The Box and Packaging
Not much to talk about the box or packaging. There’s the usual instruction manual, drivers disc, 2 x SATA cables, I/O shield and one M.2 screw.
The BIOSTAR Racing X570GT8 Motherboard
Like BIOSTAR’s other motherboards, the X570 GTA comes in a mat black design and finish. There’s a simple heatsink that covers the VRMs/mofets on one side of the motherboard near the I/O panel. There’s also an additional heatsink with an active fan for the chipset, and one full length heatspreader for the M.2 slot.
A Closer Look
For expansion, you’ll find 6 x SATA ports, 1 x PCIE 4.0 x16 slots (with Iron slot protection), 1 x PCIE 3.0 x16 Slot: Supports x4 mode, 2 x PCIE 3.0 x1 slots, 1 x M.2 slots for SSDs (with heatspreader), as well as pin headers for 5v and 12v RGB LEDs. There’s no diagnostic LEDs or any buttons for clear CMOS, reset and power on/off.
For I/O, you’ll find a PS/2 connector for keyboard & mouse, 4 x USB 3.1 Gen1, 2 x standard USB 2.0 Port, 1 x Gigabit LAN, 1 x HDMI Port, 1x VGA Port, and an array of audio connectors.
