The AMD X570 Motherboard Overview: Over 35+ Motherboards Analyzed
by Gavin Bonshor on July 9, 2019 8:00 AM ESTASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Formula
The ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Formula represents its flagship X570 entry onto the market with some very notable features, including a revamped design with a strong focus on performance, and ROG themed aesthetics. First of all, the ROG Crosshair VIII Formula uses EKWB heatsinks which can be connected to a custom water cooling loop for better power delivery temperatures, or as passive cooled. This has been seen on numerous iterations of its Maximus Formula boards created for Intel chipsets. This marks a shifting tide where ASUS seem to have confidence in AMD and the ability of its 7nm Ryzen 3000 processors, by opting for such a premium model for the X570 chipset.
One of the main focal points of the X570 chipset is its native PCIe 4.0 support. The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Formula has three-full length PCIe 4.0 slots operating at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/x4, with the final x4 coming from the chipset. This allows users to use two-way NVIDIA SLI and two-way AMD Crossfire multi-graphics card configurations. For add-on cards, a single PCIe 4.0 x1 slot is also present. There are also four DDR4 memory slots with a maximum supported capacity of up to 128 GB. Also included are a LiveDash OLED screen, a full metal backplate for a more rigid frame, and ROG armor across the majority of the PCB; not to forget about the swathe of RGB LED zones and the integrated fan within the chipset heatsink. On the rear of the board is a metal backplate which adds reinforcement to keep the board's structure intact.
On the componentry, the Crosshair VIII Formula uses a premium controller set with the most notable inclusions coming on the networking side. An Aquantia AQC111 5 GbE controller with a secondary Intel I211AT gigabit chip offers users dual LAN, but more impressively, ASUS has jumped onto the Wi-Fi 6 bandwagon by including the new Intel AX200 2x2 Wi-Fi adapter. The onboard audio is controlled by the Realtek SupremeFX S1220 HD audio codec. On the rear panel is a wide array of connections including seven USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, one USB 3.1 G2 Type-C, and four USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports. Users can add to this with one USB 3.1 G2, two USB 3.1 G1 and two USB 2.0 front panel headers, with the USB 3.1 G2 offering one additional port, and the rest each offering an additional two ports per header.
The ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Formula is a mixture of premium controllers, quality features, and classic Formula aesthetics due to the implementation of an EKWB water block to keep the power delivery cool. This not only adds extra weight to the board but also cost and that is represented with an MSRP of $700.
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Death666Angel - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
There is a "print this article" function. And the easiest way to browse for specifically what you need are price comparison websites. In Europe, that would be "geizhals.eu" (English skinflint.co.uk) . I'm sure other regions have one as well. I don't think having a table with over 35 motherboards would give you the insight you are looking for. Browser for the 2 or 3 motherboards that suite your need and then compare those.konakcc - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
What I find disturbing is that they still put the x4 slots directly next ot the x16 slots. Most modern graphics cards are double wide meaning you can't use those slots so why include them? Think about how the slots will be used and lay them out appropriately.Dark42 - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Thanks for the overview, there seem to be a number of typos / errors though:Asrock Pro4: has only 3 3.5 mm audio jacks(picture), where the text says 5.
Asrock Steel Legend: only 1 USB 3.1 G2 Type-A (picture), text says 2.
Asrock Creator: picture looks like 2 USB 3.1 G2 Type-A + 4 G1, text says 6 G1.
APS: May I suggest a table (or several ones) with the connectivity information? Its not nice having to click through ~40 pages, parse the text and remember to find out how many M.2 slots, Sata ports, etc. the motherboards have.
Death666Angel - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
There is a "print this article" function. And the easiest way to browse for specifically what you need are price comparison websites. In Europe, that would be "geizhals.eu" (English skinflint.co.uk) . I'm sure other regions have one as well.supremeMilo - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Where are you seeing that the ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming has a S/PDIF output? I might get this board over the AsRock if this is true.eva02langley - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Hey Gavin, could you make a special table for Displayport 2.0, HDMI 2.0 and SPDIF?Also, which of these board offer the best audio technology.
Thanks
gavbon - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
I will try and find some time to quickly knock one up. Just going through the comments now (just finished the Ryzen 3000 CPU re-testing)Kurosaki - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Sad that only the 700usd version from gigabyte was passively cooled. Let's just wait and see if any cheaper models with heatpipes comes by...PeachNCream - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Wait a generation if you aren't starved badly for performance with your current hardware. Given the outcry over chipset fans, this is probably a significant point of improvement on the next-gen chipset agenda.zzing123 - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Given that Ryzen is a brilliant replacement for edge server computing, I'd like to see workstation boards have an option card using the PCIe x1 slot to accommodate an IPMI solution for proper headless server duty. Donany vendors have plans for this?