ASRock X370 Taichi
An exercise in finding one’s zen.
The ASRock X370 Taichi has potential to steal attention based on the integrated connectivity possibilities. Like the MSI X370 XPower Gaming Titanium (see page 49), the ASRock X370 Taichi hosts dual M.2 slots for some speedy NVMe storage options. It’s worth noting that these slots do share resources with PCIe expansion slots, with slot designated PCIE4 and PCIE5 disabling when M2_1 and M2_2 respectively are in use.
Continuing the storage I/O connectivity flamboyance is support for 10 — yes, 10! — SATA3 6Gbps connections. This is facilitated by eight ports connecting via X370 and the remaining two ports serviced via an ASMedia ASM1061 hub controller. Unfortunately, the documentation doesn’t clearly state whether any of these connections are sharing resources with other I/Os. We wouldn’t be surprised if utilisation of the dual M.2 slots would disable numerous SATA3 ports. This is when documentation needs to be accurate and clear to ensure consumers get what they’re looking for and need.
The X370 Taichi also features an Intel WirelessAC 3168NGW wireless NIC connecting to the board via an E-key M.2 port nestled near the rear I/O, with the 2T2R antenna connection on the rear I/O.
Sadly, much of this is a moot point given the board couldn’t pass POST on anything other than stock defaults of DDR4-2133 C15. Therefore, that is what we had to test.
A shame really, because we hoped for a winner due to the intriguing spec.