In this ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Review, we have for today, we will look into this no-frills motherboard. It resembles the X870 Steel Legend but has a more gaming-themed aesthetic.
Like all X870 motherboards, the X870 Riptide WiFi is an updated version of the X670 predecessors. It retains all the essential features while upgrading some to meet modern requirements.
We tested the motherboard to determine its performance. Of course, we will share our experience in this ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Review. Before that, we will discuss various details about the product, including its design, layout, features, and more.
ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Packaging
ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Review – Design and Functionality
The X870 Riptide WiFi is a black ATX motherboard with an understated design accented by blue and red lines.
As we mentioned in our ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Review, this product is a no-frills motherboard. Its PCB space only contains the necessary elements and does not include expensive auxiliary controllers and circuitry.
The X870 Riptide WiFi has a row of RGB LEDs along the length of the bottom SSD heatsink. It has three ARGB headers and an additional 12V/3A RGB header for accessories like LED strips.
This motherboard has a set of headers along the case connector headers. These include six 4-pin fan headers and a thermistor cable header. You will also find a USB-C 20Gbps, four USB 2.0, and four 5Gbps ports.
The X870 Riptide WiFi has four DIMM slots supporting DDR5-8000+ speeds and a maximum capacity of 256GB.
Its room for storage devices includes three M.2 slots, and one supports PCIe 5.0 x16. The primary M.2 PCIe 5.0 slot features a detachable heatsink and has a large surface area. The other slots have a plate with screws for cooling.
Rear I/O Connectors
The rear I/O is worth highlighting in this ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Review. It has a well-equipped rear I/O panel with adequate ports for modern applications.
This motherboard has a. It has dual USB4 Type-C ports supporting DP, two 10Gbps, three 5Gbps, and four USB 2.0 ports.
The yellow USB ports are the Lightning Gaming ports. These have separate interfaces that reduce jitter and latency. You will also find Ultra USB Power ports supporting PD 3.0 and providing up to 15W charging capability.
This motherboard has the Killer E3100G controller for the 2.5G LAN port. It includes WiFi7, which supports 160MHz connection, and Bluetooth 5.4.
Other connectors on the rear I/O are the SPDIF, HDMI port, headphone jack, and microphone jack.
Key Features of the ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi
14 + 2+ 1 Power Phase Design
The X870 Riptide WiFi uses sturdy components to ensure smooth power delivery to the CPU. As a result, it delivers improved performance and unparalleled overclocking capabilities while keeping temperatures low. It is an excellent motherboard for advanced gamers.
20K Cap Lifespan With 1000uF Capacitance
The upgraded black capacitor provides a 20,000-hour extended lifespan and enhances the capacitance value from 560uF to 1000uF. These offer numerous benefits:
- Higher capacitance offers increased charge storage and support under high loads.
- Lower ripple prevents power output fluctuations for improved quality.
- Increased output current stability reduces voltage impacts.8
- With increased reliability, the motherboard can deliver enhanced performance consistently, resulting in system stability.
Hi-Density Power Connectors
The ASRock Hi-Density power connectors can withstand higher currents, allowing you to overclock your CPU without worries. As a result, your system delivers more stable performance with less fire risks under heavy overclocking.
8-Layer PCB
The 8-layer PCB delivers stable signal traces and power shapes for higher energy efficiency with lower temperatures. This feature is excellent for memory overclocking since it supports the latest memory modules with the highest performance.
Supports DDR5 XMP and Expo
ASRock follows the stability and reliability design concept for the X870 Riptide WiFi and does not compromise anything. The company used high-quality materials and enabled pre-tested profiles, allowing users to enjoy the DDR5 overclocking boost.
When using this motherboard, you must ensure your memory modules are capable of Intel XMP or AMD EXPO. Memory modules supporting these features prevent risks since memory overclocking affects system stability.
High-Speed Blazing M.2
The Blazing M.2 supports the latest PCIe 5.0 standard, delivering bandwidth two times higher than the previous generation. It offers an impressive 128GB/s transfer speed to unleash the maximum potential of your SSDs.
The faster transfer speeds were impressive during our tests for this ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Review. This product maximised the capabilities of the latest SSDs we installed on our PC.
DIY-Friendly Design of the ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi
ASRock introduced the first quick-release mechanism on the motherboard for the M.2 heatsink. This feature makes installing your M.2 heatsink quick and straightforward without requiring any tools.
In addition, ASRock designed the X870 Riptide WiFi with an M.2 bottom heatsink. It efficiently dissipates the heat of the M.2 SSD through the PCB, achieving maximised performance while maintaining system stability.
XXL M.2 Heatsink and Anti-drop Screw
The enlarged aluminium alloy heatsink offered improved heat dissipation for the X870 Riptide WiFi, ensuring consistent and stable performance.
ASRock reinforced the M.2 heatsink with an anti-drop screw to prevent it from dropping and missing. This feature also makes installation more convenient.
Intelligent Cooling
This motherboard has an optimised aluminium heatsink design to improve heat dissipation during intense workloads. It also has fan headers that can identify if the fans are running in DC or PWM, allowing you to configure the fan curve.
In addition, the X870 Riptide WiFi has a thermistor cable and header, providing an extra source for temperature monitoring. It offers custom thermal management solutions based on your workload.
Killer Ethernet E3100
The Killer Ethernet E3100 2.5Gbps Ethernet controller is the solution for competitive gaming and performance-demanding applications. Its improved detection and prioritisation engine delivers optimal networking performance.
Improved Connectivity
ASRock designed the X870 Riptide WiFi with better network connectivity features for better internet experiences.
WiFi7 offers higher data throughput and lower latency than WiFi6. With Multi-link operation or MLO, WiFi7 uses multiple bands and channels simultaneously to enhance internet speeds.
The new WiFi antenna design ensures connection stability, making it ideal for high-bandwidth and low-latency applications.
In addition, the X870 Riptide WiFi uses USB4 technology to deliver better speeds and versatility. These ports allow lightning-fast 40Gbps data transfer bit-rate.
Nahimic Audio
Nahimic audio offers the most engaging, rich, detailed and vibrant sounds. You can enjoy this audio with headphones, a headset, or internal speakers.
We tested the audio when we built our PC with this motherboard for our ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Review. Thanks to the detailed sound and immersion, our media experiences were more enjoyable.
Stylish Design to Enhance Your Gaming Setup
The X870 Riptide WiFi has onboard RGB and RGB headers for connecting various LED devices. It also allows you to create a unique light show by synchronising their lights across other Polychrome RGB Sync-certified accessories.
DIY Friendly
This motherboard makes DIY building a breeze with various accessories and elements, such as the ARGB splitter cable and PCIe 5.0 steel slot. It also has EZ settings like BIOS flashback and auto driver installer for your convenience.
Hands-on with the ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi
We built a PC with this motherboard before testing for our ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Review. We enjoyed the building process because it made installing our components a breeze. It had adequate CPU socket space for any heatsink.
The X870 Riptide has double-latched RAM slots, which is an old design. Despite that, we had no problems installing our memory kits.
We appreciate the tool-less design of the M.2 slots since it made PC building more convenient.
The X870 Riptide WiFi uses a standard America Megatrend AMI UEFI. You can easily access it from the logo screen, which immediately presents the main screen in Advanced mode. It has an Easy mode if you want a more straightforward menu.
The Easy mode is a single screen where you can boot order or select profiles for your RAM. Advanced mode offers more settings, including manual overclocking, fan adjustment, monitoring, performance boost overdrive, onboard devices, and BIOS flashing. It has adequate configuration options for users who want to tweak their system manually.
The UEFI was straightforward, which made navigating convenient. Aside from the simple navigation, we appreciate the excellent background colour, which was easy to view.
This motherboard performed impressively during our tests for this ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Review, showcasing capabilities that rivaled higher-end models.
Despite being positioned as a more budget-friendly option, the performance metrics were remarkably close to those of premium motherboards, making it a compelling choice for gamers and PC enthusiasts alike.
Although its price point is notably lower than flagship models, this motherboard delivered outstanding performance, even under demanding workloads.
It proved to be an excellent option for users who want high-quality results without breaking the bank. Whether you’re a gamer seeking smooth performance or a creator looking for reliable hardware, the ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi is more than capable of meeting these needs.
The motherboard’s VRM and SSD temperatures remained impressively low, staying within reasonable levels throughout our tests. Even without the active cooling features found in some high-end boards, temperatures never exceeded 65°C.
This is a testament to the efficiency of its passive cooling design. The M.2 heatsinks were particularly effective, keeping the SSDs cool and ensuring stable, long-term performance under heavy workloads.
Thanks to these thermal management features, the system maintained excellent overall performance and reliability.
Whether running intensive gaming sessions or managing demanding multitasking scenarios, the ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi consistently delivered a smooth, lag-free experience, solidifying its position as an excellent choice for value-conscious users.
ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi Review Summary
The ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi is an impressive no-frills motherboard that balances affordability and performance.
Despite its budget-friendly positioning, it offers a solid feature set and performance metrics comparable to higher-end models, making it a practical choice for gamers and PC enthusiasts seeking value without compromise.
During testing, the motherboard demonstrated excellent thermal efficiency, with VRM and SSD temperatures remaining consistently low even without active cooling. Its M.2 heatsinks effectively managed SSD heat, ensuring stable performance during heavy workloads.
These features contribute to the motherboard’s reliability and efficiency, especially for demanding gaming and multitasking scenarios.
The X870 Riptide WiFi is also DIY-friendly, with tool-less M.2 slot designs, intuitive UEFI BIOS, and a straightforward installation process.
Its robust build, support for DDR5 memory, and next-gen connectivity options like WiFi7 and USB4 further enhance its appeal for modern PC builders.
The ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Riptide WiFi is a standout option for users seeking an affordable yet capable motherboard.
It combines excellent performance, reliable thermal management, and user-friendly design, making it a compelling choice for both gamers and content creators on a budget.
