ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Nova WiFi Motherboard Review: A Compromised Solution for Storage Enthusiasts

The ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Nova WiFi motherboard, while boasting an impressive array of M.2 slots and USB ports, presents a series of compromises that hinder its overall appeal. The core issue lies in its limited number of PCIe lanes, which restricts the simultaneous full-speed operation of its numerous connectivity options. This design choice, combined with inconvenient M.2 heatsinks and a relatively high price point, positions the board as a niche product best suited for users with specific, high-capacity storage needs, rather than a versatile option for the broader gaming or computing community. Its performance in gaming benchmarks has been described as underwhelming, suggesting that ASRock's efforts to fine-tune the product for an 'outstanding gaming experience' have not fully materialized.

ASRock's history dates back over two decades, evolving from producing basic, functional motherboards to targeting the gaming sector. The Phantom Gaming series, launched in 2019, aimed to deliver superior gaming experiences. However, the X870 Nova WiFi model appears to fall short of this ambition. The motherboard's specifications include an AMD AM5 socket, an AMD X870 chipset, compatibility with AMD Ryzen 7000, 8000, and 9000-series desktop CPUs, ATX form factor, DDR5 memory support up to 256 GB, five M.2 slots, and two SATA ports. Connectivity is robust on paper, featuring two USB4 Type-C ports, several USB 3.2 and 2.0 ports, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort via USB4, Realtek 5 Gbps LAN, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4. Despite these extensive features, the initial price of $300, which has since seen a minor reduction to $280, still feels steep given the performance constraints.

The primary design flaw of the X870 Nova WiFi stems from the shared nature of its PCI Express lanes. AMD Ryzen processors and the X870 chipset provide a finite number of these lanes, which must be distributed among all PCIe slots, M.2 sockets, and SATA and USB ports. This means that utilizing all available M.2 slots, particularly the PCIe 3.0 slot, can significantly impact the speed of other components. For instance, using an SSD in the second M.2 slot concurrently with the USB4 ports on the rear I/O panel will halve the speed for both. Similarly, populating the second Gen4 M.2 slot will reduce the speed of the x16 PCI Express slot to an x2 equivalent, severely limiting its utility for high-bandwidth devices like dual-GPU AI setups. The rear I/O panel, while offering 11 USB ports, also suffers from this limitation, with only four ports (two USB4 and two USB 3.2 Type-A 10 Gbps) providing genuinely high-speed connectivity.

Further compounding these issues are the M.2 heatsinks. Only the primary M.2 slot features a quick-release heatsink and SSD mounting system, along with a thermal pad on the motherboard. The remaining Gen4 and Gen3 slots use traditional heatsinks that require tools for removal and reinstallation, which can be cumbersome. Although all M.2 slots support quick-release mounting for SSDs, they are exclusively designed for 2280-sized drives, limiting compatibility. On a more positive note, the board's construction quality is commendable. A large steel slab on the backside prevents flexing, giving the X870 Nova a sturdy feel, albeit making it heavier. Additionally, a board-mounted power button and a BIOS code LED display are convenient features for system builders and testers.

Performance benchmarks reveal a mixed bag. While the X870 Nova WiFi exhibits underwhelming results in gaming, it performs adequately in content creation tasks such as Cinebench, Blender, and 7zip. This disparity might be attributed to ASRock's conservative CPU and RAM settings, possibly a cautious response to previous CPU failure issues with its motherboards. However, the voltage regulator modules (VRMs) demonstrate excellent thermal management, maintaining a peak temperature of only 50 °C even under heavy loads. Conversely, the M.2 slots struggle with heat dissipation, especially with PCIe 5.0 SSDs, with the primary slot reaching 78 °C, close to thermal limits. This suggests that while the board is robust, its cooling solutions for high-performance SSDs could be improved.

Ultimately, the ASRock Phantom Gaming X870 Nova WiFi is a motherboard with a unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Its extensive connectivity options, particularly for M.2 SSDs, make it attractive for specific use cases like mass storage configurations. However, the inherent compromises in PCIe lane allocation, coupled with average gaming performance and thermal challenges for some M.2 slots, restrict its broader appeal. For most PC enthusiasts, especially gamers, more budget-friendly B850 boards might offer better value without the need to navigate the X870 Nova's limitations. An upgrade to the X870E chipset could potentially mitigate some of these issues, offering a more balanced solution for a wider audience seeking high-performance storage without sacrificing other critical aspects of system performance.