ASRock X870E Taichi OCF Review: Extreme AMD Overclocking Mastered
▼ Summary
– The ASRock X870E Taichi OCF is a purpose-built motherboard designed for extreme overclocking, featuring specialized hardware like physical OC buttons and a robust power delivery system.
– It is a fully-featured board with high-end specifications, including six M.2 sockets, 5 GbE LAN, Wi-Fi 7, and a flagship audio solution with a DAC.
– The motherboard’s performance in testing was average overall, though some memory compatibility issues were noted with a specific DDR5-6000 kit.
– Its design includes a two-DIMM memory configuration optimized for high-speed overclocking and a clean socket area to facilitate sub-ambient cooling methods.
– The rear I/O offers extensive connectivity, including multiple USB ports (including USB4), a 5GbE jack, and a PS/2 port for stability during extreme overclocking.
For enthusiasts seeking a motherboard that bridges high-performance daily computing with the specialized demands of competitive overclocking, the ASRock X870E Taichi OCF presents a compelling and surprisingly cost-effective solution. While its design incorporates tools for pushing hardware to the absolute limit with sub-ambient cooling, this board is equally capable under normal operating conditions, packed with features that rival standard flagship models.
Priced around the $499 mark, this ATX motherboard refuses to compromise on connectivity despite its overclocking pedigree. It boasts an impressive six M.2 sockets, with two supporting the blistering speeds of PCIe 5.0. Networking is top-tier with 5 GbE LAN and Wi-Fi 7, while audio duties are handled by a premium Realtek ALC4082 codec paired with an ESS SABRE9219 DAC. Practical touches include dual front-panel USB Type-C headers, a toolless M.2 design for the primary slot, and an EZ Release PCIe slot, making hardware swaps straightforward, a common necessity in benchmarking rigs.
Performance in our standardized testing suite landed around average, though results naturally fluctuated between different benchmarks. We encountered a minor hiccup where our standard Kingston Fury Beast DDR5-6000 kit failed to boot, forcing us to use a backup kit with matched primary timings. Secondary timings were left on auto, which may have led to slightly looser performance in some areas, but no results were concerningly out of line.
The board’s design is unmistakably part of the Taichi family, featuring the signature gear motif and an active VRM cooling solution. The black PCB is accented with yellow and silver lines, with RGB lighting along the bottom edge. The layout prioritizes the overclocker’s needs: the socket area is kept clean to facilitate applying protective conformal coatings, and it utilizes a two-slot memory configuration to maximize DDR5 stability and speed potential. Official support reaches an astounding DDR5-10400 with certain APUs, though it settles at a still-impressive DDR5-8400 for the latest Ryzen 9000 series CPUs.
A dedicated OC Toolkit sets this board apart. It includes physical buttons for adjusting multipliers, three programmable profile buttons, and switches for LN2 and Slow modes. For precise voltage monitoring, a V-Probe section offers direct measurement points. The power delivery system is massively overbuilt, featuring a 22-phase Vcore design using 110A power stages, providing a staggering 2,420A of current capacity that remains unflinching under extreme loads.
Storage and expansion are handled by three PCIe slots and those six M.2 sockets. The top two M.2 slots connect directly to the CPU via PCIe 5.0. Users should note some bandwidth sharing: populating the second CPU-connected M.2 slot can reduce the rear USB4 ports to x2 mode unless a BIOS setting is changed to prioritize the storage, which then disables those ports entirely.
The rear I/O panel is densely packed. It includes a BIOS flashback button, a Clear CMOS button, a somewhat rare PS/2 port valued in extreme overclocking for its stability, and a vast array of USB ports. This encompasses two USB4 Type-C ports, several 10 Gbps Type-A ports, and a 5 GbE network jack. The bundle includes practical extras like a DRAM cooling fan and thermistor cables, acknowledging the board’s intended use case.
Ultimately, the ASRock X870E Taichi OCF masterfully serves a dual purpose. It provides a fully-featured, high-end platform for a powerful daily system while embedding the specialized hardware and layout that competitive overclockers require to chase records. If your ambitions involve liquid nitrogen and world records, this board is engineered for you. If you simply want a robust, well-connected motherboard with extreme overhead for future tuning, it also makes a surprisingly rational choice.
(Source: Tom’s Hardware)
