Jesper Berg
Like most motherboard manufacturers, ASRock has invested heavily in AMD’s X570 platform, which was launched in 2019 along with the chip maker’s 3rd-gen Ryzen CPUs. The Steel Legend is a semi-premium board with several high-end features, though not as many as the Taichi X570 from the same manufacturer. Its form factor is standard ATX and it’s available in two versions: with or without an onboard Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax chip.
ASRock X570 Steel Legend Key Features
AMD’s X570 chipset is combined with the AM4 socket and retains compatibility with 2nd-gen Ryzen processors, though the 3rd-gen CPUs are more likely to be used on this motherboard. A key feature that the X570 Steel Legend brings to the table – along with every other motherboard based on the same chipset – is the PCI Express (PCIe) 4.0 interface. Compared to the previous generation, PCIe 4.0 offers twice the theoretical bandwidth, which is so far useful primarily for SSDs that can use the additional bandwidth. To this end, the X570 Steel Legend includes two slots for solid state drives in the M.2 form factors. When installed, the SSDs are kept cool by the motherboard’s fan-equipped chipset heatsink solution.
Power delivery is handled by a 10-phase VRM with DrMos MOSFETs and 60A power chokes, which should be more than sufficient for any of the 2019 Ryzen 3000-series processors. The maximum amount of RAM is 4x 32GB modules for a total of 128 GB of DDR4. Overclocked RAM speeds of up to 4666 MHz are supported in combination with 3rd-gen Ryzen.
System building is simplified by the Steel Legend’s flexible I/O panel, and RGB effects can be added using the onboard addressable (plus one non-addressable) header.
ASRock X570 Steel Legend Vs. Taichi
| Product | ASRock X570 Taichi | ASRock X570 Steel Legend |
|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | ATX | ATX |
| CPU Support | 2nd- and 3rd-gen AMD Ryzen | 2nd- and 3rd-gen AMD Ryzen |
| Power Delivery | 14 phases Dr. MOS | 10 phases Dr. MOS |
| RAM Support (up to) | 4666 MHz (Gen3 Ryzen) 3600 MHz (Gen2 Ryzen) | 4666 MHz (Gen3 Ryzen) 3600 MHz (Gen2 Ryzen) |
| Memory Slots (Channels) | 2 (4) | 2 (4) |
| Max. RAM | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| PCIe 4.0 X16 Slots | 3 | 2 |
| PCIe 4.0 X1 Slots | 2 | 3 |
| SATA III Ports | 8 | 8 |
| PCIe 4.0 M.2 Slots | 3 | 2 |
| BIOS Flashback | Yes | No |
| RAID Support | 0/1/10 | 0/1/10 |
| Network Adapters | 1x Intel I211-AT Wi-Fi 6/ax | 1x Intel I211-AT Wi-Fi 6/ax (optional) |
| USB Ports incl. header | 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 7x USB 3.2 Gen 1 4x USB 2.0 | 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 6x USB 3.2 Gen 1 2x USB 2.0 |
| SLI/Crossfire | Y/Y | N/Y |
Compared to the Steel Legend, the X570 Taichi offers additional PCIe and M.2 slots, SLI support, a BIOS Flashback feature and comes standard with WiFi 6/ax. The Taichi also has a more sophisticated VRM. Comparable boards in the same price range include the Gigabyte Aorus Elite.
Reviews
I’m not sure what ASRock has done with this motherboard, but all I can tell you is … they’ve done a very good job with the X570 Steel Legend.
Specification: ASRock X570 Steel Legend
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