The AMD TRX40 Motherboard Overview: 12 New Motherboards Analyzed
by Gavin Bonshor on November 28, 2019 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- AMD
- MSI
- Gigabyte
- ASRock
- Asus
- TRX40
- Threadripper 3000
- Castle Peak
ASRock TRX40 Taichi
With ASRock announcing just two new models for the launch of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and 3960X launch, it is no surprise to see one of its most predominant series hit the TRX40 chipset. The ASRock TRX40 Taichi takes its usual unique approach to aesthetics with its cogwheel inspired branding, and even adds integrated RGBs to further adds to its appeal. The most notable features include support for DDR4-4666 memory, a 16-phase power delivery for the CPU, and a Realtek 2.5 GbE controller.
The ATX sized ASRock TRX40 Taichi continues the unique lineage of models with a recognisable aesthetic with cogwheels implemented into the design, as well as integrated RGB LEDs into the chipset heatsink and the right-hand side of the board. Underneath the large aluminium heatsink is a 16-phase power delivery with 16 ISL99390 90 A power stages and is controlled by an ISL69247 controller running at 8+0. There are three full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slots, with a single PCIe 4.0 x1 slot in the middle, which are surrounded by a black Taichi designed armor shielding around the PCIe slot area. For storage, there are two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots onboard with heatsinks integrated into the armor, and a total of eight SATA ports which support RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays. Two of the SATA ports are straight angled and are located right next to the two-digit LED debug, power button, and reset switch.
Users looking to expand on the two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots will appreciate the Hyper Quad M.2 card in the accessories bundle which allows users to install a further four PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots into one of the full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slots. The ASRock TRX40 also has eight memory slots which support up to DDR4-4666 and 256 GB of memory. As with all launch day TRX40 models, the chipset heatsink has a cooling fan which is open and not covered by a grill, while there are five 4-pin headers with one for a CPU fan, one for a water pump, and three for chassis fans.
On the rear panel is two USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, four USB 3.1 G1 Type-A, and one USB 3.2 G2 Type-C 20 Gbps port, with a BIOS flashback button and PS/2 combo port. The five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF are handled by a Realtek ALC1220 and ALC4050H audio codec combination, while the two Ethernet ports are powered by a Realtek RTL8125-AG 2.5 GbE and Intel I211-AT Gigabit controller. The board also includes an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface which also adds BT 5.0 connectivity.
The ASRock TRX40 Taichi is the premier board for enthusiasts in its line-up with each of the four full-length PCIe 4.0 slots supporting x16 across the board, which allows for a powerful gaming system, solid workstation, or for other tasks such as content creation. The ASRock TRX40 Taichi has an MSRP of $499 which represents good value for money based on the features and leaves the door open for an even more premium flagship further down the line.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
109 Comments
View All Comments
Bccc1 - Friday, November 29, 2019 - link
My case fans are Noctua NF-S12A running at max 500rpm. CPU and GPU are watercooled with an external pump and radiator sitting a few meters away with acoustic isolation. So I'm pretty sure I would hear the chipset fans.I was expecting to shell out ~$1000 for a completly passive Gigabyte board, or even more if it had a PEX chip to use even more PCIe cards, and am very dissapointed that that doesn't exist. Any suggestions for a DIY mod?
eek2121 - Friday, November 29, 2019 - link
You are nuts if you think a tiny little low RPM chipset fan is bad. Chipset fans are inevitable (though a die shrink may temporarily make this go away until PCIE5), and the fact is, the fan on your PSU, GPU, or case fans, even at low levels, will drown out any noise from a chipset fan. Even if the PSU fan is off and you have water cooling, the case fans, at even 400 rpm, make more noise than the chipset fan. Note that it's not currently possible to have every fan in a system shut off on high end platforms, except the chipset fan itself might shut off. Even with an AIO, there must be some airflow for the radiator.Sivar - Monday, December 2, 2019 - link
It's really more a matter of long-term reliability based on my past experience.If a 120mm CPU fan starts to die, get loud, burns out due to dust, or otherwise becomes damaged, it isn't an issue to replace it even 5 years from now. With a proprietary motherboard CPU/heatsink, we are at the mercy of the vendor's long-term support.
realbabilu - Friday, November 29, 2019 - link
Any motherboard s TRX with ipmi? I mean it would be a workstation or a server, a nice ipmi remote will be nice.msroadkill612 - Friday, November 29, 2019 - link
"the TRX40 chipset, and offers 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes to the system. That being said, eight of those are used for the CPU-to-chipset connection, leaving 16 for ports and other devices. This is on top of the 64 PCIe 4.0 lanes for the CPU: 64 + 24 = 88 PCIe 4.0 lanes total, but the x8 link in each direction between CPU and chipset gives a usable 72 PCIe 4.0 lanes for the platform."WHAT???
howsabout?:
The chipset uses 8 of the 64 lanes to create (multiplex?) 24x lanes - 8 of which are used for chipset usb & sata ports, leaving 16 lanes for various configurations of additional IO, at the discretion of the mobo maker.
sailorchou - Friday, November 29, 2019 - link
As I know, some boards have the type-c USB Gen3.2 x2 (20Gbps aggregation). Totally ignored?HJay - Friday, November 29, 2019 - link
The last thing an audio creator wants is some McGyvered / red-necked USB bridge hack-job of a motherboard. In this regard, the S1220 codec models are the only ones having my attention -the ASUS TRX40-Pro in particular since any Real content creator is going to stick their nose up at Wi-Fi. Does it have a secondary codec though? Thank you very much for the timely post which will, hopefully, prompt much discussion regarding the audio peculiarities.HJay - Friday, November 29, 2019 - link
I suppose audio creators will want to pay close attention to which socket is better suited to their work: AM4 or TR.Bccc1 - Friday, November 29, 2019 - link
Can you explain further? Why would an audio creator pay attention to the onboard audio if he will use his own audio interface? Even if it's only a cheap Focusrite Scarlett, why does the S1220 matter?Llawehtdliub - Saturday, November 30, 2019 - link
Because he's young and ignorant but highly opinionated.