Tag: ASRock

ASRock Launches Ryzen 4000 Mini PC With 2.5G Networking

ASRock Industrial Computer’s latest 4X4 BOX-4000 series of Mini PCs is here to disrupt the small form factor (SFF) market. Available with three different processor options, the 4×4 BOX-4000 series targets both home and business users.

The 4X4 BOX-4000’s plastic enclosure has a 4.3 x 4.6 x 1.9-inch (110.0 x 117.5 x 47.9mm) footprint and weighs just 2.2 pounds (1kg). The mini PC can sit comfortably on your desk or you can mount it behind your screen, thanks to the included VESA mounting bracket. 

The 4X4 BOX-4000 employs AMD’s latest Ryzen 4000-series (codename Renoir) APUs that bring all the advantages of the Zen 2 microarchitecture into a confined space.

Casual users will probably suffice with the Ryzen 3 4300U, which is a quad-core chip without simultaneous multithreading (SMT). The Ryzen 5 4600U sports a six-core, six-thread setup for users that desire more firepower. 

However, demanding users and businesses will probably opt for the Ryzen 7 4800U that comes equipped with eight CPU cores and 16 threads of Zen 2 power.

ASRock sells its 4X4 BOX-4000 series as barebones systems, meaning other than the included processor, you’ll have to outfit the device with your own hardware. 

The 4X4 BOX-4000 has two SO-DIMM DDR4 RAM slots and accepts up to 64GB of memory. DDR4-3200 memory modules are natively supported on the Ryzen 4000-series processors. For storage, the mini PC provides a M.2 2280 slot that adheres to the PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and accommodates both PCIe-and SATA-based drives. It also has the necessary spacing for as single 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD.

The 4X4 BOX-4000 might be small, but it has all the features you would expect in a normal desktop PC. Starting with connectivity, the device provides one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports and a combo headphone and microphone jack on the front panel. The rear panel houses one HDMI 2.0a port, one DisplayPort 1.2a output, one Gigabit Ethernet port, one 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port and two USB 2.0 ports.

The 4X4 BOX-4000 supports up to four displays with 4K resolution simultaneously, thanks to the HDMI 2.0a port, DisplayPort 1.2a output and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports. The Ryzen 4000-series’ renovated 7nm Vega graphics engine does all the heavy lifting graphical-wise.

The Realtek R8111FPV powers the conventional Gigabit Ethernet port with DASH support, while the Realtek RTL8125BG is responable for the 2.5G Gigabit Ethernet port. 

If you hate cables, you’ll be glad to know that the 4X4 BOX-4000 features Intel’s Wi-Fi 6 AX200 wireless module, meaning you get to enjoy Wi-Fi 6 speeds and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity.

ASRock didn’t publicly share the pricing or availability of the 4X4 BOX-4000 series. However, interested parties can request a direct quote from the brand through the online form.

ASRock A520 Motherboards Show Why A520 May Be a Better Option Than B550

Don’t fret if the pricing for B550 motherboards is preventing you from upgrading. VideoCardz received information that ASRock is reportedly preparing up to five different A520 motherboards for budget seekers. According to the publication, A520 motherboards will launch later this month, which differs from DigiTimes’ report of a September launch.

A520 is the entry-level chipset for AMD’s 500-series, and being A-series, CPU overclocking is pretty much off the table. It’s reasonable to expect A520 to arrive without PCIe 4.0 support, although AMD hasn’t officially said otherwise.

VideoCardz revealed two motherboards from ASRock’s upcoming A520 army. The A520M-ITX/ac comes in a mini-ITX form factor, while the A520M Pro4 has a larger microATX footprint.

ASRock A520M-ITX/ac

The A520M-ITX/ac’s resemblance to the existing B550M-ITX/ac is uncanny. If it wasn’t for the model name on the PCB, you could swear you’re looking at the B550M-ITX/ac.

The A520M-ITX/ac appears to feature an eight-phase power delivery subsystem, a configuration that’s commonly found on cheaper B550 motherboards. As expected of the mini-ITX form factor, the motherboard only has two DDR4 memory slots, but memory overclocking should be superb given the shorter traces to the processor.

The motherboard accommodates up to five storage devices. There are four SATA III connectors and a single M.2 slot up front. The A520M-ITX/ac only has one PCIe x16 slot so graphics card selection requires extra consideration.

Connectivity-wise, the A520M-ITX/ac is an identical copy of the B550M-ITX/ac. The rear panel reveals a DisplayPort and HDMI port for displays. Of course, you’ll have to pair the motherboard with an AMD APU to use either output since the normal Ryzen chips don’t come with an iGPU. An Ethernet port and wireless networking are also available for your usage.

The rear panel holds two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port, one PS/2 combo port and three 3.5mm audio jacks.

The B550M-ITX/ac retails for $129.99, so we expect the A520M-ITX/ac’s price tag to be a lot more friendly on the pockets.

ASRock A520M Pro4

The A520M Pro4 looks a little different to the B550M Pro4. For starters, the A520M Pro4 doesn’t have a fancy white heatsink over the power delivery subsystem. The images don’t uncover its design, however, the B550M Pro4 is equipped with an eight-phase configuration so we can expect the A520 variant to carry the same setup, if not less.

The A520M Pro4 puts four DDR4 memory slots at your disposal. We spot four SATA III ports in total, two less than the B550M Pro4. Nonetheless, the two M.2 slots remain untouched. Unlike the A520M-ITX/ac, the A520M Pro4 lacks wireless connectivity so you’ll be connecting to the Internet through the standard Ethernet port unless you purchase a wireless card.

In terms of expansion, the A520M Pro4 supplies two PCIe x16 slots. It’s only missing the PCIe x1 slot, which is present on the more expensive B550M Pro4.

Similar to the situation with the A520M-ITX/ac and B550M-ITX/ac, the A520M Pro4 has the exact same rear panel as the B550M Pro4. Display outputs consist of one D-sub port, one HDMI port and one DisplayPort output. The diverse mix of USB ports includes one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports and two USB 2.0 ports. Lastly, the motherboard has three 3.5mm jacks for connecting audio devices.

The B550M Pro4 sells for $114.99, and the absence of a couple of the features on the A520M Pro4 should allow ASRock to price the motherboard more competitively.

ASRock’s AMD EPYC Motherboard Flaunts Seven PCIe 4.0 x16 Expansion Slots

German news outlet HardwareLuxx noticed a fascinating LGA4094 motherboard for AMD’s EPYC processors in ASRock Rack’s arsenal. For the uninitiated, ASRock Rack is ASRock’s elite server division.

ASRock Rack engineered the ROMED8-2T to house both EPYC 7001-series (Naples) and EPYC 7002-series (Rome) processors. The motherboard features the standard LGA4094 (Socket SP3) socket and adheres to the ATX form factor. The ROMED8-2T is a server product, after all, so ASRock crafted it with a green PCB and it lacks fancy heatsinks or RGB bling.

This board comes with the ultimate in connectivy: AMD’s EPYC 7002-series chips deliver an impressive 128 high-speed PCIe 4.0 lanes, and ASRock Rack is keen to take advantage of them. Therefore, the ROMED8-2T is equipped with nothing less than seven PCIe 4.0 x16 lanes to exploit the latest and fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs and enterprise graphics cards on the market right now. Only the second PCIe 4.0 x16 slot shares bandwidth with the mini-SAS, M.2 and OCuLink connectors.

The motherboard has eight DDR4 memory slots that support different formats. It’s compatible with 32GB RDIMMs (Registered DIMMs), 256GB LRDIMMs (Load-Reduced DIMMs) and 32GB NVDIMMs (Non-volatile DIMMs). The official memory speed supported across all three formats is 3,200 MHz.

The ROMED8-2T boasts a very unique and advanced storage configuration. There are two mini-SAS connectors to support up to eight SATA III drives in total and one SATA DOM port. The motherboard exposes two OCuLink connectors for U.2 SSDs. It also has two M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 ports. Although both M.2 ports support PCIe-and SATA-based SSDs, the primary port accommodates drives up to 80mm in length while the secondary port can hold SSDs up to 110mm.

In addition to the enormous amount of PCIe 4.0 x16 lanes, the ROMED8-2T also has other neat features. Intel’s X550-AT2 controller provides the motherboard with two 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports while Realtek’s RTL8211E controller manages the single Gigabit Ethernet port.

The ROMED8-2T incorporates Aspeed’s AST2500 server management processor. The AST2500 features an 800 MHz Arm11 processor and 512MB of DDR4 memory. It’s responsible for supplying the VGA port on the motherboard.

The rear panel’s other interfaces include one COM port, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports and one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port. You shouldn’t have to worry though since the motherboard integrates one USB 3.1 Gen 1 header and one USB 3.1 Gen 2 header. The combination should be good for another four additional USB 3.0 ports.