After a couple motherboards designed for AMD Ryzen, it’s time to take a closer look at the ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ac motherboard. It’s our first review of the motherboard from brand new Phantom Gaming series and it’s also our first review on the new Z390 chipset designed for 9th generation of Intel Core processors. The refreshed line is still under the Coffee Lake naming but offers up to 8 CPU cores.
The Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ac is a motherboard in ITX format. Every generation we can see that ASRock is offering more on a smaller space. It may surprise us how much can fit onto 17x17cm square of PCB. I won’t tell you much more right now.
Stay with us to find out how much to offer has the latest ASRock Z390 motherboard, which is only one of the large Phantom Gaming family of products.
RULE YOUR OWN LIGHTING WAY – POLYCHROME RGB
In addition to the built-in RGB illumination, it also features onboard RGB headers and an addressable RGB header that allow motherboard to be connected to compatible LED devices such as strip, CPU fans, coolers, chassis and so on. Users may also synchronize RGB LED devices across the Polychrome RGB Sync-certified accessories to create their own unique lighting effects.*The addressable RGB LED header supports WS2812B addressable RGB LED strip (5V/Data/GND), with a maximum power rating of 3A (5V), a max of 80 LEDs and length within 2 meters.
*The RGB LED header supports standard 5050 RGB LED strip (12V/G/R/B), with a maximum power rating of 3A (12V) and length within 2 meters.
Intel® Thunderbolt™ 3 Type-C
Experience the world’s fastest connectivity with ASRock’s Intel® Thunderbolt™ ready motherboards. The Daisy-chain feature allows users to connect up to 6 Thunderbolt™ devices with a single wire. The highly desirable reversible USB Type-C interface delivers breathtaking bandwidth and also supports USB PD 2.0 charging up to 12V@3A (36W).
*Please refer to Intel® Thunderbolt™3 technology brief for more detail.
Full Coverage M.2 Heatsink
A massive full coverage M.2 heatsink that is able to dissipate heat ef-ficiently to ensure your high speed M.2 SSD always working at its best.
2T2R 802.11ac WiFi
Dual Band (2.4/5 GHz)
No one has time for weak WiFi signals and sluggish internet! That’s why this motherboard comes with an exclusive 2T2R 802.11ac WiFi 2.4/5Ghz (160Mhz) module that supports up to 1.73Gbps wireless networks and Bluetooth v5.0. Experience up to 289% speed boost compared to your old WiFi!
*The doubled bandwidth 160MHz with the max. speed up to 1.73Gbps is only supported with 802.11ac Wave 2 router.
CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER™ CINEMA5
A new world of cinematic audio that delivers unprecedented levels of audio realism, dynamics and punch to gaming sound. Whether you’re gaming or watching a movie, Reality 3D technology lets you enable 5.1/7.1 surround sound for an additional layer of transience to your listening experience even with just a pair of headphones or stereo speakers.
Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready
Supports Intel® Optane™ memory technology and Intel® Optane™ storage technology that redefines a new standard of high performance and responsiveness
Water Pump Header
This is not only a standard CPU fan header, but also supports water pumps! This header provides a maximum of 2A power for supporting the most popular water pumps. User also can adjust the voltage of water pump to get higher cooling performance with lower noise.
Digi Power
Unlike traditional motherboards that use analog power, this motherboard uses a next generation digital PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) design, which provides CPU Vcore voltage more efficiently and smoothly, so that the stability and lifespan of the motherboard is greatly enhanced.
Full Spike Protection
Some sensitive digital components on the motherboard are vulnerable to power surges, the excessive current may cause your system to malfunction immediately. ASRock Full Spike Protection includes various technologies to prevent your motherboard’s components from being damaged by these unexpected voltage spikes.
You can buy the ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ac Motherboard from Amazon for around USD $212 – https://amzn.to/2DcI802
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