I would like to thank Silverstone for supplying the review sample.
SilverStone has a pretty diverse range of FARA cases, with the B1 Pro variant we are reviewing today offering a semi-translucent, solid front and small air vents along with four ARGB fans. Otherwise, it is meant to be a mainstream chassis with just a black version available, but you may opt for the non-Pro version, which is cheaper as it lacks ARGB fans. Besides the B1, there are also the V1 M for mATX boards or the R1 with a mesh front, for example.
Specifications
SilverStone FARA B1 PRO
Case Type:
Mid-Tower
Material:
Steel, plastic, and tempered glass
Weight:
5.75 kg
Slots:
7
Drive Bays:
1x Internal 3.5″ 4x Internal 2.5″
Motherboard Form Factors:
Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX
Dimensions:
207 mm (W) x 446 mm (H) x 401 mm (D), 37 Liters
Front Door/Cover:
N/A
Front Fans:
3x 120 or 2x 140 mm (3x 120 mm ARGB fans pre-installed)
Popular memory maker G.Skill just announced its first PC case ever, the Z5i, a mini-ITX enclosure that features dual tempered glass side panels and a vertical form factor, with enough room to fit a triple slot RTX 3090. So, not-so-mini-ITX I guess.
G.Skill’s first go at building an ITX chassis looks very competitive against other rivals in the market. The layout of the case is both conventional and rather unique. The chassis functions on a dual-chamber design, with one chamber dedicated to the mini-ITX motherboard and SFX PSU, and the other is completely dedicated to a discrete graphics card.
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On both sides of the case, you have angled tempered glass side panels that are 4mm thick. They swing out like doors when opened and can easily be taken off their hinges by pulling them upward. The rest of the case is made out of a single piece of brushed aluminum. The front I/O is made up of dual USB 3.0 ports and a single 3.1 Type-C port.
For cooling, there are two 140mm intake mounts for dual 140mm fans or a single 280mm radiator, depending on your configuration. Again, not so mini-ITX in practice, but it’s a nice option for people that want a powerful PC in the most compact form factor possible. The intake is aluminum but features a lot of triangle-like holes, so airflow shouldn’t be a problem. At the top is a full mesh opening, allowing hot air to escape.
For storage, the Z5i has three 2.5-inch slots for SSDs or smaller HDDs. The first two are located directly behind the intake fans and sit in between the two chambers, the final one is located inside the graphics card chamber.
The case also includes a G.Skill logo with RGB lighting, as well as an RGB light bar that bounces light off your desk. All told, it’s an attractive looking take on a large ITX case.
Pricing and availability are unknown at this time, but we’ll see about reviewing one when they become available.
In a world where the vast majority of all-in-one and small form-factor PCs rely on proprietary motherboards, the Thin Mini-ITX form-factor is not particularly widespread, making it difficult for PC shops and DIY enthusiasts to build AIO and SFF computers. However, Thin-Mini-ITX motherboards are not going the way of the dodo, and ASRock’s recently announced AM4 X300TM-ITX is a good example of continued interest in the platform.
The ASRock X300TM-ITX platform combines compatibility with AMD’s Ryzen APUs (up to Zen 2-based Ryzen 4000-series) with an expansive feature set, including a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C connector, a COM port, and an LVDS header, all of which are rather exotic for what are typically inexpensive Thin Mini-ITX motherboards.
Furthermore, the COM port and LVDS header make this platform useful for commercial systems that actually need these types of connectivity. ASRock doesn’t officially position the motherboard for business or commercial PCs, but it does support AMD Ryzen Pro APUs, so you can certainly use it to build a PC with Pro-class features.
As the name suggests, ASRock’s X300TM-ITX motherboard is based on a rather dated AMD X300 chipset that was originally designed for entry-level systems aimed at overlockers, but it still supports the vast majority of AMD’s APUs with an (up to) 65W TDP (except the upcoming Ryzen 5000-series processors). The board also supports up to 64GB of DDR4-3200 memory across two SO-DIMM memory modules, an M.2-2280 slot for SSDs with a PCIe 3.0x or a SATA interface, and one SATA connector.
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ASRock aims the X300TM-ITX motherboard at thin entry-level systems that don’t typically use discrete graphics cards, so it doesn’t have a PCIe x16 slot for an add-in card. Instead, the platform uses AMD’s integrated Radeon Vega GPUs. Meanwhile, the LVDS header supports resolutions of up to 1920×1080 at 60Hz, whereas the HDMI 2.1 connector supports HDCP 2.3. There is no word about DisplayPort support over the USB Type-C connector, and you should be aware that HDMI-to-DisplayPort adapters may not work with all displays.
ASRock’s X300TM-ITX has an M.2-2230 slot for a Wi-Fi card along with a GbE port. It also has USB Type-A connectors as well as a 3.5-mm audio input and output.
The platform is already mentioned on the manufacturer’s website, so it should be available for purchase soon. Unfortunately, ASRock didn’t touch on pricing in its press release.
For those looking for the best motherboard for a compact Rocket Lake build, we’ll be diving deep here to examine and test three Mini-ITX motherboards based on Intel’s latest mainstream chipset, Z590. We’ll take a close look at the ASRock Z590 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB4 (~$350), Asus ROG Strix Z590-I Gaming WiFi ($369.99), and the Gigabyte Z590I Aorus Ultra ($321.49). We couldn’t get our hands on the MSI Z590I Unify Gaming ($369.99) in time for this article, but we expect that board to arrive in the coming weeks and post a review when we can.
When you’re shopping for a Mini-ITX motherboard (see more on motherboard form factors here), chances are the case you use is going to be compact as well. This means limited CPU cooling options and, due to the size of the board, fewer Memory and PCIe slots and M.2 sockets. That said, these tiny builds can be portable powerhouses when done right. But you need to have solid power delivery and cooling and pick the right ITX board for your needs, as using an add-in card (beyond the GPU) to supplement any missing ports isn’t possible. We’ll take a detailed look at the three boards we have and see which is the best option overall.
In our testing, all boards performed well, easily mixing in with our other test results, including full-size and more-expensive options. Out of the box, the ASRock board is the most hamstrung by Intel’s power limits, while the other boards tend to run a bit more free in comparison. But all you need to do to get the ASRock up to par with the other boards is to raise its power limits. The performance difference was negligible outside of the long-running tests, where the turbo time/limits come into play. Gaming performance was similar among all the boards, as was memory bandwidth and latency testing. Outside of a couple of outliers, all boards performed similarly, especially when the playing field was leveled by removing the stock limits.
All three of our Mini-ITX boards include two DRAM slots, a single PCIe slot, two M.2 sockets, 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi. The difference between these boards boils down to appearance, Wi-Fi speeds, audio codec, SATA port count, power delivery capability, rear IO port type/count and price. We’ll dig into the features and other details on each board below, starting with the ASRock Z590 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB4. Below are the specifications from ASRock.
Along with the motherboard, the ASRock Z590 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB4 box includes a slim collection of accessories, though there’s enough to get you started. Below is a complete list of all included extras.
Support CD / Quick installation Guide
Wi-Fi Antenna
(2) SATA cables
(2) Screw package for M.2 sockets
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After we took this little guy out of the box, we see a densely packed Mini-ITX board that comes with almost all of the features typically found on a full-size motherboard. The ITX/TB4 sports a matte-black PCB, along with a heatpipe-connected heatsink for the VRM. You can spot the Phantom Gaming theme easily, with branding located above vent holes on the rear IO as well as the chipset/M.2 heatsink, just above the PCIe slot. On the RGB LED front, the Z590 PG-ITX/TB4 has three LEDs on the underside of the board, behind the PCIe slot. ASRock’s Polychrome Sync application controls the lighting. Overall, I like the board’s appearance. It’s is improved over the last generation and won’t have any issues fitting in with most build themes.
(Image credit: ASRock)
Typically when discussing motherboards, they’re split into the top half and bottom half. But since these boards are so small, we’ll work in a clockwise motion starting on the left with the IO cover. Here we see the metal cover hiding all of the rear IO bits, as well as a small fan designed to dissipate heat. The top and the rear IO plate have holes in them to circulate the air from the fan.
Across the top of the motherboard is the 8-pin EPS connector (required) to power the CPU. Just to the right is a 3-pin ARGB header and three 4-pin fan headers. The CPU and Chassis fan headers support 1A/12W, while the CPU_Opt/Water pump connector doubles that to 2A/24W. ASRock states the CPU_OPT/W_Pump header auto-detects if a 3-pin or 4-pin fan is in use. I would like to see all of the fan/pump headers auto-detect what’s attached.
Moving past the VRMs to the right side of the board, there are several headers, ports and slots. Starting with the two unreinforced DRAM slots, support is listed to 64GB with speeds up to 4266+(OC). Surprisingly this is lower than many ATX size boards (typically, these smaller boards offer better RAM clocking capabilities) and lower than the other two boards in this roundup. That said, the ASRock board ran our DDR4 4000 sticks with minimal adjustments (that same VccIO Memory +0.10 for the ASRock board we looked at previously), so for the majority of users, the limit (on paper) won’t be an issue.
On the right edge, from top to bottom, is the 24-pin ATX connector for board power, front panel header and 4-pin RGB header, USB 3.2 Gen 1 header, three SATA ports (supports RAID0, 1, 5 and 10), and a front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C header. Above the 24-pin ATX are the debug LEDs that tell you where the board got hung up in the POST process. Since there isn’t any room for the 2-character LED that provides you more detailed information, this is a good value-add for troubleshooting.
On the bottom of the board is the single reinforced (ASRock Steel Slot) PCIe slot with extra anchors, a better latch, and signal stability improvements (according to the company). The slot runs the full PCIe 4.0 x16 bandwidth when using an 11th generation CPU. Located above the slot is a USB 2.0 header and the front-panel audio header.
The bottom-left corner holds the audio bits. Visible are a couple of audio capacitors (in yellow) while the Realtek ALC1220 hides the IO cover. While this is a premium audio chip, it’s last generation’s flagship; I would like to have seen the newest codec used as we see on the Asus. That said, this solution will still be sufficient for most users.
Just above this slot is a dual-purpose heatsink designed to keep the southbridge chip and an M.2 module cool. Simply unscrew the two visible screws and it exposes the PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) M.2 socket. The second M.2 socket sits on the back of the board, supports both PCIe and SATA-based modules, and does not have a heatsink on it. Both sockets support 80mm drives. The M.2 sockets support RAID0 and 1. The manual doesn’t list any lane sharing, which makes sense considering the three SATA ports here, when the chipset provides six natively.
(Image credit: ASRock)
ASRock chose an 8-phase configuration for Vcore on this little board. You won’t find any VRM doublers as in this direct setup. Power flows from the 8-pin EPS to a Renesas ISL69269 12-channel (X+Y+Z=12) controller, then on to the 90A ISL99390 Smart Power Stages. The 720A available for the CPU is enough for stock operation and even overclocking our Core i9-11900K processor (with ambient cooling).
Typically we list all of the buttons and headers along the bottom of the board, but due to the Mini-ITX design, we covered this already during the motherboard tour above.
(Image credit: ASRock)
Taking a look at the integrated rear IO plate, we see it sports the same styling found on the Z490 version: primarily a grey-and-black background with some red highlights matching the Phantom Gaming theme. From left to right are the DisplayPort (v1.4) and HDMI (v2.0) ports for use when working off the integrated GRAPHICS in your CPU. Next are four USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports and a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) port and one ultra-fast Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps) Type-C port. In blue is the Killer E3100G LAN port and a small Clear CMOS button. In the middle, we see holes for venting air from the hidden fan (which is inaudible, by the way), the Wi-Fi 6E antenna mounts and the 5-plug + SPDIF audio stack.
Firmware
The BIOS theme in the Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB4 matches the Z590 PG Velocita we recently reviewed, sporting a black/red theme. As usual, we capture a majority of the BIOS screens to share with you. ASRock includes an Easy Mode for high-level monitoring and adjustments, along with an Advanced section. The BIOS is organized well, with many of the more commonly used functions accessible without drilling down multiple levels to find them. Here you adjust the Memory, Voltage, and CPU details in separate sections, but it’s all on the first page of each section. In the end, the BIOS worked well and was easy to navigate and read.
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Software
On the software side, ASRock includes a few utilities that cover overclocking and monitoring (PG-Tuning), audio (Nahimic 3), software for updating drivers and downloading applications (App Shop), and of course, RGB control (Polychrome RGB). We did not run into any issues in our limited use of the applications.
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Before we get to the performance for this board and its competitors, we’ll detail the other two models as well. Next up is the Asus ROG Strix Z590-I Gaming WiFi.
I would like to thank Zalman for supplying the review sample.
The Zalman X3 has been around for a hot minute, but that does not make us less excited to review it. Released in early 2020, the X3 represents Zalman’s approach of including some unique DNA to have their case stand out in the crowded case market. It is available in black or white, with the white variant our sample for this review.
Minisforum is known for its ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF), highly integrated PCs primarily designed for offices or living rooms. Apparently, the company does not want to stop there. This week, it introduced a rather extraordinary product for itself. Not only is the Minisforum GameMini an attempt at cracking our best gaming PCs list, but it’s also an open-case gaming PC aimed at enthusiasts.
The Minisforum GamiMini appears to be quite a powerful rig. It uses Gigabyte’s Aorus B550I Pro AX motherboard carrying an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X (6 CPU cores,12 threads, clock speed of 3.70 GHz – 4.60 GHz, 32MB of L3 cache, 65W). The board also packs 32GB of dual-channel DDR4-3200 RAM and a 1TB Kingston KC2500 M.2 SSD. The system is also equipped with an AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics card sitting on the opposite side to the motherboard. The PC is powered by SilverStone’s SX650-G power supply, so it can be upgraded fairly easily.
Since the GamiMini is an open system, Minisforum doesn’t have to worry too much about cooling the Ryzen 5 5600X, a 65W CPU that can pretty hot, or the rather power-hungry Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics card that’s rated for up to 230W TGP. Both components use rather modest air coolers.
As far as connectivity is concerned, Minisforum’s GameMini has everything that we come to expect from a Mini-ITX PC these days. The Aorus B550I Pro AX motherboard has a Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 module, a GbE port and multiple USB connectors.
Minisforum traditionally funds development of its PCs using a crowdfunding platform, so it hasn’t yet discussed pricing of its GameMini or a final release date.
A Twitter user has shared the first photographs of the AMD 4700S Desktop Kit. The 4700S processors are widely thought to be defective chips that didn’t make their way into the Xbox Series X, but AMD has declined to comment on that aspect.
AMD doesn’t officially list the 4700S on its website, so the processor’s specifications are unknown to the public. However, a couple of convincing benchmarks and retailer listings helped us put the pieces together. Based on the Zen 2 microarchitecture, the AMD 4700S wields eight cores and 16 threads with a 8MB L3 cache. We’ve spotted the 4700S operating with a 3.6 GHz base clock and a boost clock that peaks at 4 GHz. The octa-core chip is paired with 16GB of what appears to be GDDR6 memory.
According to a retailer’s listing, the AMD 4700S is slower than the Ryzen 7 4750G (Renoir) in both single-and multi-threaded performance. Although the 4700S loses to the Core i7-9700 in single-threaded performance as well, the AMD chip delivers higher multi-threaded performance.
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The AMD 4700S Desktop Kit resides on a tiny, green motherboard, although we’re uncertain if it conforms to the standard mini-ITX form factor. It draws power from a standard 24-pin connector and 8-pin EPS connector. The motherboard doesn’t offer memory slots of any kind, which seems to confirm our suspicion about the usage of soldered GDDR6 memory chips. It features a custom heatsink and a small cooling fan. Given the size of the heatsink’s backplate, the GDDR6 memory chips may be located at the backside of the motherboard.
Like the typical mini-ITX motherboards on the market, the AMD 4700S Desktop Kit provides a single PCIe 3.0 x16 expansion slot for you to add a discrete graphics card. We suspect that AMD added the slot because the iGPU inside the 4700S is either disabled or defective.
There are a total of eight USB ports on the AMD 4700S Desktop Kit. The black ones are obviously USB 2.0 and the red ones are likely USB 3.0, although we don’t know the exact specification of the latter. The motherboard also provides three 3.5mm audio connectors and one Ethernet port.
We’ve seen the AMD 4700S Desktop Kit selling for around $317.38 at a Finnish retailer. Unfortunately, we’ve been unable to find the kit in the U.S. market to verify its pricing. And since AMD’s keeping a tight lip around the 4700S, we’ll just have to wait until the next clue pops up.
ASRock’s Z590 Taichi is a well-rounded premium mid-range motherboard, with more-than-capable power delivery, Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports, three M.2 sockets, Intel- and Killer-based networking, including Wi-Fi 6E.
For
+ Unique style
+ Killer 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi 6E Networking
+ Robust 90A power delivery
+ 2x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports (40 Gbps)
Against
– Last gen audio codec
– Only eight rear USB ports
– PCIe 4.0 M.2 compatibility issues
Features and Specifications
The latest in a long line of Taichi boards, ASRock’s Z590 Taichi for Intel’s latest Rocket Lake CPUs includes improved power delivery, fast Killer-based networking, eight SATA ports, native PCIe 4.0 for the GPU and M.2 socket, and improved aesthetics. Landing at $459.99, this upper-midrange board may be out of range for some users. But if you want to spend this much, this is a feature-rich and capable Z590 board.
ASRock’s Z590 lineup is similar to the previous-generation Z490 product stack. At the time we wrote this, ASRock had 12 Z590 motherboards listed. At the top is Z590 Taichi, followed by the PG Velocita we’re looking at here, and three Phantom Gaming boards, including a Micro-ATX option. Additionally, there are two professional boards in the Z590 Pro4 and Z590M Pro4, two Steel Legend boards, two Extreme boards (also more on the budget end), and a Mini-ITX board rounds out the product stack. Between price, size, looks, and features, ASRock should have a board that works for everyone looking to dive headlong into Rocket Lake.
Performance testing on the Taichi went without a hitch, producing results aligned with the other tested boards. Game performance was on the slower side of things, but the meager difference will be tough to notice unless you’re benchmarking. The memory, which uses Gear 1 on the latest BIOS, is where the Taichi shined. That said, outside of the benchmarks, again you won’t notice the difference. Overall, the Taichi performed well compared to other tested Z590 boards.
The Z590 Taichi is a nice improvement over the previous Taichi, between the improved appearance and cool moving gear feature, it is one of the better-looking Z590 boards. But looks aren’t everything. The Taichi comes with two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports (40 Gbps), eight SATA ports, Killer-based Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5 GbE, and a graphics card support bar. We’ll check out these details and other features below. But first, here are the full specs from ASRock.
Specifications – ASRock Z590 Taichi
Socket
LGA 1200
Chipset
Z590
Form Factor
ATX
Voltage Regulator
14 Phase (12+2, 90A MOSFETs)
Video Ports
(1) HDMI (2.0)
(2) Thunderbolt 4
USB Ports
(2) USB 4.0 Thunderbolt 4 Type-C (40 GB/s)
(2) USB 3.2 Gen 2, Type-A (10 Gbps)
(3) USB 3.2 Gen 1, Type-A (5 Gbps)
Network Jacks
(2) 2.5 GbE and 1 GbE
Audio Jacks
(5) Analog + SPDIF
Legacy Ports/Jacks
✗
Other Ports/Jack
✗
PCIe x16
(3) v4.0 x16, (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, or x8/x8/x4 (PCIe 3.0)
Inside the box, along with the motherboard, you’ll find cables, the graphics support bar and even a second VRM fan and an additional bracket to add your own 40mm fan. The included accessories should get you up and running without having to scramble and head to the store. Below is a complete list of all included extras.
Support DVD / Quick installation Guide
Graphics card holder
Wi-Fi Antenna
(4) SATA cables
(3) Screw package for M.2 sockets
(3) Standoffs for M.2 sockets
Wireless dongle USB bracket
3010 Cooling Fan with bracket
4010 Cooling Fan bracket
Wireless dongle USB bracket
ASRock Screwdriver (Torx)
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After removing the Z590 Taichi from the box and setting it up, one of the first things I noticed was the addition of the moving gears above the IO area. During POST, the watch-like gears rotate, which gives this board a unique design aesthetic–although your system will need to be sitting at eye level with a clear side panel to notice this. The VRM heatsinks are connected via heatpipe and use active cooling (in the form of a small integrated fan) to keep temperatures in check. The bottom half of the matte-black, 8-layer PCB is covered in heatsinks and shrouds for the M.2 sockets.
You’ll find RGB lighting elements under the IO cover, chipset heatsink, and on the right edge of the board. The RGBs are bright and saturated, adding a significant glow from under the board. Control over the RGB is provided by ASRock’s Polychrome Sync software. In the end, the Z590 Taichi’s appearance has improved over the last generation and shouldn’t have issues fitting in with most build themes.
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Focusing on the top half of the board and starting on the left side, we get a closer look at the unique gear design. The black half gear/counterweight slowly ticks when powering the board up and stops once POST completes. The cogwheel spins either clockwise or counterclockwise via a small motor. In the BIOS, you’re able to adjust the time between rotations (5/10/30/60 minute intervals and off). Although this is clearly a gimmick, it’s truly a unique design aesthetic. Just below this is the Taichi name lit up by RGB lighting.
The VRM heatsinks are large and actively cooled with a small fan hidden inside the left bank. Just above this are the two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) for powering the CPU. Just to the right of the socket area are the unreinforced DRAM slots. The board supports up to 128GB of RAM at speeds listed to DDR4 5000 when using an 11th generation CPU (lower with a 10th gen). Just above the DRAM slots is the first RGB header. In this case, it’s 3-pin ARGB.
Just to the right is the first 4-pin fan header. This particular header happens to be the Chassis/Water Pump connector and supports 2A/24W. The CPU fan headers are located mid-board above the first M.2 socket. The CPU connector supports up to 1A/12W, while the CPU_Fan2/WP3A supports 3A/36W. The rest of the connectors support up to 2A/24W. These headers have plenty of available power to connect your fans and water pump, without overloading the board.
Making our way down the right edge, we find the 24-pin ATX connector for board power, two front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers (one vertical, the other horizontal) and the front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C header. Last, in white, is the first 3-pin RGB header.
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The Z590 Taichi sports a 12-phase VRM setup for the CPU. The 8-pin EPS connector(s) send power to the Renesas ISL69269 12-channel (X+Y+Z=12) controller, then on to six ISL6617A phase doublers. Last but not least is the 12 90A Renesas ISL99390B Smart power stages. This configuration supports up to 1080A for the CPU, which is plenty for stock and overclocked operation, including extreme (read: sub-ambient) overclocking. The power delivery on this board will not get in your way. Again, this board also includes an additional fan for the VRM. After testing without it, we chose not to use it as there wasn’t a need and it would only increase the noise profile, which was quiet without it. Temperatures were well within operating range throughout all testing.
(Image credit: ASRock)
Moving down to the bottom half of the board, we’ll again start on the left side with audio. Hidden below a plastic shroud is the Realtek ALX1220 codec – a last-generation flagship solution. I would like to have seen the latest generation codec (not that most will notice the difference) for this price. We can also see the audio separation line from the other parts of the board and the red WIMA audio caps. The Taichi also includes an ESS ES9218 Sabre DAC supporting up to 600 Ohm headphones and 130dB SNR.
In the middle of the board are three full-length, reinforced PCIe slots along with a single x1 size slot. Between them are heatsinks for the three M.2 sockets and shrouds covering the board. When using an 11th gen CPU, the top two PCIe slots support PCIe 4.0 speeds. The top PCIe slot runs at x16 while the second slot runs at a maximum of x8 — both are CPU connected. The bottom full-length slot is connected to the chipset and runs at PCIe 3.0 x4. The board supports AMD Quad CrossfireX, 3-Way CrossFireX and CrossfireX. No mention of NVIDIA SLI, even though the board is wired to support it.
On the M.2 storage front, the Taichi includes three sockets. The top M2_1 is the Hyper socket (PCIe 4.0 x4, 64 Gbps) and supports 80mm PCIe-based modules. M2_2 supports both SATA and PCIe modules up to PCIe 3.0 x4 (32 Gbps), up to 80mm long. The bottom socket, M2_3, supports 110mm SATA or PCIe modules up to PCIe 3.0 x4. M2_2 shares lanes with SATA port 0/1. If either one is in use, the others are disabled. M2_3 shares lanes with SATA ports 4/5 and the bottom PCIe slot. If either is in use, the others will be disabled. You can have three M.2 devices and up to 4 SATA ports running concurrently.
Note, though, that I had trouble with the PCIe 4.0-based Phison drive we use for testing. Using the latest BIOS, version 1.63 for me, the top M.2 socket that runs PCIe 4.0 doesn’t recognize the drive. The Phison storage drive works just fine on all of the other PCIe 3.0 sockets and other boards’ PCIe 4.0 M.2 sockets. We’re not sure if this is limited to the Phison drives, as they are the only PCIe 4.0 M.2 drives I have in-house. We’ve let ASRock know and they are working on the issue. It’s likely that a BIOS update will resolve this problem.
Finally, to the right of the PCIe slots and M.2 sockets is the chipset heatsink. Here we get a close look at the unique pattern found on the heatsinks. It’s almost like a rough wood grain type of finish, quite unique. To the right of it are the eight SATA ports, two of them managed by an ASMedia ASM1061 controller, with the rest connected to the southbridge. Just below are two more fan headers. The included GPU support bracket mounts in this area to the ATX screw holes in the middle and bottom of the board. This is a nice value-add in these days of huge and heavy cards. Now if only ASRock could do something about how much modern high-end cards weigh on our wallets.
Across the board’s bottom are several headers, including more USB ports, fan headers and more. Below is the complete list, from left to right:
Front-panel audio
RGB and ARGB headers
(2) Chassis fan headers
Clear CMOS jumper
TPM
(2) USB 2.0 headers
Dr. Debug LED
Reset/Power buttons
Clear CMOS button
Temperature sensor, water flow headers
Front panel header
(Image credit: ASRock)
Looking at the rear IO, we see the pre-attached IO plate matches the colors and design theme of the rest of the board. One thing that jumps out is the 5-plug plus SPDIF audio stack’s location: It sits in the middle. Typically this is on the right edge/bottom, but in most cases the odd placement shouldn’t be a cause for concern. From left to right, we have the BIOS Flashback button to flash the bios without a CPU, the Wi-Fi antenna connections and an HDMI (v2.0) port for the integrated video. Next are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and the audio stack mentioned above.
On the networking front, the Intel-based Ethernet port is black, while the Killer 2.5 GbE port is blue. Below those are two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. At the bottom are two Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports that support up to 40 Gbps throughput. They also double as additional video outputs. Curiously, these aren’t labeled as Thunderbolt here. On the far right are the last two USB ports that run at USB 3.2 Gen 1 speeds.
I would like to thank AZZA for supplying the review sample.
The AZZA Cast 808 we are reviewing may look like a classic ATX mid-tower with a somewhat open frame design, but there is a bit more than meets the eye. Its two-hinged parts of the outer shell and ability to separate the frame from that shell make the case more than that. AZZA initially designed the Cast 808 with the thought that one could switch out the shell—say, for a modded variant of your own—while keeping all the components within the internal frame untouched. While that may be a bit far-fetched for the ordinary user, you at least get to pick between the white and black version. We are reviewing the black AZZA Cast 808 in this article.
Specifications
AZZA Cast 808
Case Type:
ATX Full-Tower
Material:
Steel, aluminium
Weight:
10.9 kg
Slots:
6x horizontal / 3x vertical
Drive Bays:
1x Internal 2.5/3.5″ 2x Internal 2.5″
Motherboard Form Factors:
Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, ATX
Dimensions:
470 mm x 220 mm x 460 mm
Front Door/Cover:
N/A
Front Fans:
3x 120 or 2x 140 mm (optional)
Rear Fans:
1x 120 mm (1x 120 mm AZZA Hurricane III ARGB Fan included)
Top Fans:
N/A
Bottom Fans:
N/A
Side Fans:
N/A
Front Radiator:
360 mm / 280 mm
Rear Radiator:
120 mm
Top Radiator:
N/A
Bottom Radiator:
N/A
Side Radiator:
N/A
I/O:
1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C 2x USB 3.0 1x Headphone 1x Microphone
SilverStone Milo 10 is a tiny PC case that supports a Mini-ITX motherboard – and when we say ‘tiny’ what we really mean is ‘less than four litres in capacity.’ You won’t be shocked to learn that Milo 10 does not support a graphics card and requires the use of an external power brick, but despite that you have a number of options and it is surprisingly versatile.
Watch the video via our VIMEO Channel (Below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE
Main features
Super small at only 2.7 litres or 3.6 litres depending on configuration
Includes interchangeable top covers for altering case size to accommodate various components
Includes VESA mounting plate for integration with monitors
Supports standard sized Mini-ITX motherboard
Supports slim optical drive with interchangeable bezel
Specification:
Motherboard support: Mini-ITX.
CPU cooler support: Between 29mm and 63mm depending on configuration of storage and top cover.
Expansion slots: None.
Included fans: None
Fan mounts: 1x 120mm/140mm in top cover.
Radiator mounts: None.
Optical drive bay: Slimline laptop ODD.
Internal drive bays: 1x 3.5-inch/2x 2.5-inch.
Front I/O: 2x USB 3.0 ports
Dimensions: 453mm H x 227mm D x 196mm W x 63mm H with standard top cover or 84mm H with Elevated cover.
We faced a dilemma during our build as we have a reasonable selection of Mini-ITX motherboards and a huge pile of CPUs, but finding an APU that is sub-65W nearly defeated us. In essence you can take AMD off the table and are forced to turn to Intel.
When you are working with relatively small items such as the SilverStone Milo 10 the regular form is use a banana for scale, however Leo was determined to get his hands in the picture to better illustrate the tiny size of this case.
This is probably the first (and last) time we will skip thermal testing during a case review as your choice of APU and cooler will make a huge difference to the results, along with the types of workload you perform. If you install an Intel Core i3-10300 and merely update spreadsheets or watch videos on YouTube, you will barely stress the CPU. We felt bad running 3D Mark Fire Strike for the video and simply did not have the heart to run Blender.
Closing Thoughts
Building a PC inside the SilverStone Milo 10 can be a fiddly process, although it gets easier with repetition, and you will find the situation improves if you choose your components wisely.
You will have noted our single biggest gripe with the SilverStone Milo 10 is its reliance on an APU with a relatively low power draw as that is a complete change in direction for us folk at KitGuru. The obvious choices for us would be an AMD Ryzen 5 5600G or Ryzen 7 5700G, however they are not on sale to the public and are exclusively in the hands of system integrators.
For that reason we doubt many home enthusiasts will line up to buy the Milo 10 case and its matching SilverStone AD120-DC DC board and external AC adapter combo kit, unless they have amazingly specific requirements that centre around the tiny form factor of this case.
On the other hand we can easily imagine system integrators using the SilverStone Milo 10 to deliver low powered PCs to offices, hotels and shops where space is at a premium.
While we are all in favour of small form factor PCs, they typically weigh in at 10-20 litres in volume and allow you a fair degree of latitude with your choice of hardware. By contrast the sub-4 litre Milo 10 is a more challenging proposition that is best suited to a customer who is simply unable to compromise in their pursuit of a tiny PC.
You can buy the SilverStone Milo 10 for £44.99 HERE.
Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.
Pros:
Pricing for the case is cheap, but you also have to factor in the DC power converter.
Supports a range of storage up to 3.5-inch HDD.
Supports a 120mm/140mm fan in the top cover.
Cons:
Requires an APU to provide graphics.
Limited to 65W TDP.
Requires an ITX motherboard which is limiting and probably expensive too.
KitGuru says: SilverStone Milo 10 requires the careful selection of an APU, motherboard, cooler and storage.
A so-called scratch build is one that’s been designed and built from the ground up, without the use of a pre-existing case. That’s what Menhir is: a scratch build made of 8mm sheet aluminum and Ayous wood.
As the name suggests, my source of inspiration while designing this were the vertical monoliths called Menhir, thanks to their peculiar shape.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
The idea was to make a mini-ITX case with a compact footprint, that could house a big graphics card (RTX 2070 Super Strix) and a capable watercooling loop (dual 240mm radiators), and the vertical design was the best fit for the feat, since I also wanted to have an exotic looking build. Another goal was to achieve a design that may very well go in a home environment, hence the choice of using wood to give it a warmer feel.
In this article I’ll show the whole process behind the making of Menhir. Let’s get started!
Making the 3D Model
Since I started using a CNC router for my projects, I had to learn how to use Fusion 360 to come up with my designs and custom parts. So now the first step into any new project is actually brainstorming various ideas and trying to model them in 3D.
Designing Menhir was quite challenging because I wanted a very tall build, but still have something that wouldn’t feel out of place as a mini-ITX build, so the compact footprint was a very important factor. Moreover, vertical designs aren’t a super popular option yet, so it’s easy to overdo it and make something that feels out of place. Balance is key!
The first iteration of Menhir’s design was a pretty boxy case, just very tall. That’s not what I wanted.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
So I started playing around with angles and the wooden outer shell, until I came up with the final shape, which has the outer shell rotated 90 degrees from the aluminum enclosure. The footprint had to be made just a bit larger in this final version, but it was worth it to allow for a more unique design.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Making the Aluminum Parts
Once all the parts were designed and set up into Fusion 360, I went ahead and fixed the 8mm aluminum sheet on the CNC.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Most of the parts of this case will be cut from this single 500 x 1000mm sheet, so it will start taking shape pretty quickly. In addition to all the big panels of the case, I had to cut a bunch of small brackets to be able to assemble everything together.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
And here’s every 8mm panel cut and ready to be finished.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
For finishing these plates, I wanted to leave the aluminum pretty raw, so I sanded them down with 180 grit and an orbital sander, in order to get that rough and textured look.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The little mounting brackets I cut at the CNC earlier, had to be given a few extra threaded holes on the edges, so I did that on the drill press and then assembled the first few parts for a test fit.
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Here it is next to A.R.E.S., another one of my PC builds, for a quick size comparison. A.R.E.S. is about 75cm/29.5in tall.
I would like to thank Zalman for supplying the review sample.
The Zalman Z3 Iceberg we are reviewing is a mid-tower chassis that aims to offer sensible features at a price point of around $90. That puts it up against a slew of options out there, so it will be interesting to see how it holds up. The Z3 Iceberg is available in either black or as a white version with a few little touches of black here and there. We got the white variant for review, so let’s dive right in.
Specifications
Zalman Z3 Iceberg
Case Type:
Mid-Tower
Material:
Steel, plastic, and tempered glass
Weight:
6.4 kg
Slots:
7
Drive Bays:
2x Internal 2.5/3.5″ 4x Internal 2.5″
Motherboard Form Factors:
Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, and ATX
Dimensions:
410 x 210 x 480 mm
Front Door/Cover:
N/A
Front Fans:
3x 120 or 140 mm (1x 120 mm ARGB fan pre-installed)
ASRock’s Z590 PG Velocita is a full-featured Z590 motherboard that includes three M.2 sockets, Killer based networking (including Wi-Fi 6E), capable power delivery, premium audio, and more. It’s a well-rounded mid-ranger for Intel’s Z590 platform.
For
Killer based 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi 6E Networking
10 USB ports on rearIO
Capable power delivery
Against
Last gen audio codec
No USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C on rearIO
Features and Specifications
Next up out of the ASRock stable is the Z590 PG Velocita. The Z590 version of this board comes with an improved appearance, enhanced power delivery, PCIe 4.0 capability for your GPU and M.2 device, fast Killer-based networking and more. Priced around $300, the PG Velocita lands as a feature-rich mid-range option in the Z590 landscape.
ASRock’s Z590 lineup is similar to the previous-generation Z490 product stack. At the time we wrote this, ASRock has 12 Z590 motherboards listed. At the top is Z590 Taichi, followed by the PG Velocita we’re looking at here, and three Phantom Gaming boards, including a Micro-ATX option. Additionally, there are two professional boards in the Z590 Pro4 and Z590M Pro4, two Steel Legend boards, two Extreme boards (also more on the budget end), and a Mini-ITX board round out the product stack. Between price, size, looks, and features, ASRock should have a board that works for everyone looking to dive headlong into Rocket Lake.
Performance testing on the PG Velocita went well and produced scores that are as fast or faster than the other Z590 boards we’ve tested so far. The PG Velocita eschews Intel specifications, allowing the Intel Core i9-11900K to stretch its legs versus boards that more closely follow those specs. Overclocking went well, with the board able to run our CPU at both stock speeds and the 5.1 GHz overclock we’ve settled on. Memory overclocking also went well, with this board running our DDR4 3600 sticks at 1:1, and DDR4 4000 was nice and stable after a few tweaks to voltage to get it there.
The Z590 PG Velocita is an iterative update, just like most other Z590-based motherboards. The latest version uses a Killer-based 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi 6E network stack, adds a front panel USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port, premium Realtek audio codec (though it is last generation’s flagship), three M.2 sockets and more. We’ll dig into these details and other features below. But first, here are the full specs from ASRock.
Along with the motherboard, the box includes several accessories ranging from cables to graphic card holders and an additional VRM fan. The included accessories should get you started without a trip to the store. Below is a complete list of all included extras.
Support DVD / Quick installation Guide
Graphics card holder
Wi-Fi Antenna
(4) SATA cables
(3) Screw package for M.2 sockets
(3) Standoffs for M.2 sockets
Wireless dongle USB bracket
3010 Cooling Fan with bracket
4010 Cooling Fan bracket
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: ASRock)
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(Image credit: ASRock)
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(Image credit: ASRock)
Once you remove the Z590 PG Velocita from the box, one of the first things you’ll notice (if you’re familiar with the previous model) are the design changes. ASRock sticks with the black and red theme but forgoes the red stenciling on the black PCB from the last generation. The VRM heatsinks are large, connected via heatpipe and actively cooled out of the box by a small fan hidden in the left heatsink. ASRock includes an additional small fan and brackets for the top VRM heatsink (we did not use this in any test). The rear IO cover also sports the black and red Phantom Gaming design theme, along with the ASRock branding lit up with RGB lighting. The heatsinks on the bottom half of the board cover the three M.2 sockets and the chipset heatsink. The latter sports a PCB and chip under clear plastic for a unique look. Overall, I like the changes ASRock made to the appearance of this board, and it should fit in well with more build themes.
(Image credit: ASRock)
As we look closer at the top half of the board, we start by focusing on the VRM area. These aren’t the most robust parts below the heatsink, so additional cooling is welcomed. Just above the VRM heatsinks are two 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) to power the processor. To the right of the socket area are four unreinforced DRAM slots with latches on one side. ASRock lists supported speeds up to DDR4 4800(OC) with a maximum capacity of 128GB. As always, your mileage may vary as support depends on the CPU’s IMC and the kit you use to reach those speeds.
Located above the DRAM slots, we find the first two (of seven) 4-pin fan headers. The CPU/Water Pump and Chassis/Water Pump headers both support 24W/12A, with the remainder of the fan headers supporting 12W/1A. There are plenty of fan/pump headers on this board to support the motherboard running them all without a controller if you choose. A third 4-pin header is located in this area, while a fourth is in an odd spot, just below the left VRM heatsink. Outside of that, all headers auto-sense if a 3- or 4-pin connector is attached.
Just to the right of the fan headers up top are an ARGB (3-pin) and RGB header (4-pin). You’ll find the other two on the bottom edge of the board. The Polychrome Sync application controls these LEDs and any attached to the headers.
On the right edge are power and reset buttons, while just below those are the 24-pin ATX header for power to the board. Just below this is the first USB 3.2 Gen1 front panel header and the USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C front panel header.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
ASRock uses a 12-phase configuration for the CPU. Power goes through the 8-pin EPS connector(s) and is sent to the Renesas ISL69269 (X+Y+Z=12) controller. The controller then sends power to six Renesas ISL6617A phase doublers and finally onto the 12 Vishay 50A SIC654 DrMOS power stages. This provides 600A total to the CPU. While not the highest value we’ve seen, the VRM’s easily handled our CPU at stock and overclocked, with some help from the active cooling fan. This board comes with another fan, however, we chose not to use it and after testing, found there wasn’t a need for it.
(Image credit: ASRock)
Moving down to the bottom half of the board, we’ll start on the left side with audio. Hidden below the plastic shroud is the premium Realtek ALC1220 codec. ASRock chose to go with the last generation’s flagship solution instead of jumping up to the latest 4000 series Realtek codec, likely to cut costs. We also spy a few Nichicon Fine Gold audio capacitors poking through the said shroud. This board doesn’t have a fancy DAC as more expensive boards tend to, but this solution will still be satisfactory for an overwhelming majority of users.
In the middle of the board, we see three full-length reinforced PCIe slots (and an x1 slot) as well as the heatsinks that cover the three M.2 sockets. Starting with the PCIe configuration, when using 11th gen CPU, the top two slots are PCIe 4.0 capable with the slot breakdown as follows: x16/x0, x8/x8, or x8/x8/x4 (PCIe 3.0). ASRock says the PG Velocita supports Quad CrossfireX, 3-Way CrossFireX and CrossfireX. As is increasingly common, there’s no mention of SLI support. The x1 slot is connected via the chipset and runs at PCIe 3.0 x1 speeds.
Looking at M.2 storage, the top socket, M2_1, is connected directly to the CPU and offers the fastest speeds (PCIe 4.0 x4 @ 64 Gbps), supporting up to 80mm devices. The second slot down, M2_2, is chipset connected, supporting PCIe 3.0 x4 speeds and accepting SATA-based modules. The bottom socket, M2_3, is also fed from the chipset and runs both SATA-based drives and PCIe, at 3.0 x4 speeds. If M2_2 is occupied, SATA ports 0/1 will be disabled. If M2_3 has a SATA-type drive installed, SATA 3 will be disabled. In the worst-case scenario, when all M.2 sockets are populated (one with a SATA drive), you’ll still have three SATA ports available as well. The top two sockets hold up to 80 mm modules while the bottom supports up to 110 mm drives.
To the right of the PCIe socket sits the chipset heatsink and its PCB-under-plexi look. Continuing to the right edge, we spot another 4-pin fan/pump header, the second USB 3.2 Gen1 header and six SATA ports. Below that is another 4-pin fan header and finally a clear CMOS button to reset your BIOS. Around the SATA ports are the mounting holes for the included GPU support bar. Including this in the box is a great value add, especially with graphics cards seemingly getting larger and heavier as time goes on.
Across the board’s bottom are several headers, including more USB ports, fan headers and more. Below is the complete list, from left to right:
Front-panel audio
Thunderbolt header
UART header
RGB and ARGB headers
USB 2.0 header
TPM header
(2) Chassis/WP headers
Dr. Debug LED
Temperature sensor, water flow headers
Speaker
Front panel header
(Image credit: ASRock)
Flipping the board around to the rear IO area, there’s the pre-installed IO plate which matches the colors and design of the rest of the board. There are 10 USB ports: You get two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (Type-A and Type-C), six USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and two USB 2.0 ports, all of which have ESD protection. Two of these ports, outlined in red, are the Lightning ports. The ports are sourced from two different controller interfaces, allowing gamers to connect their mice/keyboard with the lowest jitter latency–according to ASRock. On the video front, the PG Velocita includes an HDMI port and DisplayPort for use with the integrated video on the processor.
Also here are the Intel (black) and Killer (blue) Ethernet ports on the networking front. The Killer LAN can communicate directly with the CPU, yielding lower latency than chipset-connected LAN–again according to ASRock. Next up are the antenna ports for Wi-Fi 6E and, finally, the gold-plated 5-plug audio stack plus SPDIF.
Home/Component/APU/AMD 4700S appears to be the Xbox Series X|S CPU but for PC
João Silva 2 hours ago APU, Featured Tech News
An unknown AMD processor has appeared online, known as the ‘4700S’. The specifications of this processor don’t line up with any of AMD’s announced CPUs or APUs, but based on some of the details, this could be a reused Xbox Series X|S APU with the graphics cores disabled.
As per the retailer (via @9550pro), the AMD 4700S APU is being sold inside a mini-ITX system. Like the Xbox Series X|S APU, this one is based on the 7nm process node and features 8x Zen 2 cores and 16x threads. The naming lacks the “Ryzen” of other AMD APUs and is apparently based on the ‘Cardinal’ platform.
The boost clock is set at 4.0GHz, which is slightly above the Xbox Series X|S consoles. This might be due to the iGPU being disabled, allowing for more power to be delivered to the CPU, therefore allowing higher clock speeds.
Another similarity with the Xbox Series consoles is the 16GB of GDDR6 memory and the lack of DIMM slots. The reseller even added marketing material featuring the Xbox Series X|S APU, implying that this APU is also used on the consoles. Although we can’t confirm it, it’s possible that these APUs have not passed the tests to be equipped on Xbox Series consoles, so AMD resells them with the iGPU disabled.
The reseller also included some benchmark results, showing the AMD 4700S APU is slower than both the Core i7-9700 processor and the Ryzen 7 4750G Pro, but faster than the Core i7-9750H laptop processor.
KitGuru says: If AMD were to sell the Xbox Series console processor as its own product for the DIY PC market, would you buy one?
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If you haven’t gotten your hands on an Xbox Series X, you may be able to pick up one very soon, but without the RDNA 2 graphics, of course. The recently uncovered AMD 4700S Desktop Kit (via momomo_us) has found its way into a mini-ITX gaming PC at Tmall in China.
When the AMD 4700S emerged last week, the obscure processor raised a lot of questions. For one, the chip doesn’t carry the Ryzen branding, suggesting that it might be a custom processor that AMD developed for one of its clients. Stranger still, the processor is available for purchase as part of the AMD 4700S Desktop Kit.
Starting with what we know so far, the AMD 4700S is an octa-core Zen 2 processor with simultaneous multithreading (SMT). The Tmall merchant listed the AMD 4700S with 12MB of L3 cache, although we saw the chip with 8MB in a previous Geekbench 5 submission. The processor runs with a 3.6 GHz base clock and a 4 GHz boost clock. While we saw the AMD 4700S with 16GB of memory, we were uncertain of its nature. However, we suspected that the AMD 4700S is a variant of the processor that powers Microsoft’s latest Xbox Series X gaming console. The new mini-ITX listing appears to confirm our suspicions.
Apparently, the AMD 4700S is outfitted with 16GB of GDDR6 memory, which is the same amount of memory in the Xbox Series X. It appears that AMD is salvaging defective dies that don’t meet the requirements for the Xbox Series X and reselling them as the AMD 4700S.
Logically, AMD can’t just sell the same processor that it produces for Microsoft (for obvious reasons). Therefore, the AMD 4700S could be a result of a defective die with a faulty iGPU, similar to Intel’s graphics-less F-series chips. On the other hand, AMD could simply have disabled the iGPU inside the AMD 4700S, which is a shame given how generous GDDR6 memory is with bandwidth.
The only image of the mini-ITX system’s interior revealed a motherboard that looks like the same size as the Xbox Series X. There are no memory slots, and we can see some of the GDDR6 chips that surround the processor. Naturally, AMD reworked the motherboard for PC usage, as we can see by the addition of capacitors, passive heatsink, power connectors, and connectivity ports. Since the AMD 4700S lacks an iGPU, AMD added a PCIe 3.0 x16 expansion slot for a discrete graphics card.
AMD 4700S Benchmarks
Processor
Cinebench R20 Single-Core
Cinebench R20 Multi-Core
Cinebench R15 Single-Core
Cinebench R15 Multi-Core
Ryzen 7 4750G
411
4,785
199
2,085
AMD 4700S
486
3,965
160
1,612
Core i7-9700
508
3,643
200
1,469
Thanks to the listing, we can also get an idea of just how the processor inside the Xbox Series X performs compared to today’s desktop processors. However, it’s important to highlight that the AMD 4700S may not be the exact processor used in Microsoft’s latest console. The Series X uses a chip that runs at 3.8 GHz and 3.6 GHz when simultaneous multithreading is active. The AMD 4700S, on the other hand, clocks in a 3.6 GHz with a 4 GHz boost clock. On paper, the AMD 4700S should have faster compute cores since it doesn’t have an iGPU that eats into its power budget, so the heightened clock speeds make sense.
In general, the AMD 4700S lags behind the Ryzen 7 4750G (Renoir) and Core i7-9700 (Coffee Lake) in single-core workloads. The AMD 4700S did outperform the Core i7-9700 in multi-core workloads. However, it still placed behind the Ryzen 7 4750G.
It’s remains to be seen whether AMD is selling the AMD 4700S to retail customers or just OEMs. Thus far, we’ve seen the AMD 4700S Desktop Kit retailing for €263.71 (~$317.38) in at Tulostintavaratalo, a retailer in Finland. The Chinese mini-ITX gaming system is listed for 4,599 yuan or $709.12, but the price factors in the Radeon RX 550, 5TB SSD, CPU cooler, power supply and case.
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