ASRock X870E Taichi Lite Motherboard Unboxing Review

X870E Taichi Lite motherboard from ASRock ASRock is designed to simplify the complexity, focus on functionality and provide top performance, bringing a cheaper Taichi motherboard option with the same performance specification! With 24+2+1-phase power supply and 8-layer PCB, two USB4 Type-C, one PCIe Gen5x4, and three PCIe Gen4x4 for high expandability, this time with the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D The processor is automatically overclocked through the motherboard to see how much more processor performance can be squeezed out of gamers.

ASRock X870E Taichi Lite Motherboard Specification.

Size: EATX 30.5 x 26.7 cm
Processor Support: AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000
Processor Pin: AM5 LGA1718
CPU power supply phase: 24+2+1 phases
Chipset: AMD X870E
Memory: 4x DDR5 DIMM slots, 8200(O.C.) MT/s, up to 256 GB (single slot supports 64 GB capacity)
Memory Certification: AMD EXPO (EXtended Profiles for Overclocking), Intel XMP (Extreme Memory Profile)
Display output: HDMI 2.1 (4K 120 Hz), 2X USB4 Type-C (8K 30Hz)
Expansion Slot: 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16 or x8/x8 bandwidth)
Storage Slots: 6x SATA 6Gb/s, Blazing M2_1 2280 PCIe Gen5 x4, Hyper M2_2 2280 PCIe Gen4 x4, Hyper M2_3 2280 PCIe Gen4 x4, Hyper M2_4 2280 PCIe Gen4 x4
Network: Realtek RTL8126 5GbE
Wireless: 802.11be 2×2 Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Audio: Realtek ALC4082
USB Ports (Front Expansion): 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 × 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (supports front four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports), 2x USB 2.0 (supports front four USB 2.0 ports)
USB Ports (Rear I/O): 2x USB4 Type-C (40Gb/s), 5x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gb/s), 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0
RGB: 3x ARGB 5v 3-Pin, 1x RGB 12v 4-Pin
FAN: 2x 4-Pin CPU Fan, 1x 4-Pin AIO PUMP, 1x 4-Pin PUMP, 4x 4-Pin Chassis/PUMP

The pursuit of originality and simplicity ASRock X870E Taichi Lite Motherboard Unboxing

There is no other way to pursue the CP value of a brand new motherboard other than choosing the beggar's version, ASRock has come up with a new solution from the X670E, by launching the Taichi Lite series which is derived from the Taichi series, the flagship model of AMD chipsets. The series is characterized by reducing the cost by minimizing the unnecessary exterior components and keeping the same internal materials and specification design. The Taichi Lite series is a cheaper model with the same internal materials and specifications, in other words, it's cheaper to wear cheaper clothes but with the same internal features!

The author personally agrees with this approach, taking the unboxing of the X870E Taichi Lite as an example, the order price is $14,990, sandwiched between the X870E Taichi (17,990) and the X870E NOVA (12,990), which is $3,000 cheaper than the original Taichi and is considered to be a sensible price reduction, almost about a 84% discount.

The ASRock X870E Taichi Lite supports AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series processors, so consumers can simply upgrade their motherboards with their existing AM5 processors, and the X870E chipset will continue to be used for quite some time to come.

∆ ASRock X870E Taichi Lite.

∆ Motherboard Features.

∆ Channel Configuration Diagram.

 

The X870E Taichi Lite is an EATX version with dimensions of 30.5 cm x 26.7 cm, which is the largest size among the common consumer motherboards. Therefore, before purchasing, you have to check whether the chassis is compatible with the EATX motherboard installation or not, although you can get better expansion performance, but you need to use more space in the chassis relatively. Fortunately, this generation of X870E Taichi is not like the Z890 Taichi from the next chipset, which was downsized to an ATX form factor.

From the look of the cooler, the X870E Taichi Lite has a more low-profile and plain design, unlike the original X870E Taichi, with less on-board RGB lighting, and the "Graphics Card EZ Release" quick release switch for easy removal of the graphics card and the reinforced backplate of the motherboard have also been removed.

∆ ASRock X870E Taichi Lite for E-ATX size.

∆ There is no reinforced back version.

∆ After the power is turned on, the motherboard itself does not have any RGB light beads on board, so if you want to have a lighting effect, you have to rely on other hardware devices to connect to the ARGB / RGB slots.

 

The 24+2+1-phase power supply block on the motherboard is equipped with a VRM heatsink, but instead of a fan and heatpipes like the original X870E Taichi, it's just a large aluminum heatsink.

The X870E still uses the AM5 LGA 1718 socket to support AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 processors, and because it retains the same heatsink grommets and hole spacing as AM4, gamers can install it directly along the AM4 heatsink grommet set.

∆ The motherboard power supply block has an XXL VRM heatsink.

∆ AM5 LGA 1718 pin.

∆ Matching AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Processor test.

 

Let's take a look at the expansion and power supply slots on the ASRock X870E Taichi Lite motherboard. On the upper left side of the motherboard, there are dual 8-Pin ATX_12V power supply slots for the processor.

On the top right corner of the motherboard, there are two CPU_FAN 4-Pin fan power supply slots, CPU_FAN1, CPU_FAN2, and a light gray AIO_PUMP water-cooling power supply slot, where the water-cooling header PUMP power supply and the water-cooling exhaust fan cables can be installed when installing an all-in-one water-cooling system.

∆ The ATX_12V Dual 8-Pin processor power supply slot on the upper left corner of the motherboard.

∆ CPU_FAN1, CPU_FAN2, AIO_PUMP.

 

The four-slot DDR5 DIMM dual snap-in memory slot supports ECC Un-buffered DIMM/non-ECC Un-buffered DIMM memory, and the maximum expansion capacity of the four slots is a total of 256 GB, which means that the capacity of a single slot is capped at 64 GB.

The memory overclocking QVL compatibility list features dual-channel memory modules that can pass the compatibility stress test at a maximum frequency of 8200 MT/s when used with Ryzen 9000 series processors, reminding you once again to choose the memory model you want to install based on the motherboard memory QVL compatibility report.

ASRock X870E Taichi Lite also supports AMD EXPO (EXTended Profiles for Overclocking) and Intel XMP 3.0 (Extreme Memory Profile) memory one-click overclocking technology.

For the 2 DIMMs dual-channel memory kits that are often purchased in today's orders, it is recommended to prioritize the installation in slots A2 and B2 (the second and fourth slots counting from the left). By installing the two memories in these two slots, the memory will be able to operate more easily and at a higher frequency.

∆ 4x Un-buffered DIMM DDR5 memory slots, supports up to 256 GB capacity expansion, and up to 8200 MT/s (O.C.) with QVL on both modules.

 

On the right side of the motherboard, there is a DeBug light, a boot button, a reboot button, two 5V 3-Pin ARGBs, a 24-Pin power supply slot on the motherboard, a USB 3.2 Gen1 slot (supporting two front USB 3.2 Gen1 ports), and a front Type-C USB 3.2 Gen2 x2 (20Gb/s) slot, Six SATA 6Gb/s, one CHA_FAN fan power slot (next to the memory slot).

The debugging light code display allows users to quickly check what parts of the motherboard are causing problems during the self-testing process, and users can refer to the motherboard manual for debugging actions.

∆ DeBug Lamp Code Display DeBug Lamp, Boot Button, Reboot Button, two 5V 3-Pin ARGBs, motherboard 24-Pin power supply slot, one USB 3.2 Gen1 slot (supports two front USB 3.2 Gen1 ports), one front Type-C USB 3.2 Gen2 x2 (20Gb/s) slot.

∆ Debugging Code Demonstration.

∆ Six SATA 6Gb/s.

∆ There is also a fan slot under the memory slot.

 

The bottom row has a dedicated debugger expansion slot (UART1), a front panel slot (PANEL1), a buzzer slot, a USB 3.2 Gen1 slot (supporting two front USB 3.2 Gen1 ports), a W_PUMP water-cooling slot, three CHA_FAN fan slots, two USB 2.0 slots (supporting three front USB 2.0 ports), three temperature sensor cable slots, 1x 5V 3-Pin ARGB, 1x 12V 4-Pin RGB, and a front audio port slot. USB 2.0 ports, three temperature sensor cable slots, 1x 5V 3-Pin ARGB, 1x 12V 4-Pin RGB, front audio jack slots.

∆ Front panel slot (PANEL1), buzzer slot, one USB 3.2 Gen1 slot (supports two front USB 3.2 Gen1 ports), one W_PUMP water-cooling power supply slot, three CHA_FAN fan power supply slots.

∆ Two USB 2.0 slots (supports three front USB 2.0 ports), three slots for temperature sensing cables, 1x 5V 3-Pin ARGB, 1x 12V 4-Pin RGB, front audio jack slot.

 

The motherboard PCIE slots provide a total of two x16-length metal-reinforced slots. PCIE1 provides full PCIE 5.0 x16 bandwidth for a single device such as a discrete graphics card, but when the PCIE2 slot is also connected to other devices, the bandwidth channels are split evenly, and each of the two slots becomes a PCIE 5.0 x8 bandwidth, which is x8 / x8.

∆ PCIE1 + PCIE2 (single card PCIe 5.0 x16 or dual card x8 / x8 bandwidth).

 

Underneath the large aluminum M.2 thermal armor, you can see the four M.2 SSD expansion slots natively on the motherboard. The first Blazing M2_1 slot underneath the processor is the only PCIe Gen5 x4 expansion slot on this motherboard, while the bottom two and the Hyper M.2 slots in the upper-right corner (M2_2, M2_3, and M2_4) are only PCIe Gen4 x4 wide. The lower two and right corner Hyper M.2 slots (M2_2, M2_3, M2_4) all have only PCIe Gen4 x4 bandwidth, and all four slots only support 2280-size SSD expansion.

Unfortunately, the bottom two Hyper M2_3 and M2_4 slots only come with single-sided thermal pads, which makes it a bit awkward to expand dual-sided granular SSDs.

∆ Four native M.2 SSD expansion slots on board, one PCIe Gen5 x4, three PCIe Gen4 x4.

∆ M.2 Heat sink thermal pad configuration.

∆ Anti-fallout screw design.

∆ M.2 SSD rotary retention clips.

 

The rear I/O of the motherboard provides a clear CMOS data button, BIOS Flashback button, Wi-Fi 7 antenna port, internal HDMI output, five USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (10 Gbps yellow/blue/light blue), three USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A (5 Gbps dark blue), two USB 2.0 Type-A, two USB4 (Type-C), RJ-45 5 GB LAN wired network port, optical S/PDIF digital audio output, two audio ports, and a two-hole audio jack. Type-A, two USB4 (Type-C), RJ-45 5 GB LAN wired network port, optical S/PDIF digital audio output, two audio ports.

Two USB4 (Type-C) support processors have built-in graphics output, which allows users to have an additional graphics output slot available through the internal display, up to 8K 30 Hz resolution.

∆ Rear I/O at a glance.

∆ WiFi-7 antenna installation, unfortunately it is not a quick release design, or the old rotating metal ring.

 

Extra accessories include: four SATA cables, ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz antenna kit, one-part ARGB splitter cable, three temperature-sensitive cables, and a Faith keycap.

∆ Accessories at a glance.

∆ Taiji Faith Keycap.

 

ASRock X870E Taichi Lite Motherboard Power Supply / 24+2+1 Phase Power Supply, 8 Layer PCB

The ASRock X870E Taichi Lite motherboard is powered by a 24+2+1-phase Dr. MOS SPS (Smart Power Stage), with a 24-phase 110A SPS for CPU VCORE Phases, a 2-phase 110A SPS for SOC Phases (memory overclocking related), and a final 1-phase for VDD MISC Phases. The last phase is responsible for VDD MISC Phases.

∆ The bare PCB of the motherboard is shown.

∆ 24+2+1 phase Dr. MOS SPS (Smart Power Stage) supply.

The ∆ 24+2 phase 110A SPS chip is Renesas R2209004.

∆ Renesas RAA228228 PWM Controller.

∆ Renesas Dual Ports PD Type-C Chip RTS5453H.

∆ ASMedia USB4 host controller chip ASM4242.

∆ Renesas 5G network chip RTL8126.

∆ REALTEK ALC4080 CODEC audio codec chip.

∆ Mouser ES9219Q DAC Digital Analog Converter.

∆ Phison PS7101 PCIe 5.0 signal repeater chip.

∆ Renesas RAA229621 PWM controller chip.

∆ Two PCH chips form the X870E chipset.

∆ Nuvoton NCT6686D / NCT6796D Super I/O environmental control chip.

 

BIOS Function Setting Menu

After the motherboard has passed the self-check program, press the F2 or DEL button to enter the EASY MODE of the BIOS, where gamers can set up the basic functions, such as memory XMP one-click overclocking and so on.

∆ EASY MODE.

 

If more detailed settings are needed, press F6 in EASY MODE to enter the advanced mode, which allows you to adjust the voltage, frequency, or various parameters.

∆Overclocking Tools tab, the upper half of which can be configured for basic processor overclocking functions and DDR5 memory related settings.

∆ DDR5 overclocking and voltage related settings.

∆ Overclocking voltage setting.

∆ Advanced menu.

∆ AMD overclocking related.

∆ Advanced menu CPU settings.

The Re-Size BAR is here in the ∆ Advanced Menu PCI Settings.

∆ Built-in device settings.

∆ Storage device setting.

∆ Storage device setting NVMe related.

∆ USB related settings.

∆Reliable Computing.

∆ AMD PBS.

∆Tools paging.

∆ Hardware monitoring and fan slot setting.

∆ Fan-tastic FM.

∆ Security Interface.

∆ Startup menu.

 

ASRock Motherboard Utility Software A-Tuning

The ASRock Motherboard utility software, A-Tuning, allows you to switch between operating modes and OC overclocking related settings.

∆ ASRock Motherboard utility software A-Tuning operation mode setting.

∆ OC Tweaker.

∆ System information monitoring.

∆ Fan setting.

∆ Software related settings.

 

ASRock X870E Taichi Lite Motherboard Performance Testing

The motherboard performance of ASRock X870E Taichi Lite is tested with 16 cores and 32 threads. AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor, and updated the motherboard BIOS to version 3.20 [Beta], and the memory is using the Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 RGB 7200 MT/s 16GBx2 Dual-channel memory kit to build barebones test platforms and open A-XMP profiles in memory.

In addition, the AMD PBO is manually set to Enabled, the operating mode is set to Performance mode in the ASRock Motherboard Utility A-Tuning, and settings such as Zen5 Gaming Optimizations and TDP to 105W are manually turned on in the BIOS.

In addition, Gaming Mode will set the processor to 8 cores and 8 threads, so if you have multi-core rendering needs, please remember not to turn on this feature.

Testing Platform

Processor:AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (PBO activated)
Cooler: LIAN LI GA II LITE 360 RGB (Full Speed)
Thermal paste: Cooler Master MASTERGEL MAKER 40g (thermal conductivity 11W/mK)
Motherboard: ASRock X870E Taichi Lite (BIOS version: 3.20 [Beta] )
Memory:Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 RGB 7200 MT/s 16GBx2
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16GB
Operating System: Windows 11 Professional 24H2
Power supply:MONTECH TITAN PLA 1000W
Case: STREACOM BC1 Benchtable V2
Graphics driver: GeForce Game Ready 565.90

 

firstly CPU-Z View this testbed hardware information.AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D The processor has 16 cores and 32 threads, the series name is Granite Ridge using TSMC's 4nm FinFET process, the motherboard is ASRock X870E Taichi Lite supporting PCI-E 5.0 lanes, the BIOS is version 3.20 [Beta], and the memory is ASRock X870E Taichi Lite. Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 RGB 7200 MT/s 16GBx2 Dual-channel capacity totals 32 GB and operates at DDR5-7200 CL36-42-42-105 1.45V with XMP Profile 1.

Also ran CPU-Z internal tests Version 19.01.64(beta)The results are provided for your reference.

∆ CPU-Z information at a glance and Version 19.01.64(beta) built-in test score results.

 

AIDA64 Cache & Memory Benchmark It is mainly used to test the performance of processor caches and RAM. The read/write/copy bandwidth performance score represents the rate of transfer between CPU and memory, which means the efficiency of data throughput (the higher the score, the better), and the time delay score of accessing data indicates the responsiveness of the memory system.

Tested on this motherboard with Memory XMP open, the read speed was 78.2 GB/s, the write speed was 85.8 GB/s, the copy speed was 72.9 GB/s, and the latency was 72.9 ns.

∆ AIDA64 cache and memory test.

 

new version Cinebench 2024 MAXON ONE is Maxon's benchmark software for MAXON ONE software. MAXON ONE includes Cinema 4D, Red Giant Complete, Redshift, ZBrush, Universe, and Forger, and is a powerful tool for creating animation effects, motion design, motion graphics, film-grade portraits, and game art scenes. Each of these software programs fits together to provide a complete visual solution for creators.

Cinebench 2024 uses Cinema 4D's default Redshift rendering engine to test GPU and CPU performance. If multiple graphics cards are used to run Cinebench 2024 tests, the software utilizes multiple cards for the rendering tests at the same time, and Cinebench 2024 performs multiple rendering tests with six times the amount of computation when compared to Cinebench R23. Compared to Cinebench R23, the Cinebench 2024 multi-threaded rendering tests show a six-fold increase in the amount of computation for scenes. This reflects improvements in CPU performance and the higher hardware requirements that multimedia workers must now meet.

∆ Cinebench 2024.

 

V-Ray 6 Benchmark The V-Ray engine test software is an image rendering program developed by Chaos Group. The free Benchmark examines the rendering speeds of the CPU and GPU on the V-Ray engine, while the V-Ray program tests the rendering performance of the processor, and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D test platform scored 51,556 points in the test.

∆ V-Ray 6 Benchmark.

 

Corona Benchmark is a free test software based on the Corona 10 rendering core that evaluates the performance of a system by using Corona 10 rendered scenes to measure the rendering speed of the system in terms of rays per second (rays/s). More rays per second means faster rendering, and the scores are linearly scaled. For example, a system with 6 million rays per second will have twice the rendering speed and performance of a system with 3 million rays per second.

∆ Corona Benchmark.

 

Geekbench 6 CPU Benchmark can be used to test CPU and memory performance, including data compression, image processing, machine learning, optical tracking, and many other daily use and professional productivity tests.

∆ Geekbench 6_ CPU Benchmark.

 

CrossMark There are a total of 25 items, including productivity, creative content work, system responsiveness and other work simulation load test, the following three scores have different scoring criteria and use of the context, Productivity (Productivity) includes document editing, spreadsheets, web browsing, the second Creativity (Creativity) includes photo editing, photo organizing, video editing, the last Responsiveness (Responsiveness) has opened the file, document response speed, multi-processing context. The second category, Creativity, includes photo editing, photo organizing, and video editing, while the last category, Responsiveness, includes file opening, document response speed, and multitasking scenarios.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D scored 2450 Total, 2150 Productivity, 3037 Creativity, and 1903 Response points in this CrossMark test.

∆ CrossMark Everyday Use Scene Test Program.

 

CrystalMark Retro 1.0.2 It is a comprehensive benchmark software that measures CPU, HDD, 2D graphics (GDI) and 3D graphics (OpenGL) performance. Developed by hiyohiyo and koinec, the authors of CrystalDiskMark and CrystalDiskInfo, the results are individual scores and not in any common units.

∆ CrystalMark Retro 1.0.2.

 

PCMark 10 It also simulates test scenarios to determine the overall performance of the computer. The common basic functions include application launching, web browsing, and video conferencing tests, while productivity simulates document and spreadsheet writing, and the last item, video content creation, includes professional tests such as photo editing, video editing, and rendering.

In this test, the common basic functions scored 12208, productivity 13310, and image content creation 20164.

∆ PCMark 10 test.

 

OCCT CPU BENCHMARK CONFIGURATION Single thread and Multiple threads will be tested using AVX and SSE instruction sets respectively.

∆ OCCT CPU BENCHMARK CONFIGURATION.

 

Next up, the 3DMark series, one of the most benchmarks for gaming scores, was used to compare the theoretical results of the same graphics platform with different processors through a series of tests with different picture quality and different GPU APIs.

3DMark CPU Profile This test will measure the performance of MAX, 16, 8, 4, 2 and 1 threads respectively, while the performance of 16 threads and above is more for 3D rendering or audio/video professional work, most of the mainstream DirectX 12 games can refer to the score of 8 threads, while the score of 4 and 2 threads are related to the old games developed with DirectX 9.

∆ 3DMark CPU Profile.

 

In addition, the author has also used the commonly used game performance simulation test 3DMark Fire Strike、3D Mark Time SpyWhen tested with NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti SUPER graphics cards, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D scored 49370 physics points in Fire Strike, a DirectX11 GPU API contextual game simulation test at 1080p, and 16321 CPU points in Time Spy, a DirectX 12 GPU API contextual game simulation test at 1440p. AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D scored a CPU score of 16321 in Time Spy, a simulation test for DirectX 12 GPU APIs with 1440p graphics.

∆ 3DMark Fire Strike.

∆ 3DMark Time Spy.

 

After more than an hour of testing with various score testing software, the ASRock X870E Taichi Lite motherboard in barebones testing without additional direct fan blowing, the VRM MOS maximum temperature is 48.5 °C and the two PCH maximum is 69.2 °C, so it can be seen that the motherboard's own VRM cooling armor with the 9950X3D is also OK.

∆ During the above series of test software scores, the highest MOS temperature recorded while using HWiNFO 64 was only 48.5 °C. The temperature of the MOS was only 5.5 °C. The temperature of the MOS was only 5.5 °C.

 

Conclusion

After manually setting AMD PBO to Enabled, setting the operation mode to Performance mode in ASRock Motherboard Utility A-Tuning, and manually turning on Zen5 Gaming Optimizations and TDP to 105W in the BIOS, we tested the performance of the X870E Taichi Lite through the automatic overclocking feature of the ASRock X870E. Taichi Lite's auto overclocking function to test the performance.

Versus the full Auto setting AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D In terms of performance, the MAX-threaded 3DMark CPU Profile has increased by 6%, while latency in the AIDA64 Cache & Memory Benchmark has decreased from 80.4 to 72.9 ns.

Although the VRM cooling is not as good as the original version which comes with a fan and heatpipes, the ASRock X870E Taichi Lite is able to run stably with the 9950X3D and is quite capable of delivering the best performance without overheating the MOS due to the lack of power of the VRM heatsinks, which would further affect the performance of the processor by downclocking and limiting the performance.

Overall, this motherboard is perfect for those who want the same expandability as a top-of-the-line motherboard, but without all the bells and whistles, and who are looking for a good price-performance ratio. And if you want to install a lightless motherboard, it's even more suitable!