ASRock Z370 Taichi Review

The ASRock Taichi line-up was introduced not long ago and what we have here is the latest revision and as you can see the ASRock Z370 Taichi totally strays from the black and white design we knew for a neutral grey and black appearance which I think isn’t a bad move, though it also means ASRock’s models are no longer a choice for the crowd that loves white setup.

ASRock Z370 Taichi Review

Unlike the Gaming K6 model, the Z370 Taichi doesn’t have a cover piece over the I/O cover and the heatsink next that covers the power phases. The heatsink does come with a pattern on it but from what I observed it gets scratched easily so be extra careful over that area.

ASRock Z370 Taichi Review

On this corner of the Z370 Taichi you’ll see that it offers nothing special when compared to many other boards, sure it has USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 connection header but that’s pretty much it. Power / Reset button? They’re non-existent despite the board considered top-of-the-line, which I think is a huge disappointment.

ASRock Z370 Taichi Review

On the lower corner – the cog-wheel design heatsink, 8x SATA 6GB/s ports, a forward facing USB 3.0 port and that’s pretty much it. The heatsink is the only part of the Z370 Taichi that’s LED lit.

ASRock Z370 Taichi Review

The ASRock Z370 Taichi comes with 3x PCI-E x16 steel reinforced slots that supports 2-way SLI and 3-way CrossfireX configuration. The Z370 Taichi sports ASRock’s Purity Sound 4 audio system that uses Realtek ALC1220 audio codec and has 120dB SNR DAC. If you look around this image below you’ll see also that the Z370 Taichi has 3x Ultra M.2 sockets, just note that the M.2 socket shares lane with SATA ports so take note of your configuration.

ASRock Z370 Taichi Review

Lastly we have the I/O panel and it has the following …

– 2 x Antenna Ports
– 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
– 1 x HDMI Port
– 1 x DisplayPort 1.2
– 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
– 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM3142) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM3142) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Ports (IntelĀ® Z370) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 2 x RJ-45 LAN Ports with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED)
– 1 x Clear CMOS Button
– HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone (Gold Audio Jacks)

ASRock Z370 Taichi Review

User Experience

What sets the Z370 Taichi apart from other ASRock boards is that it has triple M.2 sockets, it has Wi-Fi capability, it has DisplayPort output and it has ASRock’s Purity Sound 4.

Put it simple the Z370 Taichi is less gaming focused BUT it is just as capable for gaming purpose. It has overclocking features too so you won’t feel left out, the Taichi model doesn’t have features like Key Master and Fatality mouse port. Less gaming, more storage, connectivity and experience (audio) focused.

ASRock Z370 Taichi Review

ASRock Z370 Taichi Review

ASRock Z370 Taichi Review

ASRock Z370 Taichi Review

The Verdict

The ASRock Z370 Taichi retails at RM 1069 and has 3 years warranty, it is a great board that gives you Wi-Fi connectivity, Purity Sound 4 for excellent audio output and it has triple M.2 sockets for your M.2 device needs but what it lacks despite the 4-figure price tag is the POWER and RESET button of which I think any board at this price point should have.

Regardless my opinion of the lack of buttons, the Z370 Taichi is still an excellent board and worth anyone’s consideration.

goldfries recommended