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The updated family of processors from AMD hit the market at the same time as a series of boards, where so far the only hub, ranked among the most advanced “400” series, has become the basis. In an article about the performance of an overclocked system, we pointed out the virtual absence of radical innovations. However, the operation of the CPU with the participation of proprietary acceleration technologies – XFR and Precision Boost 2 – will be possible only on devices that have just gone on sale. The chips here are transferred to production using a finer process technology, although their appearance turned out to be indistinguishable from their predecessors. The heat-distributing cover is still used, where there is a marking that is understandable to the average user.
Today, ASUS products are divided into four categories. The representative of the ROG Strix family, which became the hero of this review, does not belong to the upper echelon, but to a somewhat simpler, “gaming” family.
Overclocker boards left behind a pure ROG prefix, it is among them that you need to look for special opportunities for working with system components. The gaming series is equipped with software bonuses, but do not flatter yourself too much, and on the board itself, increased attention is paid, perhaps, to the backlight: in addition to the glowing logo above the I / O ports, there are three different types of pads for LED strips. Of the third-party controllers, you can only find one that increases the concentration of USB 3.1 Gen1 ports by two units.
The main list of device capabilities is in the table below:
| Model | ASUS ROG Strix X470-F Gaming |
|---|---|
| Official product page on the Web | asus.com |
| Chipset | AMD X470 |
| Processor socket | AMD AM4 |
| Processors | AMD Series: Athlon 200GE, Athlon X4, A6, A8, A10, A12, Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7 |
| Memory | 4 DIMM DDR4 SDRAM 2133/2400/2666/2800*/2933*/3000*/3200*/3400*/3466*/3600*(OC), 64 GB maximum |
| PCI slots | 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 (x16+x0, x8+x8) — CPU, 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 (x8) — APU/Athlon, 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 (x4) — X470, 3 x PCI Express 3.0 x1 — X470 |
| M.2 | 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x4, SATA (Key M, 2242/2260/2280/22110) — CPU 1 x SATA (Key M, 2242/2260/2280/22110) — APU/Athlon 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x2, SATA (Key M, 2242/2260/2280) — X470 |
| Integrated video core (in APU) | Radeon Series: Vega, R7, R5 |
| Video connectors | DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4b |
| Number of connected fans | 7x 4pin |
| PS/2 ports | 1 (keyboard/mouse) |
| The port is USB | 2 x 3.1 Gen2 (2 connectors on the rear panel, ASM1142) 1 x 3.1 Gen2 (no connectors on the rear panel, X470) 4 x 3.1 Gen1 (4 connectors on the rear panel, CPU/APU/Athlon) 4 x 3.1 Gen1 (2 connectors on the rear panel (A and C), X470) 4 x 2.0 (no connectors on the rear panel, X470) |
| Serial ATA | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s (X470) |
| RAID | 0, 1, 10 (SATA, X470) |
| Built-in sound | SupremeFX (7.1, HDA): Codec — S1220A (Realtek ALC1220) Op Amp — Texas Instruments RC4580 и OPA1688 |
| S/PDIF | Optical (output) |
| Networking | Intel I211-AT (Gigabit Ethernet) |
| COM | 1 (internal) |
| TPM | + |
| UEFI | AMI UEFI |
| Form factor | ATX |
| Dimensions, mm | 305 x 244 |
| Additional features | Thermal sensor connector, AMD 3-Way CrossFireX and NVIDIA 2-Way SLI support, Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED), Lighting Control Center (ROG Aura lighting system including a pair of Aura RGB Strip Header and Aura Addressable strip header) |
| Retail price, $ | – |
Packaging and equipment
The box is medium in size, there is no handle to facilitate transportation (in fact, it is not needed).
At the back, accents were made on: a heatsink for M.2 devices, a symmetrical socket for a third-generation USB cable, a pre-installed plug and the presence of blocks for connecting LED strips.
The board is located in the upper compartment, on a cardboard pallet, and under it is the following delivery set:
- user manual, which illustrates and describes the UEFI sub-items in detail (in English);
- a set of stickers with various images of the ROG Strix series, including those for cables;
- disk with drivers and proprietary software;
- ROG Strix Owner’s Welcome Brochure;
- sign on the door “GAME ON! YOU SHALL NOT PASS”/“GAME OFF! YOU MAY ENTER”;
- a set of a pair of screws and stands for M.2 devices;
- double hard bridge for organizing SLI;
- coupon with a discount for the procedure of braiding wires (rounding);
- extension cable for connecting RGB LED strip;
- extension cord for connecting a controlled LED strip;
- seven nylon ties;
- four SATA 6Gb / s cables, two of which have an L-shaped connector on one end.
Appearance
The device is designed in a simple style. The picture typed with characters from different language groups looks unusual. Some form words, you can also look out for Cyrillic. An attention-grabbing element is the visor above the ports on the rear panel, and there is also a composite cooler for the hub and under the top M.2 slot.
Dimensions correspond to the ATX format. There are nine necessary points for fixing the board in the case. There are almost no components on the back side, even without LEDs. Their main knot is the emblem that stands out in the overlay.
The cooler was not made luminous, apparently, they realized how inconspicuous such a move is with the installed video card.
One of the modules of the composite radiator distinguished itself, where they invented and made a fabric tag.
The personal heatsink module of the X470 is small, but, in my opinion, it will be quite enough.
The top M.2 slot can work in two modes with devices of all popular sizes. For some reason, they decided to save on the area of \u200b\u200bthe thermo-sticky tape.
The lower one will be limited to the 2280 format and there are already only two PCI-E lanes.
Because of the second M.2 SATA sockets, only six remained, the manufacturer made its own decision on the distribution of system resources. But in view of the growing popularity of the M.2 form factor, this is understandable. Under the bottom pair of longitudinal slots there is an orange LED activity indicator (indicates the presence of voltage on the device).
For the needs of USB body cables, there are two classic blocks of the second generation, one of the third, and one more of the most modern, symmetrical type.
Two reinforced PCI-E slots will be able to equally divide the processor lines, the rest of the sockets work with a hub.
The network controller is used the same model as in the previous generation boards. The audio subsystem has not changed either: there is an older codec from Realtek, a protective screen, a group of capacitors with special properties, a pair of operational amplifiers. All this is supplemented by an insulating section in the textolite layers.
A small reference corner is formed by four multi-colored LEDs from the Q-LED complex, it replaces the missing POST code indicator.
The coolers in the VRM system are not interconnected by a heat pipe, each boasts fins and cuts that increase the overall heat dissipation area.
The construction of the power system is inherited from previous models, Prime X370-Pro can be cited as an example. There is a relabeled ASP1405I PWM controller, the stabilizer is built according to the “6 + 2 phase” scheme. This time the power part is assembled with assemblies from Infineon Technologies IR3555, that is, the control drivers are integrated there. Six phases are needed for the processor voltage, and two more phases, using IR3599 doublers, already form four channels for the needs of SOC Voltage. It turns out that each of the nodes has a personal radiator.
It is difficult to overestimate the degree of reliability of the screw clamp, and this time the area of the thermal pads was sufficient for full contact with all the power elements.
The rear panel is exactly the same as the just mentioned Prime X370-Pro. A pair of digital video outputs, an optical one, five audio jacks, and a plethora of USB ports make for a decent set. Perhaps someone will be outraged by the lack of a pre-installed wireless network adapter, but here they decided to focus more attention on spectacular lighting. Also important is the fact that the plate is already pre-installed, although its thickness is not as impressive as in current devices from the parent ROG series (and even now it’s not so easy for a sophisticated buyer to assess the board’s flex as it was before).
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