If you want a more affordable option than the ASRock Taichi, check out our ASRock X670E Steel Legend Review. The X670E Steel Legend looks excellent and performs just as well. But the good thing is, it has all these notable elements without being too pricey.
Our ASRock X670E Steel Legend Review will discuss its design, features, functions, specs, and how it performs. We will share everything you need about the product to determine if it is ideal for you.
ASRock X670E Steel Legend Packaging
The X670E Steel Legend shipped in a silver-black package that displays plenty of details about the product. The front shows a huge company branding, product name, and key features.
The back of the box shows all the essential features of the motherboard. These include its DDR5 memory design, reinforced DIMM slot, and a 16+2+1 power phase design.
We also looked inside the box for this ASRock X670E Steel Legend Review. And aside from the X670E Steel Legend, you will find a user manual and two SATA data cables.
There is also WiFi 2.4/5/6GHz antenna and four M.2 socket screws. And lastly, ASRock included an M.2 socket standoff and one graphics card holder.
ASRock X670E Steel Legend Review – Design and Functionality
The product sports a regular ATX form factor, making it compatible with most PC cases on the market. The company design team used the Steel Legend black/white camo colour theme and applied it to the rear shroud. They also used the colour scheme for its M.2 heat spreaders and chipset heatsinks.
The motherboard is not like the blank canvas some users prefer. However, it has everything you need to blend it with a predominantly white setup without looking boring.
Because of its AM5 socket, the motherboard only supports the AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPUs. And these include the Ryzen 9 7950X.
Writing our ASRock X670E Steel Legend Review, we also looked at AM4 CPU coolers that use the clip retention system. These should work excellently with the motherboard. However, other designs might require an upgrade kit before it gets supported.
Directly powering the CPU are two 8-pin 12V connectors, then below and to its right are two heatsinks. They function for cooling the power circuitry.
You can find the 24-pin connector on the right edge of the motherboard. There are two USB 3.2 Gen1 and 3.2 Gen2 front panel headers.
Fan headers are available on the motherboard: one is next to the CPU socket, then two on its top-right edge. Additionally, three more fan headers are on the bottom edge of the motherboard.
DDR5 memory of up to 128GB in 4x32GB DIMMs is supported. Each slot has been reinforced, making the installation/removal of DIMMs easier. Because the CPU has a dual-channel memory controller, two matching DIMMs are viable options.
The X670E Steel Legend prioritises NVMe M.2 slots over SATA connectors. Four VNMe M.2 slots pair with four SATA III 6Gb/s headers.
Only one of the NVMe slots supports PCIe 5.0. The rest support PCIe 4.0 due to the chipset controller. A simple heat spreader protects the M.2 slots and provides limited cooling.
The main PCI-Express x16 slot supports PCIe 5.0 GPU signalling. It received reinforcements to support heavy cards that place a lot of weight on this connector.
There is plenty of space between it and the PCIe x1 slot for thicker 2-slot coolers. Additionally, there is adequate space between the bottom and top PCIe x16 slots for massive RTX 4090 coolers.
ASRock used the RealTek ALC1220 Audio Codec for the X670E Steel Legend. With Nahimic Audio, it augments audio soundscape with better-implied location details to highlight subtle sounds efficiently. This sound solution also makes voice communication clearer.
We also looked into the rear I/O of the product in this ASRock X670E Steel Legend Review.
The rear I/O has many ports and connectors. The HDMI and DisplayPort 1.4 graphics output ports are at the top. Plus, this area has the BIOS Flashback button for flashing the BIOS without booting the system.
Additionally, you will find two rows of four USB connectors. The first row supports USB 2.0, while those below are for USB 3.0. Below the second row of connectors are two more USB 3.0 ports, followed by a Realtek Gbps LAN.
This motherboard has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (20Gbps) Type-C port. Plus, there are 2.5G LAN and SPDIF ports followed by a microphone and line-out jacks.
Key Features of the ASRock X670E Steel Legend
16+2+1 Power Phase Design
With 19 power phases and sturdy components, the X670E Steel Legend delivers power smoothly to the CPU. It offers unparalleled overclocking capabilities and better performance while maintaining low temperatures.
Server-grade Low Loss PCB
The X670E Steel Legend features a server-grade low-loss PCB. It enhances signal integrity, enabling the motherboard to support M.2 SSD and PCIe 5.0. Plus, it improves memory overclocking potential to deliver extreme memory performance.
8 Layer PCB
Our ASRock X670E Steel Legend Review will also discuss the benefits of an 8-layer PCB. Understanding its advantages will help you determine if it is something you need for your PC.
The 8-layer PCB offers stable signal traces and power shapes for higher energy efficiency and lower temperature. As a result, you can enjoy a long-lasting, reliable system that delivers the ultimate performance flawlessly.
DDR5 EXPO & XMP Support
With the 8-layer PCB and low-loss materials, you can enjoy DDR5 memory overclocking boost performance up to 6600MHz. It can also deliver beyond 6600MHz by enabling pre-tested profiles.
Blazing OC Tuner of the ASRock X670E Steel Legend
Blazing OC Tuner allows switching between PBO and OC mode to combine overclocking on all cores. Plus, it enables an automatic boost on one of these to maximise CPU performance. You will not need to access BIOS when setting up the motherboard since you can configure settings via the OS.
Reinforced DIMM Slot
The reinforced DIMM slot surface-mounted onto the motherboard provides better physical strength and a stable memory signal. As a result, it can overclock the DRAM module up to insane frequencies.
DIY Friendly Design of the ASRock X670E Steel Legend
ASRock employed a trouble-free protection circuit on the X670E Steel Legend and other DDR5 motherboards. This feature prevents damaging your memory module.
PCIe Gen5 Blazing M.2
PCIe Gen5 Blazing M.2 supports the latest PCIe 5.0 standard. It can deliver twice the bandwidth of the previous generation, with transfer speeds reaching 128GB/s. The X670 Steel Legend can unleash the maximum potential of ultra-fast SSDs.
XXL M.2 Heatsink with Anti-Drop Screw
The XXL M.2 heatsink dissipates heat efficiently and maintains the low temperatures of high-speed M.2 SSDs. The aluminium alloy material can provide better stability to maintain unrivalled performance.
Additionally, the heatsink has an anti-drop screw, so you can stop worrying about dropping or missing screws in the chassis. This feature also ensures easier installation.
Nahimic Audio
Nahimic audio offers the most engaging listening experience with rich, vibrant, and detailed audio. You can enjoy it whether you use headphones, headsets, or speakers.
ASRock Graphics Card Holder
The ASRock graphics card holder is a unique feature in ASRock motherboards. When you connect it, you can slide it up or down to adjust the required height for your graphics card.
POLYCHROME RGB
The X670E Steel Legend has built-in RGB illumination, onboard RGB headers, and an addressable RGB header. Additionally, you can connect compatible LED devices like CPU fans, coolers, strips, etc.
Also, it allows the creation of distinct lighting effects and synchronising lighting across your POLYCHROME RGB Sync-certified accessories.
Dragon 2.5 Gb/s LAN
The 2.5Gb/s LAN offers maximum networking performance for content creation, online gaming, and high-quality streaming. It boosts network performance by more than twice the speed of the standard Gigabit Ethernet for a more enjoyable experience. Gaming, backups, and file transfers will be seamless and without compromise.
WiFi 6E 802.11ax
With the 6GHz spectrum band, WiFi 6E provides higher WiFi capabilities. Take advantage of better and faster internet traffic with low latency. This latest wireless technology also supports service levels equivalent to 5G networks.
USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C
The latest USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port is two times faster than the previous generation. It has data transfer rates as fast as 20 Gbps and a reversible connector for your convenience.
Flexible Integrated I/O Shield of the ASRock X670E Steel Legend Review
The flexible I/O shield of the motherboard is adjustable when installed to fit the chassis perfectly. ASRock reserves more tolerance space to prevent mechanical issues when you build your PC.
Specifications
Our ASRock X670E Steel Legend Review will discuss the product specifications of this motherboard. It supports the AMD socket AM5 Ryzen 7000 series processors and has four DDR5 DIMM slots.
It has a maximum system memory capacity of 128GB and supports XMP and EXPO memory modules. Graphics-wise, it is integrated with the AMD RDNA 2 graphics. The motherboard supports HDCP 2.3 and has a resolution of up to 4K, 120Hz.
The product also uses the Realtek ALC-1220 audio codec, plus a 2.5 Gigabit LAN 10|100|1000|2500Mb/s.
This motherboard uses the 802.11ax WiFi 6E module, which supports Dual-Band 2×2 with extended 6GHz band support. Also, it works with Bluetooth 5.2.
Its support includes RAID 0, 1, and 10 for SATA and M.2 NVMe storage devices.
The X670E Steel Legend has an ATX form factor and measures 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm. Plus, it has an 8-layer PCB.
Finally, this motherboard supports the 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows 10 and 11.
Hands-on with the ASRock X670E Steel Legend
We tested the motherboard to discuss its performance in our ASRock X670E Steel Legend Review. But first, we will focus on the BIOS.
The BIOS of the X670E Steel Legend is easy to use thanks to its intuitive navigation. The first tab, Main, shows system information, including the processor, BIOS version, and memory references.
Next is the OC Tweaker tab, which has all the settings for overclocking. In its menu, you can find features CPU configuration, DRAM configuration, and modifying the voltages.
Next is the Tool menu for modifying the lighting with ASRock POLYCHROME RGB. You can secure an SSD or adjust the time lapse between the rotation of gears on the rear connector cover.
The H/W Monitor tab shows the voltages, temperatures, and fan speeds. You will also find the Security tab for setting up a supervisor and password.
The boot tab allows selecting the priority of bootable devices and enabling or disabling Wake on LAN, Fast Boot, etc. Navigating to the Exit tab lets you save or discard changes, load default configurations, or override the Boot settings.
The BIOS of this motherboard is simple, as expected from ASRock, but it is comprehensive. All the necessary settings are present, and finding all these in each tab was easy.
ASRock X670E Steel Legend Review Summary
The X670E Steel Legend is a solid motherboard with excellent build quality, aesthetics, and features. Despite not having adequate lighting zones, the camo design of its heat spreaders increases its visual appeal. Plus, what matters the most is the elements that allow it to deliver excellent performance.
We appreciate ASRock for including various features that made building easier, such as the GPU bracket and anti-drop screw design. Another thing we liked about the X670E Steel Legend was its BIOS. Although simple, it was comprehensive and had all the necessary settings to configure the motherboard.
This motherboard delivered excellent performance in all areas. Its power consumption was moderate, and VRM temperatures were within an acceptable range. Plus, it offered high-quality audio and fast transfer speeds.
We highly recommend this motherboard from ASRock. Its excellent build, aesthetics, features, and performance make it worth purchasing.
Visit the official product page of ASRock to learn more about the X670E Steel Legend.
