ASRock has expanded its AM5 portfolio with several new motherboards, including Nova, LiveMixer, and Taichi models. Most notably, the lineup includes the brand’s first OC Formula board for AMD platforms, giving users more control over their hardware tuning.
Showcasing a range of AM5 motherboards at Computex 2025, there’s something for just about everyone, from the entry-level A620A chipset to budget B840 and B850 and more expensive X870 and X870E models. Among these, five stood out from the crowd, but none came close to X870E Taichi OCF (OC Formula) – the first of its kind on AMD platforms. Previously exclusive to Intel offerings, Taichi OCF brings its extreme overclocking heritage to Ryzen CPUs, helping them extract the maximum performance their silicon can muster. It packs an arsenal of physical controls and premium power delivery to push Ryzen CPUs and DDR5 memory to the limit.
X870E Taichi OCF
X870E Taichi OCF is a board tailored for hardcore overclockers who want more freedom. It features dedicated BCLK (base clock) adjustment buttons on the board, an eight-segment debug display, Safe Boot for a quick return to factory BIOS settings following an unstable overclock, Slow Mode to unmask voltage-related failures and help memory training, plus an LN2 Mode to avoid the cold-boot bug – which prevents the CPU from initialising correctly under sub-zero temperatures.
To ensure these features aren’t bottlenecked by the board’s design, ASRock went all in, packing 25 SPS 110A power phases, a multi-layer PCB, and a hefty cooler to maintain good operating temperatures.
At the same time, Taichi OCF doesn’t neglect its other aspects. You will find a well-garnished connectivity, including two USB 4, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, seven USB 3.2 Gen 1, 5GbE LAN, HDMI, optical audio, and even a legacy PS2 port. WiFi 7 and Bluetooth are also present, as well as clear CMOS and BIOS flash back buttons.
On the expansion side, you get two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots and one PCIe 4.0 x4, alongside two Gen 5 x4 M.2, two Gen 4 x4 M.2, one Gen 4 x2 M.2, and one Gen 3 x4 M.2 SSD slots. Note that to improve memory overclocking, the board carries only two DDR5 DIMMs.
Though ASRock positions Taichi OCF as the flagship for extreme Ryzen overclockers by mirroring its Z890 Taichi OCF in look and functionality with such a varied feature set, regular users will also be more than happy to have one inside a stock non-OC PC. Assuming the price isn’t an issue.
X870 Taichi Creator
Shifting focus to models more appropriate for the masses, we find a board that balances performance with a refined aesthetic for creators. It offers a beefy VRM design comprised of 21 SPS 80A phases, four DDR5 DIMMs, three x16 PCIe slots – two of which run at Gen 5 speeds, plus four M.2 slots. Depending on who you ask, Creator’s I/O may be considered better than Taichi OCF thanks to its extra 10GbE port, helping content creators transfer large video files in a blink. The rest is covered by two USB 4 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, and ten USB 3.2 Gen 1, not to mention WiFi 7 and Bluetooth.
X870 Nova WiFi
Nova is pretty much a Creator, minus some unnecessary parts for regular users. It keeps the large 21-phase VRM design, the four DDR5 DIMMs, and the main PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, but trades the secondary PCIe x16 for an M.2 slot, which is more handy for most users. Same for LAN: say goodbye to the 10GbE port, but you keep a 5GbE alongside WiFi 7 and Bluetooth. A bunch of USB ports complete the set, including two USB 4.
X870 LiveMixer WiFi
Following a trend, ASRock trims things back for X870 LiveMixer WiFi, reducing costs and making it a more popular option. Instead of 21 SPS phase, you get 19 80A Dr. MOS phases, a perfectly fine power delivery system. You also lose the debug display and one M.2 slot, but four SSDs are more than enough. That said, the important bits are all present, from PCIe 5.0 for graphics to latest connectivity. USB 4, 5GbE LAN, and WiFi 7 are all present.
X870 Pro-A WiFi
Going another step lower we find the Pro-A WiFi, a more affordable option that packs a high-end chipset. That said, don’t let its barebones look deceive you, this board covers all the needs for a work or gaming PC. Enough power to run any Ryzen CPU? Check. Fast Gen 5 PCIe for graphics cards and storage? Check. Enough USB ports to hook multiple peripherals? Check. Even the LAN connectivity is still perfectly serviceable, offering 2.5GbE plus WiFi 7.
