Closer Look
It’s not a surprise to see the B365M PG4 in a typical flat box. The same type of package is used for most motherboards, regardless of brand. Inside the box, we will find the motherboard, user’s manual, SATA data cables, IO shield, and M.2 screws. Pretty much all we need.
The exterior is as usual well described so we clearly know what to expect inside the package. In front, we can see a large Phantom Gaming logo and the motherboard model while on the back is the more detailed specification and key features.
The motherboard looks exceptional considering it’s a cheaper gaming series. If not the used chipset then we could even say it’s a high-end series. There is everything that gamers need. We can start with Intel LAN, two high-speed M.2 PCIe sockets, Intel Optane support, 7.1 channel audio, USB 3.1 and many more.
There had to be some price cuts so we won’t find a WiFi or Bluetooth controller but we can install one using M.2 socket. There are also fewer USB ports than on higher motherboards and what hurts me the most, we can really overclock the CPU and the memory speed is limited to DDR4-2666. Memory speed and overclocking limits are forced by the B365 chipset. ASRock still let users manage various settings and voltages. In this situation our CPU is able to run at lower than default voltage and memory, even though limited to DDR4-2666, runs fully stable at really tight timings of CL13-13-13 at low voltage.
Power design is quite solid and we can easily use all processors from the 9th Core generation, including the i9-9900K. In our tests, we’ve used the i7-9700K which has fewer cores but also lower power consumption and more likely gamers will pick this CPU with the B365M Phantom Gaming 4 motherboard. There were no problems at all during really long full load tests.
Of course, we can’t forget about the RGB illumination which is one of the key features of new gaming motherboards. ASRock B365M Phantom Gaming 4 has two spots which can be managed. It’s the one above IO ports on the back of the motherboard and lighting under the PCB which is highlighting the Phantom Gaming sign. Default color is red which presents great with dark-gray and black components of the motherboard.
Except installed lighting, there is also RGB header which supports various devices. Simply what we used to see on higher gaming motherboards.
