ASRock Phantom Gaming X870E NOVA WiFi Review – Inexpensive Taichi alternative with experience report, teardown, material test and benchmarks

1 - Introduction, features and technical data 2 - Teardown: PCB, components and topology 3 - Teardown: Measurement of thermal pads and material analysis 4 - Assembly aids, assembly and UEFI 5 - Performance, temperatures and conclusion

The ASRock Phantom Gaming X870E NOVA WiFi is a high-quality motherboard for the latest generation of AMD processors and is aimed at users who expect modern technologies and reliable performance. It impresses with a simple but elegant look with a subtle color scheme and robust workmanship. Particularly striking is the efficient cooling performance of the VRM design, which maintains low temperatures even under heavy load. The heat sinks are well integrated into the design and convey a solid and powerful impression. As far as the thermal pads used are concerned, I have of course also carried out a laboratory test.

Compared to the ASRock Taichi X870E, the Phantom Gaming X870E NOVA WiFi offers slightly different features, which are geared more towards gamers and enthusiasts with a focus on fast network connectivity (WiFi 7) and a wide range of expansion options. While the Taichi stands out with its striking design and particularly elaborate features such as additional RGB elements, the Phantom Gaming NOVA WiFi has a more sober design and focuses on core features. With five M.2 slots, one of which supports the PCIe 5.0 standard, and extensive USB4 ports, it is ideal for performance-intensive applications. And no, it is certainly not a board for extreme overclockers, but solid OC would certainly be possible, even if there were limits to the memory. But more on that later.

The Phantom Gaming X870E NOVA WiFi scores with stable performance and modern features and is suitable for users who are looking for a powerful and well-cooled motherboard without attaching importance to an eye-catching design. A pure unboxing is of course boring, so today I will concentrate on various technical details that promise tangible added value compared to reviews that are already available. Such tests are a dime a dozen these days, but I have to get in line and deliver one myself. Just a little differently and in my own way. And of course there will also be a test of the thermal pads used, as no one else in the world has been able to do this yet.

Scope of delivery

The scope of delivery of the ASRock Phantom Gaming X870E NOVA WiFi is designed to be comprehensive, making it easier to set up and commission the system. In addition to the motherboard itself, the package contains four SATA data cables that enable the connection of hard disks and SSDs. An ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz antenna is included for using the integrated WiFi 7 functionality. In addition, an ARGB splitter cable and three thermistor cables are included, which offer extended possibilities for lighting and temperature monitoring options.

Features, technical data and technological differences

The ASRock Phantom Gaming X870E NOVA WiFi is an ATX motherboard that supports the AMD AM5 socket and is based on the X870E chipset. It is compatible with AMD Ryzen™ 9000, 8000 and 7000 processors and offers four DDR5 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory with a maximum capacity of 256 GB. The dimensions of the mainboard correspond to the ATX form factor with a width of 267 mm and a height of 305 mm. According to the manufacturer, the supported memory clock rates range up to DDR5-8200 (OC).

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Box Standing

One PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot (with x2 lanes) and one PCIe 3.0 x1 slot are available for expansion cards. The motherboard has a whopping five M.2 slots: one Blazing M.2 (PCIe 5.0 x4), three Hyper M.2 (PCIe 4.0 x4) and one M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x2/SATA). But more on this below. There are also four SATA III 6.0 Gb/s ports. The integrated graphics support includes an HDMI 2.1 port and two USB4 Type-C ports that support DisplayPort 1.4. Audio is provided by the Realtek ALC4082 7.1-channel HD audio codec in combination with Nahimic Audio technology. Network connections are provided via a 5 Gigabit LAN port (Realtek RTL8126) and an integrated Wi-Fi 7 module with Bluetooth 5.4.

The motherboard offers numerous USB ports, including two USB4 Type-C ports, five USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, three USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports and two USB 2.0 ports.

Internal connections include a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C header, two USB 3.2 Gen1 headers and two USB 2.0 headers. The digital error diagnostics and the two dedicated buttons for on/off and reset on the front of the board are particularly pleasing.

Several fan connectors as well as RGB and addressable LED headers are available for cooling and lighting.

The motherboard features a 20 2 1-phase power supply design with 110A Smart Power Stages for VCore and SOC, which ensures a stable power supply and improved overclocking capabilities. It supports RAID 0, 1 and 10 for M.2 NVMe storage devices and RAID 0 and 1 for SATA storage devices.

But what actually distinguishes the newer X870E chipset from the X670E, which both use 44 lanes, and the two boards from each other? The X670E generally only supports Wi-Fi 6E, which offers 6 GHz WLAN for higher speeds and less congestion. The X870E, on the other hand, is designed for Wi-Fi 7, which offers higher data rates, improved latency and more efficient channel utilization than Wi-Fi 6E. This makes the X870E more suitable for future network standards, although you always need to consider if and when you will be upgrading yourself.

The X870E offers more M.2 slots with PCIe Gen 5 support, making it ideal for use in systems with multiple high-speed SSDs. The X670E also supports PCIe 5.0, but in a slightly more limited number of M.2 slots. This means that the X870E offers more options for storage expansion. The X870E includes special optimizations for AI computing, making it more suitable for future applications in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning. These functionalities are missing in the X670E, which is more focused on general user and gaming applications. Here, too, you have to ask yourself what would have been possible with the X670E and where the upgrade can only be realized via the firmware. But if AMD doesn’t want to, then that’s probably the way it is.

The price also remains reasonable with offers starting at 377 euros, at least in comparison to the Taichi, which is 100 euros more expensive and competes with the MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi, which has already been tested. People are creatures of habit and I have rarely had bad experiences with BIOSes from different manufacturers. Everything has almost always worked straight away and I don’t want to hide the fact that I prefer the rather simple design of the settings to all the OC and gaming stuff from the other manufacturer with a capital A at the beginning.

ASRock Phantom Gaming X870E Nova WiFi (90-MXBPX0-A0UAYZ)

	Verfügbar - 3-6 Werktage Lieferzeit (Auf Lager ab 12-12-2024)	404,55 €*Stand: 11.12.24 02:11
	Versandlager: ca. 2-3 Werktagen versandbereit, Lieferzeit 3-4 WerktageLinz, Salzburg, Wels: 2-3 WerktageZentrale Timelkam: ca. 2 WerktageDornbirn, Graz Nord, Graz Süd, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, St. Pölten, Villach, Wien 15, Wien 20, Wr. Neustadt: 1 WocheStand: 11.12.24 02:46	420,90 €*Stand: 11.12.24 03:19
	Filiale Wien 15: 1 WocheFiliale Innsbruck: 1 WocheFiliale Klagenfurt: 1 WocheVersandlager: ca. 2-3 Werktagen versandbereit, Lieferzeit 3-4 WerktageStand: 11.12.24 03:18	420,90 €*Stand: 11.12.24 03:18

*Alle Preise inkl. gesetzl. MwSt zzgl. Versandkosten und ggf. Nachnahmegebühren, wenn nicht anders beschriebenmit freundlicher Unterstützung von geizhals.de