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.
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HJay - Saturday, November 30, 2019 - link
Life really does begin at 50.HJay - Saturday, November 30, 2019 - link
Your point is valid and I'm not ready to switch from external interfaces to an internal RME unit yet. However, the performance and quality of the peculiar on-board audio arrangement is still of great interest. Experiencing AMD's AM3 FX chipset USB implementation (See: "Silicon Errata for SB950") was rather eye opening and very helpful in understanding why running USB audio across that implementation was less than optimal. The USB arrangement of AM4 seems to be an improvement over the AM3 and AM3+. But AMD's TRX40 seems to reveal a non-satisfactory level of concern for PC audio -suggesting that AM4 might be more appropriate. This motherboard review is a great start but there are still many holes to fill in regarding this, in particular with the S1220.Selecting an appropriate motherboard upfront before throwing thousands of dollars worth of audio software and hardware at it is critical. I did note compatibility issues between earlier AM4 systems and some Universal Audio cards and the desired RME card is around $900. So, I'm just not ready to ride the bleeding edge with these new boards but will eagerly listen to the experiences of others and cheer them along.
As a side note, I did recommend to my favored audio repair software vendor that they contact AnandTech to provide, or work out, some audio benchmarking tests or packages.
Bccc1 - Saturday, November 30, 2019 - link
I still don't get your point. I agree that the USB implementation is important, that AMD messed that up in the past (thanks for the ref to the errata list) and that the way onboard audio works on TRX40 is maybe more error prone.But why is that different / better with the S1220? And how do you define an audio creator? I was thinking of an audio engineer, someone who does tracking/mixing/mastering/sound design. I can't imagine someone in that field would ever use onboard audio, except maybe for mobility reasons on a notebook.
I will probably use my RME Madiface XT with a StarTech USB card (PEXUSB3S44V) as I don't trust any onboard USB.
Regarding the compatibilty issues, do you have links/detailed information? The only thing I found was an issue, where the card wasn't detected in PCIe slots connected to the chipset. Which is a shame, but less of a problem with TRX40 as most slots are directly connected to the CPU.
tamalero - Saturday, November 30, 2019 - link
I'm no expert here but could perhaps say this because of the audio problems of some cpus (crackling cutting) because of the high latency of Ryzen and the first Threadrippers?Or perhaps power issues (delivery to PCIE ports because the big power consumption of the new TR chips?)
Dug - Saturday, November 30, 2019 - link
I think it's time to move past USB if you are a "Real content creator"valinor89 - Friday, November 29, 2019 - link
"The TRX40 chipset is based on the 14 nm process node from Global Foundries""AMD leveraged GlobalFoundries 12nm to build the TRX40 chipset"
Is it 12 or 14?
tamalero - Saturday, November 30, 2019 - link
I remember that Global Foundries is 14nm while TSCM is 14+ (12nm)gavbon - Monday, December 2, 2019 - link
I have corrected it, it is Global Foundries 14 nm process. Thank you for the heads upscineram - Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - link
That's not what Ian said.PopinFRESH007 - Sunday, December 29, 2019 - link
I believe what Ian was referring to is the IO chip on the CPU package which is 12nm.