ASRock, one of the biggest motherboard manufacturers has just unveiled their next-generation Z390 lineup, powering Intel's upcoming 9th generation processors. Based on the Intel Z390 PCH (Platform Control Hub), the new line offers the best support for the upcoming Core i9, Core i7, and Core i5 processors which will be available to consumers in the coming weeks.
ASRock Showcases an Army of Z390 Motherboards - Flagship Z390 Taichi Ultimate and Z390 Phantom Gaming 9 To Rock Best Support For Intel's 9th Generation 'Unlocked' CPUs
With the Z390 platform, ASRock will be introducing 12 new motherboards. This also marks the first time ASRock will be introducing their latest Phantom Gaming lineup which includes 6 of the twelve motherboards that ASRock is unveiling today. Following is a list of the motherboards that are going to be part of ASRock's Z390 motherboard lineup along with their respective product pages:
- ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate
- ASRock Z390 Taichi
- ASRock Z390 Extreme4
- ASRock Z390 Pro4
- ASRock Z390M Pro4
- ASRock Z390M-ITX/ac
- ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 9
- ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
- ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming SLI/ac
- ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming SLI
- ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 4
- ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX/ac
Before we detail the flagship parts, we will first be talking about the new Phantom Gaming lineup. ASRock has been pushing their Phantom Gaming brand since the introduction of their Radeon RX series gaming graphics cards. While the regular boards offer great features for enthusiasts and the gaming community, ASRock didn't really have a gaming-specific brand on their motherboard lineup for a while. With the Phantom Gaming brand, ASRock finally has their own marketing for gaming-specific motherboards just like every major motherboard manufacturer in the industry.
Some key features of the Phantom Gaming lineup would be the use of 2.5 Gbps LAN interface instead of the conventional 1 Gbps Ethernet LAN switch. While they are branded as gaming motherboards, the features on the Phantom Gaming lineup are fully compliant with enthusiast grade overclocking and stability, rocking some impressive power delivery designs.
ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate Flagship Motherboard and Z390 Lineup Roundup
ASRock's regular lineup of Z390 motherboards will feature the Z390 Taichi Ultimate as the flagship offering. This motherboard will be equipped with the LGA 1151 socket, offering support for both 8th and 9th Gen Core processors. The motherboard will feature a 12 phase IR Digital PWM supply and power will be delivered through an 8+4 pin connector configuration. There are four DDR4 DIMM slots which support up to 64 GB of memory capacities with speeds of up to 4200 MHz (OC+).
In terms of expansion slots, the motherboard features three full length PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots and triple M.2 ports with M.2 heatsink shield on the one on the lower section. Storage options include 8 SATA III ports. The rear panel I/O on the motherboard comes with dual antenna ports, PS/2, HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2, 3 USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-A), 1 USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-C), 4 USB 3.1 Gen 1, triple LAN ports, a clear CMOS button, and an HD audio jack.
The full feature list of the motherboard is listed below:
- Supports 9th and 8th Gen Intel Core processors (Socket 1151)
- AQUANTIA 10 Gigabit LAN, Dual Intel Gigabit LAN
- IR Digital PWM, 12 Power Phase design
- Supports DDR4 4200+(OC)
- 3 PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1
- NVIDIA Quad SLI, AMD 3-Way CrossFireX
- Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DisplayPort
- 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec)
- Supports Purity Sound 4 & DTS Connect
- 8 SATA3, 3 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)
- 5 USB 3.1 Gen2 (1 Front Type-C, 1 Rear Type-C, 3 Rear Type-A)
- 8 USB 3.1 Gen1 (4 Front, 4 Rear)
- Intel 2T2R Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi (2.4/5GHz), supports up to 1.73Gbps wireless network and BT v5.0
- ASRock Polychrome SYNC
- Hyper BCLK Engine II
The rest of the ASRock Z390 motherboard lineup can be seen in their respective picture galleries below:
ASRock Z390 Taichi
ASRock Z390 Extreme4
ASRock Z390 Pro4
ASRock Z390M Pro4
ASRock Z390M-ITX/ac
ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 9 Flagship Motherboard and Z390 Phantom Gaming Lineup Roundup
ASRock's Phantom Gaming lineup of Z390 motherboards will feature the Z390 Phantom Gaming 9 as the flagship offering. This motherboard will be equipped with the LGA 1151 socket, offering support for both 8th and 9th Gen Core processors. The motherboard will feature a 12 phase IR Digital PWM supply and power will be delivered through an 8+4 pin connector configuration. There are four DDR4 DIMM slots which support up to 64 GB of memory capacities with speeds of up to 4266 MHz (OC+).
In terms of expansion slots, the motherboard features three full length PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots and triple M.2 ports with M.2 heatsink shield on the one on the lower section. Storage options include 6 SATA III ports. The rear panel I/O on the motherboard comes with dual antenna ports, PS/2, HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2, 3 USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-A), 1 USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-C), 4 USB 3.1 Gen 1, triple LAN ports, a clear CMOS button, and an HD audio jack.
The full feature list of the motherboard is listed below:
- Supports 9th and 8th Gen Intel Core processors (Socket 1151)
- Phantom Gaming 2.5 Gigabit LAN, Dual Intel Gigabit LAN
- IR Digital PWM, 12 Power Phase design
- Supports DDR4 4266+(OC) MHz
- 3 PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1
- NVIDIA Quad SLI, AMD 3-Way CrossFireX
- Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DisplayPort
- 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec)
- Supports Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 5
- 8 SATA3, 3 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)
- 5 USB 3.1 Gen2 (1 Front Type-C, 1 Rear Type-C, 3 Rear Type-A)
- 8 USB 3.1 Gen1 (4 Front, 4 Rear)
- Intel 2T2R Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi (2.4/5GHz), supports up to 1.73Gbps wireless network and BT v5.0
- ASRock Polychrome SYNC
- Hyper BCLK Engine II
The rest of the ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming motherboard lineup can be seen in their respective picture galleries below:
ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming SLI/ac
ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming SLI
ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 4
ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX/ac
The actual product launch is expected next week so stay tuned for more information and a detailed preview of the next-generation Z390 motherboards. The motherboards will be listed by retailers at their respective MSRP's, so those who are going to upgrade to the new platform will get a nice idea of what they will be paying for the jump to the 9th generation.
