Asrock amd x570 creator mega info

Details of this High-End motherboard has been pretty elusive so I thought I will share some for those interested.

Release Date: End of August 2019
Price ~$500


Form Factor: ATX

CPU: -Supports AMD AM4 socket Ryzen ™ 2000 and 3000 series processors- IR digital PWM -14 power phase design

Chipset: -X570

Memory: -Dual channel DDR4 memory technology- 4 x DDR4 DIMM slots-
AMD Ryzen series CPU (Matisse) DDR4 4666+ (OC) / 4400 (OC) / 4300 (OC) / 4266 (OC) / 4200 (OC) / 4133 (OC ) / 4000 (OC) / 3866 (OC) support / 3800 (OC) / 3733 (OC) / 3600 (OC) / 3466 (OC) / 3200/2933/2667/2400/2133 ECC and non-ECC, unbuffered Memory *
-AMD Ryzen series CPU (Pinnacle Ridge) DDR4 3600+ (OC) / 3466 (OC) / 3200 (OC) / 2933/2667/2400/2133 ECC and non-ECC, unbuffered memory support *
-AMD Ryzen series CPU (Picasso) Supports DDR4 3466+ (OC) / 3200 (OC) / 2933/2667/2400/2133 non-ECC, unbuffered memory *
15μ gold contact in DIMM slot

Memory Capacity: up to 128GB

BIOS: -256Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS (GUI supported) -Supports “Plug and Play” -ACPI 5.1 Compliance Wakeup Event -Jumper Free
-SMBIOS 2.3 Support
-CPU, VCORE_NB, DRAM, VPPM, PCH 1.05V, + 1.8V, VDDP Voltage multi-adjustment

Built-in Graphics: -AMD Radeon ™ Vega series graphics integrated into Ryzen series APU

  • Actual support may vary by CPU- DirectX 12, Pixel Shader 5.0
    -Shared memory defaults to 2GB. Maximum shared memory supports up to 16GB.
  • Maximum shared memory 16GB requires 32GB system memory installed.
    -HDMI 2.0: Up to 4K x 2K (4096x2160) @ 60Hz resolution-
    DisplayPort 1.4: Up to 4K x 2K (4096x2160) @ 120Hz resolution
  • The DisplayPort 1.4 input is used to connect a Type-C monitor.
    -Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC, and High Bit Rate Audio (HBR) on HDMI 2.0 port (requires compliant HDMI monitor)
    -Supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) on HDMI 2.0-HDMI
    2.0 and Supports HDCP 2.2 on DisplayPort 1.4 port-Supports
    4K Ultra HD (UHD) playback on HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports-Supports
    MicrosoftPlayReady®

Audio: -7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec)-Support for
Premium Blu-ray Audio-Supports
Surge Protection-Supports
Purity Sound ™ 4-
Nichicon Fine Gold Series Audio Cap- NE5532 Premium Head for Front Panel Audio Connector Set amplifier (supports up to 600 ohm headset)
-Pure power in -Direct
drive technology
-PCB insulation shield -Rear
output port impedance detection -Separate
PCB layer for R / L audio channel -Gold
audio jack-
15μ gold Audio connector-
Supports DTS Connect

Network: 1 x 10 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000/2500/5000/10000 Mb / s (AQUANTIA®AQC107):
-Supports Wake-On-LAN-Supports
lightning / ESD protection-Supports
PXE
1 x Gigabit LAN 10 / 100/1000 Mb / s (Intel®I211AT):
-Supports Wake-On-LAN-Supports
lightning / ESD protection-Supports
Energy Efficient Ethernet 802.3az-Supports
PXE

Wireless LAN: -Intel® 802.11ax WiFi module
-Supports IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ax -Supports
dual band (2.4 / 5 GHz)
-Supports WiFi6 802.11ax (2.4Gbps)
-2 (send) x 2 ( Receive) 2 antennas supporting diversity technology
-Support Bluetooth 5.0 + high speed class II
-Support MU-MIMO

Expansion Slot: AMD Ryzen series CPU (Matisse)
-3 x PCI Express 4.0 x16 slot (PCIE1 / PCIE4 / PCIE6: single with x16 (PCIE1), dual with x8 (PCIE1) / x8 (PCIE4), x8 (PCIE1) / x8 (PCIE4) / Triple x4 (PCIE6) *

AMD Ryzen series CPU (Pinnacle Ridge)
-3 x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIE1 / PCIE4 / PCIE6: Single with Gen3x16 (PCIE1), Dual with Gen3x8 (PCIE1) / Gen3x8 (PCIE4), Gen3x8 (PCIE1) / Gen3x8 (PCIE4) / Gen4x4 (PCIE6) triple) *

AMD Ryzen series CPU (Picasso)
-1 x PCI Express x16 slot (single with Gen3x8 (PCIE1) or Gen4x4 (PCIE6)) *

  • PCIe bandwidth Depends on the installed CPU.
  • Supports NVMe SSD as boot disk-

3 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot- Supports
AMD Quad CrossFireX ™, 3-Way CrossFireX ™ and CrossFireX ™
-Supports NVIDIA® Quad SLI ™ and SLI ™ **
-Dual NVIDIA® GeForce ®RTX Series Graphics Card Supports NVIDIA®NVLink ™
-1 x WiFi-802.11ax module (on back I / O) bundled with vertical M.2 socket (key E)
-15μ gold contact in VGA PCIe slot (PCIE1)

Storage: -4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb / s connectors, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10), NCQ, AHCI and hot plug-

Supports 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb / s connectors with ASMedia ASM1061, NCQ, AHCI and hot plug

-1 x Hyper M.2 socket (M2_1), up to Gen4x4 (64 Gb / s) (Mathis) or Gen3x4 (32 Gb / s) (supports M key type 2260/2280/22110 M.2 PCI Express module) Pinnacle Ridge and Picasso) *

-1 x Hyper M.2 socket (M2_2), M key type 2230/2242/2260/2280/22110 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb / s module and M up to Gen4x4 (64 Gb / s) .2 PCI Express module support *

  • Supports NVMe SSD as boot disk *
    ASRock U.2 kit

Internal Connector:
-1 x DisplayPort 1.4 input (DPIN2)
-1 x SPI TPM header-
1 x power LED and speaker header-
1 x AMD fan LED header

  • AMD fan LED header is compatible with regular RGB LED stripes.
  • AMD fan LED header supports LED strip with maximum load 3A (36W) and maximum 2.5M length.
    -1 x RGB LED header
  • Total up to 12V / 3A, support 36W LED strip
    -1 x Addressable LED header
  • Total up to 5V / 3A, support 15W LED strip
    -1 x CPU fan connector ( 4 pin)
  • CPU fan connector supports CPU fan with fan power up to 1A (12W).
    -1 x CPU / Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed ​​Control)
  • CPU / Water Pump Fan supports water cooler fan with fan power up to 2A (24W).
    -3 x Chassis / Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed ​​Control)
  • Chassis / Water Pump Fan supports water cooler fan with fan power up to 2A (24W).
  • CPU_FAN2 / WP, CHA_FAN1 / WP, CHA_FAN2 / WP and CHA_FAN3 / WP can auto detect if 3-pin or 4-pin fan is in use.
    -1 x 24-pin ATX power connector (high density power connector)
    -1 x 8-pin 12V power connector (high density power connector)
    -1 x 4-pin 12V power connector (high density power connector)
    -1 x front panel audio connector ( 15μ gold audio connector)
    -1 x USB 2.0 header (supports 2 USB 2.0 ports) (supports ESD protection)
    -2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 header (supports 4 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports) (supports ESD protection)
  • 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2 Header (Supports ESD Protection)
    -1 x Dr. Debug with
    LED-1 x Power Button
    with LED-1 x Reset Button with LED-1 x
    Clear CMOS Button

Rear Input / Output Port: -2 x antenna port-
1 x PS / 2 mouse / keyboard port-
1 x HDMI port-
1 x DisplayPort 1.4 input-
1 x optical SPDIF output port-
2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port (supports ESD protection)

  • 6 x USB 3.2 Gen1 ports (supports ESD protection)
  • The USB3_5_6 ports support ultra USB power.
  • ACPI wakeup function is not supported on USB3_5_6, TB_1, TB_2 ports.
    -2 x RJ-45 LAN port and LED (ACT / LINK LED and SPEED LED)
    -1 x BIOS flashback button
    -HD audio jack: Rear speaker / Central / Base / Line in / Front speaker / Mic (Gold audio jack)

Accessories: -Quick Installation Guide, Support CD, I / O Shield-
4 x SATA Data Cable-
1 x ASRock SLI_HB_Bridge_2S Card-
1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4 / 5 GHz Antenna-
1 x Right Angle Mini DisplayPort-DisplayPort Cable-
2 x M.2 Socket screw-
2 standoffs for M.2 socket

Warranty: 2 Years

2 Likes

x570_03 x570_05

1 Like

Decent board yep, but a little bit expensive.
But yeah comparable boards from other brands cost about the same.
Seems like only because of the addition of the 10Gb/e Aquantia nic.
Which is kinda hard to justify that $500,- price point i guess.

I do have to say that this particular board doesn’t really offer that much more,
over the Asrock X570 Phantom gaming X.
Other then the 10Gb/e Aquantia nic, the Phantom Gaming X comes with a 1Gb intel nic,
and a 2.5Gb Realtek nic.
And i believe an additional usb3.2 typeC port.
But other then that, the X570 Creator doesn’t offer that much more really.
Yeah it has a slightly better vrm on paper.
But in the realy world there won’t really be any noticeable difference really.

So yeah really pick your choice.

Is there any switches or anything out there to make this anything that makes sense, there is at least 10gbe stuff out there.

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Well to me its kinda useless i guess.
So yeah the Asrock X570 Taichi might even offer a better value for money here.

But of course the Asrock X570 Creator is a very nice board as well.
and you cannot blame Asrock for asking a similar premium price for it.
Because all other brands do the same thing when implementing the 10Gb/e nic.
So yeah if you could really benefit from having that 10Gb/e Aquantia nic,
or the additional usb3.2 type C connector.
Then sure its a very decent choice.

1 Like

Looks like a massive price increase for what is basically the X470 Taichi Ultimate successor.

I’m looking forward to this board mostly for the onboard Thunderbolt 3 support. I’ve had no end of issues with TB2 or 3 and ASUS AIC on their boards (I dread BIOS updates; they almost always equal another week spent getting the settings to work right - sometimes requiring stripping out all the drivers and loading them all back in just the right order). And the idea of Ryzen + TB3 + TPM + >1GB GBIC support just makes me happy. I might be able to drop the number of addon cards to two with this setup, which would be great.

Hope I’m not becoming blind but where did you see Thunderbolt on this motherboard? Couldn’t find a TB Header (?).

Edit: OK, DP 1.4 input that suggests Titan Ridge TB3.

I’ve been watching it for awhile - there is no TB3 header. The two Type C ports on the back are TB3 ports.

See https://www.funkykit.com/news/pc-computers/exclusive-asrock-x570-creator-motherboard-preview/ - second last paragraph.

I’ve been watching this board release for a good couple of months now solely because it has built-in TB3 not requiring an AIC unlike almost most other boards out there.

With the 10GBIC Ethernet support this is why this motherboard has such a price premium.

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That’s good to know - was kind of concerrned what to do if I was unable to solve the issues with my X570 Taichi and the Gigabyte GC-Titan Ridge AIC.

Does it also support 100 W Power Delivery?

That I honestly have no idea - I’m using TB3 for audio interfaces so that wasn’t a concern for me.

Buildzoid just released a video on Gamers Nexus going into the overall quality, overclocking and VRM layout etc vs other X570 boards. Good review of board hardware capability.

Yup i figured that out as well. :slight_smile:
So yeah aside from TB3 headers and the additional Aguantia nic.
i think it’s kinda still hard to justify the premium $500,- for it.
But still of course for the people that use those features, it will nice option.
Vrm wise it’s slightly better then the X570 Taichi and Phantom Gaming X,
but that isn 't really significant enough to make any huge difference in OC.

500 dollars… Points and laughs.

It will sit and collect dust on shelves just like the previous releases of the x570.

Na they still have the $1000,- useless Aqua as well.

If I did not care about pci-e 4, wifi ax, BT. 5.0 , I would not buy X570 at all :)~

Yup, i personally don’t care about wifi at all.
Because i have wired connection.

But still for those features you still don’t need to buy a $400+ board.
Like i stated a couple of times already, spending more then $350 to $400,
on a mainstream motherboard is totally ridicules if you ask me.

1 Like

How is the bandwidth for the TB3 ports distributed on the board? As far as I know, TB3 uses up to 4X pci-e 3.0. I can’t find any info on this in the manual… I would assume it eats a M.2 slot or am I missing something? :slight_smile:

Here’s my I/O breakdown based on the user manuals on Asrock’s website and Buildzoid’s video:

  • The three PCIe x16 slots can be configured as 16/0/4 or 8/8/4 with 1 or (2 & 3) cards respectively.

  • PCIE1 and PCIE4 are from the CPU
    PCIE6 comes from the chipset and is quite possibly shared with M2_2
    PCIE2, 3 & 5 come from the X570 as determined later on

  • Both M2 slots are PCIe x4.
    M2_1 is connected to the CPU and is always available
    M2_2 is connected to the chipset and also provides SATA capability for this slot

The Japanese manual indicates that PCIE5 (6?) is disabled when M2_3 (2?) is populated.
The above statement, and any mention of Thunderbolt are missing from the English manual.

Ryzen 3000 provides 20 usable PCIe 4.0 lanes, these are accounted for in PCIE1, PCIE4 and M2_1

This means everything else must come from X570, which has 16 downstream PCIe Gen 4 lanes so long as no more than the correct 4 SATA ports are used.

Lanes counts are:

  • 4 lanes for M2_2, and possibly PCIE6 -> PCIe Gen 4
  • 2 lanes for the M.2 E-key hosting the WiFi -> PCIe Gen 3
  • 2 lanes for the AQC107 -> PCIe Gen 3 (assumed from Gigabyte GC-AQC107)
  • 4 lanes for Titan Ridge -> PCIe Gen 3
  • 3 lanes for PCIE2, 3 & 5 -> assume PCIe Gen 2
  • 1 lane for the Intel I211AT -> PCIe Gen 2
  • 2x1 lanes for the dual ASM1061 -> PCIe Gen 2

This is a total of 18 lanes to drive.

Mass market PCIe Gen 4 packet switches are expensive at the moment, so we’ll say that anything Gen 4 or Gen 3 is directly connected to the X570. This consumes 12 lanes, leaving us with 4 lanes to drive into the remaining 6 PCIe Gen 2.0 x1 devices.

How might that be done? Without seeing the back of the board, I’m going to assume that the chip between PCIE3 and the battery in Buildzoid’s video is some sort of PCIe switch, perhaps something like the Asmedia ASM2812. I can’t say for certain, but from the shots on Asrock’s website and the press photos from May the chip is clearly Asmedia branded. I say ‘something like’ as the ASM2812 is only publically stated to come in a BGA package whereas that chip is quite clearly QFN. The ASM2812 is also quite conveniently a PCIe x4 upstream to 6x1 downstream switch, and this is an Asrock motherboard.

So, making the assumption that the x1 slots are PCIe Gen 2, a PCIe switch is used and the lowest PCIe slot is shared with M2_2 the inclusion of Thunderbolt isn’t eating any lanes.

I wonder how this would impact IOMMU groups, and when is Asrock going to update their manuals?

5 Likes

Thanks for taking the time to do the research required to answer my question. I would say your assessment seems very plausible, good work! :smiley: I’m still annoyed that the manuals doesn’t mention any of this though…