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.