We review products independently, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms of use.

ASRock Z390 Taichi

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

Meet the ASRock Z390 Taichi

With its cogs-and-gears theme and layered heatsinks, the Taichi line has, for several generations, presented a fresh, edgy design to high-end boards from this aggressive maker, and the Z390 Taichi exudes class and attitude.

Gear Up!

ASRock went all-in on the heatsinks, giving the board some personality beyond your typical LED glow and space-themed plastic. Industrial chic is the theme here.

Dual M.2

The lower two M.2 slots support drives and other M.2 wares ranging in size from Type-2230 (30mm long) to Type-22110 (110mm).

The Third M.2, Heatsinked

The lowest down of the three M.2 slots features a slick metal heatsink that will cover whatever size of module you choose.

LGA Socket Clearance: Thumbs-Up

The LGA 1151 socket has plenty of room around it, as it's surrounded only by squat capacitors.

All the I/O

ASRock packed the Z390 Taichi's I/O panel with connectors, including dual Ethernet jacks, backed by gigabit-capable Intel controllers.

Golden Audio

The 7.1-channel audio ports are backed by ASRock's Purity Sound 4 package, which includes (among other features) a Realtek ALC1220 codec.

Cogs 'n' Gears

The three steel-wrapped PCI Express x16 slots sit alongside three Ultra M.2 slots and two PCI Express x1 slots, all of which backs up against the large, cog-shaped heatsink for the Z390 chipset.

Twins for CPU Power

ASRock put two CPU power connectors at the top of the board. One is a standard eight-pin ATX connector, while the other is a four-pin unit. Modern power supplies support this configuration, so it shouldn't be an issue if you're working with new hardware.

The In-Box Accessories

The Z390 Taichi's accessories package is light on the frills, which is becoming more common, even among high-end boards.

A Taichi Flipover

Motherboard makers sometimes slip an M.2 connector onto the back of a board, but ASRock isn't so pressed for space that it needs to use the board's back face for that. Unless you need to remove heatsinks, you won't need access to the back of the Z390 Taichi.

Hiding the Heatpipes

The heatsinks over the 12 power phases have multiple layers and two tones. The two heatsinks almost completely hide a heatpipe that runs between them.

Heatsink on Z390

ASRock also works in an RGB LED over the audio hardware and underneath the heatsink for the Z390 chipset, giving the board some mood-lit bling.

In Sum, a Spiffy Board for Z390

Overall, the Z390 Taichi is a solid choice with little in the way of downside, aside from the price. At $279, the Z390 Taichi is likely to find a home only in a robust budget, but we think it's worth stretching a bit to work into your build. It will deliver an attitude all its own.

About Our Expert

Josh Gulick

Josh Gulick

After being assigned to the computer-science wing of his college dormitory, Josh quickly became one of the most tech-savvy English majors around. Upon graduating, he began reviewing computers for the magazines Smart Computing and Computer Power User. After years of covering computer hardware and the PC-modding scene, Josh became Smart Computing’s publication editor. These days, Josh is back at his favorite job: testing new hardware. In his downtime, Josh can be found playing RTS games (poorly) or prepping for his next half-marathon (by obsessing about running shoes).

Read full bio