The AMD X570 Motherboard Overview: Over 35+ Motherboards Analyzed
by Gavin Bonshor on July 9, 2019 8:00 AM ESTASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming
The ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming is a small form factor gaming-focused and represents its more mid-range Strix brand. Based on the smaller Mini-ITX form factor, the X570-I Gaming has plenty to shout about including two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots and eight SATA ports which is quite impressive for a small form factor to feature.
There is a single full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot in addition to two memory slots with support for up to 64 GB of DDR4 memory. The aesthetic is similar to the ATX sized X570 Strix models with a graffiti-inspired graphic on the M.2 heatsink, which also extends around to the rear panel cover for a uniformed look. There is RGB LED lighting built into the heatsink, with a strip underneath the right-hand side of the PCB for an ambient styled glow. In terms of storage, the ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming has eight SATA ports and two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots; one is located on the front just above the full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot which includes a heatsink, while the other sits on the rear of the boards PCB.
Aimed at the mid to high-end gamers, the ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming has a ROG SupremeFX S1220 HD audio codec which powers three 3.5 mm audio jacks, with three USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, one USB 3.1 G2 Type-C, and four USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports also on the rear panel. Interestingly ASUS includes a DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 pairing of video outputs on the rear for use with the newly announced AMD Ryzen 3000 series APUs. The ROG Strix X570-I rear panel also has an Intel I211-AT Gigabit NIC powering the single Ethernet port, as well as an Intel AX200 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface which also includes support for BT 5.
The ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming at present doesn't have an MSRP as isn't being launched with the rest of its product stack, and it represents the only mini-ITX sized model in the line-up; the ROG Crosshair VIII Impact is actually mini-DTX. A mixture of premium components, good storage capabilities and a Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax wireless interface an attractive model for users looking to build a potent small form factor gaming system.
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abufrejoval - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
It's amazing how quickly you run out of PCIe lanes, when you don't have switches to multiplex and translate between PCIe revisions and lanes (e.g. PCIe v4 x2 <-> PCIe v2 x8).I find myself using USB 3.x NBase-T NICs and NVMe adapters, simply because they *do* switch.
Bensam123 - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Maybe a bit more depth on the power delivery page. I have absolutely no idea how to go about parsing what's there. More chokes is better? What denotes a power phase?A5 - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
+1. Some analysis of that information would be helpful.MrSpadge - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
+1bunkle - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
The controller column includes the total number of phases supported split between CPU cores and SoC e.g. (6+1) = 6 CPU phase and 1 SoC phase. More is *usually* better but has diminishing returns regarding tighter and tighter voltage regulation. Some controllers are better than others (can operate at high frequency e.g. 500KHz v 1000KHz, include other features to improve performance) mitigating the need for more phases.Each phase is a buck converter comprised of a low/high side MOSFET (can be integrated in a single package) and choke. Some controllers can support doubling up the PWM signal to driver more MOSFETs. Doublers can also be added as discrete components if not built into the controller.
Current rating of the MOSFET (e.g. Sic639=40A IR3555=60A) indicates the total power deliverable. MOSFETs are not 100% efficient and vary in efficiency. The more current they provide the hotter they get and the less efficient they become, with better MOSFETs producing less heat for a given current. Thus using doubles can improve temperatures and efficiency without the benefits of the tighter voltage tolerance that *real* phases provide.
Hope that’s helpful!
bunkle - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
A lot more detailed explanation: https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/voltage_regulator_mod...bug77 - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
The description for AsRock X570(M) Pro4 says "5 jack + 1 SPDIF". Unfortunately, those boards lack SPDIF and only come with 3 jacks ;)Smell This - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
I'm thinking the *ASRock Thunderbolt AIC* ...https://thunderbolttechnology.net/product/asrock-t...
would cover all your TBT peripheral needs, including optical.
DanNeely - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Do X570 boards still need an extra chip per USB port to support USB-C reversibility?The additional expense and needed PCB space were cited as among the reasons why earlier generation boards (IIRC both Intel and AMD) almost never had more than 1 C port; but it was never clear to me if that was an inherent implementation penalty for the C port or an artifact of Intel's tech stack being stalled out and AMD outsourcing to ASMedia which built the chipsets on an ancient (55nm) platform.
DigitalFreak - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Gavin - X370 and X470 only supported PCIe 2.0. The connection between the CPU and chipset was 3.0, but all the ports on the chipset were 2.0.