The AMD TRX40 Motherboard Overview: 12 New Motherboards Analyzed
by Gavin Bonshor on November 28, 2019 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- AMD
- MSI
- Gigabyte
- ASRock
- Asus
- TRX40
- Threadripper 3000
- Castle Peak
ASRock TRX40 Taichi
With ASRock announcing just two new models for the launch of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and 3960X launch, it is no surprise to see one of its most predominant series hit the TRX40 chipset. The ASRock TRX40 Taichi takes its usual unique approach to aesthetics with its cogwheel inspired branding, and even adds integrated RGBs to further adds to its appeal. The most notable features include support for DDR4-4666 memory, a 16-phase power delivery for the CPU, and a Realtek 2.5 GbE controller.
The ATX sized ASRock TRX40 Taichi continues the unique lineage of models with a recognisable aesthetic with cogwheels implemented into the design, as well as integrated RGB LEDs into the chipset heatsink and the right-hand side of the board. Underneath the large aluminium heatsink is a 16-phase power delivery with 16 ISL99390 90 A power stages and is controlled by an ISL69247 controller running at 8+0. There are three full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, with a single PCIe 4.0 x1 slot in the middle, which are surrounded by a black Taichi designed armor shielding around the PCIe slot area. For storage, there are two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots onboard with heatsinks integrated into the armor, and a total of eight SATA ports which support RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays. Two of the SATA ports are straight angled and are located right next to the two-digit LED debug, power button, and reset switch.
Users looking to expand on the two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots will appreciate the Hyper Quad M.2 card in the accessories bundle which allows users to install a further four PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots into one of the full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slots. The ASRock TRX40 also has eight memory slots which support up to DDR4-4666 and 256 GB of memory. As with all launch day TRX40 models, the chipset heatsink has a cooling fan which is open and not covered by a grill, while there are five 4-pin headers with one for a CPU fan, one for a water pump, and three for chassis fans.
On the rear panel is two USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, four USB 3.1 G1 Type-A, and one USB 3.2 G2 Type-C 20 Gbps port, with a BIOS flashback button and PS/2 combo port. The five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF are handled by a Realtek ALC1220 and ALC4050H audio codec combination, while the two Ethernet ports are powered by a Realtek RTL8125-AG 2.5 GbE and Intel I211-AT Gigabit controller. The board also includes an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface which also adds BT 5.0 connectivity.
The ASRock TRX40 Taichi is the premier board for enthusiasts in its line-up with each of the four full-length PCIe 4.0 slots supporting x16 across the board, which allows for a powerful gaming system, solid workstation, or for other tasks such as content creation. The ASRock TRX40 Taichi has an MSRP of $499 which represents good value for money based on the features and leaves the door open for an even more premium flagship further down the line.
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amb9800 - Saturday, November 30, 2019 - link
TB3 has not been open sourced. It's been royalty-free from the start, but any TB3 device still needs to be certified by Intel. Thus far the only TB3 devices that exist integrate Intel TB3 controllers, and very few non-Intel platforms have integrated TB3 (basically just a couple of X570 ASRock boards).Chaitanya - Friday, November 29, 2019 - link
In order to integrate Thuberbolt, Intel needs access to microcode which is why very few boards even on AM4 come with it and even those solutions are iffy at best.eek2121 - Friday, November 29, 2019 - link
Untrue, TB has been open sourced and will be a part of the USB 4.0 standard. The real answer is likely one I provided earlier: Intel CPUs have dedicated bandwidth for TB3, AMD CPUs hang it off the PCIE bus.amb9800 - Saturday, November 30, 2019 - link
TB3 being incorporated into USB 4.0 definitely does not mean it has been "open sourced." Every TB3 device must still be certified by Intel.ender8282 - Saturday, November 30, 2019 - link
I love the TB3 port on my laptop and docking station. It's way convenient. Honestly though I've never understood the use case on a desktop. If you've got an ATX motherboard and a decent sized case what need does it really solve?TechKnowbabble - Friday, December 20, 2019 - link
According to this video the GIGABYTE TRX40 AORUS XTREME has a Thunderbolt 3 header called THB_C, but on the site the only mention to this i can find is a "GIGABYTE add-in card connector" which the AORUS Master and Wifi Pro have mention of also. I dont know why it is listed differently from the Designare or not mentioned in this article but it appears that all the Gigabyte TRX40 boards support thunderbolt 3 with add in card.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o21xINJF1tE&fe...
NelsonK - Saturday, January 18, 2020 - link
It might as well be -BetaMax-. Thunderbolt is Intel's baby, and you gotta dance to their tune to get the engineering specs -- Intel doesn't publish 'em. Only well-resourced (i.e., volume) manufacturers can feasibly spend to design and incorporate it, then produce to a scale that justifies the investment. Sure, that's not precisely a licensing fee, but it's one heckuva barrier to entry.These firms can all afford it, but, since VHS (USB) is good enough, why bother? USB "3.2" is pretty darn close and even uses the same Type-C port. In fact, you can even play your VHS tapes on this BetaMax -- USB devices will run at their native speeds when connected to Thunderbolt.
And with USB 4, there will be no difference in speed. Is there even a practical difference in speed now? Do ya really need more than 10 Gbps? A few of you might, but not enough to pay the piper.
This is a no-brainer for the board makers: USB 3.1 Gen 2 ("3.2") Type-C offers a lot more speed than most devices can hope to keep up with internally. In the instances where somebody wants to daisy-chain video, they're either mining (which just needs the chain, not so much the speed), or they're using a laptop and don't have space for a video card. Well, these are mainboards, folks. You've got a bunch of fat-pipe PCIe 4.0 16-lane slots that your graphics cards won't even make full use of 99.99% of the time they're running, as they throttle down to 2.0 or 1.0.
BetaMax was better, but it died even before S-VHS was a real thing. ThunderBolt just got similarly voted down (massively) by pretty much all of big name manufacturers users trust enough and -might- have paid extra to get a board that has it.
Looks like we're goin' with VHS once again, boys and girls... ;-)
wilsonkf - Thursday, November 28, 2019 - link
Check your last page. Do you really mean "ASUS X570" Product Stack? Also other brands...gavbon - Thursday, November 28, 2019 - link
Good spot Wilson, I really appreciate it. I've been neck-deep in X570, I must have been in AM4 mode!tamalero - Thursday, November 28, 2019 - link
hey Anana, any chance you could build a full comparison table between number of ports, pci-e slots, wifi, ethernet..etc..?