ASRock X370M Pro4

Inexpensive motherboard based on the top X370 chipset

The ASRock X370M Pro4 is an interesting attempt by ASRock to meet the needs of overclockers on a low-cost. The board is built around the latest X370 chipset, supports the latest Pinnacle Ridge Ryzen processor family, and has an impressive array of slots for the price. And all this at a completely non-overclocker price of $100.

Connection options for all occasions

Perhaps the main difference between this "motherboard" and its counterparts in the initial class is the abundance of slots. First of all, 4 DDR4 slots are striking instead of the standard two. This somewhat expands the room for manoeuvre when assembling a computer, allowing you to take 2 standard 4 GB DDR4 brackets right now and get a speed boost from multi-channel mode. And then add more, as needed. Fortunately, right now 8 GB is still enough for most tasks, and 16 GB has not yet become a standard. Secondly, 2 PCI-E 16x slots for connecting a pair of video cards and 2 M.2 connectors for installing high-speed SSD NVMe drives immediately attract attention. Well, there is also USB-C, which is a rarity in motherboards under $100. Given the price tag, this is more than worthy functionality.

Reasonable overclocking

At the same time, it is important to understand that it would be wrong to consider the board really overclocker. It has a limited number of chips and electrical components on PCB, and a 6 + 3-phase power system with two VRM heatsinks looks profitable on paper, but has a number of limitations that will not allow you to fully overclock 8-core processors. Yes, and 6 cores will have to drive carefully. Therefore, overclocking capabilities are better perceived as a nice addition. Fortunately, real gaming "motherboards" are 2-3 times more expensive.

Not without surprises

It is also important to understand that ASrock motherboards are far from symbols of stability and reliability among enthusiasts and can be fraught with unpleasant surprises. In the case of this board, there was a lot of negativity on the specialized forums about incorrect work with processors based on the Raven Ridge core and periodic complaints about freezes when working with Samsung RAM. In subsequent BIOS updates, compatibility problems seem to have been fixed, but the negative continues to appear from time to time. Moreover, the BIOS itself is often scolded, which takes a long time to update and freezes.