight USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-A ports and two Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps) Type-C ports. On the left are the HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs (don’t forget the TB4 ports also offer video). Next to that is the Smart BIOS Update option (which can be used without a CPU), while on the right is the 2.5 GbE LAN port and audio stack (5x 3.5mm analog, plus SPDIF optical output). We do see antenna headers for Wi-Fi. However, this board does not include Wi-Fi! You will have to buy the CNVI-based Key-E card separately.

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Firmware

Biostar’s firmware on the X870E board has been updated, mainly in EZ Mode. It’s laid out logically in sections, and the black-on-grey/white with gold accents makes it easy to read. While it has many of the basics, the overclocking options are still limited with regard to memory. If you’re into tweaking every little thing to extract every ounce of performance from your RAM, this isn’t the board that will do it. If you’re more of a set-EXPO/XMP-and-forget-it memory person, this isn’t a concern (assuming your memory is on the QVL list). Overall, we like the BIOS, and the EZ Mode is improved, but it’s still behind compared to the competition. 

Software

Biostar has its Aurora suite of software, which combines various functionality in one application. In the OC/OV section, you’ll find audio functionality (volume control—Smart Ear), RGB (Vivid LED DJ), fan control (AI Fan), a hardware monitor, and overclocking functions. Everything worked as described. We like the Aorura application and hope for additional features/functionality in new revisions. 

Test System / Comparison Products

We’ve updated our test system to Windows 11 (24H2) 64-bit OS with all updates applied as of late September 2024 (this includes the Branch Prediction Optimizations for AMD). Hardware-wise, we’ve updated the RAM kits (matching our Intel test system), cooling, storage, and video card. Unless otherwise noted, we use the latest non-beta motherboard BIOS available to the public. Thanks to Asus for providing the RTX 4080 TUF graphics card and Crucial for the 2TB T705 SSDs. The hardware we used is as follows: 

Test System Components

Benchmark Settings

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Benchmark Results and Final Analysis

 Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo) with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and the memory by enabling the XMP profile. The Windows power scheme is set to Balanced (default) for this baseline testing, so the PC idles appropriately.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics provide a great way to determine how a board runs, as identical settings should produce similar performance results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are places where motherboard makers can still optimize for stability or performance, though, and those settings can impact some testing. 

The X870E Valkyrie did well across our synthetic benchmarks, frequently around the average of our existing data sets. Any differences between the first few boards we’ve tested aren’t noticeable and are within the margin of error.

Timed Applications

In our timed benchmarks, the Valkyrie was leading or near the top of the group. Like the synthetics above, any differences were negligible. It’s clear this board gets the most out of the Ryzen 9 9900X. 

3D Games and 3DMark

Starting with the launch of Zen 5, we’ve updated our game tests. We’re keeping the F1 racing game but have upgraded to F1 24. We also dropped Far Cry 6 in favor of an even more popular and good-looking game in Cyberpunk 2077. We run both games at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed above). Cyberpunk 2077 uses DLSS, while we left F1 24 to native resolution scaling. The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used (and CPU/system bound) resolution with settings most people use or strive for (Ultra). We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most falling within the margin of error differences. We’ve also added a minimum FPS value, which can affect your gameplay and immersion experience.

If you’ve read any earlier X870/X870E reviews or cheated and looked at the charts, you know our Ryzen 9 9900X is a capable gaming chip, too. The 3DMark scores were strikingly similar, but the games show some early differences, mainly in the minimum frame rate. The Valkyrie ended up the fastest in our gaming tests, but again, the results are all very close, and you’d be hard-pressed to see the differences on-screen.

Overclocking

Over the past few CPU generations, overclocking headroom has been shrinking on both sides of the fence while the out-of-box potential has increased. For overclockers, this means there’s less fun to have. For the average consumer, you’re getting the most out of the processor without manual tweaking. Today’s motherboards are more robust than ever, and they easily support power-hungry flagship-class processors, so we know the hardware can handle them.

There are multiple ways to extract even more performance from these processors: enabling a canned PBO setting, manually tweaking the PBO settings, or just going for an all-core overclock. Results will vary and depend on the cooling as well. In other words, your mileage may vary. Considering all of the above, we’re not overclocking the CPU. However, we will try out our different memory kits to ensure they meet the specifications. 

As you may know, we like to drop in the fastest kit under the board’s rated speed and stress test. Well, that didn’t work out with this board – to put it mildly. We dropped our Klevv DDR5-8000 kit on the board and enabled XMP. It trained and booted into Windows. But a couple of minutes later, while sitting idle, the system shut down, puffed out some magic smoke, and never turned on again. After some investigation, it turns out the source of the smoke was one of the MOSFETs. On the surface, this may seem problematic, but we believe this is a one-off situation, as other reviews were able to run DDR5-8000+ off the same board. It’s also possible that it was a user error, as we remove and reinstall the heatsinks to capture the VRM pictures but didn’t see any obvious physical damage. 

Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures

We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU, Cache and Memory enabled for power testing, using the peak power consumption value from the processor. The wattage reading is from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter to capture the entire PC (minus the monitor). The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts remain the same. Please note we moved to use only the stock power use/VRM temperature charts, as this section aims to ensure the power delivery can handle flagship-class processors. 

The Ryzen 9 9990X's power consumption is tame compared to the 7950X we used for X670/X670E. Where, in the past, high-end boards would peak at nearly 300W, the systems now top out at 250-270W during the CPU stress tests (gaming with the Nvidia RTX 4080 is another story). The X870E Valkyrie peaked at 267W (the highest we’ve seen so far on this platform) and idled at 86W, one of the lower idle values. Sadly, we don’t have the VRM charts available, as that data gets captured using the high-speed sticks that failed, resulting in this board’s death.

We have no idea what the VRM temperatures are due to the failure, but the large heatsinks and VRM bits below should be able to handle anything you throw at them. 

Bottom Line

Biostar’s X870E Valkyrie improves on the X760E version with an updated appearance and BIOS, more robust power delivery, a quality audio solution, and a slew of connectivity. Biostar has not released U.S. pricing information at this time (we asked, but they don’t have it yet), but we’d expect to see it somewhere above the $400 mark. It has almost everything you’d want but is missing integrated Wi-Fi 7, when other much less expensive boards include it. I would also like two PCIe 5.0-capable M.2 sockets and more EZ DIY features to keep up with the ‘big four’ board competitors.

There are a lot of high-quality motherboards in the $400-$500 price bracket. At the top end, you have the Gigabyte X870E Aorus Master ($499.99 - less with rebates), the MSI X870E Carbon WIFI ($499.99), and one of the best value boards of this generation, ASRock’s X870E Taichi ($449.99). Priced under $400, you also have some refined and well-equipped options like the X870E Taichi Lite ($399.99), Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro/Pro Ice ($359.99), Asus ROG Strix X870-A Gaming ($369.99), and MSI’s Z890 Edge Ti WIFI7 Gaming ($369.99 - less with rebates). No matter where you look, all of these include Wi-Fi 7, more ‘EZ DIY’ features, and ‘Ai Overclocking,’ and most have numerous PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 sockets, whereas the Valkyrie does not.

From most angles, Biostar’s X870E Valkyrie is an improvement over the X670E version. Although we had some trouble testing, with the board going up in smoke using high-speed memory, we believe this was a one-off situation and not a systemic problem. Again, we’ve seen other reviews on this board, and it overclocked high-speed memory without issue. That out of the way, we can't recommend this board if it costs more than $400, as so many alternatives with similar or even better hardware and features are available between $360-$400.

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Finally on our test bench is a motherboard that doesn’t from one of the four major board partners. Specifically, we’re looking at the Biostar Z790 Valkyrie. This flagship-class SKU offers users the full complement of features from the Z790 platform, including PCIe 5.0 slots, M.2 sockets, and support for Intel’s 12th and 13th Gen processors. Currently found online for over $600, it comes with last-gen flagship-class audio, plenty of storage options and USB ports, and robust power delivery to support the high-end Intel processors. However, it is missing integrated Wi-Fi. Its looks are also basic for the price, but you won’t need to hide it in your chassis.

Biostar’s product stack has just two motherboards for Z790, the Valkyrie we’re reviewing here and the much lower-priced Z790A-Silver. You won’t find any Micro ATX or Mini-ITX boards or other SKUs here. Biostar’s options are simple and straightforward, but not also limited compared to the competition.

Regarding performance, the Z790 was below average with our Intel i9-13900K. Like most other Z790 boards, the Valkyrie lets the processor run free within Intel specifications, but gets hindered by thermal throttling. We saw above-average results in Handbrake, but surprisingly lower results in the Procyon Office tests. For those concerned about gaming, performance was average all around there. If you need more performance, there are options within the BIOS to run with raised limits. Just be sure you have the cooling to support it (and perhaps run a negative offset for Vcore).

This board doesn’t earn a spot on our best motherboards list, but it does present users with another option in the crowded Z790 market. Before we get into our testing and board specifics, though, we’ll start by listing the specifications from Biostar’s website.

Specifications: Biostar Z790 Valkyrie

Inside the Box of the Biostar Z790 Valkyrie

Inside the box, along with the motherboard, is a simple accessory stack designed to get you started without an additional trip to the store. Below is a complete list of the included accessories:

• (4) SATA cables
• Driver disk
• User Manual
• Smart connector

Design of the Z790 Valkyrie

The Z790 Valkyrie sits on a matte-black 8-layer PCB, sporting black heatsinks and shrouds with gold accents, plus a brushed aluminum finish covering the unsightly parts of the board. The left VRM bank and chipset heatsinks include the Valkyrie branding, backlit with RGB LEDs. The board doesn’t look bad, but its similarly priced competition does look better and more premium.

Focusing on the top half of the board, we get a better look at the large heatpipe-connected VRM heatsinks and the Valkyrie branding on the IO cover. Like the AMD-based X670E Valkyrie, the VRM heatsinks are loaded with wide-mitered cutouts to increase surface area and performance, and they do a more-than-adequate job keeping the MOSFETs running well within specification. Above the VRM heatsinks are two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) to power the Intel processor.

Moving past the socket, we hit the four reinforced DDR5 DRAM slots, with locking mechanisms on both sides. Biostar lists support up to DDR5-7200, which is low compared to similarly priced options. We didn’t have any trouble with our DDR5-5600 or DD5-6000 kits, but the fastest we had (DDR5-7200) didn’t want to play nice here. However, the sticks are not on the QVL list, and are at the very top of listed support, so I can’t say we expected that to work anyway.

Next to the DRAM slots are the first two (of six) 4-pin fan headers. You can adjust the PWM and DC-controlled devices in the BIOS or through the Aurora software. Biostar documentation doesn’t appear to list the output of these headers on the specs page or in the manual. You can safely assume the headers all have 1A/12W available to them without fear (more would be concerning). Overloading these headers can cause permanent damage to your motherboard.

Past the DRAM slots along the right edge, we find a slew of headers, including all three RGB headers (2x 3-pin ARGB and 1x 4-pin RGB) nicely tucked in this location which helps with cable management. Down the right edge are the power and reset buttons, another 4-pin fan header, and the 24-pin ATX connector to power the board. Below is a 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) connector and a front panel USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) Type-C connector.

The VRMs on the Z790 Valkyrie are some of the more capable we’ll see on the Z790 platform. For Vcore, there are a total of 20 phases. Power comes from the 8-pin EPS connector(s) onto the Renesas RAA229131 controller. Power then moves to 20x 105A Renesas RAA22010540 SPS MOSFETs. The mind-blowing 2,100A available for Vcore is one of the highest we’ve seen and more than enough to handle the flagship Intel i9-13900K at stock and while overclocked, even when using sub-ambient cooling methods.

On the bottom of the board, starting with the left side, we find a mostly hidden audio area. The only thing visible is four yellow capacitors dedicated to audio use. Hiding under the shroud is the last-generation flagship Realtek ALC1220 codec. While most users are satisfied with this codec, I want to see the latest and greatest on a flagship-class motherboard.

In the middle of the board are three reinforced full-length PCIe slots, poking out between five M.2 sockets, all of which hidden under heatsinks. Starting with the PCIe slots, the top two slots connect through the CPU and run at PCIe 5.0 speeds. The top slot supports up to x16 while the second slot supports a maximum of PCIe 5.0 8x speeds. With both in use, the top slot breaks down to x8 speeds to share the bandwidth with the second slot. The bottom full-length socket connects through the chipset and supports PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth. There are plenty of slots and sockets to go around, but there is some lane sharing (more on this below) you need to consider.

Mixed in among slots are five total M.2 sockets. There’s one PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) socket and four PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) sockets, with one of those able to run SATA- and NVMe-based modules. There’s also a Key-E socket available for CNVi-based Wi-Fi cards. Byt don’t let the antenna connections on the back fool you, there’s no Wi-Fi included in the box. 

Again, some lane sharing is inevitable with these sockets, slots, and SATA ports. If you’re using a PCIe-based module on M2M_CPU1 (top socket), the second PCIe slot is disabled, and the primary slot (top) drops to x8, so there’s enough bandwidth to go around. Additionally, if you’re running a SATA-based SSD in M2M_SB3, you’ll lose one SATA port (SATA8). In short, you can run all five M.2 sockets and all eight SATA ports concurrently if you aren’t running a SATA-based M.2 module.

Next, we spy a CLR CMOS button along the right edge to reset the active BIOS. Next to it are eight SATA ports, the BIOS selector switch, and another 4-pin fan header. Across the bottom of the are several exposed headers. You’ll find the typical fare here with USB, audio, and fan headers. Below is a complete list from left to right:

• Front panel audio
• (2) 4-pin System Fan headers
• Thunderbolt AIC header
• COM port
• (2) USB 2.0 headers
• Front Panel
• Debug LED
• 4-pin fan header
• TPM header

The rear IO on the Z790 Valkyrie comes pre-installed and attached to the motherboard. It sports a black background with white labeling on the ports, which makes things easy to read. There are eight USB ports total: two Type-C (10 and 20 Gbps ports) and six USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps) Type-A ports. On the left are two video outputs (DisplayPort and HDMI), as well as a Smart BIOS update button. Above the USB ports is the Wi-Fi antenna connections, but note the board does not come with Wi-Fi! You must purchase and install your own in the available Key-E slot. On the right is the five-plug analog plus SPDIF audio stack, and laslyt, the 2.5 GbE port.

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Firmware

Biostar’s firmware on the Z790 boards, like the others, doesn’t receive a significant facelift outside of some options exclusive to Intelt’s latest CPU platform. There’s an EZ Mode and your more standard advanced mode with the different sections spanning the top. While it has many of the basics, the overclocking options are limited with regard to memory. If you’re into tweaking every little thing to extract every ounce of performance from your sticks, this isn’t the board that will do it. If you’re more of a set-EXPO/XMP-and-forget-it memory person, this isn’t a concern (assuming your memory is on the QVL list). Overall, we like the BIOS, but in terms of appearance and features, it just isn’t up to the level of its competition.

Software

For software, Biostar has the Aurora suite that combines various functionality in one application. You’ll find audio functionality (volume control - Smart Ear), RGB (Vivid LED DJ), fan control (AI Fan), a hardware monitor, and overclocking functions in the OC/OV section. Everything worked as described. But, overclocking is limited to BCLK adjustment and voltage (no CPU multiplier adjustments). Overall, we like the Aorura application and hope for additional features/functionality to be added in new revisions.

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. Additionally, we updated to F1 22 in our games suite and kept Far Cry 6. We use the latest non-beta motherboard BIOS available to the public unless otherwise noted. The hardware we used is as follows: 

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 

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Benchmark Results

Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo), with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and the memory by enabling the XMP profile. For this baseline testing, the Windows power scheme is set to Balanced (default) so the PC idles appropriately.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics provide a great way to determine how a board runs, as identical settings should produce similar performance results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are places where motherboard makers can still optimize for either stability or performance, though, and those settings can impact some testing.

In our synthetic tests, our Z790 Valkyrie was average to below average, depending on the test. In all, it sits between the intel spec and other high-end boards where (at least) the PL1 limit is increased to maintain clocks. Like most boards, ours is plagued with thermal throttling in some tests, affecting the scores. The difference isn’t too significant, but it’s not one of the higher-performing boards we’ve tested.

 Timed Applications 

When looking at our timed applications, the LAME and Corona results were both slower than average. Meanwhile, both Handbrake tests were some of the fastest we’ve seen.

 3D Games and 3DMark 

Starting with the launch of Zen 4, we’ve updated one of our games, F1 21, to the latest version, F1 22. We're keeping Far Cry 6. We run the games at 1920 x 1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed above). As the resolution goes up, the CPU tends to have less impact. The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used (and CPU/system bound) resolution with settings most people use or strive for (Ultra). We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most differences falling within the margin of error. We’ve also added a minimum FPS value, as this affects your gameplay and immersion experience.

Starting with the UL’s 3DMark tests, our board mixed right in with the rest. In games, it was average in F1 2022, and just slightly below average in Far Cry: 6. That said, you wouldn’t notice a difference between this and the fastest results unless you had a frame counter on the screen anyway. It’s a perfectly competent gamer.

Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures

We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU, Cache and Memory enabled for power testing, using the peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter to capture the entire PC (minus the monitor). The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts remain the same.

Power consumption on the Z790 Valkyrie was just below average, using a bit more power than most of our boards. It averaged 72 Watts at idle and peaked at 402W during the stress-test load before it thermally throttled and used less power (from around 253 to 230W on the CPU itself).

VRM temperatures on the Valkyrie was also well within specification. At stock, temperatures, according to our sensors (the board doesn’t have an internal VRM sensor), were well within the operating parameters of the premium 105A SPS MOSFETs at stock settings and while overclocked. At idle, they sat close to 40 degrees Celsius, while it peaked around 54 degrees Celsius under load. There’s nothing to be concerned with regarding the power delivery or its cooling, as your CPU temperatures limit you before the VRMs get in the way.

Overclocking

When overclocking, we aim to increase the power and add stress to the VRMs. We do so by increasing the clock speed and voltage until we’re at the thermal threshold for the processor during stress testing. However, where these CPUs are allowed to run with ‘boost’ speeds, those speeds are closer to the limit than ever before.

With our Core i9-13900K, the approach was a bit different. We had to lower the voltage from what was recorded during stress tests to overclock our chip. We increased the clock speeds of the “P” and “E” cores by 100 and 200 MHz, respectively, over the turbo boost and limited by our cooling. We ended up with 5.6 GHz P-core and 4.5 GHz E-core clocks using about 1.34V (from DMM). Temperatures peak at or just under the throttling point with this configuration. And as we’ve noted elsewhere, this is the intended performance for Intel’s flagship CPU.

Overclocking our processor proved as easy as most other Z790 boards. We set the Vcore to Override input 1.35V with LLC on Auto, and off we went. There wasn’t any appreciable vdroop, and testing went well. The VRMs stayed well within spec, and we were stable throughout our 30-minute test.

Regarding memory, our 5600 and 6000 kits worked out of the box without issue. Compared to the X670E we looked at a few months ago, this is great news but also expected since this review is several months past the release date, so the platform and BIOS has had time to mature. Overall, we didn’t run into any concerns when overclocking. Still, again, if you aim to run the fastest memory and/or tweak secondary and tertiary memory timings, there are better-equipped options.

Bottom Line

The Biostar Z790 Valkyrie is a well-equipped board in the premium mid-range segment. While it doesn’t include 40 Gbps ports, it’s got everything else the platform offers, including PCIe 5.0 slots and a PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket. Outside of that, it comes with one of the more robust VRMs we’ve seen, even when compared to halo-type boards. You’re limited by cooling far before the power delivery hinders overclocking. Performance was underwhelming across most tests, running slightly slower than average in most, but the board proved to be a capable gaming machine.

Biostar’s MSRP for our board is somewhere around $450. However, you’ll find it online in the US for well over $600, which pushes it into even tougher territory. Around the $500 price point, each partner has an option. There’s the MSI’s MPG Z790 Carbon Wi-Fi ($449.99), Asus’ ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming Wi-Fi ($489.99), Gigabyte has its Z790 Aorus Master ($489.99), and the ASRock Z790 Taichi is $499.99. All of these boards offer robust power delivery, fast memory support, up to five M.2 sockets, and a premium appearance. If you need 40 Gbps ports, the Taichi is the only one of the group with that native functionality. All of the compeitng BIOSes are more refined than Biostar’s as well.

Assuming you can find the Z790 Valkyrie around the $450 MSRP, it’s a valid option in this space. But if it costs more than $500, it’s not worth it. We’ve seen some improvements over time with Biostar, but in order to compete with the major motherboard players and justify a high price, some things need to change. A more modern BIOS layout and better physical appearance (read: one that looks as good versus its direct competitors) are key, as we’re good with the specifications. As it stands, there are better-equipped and arguably more attractive options available at lower prices than what this board is selling for in the US.

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Biostar’s latest entry in the motherboard space carries a name we’re all familiar with in the X670E Valkryie. The Valkyrie is the flagship offering from Biostar and, unlike the other board partners, the company currently only offers this one board on the X670E chipset. On paper, the Valkyrie comes with almost everything you’re likely to be looking for on the X670E platform. You get multiple PCIe 5.0 slots, multiple M.2 sockets, robust power delivery to support any AM5 processor, and a quality audio codec. Talking strictly specifications and features, it ranks up there with all of the other similarly priced boards.

On the performance front, the X670E Valkyrie also did well, keeping up with the other tested boards across most of our tests. I was a bit surprised with its overall performance, as we were forced to run DDR5-4800 for testing instead of DDR5-5600, which we normally use. Sadly, our GSkill memory kit didn’t work at XMP/EXPO settings to complete the full testing suite, nor during stress testing. The company did provide us with an updated BIOS that worked with our kit after we finished testing, but that doesn’t mean all issues have been ironed out with the many DDR5 kits currently on the market. With memory compatibility still a concern (earlier reviews had similar struggles), the Valkyrie won’t make it on our best motherboards list, but it’s still competent at JEDEC memory speeds.

Memory limitations with the current BIOS aside, The Valkyrie is generally well-equipped. From the two PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 sockets to the 105A SPS MOSFETs, it has come to play with the big boys. You won’t find any USB4 (40 Gbps) ports, and Wi-Fi isn’t included. If you require these features, you can add expansion cards, but that will of course add to the $499.99 current real-world price of the board (though the MSRP is “roughly $400 US”). Even though it had a significant memory speed deficit in testing, performance compared to the other boards was neck and neck for the most part, and this board was even our fastest result in some tests.

If you’re curious about the platform differences between B650E/B650 and X670E/X670, please refer to the X670 Motherboard Overview article. Before we get into all the details, here is a complete list of the X670E Valkyrie’s specifications direct from Biostar.

Specifications: Biostar X670E Valkyrie

Inside the Box of the Biostar X670E Valkyrie

The accessory stack with the Valkyrie includes only the basics and nothing extra. Below is a complete list of the included accessories:

• (4) SATA cables
• Driver disk
• User Manual
• Smart connector

Design of the Biostar X670E Valkyrie

The X670E Valkyrie sports a matte black 8-layer PCB design, with black heatsinks and shrouds covering the majority of the board. Across the shroud above the IO bits is an RGB LED feature showing off the Valkyrie branding and some gold accent lines. Additional RGBs are hiding under the chipset heatsink. Together, they give off a nice RGB glow that will brighten up the inside of your chassis. Although the Valkyrie looks good, other boards at a similar price point do give off more of a premium vibe with higher-end finishes.

Focusing on the top half of the board, we get a better look at the large heatpipe-connected VRM heatsinks and the Valkyrie branding on the IO cover. The VRM heatsinks are loaded with wide mitered cutouts to increase surface area and performance. Spoiler alert: These do a fine job keeping the power bits below running well within specification. Above the VRM heatsinks are two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) to power the processor.

Continuing right past the socket area, we run into four reinforced DDR5 DRAM slots with locking mechanisms on both sides. Biostar lists support up to DDR5-6000, which is on the low side comparatively, as many other boards support up to DDR5-6400 or more. That said, we had a lot of trouble with our thest configuration, in that we could only run the JEDEC specs stable across both memory kits. This didn’t affect performance in most tests, and we do expect BIOS updates to mitigate the issue. For now, if buy a set of sticks on their memory QVL list and you should be fine, but it’s also a short list.

Moving past the DRAM slots, we run into our first three (of six) 4-pin fan headers. All headers support PWM- and DC-controlled fans, with adjustments coming through the BIOS or the Aurora software. I don’t see the power output listed on the website or in the manual, so it’s best to assume the minimum of 1A/12W, which would also be on the low side compared to other boards with confirmed 2A/3A 24W/36W output on at least some of the headers.

Moving down the right edge, we run into three RGB headers. The top connector is 4-pin RGB, while the bottom two are 3-pin ARGB. Control over these headers can also be found in the BIOS or the Aurora software. Next, we run into power and reset buttons that light up the “P” for power and “R” for reset. Below is the 24-pin ATX connector to power the motherboard, a front panel USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) connector, and a system fan header. Unlike many other boards in this generation, the Valkyrie does not list support for high-power/speed PD charging via the front header. To the left of the DRAM sockets and above the top PCIe slot is a BIOS switch.

The VRMs on the X670E Valkyrie are some of the more robust and capable we’ll see on X670. For Vcore, there are a total of 18 phases. Power comes from the 8-pin EPS connector(s) and onto the Renesas RAA229628 controller. Power then moves to the 18 105A Renesas RAA22010540 SPS MOSFETs. The 1,890A available for Vcore is more than enough to handle the flagship AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at stock and while overclocked.

Moving on to the bottom of the board, on the left side, hidden below a metal shroud/heatsink is the Realtek ALC1220 codec, along with a few dedicated gold audio caps visible. Many boards near this price offer the latest generation Realtek codecs (ALC4080/4082), so I would like to have seen this on the Valkyrie too. That said, most users will find the last-gen flagship codec more than sufficient for their audio needs.

In the middle of the board are three reinforced full-length PCIe slots, along with four M.2 sockets mixed in and around the same area. The top two slots source their lanes from the CPU and run at PCIe x16/x0 or x8/x8. The bottom slot procures lanes from the chipset and runs at PCIe 4.0 x4.

For M.2-type storage, the top two CPU-connected sockets hide between the first two PCIe slots. Both sockets support PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) speeds, with the top socket (M2M_CPU_1) supporting up to 80mm modules and the second (M2M_CPU_2) supporting up to 110mm drives. The last two M2 sockets (M2M_SB_1/_2) connect through the chipset, and both run at PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) and handle up to 80mm devices. RAID support isn’t mentioned for NVMe storage but is for the SATA ports (RAID0/1/10).

Continuing our journey to the right edge of the board, we run into six SATA ports for more traditional/slower storage needs. Here you’ll also find an LN2 switch, a clear CMOS jumper, and a clear CMOS button. Across the bottom of the board are several additional exposed headers. Here you’ll find the typical selection of more USB ports, RGB headers, and 4-pin fan headers. Below is a complete list from left to right:

• Front panel audio
• (2) 4-pin System Fan headers
• COME port
• Thunderbolt header
• (2) USB 2.0 headers
• USB 3.2 Gen 1 header
• Debug LED
• Front Panel
• Speaker header

The rear IO on the X670E Valkyrie comes pre-installed and attached to the motherboard. It sports a black background with white labeling on the ports, which makes things easy to read. There are 10 USB ports total; nine 10 Gbps Type-A ports and one 20 Gbps Type-C port. Sadly, there are no 40 Gbps ports. On the left are two video outputs (DisplayPort and HDMI), along with a Smart BIOS update button. Above the USB ports is the Wi-Fi antenna connections, but note the board does not come with Wi-Fi! You’ll need to purchase and install your own in the Key-E slot. On the right is the 5-plug analog plus SPDIF audio stack and last, the 2.5 GbE port.

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Firmware

Biostar’s firmware on the X670E boards, like the others, doesn’t receive a significant facelift outside of some options exclusive to the new platform/CPU. There’s an EZ Mode and your more standard advanced mode with the different sections spanning the top. While it has many of the basics, the overclocking options are limited, especially with regard to memory. If you’re into tweaking every little thing to extract every ounce of performance, this isn’t the board that will do it. If you’re more of a set EXPO/XMP and forget it on the memory, this isn’t a concern (assuming your memory is on the QVL list). Overall, we like the BIOS, but it isn’t as polished as some of the other board partners and is limited with some overclocking functions.

Software

For software, Biostar has the Aurora suite that combines various functionality in one application. You’ll find audio functionality (volume control - Smart Ear), RGB (Vivid LED DJ), fan control (AI Fan) a hardware monitor, and overclocking functions in the OC/OV section. Everything worked as described. But, overclocking is limited to BCLK adjustment and voltage (no CPU multiplier adjustments). Overall, we like the Aorura application and hope for additional features/functionality to be added in new revisions.

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. Additionally, we updated to F1 22 in our games suite and kept Far Cry 6. We use the latest non-beta motherboard BIOS available to the public unless otherwise noted. The hardware we used is as follows:

Test System Components

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

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Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo), with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and the memory by enabling the XMP profile. For this baseline testing, the Windows power scheme is set to Balanced (default) so the PC idles appropriately.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics provide a great way to determine how a board runs, as identical settings should produce similar performance results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are places where motherboard makers can still optimize for either stability or performance, though, and those settings can impact some testing.

Results for the X670E Valkyrie in our synthetic tests floated around the average, with some results above and others below. Surprisingly, the lower DD5-4800 speeds didn’t appear to hinder performance in most of these benchmarks.

Timed Applications

When looking at our timed applications, the LAME and Corona results were good, with above-average and average results, respectively. Handbrake results were slightly slower than the average, matching the Crosshair X670E Hero. There’s nothing abnormal about the timed benchmarks.

3D Games and 3DMark

Starting with the launch of Zen 4, we’ve updated one of our games, F1 21, to the latest version, F1 22. We're keeping Far Cry 6. We run the games at 1920 x 1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed above). As the resolution goes up, the CPU tends to have less impact. The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used (and CPU/system bound) resolution with settings most people use or strive for (Ultra). We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most differences falling within the margin of error. We’ve also added a minimum FPS value, as this affects your gameplay and immersion experience.

In F1 2022, the X670E Valkyrie averaged 107 frames per second with 95 frame-per-second minimums. This result places it squarely in the middle so far. Far Cry 6 was the best average result to date, with the Valkyrie recording 141 frames per second result, or over 10% higher than the next board.

Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures

Power consumption on the X670E Valkyrie was middle of the pack. It averaged 88 Watts at idle and peaked at 289W during a stress-test load. Nothing to be concerned with here.

We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU, Cache and Memory enabled for power testing, using the peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter to capture the entire PC (minus the monitor). The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts remain the same.

VRM temperatures on the Valkyrie were also well within specification. At stock, VRM temperatures, according to our sensors (the board doesn’t have an internal VRM sensor, according to Hwinfo) were well within the operating parameters of the SPS MOSFETs at stock and while overclocked. There’s nothing to be concerned with regarding the power delivery or its cooling, as you’ll be limited by your CPU temperatures before the VRMs get in the way.

Overclocking

Over the last few CPU generations, overclocking headroom has been shrinking (at least on the AMD side) while the out-of-box potential has increased. For overclockers, this means there’s less fun to have. For the average consumer, it means you’re getting the most out of the processor without manual tweaking. Our goal in this section is to increase the load on the VRMs and see if they can handle the additional stress. Overclocking AMD CPUs can be done in several ways (all-core or adjust PBO values). But for simplicity’s sake, we just went with an all-core overclock of 5.4 GHz with 1.30V to increase the power output.

Since our approach is to add power through all cores, we simply raised the CPU multiplier to 54x through the BIOS, manually set the voltage to 1.30V, and adjusted LLC to minimize vdroop. There are only three LLC settings in the BIOS, so we set it to Level 1 (highest) and our 1.30V set in the BIOS turned into 1.29V in Windows, effectively eliminating vdroop. The overclock ran our stress test the first time without further tweaking. So although there aren’t many options compared to other BIOS’ what’s there did the job.

We really struggled with our memory kits on this board while testing. Although we could reach Windows and run some benchmarks at the EXPO/XMP rated speeds (5600/6000) the stress test wouldn’t pass, nor would some of the benchmarks in our test suite.

Note: After this was written, Biostar provided us with an updated BIOS that supports our GSKill DDR5-5600 kit. But that doesn’t mean the issue has been resolved with the many other kits on the market.

Bottom Line

Biostar’s X670E Valkyrie is a bit of a conundrum. On the one hand, it’s got the hardware and specifications to hang with the competition on AMD’s latest and greatest platform. Sure, it’s missing 40 Gbps USB ports and integrated Wi-Fi, but if you need those features, you can add them. Performance differences were nominal across most tests and the board kept up with the others. While the Valkyrie may not have the high-end look as other boards in its class, it blends in well with most themes and sports a nice RGB glow to illuminate the inside of your chassis.

Where it falls short, currently, is memory compatibility. Neither of our kits did not work using the XMP/EXPO profiles, and we were forced to run JEDEC specs (4800 MHz) on these kits for stability. Biostar’s memory support list is short compared to the others, and none of the popular GSkill kits were on the list when we wrote this article. If you plan to use this board past the 5200 MHz maximum on the platform, you need to stick with a kit on the company’s currently short memory support list. Hopefully, Biostar gets past these teething issues sooner than later, as no other boards we’ve tested so far have tripped up on our memory kits. While overclocking was successful, if you’re trying to push things to the limit, you’ll find fewer overclocking options here compared to other boards.

Biostar sais the MSRP is “roughly $400,” though we can only find the Valkyrie for sale online for $499.99. That price point has some quality competition, including the Asus ROG Strix X670-E Gaming WIFI ($499.99), Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master ($499.99), ASRock X670E Taichi ($469.99), and the MSI MPG X670E Carbon WIFI ($479.99). Within this peer group, you’ll find similar hardware (robust power delivery, dual PCIe 5.0 M.2 sockets), though most boards use the latest-gen audio codec and all include Wi-Fi where the Valkyrie doesn’t. If integrated 40 bps ports are important, only the Taichi has them natively. Looks are subjective, and while Valkyrie won’t detract from your build, the others give off a more premium vibe. If you can find the board at its MSRP, it becomes a better value.

Currently available for $499.99, the X670E Valkyrie just isn’t on the same level as other boards at this price point. From included Wi-Fi, better BIOSes with more functionality and better memory compatibility out of the box, there are few reasons to choose this board over others in its current state and price. Once the memory support is sorted out and the price gets closer to its MSRP, it will be more appealing, so long as you don’t need integrated Wi-Fi and 40 Gbps ports. However, at $499 and even $400, there are more mature options available.

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4/17/2023 Update:
Since the initial launch of AMD's first Ryzen 7000  motherboards, there have been plenty of complaints from PC builders (and us) that AMD's latest motherboards cost too much. But recently, a few B650M motherboards launched in the $125 range, and even more-affordable A620 boards are also on the way (though they lack PCIe 5.0 and official overclocking support). Be sure to check out our best motherboards page, as we are in the process of testing and reviewing some of AMD's more affordable motherboard options.

Lining up with AMD’s Ryzen 7000 CPU announcements, many motherboard partners are showing off their new X670E/X670-based motherboards, featuring the new AM5 socket, to go along with the new Zen 4 chips. The new motherboards come with a slew of updates and improvements to support the new CPU platform. This includes moving from DDR4 to DDR5 (no DDR4 options, unlike Intel), a shift from PCIe 4.0 to PCIe 5.0, and upgraded power delivery to support the socket capable of using up to 230W.

I look forward to all the new hardware bits and functionality, but I get most excited about the new designs board partners come up with. Over the coming months, we’ll review many of these boards, with the best models earning spots on our best motherboards page.

Until we get started with reviews, we’ve created a list of Ryzen 7000 motherboards, with as much information directly from partners as possible. Many details, including the all-important price, will arrive later. So there’s some speculation on our end below. We’ll provide everything we have regarding official facts and update the information here as we get it.

AMD’s X670 Chipset: AM5 goes LGA, PCIe 5.0 and DDR5

Just as with our Z690 overview article earlier this year, when we started this one, AMD had not released the full details of the X670 chipsets. But what we do know is AMD has moved away from the PGA (Pin Grid Array) socket to an LGA (Land Grid Array) socket, like Intel processors. The new socket contains 1,718 pins, 18 more than Intel’s LGA 1700 socket for its Z6x0 motherboards and Alder Lake processors. The good news is that AM4-compatible cooling will fit the AM5 motherboards. Many mounting kits work natively, though some will need new ones for best results. Reach out to the company that made your cooler to confirm compatibility.

Along with the flagship-class X670E chipset, AMD is also releasing X670 (no “E”), B650E and B650 chipsets. X670E supports all the new bells and whistles, including PCIe 5.0 slots and storage, along with AMD EXPO memory technology (essentially an AMD-specific version of Intel’s XMP). X670, on the other hand, supports EXPO, but only PCIe 5.0 on the NVMe storage (not the PCIe slot). The other chipsets, B650E and B650, offer users a less-expensive path into the new AM5 platform. The “E” variant has comprehensive support for PCIe Gen 5 (slot and NVMe storage), while the ‘base’ X650 chipset only supports PCIe 5.0 on storage/NVMe. Both chipsets support overclocking the processor and memory.

The B650E motherboards target the mid-range to higher ‘budget’ options, so there will likely be some pricing overlap between the higher tier B650E and X670, as they share some of the same internals, including PCIe redrivers and the necessary space to support them. While most motherboard partners haven’t disclosed pricing, AMD did mention that AM5 motherboards will be available for as low as $125. However, we imagine this is likely the MSRP of the least expensive B650 motherboard(s). That said, we expect a price increase compared to X570 and perhaps even Z690, regardless of the chipset tier. It’s nice to see graphics cards coming down in price, but getting into a new DDR5 platform will cost you.

Along with the jump to DDR5, AMD is also releasing AMD EXPO (EXtended Profiles for Overclocking) memory technology, a one-click overclocking profile for Ryzen 7000 series memory. Similar to integrated XMP profiles for Intel, you’ll have EXPO profiles to select in the BIOS to run your kit at the rated speeds. AMD partnered with several memory manufacturers, including ADATA, Corsair, Geil, G.Skill and Kingston to help bring DDR5 memory kits to the market with the new features. According to AMD, upon launch on September 27th, you should see at least 15 kits of DDR5 with AMD EXPO functionality at speeds up to DDR5-6400. We’ve already covered kits from G.Skill and TeamGroup.

One of the more unique features of the X670E boards is their dual PCHs. The chipset (actually a chipset, defined as multiple chips) uses two Promontory 21 (PROM21) chips. Instead of exclusive access to the CPU for each, the two chips connect to each other through four PCIe 4.0 lanes, which then connect to the CPU directly, sporting the same PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth as X570 for DMI. Combined, the chipset provides three PCIe 4.0 x4 interfaces (12 lanes total) and eight PCIe 3.0, the latter reserved for slower connectivity like networking. Board partners have the flexibility to configure the PCIe 3.0 to SATA ports, which yields a mix and match of six SATA plus two PCIe (x4 + x4).

A benefit of using a multi-chip configuration (both 7W TDP, note), is that they can be spread out and cooled passively, forgoing the fans that many despised (few with good reason, as they weren’t noisy) on the first batch of X570 motherboards. Thankfully, we haven’t seen any chipset fans on Micro ATX or larger boards, but we do expect to see them used with high-end Mini-ITX motherboards since real estate is so limited on those tiny boards. Check out our article from a few months back for more detailed information. AMD hasn’t released an official chipset diagram at this time, but we have one for the Aorus Master, which gives you an example of how things can be split up.

On the USB front, the chipset offers quite a bit of native USB connectivity. X670/X670E supports up to eight USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) ports and another four ports that can be configured as two USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) ports. If that isn’t enough, the chipset also supports up to 12 more USB 2.0 ports.

Some high-end boards support USB Power Delivery (PD) and output up to 60W at 20V/3A. Not only can you fast charge your smartphone with these ports, but larger devices like tablets and some laptops, too. To support that much power, you’ll need to plug a spare 6-pin PCIe connector to plug into the board. Otherwise, you’ll be limited to the 20V/1.5A and 30W. For the midrange B650 chipset, just one of the PROM21 chips is used. On some boards, you’ll find USB 4 support via an ASMedia ASM4242 controller, which outputs two USB 4 ports from four PCIe 4.0 lanes via the CPU, while also supporting DisplayPort v1.4 (thus video) through the interface.

Moving to networking, there isn’t too much of a change here, especially when compared to the updated B550 boards (or Intel Z690), which added 2.5 GbE port(s), with high-end boards using up to 10 GbE. The new chipset also includes integrated Wi-Fi 6E, akin to Intel’s CNVi implementation, which is included on most boards.

Here’s a look at how X670 compares with AMD’s previous mainstream flagship chipsets. You’ll notice some question marks remain; remember that we don’t have an official chipset diagram from AMD. We’ll update any information below once we have official information from AMD.

AMD X670E/X670, B650E/B650 and X570 Chipset Specifications

AM5 CPUs

We’ve already covered the Zen 4 Ryzen 7000 details, so we won’t get into all of the CPU nitty gritty here and keep it high level. AMD will release four new Zen 4 Ryzen series (Code name “Raphael”) processors at launch. Up top is the 16-core $699 Ryzen 9 7950X flagship, followed by the 12-core $549 Ryzen 9 7900X, a $399 8-core Ryzen 7 7700X, and finally, the budget chip of the group, the $299 6-core Ryzen 5 7600X. Pricing is solid overall, with the Ryzen 7 7700X the only processor increasing in price, by $100, over the last-generation Ryzen 7 5700X it replaces. The 7950X is $100 less than the 5950X’s launch price, while the 7900X and 7600X cost the same as the 5700X and 5600X launch prices. While that’s a positive across most SKUs, the real cost increases will almost certainly come from the motherboard and the shift to DDR5. It does though, seem likely that DDR5 prices will continue to fall, especially on lower-end kits.

The new CPUs are built on TSMC’s 5nm process node for the Core Compute Die (CCD) and a 6nm process for the I/O die (IOD). Although the core/thread counts remain the same, Zen 4 also doubles the L2 cache (L3 remains the same). Along with the clock speed increase, this helps with overall performance. With the new architecture though, TDP and power goes up. The Ryzen 9 chips have a TDP of 170W, with peaks (PBP/MTP) allowed up to 230W, a healthy increase from Zen 3. The Ryzen 7 7700X and 7600X both sport 105W TDPs, but their PBP/MTP power limit is currently unknown. In short, you’ll probably need a good cooling solution to get the most out of these chips (same as Intel), and you may need to spring for a new power supply.

The good news is that with the power increase comes a significant performance uplift. According to AMD, the processors achieve up to 13% improvement in IPC (Instructions Per Clock). Along with the notable IPC increase, AMD also raised the ceiling on clock speeds, boosting up to a blazing 5.7 GHz on two cores. Some simple napkin math results reveal around a 29% improvement in single-threaded performance over Zen 3. AMD also notes up to 45% more performance in multi-threaded applications. AMD also claims it’s 11% faster in games, 44% faster for compute functionality, and 47% greater efficiency than the Intel Core i9-12900K. Of course, these chips will obviously be competing with 13th Gen Raptor Lake chips, like the Core i9-13900K. The new AMD processors also support AVX-512 and, for the first time in a long time, include integrated graphics based on the RDNA 2 architecture. Note though, that the integrated graphics here are basic, meant primarily to handle displaying the desktop, not running games.

Unlike Intel, AMD chose to go all in with DDR5 and so does not support DDR4 on its new platform. Since DDR5 is available in greater volume and prices are coming down (though still a lot higher than DDR4), this was arguably a good choice on AMD’s part. The highest in-spec frequency for the existing AM5 SKUs is DDR5-5200. But AMD did share that DDR5-6000 will be the sweet spot for Zen 4.

X670 (and rumored B650) Motherboards: The Full List (So Far)

With the chipset details out of the way, we’ve provided a list of all X670 and X650 motherboards kown so far below, doing our best to ignore unsubstantiated rumors and leaks. As usual, not all partners responded or had updated web pages in time for publication, so there's a strong chance that some things will change. We’ll break things out on the following pages and offer some thoughts on the respective launch lineups after. Unfortunately, pricing is an essential piece of information that no vendors have provided yet. But we’ve filled in the tables with what data we have. Any models listed in bold are confirmed through the board partner, while any that are not bold and italicized (most B650), are unconfirmed but heavily speculated around the web.

X670/B650 Motherboard Product Stack by Partner

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ASRock

• Improved aesthetics and power delivery
• Wi-Fi 6E on most boards
• PCIe 5.0 storage/slots (X670E)

At the time we wrote this article, ASRock sent information regarding its X670 boards, but the B650 SKUs were not included, as they will launch in mid-October. From the details we have, you’ll see some familiar SKUs like the Taichi, Steel Legend, Pro and PG lines, as well as some new variants such as the 20th Anniversary Taichi Carrara and the entry-level PG Lightning. We’ve also spotted the B650 LiveMixer board on the web as well, but nothing is certain. Although we don’t officially see Micro ATX or ITX X670 boards, we imagine the lineup will fill up quickly after launch. Worth noting: ASRock says it will not have any X670 (non-”e”) SKUs, only X670E. The thinking is that X670 is the high-end while B650 fills that mid-range space.

All boards we have images of show an updated appearance, looking much different than the X570 and even Z690 versions. The new Taichi Carrara has a high-end marble appearance that’s truly unique to motherboards, while the ‘base’ Taichi, one of the better-looking boards around, also gets an improved aesthetic.

Outside of looks, the X670E boards all include PCIe 5.0 slot(s), a PCIe 5.0 M.2 socket, and more robust power delivery. Some even include USB 4 Type-C, a first on consumer motherboards.

Three of the boards (Steel Legend, Pro RS and PG Lightning) also support their new Blazing M.2 fan heatsink, replacing the basic heatsink already in place with a larger and actively cooled version. With the new PCIe 5.0 drives likely running as hot or hotter than many PCIe 4.0 drives, this could be a worthwhile accessory to prevent throttling of future ultra-fast storage devices. On the networking front, ASRock also keeps Killer-based networking on the Taichis, with Realtek and Intel on others.

Pricing information was not shared, but like all other boards, we expect a price increase over X570 and even Z690. Will we see an X670E Aqua? How about an OC Formula (or an Aqua OC)? What about venerable budget models like the Extreme? We can only wait and hope–and save up.

Asus

• Updated aesthetics 
• Teamed Power Architecture (on most boards), up to 110A
• AI Overclocking Based on CPU quality and Cooler Efficiency
• 2.5GbE and 10GbE NIC Available along with Wi-Fi 6E

At launch, Asus (officially) brings to market seven motherboards that cover all of its product lines. You’ll see ROG SKUs (Crosshair Extreme/Gene/Hero and Strix Gaming), TUF (Gaming X670E-Plus WIFI), Prime (X670E-Pro WIFI, and ProArt (X670E Creator) models. What’s missing in the initial launch is official word of smaller Micro ATX and Mini-ITX size boards, along with several ROG Strix Gaming models. As time goes on, we’ll likely see the complete product stack fill out, and we haven’t even talked about the less-expensive X670 and B650 SKUs.

Like the rest of the board partners, Asus’ new X670E boards sport an updated appearance, PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 support, 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi 6E on most SKUs (10 GbE on the Extreme), as well as updated power delivery to support AMD’s new Zen 4 processors including the flagship Ryzen 9 7950X. On the Crosshair Extreme, for example, Asus uses 20 phases for Vcore with 110A MOSFETs, the highest value we’ve seen so far. I don’t imagine most VRMs getting in the way of stock or overclocked operations on X670E/X670 parts.

Along with the Dynamic OC Switcher we saw on the X570 Extreme, the Crosshair X670E Extreme/Gene/Hero now has Ryzen Core Flex, a set of ‘highly configurable’ algorithms for control over the CPU. You can set a slew of variables, including temperature limit, EDC, PPT and other settings to change based on core temp, current, or voltage through a simple dropdown in the UEFI. This functionality is courtesy of an onboard clock generator that separates from the Infinity Fabric, NBIO, PCIe, and memory.

Generically, all Asus X670/B650 boards support the new AMD Extended Profiles for Overclocking (EXPO), just like the rest. They also support AEMP (the previous-gen workaround to bypass PMIC on the RAM) and the familiar DOCP. Asus lists memory support up to DDR4-6400, but this will vary by board.

In all, Asus has plenty of X670E options available at launch that should work for most users. While we’re missing an X670E ITX board out of the gate, we’ll certainly see that down the line. The less expensive options, including B650 boards, we’ll also see sometime after mid-October. I hope we see an overclocking-focused board like the Apex, plus ITX boards soon, as they are some of my favorites. We’ve listed what Asus provided below.

Biostar

• Up to 22-phase design
• Wi-Fi 6E capabilities on all boards 
• Updated and improved appearance

At this time, we know Biostar is releasing one X670E-based board. So far, we haven’t seen a mention of the less expensive GTA board that compliments the Valkyrie. Like the other partners, Biostar updated its design, power delivery and implemented all of the PCIe 5.0 goodies, including slots and M.2 sockets. The flagship Valkyrie sports a robust 105A 22-phase VRM to support the new chips, a quality audio codec and a slew of rear IO USB ports (nine), including a 20 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port (no USB 4 here). Outside of that, we again hope to see improvements in the UEFI BIOS implementation. Although functional, Biostar’s offering is not up to par with the others.

EVGA

It still feels odd mentioning EVGA and AMD in the same breath, but here we are again. Late in the game, and a surprise to almost everyone, EVGA launched their first-in-a-long-time AMD-based motherboard in the X570 Dark. After our review, we determined it was a quality entrant in the X570 space, so we’re looking forward to seeing something down the line from EVGA. It’s certainly going to be interesting to see how the company functions after its dramatic exit from its partnership with Nvidia.

Gigabyte

• 70-105A VRMs
• Daisy Chain + Shielded Memory Routing
• 2.5 GbE-plus NICs on all models (up to 10 GbE)
• Wi-Fi 6E on all X670E/670 Aorus models
• Four M.2 sockets 
• Updated styling

Gigabyte joins the X670 party with four boards at launch from the gaming-centric Aorus line. The first Ryzen 7000 falcons are the X670E Aorus Xtreme, X670E Aorus Master, X670 Aorus Pro Ax, and the X670 Aorus Elite AX. Later, the company will likely release the more budget-oriented Gaming X and UD series. Though nothing was mentioned officially, we’ve also seen some leaks on the Aero line (designed for Creators) as well. Surely the product stack will fill out over time and include Micro ATX and Mini-ITX boards.

The Aorus X670E/X670 boards also step up their VRM game, with the Aorus Pro AX and Elite AX offering a twin (mirrored configuration with the controller) 16-phase VRM with 90A and 70A SPS MOSFETs, respectively. The high-end Master uses a ‘direct’ configuration with 16 phases (105A SPS MOSFETs), while the flagship Xtreme uses 18 phases and the same 105A SPS MOSFETs as the Master. Although I haven’t tested the platform yet, I’d imagine the CPU thermals will again be the performance limit, as opposed to the motherboard.

Surprisingly, we don’t see the latest Realtek codec (ALC4080/4082) on the high-end boards here. The ALC1220-VB2 is a fine audio solution that most find more than acceptable, but to not see the latest and greatest on a flagship-class board was a bit disappointing. From the specifications Gigabyte provided, these all look like well-equipped and good-looking motherboards. Let’s hope the price is as good as it was with most of the company’s Alder Lake-capable motherboards. I also wish to see the Waterforce board down the road, as that was a real beauty with a great set of specs to back it up. I was also partial to the overclocking-focused Tachyon.

MSI

• 80A to 105A VRMs
• 2.5 GbE LAN and Wi-Fi 6E or 6E for all Models
• Memory support up to DDR5 6666+(OC)
• Front Gen 2x2 Type-C port for all X670 models
• Gen 2x2 Front panel port supports PD to 20V@3A 60W
• New styling

MSI officially starts off X670 with four SKUs. From the flagship on down, on launch we’ll see the MEG X670E Godlike, MEG X670E Ace, MPG X670E Carbon WIFI, and the Pro X670-P WIFI for creators. Unofficially, we’ll see several B650-based boards as well, but that’s down the line a bit. While we don’t have any details now, the various sites have several models, including the Carbon, Edge, Tomahawk/Mortar and Pro series that we’re all familiar with. MSI looks to have a complete lineup, including ITX and Micro ATX motherboards, as expected.

Like other board partners, MSI started by updating its power delivery to support the power-hungry AM5 processors. The listed X670E/X670 boards range from 14 to 24 phases dedicated to Vcore with up to 105A MOSFETs in the Godlike. In addition to the beefed-up power delivery, MSI updated the thermal design of the heatsinks (Wavy fin) with Cross heatpipes, eight or 10-layer PCBs, a screwless M.2 Shield Frozr with EZ M.2 Clip, front USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support PD 60W, 10G LAN on MEG motherboards, and finally the M-Vision Dashboard (a 4.5-inch IPS touch panel).

MSI didn’t stop with the hardware either, making some aesthetic tweaks. The Godlike and Ace still rock the black or black-and-gold theme, while the Carbon WIFI and Pro lines also receive a couple of appearance updates. One of the things I noticed in MSI’s lineup (and most partners so far) is a reduction in the number of integrated RGBs. Gone are the days of excessively gaudy illumination across almost the entire lineup. That’s been replaced by more tactfully implemented designs. If you’re left wanting more, you can always add lights via headers.

At launch, MSI only has a few boards listed, but will surely release a wide range of motherboards to fill out the product stack before too long. We’ll see several more B650E/B650 in a month or so and additional boards from X670E/X670 like the Unify series we’ve seen on Intel. For those looking for an ITX or Micro ATX board out of the gate, you’ll have to wait a bit (at least until October). On paper, we like what MSI has to offer and can’t wait to get these on the test bench.

NZXT

We reached out to NZXT for information, but they also didn’t respond in time for publication. We expect to see the company in the market again with an X670 SKU. If their naming convention remains the same, we should see an N7 X670E model. We’ve seen some articles listing an NZXT part, but at the moment, it’s still a rumor. In the past, the NZXT boards were based on an ASRock part, and we don’t expect that to change, especially considering the rumors have come from a list of ASRock boards. With Z690, we saw a more budget-oriented N5 SKU, and perhaps we’ll see that with AMD as well.

Compared to Z690, early X670 information was disappointingly sparse. Officially, there are 22 boards, compared to the over 50 (most of which were confirmed) we saw with the launch of Alder Lake. Even though the number of boards isn’t that high, there’s something above for most builders. with more coming down the pike. As usual, none of the board partners mentioned pricing before launch, but we know they will be higher than X570 and probably around Z690 price points (if not higher). We’ll try to fill in the blanks as we get more information.

Only testing will tell if AMD’s claimed 13% IPC increase for these AM5 “Raphael” CPUs will retake the gaming crown from Intel. AMD sure thinks they have a winner, and from the leaked benchmarks, it looks like a nice performance increase with a significant clock speed bump. Seeing 5.7 GHz-plus out of the box is quite a feat. With the great PC equinox coming up, Intel/AMD/NV all releasing CPUs and Video cards within a couple of months of each other. If you combine that with the falling price of existing GPUs and SSDs, the end of 2022 is shaping up to be a great time to build a new PC.

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AMD's reasonably priced B650 and B650E platforms for its Ryzen 7000-series CPUs in AM5 packaging may be closer than expected as the company's partners are already set to showcase them in early October. 

AMD will host its Meet the Experts presentation called 'An Exclusive First Look at B650 and B650E AM5 Motherboards' on October 4 (at 10AM CDT) where its partners will reveal details of their reasonably-priced motherboards for AM5 processors. Among the highlights of the new platforms AMD mentions support for its Ryzen 7000-series processors, dual-channel DDR5, and PCIe 5.0 interconnection. 

Asus, ASRock, Biostar, Gigabyte, and MSI will reveal their AMD B650 and B650E lineups as well as highlight their key features at the event. 

The biggest question, of course, is when motherboard makers will actually start selling their products based on AMD's B650 and B650E chipsets — AMD and partners pre-announced their flagship AMD 670/670E platforms a little less than two months ahead of actual sales. With B650/B650E, the lag between announcement and sales will hopefully be shorter. 

AMD's high-end enthusiast-grade AMD X670 and AMD X670E platforms for Ryzen 7000-series CPUs that are set to hit the market on September 27 promise very advanced connectivity and impressive overclocking capabilities. Unfortunately, as listings of Asus and MSI motherboards have demonstrated, many of them are going to be prohibitively expensive, which will make them a prerogative of die-hard enthusiasts and gamers with deep pockets. 

To make Zen 4 generation processors more accessible for the masses, AMD and its partners are preparing AMD B650 and B650E platforms that will support key capabilities of AMD's Ryzen 7000-series processors but will have a cut-down feature set as well as considerably lower costs and prices. 

But even with the launch of AMD's B650/B650E platforms, do not expect Zen 4-based machines to get cheap any time soon. The lowest-cost Ryzen 5 7600X is priced at $299, DDR5 memory is sold at a premium over DDR4 modules, and we do not expect B650/B650E motherboards to be bargains. But if you want to have the latest platform, you should probably be prepared to pay for this. 

Biostar’s B660M Silver is a Micro ATX motherboard that hailing from the budget end of the Alder Lake spectrum. Priced around $160 in the US, it offers just about everything you need to get the most out of your system–so long as you don’t want to overclock your CPU. The B660M Silver brings a black and silver aesthetic (no RGBs), two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 sockets, four SATA ports, capable power delivery, and a 2.5 GbE port. Overall, it’s a well-rounded option in this space, but lacks included Wi-Fi.

Performance on the B660M Silver was comparable to other like boards across our testing suite. It struggled a bit in a couple of the heavily multi-threaded tests, but that’s a common theme among most B660 boards. Biostar’s board excelled in the Procyon Office suite, with results near the top across all those tests. If you’re a gamer, there’s nothing to fear, as the performance there was average, too. Power consumption was also average overall, though load power consumption was higher than many others.

Before we get into all the details and see if this board earns a spot on our best motherboards list, below is a list of specifications from the Biostar website.

Specifications: Biostar B660M Silver

Inside the Box of the Biostar B660M Silver

Biostar, like all other board partners, includes some accessories to get you started. The B660M Silver’s accessory stack is sparse, but includes enough to get you started. Below is a complete list of the included accessories.

• (4) SATA cables
• I/O Shield
• Support DVD
• Quick guide

Design of the B660M Silver

The B660M Silver is a general purpose board that, according to Biostar, focuses on reliability. The black PCB gives way to light gray design elements stenciled on the board around the PCIe and socket areas. Cooling the power delivery, chipset, and one M.2 socket are silver heatsinks with a brushed aluminum finish. These aren't the biggest heatsinks we’ve seen, but they do the job. If you’re looking for integrated RGB LEDs, look elsewhere as the Silver doesn’t have any. But don’t fret if you want lights, because the board has a full complement of ARGB and RGB headers to add on your own.

On the top half of the board, we get a better look at the VRM heatsink that reaches out over the rear IO bits. It’s not the largest or heaviest VRM heatsink, but it keeps these MOSFETs running with spec. Across the top of this heatsink is the Silver branding in black, Biostar is stenciled on the chipset heatsink. Just above the VRM heatsink is the single 8-pin EPS connector (required) to power the processor.

Moving past the socket and small top VRM heatsink, we run into the first (of five) 4-pin fan/pump headers.  Biostar doesn’t list the output of these headers, so I would expect 1A/12W output for each, if only for safety reasons. To adjust the fans, use the Aorura software and AI Fan program.

Continuing right, we run into four unreinforced DRAM slots that only lock on the top side. Biostar lists support for up to 128GB of RAM and speeds up to DDR4-5000+(OC). We didn’t run into any issues with our two test kits with speeds up to DDR4-4000. As usual, your mileage may vary in reaching these (and faster) speeds as it depends on the memory kit and the processor’s integrated memory controller (IMC) to get you there.

In the upper right corner, you’ll find all three RGB headers: two 3-pin ARGB headers and one 4-pin RGB header. Control over the attached lighting comes from the Aorura software and Vivid DJ applet. Down the right edge, we run into the 24-pin EPS for board power, a 19-pin USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) header, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C header.

Power delivery on the B660M Silver consists of 12 phases for Vcore (13 total). Power comes from the 8-pin EPS connector and onto the Renesas RAA229130 controller. Power then moves to 12 70A OnSemi 5062 DrMOS MOSFETs. The 840A available isn’t the most we’ve seen, but it is plenty to handle our Intel Core i9-12900K at default speeds without getting in the way.

On the bottom half of the board, we spy a fully exposed audio section on the left side. To the left of the audio separation line, we run into a Realtek ALC1220 codec and four dedicated audio caps. Compared to most of its peers (except the B660M Mortar), this is a superior audio solution on paper, but tough to differentiate audibly.

In the middle of the board are three M.2 sockets and three PCIe slots. Starting with the slots, the B660M  Silver sports two full-length slots (one reinforced) and a single x1 slot. The top slot (primary) connects through the CPU and runs at PCIe 5.0 x16. The bottom slot connects through the chipset, running at PCIe 3.0 x4. Multi-GPU support isn’t mentioned, though the board has the bandwidth to support it. The middle x1 slot also connects through the chipset and supports up to PCIe 3.0 x1 speeds.

Regarding M.2 sockets, there are two Key-M slots for storage and one Key-E socket for Wi-Fi (CNVi module not included). The top socket connects through the CPU for PCIe 4.0x4 (64 Gbps) bandwidth and handles up to 80mm modules. The bottom socket supports up to 110mm modules and connects through the chipset for PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) bandwidth.

Across the bottom are several headers, including USB ports and RGB, and more. Below is a complete list, from left to right:

• Front panel audio
• (3) 4-pin fan headers
• (2) USB 2.0
• 9-pin Thunderbolt header
• Debug LEDs
• COM port
• Front panel
• 4-pin RGB header

The B660M silver includes a simple rear IO plate you need to install. It has a black background with silver labels and “Silver” branding in the upper-left corner. As far as ports go, from left to right, we run into video outputs – HDMI, DisplayPort, and DVI-D. Above that are Wi-Fi antenna connections which, I find misleading since this model doesn’t come with Wi-Fi. There are eight USB ports: two USB 2.0 (480 MBps) and six USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps) ports, one of which is Type-C. Next up is the 2.5 GbE port and a 3-plug analog input-only audio stack.

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Firmware

Biostar’s B660 BIOS has the same look as the last generation and the Z690 Valkyrie reviewed a few months back. There’s an EZ Mode that's more informational than tweakable, covering high-level status information, including RAM and CPU speed, temperatures and more. Once in the Advanced section, there are headings across the top with options under each. There are a fair amount of switching sections to reach all of the overclocking functionality, and listing some values in milliwatts is confusing. I’d also like to see a description for highlighted items, as most other boards have. But outside of that, the BIOS is easy to navigate and read, with a high-contrast dark grey background and white letters.

Software

Biostar uses a single application called Aurora to cover multiple functions, including Fan control, RGB lighting, monitoring, overclocking and more, but little has changed since the Z690 version. Once opened, there is a menu system in the left column with a larger right-hand side to display the information. With Aurora, you can control system volume (Smart Ear), canned power plans (GT Touch), RGBs (Vivid LED DJ), Fans (A.I Fan), hardware monitoring (H/W Monitor) and overclocking/overvolting (OC/OV).

Overall, I like this software. The user interface is easy both to read and to find the items you are looking for. Fan, RGB, and overclocking control worked without issue. I would like to see more temperatures in the hardware monitor section (VRMs, for example), but what’s there is informative, if only at a high level.

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 to version 496.13. Additionally, our game selection has been updated, as noted in the table below. We use the latest non-beta motherboard BIOS available to the public unless otherwise noted. The hardware we used is as follows:

Test System Components

EVGA supplied our Supernova 850W P6 power supply (appropriately sized and more efficient than the outgoing 1.2KW monster we used) for our test systems, and G.Skill sent us a DDR5-5600 (F5-5600U3636C16GX2-TZ5RK) memory kit for launch day testing.

Benchmark Settings

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Benchmark Results and Final Analysis

Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo), with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and the memory by enabling the XMP profile. For this baseline testing, the Windows power scheme is set to balanced (default), so the PC idles appropriately.

To get the most out of the Intel Alder Lake chips, you need to be on Windows 11 with its updated scheduler. In most cases, Windows 10 performs well. However, some tests (Cinebench R20, Corona and POVRay) take a significant hit. In short, if you’re going with Alder Lake, you must upgrade to Windows 11 for the best results across the board. That may change with patching and updates in the future, though.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics provide a great way to determine how a board runs, as identical settings should produce similar performance results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are places where motherboard makers can still optimize for either stability or performance, though, and those settings can impact some testing.

The B660M Silver performed well during most synthetic benchmarks, landing around the average of other DDR4-equipped motherboards. The only below-average tests were Cinebench R23 and POV-Ray’s multi-threaded tests. But if you’ve read our previous reviews, you know that’s a recurring theme due to the thermal throttling of the processor. The Procyon tests were all averag, as was the AIDA64 memory bandwidth.

Timed Applications

In the timed applications, the B660M Silver mixed in with average for LAME and Corona but was slower than most in Handbrake. LAME testing was completed in 9.60 seconds (average is 9.69) and 52 seconds in Corona (spot on the average). The x264 test completed in 120 seconds, against a 115-second average, and 305 seconds in x265 (barely above the average of 303 seconds). Nothing off here either.

3D Games and 3DMark

Starting with the launch of the Z690 chipset, we’ve updated our game tests, moving to Far Cry 6 and shifting from F1 2020 to F1 2021. We run the games at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed above). As the resolution goes up, the CPU tends to have less impact. The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used resolution with settings most people use or at least strive for. We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most falling within the margin of error differences. We’ve also added a minimum FPS value, which can affect your gameplay and immersion experience.

In F1 2021, the B660M Silver proved itself a performant entrant, lurking around the average of all the boards with 141 frames per second minimum and 164 frames per second average. In Far Cry 6, the story was the same, as our testing showed a 121 frames per second minimum and 137 frames per second average.

In our synthetic 3DMark tests, the Biostar scored 14,201 on Time Spy and 17,899 on Fire Strike Extreme. All the results for games and gaming benchmarks blend in with our other results and shows the B660M Silver is a competent gaming motherboard.

Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures

We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU and Cache enabled for power testing, using the peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter to capture the entire PC minus the monitor. The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts are the same.

At idle, the DDR4-based Silver consumed 47W from the wall, with load power shooting up to 345W. While the idle value is good and better than most, the load wattage was higher than average.

During stress testing, we saw very little throttling, which was surprising. The 70A MOSFETs and the heatsink keep the power bits running within specification. The board peaked around 66 degrees Celsius on our external sensors and 78 degrees Celsius in software, both well within specification.

Overclocking

Overclocking the CPU isn’t possible on B660-based chipsets, but the platform allows memory speed adjustment. With our DDR4-3600 and DDR4-4000 kits, we simply set XMP, and off we went without a hitch. Surely there’s some headroom left, but unless you’re chasing after every ounce of performance, we suggest sticking with the sweet spot, around DDR4 3600 with a low CL rating.

Bottom Line

Priced at $159.99, the Biostar B660M Silver is an inexpensive Micro ATX Alder Lake option for the general user. The board doesn’t do anything poorly, but also doesn’t deliver anything spectacular. That isn’t a bad thing, though! Hardware-wise, the B660M Silver includes what’s expected for this class board. You get capable power delivery, two M.2 sockets and four SATA ports, premium last-gen audio, plenty of USB ports on the rear IO, and more. While there are plenty of comparables in this space, it’s still a worthy option to for your Alder Lake processor.

As far as competition goes, all major partners have an option around this price range. The ASRock B660M Steel Legend is the least expensive at $114.99 (down from $159.99). Asus’ TUF Gaming B660M-Plus WIFI D4 sits at $169.99. Gigabyte’s B660M Aorus Pro AX is also $169.99, and the MSI MAG B660M Mortar WIFI DDR4 is  $159.99, just like the Biostar. Most of the hardware in this range is similar, offering two M.2 sockets and at least four SATA ports (MSI and ASRock have six). The difference comes in audio codecs (Biostar and MSI have the best here), integrated Wi-Fi (the Biostar and ASRock do not come with it), and maybe a few other things like USB port count and speed. If it’s looks you’re after and need integrated RGB, ASRock and Gigabyte have you covered on that front.

The Biostar B660M Silver is a great affordable way into the Micro ATX Alder Lake space. The black-on-silver design fits most build themes and doesn’t draw attention to itself out of the box. Hardware-wise, it has most everything users are looking for. But for the price, I would like to see Wi-Fi included as most of the other comparables include that handy feature. If you’re looking for a B660-based Micro ATX motherboard, the B660M Silver doesn’t stand out compared to others, but is still a worthwhile consideration for your Alder Lake needs. 

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AMD on Thursday gave a sneak peek at its next-generation high-end platforms for its upcoming Ryzen 7000-series (Raphael) Zen 4 processors in AM5 form-factor together with its motherboard partners. Since AMD's X670 and X670E platforms will cater to enthusiasts, they will pack the most innovative features as well as provide advanced overclocking capabilities.

AMD's X670 and X670E Platforms

First and foremost, AMD confirmed that high-end AM5 motherboards for next-generation processors would utilize its X670 and X670E chipsets. The X670 will support overclocking and appease 'regular' enthusiasts. In contrast, the X670E (dual-chip design) features 'unparalleled' expandability, extreme overclocking, and PCIe 5.0 connectivity for up to two graphics cards and an M.2 slot for an NVMe SSD.

AMD itself outlines several key features of its AM5 platforms that will differentiate them from previous-generation motherboards, including TDP of up to 170W to maximize the performance of next-generation processors with up to 16 Zen 4 cores, up to 24 PCIe 5.0 lanes (x16 for a graphics card, x4 for an SSD, and x4 to connect to the chipset), dual-channel DDR5 memory support, up to four DisplayPort 2 or HDMI 2.1 outputs (which confirms that there will be AM5 processors with integrated graphics), up to 14 USB ports (including several USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports as well as USB-C), and Wi-Fi 6E support on select motherboards.

Motherboard makers traditionally try to differentiate themselves from the competition, so they will be offering AMD X670/X670E platforms with beefed-up CPU voltage regulating modules (VRM) capable of delivering hundreds of watts of power to AMD's new processors to boost their overclocking potential further. What is a bit surprising is that neither AMD nor its partners talked about supported DDR5 speeds on the upcoming AM5 platforms.

Some AMD X670/X670E mainboards will also come with an M.2-25110 slot(s) for upcoming high-performance SSDs with a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface that requires more sophisticated cooling. Motherboard makers prepare rather sophisticated cooling solutions for next-generation drives to ensure their consistent performance.

Regarding connectivity, since USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 is not a widespread standard, there will be motherboards with USB4 or Thunderbolt 3/4 ports supported by an external controller (though it is unclear which one) for those with Thunderbolt 3/4 or next-gen USB 4 devices. Also, some mainboards will come with a 2.5GbE port enabled by an Intel controller, whereas the most advanced platforms will come with a 10GbE port enabled by Marvell's AQtion silicon.

As for Wi-Fi 6E, some AMD X670/X670E motherboards will support the latest WLAN connectivity using AMD's RZ616 Wi-Fi 6E controller developed by MediaTek, whereas others will use Intel's Wi-Fi 6E solutions.

Now, let's look at what Asus, ASRock, Biostar, Gigabyte, and MSI are prepping for early AM5 adopters.

Asus

The world's largest motherboard maker is readying two platforms to support AMD's AM5 rollout — the ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme and the ROG Crosshair X670E Hero — but more are coming. The mainboards will feature a VRM based on the Infineon ASP2205 power management IC (PMIC) and Vishay SIC850 110A smart power stages. In addition, the Extreme model will feature a 20+2-stage power delivery, whereas the Hero will come with 18+2-stage VRM.

Of course, Asustek's ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme and ROG Crosshair X670E Hero will come with premium connectivity, including two USB4 ports, a 2.5GbE/10GbE connector, an advanced audio subsystem, and a Wi-Fi 6E (Intel AX210) adapter.

ASRock

ASRock's initial AM5 lineup will consist of five motherboards, including two flagship X670E Taichi Carrara and X670E Taichi platforms, X670E Steel Legend, X670E Pro RS, and X670E PG Lightning.

These motherboards will use an eight-layer printed circuit board (not the maximum number of layers possible, so to speak), a high-performance active cooler for M.2 SSDs, and USB 4 Type-C connectors.

Biostar

Being a relatively new entrant to the enthusiast motherboard market, Biostar will have one X670E motherboard ready for the AM5 launch — the X670E Valkyrie.

This platform will feature a 22-phase VRM with 105A Dr.MOS stages, two PCIe Gen5 x16 (operating in x8 or x16 mode), a PCIe Gen4 x16 slot (operating in x4 mode), four M.2-2280/22110 slots PCIe Gen4/5 with advanced heat spreaders, a 2.5GbE connector, a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port, and two display outputs (DP 1.4, HDMI 2.1).

Gigabyte

Gigabyte preps four high-end AMD X670E/X670 motherboards, including the X670E Aorus Xtreme, X670E A Aorus Master, X670 Aorus Pro AX, and X670 Aorus Elite AX. The flagship X670E Aorus Xtreme will feature an 18+2+2 power delivery design based on the Renesas RAA229628 PMIC, 18 Renesas RAA2201054 SPS 105A V-core power stages, two ON NCP303160 SPS 60A SoC power stages, and two Renesas ISL99390 SPS 90A power stages. Other platforms in the lineup will use a 16+2+2 VRM featuring different PMICs and MOSFETs (see the table in the gallery below).

The most exciting part about Gigabyte's AMD X670E and X670 motherboards is that only the former will support a PCIe 5.0 interface, whereas the latter will only feature PCIe 5.0 for SSDs. Meanwhile, all of Gigabyte's Aorus AM5 mainboards will have at least one M.2-25110 slot for next-gen SSDS, a 2.5GbE/10GbE port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connector, one or two display outputs, and a THB_U4 header for Thunderbolt.

MSI

MSI is working on four high-end AM5 motherboards: the X670E-based MEG X670E Godlike, MEG X670E Ace, MPG X670E Carbon Wi-Fi, and the X670-powered Pro X670-P Wi-Fi. The flagship MEG X670E Godlike platform will feature a 24+2+1-phase power delivery (with 105A power phases for V-core), whereas the slightly less advanced MEG X670E Ace will come with a 22+2+1 VRM (with 90A power phases for V-core). Speaking of MSI's VRMs, the company's motherboards will use an all-new VRM cooling system with direct touch heat pipes and a MOSFET baseplate.

All four MSI AM5 motherboards will come with M.2 Shield Frozr coolers for next-generation SSDs with a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface, a 2.5GbE connector, and a Wi-Fi 6E adapter. Furthermore, the flagship MEG X670E Godlike and MEG X670E Ace will come with MSI's M.2 Xpander-Z Gen5 Dual adapter to house two M.2-25110 drives with a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface.

Summary

AMD is expected to release its Ryzen 7000-series 'Raphael' processors and AM5 desktop platforms this September. The new platforms will bring numerous innovations, including DDR5, PCIe 5.0, USB 3.2 Gen2x2, and Wi-Fi 6E support. By now, five leading makers of motherboards for the DIY market have announced 16 motherboards based on AMD's X670 and X670E chipsets with different features and which will cover a broad range of price points.

According to a report by TechPowerUp, Biostar has announced a brand new motherboard at Computex, the X670E Valkyrie. This new model is one of Biostar's first motherboards equipped with the new AM5 socket from AMD and features AMD's flagship X670E chipset for the next generation of Ryzen 7000 processors and associated motherboards, which enables PCIe 5.0 support for graphics and storage solutions.

If history repeats itself, this new motherboard will be Biostar's flagship for the AMD 600 series platform; The Valkyrie name has represented Biostar's flagship motherboards for many years, including Intel versions such as the Z690 Valkyrie.

Aesthetically, the X670E Valkyrie has taken a large departure from its predecessors and forgone the inclusion of a double-winged logo, which was a staple in previous designs. Instead, Biostar has opted for a more simplistic design featuring no logos whatsoever and has taken to an angular line aesthetic approach featuring black, grey, silver, purple and yellow accents.

We don't have full details about the board's power delivery design but expect it to have a seriously overbuilt VRM system, which was also the case with the Z690 Valkyrie. What we do know are some key specifications, including DDR5 memory support with DIMMs featuring speeds up to 5600 MT/s.

For PCie connectivity, the Valkyrie features dual PCIe 5.0 x16 slots and a single PCIe 4.0 x16 slot. M.2 storage includes a whopping four M.2 slots for SSDs and a fifth M.2 slot for a single Wi-Fi- module. Biostar doesn't say what PCIe generation each slot supports, but we do know that AMD's X670E chipset requirements necessitate one of these M.2 storage slots being Gen 5 supported, at the very least, while the rest are probably running on Gen 4 connectivity.

For I/O, there is a single DisplayPort and single HDMI connector for video outputs -- this will be necessary since all Ryzen 7000 chips will come with RDNA2 integrated graphics. For storage, the board supports an additional six SATA3 ports for 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives and SSDs.

USB ports consist of two USB 3.2 Gen 2X2 20Gbps ports. We're still waiting to h ear on the rest. Audio consists of a Realtek codec of some sort, and ethernet is running on a 2.5G NIC of unknown origin.

We should know more soon enough, once Biostar releases an official product page to the public.

One of the indisputable trumps of AMD's Radeon RX 6400 graphics boards is their low power consumption, enabling GPU makers to build miniature cards. This is indeed an advantage as most single-slot low-profile graphics cards on the market today are either aimed at professional applications or are outdated. This is perhaps why GPU makers are jumping on the Radeon RX 6400 bandwagon. 

Sapphire Technology's partners were among the first to leak details about the company's upcoming single-slot low-profile Pulse Radeon RX 6400 graphics card, but Sapphire will not be alone with a miniature card based on the Navi 24 graphics processing unit, as we already know. Apparently, XFX is also prepping a single-slot low-profile Swift 105 Radeon RX 6400 graphics board for the retail/channel market, reports VideoCardz. 

The XFX Swift 105 card has 4GB of 64-bit GDDR6 memory, two display outputs, and a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface (x16 mechanical/electrical) interface. While the board's box carries XFX's 'Play Hard' moniker, the Radeon RX 6400 is clearly not designed for any serious gaming and will barely handle outdated titles that are not hungry for graphics oomph. The board also does not support video encoding and AV1 decoding, so multimedia enthusiasts may want to avoid Navi 24.  

Yet, the main advantage of XFX's Swift 105 is its compatibility with virtually all systems that have a PCIe x16 slot (keep in mind that when installed into a PCIe Gen3 machine, the performance of the card may be lower due to limited PCIe bandwidth) as well as driver support that will continue for a few years down the road. By contrast, outdated products like AMD's Radeon RX 550 or Nvidia's GeForce GT 730 are outdated, so their proper support is not guaranteed. 

So far, we only know about single-slot low-profile Radeon RX 6400 graphics cards from Sapphire and XFX. Perhaps, other makers will follow suit. Meanwhile, since most desktop PCs can house dual-slot Mini-ITX graphics cards, there are several GPU manufacturers that plan to offer such products. ASRock, Biostar, and MSI are among them. These cards will feature 4GB of memory, two display outputs, a single-fan cooling system, and will lack extra power connectors, which will make them compatible even with the cheapest desktops from OEMs.  

Meanwhile, Asus is prepping its Dual Radeon RX 6400 4G (Dual-RX6400-4G) graphics card with two fans and presumably factory overclocking. While the performance of this product is something that remains to be seen, we doubt that this board will offer performance that is comparable to that of the best gaming graphics cards available today (after all, AMD's Navi 24 GPU was primarily designed with notebooks in mind), so we are not sure why install a relatively expensive cooler on such a device.

Biostar has announced the new iMiner 660MX8D2 with eight Radeon RX 6600 graphics cards for cryptocurrency miners. And no, it's not an April Fool's Day joke.

Believe it or not, Biostar is pretty active in the cryptocurrency mining scene. The vendor offers everything from mining-oriented motherboards to complete, plug-and-play mining machines. Biostar previously employed AMD's Polaris-based graphics cards, such as the Radeon RX 580 or RX 570. This time, the manufacturer opted for an RDNA 2 worker for the iMiner 660MX8D2, more specifically, the Radeon RX 6600M.

The iMiner 660MX8D2 utilizes eight Radeon RX 6600M graphics cards, the mobile variants of the Radeon RX 6600. However, the Radeon RX 6600 and RX 6600M use the same Navi 23 silicon with an identical shader count, with the only significant difference being the clock speeds. Therefore, Biostar probably just repurposed the mobile dies into desktop graphics. However, it's a common practice, and we've previously seen it with Nvidia's mobile GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card.

Biostar's Radeon RX 6600M 8GB features a cooler with a dual-heat pipe and dual-fan design. The graphics card has a single 8-pin PCIe power connector and offers three DisplayPort outputs and an HDMI port, which aren't necessary for a mining graphics card. It's a shame because these are legit gaming graphics cards that could have gone into the hands of gamers.

The eight Radeon RX 6600M graphics cards reside on Biostar's custom TB360-BTC D+ motherboard with the B360 chipset that supports old 8th and 9th Generation Intel processors. Biostar outfits the iMiner 660MX8D with a feeble Celeron G4900 dual-core chip to minimize power consumption and a 120GB SSD for storage. Unfortunately, there's only a single SO-DIMM memory slot for a DDR4-2666 stick up to 16GB. However, the important thing is that the motherboard provides eight PCIe x16 expansion slots (seven PCIe 2.0 x16 at x1, one PCIe 3.0 x16), so no riser cards are required. In addition, Biostar includes a 2000W 220V power supply to feed the eight RDNA 2 graphics cards.

Biostar advertises the iMiner 660MX8D2 as a hassle-free mining system; even beginners can get it up and working. It's a plug and mine product. The machine boasts an ETH hash rate of 248 MH/s, around 7% higher performance than Biostar's prior iMiner A588x8D2 miner with eight Radeon RX 580. The miner supports all the popular cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Monero, BTG, and Zcash - to name a few.

The manufacturer didn't share the price tag for the iMiner 660MX8D2, so potential customers will have to send an inquiry to Biostar about pricing.

Biostar has added a new graphics card to its arsenal, and it might make you think it's 2017. As momomo_us on Twitter discovered, the company is releasing a new version of the several year old Radeon RX 550. You won't find the it on any list of best graphics cards these days, but Biostar's Radeon RX 550 (VA5505RG41) may be a feasible option for those who don't need high-end graphics.

The Radeon RX 550 from Biostar leverages Lexa Pro silicon, so it's the variant with 512 shading units instead of the Baffin LE-powered Radeon RX 550 that has 640 shading units. The graphics card has a 1,100 MHz base clock and a 1,183 MHz boost clock, allowing it to deliver an FP32 performance of around 1.2 TFLOPs. However, the Radeon RX 550 is slightly slower than the Vega graphics engine found in the Radeon 5 5600G (Zen 3) APU.

The Radeon RX 550 won't offer you a pleasant gaming performance unless you game at 720p (1280 x 720) resolution with the eye candy toned way down. However, the graphics card's 4GB of GDDR5 memory does help with other everyday tasks. In addition, the Radeon RX 550 provides four HDMI outputs with 4K support and can manage up to four displays simultaneously.

Biostar's iteration of the Radeon RX 550 comes in a single-slot design and doesn't require any external power connectors. As a result, the graphics card fits nicely into essential systems, although we recommend a 250-watt power supply as a minimum.

Biostar didn't specify the pricing or availability for the Radeon RX 550 (VA5505RG41). For perspective, the cheapest Radeon RX 550 starts at $209.99. The graphics card debuted at $79 five years ago, so consumers pay a 166% premium for the aging Radeon graphics card. That's the beauty of a semiconductor shortage. Even old models like the Radeon RX 550 or the long-forgotten GeForce GT 730 can still be relevant. But should you overpay for a graphics card that's five years old? No, unless you really don't have any other choice.

A fully "certified and tested" $14,800 ASRock cryptomining server made in collaboration between ASRock and AMD has been spotted by Twitter's Komachi. Most interestingly, the system features twelve AMD BC-250 APUs that push it to a surprisingly powerful 610 MH/s. What are these APUs? The Twitter tipster thinks they might be PS5 "Oberon" processor cast-offs, and we, too, have heard the same story from a source familiar with the matter. This all means that AMD has apparently found yet another use for its defective PS5 silicon in addition to the AMD 4700S we reviewed.

ASRock is one of the most cryptomining-friendly PC and components makers, alongside Biostar. Perusing its site, you will find crypto-purposed motherboards as part of its BTC+ series and useful accessories and guides to getting started in cryptomining. However, it makes crypto mining servers too and sells barebones and fully populated servers to favored customers.

Komachi highlighted one of ASRock's mining rigs for sale in Slovenia. Described as an "ASRock Mining Rig Barebone 610 Mhs 12x AMD BC-250," the system is listed at €13,499, or approximately $14,800. The advert says that what is up for sale is a "quality computer for cryptocurrency mining operations with a guarantee made by a recognized manufacturer ASRock." It goes on to claim that the certified and tested system is the result of "cooperation between AMD and ASRock."

The ASRock mining rig listing shows the system from a number of angles. From the top-down view, you can see twelve PCI cards lined up with no obvious branding. The listing says these are "12 x AMD BC-250 mining APU passive design," meaning each board houses a PS5 APU. Elsewhere in the server is 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, five cooling fans, and a pair of 1200W power supplies.

You will note that there is no system CPU listed. However, one of the PS5 APUs may have working CPU cores used for general processing and housekeeping duties. This theory tallies with the 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, which is how the Sony PlayStation 5 is configured.

Some other details of this ready-to-roll cryptomining system are that it can hit approximately 610 MH/s when mining Ethereum (ETH). For reference, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 can mine ETH at approx 120 MH/s while consuming 300W. (It's the only GPU from Nvidia that isn't locked via the LHR limiter these days, along with the newly launched GeForce RTX 3090 Ti.)

A quick check of US stores, and we see RTX 3090 cards available at $2,200. To match the performance of the ASRock server, you will need about five of these cards ($11,000) plus other components, like powerful GPUs that ensure 1500w for the GPUs alone.

The AMD BC-250 appears to be a known entity in the cryptomining world. For example, an ETH mining profitability calculator site in Norway lists a single BC-250 as being capable of just over 50 MH/s, which tallies with the ASRock server advert (12 x 50 MH/s = 600 MH/s). It adds that running one of these APUs in a mining capacity will make about $3 a day, depending on your electricity costs and the ever-changing value of ETH.

AMD 4700S and 4800S Desktop Kits Sidelined?

Rather than surplus PS5 APUs being used in cryptomining, some would prefer these APUs with active and working RDNA2 graphics cores were used in the AMD 4700S and A4800S Desktop Kits or similar.

Despite recent valuation gains, ETH mining is increasingly difficult, taking the edge off its attractiveness to GPU miners. Moreover, it is expected to transition to Proof of Stake in the coming months, making investments like $14,800 in the headlining ASRock cryptomining rig seem nonsensical.

Biostar has launched a new mining rig that wields the combined grunt of eight AMD Radeon RX 580 GPUs. The system, dubbed the Biostar iMiner A588x8D2, uses what appear to be eight consumer-grade Radeon graphics cards with DVI/Triple display port/HDMI outputs and a twin fan cooling design. The cards look like the Biostar Gaming VA5805RV82 model with 8GB of VRAM. In its press release, Biostar says that it can deliver iMiner systems in "large quantities."

Biostar has a history of crypto mining hardware development, dating back quite a while. For example, it has launched many BTC-series motherboards across processor generations, featuring as many as twelve PCIe slots. The new Biostar iMiner A588x8D2 featuring eight RX 580 graphics cards has used its motherboard technology as a platform. Biostar has previously based lower power iMiner systems on multiple RX 570 8GB (8x) and RX 560 4GB GPUs (12x).

As a crypto mining system isn't GPUs alone, Biostar has kitted out this system with an Intel G4900 processor (2C/2T) and 8GB DDR4 RAM. It says the system can run Windows, Linux, or HiveOS, and we note previous members of the iMiner series ran the ethos 64-bit Linux mining distro. The case looks quite roomy and features four 120mm fans and a specially made "blockchain grade" PSU.

Biostar says that the new iMiner A588x8D2 can deliver an Ethereum hash rate of up to 232 MH/s ± 5% for crypto mining performance. But, of course, this system isn't only for ETH mining (which might not be suitable for if/when ETH changes from proof of work to proof of stake); it can also tackle ETC, RVN, ERG, and other altcoin mining jobs.

If you are in the market for a graphics card for 1080p or some 1440p PC gaming, you could do worse than getting a used or new Radeon RX 580, depending on the price. New GPUs with RX 580 level performance are still being available or in planning, such as the state of the GPU market in early 2022.

Biostar's press release boasts, concerning iMiner A588x8D2 systems, that it "guarantees availability in large quantities for any interested party." Thus Biostar must be sitting on large quantities of Radeon RX 580 cards or components to make them.

Popular Twitter hardware leaker @momomo_us, has just shared an image of over 50 new motherboard models based on Intel's H670, B660, and H610 chipsets. The board's models come from Asus, Gigabyte, ASRock, MSI, and Biostar and come in all standard form factors.

H670, B660, and B610 are part of Intel's newer budget-friendly offerings for the new Alder Lake platform. The biggest differentiation between the three is connectivity, with H670 bringing the most amount of PCIe lanes and USB ports. B660 lands in the middle with decent connectivity, and H610 is as you might expect, the worst with very little connectivity and lacks any CPU PCie lanes for NVME SSDs. To read more about the differences check out our previous coverage of the H670, B660 and H610 chipsets.

Asus

Asus appears to have 22 motherboards on the list, consisting of 15 B660 boards, four H610M models, and just three H670 boards. There will be 4 B660 ROG Strix models in the mix, including a -I, -A, -G, and -F. The -A model will have DDR4 support. The -I should be one of Asus' only mini-itx B660 boards on the market for now.

For TUF models, Asus will have three specifically for B660, the B660-Plus WiFi D4, B660M-Plus WiFi D4, and B660M-Plus D4. As the name implies all these boards will have DDR4 support, with the M in some nothing a Micro ATX form factor.

But by far the most amount of B660 boards belong to Asus' Prime brand, with five B660 boards you'll be able to choose from. There's the B660M-A WiFi D4, B660-A AC D4, B660M-A D4, B660M-K D4, and the B660-Plus D4. 

All of these boards will be Micro ATX, with the exception of the Plus model, and all will come with DDR4 support, which makes sense considering how expensive and hard to find DDR5 is right now.

To round off the final B660 boards, there's an EX-B660M-V5 D4, and Pro B660M-C D4 that don't belong in any particular sub-brand from Asus.

As for Asus' H670 models (assuming this leak is the full list) all the company appears to be producing in the near future are three boards: the TUF Gaming H670-Pro WiFi D4, Prime H670-Plus D4, and Pro Q670M-C. 

This is not too surprising; with how close H670 is in feature set to the Z690 platform, there's not really a lot of market adoption for this chipset. This has also been true of previous H series chipset, where Intel's more value-oriented B-series chipset motherboards have almost always proven to be more popular.

According to this leak, Asus will be making four H610 chipset motherboards, and all of them will be DDR4 and Micro ATX. Three of these will be Prime boards: the H610M-A D4, -D D4, and -E D4. Finally, there's the EX-H610M-V3 D4.

MSI

MSI has the biggest amount of boards in the list, consisting of 24 motherboards, all of them equipped with the B660 chipset. We suspect MSI might be delaying motherboard production of its H670 and H610 boards for a later time, which would explain why MSI only has B660 motherboards on the list.

There will be eight B660 motherboards in MSI's MAG lineup: four Mortar motherboards, two Bazooka boards and two Tomahawk boards. The main differences seem likely to be DDR4 support or DDR5 support. All Tomahawk models will come with WiFi support, and two of the Mortar boards will come with WiFi as well. If history repeats itself, then the Mortar and Bazooka lineups will be Micro ATX only, with the Tomahawks being full ATX.

The largest amount of B660 board models in MSI's lineup belong to the PRO series, with thirteen boards you'll be able to choose from. They consist of -A, -G, -E and -C models with both DDR4 support, DDR5 support, and some having Wi-Fi support as well. All the models are Micro ATX, with the exception of the B660-A.

The remaining three in MSI's list include the B660M Bomber and B660M Plus. These should also be Micro ATX, and the Bomber board has a DDR4 version as well. 

Gigabyte

According to the list, Gigabyte has 13 boards in all, with four being H610 and the rest featuring the B660 chipsets. 

The Gigabyte B660 lineup will seemingly consist of five Gaming X boards. Three of the five boards are Micro ATX, with those supporting DDR4. The standard ATX B660 Gaming X will feature both DDR5 and DDR4 models instead. The downside is a lack of any built in Wi-Fi support, which the Micro ATX boards come with.

The remining list of B660 Gigabyte boards are the company's entry level offerings, the D3H DDR4, DS3H AX DDR4, HD3P, and the D2H DDR4. The HD3P should be the cheapest board you can get from Gigabyte that features DDR5 support. All these boards are Micro ATX, as well.

Finally we have four H610 boards, the H610M H DDR4, H610M S2H DDR4, H610M S2 DDR4, and the H610I DDR4.

ASRock

ASRock is the only other company in this list, besides Asus, to feature H670 boards as well as B660 and H610. There are 14 ASRock motherboards in the list in all, with three being H670, eight being B660 and the final three consisting of H610 boards.

The three H670 boards are the H670 Steel Legend, H670M Pro RS, and the H670M-ITX/ac. The latter is the only H670 ITX board on the entire list.

For B660 boards, ASRock has two Steel Legend boards on the list, one ATX and one micro-ATX. The rest include the following, Pro RS, HDVP/D5, HDV, C, ITX/ac. All of these boards are Micro ATX, with the exception of the ITX/ac and Pro RS which has both a ATX and Micro ATX model. Then of course, the B660M-ITX/ac is indeed another ITX motherboard. If ASRock's new model names are correct, then the HDVP/D5 could be the only DDR5-supported B660 board. By the model names alone, it's not clear if the Steel Legend models use DDR5 or not.

Finally we have three H610 boards, the HDVP/D5, HDV/M.2 and HDV. As the name implies, one has DDR5 support, one has M.2 and the other lacks both features.

Biostar

Last but not least, we have Biostar, with just two B660 motherboards on the list, the GTA and GTN. Their model names don't really denote anything special, so we have no idea if they will pack DDR5 or DDR4 support or what form factor they will come in.

Prices are surging for the copper and copper-clad laminates (CCLs) used to make printed circuit boards (PCBs), which are then used for pretty much every type of electronics device. According to reports from DigiTimes, the cost of manufacturing devices like PC motherboards and graphics cards is rising due to a copper foil shortage, nad now the question is how much of that cost the manufacturers will pass on to the end user. According to some of our quick calculations, the impact of the copper foil shortages could be most felt in lower-end devices, while more expensive premium products might see less of an impact due to already-inflated pricing. 

Costs Are Rising

It's no secret that chipmakers can't produce enough semiconductors due to the overwhelming demand for electronics, which is why chip pricing is high. But in addition to actual chips, all kinds of electronics use PCBs made of glass fiber and copper foil.

The price of copper went up from $7,755 per ton in December 2020 to $9,262 per ton today (September 28, 2021). The cost of copper foil surged 35% since Q4 2020 due to the rising prices of copper and energy carriers. As you would expect, the price for copper clad laminates (CCLs), a foundational component used for making PCBs, increased due to the costs associated with the prices of copper foil and energy. The trickle-down effect continues, and now price quotes for PCBs are increasing, too. 

This will affect costs and possibly prices of all kinds of electronics, but PCs, motherboards, and graphics cards will experience more pricing pressure than other components because they tend to use large PCBs with a high layer count. 

Every PCB is built using multiple CCLs, depending on the number of layers. Each CCL consists of several sheets of fiberglass plastic impregnated with epoxy resin that are stacked together and then covered with ~0.035-mm thick (or even thinner) copper foil on both sides. Traces on motherboards are formed by etching away unnecessary copper using processes like those used in microelectronics production (you can read more about the process here). 

Each ATX-sized CCL (305x244 mm) uses around 23 grams of copper (we calculated it here), but a high-end motherboard uses a PCB with at least eight layers (i.e., eight CCLs), so it consumes at least 184 grams of copper (probably more, but we'll stick with this number). Therefore, before processing, a metric ton of copper is enough to build 5,434 eight-layer motherboards, which means that one ATX motherboard consumed $1.42 worth of copper in December and uses $1.70 worth of copper today. But that's before we add in the costs of turning the copper into a usable form, and before the impending price hikes.

While the cost of copper per motherboard did not increase significantly, the cost of copper foil and CCL production increased because of copper prices and rising energy carrier prices.

Right now, a roll of 0.0005-inch copper foil (width: 12 inches, length: 1200 inches) costs $423. Based on our estimates, such a roll is enough for ~62 ATX-sized CCLs, which means $6.8 per CCL or $54 of copper foil per eight-layer ATX PCB. Keep in mind that this is an estimate, and makers of CCLs for motherboards hardly use off-the-shelf copper foil. In addition, transportation fees are high since the demand for transport also increased due to the pandemic, leading to other secondary cost increases.  

Overall, the costs of copper, copper foil, copper-clad laminates, PCBs, and manufacturing have increased quite meaningfully due to various factors. The price increases are not going to stop, though. Chinese CCL makers recently announced price hikes for their PCB customers, DigiTimes claims. Copper foil suppliers are also reportedly mulling increasing their processing fees to CCL makers in early 2022, which is why the latter are now negotiating with their customers to provide them reasonable offerings while ensuring decent profit margins. 

Other Factors

In addition to the demand for PCs, other factors are driving up the prices of PCBs and CCLs. Copper prices are increasing not only because of high energy prices, but because demand for copper wires is growing as many applications switch from aluminum wires to copper wires. Transitioning to renewable energy sources requires brand new power generation equipment, which further hikes the demand for copper wires.   

Meanwhile, as carriers transit to 5G networks, they acquire appropriate equipment, including base stations and networking systems that happen to use loads of copper wiring as well as high layer count PCBs that use many CCLs. Growing demand for such equipment naturally adds pressure on copper foil makers, CCLs and PCBs. 

Should We Worry?

The price of copper hit a historical high in June, but since then, it went down and is now on the levels of 2010 ~ 2011, according to MacroTrends. But what impacts the costs of electronics is not the price of copper per se, but rather the price of copper foil, which is quite high these days. 

While the cost of copper foil, CCLs, and PCBs is surging, its impact on pricing for graphics cards, motherboards, notebooks, and desktop PCs will vary.

A 10% price increase of one of the key components will be noticeable in the case of entry-level motherboards that are not sold with hefty profit margins and retail for $100 – $200. The same can be applied to inexpensive electronics that use relatively complex PCBs and relatively cheap active components (e.g., entry-level PCs). Hence, if you buy budget hardware, you may want to think about your purchase strategy.

The cost of active components (processor, memory, PMICs, etc.) still accounts for the lion's share of electronics build of material (BOM - the price to construct the product). Thus, even if copper foil pricing increases by 10%, it will hardly impact the price of a high-end motherboard that nowadays may retail for $350 – $900, since manufacturers might absorb the increase without passing it to the end-user. Something similar can be said about graphics cards and their retail prices: even if one ingredient gets a 10% price hike, a graphics card that uses it will hardly get significantly costlier at retail since it is already sold at an inflated price. So, if you buy expensive devices, you should probably not worry about the prices of copper, copper foil, CCLs, and PCBs.

But in addition to pricing, there is also the demand aspect. The world is deploying more electronics than ever, so until supply chains are ready to support this demand, there will be multiple factors that will affect the pricing and availability of electronics.

Creating a serious custom cryptocurrency mining rig requires specialized hardware and that includes crypto-specific motherboards, GPUs, power supplies, and for Chia farmers extra storage options. Biostar has today presented a motherboard dedicated to mining multiple cryptocurrencies, using Intel's high-end Z590 chipset.

Called the TZ590-BTC DUO, at the heart of this beast, lies a Z590 chipset connected to the LGA 1200 socket, capable of housing all of Intel's 10th and 11th generation of Core processors. It connects up to 128GB of DDR4 memory running at 3200 MHz, which was proven to be an important factor for Chia coin mining operations. But this board is not a one-trick pony as it can be used to mine many different cryptocurrencies.

A single PCIe 4.0 x16 slot and an additional eight PCIe 3.0 x1 expansion slots provide multiple opportunities to add your choice of GPUs for Ethereum mining. Just don't forget the cables.

Besides the numerous PCIe expansion slots, there are multiple storage options in the shape of up to four NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD slots and SATA III connectors for as many as 10 additional HDDs. This setup is perfect for Chia coin plotting, where the fast SSDs are used for extensive plotting efforts, while the slower SATA hard drives are used to store the plots.

This board doesn't lag in the IO department either. It has one PS/2 port for mouse and keyboard, one HDMI port for external display output, one VGA port for more legacy display support, four USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, and two USB 2.0 ports. Connecting to the outside world via the single Gigabit Ethernet port is powered by an Intel I219V LAN chipset 

Overall, the motherboard features a very healthy selection of I/O, expansion, and storage options, all tailored towards one specific purpose. And that is cryptocurrency mining. If you happen to want one for your next mining rig, the pricing and availability are currently unknown, leaving us to wonder and rely on Biostar's regional distributors for more information.

Biostar has officially revealed its list of motherboards that will be compatible with Microsoft's new Windows 11 operating system. These supported boards feature TPM 2.0 to ensure the best compatibility with the new OS.

This list is Biostar's current list of Windows 11 supported motherboards lineups and should be expanding soon to other chipset models. The most notable lineups that are still missing are the Intel 300 series chipsets and any Intel H series chipsets (like H270 & H370).

Biostar is the first manufacturer to officially have a Windows 11 support list for its motherboards, and we should expect to see simliar lists from other popular board makers such as Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, ASRock, and more.

This should make building a PC a bit easier, as the new Windows 11 system requirements can easily slip under the radar for a novice PC builder who doesn't know that features like TPM 2.0 are now a requirement to support Microsoft's latest OS.

Evidently, not all reference Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics cards will arrive with the same clock speeds — Biostar (via VideoCardz) has listed a reference design that flaunts a small factory overclock.

Biostar refers to the graphics card as "VA67T6TEL9 Ver. RX6700XT M," although it's uncertain if that's the actual model name or the part number. The manufacturer used a render of AMD's reference Radeon RX 6700 XT, but the packaging itself has the "Extreme Gaming" label. The last bit may allude to the fact that Biostar's version is clocked higher than the usual reference edition.

AMD lists the Radeon RX 6700 XT with a 2,321 MHz base clock and game and boost clocks up to 2,424 MHz and 2,581 MHz, respectively. The Biostar Radeon RX 6700 XT features slightly higher clock speeds across the board. The graphics card arrives with a 2,330 MHz base clock, and game and boost clocks that scale to 2,433 MHz and 2,615 MHz, respectively. The increase in base and game clocks is negligible, while the boost clock showed a 1.3% uplift.

In case you missed AMD's announcement, the Radeon RX 6700 XT debuts with the Navi 22 silicon that's fresh out of TSMC's 7nm cooking oven. Navi 22 ushers in 40 Compute Units (CUs) for a grand total of 2,560 Streaming Processors (SPs). The graphics card also packs 40 ray accelerators. The Radeon RX 6700 XT offers 12GB of 16 Gbps GDDR6 memory that runs across a 192-bit memory interface to supply a memory bandwidth up to 384 GBps. The number might look disillusioning, but let's not forget that AMD offsets the memory with 96MB of Infinity Cache.

The Radeon RX 6700 XT will hit the stores on March 18 for $479. The RDNA 2 graphics card will take on the GeForce RTX 3070, which starts at $499. With the graphics card shortage still transpiring, it might not be a battle of who is the fastest, but rather which card is readily available for purchase. AMD has promised to have substantially more Radeon RX 6700 XT stock at launch, so let's hope the chipmaker delivers.

Biostar has introduced two motherboards based on Intel's Z590 platform that belong to its all-new Valkyrie range. The new premium family includes two new boards, the ATX Z590 Valkyrie and a Mini-ITX Z590i Valkyrie,  models which are expected to address the needs of demanding gamers and enthusiasts offering them advanced features that they come to expect from high-end mainboards. 

For many years Biostar focused on entry-level, midrange, and specialized motherboards leaving lucrative higher-end platforms for gamers and enthusiasts to larger players. Several years ago, the company unveiled its Racing-series platforms designed for gamers, and while they were clearly not entry-level or niche products, they still did not compete directly with enthusiast-grade hardware. With its Valkyrie, Biostar wants to finally offer motherboards designed for enthusiasts who demand advanced overclocking capabilities along with a rich set of features.

The initial Biostar Valkyrie family includes two models that support Intel's processors in the LGA1200 packaging (Comet Lake-S, Rocket Lake-S): the Z590 Valkyrie and the Z590I Valkyrie. To maximize overclocking potential, both motherboards use 10-layer printed circuit boards (PCBs), Dr. MOS-based digital voltage regulating modules (VRMs) featuring solid-state inductors and capacitors as well as active cooling, and advanced memory circuitry. Due to different form-factors, the Mini-ITX Z590I Valkyrie uses a 10-phase VRM, whereas the ATX Z590 Valkyrie comes with a 22-phase VRM.

 Additional features include a sophisticated chipset cooling, iron-enforced PCIe x16 slots, more robust power connectors, and protected I/O ports.  

The smaller Biostar Z590I Valkyrie features two DDR4 memory slots that support up to 64GB of DDR4-5000 memory, one PCIe 4.0 x16 slot for graphics cards, four SATA connectors as well as one M.2-2280 slot for a PCIe 4.0 x4 or SATA SSD. 

The bigger Biostar Z590 Valkyrie carries four DDR4 memory slots to install up to 128GB of DDR4-5000 memory, three PCIe x16 slots for graphics cards (two PCIe 4.0 x16/x8, one PCIe 3.0 x16 working in x4 mode), six SATA connectors, and three M.2-2280 for SATA or PCIe drives. 

Being high-end offerings, Biostar's Z590I Valkyrie and Z590 Valkyrie motherboards offer rather advanced set of input/output technologies that includes a 2.5GbE port, an M.2-2230 slot for an optional Wi-Fi 6 adapter, multiple USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A connectors, one USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port, two display outputs (DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0), and a 7.1-channel audio subsystem with 3.5-mm and optical connectors. 

Traditionally for enthusiast-grade motherboards, Biostar's Z590I Valkyrie and Z590 Valkyrie feature connectors for RGB LED strips as well as comes with software to control these LEDs. 

Biostar has been expanding its product lineups for some time now, so the introduction of higher-end motherboards is not exactly surprising. Nonetheless, Biostar's decision to compete directly with advanced platforms from the Big Four makers may be an important milestone for the industry because ASUS, ASRock, Gigabyte, and MSI have been commanding the retail motherboard market for about a decade now after second-tier mainboard makers refocused to other products. Of course, only time will tell whether Biostar will be able to compete with its bigger rivals successfully, but at least the company decided to try. 

Biostar yet has to disclose pricing of its Valkyrie-series motherboards, but it is safe to say that these platforms will be more expensive when compared to the company's Racing family of products.

In conjunction with Intel’s Rocket Lake CPU announcements, board partners pulled back the curtain on several new Z590-based motherboards to go along with the upcoming chip. The new motherboards promise native PCIe 4.0 support (with Rocket Lake CPUs), USB 3.2 Gen2x2 support from the chipset and upgraded power delivery. Best of all, we’ll get to see some new board designs. All of the major board partners have released a slate of options based on the new chipset -- many of which we’ll eventually review -- and a select few may even make it to our best motherboards page. 

On the CPU front, the Rocket Lake CPUs took a step backward on core count at the top end, with the flagship  Core i9-11900K set at 8-core/16-threads (like the i9-9900K had in 2018), while  the Core i9-10900K was a 10-core/20-thread part. But the reality is, that change won’t affect a lot of users. At this time, there aren’t many (possibly any) games that show a marked performance improvement above an 8-core/16-thread setup. And if your work needs more, you can step up to the HEDT platform or buy an AMD Ryzen 5000 series/X570 combination.

Helping to make up for the core count deficit, the new CPU architecture is supposed to bring significant IPC improvements as well as AVX-512 support, faster base memory speed (up to 3200 MHz), 20 CPU-connected PCIe 4.0 lanes, Intel Xe integrated graphics and more. As with previous launches, Intel will certainly fill out the product stack with other variants such as 6-core/12-thread processors down to 4-core/8-thread parts. When the time comes, we’ll have a full CPU review as well as an updated product list. Until then, we have some high-level information about the new Z590 chipset and the motherboards that go along with it to tide you over.

Intel Z590 Chipset: Same Socket, Different Features  

At the time of this writing, Intel has not released the full details of the Z590 chipset. However, we do know a few things that differentiate Z590 from the previous-gen Z490. Unlike Z390 to Z490, the LGA 1200 socket remains the same, which in this case means both Rocket Lake-S and Comet Lake-S chips will work with Z590 based motherboards; Z490 requires a BIOS update to work with Rocket Lake processors. In addition to the flagship Z590 chipset, Intel is also releasing B560 and H510 chipsets. Typically these lesser chipsets are locked to prevent overclocking. However, there are rumors of B560 overclocking. Stay tuned on that front.

The most significant difference between the two chipsets is native PCIe 4.0 support when using a Rocket Lake processor. A Rocket Lake CPU shares 20 PCIe PCIe 4.0 lanes between the PCIe slots/GPU and M.2 socket/storage. It feels like Intel has finally caught up to AMD’s B550 chipset, at least, but still isn’t close to the lane count and flexibility of X570.

Another significant difference with Z590 is the DMI link between the chipset and CPU. On Z590, Intel has doubled the link speed, going from PCIe 3.0 x4 to x8. The jump to x8 effectively doubles the amount of bandwidth available for any chipset-connected devices (storage and networking for example). Additionally, the chipset now has native support for USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps), so we should see these ultra-fast USB Type-A and Type-C ports on most Z590 motherboards.

Other differences are more subtle, outside of the native PCIe 4.0 support on all boards. Here’s a look at how Z590 compares with Intel’s previous mainstream flagship chipsets. Keep in mind some details are still uncertain as we wrote this.

Intel hasn’t shared too many details on the Rocket Lake CPU, including TDP. We know it will have a TDP/PL1 of 125W with a PL2 (turbo) power limit of 250W, with a 56-second duration. With fewer cores and threads to cool, perhaps thermal mitigation will be less of an issue on the new CPUs. But we’ll see the continued use of formidable VRMs and large heatsinks to keep these power-hungry CPUs in check. Some Halo products may include active cooling on the VRMs or even integrate water blocks to cool the VRMs and CPU. 

Memory support for the new CPUs also gets a small bump from DDR4 2933 to DDR4 3200 when using the new Rocket Lake-based processors. The new value now matches AMD’s official maximum for memory support. Some of the new boards support overclocked DDR4 to speeds well over 5000 MHz - similar to what we saw with Z490. As usual, your mileage will vary, and working with the correct CPU (with a good integrated memory controller) and memory kit is critical when chasing high memory clocks. That said, the sweet spot for memory speeds and performance per dollar is likely around where it currently is, DDR4 3600-3800 with CL14/16. Much beyond that and the kits’ price goes up sharply while performance doesn’t follow linearly.

The networking situation doesn’t change too much on Z590. The chipset continues integrated support for Intel CNVi Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6) and Wireless-AX. All the board partners need to do is add the Wi-Fi card to the board. You’ll find 2.5 Gb NICs on most boards on the wired front, while some flagships go higher with 5 GbE or 10 GbE. The budget boards will use 1 GbE, which is still acceptable for most users. Since most of you don’t have 1 Gb-plus internet service in the first place, the faster ports are still valuable for transfers within your network (assuming the slowest part is up to the task).  

Little is known about the USB configuration far, but we know that the USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (20 Gbps) is supported natively. Port counts for USB USB 3.2 Gen1/2 (5/10 Gbps, respectively), haven’t been confirmed either, but we don’t expect it to change much from the six (Gen2) and 10 (Gen1) ports already supported.

No details were shared on the SATA3 6 Gbps port count, but we expect that to remain the same at six as well. Any motherboards with more than six ports use a third-party controller, typically from ASMedia. As mentioned earlier, the most significant difference is simply PCIe 4.0 support from the CPU. Intel has finally caught up to AMD on that front, at least with CPU-connected lanes. All of the fancy new PCIe 4.0 video cards have a native home on an Intel-based system. The performance difference with current-generation video cards usually isn’t much, but still worth having if only for faster storage capabilities. 

While Z590 has arrived, we still awhile to wait to see how the new CPUs fare, which is rather unfortunate. At some later point, lower-priced B560 and H510 chipset-based motherboards will be available. But at the time of this writing, there are over 45 Z590 boards to choose from. So if you’re looking to build a new system based on Intel’s latest, there should be something for everyone.  

Z590 Motherboards: The Full List (So Far)  

With the chipset details out of the way, we’ve provided a list of all Z590 motherboards announced and found on the various company websites. Board partners provided the information listed in the following tables. We’ll break things out by the company on the following page and offer some thoughts on the respective launch lineups. 

Sadly, US pricing is an essential piece of information that vendors haven’t provided yet, but we’ll fill in the chart as we receive the information. That said, early pricing info from Europe indicates that prices will be high, especially for flagship boards. 

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ASRock: 12 Boards

• 2.5GbE LAN on most SKUs
• WiFi 6(6E) on some boards

ASRock’s Z590 motherboard lineup consists of 12 SKUs -- 10 ATX, one Micro ATX (mATX) and one Mini-ITX (mITX). The Taichi appears to be the flagship, followed by the Velocita and Extreme boards slotting below it. Next, the now-familiar Phantom Gaming line occupies the mid-range space, while the Extreme 4 and Steel Legend boards fill in the entry-level spots.  

On the networking side of things, each board features (up to) a 2.5 GbE port (Either Killer- or Realtek-based) while other, more budget-oriented boards include a single 1 GbE port from Intel. Any board that includes Wi-Fi supports the integrated CNVi on the chipset and WI-Fi 6 capability. 

For those who need more than the native six SATA ports, the Z590 Taichi includes eight. Multiple boards, including the Taichi, Extreme, and PG Velocita, offer three M.2 sockets. The smaller Phantom Gaming-ITX TB3 and the ATX Taichi and Velocita include active cooling on the VRM heatsinks to keep temperatures down under heavy loads. ASRock chose the Realtek ALC1200 and ALC1220 codecs for audio, along with Nahimic software support. Like most boards these days, all will also have their share of integrated RGB lighting and headers, along with multiple fan headers, as do most of these motherboards today.

Asus: 6 Boards

• Teamed Power Architecture (Maximus XIII boards)
• Optimem III for High-Frequency Memory Speeds
• AI Overclocking Based on CPU quality and Cooler Efficiency
• 2.5GbE and 10GbE NIC Available along with Wi-Fi 6

Asus’ initial lineup consists of six boards, with the rest filling out in the weeks and months to come. Out of the gate are samples from almost each of the company’s internal market segments, including the ROG Maximus (XIII Extreme/Hero), ROG Strix (Z590-E Gaming), TUF Gaming Z590-Plus (Wi-Fi), and the Prime Z590-A. What’s currently missing is the Pro Art series. 

The premium gaming- and overclocking-focused ROG Maximus XII (MXII) series continue to bring the best of what the platform has to offer from Asus. Large passive heatsinks help cool the 18+2-phase teamed VRMs below, save for on the Glacier, which includes a water block for the CPU and VRMs.  

Asus includes AI overclocking from the BIOS or the AI Suite that tests the processor to see which cores are best. Like ASRock, CPU quality and efficiency determine the outcome. All Maximus boards include at least a 2.5 Gb LAN, with the Extreme using Marvell AQtion AQC107 10GbE. You’ll also find up to 8 SATA ports and four M.2 slots in this lineup.  

The ROG Strix series historically spans several boards in various sizes, including ATX, Micro ATX, and Mini-ITX. All employ a robust VRM design, but details are scarce. The Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi we know about uses a 14+2 configuration, the same (by count) as the Maximus XIII Hero and TUF Gaming. All boards include the Supreme FX S1220A codec and will have multiple RGB LED headers, for your audio and visual pleasure. 

A bit down the product stack, the Asus Prime motherboards (Z590-A right now) target gaming and productivity users. These boards use a solid VRM design and employ some of the more high-end features, including AI Overclocking, a pre-mounted IO shield, 2.5 Gb LAN, and front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 2. 

The TUF series boards are geared more toward gamers with more modest budgets and needs. Users still get capable power delivery and heatsinks, integrated Wi-Fi 6 on the Plus (Wi-Fi), USB 3.2, and USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps) Type-C ports. Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC S1200A. Although not the company’s flagship, it’s still adequate for most users.

Biostar: 3 Boards

• Up to 22 Phase Power Design
• Wi-Fi 6 Capabilities on All Boards

Biostar is releasing three Z590 based boards -- two ATX and one Mini-ITX. All boards include Wi-Fi 6 and have stepped up to 2.5 GbE (Z490 was all 1 GbE). Both ATX boards sport a solid VRM phase count and will support stock operation and overclocking, while the VRM on the mATX board was not listed. These Biostar boards lacked the punch to overclock flagship-level CPUs well in the past. Here’s to hoping the updated boards improve on that side, as the value and features are typically on point. 

EVGA: 2 Boards

• 22-phase VRM (Dark)

EVGA Z590 boards consist of the familiar Z590 Dark and Z590 FTW. The Dark is the flagship board in an E-ATX form factor, sporting a beefy 18-phase VRM around the socket. The FTW model uses a lesser, but still capable, 17-phase power delivery. Memory support wasn’t listed when we wrote the article, but we expect to see the similar values compared to the Z490 counterparts. 

The FTW has six SATA ports on the storage front, four of which are sourced from the chipset, while two come from an ASMedia controller. The Dark includes eight total SATA ports, six from the chipset and the other two from ASMedia. Both boards have two M.2 PCIe ports (one of which is PCIe 4.0 x4) and will fit up to 110 mm drives. 

The Realtek ALC12220 codecs handle audio on both boards with NU Audio software support. Both the FTW and Dark include a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (20 Gbps) Type-C port and several standard Gen2 and Gen1 ports. As usual, availability on these boards will be after initial release.  

Gigabyte: 8 Boards

• 60-100A VRMs
• Daisy Chain + Shielded Memory Routing
• 2.5 GbE-plus on all models

Gigabyte joins the Z590 fray with eight different SKUs initially, ranging from the gaming-centric Aorus line, featuring a familar naming convention (Xtreme, Master, Ultra, Elite, etc.), to the new Tachyon SKU. Power delivery in the Aorus line ranges from 21 to 13 phases with up to 100A MOSFETs (Extreme and Tachyon boards). Cooling these are large heatsinks, some connected via heatpipe, but all passively cooled. Some of the notable differences between the Aorus boards reside in VRM phase count and MOSFET capability and the number of M.2 slots (3 or 4). The boards include six SATA ports, aside from the Ultra, with four.  

Additionally, all Gigabyte boards use a 2.5 GbE or greater. All listed boards outside of the Z590 Aorus Elite include Wi-Fi 6. Overall, the Aorus boards have the most features, and with that, a higher price tag. 

Missing from this initial list are the Vision motherboards and the more entry-level Ultra Durable line. We should see the product stack fill out as time goes on. All boards use a Realtek solution on the audio side, either the premium ALC1220 codec or the new ALC4080 codec.   

As far as the Xtreme Waterforce at the top, not much is known outside of what we see below. We know it includes hybrid cooling already installed, with the other features similar to the Xtreme. The only thing missing here is a Micro-ATX board, but we expect to see that and the rest of the lineup down the road.

MSI: 14 Boards

• 2.5 GbE LAN or Faster for All Models
• Tabbed Routing for Memory (support up to DDR4 5000)

MSI hits the Z590 scene with 14 SKUs across its MEG, MPG, MAG and Pro lines. There are three high-end SKUs in the MEG series, the Godlike, Ace, and the Unify boards. All use a mirrored power arrangement with the flagship Godlike sporting a full 20 phases with 90A MOSFETs. The rest of the boards outside of the Z90I Unify all use phase doublers.

Additionally, the MEG-class boards have the highest rated memory support at DDR4 5333 (up from 5200/4800 for Z490). All MEG boards sport six SATA ports and three M.2 sockets, while the Godlike takes that to another level with four M.2 sockets on the board and two from the M.2 Expander card, totalling six. They also include 2.5 and 10 Gb NICs and integrated Wi-Fi 6. Last, the MEG Ace includes a ‘Lightning’ USB 3.2 Gen 2 (20 Gbps) port as well--one of several that have incorporated this feature. 

Moving down the product stack, the MPG line consists of four boards, all using a ‘duet’ rail power delivery. We find the Gaming Carbon WiFi, Gaming Force (new SKU), Gaming Edge WiFi, the Micro-ATX Gaming Edge WiFi, and the Gaming Plus. The ATX-size boards sport six SATA ports (mATX is four) and have three M.2 slots. All MPG boards with “WiFi” in the name have integrated Wi-Fi 6 capabilities. If you need more speed out of your USB ports, all MPG boards include a USB 3.2 Gen2 (20 Gbps) port, too. 

The MAG Tomahawk, MAG Torpedo and A Pro serve different markets: gamer and creators, respectively, and look different. However, their hardware configuration is similar, sharing the same capable design for power and the same number of SATA ports and M.2 slots. Both sport 2.5 Gb NICs.

That’s it for now, though it’s already a lot! As noted earlier, we’ll fill in some of the question marks above as we get more info, as well as dropping in pricing once that arrives as well. While it still feels like Intel is playing catch-up on the platform front, the addition of PCIe 4.0 support and a doubled DMI link makes the feature sets between the two X86 rivals feel a lot closer than it has since at least launch of X570 a year and a half ago. 

Time will tell whether the claimed 19% IPC increase on the upcoming Rocket Lake-S CPU will help Intel retake the gaming crown and offset the loss of a couple cores on the top-end Core i9-11900K. But one thing is clear: Intel’s board partners are ready and waiting to give Rocket Lake-S some extra thrust. And if Ryzen 5000 shortages remain a serious issue much longer, eager enthusiasts who’ve been waiting since last year to put together a new build could give Intel’s latest platform another big boost.  

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Chinese media outlet MyDrivers recently reported that Intel's B460 and H410 chipsets are out of stock and could ultimately result in increased motherboard pricing during the first quarter of 2021. We've consulted with our own industry source, confirming that a shortage of lower-end chipsets is taking hold. 

It's no surprise that the hardware industry is in a rough place right now, and consumers are the ones to suffer. Now, adding to the pain of the ongoing shortages of graphics cards and AMD processors, Intel's B460 and H410 chipsets might not be far behind. To make matters even worse, PCBs and other electronic components necessary for motherboard manufacturing are either out of stock, or the prices have risen substantially.

According to MyDrivers, motherboard manufacturers received the last wave of B460 and H410 shipments this month, and supply isn't likely to improve in January. The report says that Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI have adjusted their shipment strategies and will raise pricing. Although the report doesn't provide specifics, MyDrivers claims that ASRock and Biostar are in an even worse situation.

While B460 and H410 chipsets might be in a bad place, the supply for Z490 chipsets is tolerable. This is because Z490 is built on the 14nm process node, while the B460 and H410 chipsets are manufactured with the older 22nm process node. 

The same strategy reportedly applies to Intel's forthcoming 500-series chipsets for Rocket Lake-S, too. The Z590 chipset is rumored to be manufactured with the 14nm process, while the B560 and H510 chipsets come out of the 22nm oven. Intel likely put the previous-gen 22nm chipsets on the backburner so it could build up enough inventory for the looming 500-series motherboard launch, which is rumored to take place at CES 2021. The official Rocket Lake-S launch is rumored to follow later in the first quarter. 

We've heard through the grapevine that supply for the Z590 chipset will be limited too, although inventory isn't at the point of shortage – all of which is normal surrounding the launch of a new line of chipsets. 

However, Intel reportedly recommended that its motherboard partners order more B460 and H410 chipsets in advance because supply will be very tight in the upcoming months. There's no definitive timeline on how long the shortage will last, but it may endure throughout the first quarter of 2021. 

Although Intel never explicitly expressed it, the general expectation was the impending 11th Generation Rocket Lake processors would slot fine into the current LGA1200 motherboard with the 400-series chipset. If there was any doubt, multiple motherboard manufacturers have officially confirmed the processors' backward compatibility.  

ASRock, for one, has already updated various product pages to affirm support for Rocket Lake. The new description now reads "Supports 10th Gen Intel® Core Processors and 11th Gen Intel Core Processors (LGA1200)," with the latter alluding to Intel's Rocket Lake-S chips. Thus far, the preliminary list of motherboards (via momomo_us) includes the various offerings from different tiers, such as the Z490 Aqua, Z490 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3, Z480 Creator, and H470 Steel Legend.

On the other hand, Biostar reportedly shared a banner advertising Rocket Lake-S support on the brand's Z490 motherboards. The vendor has also updated the motherboard product pages to reflect the change. However, it would appear that Rocket Lake-S's rapport might only be with the company's Z490 motherboards since the B460 product pages don't proclaim support for 11th Generation chips.

While it's possible to enable Rocket Lake-S processors on all LGA1200 motherboards, we suspect that support will vary from one motherboard vendor to another. Besides the shift to the Cypress Cove microarchitecture, one of Rocket Lake-S's biggest attraction is PCIe 4.0 support. Nonetheless, some vendors might not have initially purposed some of their 400-series offering to support PCIe 4.0, especially the entry-level motherboards. That could be the explanation of why Biostar didn't mention Rocket Lake-S support on non-Z490 motherboards.

The current consensus is that Intel will probably take advantage of CES 2021 to announce Rocket Lake-S, which should come accompanied by new 500-series motherboards. Availability, however, is another story. If one Twitter user's roadmap is genuine, Intel might not commence Rocket Lake-S mass production until January 2021, meaning that the processors won't be hit the retailer shelves until February or even March.

Biostar has announced the new B550M-Silver motherboard for gamers, mainstream users and content creators. The motherboard aims to offer high-performance within an accessible price point.

Like its name suggests, Biostar's new offering features a black PCB with some passive heatsinks slathered in a silver color to accentuate the design. Powered by AMD's B550 chipset, the B550M-Silver comes in a standard microATX form factor and with native support for Ryzen 5000 (Vermeer) processors. The motherboard is armed with four DDR4 memory slots that support frequencies over DDR4-4400 and a maximum capacity of 128GB of memory.

High-speed storage options on the B550M-Silver consist of one speedy M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slot and a standard M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slot. Both accept SSDs with lengths up to 80mm, whether they're SATA-or PCIe-based. However, you'd want to use the latter if you want to exploit the interfaces' full performance. The motherboard also lands with six conventional SATA III connectors.

In terms of expansion, the B550M-Silver supplies a single PCIe 4.0 x16 slot for AMD's Radeon RX 6000 (Big Navi) or Nvidia's GeForce RTX 30-series (Ampere) graphics cards. There's also a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot that runs at x4 and a PCIe 3.0 x1 slot for you to connect your other devices that are less bandwidth hungry.

The B550M-Silver doesn't suffer from slow Internet connectivity either. The motherboard has a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, which is based of the Realtek RTL8125B controller. There is support for Wi-Fi 6 too, but you'll have to buy your own wireless card to get that feature.

In case you plan to use the B550M-Silver with a compatible APU, the motherboard puts one DVI-D port, one HDMI port and one DisplayPort output at your disposal. The motherboard also comes with a PS/2 keyboard and mouse combo port, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and two USB 2.0 ports.

The Realtek ALC1150 codec takes care of the audio workloads on the B550M-Silver. The motherboard has three standard 3.5mm audio jacks, but support 7.1-channel audio.

Biostar didn't reveal when the B550M-Silver will be available or how much it'll cost.

AMD has officially stated that Ryzen 5000 support for the 400 series chipset will be coming in 2021, but that doesn't appear to be the case anymore. Three companies have shared (so far) that they will support AMD's new Ryzen 5000 series CPUs before 2021, Biostar, Asrock, and Asus. With Asrock already having beta BIOS's ready for the shiny new CPUs.

To ensure compatibility, you'll need a BIOS for your specific B450 motherboard that supports AGESA 1.0.8.1 at the very minimum. This AGESA code enables Ryzen 5000 Renoir compatibility. In order to get the full performance out of your Ryzen 5000 CPU you'll need to make sure your B450 motherboard has a BIOS supporting AGESA 1.1.0.0 or greater.

Biostar has said via Twitter that they will be supporting Ryzen 5000 CPUs coming soon, whether that's before 2021 or after 2021 we are not sure. Regarding Asus, they are more straight forward with the deadline, marking a December release for AGESA 1.1.8.0 BIOS's that will be available for all its 400 series motherboards (not just B450). 

Asrock is the strangest of the three though; reportedly Asrock has released beta BIOS's for its entire B450 lineup of boards (no word on X470), but quickly withdrew them from the public eye. AnandTech covered the strange occurrence and they have no idea why the BIOS updates were pulled.

As for the remaining motherboard manufacturers like MSI, and Gigabyte (to name a few), they have kept quiet on the matter. Presumably, these remaining companies will be waiting until Q1 of 2021 -- as AMD has said (which is the official deadline) -- before releasing new BIOS's for the Ryzen 5000 CPUs.

So for now, there are still no official BIOS updates for B450 motherboards that support the new AGESA codes and thus the new Ryzen 5000 processors. But fortunately, it looks like Asrock, Asus, and presumably, Biostar will offer support before 2021.

According to a report from ComputerBase, Biostar is joining Asus and MSI in supporting the new Ryzen 5000 (Zen 3) CPUs on its B450 and X470 motherboards. That's encouraging - because it isn't a strict requirement from AMD, it's up to motherboard makers to decide if they want to support the new chips on older platforms. Seeing a smaller player like Biostar participate bodes well for broader support for Zen 3 on 400-series motherboards; we expect that the remaining hold outs, Gigabyte and ASRock, will follow suit. 

Biostar will begin adding support at the beginning of 2021 with a beta BIOS featuring AGESA code Combo-AM4 v2 1.1.0.0. 

Luckily, Biostar's 400-series boards will keep all features intact in BIOS, meaning there will be no need to strip anything out to make way for Zen 3 support, like the cut-down GUIs we see with some motherboards.

However, if things go according to plan, backward compatibility with Zen 2 will be dropped once you upgrade to a Zen 3 supported BIOS, so beware, it is a one-way trip.

Ryzen 5000-series CPUs will drop on November 5, but again, you'll have to wait until January 2021 before you can run a Zen 3 CPU in your 400-series chipset motherboard.  

It seems like an unusual time to release a B450 motherboard, but Biostar has done just that and launched the B450NH for AMD's chips. The motherboard accommodates Ryzen processors from Summit Ridge to Matisse and Ryzen APUs from Bristol Ridge through Picasso.

The B450NH, which is based on the B450 chipset, comes in a mini-ITX form factor with two DDR4 memory slots. The motherboard supports memory speeds up to DDR4-4000 and capacities up to 64GB. Surprisingly, the B450NH plays nice with both non-ECC and ECC memory modules.

Biostar equips the B450NH with four SATA III connectors that support RAID 0, 1 and 10 arrays. However, you only receive one M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slot for ultra-fast SSDs up to a maximum length of 80mm. There is a small catch though. Older APUs, such as Bristol Ridge and Raven Ridge processors only support SATA-based M.2 drives.

Biostar's B450NH incorporates two Realtek products. The RTL8111H Ethernet controller provides a single Gigabit Ethernet port for Internet connectivity. The ALC887 audio codec, on the other hand, handles the audio responsibilities. The motherboard comes with three 3.5mm audio jacks for your audio devices.

The motherboard has a HDMI port and D-Sub port, but you'll need to pair it with a Ryzen APU to make use of them since Ryzen processors lack integrated graphics. The rear panel also houses a PS/2 combo port, four USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports and two USB 2.0 ports. For added connectivity, Biostar has placed a USB 2.0 header and USB 3.2 Gen 1 header on the B450NH with each header capable of delivering up to two corresponding ports.

Biostar didn't reveal the pricing or availability for the B450NH.

Though Biostar might not be the first that comes to mind when purchasing a motherboard, the company does make some pretty good value offerings, as evident from two new releases: the Racing Z490A-SILVER & the Racing Z490T-SILVER (spotted by techPowerUp).

These 'Silver' boards come in with ATX and Mini-ITX formats, packing the basic features one needs on boards like these but without going overboard on expensive goodies and eyecandy. 

The ATX board, the Racing Z490A-SILVER places four DDR4 memory slots next to its LGA1200 socket, complemented by two PCIe x16 slots below, though the second one is only wired to four lanes. It also comes with USB 3.2 Gen 1. The board also comes with two full-spec M.2 slots and one more for installing a WiFi card in.

On the Mini-ITX side, naturally, some compromises have to be made. There are only two DDR4 memory slots and a single PCI-Express x16 slot, and the M.2 slot is on the rear of the motherboard. It does come with USB 3.1 Gen 1 though, and it also has WiFi built onto the board.

No word on pricing yet, but you can expect these boards to be among the more affordable Z490 options in the $150 to $175 range.

If you're in the market for a graphics card that performs well but doesn't break the bank, Biostar's new Extreme Gaming RX 5500 XT and RX 5700 XT might be for you. These are Biostar's new custom variants, and though that often would indicate a fancy design, these cards come with just the basics, as spotted by VideoCardz. Without excessive goodies and eyecandy, these have the possibility to offer a great value proposition, if the price is right.

Both cards come clocked in at AMD's reference clocks, so you also won't be paying extra for binned overclocked silicon. The RX 5500 XT's outputs have also been adjusted by Biostar to consist of one HDMI, one DisplayPort, and one DVI port. Although DVI is quite dated at this point, it's clear that this card is aimed at users upgrading older platforms.

But, if you are in that group, do beware of the RX 5500 XT's eight-lane PCI-Express 4.0 design: it may not play as nicely with PCIe 3.0 systems, as being limited to eight lanes on PCIe 3.0 handicaps the graphics card. 

Biostar has equipped these cards with some neat coolers, offering a triple-fan unit on the 5700XT and a dual-fan cooler on the 5500XT. These should do amicable jobs cooling the GPUs, especially given that they aren't overclocked.

However, Biostar hasn't said anything about pricing yet. Nevertheless, with no RGB, no overclocks, and no fancy board designs, we would be surprised if these cards end up expensive. Besides, Biostar isn't one for premium pricing anyway.

AMD's new B550 chipset should lead the way for some great budget-oriented builds, if it wasn't for many B550 motherboards being so expensive. Now, Biostar has come out with its B550HM, which comes as a rather sparse option with almost no goodies to be found -- but it does have the benefits of the B550 platform.

As the board is centered around the AM4 socket, it comes with support for all current-gen Ryzen 3000 CPUs and the next-gen Ryzen 4000 chips. Wired to the socket are two DDR4 slots and one PCI-Express 4.0 slot for graphics cards. Naturally, an M.2 slot is also provided with PCIe 4.0 support.

Rear IO consists of four USB 3.2 Gen1 ports and two USB 2.0 ports, next to Gigabit Ethernet, stereo audio inputs and outputs, VGA, HDMI, and a pair of PS/2 peripheral connectors.

For those interested in using RGB with this board, you can forget about it. Being this sparse it's not surprising that no RGB is baked into the B550HM, but there are also no RGB headers to be found for controlling your case's lighting or that of components other than your GPU and RAM.

Considering all these factors, this is clearly a board aimed at casual use, or use in systems where styling or big feature sets are not required. Therefore, although we haven't heard anything about pricing, color us surprised if this board costs anything over $100, given that ASRock's similarly-equipped B550M-HDV sells for just $80.

We’ve looked at a few upper mid-range Intel Z490 boards recently -- with the Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Master being our favorite of that group if you’re willing to spend close to $400. But it’s time to look at something more affordable, specifically the $249 MSRP Biostar Z490GTA EVO. At this price point, the GTA EVO includes 16-phase VRMs, Memory support up to DDR4 4400+(OC), dual M.2 slots, and an older Realtek audio codec.

Biostar’s Z490 product stack consists of three boards. The Z490GTA EVO sits at the top, followed by the Z490GTA ($209.99), and the Mini-ITX Z490GTN ($199.99). Biostar motherboards are not known for competing in the high-end space, and their SKUs for Z490 continue that trend. We won’t find a lot of the premium features seen on the higher-priced boards here, but you’re also not going to pay the premium price either. 

In our testing, the Z490GTA EVO performed well -- at stock speeds in the shorter tests. I’ve called out stock performance specifically due to how the board works. Out of the box, the EVO conforms to Intel specifications for the most part. While the PL limits are set high/not default, current limits are just barely over the stock Intel value and are not adjustable. What then happens when you try to overclock is the board runs into Current/EDP limits (according to Intel XTU) and tends to throttle the CPU back. That’s not ideal in a Z490 motherboard designed to overclock. The BIOS will likely need an update to get past this shortcoming.

Additional features on the board include Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 support (although the required Key-e card to enable the feature is not included), six SATA3 6Gbps ports, USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps) Type-C port, Realtek ALC 1150 audio and more. Below is a complete list of specifications from Biostar.

Specifications

Features

Biostar includes the very basics to get started and nothing more with this board. Here’s a list of what ships in the box, along with the board. 

• Usual manual
• Driver CD
• Four SATA cables

Taking the board out of the box, we see the black and grey theme with heatsinks covering a long vertical strip of VRMs around the socket area, as well as the chipset and two M.2 slots. Two sets of grey stripes (probably racing stripes, since this from the Racing line) are stenciled on the PCB running through the VRM and chipset area, while the second runs from the bottom of the board through the audio section. The only RGB element is a frosted strip located on the IO cover. Overall, the board looks good and is theme agnostic, though some may not like the stenciled patterns. 

On the top half of the board, we get a closer look at the shroud covering the IO, VRM heatsinks, DIMM slots, and more. The shroud on the left is made of plastic and partially covers the left VRM bank. Across the top are two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required), two 4-pin PWM/DC fan headers (of five total) along with three RGB headers, two 3-pin 5V and one 4-pin 12V. One thing I do like about the layout of the board is that all the RGB headers are in one location while fan headers are in two. Typicall, we see RGBs split up and fans in more than two locations. This configuration will help with wire management in most cases.

The four DIMM slots use latches on both sides to hold up to 128GB of RAM, with supported speeds listed up to DDR4 4400+(OC). To the right of these slots and below the RGB headers are three buttons: Power, Clear CMOS and Reset. Below them are the 24-pin ATX connector and a front-panel USB 3.2 Gen1 header.

The power delivery on the Biostar Z490GTA Evo is listed as 16-phase in a 14+2 configuration. Controlling the phases are ON Semiconductor parts. The PWM controller is a Hybrid digital NCP81286, with NCP81162 phase doublers (8) and 40A NTMFS4C029 MOSFETs. 40A MOSFETs are the lowest we’ve seen so far, and they don’t serve the board well. At stock speeds with our Core i9-10900K, the VRM’s ran hot, so be sure to have good case airflow if you opt for this board.

Moving down to the bottom half of the board, the audio section located on the left side is mostly hidden below a shroud. Beneath it is the Realtek ALC1150 codec, along with some Nichicon audio caps peeking through. Although the audio codec is a bit old, likely a cost-saving measure, it should still be fine for most users.

To the right of the audio bits are a total of five PCIe slots. The two full-length slots are protected by Biostar’s Iron slot protection, designed to reinforce the PCIe slots to handle heavier graphics cards. Both slots are fed from the CPU and work in a x16/x0 or x8/x8 configuration. In addition to the full-length slots are three x1 slots, all fed from the chipset.

To the right of the chipset heatsink, there isn’t much going on. Here we find six SATA3/6 Gbps ports, while below that are the two BIOS chips and BIOS switch. 

Along the bottom edge is a strip of headers and buttons covering audio, fan headers, and more. Below is a complete list from left to right.

• Front panel audio
• (3) System fan headers
• CMOS jumper
• Debug LED
• COM header
• (2) USB 2.0 headers
• Thunderbolt header
• System Panel header

The rear IO on this mid-range motherboard is packed with connectivity, including 10 USB ports. The back Type-C and a single Type-A port are both USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps), along with eight 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports.

Located next to the audio stack and above a set of USB ports is the 1 GBE LAN. Video output is handled by an HDMI port while audio uses the typical five analog plugs and single SPDIF. Also included are integrated Wi-Fi antenna headers that will attach to a Key-E Wi-Fi module (not included). Last but not least, a legacy PS/2 port rounds out the rear connectivity. 

Software

Biostar includes applications designed for a variety of functions, including RGB lighting control, system monitoring, overclocking and more. Below, we have captured several screenshots of the Racing GT utility.

Firmware

To give you a sensse of the Firmware, we’ve gathered screenshots showing a majority of the BIOS screens.

Biostar’s BIOS certainly gets the job done, but I can’t say it is one of the more refined out there. My biggest complaint is that it doesn’t display current/actual voltage readings next to the option in Tweaker. You need to go into hardware monitoring in order to see what your voltage is set at. Another quibble is the Performance Level (PL) adjustments are listed in milliwatts instead of watts. So in order to set the PL1/PL2 limits to 300W, you need to input 300,000. Outside of that, the BIOS functions well but is a bit less refined than most others.

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Our test system uses Windows 10 64-bit OS (1909) with all threat mitigations applied. The motherboard BIOS used is the latest non-beta available to the public, unless otherwise noted. The hardware used is as follows: 

Test System Components

For this review, we’ll be directly comparing the Biostar Z490GTA EVO ($249.99) to the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita ($259.99). In addition, we’ve included the other Z490 motherboards we’ve tested so far, Gigabyte’s Z490 Aorus Master ($389.99), the ASRock Z490 Taichi ($369.99) and the MSI MEG Z490 Ace ($399.99). We’ll add more boards for direct comparison boards as they arrive. 

Benchmark Settings 

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All standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including stock Thermal Velocity Boost), with all power-saving features enabled. Optimized defaults are set in the BIOS and the memory is set using the XMP profiles. For this baseline testing, Windows is set to High Performance, except for during power testing, where we switch to Balanced so the PC idles properly.

Synthetic Benchmarks 

Synthetics are a great tool to figure out if a board is running out of spec, as identical settings should produce extremely similar performance results. Advanced memory timings are the one place where motherboard makers can still optimize for either stability or performance though, and those settings can impact some testing.

In our synthetic benchmarks, The Biostar Z490GTA EVO was hit or miss depending on the benchmark. For example, it was the slowest overall in 7-Zip, but the fastest in the PCMark 10 suite. According to Intel XTU, our board occasionally triggered a Current/EDP limit which lowered clocks, sometimes blipping down to 800 MHz (this was seen more so when trying to overclock), which is not ideal. Nothing else was out of the ordinary, with memory bandwidth and latency in line with the rest.

Timed Applications 

Our timed applications show the Z490GTA EVO was slower in most tests. In both HandBrake tests, this board was 11% slower, again seeing the result of more strict adherence to the Intel limits.

3D Games and 3DMark 

We’ve recently updated our game tests to more The Division 2 and Forza Horizon 4. The games are run at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset. As the resolution goes up, the CPU tends to have less of an impact on most games. The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used resolution with settings most people use or at least strive for.

In both 3DMark tests and the games, the Z490GTA EVO performed just as well as the other boards, within a general margin of error. Nothing out of the ordinary here!

Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures 

The first glimpse of power use for this platform and the Core i9-10900K may be a bit shocking to some, with loads reaching almost 200W at stock speeds (because most boards allow for a higher draw than intel spec), many users will be hard-pressed to keep these cool and get the most out of the chip. For power testing, we used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU and Cache enabled using peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is taken from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter to capture the entire ecosystem. The only variable that changes in these reviews is the motherboard; all other parts are the same.

The Biostar Z490GTA EVO test system idled at 48W (the lowest so far) while peaking at 311W under load (actual load wattage for the CPU peaked at 238W, according to HWInfo64). Once the Intel parameters kicked in, temperatures dropped and so did power, down to 124W (TDP).

VRM temperatures when running stock speeds were the highest we’ve seen among the five boards tested so far. According to our thermocouples (we couldn’t definitively find the VRM temperatures in HWInfo), temperatures reached almost 80 degrees Celsius during the test period. The 40A power bits seem to be working hard to deliver power to the CPU in stock form and we were not able to gather overclocked readings due to current limits getting in the way. 

Overclocking

From our other Z490 motherboard reviews, we know the CPU sample lets us run up to 5.2 GHz at ~1.35V while keeping the CPU somewhere around 90 degrees Celsius. But, with the current state of this motherboard, we weren’t able to overclock without running into current limits that throttled the CPU and seemingly shut the board down. We even tried 1.3V and 5 GHz, which still ended up throttling during stress testing. Any time the CPU reached 230W in Intel XTU, the application displayed Current/EDP throttling, causing the clock speeds to vary.

Biostar responded to the stress-testing/overclocking/throttling concerns stating the “maximum full-core overclock speed of the i9-10900K in Z490GTA Evo is 5 GHz”. In other words, overclocking doesn’t seem possible without throttling on this motherboard. That’s not a good thing for Z490, the only current Intel chipset that can overclock in the first place.

Memory testing didn’t exactly go well either. Although the DDR4 3600 sticks worked without issue, we were not able to get our GSkill DDR4 4000 sticks stable on this board. We tried XMP settings and manually adjusting voltage -- up to 1.3V on both VCCSA and VCCIO and 1.4V to the DRAM itself -- to no avail. Failing miserably, we reached out to Biostar for help. They claim to have achieved settings of 1.2V VCCSA and 1.3V VCCIO running DDR 4000 along with slightly increased DRAM voltage, but this did not work for us. The good news is that we know those speeds are possible, but not with our RAM kit at this time.

Final Thoughts 

Biostar’s Z490GTA EVO is priced at $239.99 which places it squarely in the mid-range segment of Z490 motherboards. We compared it directly to the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita ($259.99) and it competes with similarly priced boards like the Asus ROG Strix Z490-A Gaming ($249.99), Gigabyte Aorus Pro AX ($269.99) and MSI MPG Z490 Gaming Carbon WIFI ($269.99). 

For the most part, the difference between them outside of aesthetics and pricing is that these other boards all include 2.5 GbE LAN as well as more-capable power delivery. Some, like the MSI board, even include USB 3.2 Gen2 (20 Gbps) ports. Most of those boards cost a bit more, but they also include more and faster connectivity and better features.

Compared to Z390 based Biostar boards, we did see an improvement in looks as well as better power delivery to support 10th generation Intel CPUs. The 40A MOSFETs ran the hottest during testing by quite a bit, though they are working within specification. Biostar’s choice to group together like items such as the RGB headers and fan headers (2 locations) should help with wire management. But comparing it directly to the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita we reviewed at just $10 more, the ASRock board has more two SATA ports and one more M.2 slot, better power delivery, a faster LAN port and is able to overclock our flagship CPU.

In the end, the Biostar Z490GTA EVO board is good for stock operation for an i9-10900K but nothing more. For as little as $10 more, there are better options. A BIOS update enabling users to raise the current limit would be a big improvement, but the price still seems a bit high for the features on offer with this board.

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To the delight of SFF enthusiasts, ASRock is likely preparing the successor for the brand's DeskMini A300 mini-PC. According to a benchmark submission (via @_rogame), the new barebones device will house AMD's forthcoming Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) APUs.

The Zen 2 APU in question surfaced with the 100-000000146-40_42/35_Y codename. The first part of the codename contains the OPN (Ordering Part Number) that matches the one for the Ryzen 7 4700G. 

As a quick reminder, the Ryzen 7 4700G is expected to be the flagship for AMD's Zen 2 APU family. The 7nm processor sports eight cores, 16 threads, and, according to Biostar's previously published specifications, has a 3.6 GHz base clock and 65W TDP (thermal design power). The rumored boost clock speed for the Ryzen 7 4700G is 4.45 GHz. In terms of graphics, the Ryzen 7 4700G will potentially have up to eight Vega Compute Units (CUs) that operate up to 2,100 MHz.

As for the carrier, the Ryzen 7 4700G appeared alongside the ASRock X300M-STX motherboard. As the name implies, the X300M-STX is based on AMD's X300 chipset and AM4 socket. The motherboard enables overclocking, so it's been carefully tailored towards enthusiasts, and the name also suggests that the X300M-STX will retain the Mini-STX (147 x 140 mm) form factor. It's uncertain if the chipset switch is the only change to the X300M-STX motherboard. If the motherboard is anything like its predecessor, it should come equipped with two SO-DIMM DDR4 memory slots, two M.2 PCIe 3.0 x 4 slots, and a diverse list of video outputs, including an HDMI 2.0 port, D-Sub port, and DisplayPort 1.4 output.

The dimensions for the current DeskMini A300 are 155 x 155 x 80mm. The 1.92-liter case weighs a little under 2kg and even comes with a VESA mount. While looks are a subjective matter, the case's design has proven to be pretty decent. It remains to be seen whether ASRock ultimately decides to give the case a facelift or stick with the current design.

Renoir leaks and benchmark submissions have been piling up over the last few months, but we still have no idea when the Zen 2 APUs will hit the hardware shelves. If we look back at the Ryzen 3000-series (codename Picasso) launch, AMD released the mobile versions in January with the desktop versions eventually landing in July. If AMD keeps this pattern, then desktop Renoir should come out next month.

Biostar has been a great source of information for AMD's looming Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) desktop APUs. After exposing Renoir's lack of support for PCIe 4.0 yesterday, the motherboard manufacturer has now spilled the beans on the specifications for the Zen 2 APUs.

Eagle-eyed hardware sleuth @KOMACHI_ENSAKA discovered that Biostar has listed the Renoir chips in the Racing B550GTQ motherboard's list of supported Ryzen processors. Although the manufacturer attempted to keep the details to a minimum, we still have the the previous leak from German publication Igor's Lab to fall onto. After a quick comparison, Igor's specifications concur with Biostar's listed specifications, so there are grounds to assume that the core counts should be spot on as well.

As a quick recap, Renoir will be on AMD's Zen 2 microarchitecture and feature the 7nm FinFET manufacturing process from TSMC. Thus far, the Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 models appear to arrive with eight-core, 16-thread and six-core, 12-thread designs, respectively. Lastly, the Ryzen 3 SKUs seem to stick with a simple four-core, eight-thread setup.

AMD Ryzen 4000-Series Renoir Specifications

Surprisingly, Biostar only included seven Renoir parts in the support list. Igor's leak had pointed to a total of 12 models, encompassing the three normal 65W SKUs with their respective Pro and 35W GE-series variants. It's entirely possible that Biostar hasn't finished working on the list, and it was likely not supposed to be available to the public yet.

The standard Ryzen 7 4700G ticks with a 3.6 GHz base clock, while its GE counterpart rocks a 3.1 GHz base clock. Since this is the first time that AMD is introducing an octa-core APU, there's no eligible candidate for comparison from last generation. The closest SKU is the Ryzen 7 3700X that also comes with eight cores and 16 threads and a 65W TDP (thermal design power). The Ryzen 7 4700G's boost clock speed has yet to be confirmed, but it shares the 3.6 GHz same base clock as the Ryzen 7 3700X.

For the Ryzen 5 series, the Ryzen 5 Pro 4400G shows a 3.7 GHz base clock, so the Ryzen 5 3600 would be the APU's direct comparison. Surprisingly, the Ryzen 5 Pro 4400G actually boasts a 100 MHz higher base clock than the Ryzen 5 3600. It remains to be seen whether the the APU will outclass the Ryzen chip in boost clocks.

Biostar lists the Ryzen 3 Pro 4200G with a 3.8 GHz base clock. Now that AMD has enabled simultaneous multithreading (SMT) on the Ryzen 3 SKUs, the APU is comparable to last generation's Ryzen 5 3400G. Once again, we don't know the boost clock, but the Ryzen 3 Pro 4200G's boost clock is 100 MHz faster than the Ryzen 5 3400G.

Despite all the leaks and rumors surrounding Renoir, there's still no details on when AMD will release the Zen 2-powered APUs. Obviously, the specifications look great on paper, and Renoir will no doubt take AMD's APU game to another level.

The possibility of PCIe 4.0 support on the upcoming AMD Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) desktop APUs isn't looking too good. Looking at the product page for the Biostar Racing B550GTA motherboard, you'll see notes clearly stating that PCIe 4.0 support "depends only on Ryzen 3rd Gen Matisse" and "PCIe 4.0 speed only for AMD Ryzen 3rd Gen Matisse." 

Many rumors about AMD's Renoir APUs have surfaced over recent weeks. In a nutshell, the Ryzen 4000-series could span up to eight Zen 2 CPU cores with Vega Compute Units (CUs) that scale up to to 2,100 MHz. One leak has claimed that Renoir will feature a 2,000 MHz Fabric Clock (FCLK), meaning we could see the APUs leverage DDR4 RAM modules up to 4,000 MHz.

But nothing we've heard so far has hinted at whether or not Renoir will adopt the PCIe 4.0 interface. 

Although, the mobile Ryzen 4000-series chips debuting with PCIe 3.0 support may have been a clue. AMD made a rather convincing statement on why mobile Ryzen 4000-series parts retained support for PCIe 3.0. The chipmaker intentionally excluded PCIe 4.0 support in favor of power reduction. Power consumption shouldn't be a big concern on a desktop chip, but to bring PCIe 4.0 support to Renoir would require AMD to draft up an additional new design. In all likelihood, the desktop variant will use identical silicon to what's inside the mobile variants. 

Similar to the previous generation of APUs, Renoir will seemingly continue to be stingy on the PCIe lanes. The Racing B550GTA's specification table says that Renoir will only provide eight PCIe lanes to the primary PCIe x16 slot. Therefore, graphics cards are limited to half the available bandwidth on the slot. 

APUs target shoppers with tight budgets who aren't likely to purchase a discrete graphics card. Therefore, if Renoir does arrive without PCIe 4.0 support and with limited PCIe lanes, it shouldn't be a deal breaker for the chips' intended market. 

On the other hand, an APU owner is more likely to pick up a PCIe 4.0 SSD. These SSDs aren't cheap yet, but have become a lot more accessible. So it would be nice if Renoir did debut with some sort of PCIe 4.0 support, even it's just for the M.2 slots.

Biostar recently announced the A10N-9630E mini-ITX motherboard, and now it's adding the FX9830M micro-ATX board to its arsenal for those seeking an alternative with a bit more punch.

As spotted by Hermitage Akihabara, the FX9830M features a black design. AMD's FX-9830P (codename Bristol Ridge) APU is the heart of the motherboard. The APU's based on the Excavator microarchitecture and dates back to 2016. It also comes with an included factory CPU cooler, so you don't have to spend extra money to get an aftermarket one.

The FX-9830P has four CPU cores and four threads that ticks with a 3 GHz base clock and 3.7 GHz boost clock. The 28nm chip comes with a configurable TDP (thermal design power) that ranges between 25W and 45W. However, the FX-9830P typically operates within a 35W envelope. On the graphics side, the FX-9830P is equipped with the Radeon R7 integrated GPU, which consists of 512 shader units at 900 MHz.

The FX9830M has two DDR4 RAM slots and can hold up to 32GB with a maximum speed of 2,400 MHz. For storage, the motherboard provides four SATA III connectors, and a single M.2 PCIe 3.0 x2 port that accepts both PCIe-and SATA-based drives.

The FX9830M's Realtek RTL8111H controller provides internet connectivity, but there's only one Gigabit Ethernet port. The ALC887 audio codec is also from Realtek and supports 7.1-channel audio. Additionally, the motherboard supplies three 3.5mm audio jacks for connecting audio devices.

The FX9830M's rear panel also contains two PS/2 ports, one HDMI port, one VGA port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and two USB 2.0 ports. In the event that you need more USB ports, the motherboard sports one USB 3.2 Gen 1 header and one USB 2.0 header, which are good for two ports each.

The FX9830M isn't listed anywhere, so the motherboard's pricing is a mystery for now. For context, an Athlon 3000G APU and A320 motherboard combo will set you back about $110. For the FX9830M to really appeal to budget seekers, Biostar will need to sell it for below that price point.

If you're looking for a simple and affordable board to stick in a media center PC, Biostar's latest A10N-9630E might be a good option. It comes in a Mini-ITX format and has the AMD A10-9630P Bristol Ridge APU soldered into it. 

The A10-9630P APU is a bit of a unique chip. It isn't listed on AMD's website (yet), and it is soldered to the motherboard. Despite that though, it is actually quite a powerful piece of silicon, packing four CPU cores that clock in at 2.6 GHz with a turbo speed of 3.3 GHz. With a TDP of 35 W, it's got plenty of headroom, too. As an APU, it also comes with integrated Radeon R5 graphics. A simple cooler is installed from the factory.

The board itself comes with the basics you need for a media system and not much more. It has two DDR4 memory slots, one M.2 slot, USB 3.2 Gen 1 support, HDMI 2.0, and two SATA III ports -- though when an M.2 SSD is installed, the second SATA port will be disabled. If more graphics horsepower is needed, you can install a GPU into the PCIe x16 slot, though note that it only offers eight lanes of PCIe 3.0, so high-end GPUs will be (slightly) bottlenecked. 

All things considered, this is a great board for a media system or casual office use computer. It'll keep up with web browsing and media consumption quite well. 

Of course, the biggest deciding factor is the price, which Biostar hasn't announced yet. We don't expect the Biostar A10N-9630E to be too costly, though, and with today's memory and SSD prices, along with a simple case, you could have a neat home theater system at a nice price.

It seems like someone at Biostar woke up morning thinking 'Hardware was better in 2011. We should make a new motherboard with 2011 tech on it." We say that because Biostar is launching a reboot of the H61-series chipsets with its new H61MHV2 board. 

The H61MHV2 is a Micro-ATX board, according to Biostar, but looks more like a Mini-ITX format with one extra expansion slot. We suspect it'll fit in Mini-ITX PC cases with two or three expansion slots too. At its center is an LGA1155 CPU socket that supports up to Intel Core i7-3770K CPUs, which can be paired with up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM running no faster than 1,600 MHz. 

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The layout gets even weirder though. The memory slots are at the top, the CPU socket is rotated 90 degrees and the chipset 45 degrees. Totally different from modern layouts, the 24-pin ATX connector resides at the top right corner above the memory slots, and the 4-pin EPS connector is awkwardly placed all the way past the CPU between the socket and the rear I/O.

Of course, there are no modern amenities, like such as USB 3.0 or USB Type-C, M.2 slots or PCIe 4.0. Even the SATA ports are of the old SATA II type with only 3 Gbps bandwidth, and PCIe 3.0 is only available when using Ivy Bridge CPUs.

As crazy as this might sound though, it really isn't. Older motherboards tend to go bad around this age while many of the system's other components may still be working. In fact, there's still quite a number of people using a 2nd or 3rd Generation Intel Core processor. 

The second-hand market also reflects this: if you're looking for a replacement motherboard for this older platform, chances are you've experienced quite the sticker shock, even for used boards. 

Of course, that doesn't mean much if we don't know how much Biostar's "new" H61 motherboard will cost. But it could be a good pick for breathing new life into an old PC for non-demanding workloads.

Update, November 20, 9:39 a.m.: Biostar claims that the information published in Brainbox's interview was "incorrect," but didn't specify what exactly was incorrect. Brainbox has removed specific mention of the chipsets from its live article on the site. Our original story is below.

Korean media Brainbox's latest interview with Biostar Product Manager Vicky Wang has revealed some pretty interesting information about forthcoming AMD and Intel motherboards.

When asked about Biostar's future products, Wang responded that we can expect new offerings with both AMD and Intel chipsets. In regards to the much-anticipated AMD B550 chipset, the executive said corresponding motherboards are ready to go. 

Sadly, Wang didn't reveal the specific date on when they will actually hit the shelves. However, a DigiTimes report in June claimed motherboard manufacturers are supposed to receive B550 chipset orders this quarter, meaning the motherboards could come out at the end of 2019 or early 2020.

Intel's 400-series chipset, which is tailored to Comet Lake-S (CML-S) processors, are also due next year. Wang mentioned three chipsets in particular here. It's rumored, that the Z490 chipset will target high-end motherboards, while the B460 and H410 chipsets will be for mid-range and entry-level motherboards, respectively. According to a Comet Lake-S leak from earlier this month, the 14nm chips are scheduled for the first half of next year, so we don't expect to see any 400-series motherboards in a near future.

Features and Layout

Gigabyte’s X570 Aorus Elite mainboard comes in on the budget end of the X570 platform (which is generally more expensive than previous-generation X470 boards), priced under $200. It comes with all of the basics, including PCIe 4.0 support, dual PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, an integrated I/O shield, large heatsinks covering the VRM and front panel USB Type-C support, among other features.

Supporting both Ryzen 2000 and Ryzen 3000 series processors, the X570 Aorus Elite
is the second board in Gigabyte's X570 product stack, above the non-Aorus-branded X570 Gaming X. The Elite aims to give users a well-balanced platform to build on, offering up-to-date connectivity and a robust power delivery area capable of driving all Ryzen 3000 processors.

The full complement of six SATA ports, two M.2 slots, an Intel I211 Gigabit NIC and Realtek ALC1200 audio codec which supports 7.1 surround are included, and the four DIMM slots are capable of supporting up to 128GB of RAM and/or speeds up to DDR4-4000 (when overclocked). Below is a complete list of specifications from Gigabyte.

Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite Specifications

As we’d expect with a budget-priced board, included accessories are minimal, but the basics are covered. Here’s a list of what ships in the box with the board.

• User’s manual
• Support CD
• Installation guide
• 4x SATA cables
• Screw for M.2 slot
• Aorus sticker
• G connector

The Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite’s appearance is fairly indistinct, with an all-black PCB and some stenciling around the chipset heatsink and audio area. Outside of that, we can see the Aorus branding on the left VRM heatsink along with a shroud covering the integrated rear IO plate. All heatsinks on the board have a brushed-aluminum finish with the chipset heatsink sporting a small fan, along with the Aorus falcon sitting proudly on top.

The DIMM and PCIe slots are also black, matching the board with the primary, metal-clad PCIe slot, which Gigabyte calls Ultra Durable PCIe armor. All other connectors, including the 8-pin EPS, 24-pin ATX and the SATA ports are all black as well.

RGB LEDs do make an appearance on the board. They’re found under the IO shroud by the VRM heatsink, as well as a line on the bottom-left side used to separate the audio bits from the rest of the board. The latter provides a nice glow underneath, while the RGB around the VRM makes for a nice accent on top.

Overall, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite should fit into most build themes, with its basic-black styling and reserved use of integrated RGB LED lighting.

Starting off at the top half of the motherboard, we get a closer view of the heatsinks and shroud covering the VRMs and back of the IO area. Between the shroud and left heatsink with the Aorus branding on it is where we find that first RGB LED strip. Just above that is a single 8-pin EPS connector.

The VRM for the Elite is listed as a 12+2 phase system on the website. Digging a bit deeper we see the board uses an Infineon IR35201 controller in a 6+1 configuration and uses phase doublers (Infineon IR3599) to run in the 12+2 Gigabyte states. The VRM’s should be able to handle any of the Zen 2 CPUs at stock and with some overclocking.

The top half of the board also houses all four fan headers. Three are located across the top while the 4th is just above the M.2 slot next to the rear IO shroud. All fan headers are hybrids that support both PWM- and DC-controlled fans. Gigabyte’s Smart Fan 5 software manages all the fan headers and allows control over them through six temperature sensors on the board which you can base your fan off of. For example, if your PCH gets hot, the case fan header can spin faster. It also supports “Fan Stop” capabilities which, as the name implies, shuts off the fans below a certain threshold.

Toward the right side of the board, we see the four DIMM slots which skip any armor (not that it’s needed), but use a double-sided locking mechanism to secure the modules. Last, we can see two of the four RGB headers in the upper right-hand corner (the others are located across the bottom). In each area, one header supports your basic RGB strips with a 4-pin setup (2A max) while the other supports addressable RGBs (5A max, 1000 LED max) with a 3-pin header.

Moving down to the bottom portion of the board, on the left side is the audio section. The Realtek ALC1200’s 7.1-channel chip is hidden underneath the EMI shield, with Amp-Up Audio stenciled on top. Below that are two rows of audio caps with the yellow Chemicons on the left and red WIMA FKP2 capacitors on the right. Separating the audio section from the rest of the board is a “noise guard,” which also includes the 2nd area with RGB illumination. Both sets of LEDs can be controlled via the included RGB Fusion 2.0 software, along with the headers.

The PCIe area consists of two full-length slots and two x1 size slots. The top PCIe connector uses Gigabyte’s armor around the slot to prevent shearing with heavy video cards. The top slot runs at a full PCIe 4.0 x16 sourced from the CPU while the bottom slot is limited to PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth from the chipset. The two x1 size slots are also PCIe 4.0.

Also found around the PCIe slots are the two M.2 connectors. The first is located above the primary PCIe slot and has a heatsink on it while the second is above the other full-length slot, sans heatsink. Both connectors support SATA and PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs up to 110mm in length. The nice bit (thanks to the extra bandwidth addorded by PCIe 4.0) is that there’s no port sharing when using both slots.

The chipset heatsink covers a lot of area on the board and has a small fan inside to help keep the 11W chip cool. We only heard the fan on boot when it ramps up to full speed and then winds down. Outside of that, the fan remained inaudible, even under heavy loads including stress testing. Sliding more to the right are the six SATA3 (6 Gbps) ports.

Finally, across the bottom are several headers which include the 2nd set of RGB headers, the Q-Flash button, and front-panel USB headers. There is nothing out of the ordinary to report on this front, so here’s a bulleted list of the other headers:

• Front Panel Audio
• aRGB and RGB headers
• Q-Flash button
• TPM header
• 2x USB 2.0 headers
• 2x USB 3.0 headers
• Front panel header

Last but far from least is the rear I/O. Surprisingly, the X570 Aorus Elite has an integrated rear I/O plate, which gives the board a more expensive feel and a cleaner look. Gigabyte used the same design cues with an Aorus falcon on the I/O plate as well as the same lined pattern stenciled on the board.

But it isn’t just about looks. There are a total of 10 USB ports available: Four USB 2.0 (black), four USB 3.0 (blue and white - the latter for bios flashback/Q-Flash) and two USB 3.1 Gen2 ports. One thing you won’t find is a USB Type-C port of any kind, but such as life when buying an entry-level board. You’ll also find the Intel I211 LAN port here, as well as the audio stack (5 analogs, one SPDIF). If you happen to be using an APU on this motherboard, the video comes from a single HDMI 2.0 port.

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Software and Firmware

In the Gigabyte software ecosystem, the company offers several applications designed to help the user get more from their PC, and handily stows them all in a single App Center wrapper. From here, you can access Easy Tune, RGB Fusion 2, @Bios, Game Boost, Cloud Station, On/Off Charge, and more.

App Center also acts like a quasi-Windows Settings control panel, with easy access to user account information, firewall, devices, sound, power options and more.  The app itself runs out of the way in the tray until it’s needed. Overall, the software is a good toolbox for accessing the Gigabyte apps and Windows settings, though one thing I would like to see is a driver-updating utility which we have seen in other similar applications from different board partners.

The first application we’ll look at is Easy Tune, which is designed to display system information including temperatures, voltages and clock speeds and fan control. Across the top are several sections, each with different functionality, while on the bottom is live system monitoring.

The first section is OC Smart Boost, with options to overclock the CPU. In this case, default is 3.6GHz on one core) and 3.8 GHz with all cores. In most cases, Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) will clock past those points, so we suggest using that. In the advanced CPU and DDR overclock portion, users will find all the overclocking options. This includes BCLK and CPU ratio functions, CPU Vcore, SOC and DRAM voltages, among some other lesser options. The DDR portion only offers control for memory frequency and XMP/DOCP profile setups, but no timing control (which should be done in the BIOS anyway). In the advanced power section, we find Load Line calibration for both Vcore and SOC, in case you see a lot of vdroop.

Easy Tune works well as a monitoring tool as well as for overclocking. Some users may not be comfortable in the BIOS and this Windows-based utility is a bit less intimidating when you aren’t used to digging around outside of your OS.

Gigabyte’s RGB LED control application is called RGB Fusion 2.0. This program gives you control over the integrated RGB LEDs on the board as well as any compatible devices you plug into the board, including memory, video cards, and any LEDs attached to the board through its four headers. You’re able to customize the lighting through eight pre-programmed functions, along with the color, speed and brightness.

Firmware

Moving on to the UEFI / BIOS, there are some slight changes to what I am used to across the top. For example, MIT has been replaced with “Tweaker,” though overall styling and the Aorus theme of Orange and black remain the same.

Starting off in Easy Mode, this section is mostly informative with a bit of editing and interaction allowed. It displays information such as the motherboard name, BIOS version and the installed CPU and RAM amount. There is a section covering the CPU frequency and voltage, along with temperatures of the CPU, chipset, and VRMs. It will also display an installed SATA or M.2 drives, as well as what is populating the PCIe slots.

You’re able to adjust a few things on this screen including setting the XMP profile, changing the boot sequence, as well as access Smart Fan 5 to control your fans. On the lower right-hand side is where one can switch into advanced mode, Smart Fan 5, or Q-Flash, as well as loading defaults, can be done here. Any other functionality will have to come from the advanced sections.

The Advanced mode is where most of the tweaking and overclocking will be handled. Across the top, there are several headings each with specific functionality beneath. From left to right, there’s Favorites, Tweaker, Settings, System Info., Boot and Save and Exit.

The favorites section is a user-customized portion of the BIOS. By default, it includes CPU BCLK and Ratio controls as well as XMP profile and Vcore/Load Line Calibration functions. You can add to this page by pressing the insert key from other tabs to make it ‘yours’.

The tweaker section, or as it was called on X470 based boards, MIT, is where you’ll find all the functionality necessary for overclocking the CPU, setting memory speed and timings and other power type features. For the most part, Gigabyte has done a good job at putting the most-often used options under the same heading. But still, we found ourselves jumping around a bit. There is an entire section for overclocking within the Settings heading, which is mostly duplicated in the tweaker section. I would like to have seen PBO options in the tweaker section, at least.

The Settings section contains subheadings for Platform power, IO ports, Miscellaneous, AMD CBS (memory, power XFR, etc), as well as AMD Overclocking, PC Health, and Smart Fan 5 access. If you needed to mess with SATA, USB or Network configurations, this is where it’s done.

The System Info. section is informational displaying details on the BIOS, Processor, LAN MAC address and is where to adjust system date and time. You can also reach Q-Flash from here (and elsewhere) as well as get details on attached devices.

The Boot section is where users are able to control the boot options, full-screen logo enable/disable, fast boot and any LAN PXE boot options.

Last up is the Save and Exit section, where you can save any bios changes, load optimized defaults and save and load user profiles.

Jumping into Smart Fan 5 from the BIOS, users are able to create custom fan curves and choose which sensor input the header reacts to. For example, basing the CPU header(s) that off CPU temperatures, and case fans VRM or motherboard temperatures. The point is, you get pretty granular control over when the fans ramp up. This isn’t something you typically see on a budget board.

Overall, the updated BIOS is easy to navigate. But there are a lot of sections with duplicate entries, which can be convenient but also conusing. Overall, the firmware lets you do what you want to do with a fairly easy learning curve. We were able to overclock, for what little that is actually worth, and change settings without issue.

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How We Test

We’ll be comparing the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite to the Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus Wi-Fi since it is similarly priced. We’ve also included the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi and Biostar X570GT8 for additional datasets.

Comparison Products

While we tested this Gigabyte board at a different location than our previous X570 reviews, our review systems are as close as possible to running the same specifications. Though our memory may be different, the speed and primary timings are the same as well as the GPU. We use as an updated W10 64-bit OS with all threat mitigations applied.

Test System Components

Benchmark Settings

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Benchmark Results and Final Analysis

All standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including stock AMD Turbo), with all of its power-saving features enabled. Optimized defaults are set in the BIOS and the memory set. The memory is manually set up to run at DDR4 3200 MHz ( the base spec for Zen 2), at 16-18-18-38 primary timings.

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics are a great tool to figure out if a board is running out of spec, as identical settings should produce extremely similar performance results. Advanced memory timings are the one place where motherboard makers can still optimize for either stability or performance though, and those settings can impact some testing.

In our synthetic set of tests, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite performed admirably, trading blows with the other X570 models we’ve tested. All results were within general run variance difference, with no anomalous data points. In general, Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) showed some improvement across most tests, but not much overall.

3D Games

Checking in on the games, here we also see parity among the other boards tested and do not find any appreciable differences. PBO didn’t do much for gaming, especially at the higher resolution.

Timed Applications

The timed applications also show little difference overall. A tenth of a second separates the LAME results, while the Corona result shows just a couple of percent difference between worst to first. The same goes for Handbrake testing. PBO resulted in an improvement here of a couple percent, which is one of the better results using that feature.

Overall Performance

Overall performance differences between the boards we tested were negligible. The Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite’s worst showing was .4% slower than the average and best was 2% faster. We could rerun these tests and get a slightly different story. So for all intents and purposes, the boards performed the same overall.

Power and Relative Energy Efficiency

When talking power consumption, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite idled at 60W, the lowest result by several watts, and used 145W in Prime 95 Small FFTs. The average was 103W, the least amount of power overall. When enabling PBO on this board, the load use jumped to 215W in the same test.

Overclocking

I was excited to finally get overclocking and see what this inexpensive motherboard was able to accomplish. After a bit of tweaking, the X570 Aorus Elite was able to push our Ryzen 7 3700X to 4.16 GHz at 1.32V. Anything beyond this point yielded a near-instant stoppage of AIDA64’s stress test. Our EVGA CLC 240 cooler was able to keep the 3700X below 90 degrees celsius, which was adequate. But for those who would like to push larger chips, chances are a 240mm AIO of any type won’t be sufficient.

On the memory side of things, we were able to load up our G.Skill Trident Z Neo 4x8GB DDR4 3600 16-16-16-36 sticks without issue. Much beyond that value, the memory divider hits 1:2 situation and overall performance tends to drop without much in the way of increased speeds. AMD said DDR4 3600 is the sweet spot, and we're able to reach that without issue.

Overall, the Gigabyte board clocked well and brought the chip to its limit. We’ll test overclocking on the Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus Wi-Fi and other boards as time goes on and see if they can do a better job, but from what we’ve seen in our own testing and elsewhere, the CPU itself is putting a lid on things.

Final Thoughts

The Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite has proven itself to be a solid board with a sub-$200 price point, and it’s currently one of just a few boards under that threshold for X570. The Elite showed good performance overall, and was able to handle everything our suite threw at it when running stock, using PBO as well as manual overclocking. So don’t let the entry-level price fool you.

The board includes a total of six SATA ports, dual PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots (one with a heatsink) and a good number of USB ports, including USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports out back and the front panel. However, it does not have a USB Type-C port on the rear IO. If that is a requirement, it will have to come from your chassis’ front panel.

If we compare this board to the Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus Wi-Fi (also priced at $199) it comes with eight SATA ports, 8-channel audio (using a modified ALC1200 codec), and included Wi-Fi. That’s a more generous collection of features at the same price point. If you need the extra SATA ports and Wi-Fi, the Asus will be the better choice on that front.

But if you’re going to be using Ethernet, and don’t need a full cadre of SATA connectors, your choice may come down to aesthetics. On that front, the Aorus Elite’s theme agnostic approach won’t offend anyone and likely not wow them either. And if you like this board’s looks and would like wireless connectivity, the X570 Aorus Elite Wi-Fi costs about $10 extra, or $209.

Image Credits: Tom's Hardware

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Motherboard vendor Biostar has added support for the unannounced AMD Ryzen 9 3900 and AMD Ryzen 9 Pro 3900 processors for its X470NH motherboard, revealing some specs along the way. 

The Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 Pro 3900 made their first appearance in an Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) listing back in July. Today, Biostar has shed some light on the processors' specifications. As with any third-generation Ryzen chips, the Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 Pro 3900 utilize AMD's advanced Zen 2 microarchitecture and are built on TSMC's 7nm FinFET process node.

Specs

*Specifications are not confirmed

The Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 Pro 3900 look like they're essentially more power-efficient variants of the original AMD Ryzen 9 3900X. The "Pro" variant comes with enhanced enterprise and security features. Both Matisse chips are expected to wield 12 cores, 24 threads and 70MB of total cache. However, the Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 Pro 3900 will compete in the 65W TDP (thermal design power) category against the Intel Core i9-9900. Obviously, the lower TDP envelope will have repercussions on the processors' operating clock speeds.

As per Biostar's information, the Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 Pro 3900 sport a 3.1 GHz base clock, which is 700 MHz or 22.58% slower than the Ryzen 9 3900X. The motherboard manufacturer didn't list the processors' boost clocks. However, a well-known hardware leaker known on Twitter as TUM_APISAK seems to think that the boost clock for the Matisse parts can be 4.3 GHz. So we're looking at a 9.52% lower boost clock in a worst-case situation.

It's unknown when AMD will launch the Ryzen 9 3900 and Ryzen 9 Pro 3900. The chipmaker is probably busy building up stock for the Ryzen 9 3950X, which has been pushed to November, and preparing the Ryzen Threadripper 3000-series release. On top of that, TSMC is reportedly in a bit of a pickle. The foundry's 7nm business has been booming lately, and high demand has increased the lead time from 2 months to 6 months. This could have an impact on AMD's CPU production.

Biostar, which is better known for its motherboards, has just expanded its storage portfolio with the new family of S120 SATA SSDs.

The Biostar S120 has everything you would expect from your everyday 2.5-inch SATA SSD. The drive is housed inside a black enclosure that has a thickness of 7mm. The SSD communicates with your system through a SATA III interface. It's compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems.

According to Biostar, S120 SSD has a six-layer PCB and can withstand environmental temperatures up to 70°C. However, the manufacturer doesn't mention the model of the SSD controller or what kind of NAND chips it used to fabricate the S120.

Biostar offers the S120 SSDs in capacities of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. The S120 SSDs are rated with sequential read speeds of 550 MBps. The 1TB and 512GB models boast sequential write speeds of 525 MBps, while the 256GB and 128GB models are limited to 520 MBps. Sadly, Biostar didn't specify the drive's random performance or warranty period.

There is no official word when the Biostar S120 SSDs will make their way to market or how much they will cost.

Features and Specifications

The Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi is a low-to-mid-range board that packs a lot of features for its $270 / £251 price tag. (Remember that X570 boards tend to cost more than previous-generation X470 offerings, thanks in part to PCIe 4.0 support.) The Aorus Pro Wi-Fi includes dual PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, integrated rear IO, Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax integration, a robust VRM, as well as a premium Realtek ALC1220 audio codec, making it a well-rounded board for the price.

Gigabyte aims its Aorus-badged lineup at the gaming and enthusiast segment, with models usually including extras like RGB LEDs, armor on the PCIe and/or DIMM slots, ESD guards, a solid system monitoring/cooling ecosystem and generally more focus on styling. The X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi embodies this, while sitting in the lower end of the line’s product stack, with a couple of budget boards the only lower-priced options (we also reviewed the $200 X570 Aorus Elite) in the lineup.

Like other X570 boards, the  Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi supports both Ryzen 2000 and Ryzen 3000 series processors and includes six SATA ports, a pair of PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, and four DIMM slots capable of supporting up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM with overclock speeds up to DDR4 4400 MHz. For networking and audio, we find an Intel I211-AT GbE NIC and Realtek ALC 1220 audio codec which is capable of 7.1 surround. Below is a complete list of specifications from Gigabyte’s website.

Specifications

Included accessories are minimal, as is the norm now with most budget boards. That said, most of what you need to get started is included. Here’s a list of what ships in the box, along with the board.

• User’s manual / Installation guide
• Support / driver DVD
• 2T2R Wi-Fi antenna
• 4x SATA cables
• 2x screws for M.2 slot
• Aorus badge
• G-Connector
• 4-pin RGB extension cable

In terms of style, this Aorus board has a black PCB along with black heatsinks, IO covers, and M.2 heatsinks. All the slots are black, with the two primary full-length PCIe slots and all four DIMM slots using metal reinforcement Gigabyte calls Ultra Durable Memory/PCIe Armor. There is a lined pattern running from the bottom-left corner to the upper right, with a similar design molded in the beefy aluminum IO cover.

The board’s only RGB accents are found in the IO cover as well as a line down the left side, in the audio line separating the audio bits from the rest of the board. Any other lighting will have to come from the onboard headers and RGB strips (sold separately) or your memory, video card, fans, case, and whatever else includes RGBs, which today is nearly everything.

Overall, the board will work in most build themes, as there aren’t really any obnoxious design cues that will stand out strongly. Any bright lighting will have to come from other sources as what is integrated on the board will be more for accent purposes than a bright focal point -- thank you, Gigabyte. The brushed aluminum design on the heatsink also fits the more refined aesthetic the board carries overall.

Looking closely at the top half of the board, we start off on the left with the aluminum IO cover and VRM heatsinks. The left left VRM heatsink uses a finned style, while the top uses a tacting more about mass than surface to remove the heat. This configuration makes sense considering the SOC portion, which will output less heat, is located on the top set of VRMs, while the left side is all CPU. Sending power to these are a required 8-pin and optional 4-pin EPS plug.

When analyzing the socket area, we can see a total of 14 phases for the CPU and SOC flanking the left and top of the processor. The VRM is divided into a 12+2 configuration, which is controlled by a quality Infineon IR35201 8-phase controller working in 6+2 form, with the CPU phases doubled by Infineon IR3599’s in doubler mode. In simper terms, the VRM is made from solid parts and is more than adequate for stock operation and overclocking the Zen 2 lineup.

Located across the top are three (of seven total) fan headers, with a system fan to the left of the VRM heatsink and to the right, two CPU fans headers. On the far right of the board are three more system fan headers. All fan/pump headers on the X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi are of the 4-pin variety and will control both DC and PWM devices using the company’s Smart Fan 5 software. Seven headers is the most I’ve seen on a board of this class.Frankly, it’s more than I’ve seen on plenty of more-expensive boards as well.

In the upper-right corner are two (of four) RGB headers with a 3-pin 5V on the left and 4-pin 12V on the right. The 3-pin supports a standard 5050 addressable LED strip with a 5A (5V) while the 4-pin supports 5050 RGB LED strips with a max of 2A (12V). The integrated RGB as well as supported devices connected to the headers are controlled by Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion 2.0 software. The integrated RGB on the top half of the board is located in the IO cover as a thin line below the Aorus branding.

Around these headers on the right side of the board is the Q-Flash button. Pressing this tells the system to boot using the specific USB port on the back for BIOS flashing without a CPU. This is a useful feature for upgrading a BIOS to a next-generation CPU, so the board is able to boot without having an older CPU handy. That said, there’s no guarantee that AMD will stick to the AM4 socket and / or make its Ryzen 4000 CPUs backwards compatible, whenever they arrive. 

Moving to the bottom half of the board, we can see the audio bits, PCIe and M.2, as well as the chipset cooler and SATA ports. Starting with the audio, the Realtek ALC1220-VB chip is hidden beneath the Amp-Up Audio faraday cage, while below it in and to the right are the what the company calls high-end audio caps with the Chemicon in yellow and WIMA FKP2 capacitors.

Included is a smart headphone amp that automatically detects the impedance of your headset, setting it up properly. The VB series audio controller keeps a high signal-to-noise ratio, 110/114db(A) for the front and rear respectively, for vibrant sound through the microphone. For a product this far down the stack, it’s good to see a premium audio codec and parts used. The second RGB-lit section is found in the audio separation line between the board and audio bits, and lights up the underside of the board.

In the middle, we’re greeted by a total of three full-length PCIe slots and two M.2 ports in between. The two primary PCIe slots (those with armor) support PCIe 4.0 x16 and x8 respectively. With this comes CrossfireX and SLI support. The bottom full-length slot (without the armor) runs at PCIe 4.0 x4, with the two x1 slots rocking PCIe 4.0 x1.

Around the PCIe slots are two M.2 slots, with each having its own heatsink. Both support PCIe 4.0 x4 and SATA M.2 modules up to 110mm in length. Due to the available bandwidth on this platform, using both M.2 slots in either mode does not affect the SATA ports. One thing I would like to have seen here, since there are only two M.2 locations, is for the second slot to be moved down so it doesn’t get the full wrath of the video card’s heat output as it will in its current position with a dual slot (or greater) video card installed.

After the PCIe slots, we can see the large chipset heatsink and fan with its brushed-aluminum finish and Aorus eagle flexing proudly next to it. The fan, though smaller than the one found on the Biostar X570GT8, was only audible on initial spin up in our testing. Granted, we perhaps aren’t pushing it to its limits with multiple PCIe 4.0 M.2 devices. But in normal operations we could not hear the chipset fan. The BIOS also offers manual control over the fan as well.

Just above this is the front panel USB 3.1 Gen 2 header for fast chassis connected USB connectivity. In somewhat of a rare find in this class motherboard, we find both rear IO and front panel 3.1 Gen 2 headers. At this price point (and lower), we’ve only seen boards with one or the other.

To the right are six SATA3 6 Gbps ports which are oriented horizontally. These ports support RAID 0, 1, and RAID 10. Above these slots, just off the upper-right corner of the chipset heatsink, is the debug LED. There are four LEDs on the board for CPU, DRAM, VGA, and BOOT. The appropriateLED will stay lit during POST if there is trouble. If the motherboard doesn’t come with a two character debug LED like we saw on the Biostar X570GT8, these are the next best thing to have for figuring out what went wrong on boot. Given the general decline of the beep code speaker, some kind of visual debug indicator is a key feature to look for on any board.

Across the bottom are several headers which include the third and fourth RGB headers, front panel USB, along with more fan headers. We didn’t find anything exceptional here, but here’s a bulleted list of the other headers.

• Front Panel Audio
• RGB and aRGB headers
• TPM header
• 2x USB 2.0 headers
• Sys fan header
• 2x USB 3.0 headers
• Front panel headers

Last but far from least is the rear IO. Gigabyte uses an integrated rear IO plate across most of its X570 lineup, and the Aorus Pro WI-Fi isn’t an exception. We see 10 USB ports -- 4x 2.0, 2x 3.1 USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A and Type-C, and 4x USB 3.1 Gen1 ports -- quite a large number that should satisfy most users. Outside of the USB ports, we see the Wi-Fi antenna hookups, the HDMI 2.0 port, Intel LAN port and a 5-plug plus S/PDIF optical plug for audio.

The rear IO is fully featured with plenty of USB ports to go around. The integrated IO plate makes things a bit easier when installing the motherboard and gives it a premium appearance as well.

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Software and Firmware

Gigabyte’s software is centered around its App Center application. This program is a one-stop shop for all of the Gigabyte applications, Windows settings, and other third party software. As you install Gigabyte applications such as Easy Tune, RGB Fusion 2.0, @Bios, On/Off Charge and others, they will be placed in the first screen of the app for ease of access. The App Center app sits in the tray until called upon and is a good way to keep all the motherboard-associate applications you use in a single display.

The first Gigabyte application we’ll dig our claws into is Easy Tune. This program is used to monitor the system, including temperatures, speed, and voltages, as well as overclocking. It is divided up into sections across the top for each function. These sections are Smart Boost, Advanced CPU OC, Advanced DDR OC, Advanced Power, and Hotkey. All the monitoring information sits on the bottom.

Inside the Smart Boost section, you can select two different options, “Default” and “OC.” The latter takes all cores and boosts them to 3.8 GHz. Oddly enough there are four total options, but the ECO and Auto Tuning sections can’t be selected. With a Ryzen 3000 CPU, I would simply use Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) before using any of these profiles.

The Advanced CPU OC section is where overclocking from within Windows is accomplished. Inside are two sections, frequency and voltage, which deal with BCLK and CPU ratio along with major voltages necessary for overclocking. This includes CPU Vcore, VCORE SOC, CPU VDDP, DRAM voltage, and more. Once you have the options set, you can create profiles and save them for loading at a later point.

Next up is the Advanced DDR OC section. Here there isn’t much to do, with only two options being presented: Memory Frequency and XMP Setup Profile. The memory frequency is a simple dropdown which shows a memory multiplier to choose from. The XMP Profile dropdown lists any XMP profiles that are on your memory sticks.

When clicking on the Advanced power section, we’re greeted by additional power options, including current protection, PWM phase control, as well as Loadline calibration (LLC) control for the Vcore and SOC. After fiddling around a bit with the Vcore LLC, I found the turbo setting to keep the voltage close to where it was set. When left on auto, we saw around 0.05V vdroop from what was set in the BIOS to load in windows.

Overall, Easy Tune has come a long way from its origins so many generations ago. The software is clean and has plenty of options to push the limits in Windows on this board, though I would have liked the ability to control fans through here as well. The information Easy Tune presents is easy to read and the application is generally useful, in particular for those who like to tweak their system outside of the BIOS.

Gigabyte’s RGB control application is RGB Fusion 2. The application is a lightweight dashboard displaying the current RGB colors and schemes as well as letting you tweak them. Control includes the integrated RGB lighting on the board, RGB strips attached via the headers, as well as memory, coolers, RGB-lit video cards, and any other compatible RGB device. There are eight different preset patterns (Static, Pulse, Flash, Double Flash, Color Cycle, Music, Random and Game) with many able to be customized further (adjusting color, speed and brightness).

RGB Fusion 2 worked well controlling both the integrated RGBs and the GSkill Neo Memory we used for testing. Its interface is also easy to read, simple and gets the job done.

Firmware

Jumping into the Gigabyte BIOS, you’re first greeted by its EZ mode, which displays useful information about the system. It sports a black background with orange accent colors, letting you know it’s part of the Aorus theme.

EZ Mode displays details about the CPU and Memory frequency and voltage, CPU/VRM/chipset temperatures, BIOS version, fan speeds, and even the boot order. There are also convenient buttons on the right to access Advanced mode, Smart Fan 5, Q-Flash and Favorites. This screen is set up well with a few options to change, such as boot device order and enabling XMP. Much more than that and you will need to access Advanced mode.

Pressing F2 solves that issue, bringing us to Advanced Mode. Here you’ll find all the options you were looking for--or at least most. From overclocking to fan speed, all other settings can all be edited from the advanced BIOS. Across the top are headings for each section. Starting from the left is Favorites, Tweaker, Settings, System Info., Boot and Save & Exit.

Starting off in Tweaker, this is where all the overclocking and system performance magic happens. You’ll have access to everything needed to push Ryzen 3000 CPUs to their limits (for whatever that may be worth on these CPUs). Options such as CPU BCLK and multiplier control, XMP profile and memory timings, voltages and VRM settings are all in one place. Each part (CPU, Memory, VRM) has its own dedicated section for dealing with the details of their functions.

The Advanced Memory sub-section has enough timing and other options to make an average user’s head pop off. Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are all listed here among a slew of other options. Inside the VRM section we find Loadline Calibration settings, VCore current protection and PWM phase control, all of which can help with running a stable overclock.

The Settings section is where to access platform power settings, IO Ports (audio, USB, LAN, SATA, etc), RGB status/settings and an even more detailed AMD Overclocking area. Some of these options are duplicated in the Tweaker section, but here one can manually adjust the Infinity Fabric frequency and dividers, along with Gear Down mode for using odd CL values for memory. The X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi has a lot of overclocking options to meddle with, that’s for sure.

Also within the Settings section is PC Health and Smart Fan 5. PC Health simply lists the major voltages for the CPU and DRAM along with three PSU voltages (3.3V, 5V, 12V), while Smart Fan 5 gives access to the fan control application.

The Boot Section and Save & Exit don’t have anything we haven’t seen before and is where users can change boot behavior and drive options. The latter is where to save and load any profiles in the BIOS.

Smart Fan 5 is able to control any three- or four-pin fan or pump on each of the board’s seven headers. Within these settings, you can set up fans to respond to different temperature inputs such as the CPU, PCIe, or VRM temperatures which, is a great option to have for cooling. In addition, there is an external 2-pin header for a temperature probe that can be used as well. You can select from three different profiles or create custom curves for each fan.

Smart Fan 5 is one of the more comprehensive temperature monitoring and fan control options from all of the board partners. It offers users plenty of flexibility and options to control an entire system of fans and pumps from the BIOS.

Gigabyte’s firmware has been improving in both layout and appearance over the past couple of generations. And while it was never in bad shape, what we see now in X570 is a refined layout that’s easy to use and looks good while you’re troubleshooting or tweaking. Where you expect items to be, they are there and not hidden multiple levels down.

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How We Test

We’ll be comparing the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi to the Biostar X570GT8 we recently reviewed since it is similarly priced. We’ve also included the Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus Wi-Fi and the Aorus X570 Elite, both of which are more bodget-focused options, priced around $200.

Comparison Products

The test systems are as close as we can get to running the same specifications. Though memory may be from different brands, the speed and primary timings are the same, as well as the GPU. We use as an updated W10 64-bit OS (1903) with all threat mitigations applied.

Test System Components

Benchmark Settings

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Benchmark and Final Analysis

All standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including stock AMD Turbo), with all of its power-saving features enabled. Optimized defaults are set in the BIOS and the memory set manually to run at DDR4 3200 MHz (the base spec for Zen 2) @ 16-18-18-38 primary timings. 

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics are a great tool to figure out if a board is running out of spec, as identical settings should produce extremely similar performance results. Advanced memory timings are the one place where motherboard makers can still optimize for either stability or performance though, and those settings can impact some testing.

In our synthetic set of tests, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi performed well, mixing it up with the other X570 motherboards. All results were within general run variance difference with no anomalous data points. The Aous Pro Wi-Fi exeled in productivity testing, running 2% faster (which isn’t much, but that was the biggest anomaly). In general, Percision Boost Overdrive (PBO) showed some improvement across most tests, but managed to choke in productivity, running slower than stock form.

3D Games

Our game results have continued to show minimal differences. PBO didn’t do much for gaming, jut as we saw with other X570 results.

Timed Applications

The timed applications also show little difference between the boards in optimized default form. Enabling PBO showed some improvements here, performing on average a bit over 3% better than stock in these tests.

Overall Performance

Overall performance differences between the boards we tested were not much at all. The Aorus Pro Wi-Fi performed well, with marks mixing in with the X570 family we’ve tested. PBO yielded an ever so slight performance advantage overall, though the productivity result with it enabled was 2% lower -- thanks for helping, PCMark! The key here is if PBO is worth the power increase for what amounts to barely measurable performance increases overall.

Power & Relative Energy Efficiency

Idle power use for the Pro Wi-Fi was at 70W, even with PBO enabled. Previous reviews had this board at 80W, but we have since added the latest BIOS and AGESA, which helped our idle power draw . Load wattage hit 150W from the wall at stock, while with PBO we saw almost 210W.

The overall efficiency is 3.5% better than the average, but will be hardly noticeable in performance or on your electric bill. Enabling PBO kills that with a large 22% power increase for no overall performance increase in this testing.

Overclocking

Overclocking our Ryzen 7 3700X CPU on the X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi turned in a result of 4.216 GHz at 1.35V when using the 42.25x CPU multiplier. It reads 4.216 instead of 4.225 GHz due to the BCLK and spread spectrum floating mostly around 99.8 MHz. I tried to run 42.75 multiplier at the same voltage and it failed 24 minutes into the stress test -- so close! Adding more voltage would have pushed the temperature up well over the 90C where it peaked at the lower setting, so this was the end of the overclocking road. This result is comparable to the other X570 boards we’ve tested recently.

Voltages when overclocking were relatively stable. With LLC set to auto, we set 1.35V in the BIOS and received 1.30V when under load. Setting LLC to Turbo eliminated the vdroop, bringing the voltage to 1.356V on load (according to CPUz).

On the memory side of things, our Aorus Pro Wi-Fi with the latest BIOS (F4i dated 7/31) didn’t have any issues running 32GB at CL16. It set the 1:1 ratio as expected with this speed and setup.

In the end, the board took our CPU where the other boards did and at similar voltage levels. We think a board with a better VRM may be able to take this CPU a bit further, but have so far been thwarted in our efforts at this level. We’ll be looking at some higher-end X570 offering soon. Perhaps those will be able to push this CPU more.

Final Thoughts

Our Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi went through all of our tests without issue at stock (optimized defaults) as well using PBO. Our overclocking went without issue as well, with the board able to support our 3700X CPU just as well all the others before it, topping out at the same 42.25x multiplier.

Features wise, the Pro Wi-Fi runs the gamut for a model in this price range, including both front and rear (Type-C port) USB 3.1 Gen 2 capabilities (along with eight other USB ports), heatsinks both of the M.2 slots, Realtek ALC 1220-VB premium audio, seven fan/pump headers and a robust VRM and heatsinks, plus Wi-Fi. I would like to have seen eight SATA ports, as there are “just” two M.2 ports. But then it’s unlikely many builders will try to shove more than eight drives into a board that borders on budget territory (for X570).

The Aorus Pro Wi-Fi looks good in all black and has a tasteful implementation of RGB LEDs. If what is integrated isn’t enough, four additional RGB headers are ready for more blinking lights. And the primary PCIe slots are wrapped in Gigabyte Armor, a nice contrast against the other black parts -- so long as you can see them.

The BIOS is easy to work with and has all the options an overclocker needs to take their CPU and to its thermal limits. Our GSkill Neo memory, all 32GB at DDR4 3600, also worked without issue and is plug and play with this BIOS.

In the end, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi checks all the boxes for a capable motherboard, and then some for its price point. It’s one of the only boards in this class which includes both rear IO and front panel USB 3.1 Gen 2 support. So if that’s a requirement, this is the motherboard to do it. If that isn’t a requirement, there are less expensive options worth considering. But for the money, the X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi should be on your short list in the $250-$270 X570 price bracket.

Image Credits: Tom's Hardware

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Features and Specifications

In our recent deep-dives into a couple of the least-expensive X570 motherboards (the Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus Wi-Fi and the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite), we saw good results for boards in the roughly $200 price range. But now it’s time to step up just a bit and check out the $230 Biostar X570GT8 (current UK pricing ranges from under £200 to nearly £300, likely due to stock availability issues). The Biostar GT8 includes three PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port on the rear IO, RGB LEDs, and a 12-phase VRM designed to handle the latest high-end Ryzen 3000 series CPUs.

Biostar’s motherboard options are typically limited in both the Intel and AMD camps, often with only a couple of boards coming out for most of the chipsets. At the time of this writing, the X570GT8 is the only X570 board available from the company, hailing from the 4th generation Racing series line. On the older X470 chipset, the company has a total of four boards, including an Mini-ITX option. So we do expect to see other X570-based motherboards from Biostar in time.

The Biostar X570GT8’s $230 MSRP places it in the lower range of all X570 boards. We had an overall positive experience in building and testing, although our overclocking results were just a tik lower than the other X570 motherboards we looked at so far.

Performance was where we expected it to be, trading blows with other X570 boards, so no complaints there. The BIOS is a little different than the other AIBs, with the tweaking section (O.N.E) at the far right instead of the left side where we normally see it. If you are using multiple PCIe NVMe drives, the three full speed slots and heatsinks are a welcome sight.

As with other boards on this platform, the X570GT8 supports both Ryzen 2000 and Ryzen 3000 series processors. It includes six SATA ports and four DIMM slots capable of supporting up to 128GB of DDR4 RAM at rated speeds to DDR4 4000(OC). For networking and audio, we find an Intel I211AT NIC and the premium Realtek ALC1220 S1200A audio codec. Below is a complete list of specifications from Biostar.

Specifications

The included accessories are minimal (no Biostar racing stickers?!?) but the company includes what you need to get started. Here’s a list of what ships in the box, along with the board.

• User’s manual
• I/O Shield
• Support DVD
• 4x SATA cables

When looking at the X570GT8’s styling, it follows the company’s existing racing line, but with a new “lightning strikes” design. The PCB is black, with a grey design feature running throughout most of the board including on the M.2 heatsinks. The chipset fan is larger than we have seen on other boards, though the design of the heatsink itself a simple rectangle with the fan in the middle. The rear IO and audio shroud is where the integrated RGB LEDs are located.

The VRM heatsinks look like they will do the job, but are smaller than on some other less-expensive boards. On top of these are more of the same design accents we see on the bottom part of the board. All of the DIMM slots and PCIe slots are black, matching the board with the two primary PCIe slots using reinforcement.

The black and white board shouldn’t have an issue meshing with most build themes. The conservative use of RGB lighting is a plus for some. If you need more, the board also has a couple of RGB headers (moe on that later). Any RGB illumination is controlled through Biostar’s Racing GT Evo software and the Vivid LED DJ section.

Zooming in on the top half of the motherboard, there’s a fair bit to talk about. Starting on the side we see a shroud covering the rear IO bits. Uniquely, the shroud is made out of aluminum, where most are plastic. Biostar says this helps reduce EMI of the underlying parts. Also located on the shroud is the Racing branding which is illuminated from below by RGB LEDs. 

We can see the dual 8-pin (required) and 4-pin (optional) EPS connectors  up here, which sends power to the 12-phase VRM. This board uses an Infineon 8 phase controller running in 4+2 mode using phase doublers on the CPU side to reach 8 phases. On paper, this board shouldn’t have any issues overclocking the Ryzen 3000 CPUs. The heatsinks are capable, but note that the top middle motherboard mounting hole is covered by the heatsink. Using eight screws is plenty, but this was a design oversight.

To the right of the socket and VRM area are four DIMM slots, which use a single-sided locking mechanism to keep the memory secured. Memory support is up to 128GB across those four slots with speeds up to DDR4 4000 when overclocking. Your mileage may vary as far as how high memory can go as it depends on the sticks used as well as the quality of the IMC on the chip.

Also by the DIMM slots is one of five fan headers on the board. The second is located just above the top PCIe x1 slot. The fan headers are of the hybrid variety,supporting both PWM- and DC-controlled fans.

On the far right side of the board is the 24-pin ATX connector to feed power to the motherboard. Above that is the 2 character debug LED, helpful for troubleshooting any boot issues. This type of debug LED is gives more information about the error than the simple ‘dummy’ lights we saw on the less-expensive X570 boards. Above that are three buttons: one for power, the second for reset and the third clear the CMOS. As someone who benchmarks on an open bench table, these buttons are invaluable. For the majority who use a case with the motherboard inside, these can be convenient when troubleshooting, but aren’t otherwise likely to be used often.

Last but not least are two RGB headers in the upper-right corner. The top is a 3-pin 5V addressable header which connects up to 300 individually addressable RGB LEDs, with a maximum power rating of 3A (5V). The 12V LED connector supports 5050 RGB LED strips, also with a 3A (12V) rating. Control over the attached strips is managed by the Vivid LED DJ software. 

Moving on to the bottom half of the X570GT8, the left side where the audio sits is covered with a shroud -- or as biostar calls it, “audio armor.” Inside the audio armor is the second location of on-board RGB LEDs. The white portion of the pattern is illuminated through LEDs connected to the shroud/armor. Below this is where the premium Realtek ALC1220 audio chip sits, along with what the company calls “double Hi-Fi” AMP IC for headphones. Compared to the budget X570 boards we’ve reviewed, it’s nice to see high-end audio on a motherboard again, though we do expect it at this level of board.

The PCIe area is a bit more busy here, with three full-length PCIe slots and three x1 slots. The primary slots are reinforced with Biostar’s meal “armor,” which helps prevent slot shearing or cracking under the weight of heavy cards, and can also minimize EMI. The top runs at a full PCIe 4.0 x16, while the second slot runs at a maximum of x8 mode. The last full-length slot runs at x4 (note that these speeds apply when running 3rd gen Ryzen CPUs). The three 1x slots run at x1 speeds.

Between the PCIe slots are three, yes three, M.2 slots. All of these slots are able to run PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds. PCIe M2_1 supports only PCIe M.2 modules while PCIe M2_2 and M2_3 support both PCIe and SATA drives. Slots M2_1 and M2_3 support up to 80mm modules with M2_2 supporting the larger 110mm drives. All slots are able to give the full PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth without losing any SATA ports. While many higher-end boards have three M.2 slots, not all of them come with heatsinks as these do, and it’s a welcome feature aesthetically, as well as providing some welcome cooling for hot-running NVMe based drives.

Moving to the right, we then see the chipset heatsink and fan. On the other X570 boards I’ve tested to date, the fan is quite small. Here, the fan is a bit bigger and also completely open, exposing the whole fan. There are fins on the top and bottom of the heatsink for more surface area. This setup isn’t the most appealing to the eye, but does the job and does so quietly.

To the right of the heatsink area are six SATA3 ports. The chipset supports eight total. But because of the three M.2 slots, two were taken away. This prevents any necessary sharing of bandwidth. I like this setup as these days M.2 drives, be it SATA or PCIe NVMe based, are becoming more common, making the six SATA ports here more than adequate for most builds.

Something also worth noting is the LN2 switch found near the bottom-right corner of the chipset heatsink. When enabled, this will force the CPU to run at 800 MHz, which the manual says is to avoid unexpected system shutdown. While this is a cool feature on a lower-cost board such as this, this board isn’t likely to be the weapon of choice for sub-ambient overclocking and really pushing limits.

On the very bottom edge of the board are several different headers and buttons including USB, fan, CMOS jumper and more. There isn’t anything exceptional to share here, but we list them all below.

• Front Panel Audio
• 2x Fan headers
• CMOS jumper
• Dual BIOS switch
• 2x USB 2.0 headers
• USB 3.1 header
• USB 3.2 header (fast charge)
• Front panel header
• Front panel header
• Clear CMOS jumper

Moving on to the rear IO area, one of the first things I noticed is the Biostar X570GT8 does not include an integrated IO plate. We’ve seen Gigabyte boards step up and add these, even in one of its lowest priced boards. That said, the IO plate included in the box is black with the “racing” name on it, and it looks good when in place.

Ports on the rear IO include video outputs, USB, network, and the audio stack. Surprisingly, we see three different video outputs here, DVI-D, DisplayPort and HDMI. These are used only if an APU (like the Ryzen 5 3400G is in the socket). There are a total of four USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Type-A ports and two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports -- one of the latter is Type-A and the other Type-C. We can also see the Intel LAN port as well as a legacy PS/2 port back here. The audio stack contains five 7mm plugs and an S/PDIF plug as well.

I like the 10 Gbps Type-C port out back, but would like to see more USB ports in general. The three video ports take up lots of space, especially given that they’re only ever going to be used by a subset of builders, who could probably get by with one or two video connectors anyway.

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Software and Firmware

On the software side of things, Biostar uses a similar one-stop shop app as its competitors with its Racing GT Evo program. This application provides users with system information including clock, motherboard, memory, and processor details, access to system volume, preset performance profiles, RGB LED and fan control, along with a hardware monitor and overclocking capabilities. Outside of that the company offers a Lightning charger utility for fast charging devices, as well as an e-hotline utility designed to quickly send information to Biostar support for troubleshooting.

We’ll start off with the RGB control section in GT Evo, called Vivid LED DJ. As the name implies, it controls the integrated LEDs, as well as any compatible strips or other RGB items plugged into the board. There are options for color control, on/off as well as four presets (permanent, shine, breathe, and sparkle).

A.I. Fan is where users are able to control any attached fan or pump speed. The section displays CPU and system temperatures as well as fan speeds. Users are able to select either DC or PWM control or can leave it on auto. There are three fan speed presets: aggressive, quiet, full on, and then a manual option where you set the custom curves. The A.I. Fan section worked without issue, though it didn’t contain advanced functionality such as the ability to select different temperature sources or hysteresis.

The Hardware Monitor portion displays information about CPU and system temperatures, along with fan speeds and voltages of both the system and power supply. 

In the overclocking and overvolting section within GT Evo, users are able to adjust the major voltages, including CPU Core and CPU SOC, DDR, DDR VPP, VDDP Run voltages, as well as the chipset. It provides plenty of voltage options, but the good news stops there.

For CPU overclocking options, oddly enough, there are none here. It lists the CPU and memory speeds along with the BCLK and CPU ratio limit, but none can actually be adjusted. You aren’t able to actually adjust anything related to clock speeds here, which is quite unusual. It makes me wonder even more why the company added an LN2 switch, despite not not providing the ability to overclock within windows -- it feels like an oversight.

Outside of not being able to overclock, the software worked well, displaying relevant information as well as controlling the fans and RGB LED illumination.

Firmware

When accessing Biostar’s BIOS, you’re greeted with a familiar setup of headings listed across the top and monitoring information on the left side. The firmware uses a grey background with red highlights, matching the GT Evo windows software and “racing” theme  of the line.  It isn’t the best looking-UEFI we’ve seen, but will most certainly do the job.

The BIOS does not have a simplified “easy mode,” so what you see is what you get. On the left side is a system summary, including CPU and RAM speed along with listing their current voltage. It also displays the CPU temperature and system date and time. In the middle is where the different sections are located with a legend on the right.

The first section we see is Main, which is mostly informational, displaying information about the BIOS, total installed memory, and the date and time. Pretty standard stuff.

Our next section to the right is Advanced. Inside this section is where you control things like SATA, CPU, USB, CSM, and NVMe configurations. Also located here are ACPI settings, a hardware monitor, PCI subsystem settings and AMD CBS. Anything needed to configure onboard items is found here.

Inside the Chipset section we are able to see information about the south bridge and north bridge, as well as enabling or disabling the Intel PCIe NIC.

We’ll skip over the Boot and Security sections as those are self explanatory and don’t have anything worth noting.

The last section is named O.N.E. Here is where you find all of the options needed to overclock and tweak the CPU and memory. On the primary screen, we’re presented with BCLK and FCLK frequency, CPU ratio, Core and SOC voltages, Load Line Calibration and other secondary options. You’ll generally find what’s needed here, but not much more.

It’s a basic setup that could (and probably should) be refined both for appearance and organization, but most users won’t have any issues after looking around a bit. For example, inside the DRAM Timing Configuration sub-heading, there are a ton of memory timings, but it’s just one big list. I’d prefer these split to primary/secondary/tertiary sections, if only to break it up a bit.

Another minor quibble is the transparency of dialog boxes that pop up in the bios. It becomes confusing if you are enabling / disabling something and you see the words enable and disable on the background. These do not need to be transparent. Overall though, the BIOS got the job done, just not with the same slickness we’ve seen from other board partners.

Unfortunately this BIOS isn’t able to capture images when inside the fan section (press F5). That said, it looks no different than the A.I. Fan software and functions exactly the same. The same also goes for the Vivid LED DJ section which, like A.I. Fan, looks and functions the same in the BIOS but doesn’t allow for capturing images.

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How We Test

We’ll be comparing the Biostar X570GT8 to the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Pro Wi-Fi, which is priced a bit higher at $270, as well as the lower-priced Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite and Asus TUF X570-Plus Wi-Fi.

Comparison Products

The test systems are as close as we can get to running the same specifications. Though memory may be different brands, the speed and primary timings are the same, as well as the GPU. We use as an updated W10 64-bit OS (1903) with all threat mitigations applied.

Test System Components

Benchmark Settings

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Benchmark and Final Analysis

All standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including stock AMD Turbo), with all of its power-saving features enabled. Optimized defaults are set in the BIOS and the memory set. The memory is manually set up to run at DDR4 3200 MHz (base spec for Zen 2) @ 16-18-18-38 primary timings. 

Synthetic Benchmarks

Synthetics are a great tool to figure out if a board is running out of spec, as identical settings should produce extremely similar performance results. Advanced memory timings are the one place where motherboard makers can still optimize for either stability or performance though, and those settings can impact some testing.

In our synthetic set of tests, the Biostar X570GT8’s results were right in line with the other X570 motherboards. All results were within general run variance difference with no anomalous data points. We didn’t test PBO separately here, as this board appears to have PB enabled by default.

3D Games

Game results continue to show a very tight set of results without any appreciable differences with the Biostar right in the middle of our data points. Nothing to worry about here.

Timed Applications

TIMED APPS ALBUM(image009 and 011)

Our timed applications also show little difference between the boards. In this case, the Biostar seemed to be just a hair slower in Corona and Handbrake, by a couple of percent.

Overall Performance

Overall, the Biostar X570GT8 performed well across the board. It was only in the timed application benchmarks where it showed almost a 2% difference. Users would be hard-pressed to notice such a small difference, but it is measurable.

Power and Relative Energy Efficiency

For power use, our Biostar used the most power under load, hitting 153W (3W more than the next highest), but showed decent idle power consumption (note this is still with the older chipset drivers -- some improvement is said to come with the latest that was released the day after I finished this review. According to our results, the X570GT8 was 3.2% less efficient than the other boards/datasets when taking performance into consideration. But that’s still a fairly minor difference.

Overclocking

Overclocking on the X570GT8 gave us a flat 4.0 GHz overclock with 1.29V on the core. That speed is less compared to both of the other boards by that .25 multiplier. No matter what voltage I used, I was not able to stabilize (get through a 30 min AIDA run) at higher speeds. Even with the better cooler and lower temperatures.

We successfully loaded up our GSKill Trident Z Neo 4x8GB DDR4 3600 16-16-16-36 sticks without issue here as well. What’s interesting is the motherboard set it to 1:2 ratio at this clock speed, which is lower than AMD specifies should be a 1:1 ratio. That said, switching the FCLK to 1800 MHz getting back to the 1:1 ratio proved to be stable. So it just took a little manual fiddling it to get there. At times we’ve seen some setups drop to 1:2 for stability and compatibility purposes, which is likely what happened here.

Overall, the board clocked well, though it could not reach quite the same level as the other boards tested recently. Even when using the same voltage or more than the other boards used, the Biostart just wouldn’t stabilize and errored out in testing. Perhaps a BIOS update will improve this result.

Final Thoughts

The Biostar X570GT8 ($230 MSRP) went through all of our testing and showed that it can hang with the other X570 boards I have reviewed so far. On the features side, we like the inclusion of three M.2 slots, but the icing on the cake on that front is that they all have heatsinks, which is something you don’t typically find in this price range. Due to the number of M.2 slots, Biostar chose to run with six SATA3 / 6 Gbps ports, avoiding any lane sharing if all three M.2 slots or all the SATA ports are populated. The board has a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port on the back as well, which is hit or miss in this price range.

Our overclocking adventure proved a bit disappointing, as we were not able to reach the 4.24 GHz here, which we saw on competing models. We were, however, able to set our 32GB DDR4 3600 memory kit to its XMP settings, but the board dropped the ratio to 1:2 by default. This wasn’t a big deal though, as all it takes is setting the FCLK to 1800 Mhz to match and get back to 1:1. Perhaps with further BIOS refinement we will see improvements on the overclocking front. The transparency issue in the BIOS making things a bit hard to discern was a bit confusing at first, as was the memory ratio dropping earlier than expected. But once we got used to how this board rolls, we were able to do most of what we expected with relative ease.

Overall, the Biostar X570GT8 shows promise and is a solid choice for an entry-level board, with a little extra. All the basic needs are met and it excels at M.2 storage, although Wi-Fi isn’t included. So if you need that feature at around this price point or a little less, consider the Asus TUF X570-Plus Wi-Fi instead. Outside of that, it’s tough to pin down a winner between these three budget boards as they all have their positives and negative points. But if you are looking for a board that has three heatsinked M.2 slots at a very reasonable price, the Biostar X570GT8 is easy to recommend.

Image Credits: Tom's Hardware

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Biometric information such as fingerprints, facial recognition profiles, and even unencrypted usernames and passwords and personal information of employees for over 1 million people was discovered online. The exposed database seems to belong to Suprema, a security company selling the Biostar 2 web-based biometric authentication system for gaining access to buildings.

Suprema's Biostar 2 Exposes 1 Million Biometric Profiles

Last month, Suprema announced that its Biostar 2 system was integrated into another access control system called AEOS. AEOS is used by 5,700 organizations in 83 countries, including governments, banks, and the UK Metropolitan Police.

The Israeli security researchers Noam Rotem and Ran Locar worked with the security team at VPNMentor, a company that reviews virtual private network (VPN) services, to scan ports and look for familiar IP blocks in an attempt to find security holes that might lead to data breaches in organizations.

In one of their searches last week, the researchers found the unprotected and mostly unencrypted Biostar 2 database. The database exposed 27.8 million records and 23GB worth of data including admin panels, dashboards, fingerprint data, facial recognition data, face photos of users, unencrypted usernames and passwords, logs of facility access, security levels and clearance, and personal details of staff. 

The researchers said that even the admin credentials seem to have been stored in plaintext. They also claimed that they were able to change data in the database and add new users. In other words, the researchers could have edited a Biostar 2’s account, add their own fingerprints, and then be able to gain access to whatever buildings that user had access. This, essentially, made the Biostar 2 useless against anyone with access to the database.

Suprema Made It Easy For Hackers to Steal Biometric Data

According to the researchers, Suprema didn’t just completely fail to protect the database from being accessed from the web. It also failed to use industry best practices for biometric authentication, such as not storing the actual fingerprint or facial recognition information in a centralized database on its own servers. 

The researchers said about Suprema in their paper:

“Instead of saving a hash of the fingerprint (that can’t be reverse-engineered) they are saving people’s actual fingerprints that can be copied for malicious purposes."

The way companies such as Apple and most Android smartphone makers do it is that they create a cryptographic hash of the biometric data at set-up so that they don’t have to store the actual biometric data. This way, even if someone attempts to exfiltrate this data from the Secure Enclave or an Android StrongBox hardware security module (Google’s Titan M, etc.), there’s not much useful biometric data they can extract.

In comparison, the biometric data stolen from Suprema and other centralized biometric databases could be re-used by malicious actors potentially forever. The affected users’ only mitigation would be to use other fingerprints for biometric authentication in the future or for the biometric systems of the future to become so much more advanced they no longer work with the older and more basic stolen biometric data.

Suprema Not Alone In Handling Biometric Security Poorly

As we saw with the Equifax data breach or the hack of DHS' facial recognition data, regular people hardly have any say in any of this, and the companies or agencies that use almost criminally negligible security practices often get away with small fines, at best. Meanwhile, the regulations for companies and agencies that handle such sensitive data are too slow to change to prevent such data breaches in the foreseeable future.

Rotem noted that there are many other poorly secured biometric systems out there:

“It’s very common. There’s literally millions of open systems, and going through them is a very tedious process. And some of the systems are quite sensitive.”

Rotem also talked about the importance of responding to security issues quickly and with grace. Some companies still get offended when you point out a security flaw in their product, instead of being thankful that someone who didn’t plan on abusing said security hole found it first. Suprema seems to have been part of the latter group, as the researcher said it never replied to his messages about the flaw. 

Suprema told The Guardian that it fixed the flaw, but if anyone else noticed the same flaw before Rotem and Locar did, they may have already cloned it and potentially sold it to others or abused it for their own gains. It would also mean that those biometric profiles are now out there to be abused, so it may not matter if Suprema “fixed the security hole,” as now those biometric profiles could be cloned and used for nefarious purposes.