ASRock B660 Steel Legend Motherboard Review

Features and Specifications

Features

• Supports 12th Gen Intel^® Core™ Processors (LGA1700)
• 9 Phase Dr.MOS Power Design
• Supports DDR4 5000MHz (OC)
• 1 PCIe 5.0 x16, 1 PCIe 4.0 x16, 2 PCIe 3.0 x1
  1 M.2 Key-E for WiFi
• Graphics Output Options: HDMI, DisplayPort
• Realtek ALC897 7.1 CH HD Audio Codec, Nahimic Audio
• 6 SATA3
• 2 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4)
  1 M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x2 & SATA3)
• 1 Front USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C
  1 Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C
  6 USB 3.2 Gen1 (4 Rear, 2 Front)
  4 USB 2.0 (2 Rear, 2 Front)
• Dragon 2.5G LAN

Overview

Steel Legend represents the philosophical state of rock-solid durability and irresistible aesthetics. Built around most demanding specs and features, the Steel Legend series aims at daily users and mainstream enthusiasts! Providing a strong array of materials/components to ensure a stable and reliable performance.

Dr. MOS

Dr.MOS is the integrated power stage solution which is optimized for synchronous buck-set down voltage applications! Compared to traditional discrete MOSFETs, it intelligently delivers higher current for each phase, thus providing improved thermal result and superior performance.

9 Power Phase Design

Specifications

• • Unique Feature
    ASRock USB 3.2 Gen2
    – ASRock Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Header (20 Gb/s)
    – ASRock USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s)
    ASRock Super Alloy
    – XXL Aluminum Alloy Heatsink
    – Premium Power Choke
    – 50A Dr.MOS
    – Nichicon 12K Black Caps (100% Japan made high quality conductive polymer capacitors)
    – Matte Black PCB
    – High Density Glass Fabric PCB
    – 2oz Copper PCB
    2.5G LAN ASRock Steel Slot
    ASRock Full Coverage M.2 Heatsink
    ASRock Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4x4)
    ASRock POST Status Checker (PSC)
    ASRock Full Spike Protection (for all USB, Audio, LAN Ports)
    ASRock Live Update & APP Shop
  • CPU
    – Supports 12th Gen Intel^® Core™ Processors (LGA1700)
    – Digi Power design
    – 9 Power Phase design
    – Supports Intel^® Hybrid Technology
    – Supports Intel^® Turbo Boost Max 3.0 Technology
  • Chipset
    – Intel^® B660
  • Memory
    – Dual Channel DDR4 Memory Technology
    – 4 x DDR4 DIMM Slots
    – Supports DDR4 non-ECC, un-buffered memory up to 5000+(OC)*
    – Supports ECC UDIMM memory modules (operate in non-ECC mode)
    – Max. capacity of system memory: 128GB
    – Supports Intel^® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) 2.0
    – 15μ Gold Contact in DIMM Slots

    *Supports DDR4 3200 natively.
  • BIOS
    – 128Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with multilingual GUI support
    – ACPI 6.0 Compliant wake up events
    – SMBIOS 2.7 Support
    – CPU Core/Cache, CPU GT, DRAM, VDD_IMC,VCCIN AUX, +1.05V PROC, +1.8V PROC, +0.82V PCH, +1.05V PCH Voltage Multi-adjustment
  • Graphics
    – Intel^® Xe Graphics Architecture (Gen 12)
    – Dual graphics output: support HDMI and DisplayPort 1.4 ports by independent display controllers
    – Supports HDMI 2.1 TMDS Compatible with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096×2160) @ 60Hz
    – Supports DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC (compressed) max. resolution up to 8K (7680×4320) @ 60Hz / 5K (5120×3200) @ 120Hz
    – Supports HDCP 2.3 with HDMI 2.1 TMDS Compatible and DisplayPort 1.4 Ports

    *Intel^® UHD Graphics Built-in Visuals and the VGA outputs can be supported only with processors which are GPU integrated.
  • Audio
    – 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC897 Audio Codec)
    – Supports Surge Protection
    – Gold Audio Jacks
    – 15μ Gold Audio Connector
    – Nahimic Audio
  • LAN
    – 2.5 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000/2500 Mb/s
    – Dragon RTL8125BG
    – Supports Dragon 2.5G LAN Software
    – Smart Auto Adjust Bandwidth Control
    – Visual User Friendly UI
    – Visual Network Usage Statistics
    – Optimized Default Setting for Game, Browser, and Streaming Modes
    – User Customized Priority Control
    – Supports Wake-On-LAN
    – Supports Lightning/ESD Protection
    – Supports Energy Efficient Ethernet 802.3az
    – Supports UEFI PXE

• Slots
  – 2 x PCIe x16 Slots (PCIE1/PCIE3: single at Gen5x16 (PCIE1); dual at Gen5x16 (PCIE1) / Gen4x2 (PCIE3))*
  – 2 x PCIe Gen3x1 Slots
  – 1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT PCIe WiFi module and Intel^® CNVi (Integrated WiFi/BT)
  – 15μ Gold Contact in VGA PCIe Slot (PCIE1)

  *Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
• Storage
  – 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors*
  – 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors by ASMedia ASM1061
  – 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode**
  – 1 x M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2260/2280 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s & PCIe Gen3x2 (16 Gb/s) modes**
  – 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2260/2280/22110 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) modes**

  *If M2_2 is occupied by a SATA-type M.2 device, SATA3_0 will be disabled.

  **Supports Intel^® Optane™ Technology (M2_3 only)
  Supports Intel^® Volume Management Device (VMD)
  Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
  Supports ASRock U.2 Kit

• RAID
  – Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA storage devices
• Connector
  – 1 x SPI TPM Header
  – 1 x Chassis Intrusion and Speaker Header
  – 1 x RGB LED Header*
  – 3 x Addressable LED Headers**
  – 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)***
  – 1 x CPU/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)****
  – 5 x Chassis/Water Pump Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)*****
  – 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
  – 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
  – 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector (15μ Gold Audio Connector)
  – 1 x USB 2.0 Header (Supports 2 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection)
  – 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports) (Supports ESD Protection)
  – 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Header (20 Gb/s) (Supports ESD Protection)

  *Supports in total up to 12V/3A, 36W LED Strip

  **Support in total up to 5V/3A, 15W LED Strip

  ***The CPU Fan Connector supports the CPU fan of maximum 1A (12W) fan power.

  ****The CPU/Water Pump Fan supports the water cooler fan of maximum 2A (24W) fan power.

  *****The Chassis/Water Pump Fan supports the water cooler fan of maximum 2A (24W) fan power.
  CPU_FAN2/WP and CHA_FAN1~5/WP can auto detect if 3-pin or 4-pin fan is in use.

• Rear Panel I/O
  – 2 x Antenna Mounting Points
  – 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
  – 1 x HDMI Port
  – 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
  – 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
  – 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s) (ReDriver) (Supports ESD Protection)
  – 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (ASMedia ASM1074 hub) (Supports ESD Protection)
  – 2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
  – 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED)
  – 1 x BIOS Flashback Button
  – HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone (Gold Audio Jacks)
• Software and UEFI
  Software
  – ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning)
  – ASRock Polychrome SYNC*
  UEFI
  – ASRock EZ Mode
  – ASRock Full HD UEFI
  – ASRock My Favorites in UEFI
  – ASRock Instant Flash
  – ASRock Internet Flash
  – ASRock Easy RAID Installer

  *These utilities can be downloaded from ASRock Live Update & APP Shop.
• Support CD
  – Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial Version)
• Accessories
  – Quick Installation Guide, Support CD, I/O Shield
  – 2 x SATA Data Cables
  – 4 x Screws for M.2 Sockets
  – 1 x Standoff for M.2 Socket
• Hardware Monitor
  – Fan Tachometer: CPU, CPU/Water Pump, Chassis/Water Pump Fans
  – Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by CPU temperature): CPU, CPU/Water Pump, Chassis/Water Pump Fans
  – Fan Multi-Speed Control: CPU, CPU/Water Pump, Chassis/Water Pump Fans
  – CASE OPEN detection
  – Voltage monitoring: CPU Vcore, PCH, DRAM, VCCIN AUX, VCCSA, +1.05V PROC, +0.82V PCH, +12V, +5V, +3.3V
• Form Factor
  – ATX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 9.6-in, 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm
  – 2oz Copper PCB

More information on ASRock’s website.