Closer Look
Like all ASRock motherboards, the ASRock X870 NOVA arrived in a well-described retail package. The box is the typical size for the ATX format motherboard.
Inside the box is a motherboard, quick installation guide, additional notices, SATA data cables, thermal sensor cable, WiFi antennas, Phantom Gaming key-cap, and Phantom Gaming logo sticker/badge. It’s everything we may need for the installation and more.
The X870 NOVA shares the same eye-catching but not too flashy design as previously released Phantom Gaming motherboards. It reminds me of the X870E NOVA, but with a different PCIe lane distribution and slot location.
Like all high ASRock series motherboards, the X870 NOVA is equipped with the EZ release slot and main M.2 PCIe 5.0 socket. It’s a convenient and easy-to-access way to remove and install a graphics card and M.2 SSD.
Most other features are already well known from the initial wave of 800 series AM5 motherboards. When something works well, then there is no point in changing it. ASRock ideas are one of the reasons why motherboards of this brand are so popular.
The motherboard features a main PCIe slot and two M.2 sockets in the 5.0 standard. Even though the second M.2 PCIe 5.0 socket is located under the graphics card, the large M.2 heatsink helps to keep it cool and also prevents the graphics card from overheating from the bottom.
The X870 NOVA has an 18+2+1 power phase design for VCore, SOC, and MISC, with 20K 1000uF capacitors. Although it’s not the same as in the top models, it’s not far and more than enough to support the entire AM5 processor line.
During the tests, we couldn’t hear any coil whine, which suggests the high quality of the design and no problems with the power section.
The X870 NOVA is also equipped with the latest controllers, such as the Realtek ALC4082 audio codec with an improved power design, 5Gbps LAN controller, USB 4 controller, and WiFi 7 module with Bluetooth functionality. All those components are well-known on modern high-end motherboards.
Below you can see some close-ups of the motherboard. Everything presents well, but it’s a shame that using a large graphics card would hide most of the motherboard.
The X870 NOVA supports all the popular DDR5 memory kits up to 8400MT/s. However, due to the AMD Ryzen’s operation, the optimal speed appears to be 6400MT/s, with dual-rank RAM being the best choice. In our tests, we used Kingston Renegade RGB 96GB 6400MT/s CL32 kit, which seems the best around as it’s the fastest option at a 1:1 ratio, has a dual-rank design, and runs at tight timings out of the box. It has a programmed XMP profile, but ASRock motherboards handle it well, like EXPO profiles.
The maximum supported memory frequency highly depends on the used processor. A throughput of 8400MT/s or more is almost exclusively possible on the 8000 APU series. The most popular Ryzen 7000 and 9000 processors usually end at about 8000MT/s. We need to remember that if we can’t set a higher frequency on AMD processors, it’s more likely a processor fault, not a motherboard issue.
Above are some example photos of the test rig. As you can see, the NOVA has an RGB backlight only under the chipset/M.2 heatsinks on the bottom of the motherboard. The overall design still looks good and should satisfy both gamers and modders.
Another great feature is ASRock’s BIOS/UEFI, which I will describe on the next page of this review.
