Well-connected ASRock X670E Steel Legend Wi-Fi update
ASRock’s X670E Steel Legend Wi-Fi is our next (and maybe last) AMD X670 evaluation on our current platform. We tested all Intel and AMD Steel Legend boards, ending with the X670E. The black, silver, and grey design has four M.2 sockets, four SATA ports, PCIe 5.0 (slot and socket), two NICs, and integrated Wi-Fi 6E. Finally, high-quality audio is provided.
As this platform progressed, ASRock offered five X670 SKUs. The top-of-the-line Taichi and Taichi Carrara, the mid-range Steel Legend, and the economical PG Lighting and Pro from X670 are available. For a smaller MicroATX or MiniITX form factor, use the B650 chipset or A620 boards. ASRock AM5-based motherboards include several features.
Most tests showed the X670E Steel Legend was average to above average. We saw its fastest performance in Procyon Office and gaming testing. Long-running multi-threaded functions are no problem for VRMs. Performance is fine out of the box.
Below, we’ll examine the board’s features to determine its place on our Best Motherboards list. Before we discuss testing and boards, we’ll list ASRock’s website specs.
Specifications: ASRock X670E Steel Legend Wi-Fi
| Socket | AM5 (LGA 1718) |
| Chipset | X670E |
| Form Factor | ATX |
| Voltage Regulator | 19 Phase (16x 60A SMS MOSFETs for Vcore) |
| Video Ports | (1) HDMI (v2.1) |
| Row 5 – Cell 0 | (1) DisplayPort (v1.4) |
| USB Ports | (1) USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (20 Gbps) |
| Row 7 – Cell 0 | (1) USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) |
| Row 8 – Cell 0 | (6) USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) |
| Row 9 – Cell 0 | (4) USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) |
| Network Jacks | (1) 1 GbE |
| Row 11 – Cell 0 | (1) 2.5 GbE |
| Audio Jacks | (2) Analog + SPDIF |
| Legacy Ports/Jacks | ✗ |
| Other Ports/Jack | ✗ |
| PCIe x16 | (1) v5.0 (x16) |
| Row 16 – Cell 0 | (1) v3.0 (x4) |
| PCIe x8 | ✗ |
| PCIe x4 | ✗ |
| PCIe x1 | (1) v 3.0 x1 |
| CrossFire/SLI | AMD CrossFire |
| DIMM Slots | (4) DDR5 7600+(OC), 192GB Capacity |
| M.2 Sockets | (1) PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) / PCIe (up to 80mm) |
| Row 23 – Cell 0 | (2) PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) / PCIe (up to 80mm) |
| Row 24 – Cell 0 | Supports RAID 0/1/10 |
| SATA Ports | (4) SATA3 6 Gbps (Supports RAID 0/1/10) |
| USB Headers | (1) USB v3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) Type-C |
| Row 27 – Cell 0 | (2) USB v3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) |
| Row 28 – Cell 0 | (2) USB v2.0 (480 Mbps) |
| Fan/Pump Headers | (6) 4-Pin (CPU, CPU/Water Pump, Chassis/water pump) |
| RGB Headers | (3) aRGB (3-pin) |
| Row 31 – Cell 0 | (1) RGB (4-pin) |
| Diagnostics Panel | (1) Post Status Checker (4 LEDs) |
| Internal Button/Switch | ✗ |
| SATA Controllers | ✗ |
| Ethernet Controller(s) | (1) Realtek Dragon RTL8125BG (2.5 GbE) |
| Row 36 – Cell 0 | (1) Realtek RTL8111 (1 GbE) |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | Wi-Fi 6E – 802.11ax, 160 MHz, MU-MIMO) |
| USB Controllers | Redriver for Front Panel 3.2 Gen 2×2 |
| HD Audio Codec | Realtek ALC1220 |
| DDL/DTS | ✗ / ✗ |
| Warranty | 3 Years |
Inside the ASRock X670E Steel Legend Wi-Fi Box
Inside the package, on a cardboard barrier on top of the motherboard, are some accessories to get you started without shopping. The user manual, two SATA cables, four M.2 screws/standoffs, and Wi-Fi antenna are included. For heavier video cards, ASRock supplies a motherboard graphics card holder.
Design of the ASRock X670E Steel Legend Wi-Fi
ASRock calls the Steel Legend a “philosophical state of rock-solid durability and irresistible aesthetics.” Black 8-layer PCBs with huge silver heatsinks and stencilled black-and-gray (nearly camouflage) design components target mainstream enthusiasts. The chipset and left VRM bank have Steel Legend branding, but it doesn’t light up like other SKUs.
Two RGB LED strips are on the X670E Steel Legend. One illuminates the Steel Legend branding on the chipset heatsink on the bottom of the board, while the other dwells under the SATA ports on the right edge. Bright LEDs and vivid colours create a light display inside your chassis. We appreciate the neutral aesthetic, which matches most build themes, but the board won’t win any awards.
Top half: The left VRM heatsink has a lot of mass and surface area to keep MOSFETs underneath running within spec. ASRock and Steel Legend branding and chipset mention are on top. Processor power comes from two 8-pin EPS connectors above the heatsinks (one required).
We encounter the first of six four-pin fan headers underneath the left VRM heatsink before moving right. The placement may seem odd, but it’s ideal for chassis rear fans. PWM and DC are supported by all fans. The CPU FAN1 can output 1A/12W, while the rest can handle 2A/24W. There’s enough power for fans or a custom water loop with fans and a pump.
After the socket, we find four reinforced DRAM slots with a top lock. Up to 192 GB of DDR5-7600 memory is supported. Our DDR5-5600 and DDR5-6000 kits worked OK, however our Temagroup DDR5-7200 kit didn’t, even though a faster (7600) kit with more capacity is mentioned. You’ll be fine with memory QVL kits.
Two more 4-pin fan headers are above the memory slots. Next, we see the first two 3-pin ARGB headers (the other and one RGB header are along). ASRock Polychrome Sync controls these devices.
The 4-LED Post Status Checker appears as we go down the right edge. The POST procedure illuminates the CPU, DRAM, VGA, and Boot LEDs. The LED stays lit if there’s a problem in one of those regions, giving people a basic sense. We then encounter the board’s 24-pin ATX connector, a 19-pin front panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) connection, and a Type-C connector.
X670E Steel Legend VRMs have 19 phases, 16 of which are Vcore. From the 8-pin EPS connectors, power goes to the Renesas RAA229628 20-phase PWM controller and the 16x 60A Intersil ISL99360 SPS MOSFETs. As with other boards with the similar setup, the 960A wasn’t the most powerful, but it handled our flagship Ryzen 9 7950X chip without issue.
On the lower left, the audio component shines. Three yellow audio capacitors and the Realtek ALC1220 codec are visible. No Faraday cages or sophisticated DACs/Amps, but the audio solution is fine for most people.
Midboard has three PCIe slots (two full-length and one x1) and four M.2 connectors. Top PCIe slots connect through the CPU to PCIe 5.0 x16. Through the chipset, the bottom full-length socket supports PCIe 3.0 x4. If you like multi-GPU systems, these two slots support AMD Crossfire. The tiny open-ended x1 slot uses chipset lanes and supports PCIe 3.0 x1. Understand your hardware needs and if PCIe 3.0 speeds limit them with these slots.
Four M.2 sockets surround the PCIe slots. Top socket M2_1 is your processor-connected PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) socket. The rest connect through the chipset and run at PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) with 80mm module support per socket. The right edge has four SATA ports. All SATA and M.2 ports support RAID0/1/10. Storage is abundant, especially M.2.
Many headers are revealed on the board’s bottom. Additional USB connections, RGB headers, and power/reset buttons are standard. A complete left-to-right list follows.
- Audio front panel
- RGB 4-pin header
- 3-pin ARGB header
- 5-pin Thunderbolt AIC connector
- (2) System fan headers
- Clear CMOS jumper
- (2) 2.0 USB headers
- Fan system header
- Talker heading
- Panel header
Like most high-end models, the X670 Steel Legend’s motherboard has a back IO plate. It has the same black, white, and grey background and black labels as similar boards. However, the back IO has 12 USB slots. Plenty of ports include a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) Type-C port, a Type-A port, six Gen 1 (5 Gbps) connections, and four USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) ports. HDMI and DisplayPort ports are for video, whereas 2.5 GbE and 1 GbE are for networking. Also present are Wi-Fi 6E antenna connectors. Last, the audio stack has two analogue and SPDIF ports.
[…] advances than can be found in the Dimensity 9300 and 9200 is two times as wide as the previous Wi-Fi 6/6E protocol which had been previously in use. It can handle up to 320MHz of channel bandwidth. […]