AMD has refreshed chipset line recently so also the motherboard manufacturers added a couple of new models to the list. ASRock added to its motherboard line two ITX size motherboards from the Fatal1ty gaming series. The first is X470 Gaming-ITX/ac and the second one is presented in this review B450 Gaming-ITX/ac. Except for the used chipset, there are a couple of small differences between these motherboards, even though they share the same PCB.
In this review, we will focus on a really small, yet powerful B450 Gaming-ITX/ac motherboard. Stay with us to find out why it’s so special.
AMD StoreMI Technology
A powerful tool that combines the speed of your SSD with the capacity of your hard disk into a single, fast, easy-to-manage drive. SSDs are fast, but expensive, and offer minimal capacity. Mechanical hard drives boast large capacity for a low price but are much slower than an SSD. AMD StoreMI technology “combines” these two types of storage into a single drive and automatically moves the data you access the most to the SSD, so you get the best of both worlds: SSD responsiveness, and mechanical hard disk capacity. You can also use up to 2GB of RAM as a last-level cache for ultra-fast data.
RULE YOUR OWN LIGHTING WAY – POLYCHROME RGB
In addition to the built-in RGB illumination, it also features onboard RGB headers and an addressable RGB header that allow motherboard to be connected to compatible LED devices such as strip, CPU fans, coolers, chassis and so on. Users may also synchronize RGB LED devices across the Polychrome RGB Sync-certified accessories to create their own unique lighting effects.
*The addressable RGB LED header supports WS2812B addressable RGB LED strip (5V/Data/GND), with a maximum power rating of 3A (5V), a max of 80 LEDs and length within 2 meters.
*The RGB LED header supports standard 5050 RGB LED strip (12V/G/R/B), with a maximum power rating of 3A (12V) and length within 2 meters.
CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER™ CINEMA5
A new world of cinematic audio that delivers unprecedented levels of audio realism, dynamics and punch to gaming sound. Whether you’re gaming or watching a movie, Reality 3D technology lets you enable 5.1/7.1 surround sound for an additional layer of transience to your listening experience even with just a pair of headphones or stereo speakers.
Ultra M.2 32 Gb/s (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)
The PCIe Gen3 x4 Ultra M.2 interface pushes data transfer speeds up to 32Gb/s. In addition, it also supports SATA3 6Gb/s M.2 modules.
Dual USB 3.1 Gen2 (Type-A + Type-C)
This motherboard has a pair of onboard Type-A and Type-C USB 3.1 Gen2 ports built on the rear i/o for supporting next generation USB 3.1 Gen2 devices and to deliver up to 10 Gbps data transfer rates.
Intel® LAN
Intel® LAN provides the best throughput performance, lower CPU utilization, enhanced stability and is able to deliver ultimate network experience to users!
2oz Copper
It comes with 2 ounces copper inner layers, using only carefully selected copper materials for PCB layers, delivering lower temperature and higher energy efficiency for overclocking.
PCI-E STEEL SLOTS
The advanced PCI-E Steel Slots packed with solid cover that prevent any signal interference with graphics cards. It also ensures the heavy graphics cards to be well-installed in the PCI-E slots safely.
Fatal1ty Mouse Port
After plugging a USB mouse into the Fatal1ty Mouse Port and running F-Stream, gamers can choose their own preferred mouse polling rate from 125 Hz to 1000 Hz.
Full Spike Protection
Some sensitive digital components on the motherboard are vulnerable to power surges, the excessive current may cause your system to malfunction immediately. ASRock Full Spike Protection includes various technologies to prevent your motherboard’s components from being damaged by these unexpected voltage spikes.
Water Pump Header
This is not only a standard CPU fan header, but also supports water pumps! This header provides a maximum of 2A power for supporting the most popular water pumps. User also can adjust the voltage of water pump to get higher cooling performance with lower noise.
You can buy the full-size ATX version ASRock Fatal1ty B450 Gaming K4 Motherboard from Amazon for around USD $171 – https://amzn.to/2PGm0io
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