One of the most important aspects surrounding performance on AMD's Ryzen 3000 series is temperature. It is no secret that the AMD 7nm chips run somewhat warmer than previous generations, but the unique ASRock X570 Aqua looks to shake things up. The ASRock X570 Aqua features a full-cover aluminium and copper water block cooling the power delivery, CPU socket, and the X570 chipset all at once, and can be integrated into custom water cooling loops. There are plenty of promises made with this super halo product, and so we've put it through our testing.

But what exactly do you get with a super halo motherboard?

The X570 Aqua is a limited edition product from ASRock, designed to go to only the most dedicated and pocket-deep PC builders. In all honesty, we expect most of them to go to money-no-object users or PC builders wanting to showcase their building skills (that includes system integrators who want something special for their shop floor). None the less, at a whopping $999, there's got to be some goodies. A special AQUA-owners card is one of them.

When at a retailer showing off its wares, it would be hard to miss the ASRock X570 Aqua with a 'sleek and robust' full cover aluminium armor, with a trifecta of copper water blocks shaped into one unique and custom liquid cooling solution. The aluminium Aqua cooling armor is designed to keep the power delivery, the processor, and the X570 chipset cool, but with added stylings due to integrated addressable RGB LEDs. Due to the full cover aluminium armor with copper blocks, it makes this board weigh a considerable amount, but that's a trade-off from using a quality material over waves and waves of plastic. The two connections to hook up the water block are G1/4 thread which is the most commonly used fitting type.

We partnered with Corsair and their HydroX to build a system with the Aqua, and ASRock also sent us a 5700XT Taichi to partner with it. We have a build log for that coming in due course, but here's what we put together. The RGBs aren't synchronized quite yet!

The PC we built with the Aqua with some help from Corsair: A Build Log coming soon

Behind the waterblock is a very high-end motherboard. The power delivery on the ASRock X570 Aqua is using a 14-phase setup with an International Rectifier IR35201 6+2 PWM controller, with the CPU section reliant on doublers, suitable for any 16-core CPU. We also get an Aquantia AQC107 10 GbE network port, with a supplementary Intel I211-AT Gigabit port which provides users with dual Ethernet on the rear panel.

Also featured is an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface which provides both 802.11ax and BT 5.0 connectivity. ASRock has gone all out with its X570 Aqua by validating support for DDR4-5200 memory out of the box across its four available memory slots. This also allows users to install up to and including 128 GB. On the bottom section of the board is three full-length PCIe 4.0 slots which operate at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/x4. Sandwiched in between the full-length slots are three PCIe 4.0 x1 slots for users to install additional cards eg, dedicated sound cards, RAID, and networking controllers.

At the bottom right-hand side of the PCB is a two-digit LED debugger, a reset switch, and a power switch. Around the board is three 4-pin fan headers split between a CPU fan, a CPU/water pump, and chassis/water pump fan header. This will require users with lots of cooling fans to use splitter cables, a fan hub, or a dedicated fan controller. Onto the storage and the X570 Aqua has two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots which include individual heatsinks, and this model makes use of two ASMedia ASM1061 SATA controllers which allows the Aqua to include eight SATA ports; four from the ASM1061 controllers and four directly from the X570 chipset. This means that only the four from the X570 chipset feature support for RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays.

ASRock X570 Aqua Block Diagram

Another prominent feature of the ASRock X570 Aqua is on the rear panel with dual Thunderbolt 3 Type-C ports, with a further six USB 3.1 G2 Type-A ports. For users looking to make full use of the graphic output capabilities of the Thunderbolt 3 ports, ASRock has included a single DisplayPort 1.4 input which allows a link between a discrete graphics card and the ports for driving multiple 4K displays from a single video output. A Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec controls the five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF out on the rear panel, while a Texas Instruments NE5532 is included to improve the front panel audio with capabilities to drive headphones of up to 600 Ohms.

In our performance testing, the ASRock X570 Aqua was competitive on the whole, and this is something we have come to expect from ASRock. With our CPU, the power consumption figures were very reasonable with a maximum of 140 W at the wall under load in our Prime95 Blend test, which given all of the controllers onboard means that the board is more power-conscious than the MSI MEG X570 Ace or MSI MEG X570 Godlike. Booting into Windows was relatively quick and the results for the X570 Aqua sit in the middle-ground of our X570 results. The only result in our computational performance-related benchmarks came in our DigiCortex 1.20 benchmark. All the gaming and compute benchmarks were as expected.

Moving onto the overclocking performance of the ASRock X570 and our Ryzen 7 3700X performs well. ASRock doesn't include any preset overclocking profiles to work from, so all of the major overclocks need to be done manually. Looking at VDroop when manually overclocking and we see that ASRock at 1.250 V on the CPU VCore at 3.6 to 4.2 GHz performs exactly where we expected it to be with a consistent variation of 0.031 V from set to load value. At 4.3 GHz with a 1.350 V CPU VCore has less VDroop with a variation of just 0.019 V at full load. Our Ryzen 7 3700X processor doesn't like 4.4 GHz with any amount of CPU VCore at maximum load, although we did manage to POST into Windows 10 without issues; any notable load would crash the CPU. Also, ASRock includes the same Eco mode within the firmware which we saw with the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 model, but any attempt to place CPU load under Prime95 would instantly crash the system.

The ASRock X570 Aqua isn't for everyone and users looking opt for the monolithic E-ATX aluminium clad model will have to use a custom water cooling loop at the very least. This will add a further cost on top of the $999 premium ASRock is charging for its X570 Aqua, which will see just 999 be made available to the general public. As it stands there is no direct competitor with a monoblock unless GIGABYTE decides to release a version of its X570 Xtreme via an Aorus WaterForce model. The $999 price tag is not only impressive-looking, but it also includes 10 G, Wi-Fi 6, and dual Thunderbolt 3 Type-C outputs. One thing that also has to be factored into the price is exclusivity; there are only 999 units available for purchase. If this works well with the audience, then rarity would add a price premium. Of course, price is relative to what a user is willing to pay, but the overall package and presentation make the Aqua feel as high-end as the cost suggests.

Ultimately those looking at the Aqua are going to be money-no-object users, or OEMs/companies wanting to build halo systems to show off their skills in system building. But, it doesn't mean we can't have some fun and analyse this thing. It may not be practical from the raw cost, but it does show that passion still exists in this industry.

Read on for our extended analysis.

Visual Inspection

The ASRock X570 Aqua is an E-ATX motherboard designed specifically for users intending to water cooling their system and stands as the most expensive X570 model in the current product stack at $999. What makes the X570 Aqua so unique is that its the only current X570 model to come with an integrated full-cover water block which is designed to cool the CPU, the power delivery, and the X570 chipset. Surrounding the water block and covering the PCB is an aluminium coated cover which hides the componentry on the lower portion of the board, including the audio PCB and PCIe slot area. Aligned with all the stylish silver aluminium design is some integrated RGB with ARGB LEDs in the block at the lower section where the X570 chipset is located. ASRock has missed a trick as the large acrylic window around the CPU socket has no ARGB and would look so much more elegant. There is also an ARGB LED strip integrated into the rear panel cover and users planning on using more LEDs can use the ARGB LED header and standard RGB LED header; only one of each is available. 

On / Off - click for full image

Looking at the PCIe support and the ASRock X570 Aqua has two full-length PCIe 4.0 slots which operate at x16, and x8/x8, with a third full-length PCIe 4.0 x4 slot located at the bottom; each full-length slot is coated in ASRock's Steel slot armor. What's interesting is that ASRock is using three PCIe 2.0 x1 slots instead of PCIe 4.0. While this isn't going to be an issue running devices like PCIe sound cards, it will have bandwidth implications when running additional storage devices or 2.5 GbE network cards. In the bottom right-hand corner of the board is a small overclockers toolkit with separate power and reset buttons, as well as a two-digit LED Debugger. The PCB on the ASRock X570 Aqua is E-ATX and uses a uniquely shaped PCB design for better access to the boards SATA ports.

Designed to be as compatible with the multiple brands of water cooling vendors, the fitting connectors on ASRock X570 Aqua are G1/4 which is the most commonly used and found fitting. As compatibility is good with other brands, the interior of the water block looks to be nickel-plated copper which should alleviate any issues with mixing metals within a loop, but it is recommended to check with the manufacturer before purchase. Typically, it is generally best to avoid mixing metal types when fitting a loop to reduce the risk of galvanic corrosion. The ASRock X570 Aqua has five 4-pin headers which are split into three sections; one for a CPU fan, one for a CPU fan/Water pump, and three for chassis fans. Given the nature of the Aqua, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect a few more 4-pin headers for radiator fans, but users using more than a 240 mm radiator in the front will need to rely on fan splitters and fan hubs.

The out of the box memory support on the ASRock X570 Aqua is impressive with DDR4-5200 officially supported, despite the highest memory kit on the official QVL list rated for DDR4-4600. There are four memory slots with support for up to 128 GB, which means the 32 GB UDIMMs are supported on this model, like with other X570 models. The X570 Aqua does offer support for UDIMM ECC memory, but only when used with Ryzen Pro processors.

With the monoblock and the aluminium armor removed from the X570 Aqua, the monoblock itself is a large custom milled block of copper with channels connecting the CPU socket, power delivery, and X570 chipset parts. The block on the top-side is plated in aluminium to fit in with the design of the board, whereas the cooling elements of the block are made from nickel-plated copper which gives it the silvery sheen. The armor itself comes apart in three different sections; the monoblock, the PCIe cover, and the rear panel cover. The monoblock is attached to the board via screws at the rear with what looks and seems to be a consistent and equal amount of mounting pressure throughout. Due to the large nickel-plated copper monoblock and aluminium armor, the board weighs around 2.5 Kg (5 lbs) making this one of the heaviest motherboards we've ever seen. 

The power delivery on the ASRock X570 Aqua is using a 14-phase setup with an International Rectifier IR35201 6+2 PWM controller, with the CPU section reliant on doublers. The CPU section consists of twelve IR3555 60 A power stages which are paired up with six IR3599 doublers. Looking at the SoC section, the ASRock X570 Aqua is using two IR3555 60 A power stages which are the same used in the CPU section, but these aren't using doublers. Each power stage is complemented with an unmarked inductor. The ASRock X570 Aqua is using the same power delivery configuration and componentry as the ASRock X570 Creator, and the MSI MEG X570 Ace which we have previously reviewed. We know the cooling solution on the MSI MEG X570 Ace performs adequately and we expect the ASRock X570 Aqua with its custom monoblock which covers the CPU, power delivery, and X570 chipset, to perform much better in our thermal testing; this can be found later in the review.

Moving onto the onboard audio solution and the ASRock X570 Aqua is using a Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec, with five gold Japanese audio capacitors. The front panel audio header is bolstered by a Texas Instruments NE5532 headphones amplifier with support for headphones up to 600 Ohms. The audio PCB is segregated from the rest of the PCB, but the Realtek ALC1220 codec doesn't include an EMI shield.

The ASRock X570 Aqua has two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots with the bottom slot featuring support for both PCIe 4.0 and SATA drives. Each slot includes its own integrated heatsink which is built into the PCIe panel of the aluminium coated armor. The top PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot supports drives up to M.2 221100, and the bottom PCIe 4.0 x4/SATA slot supports up to M.2 2280. Also present are eight SATA ports with four controlled from the X570 chipset with support for RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays, and the other four controlled by a pair of ASMedia ASM1061 SATA controllers. The ASM1061 controller is a PCIe 2.0 controller which is odd on such a high-end model, but it does allow PCIe lanes to be allocated to other areas.

The reason ASRock is using PCIe 2.0 SATA controllers and PCIe 2.0 x1 slots instead of the newer counterparts is likely to accommodate the dual-port Intel JHL7540 Thunderbolt 3 controller which requires four PCIe 3.0 lanes (which in this case takes up four PCIe 4.0 lanes without a PCIe switch). On the rear panel is two Thunderbolt 3 Type-C ports, along with a single DisplayPort 1.4 input, while a second DisplayPort 1.4 input is located just above the top PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot. This allows users to interconnect a discrete graphics card so that multiple 4K displays can be driven through the Thunderbolt 3 Type-C ports.

As well as the two Thunderbolt 3 Type-C ports, ASRock has also included six USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports. The Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec powers the five colour-coded 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output, while users considering pairing up a $999 board with a Ryzen APU can use the single HDMI video output; the DisplayPort 1.4 port is an input for the Thunderbolt 3 controller as stated above. Wireless networking is handled by an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface, while the wired ports are controlled by an Aquantia AQC107 10 G and Intel I211-AT Gigabit Ethernet controller. A handily located BIOS Flashback button sits to the left-hand side of the rear panel, while a single PS/2 combo port allows users to go old school with a legacy keyboard or mouse. The rear panel itself includes a pre-attached rear IO shield and is white and silver in color which fits in with the rest of the board's design.

What's in the Box

Included inside the very premium X570 Aqua packaging is a wide variety of accessories to get users going out of the box. The most noteworthy accessories include spare thermal pads for the power delivery and chipset portions of the monoblock, a right-angled Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable, the Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 antenna, and four SATA cables. ASRock also includes a small tube of generic thermal paste. 

• Quick Installation Guide
• Driver and Software Installation Disc
• ASRock Aqua Thank You Card
• 4 x SATA cables
• Right Angled Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort Cable
• Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 Antenna 
• ASRock SLI HB Bridge
• 2 x M.2 Standoffs/Screw kits
• 2 x M.2 Heatsink Screws (spares)
• 2 x CPU Socket Mounting Screws (spares)
• 2 x Power Delivery/Chipset Mounting Screws (spares)
• 8 x Spare Thermal Pads
• 1 x Thermal Paste

BIOS

The ASRock Aqua UEFI firmware features the Aqua branding throughout which aligns it with the boards aesthetic. Opting for a cleaner black background with grey logo, the firmware uses white text throughout. Rather than split the firmware up into the usual easy and advanced modes, the ASRock X570 Aqua has a single mode which incorporates more of what we have seen from an advanced mode. There are eight different sections to browse through from the Main screen to the Exit menu, with a lot of customizable features and functionality offered in every menu in-between.

Entering the BIOS for the first time automatically brings up the main screen. This section has some very basic information listed including the firmware version, basic information on the processor installed, the total amount of memory installed, and the speed of the memory installed based on the kits SPD.

Moving along to the OC Tweaker section and all of the boards primary overclocking settings can be found here. Users looking to overclock either the CPU, memory, or even both, can do so with a wide variety of options including settings for CPU Frequency, voltages, and an option to enable the X.M.P profile on supported memory. There is a DRAM Timing Configurator for users looking to tighten or slacking memory latencies, as well as the option to alter the frequency, with relevant customizable memory voltage settings also present. Below is a list of limitations for settings including CPU Frequency, CPU VCore, DRAM frequency, and Infinity Fabric/FCLK frequency. It should be noted that these maximum values won't be able to be reached, even with more extreme cooling methods:

• Maximum CPU Frequency = 6.300 GHz
• Maximum CPU VCore = 2.5 V
• Maximum DRAM Frequency = DDR4-6000
• Maximum Infinity Fabric/FCLK Frequency = 3000 MHz

As we have seen with other ASRock models so far on X570, the RGB utility within the firmware looks very basic and outdated. The LED controller has thirteen different lighting effects to select from including static, breathing, and scan, with the ability to increase or decrease the effect speed in ms. Users can also sync and apply the effect across all of the channels, but there are no options to select or customize each individual header.

ASRock has an interesting and useful FAN-Tastic fan tuning utility on some of its models and remembering that the X570 Aqua costs $999, we can't understand why this isn't included. Touching on what is included, users can customize each of the available five 4-pin headers with different modes from the performance mode which is more for overclocking profile, to the standard which ramps fan less aggressively. Each fan can rely on a different temperature sensor too including CPU temperature noted as Tctrl CPU in the firmware or from the sensor recording motherboard temperature. Users can also switch each 4-pin fan header between a water pump, and regular chassis fans, although the primary CPU fan header cannot be altered in this way.

For a halo product with a price tag of $999, the firmware on the ASRock X570 Aqua isn't as comprehensive as we would have expected. The layout is user-friendly and follows a single advanced mode with each menu housing a wide variety of customizable settings. From the prehistoric GUI and usability of the RGB section of the firmware to the lack of the ASRock FAN-Tastic tuning utility in the BIOS, ASRock could have done more with the firmware. It's not necessarily bad and it does have many useful overclocking and power features to customize. It's very responsive and well-laid out, it's just lacking a little something for a model costing close to $1000.

Software

Most of the following software analysis comes from our ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 motherboard analysis as both models share almost the same software suite.

The ASRock X570 Aqua comes with a couple of useful software utilities including the ASRock Motherboard Utility, or as the software opens up as, the A-Tuning overclocking utility, and the ASRock Polychrome RGB software for the integrated RGB LEDs and RGB headers featured on the board. 

The ASRock A-Tuning utility has a basic GUI and has plenty of options to overclock within Windows and tweak settings such as CPU VCore, CPU ratio, CPU cache ratio, and DRAM voltage. One thing users cannot do is customize the memory frequency which will have to be done in the BIOS. 

Within the A-Tuning software is the FAN-Tastic utility which is missing from the firmware. Users can customize based on fan curves, or with preset profiles such as full-speed, or even allow the software to tune the fans based on current temperatures. 

Users can customize the integrated RGB LED strip at the bottom of the board or strips installed into the two headers via the ASRock Polychrome Sync software. The GUI is very user-friendly and ASRock allows you select different types of lighting effects including static, random, wave, and rainbow; there are fourteen different modes not including the ability to switch the RGB LEDs off altogether.

The ASRock App Shop is awash with unsavoury looking gambling apps which have been a mainstay since they released this application, but as it's been combined with the Live Update application too, it does serve a good purpose. Users can download and update the ASRock software applications, as well as keep important drivers up-to-date, as well as update the firmware to the latest version without having to use the tool within the firmware. 

Like we have found with the majority of motherboards recently tested, vendors haven't included adequate audio software in with the bundle, or made readily available from the official product pages. Even just adding a simple link for users to download this would make the overall user experience better. Unlike the firmware, the software doesn't resemble the ASRock Aqua branding, and it would make the overall experience immersive to users spending close to $1000 on a special edition halo product.

Board Features

The ASRock X570 Aqua is an EATX motherboard and is easily one of its most extravagant models yet. The X570 Aqua is a halo product which sits right at the top of ASRock's X570 product stack with the main feature focused around its integrated monoblock which cools the CPU, the power delivery, and the X570 chipset with the use of water. Users looking to purchase this model will need an adequate custom water cooling loop. Other primary features include the use of an Intel Thunderbolt 3 controller which adds two USB 3.1 G2 Type-C ports on the rear panel, as well as a DisplayPort 1.4 input so users can run multiple 4K displays from a single graphics card. The ASRock X570 Aqua has two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, with eight SATA ports which are split into two pairs four; four are controlled by the chipset and offer RAID 0, 1, and 10 RAID support. The other four SATA ports are controlled by an ASMedia ASM1061 SATA controller. PCI support consists of two full-length PCIe 4.0 slots which operate at x16, and x8/x8, with a further third full-length slot which is locked down to PCIe 4.0 x4. There are also three PCIe 2.0 x1 slots located sandwiched between the full-length slots.

ASRock X570 Aqua EATX Motherboard
Warranty Period	3 Years
Product Page	Link
Price	$1000
Size	EATX
CPU Interface	AM4
Chipset	AMD X570
Memory Slots (DDR4)	Four DDR4 Supporting 128 GB Dual Channel Up to DDR4-5200
Video Outputs	1 x HDMI 2.0
Network Connectivity	Aquantia AQC107 10 G Intel I211-AT 1 G Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax
Onboard Audio	Realtek ALC1220 TI NE5532 Amp (Front Panel)
PCIe Slots for Graphics (from CPU)	2 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x16, x8/x8)
PCIe Slots for Other (from PCH)	1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 3 x PCIe 2.0 x1
Onboard SATA	Four, RAID 0/1/10 (X570) Four, (ASMedia ASM1061)
Onboard M.2	2 x PCIe 4.0 x4
USB 3.1 (10 Gbps)	2 x Type-C Rear Panel (Thunderbolt 3) 1 x Type-C Header (1 x port)
USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)	6 x Type-A Rear Panel 2 x Type-A Header (4 x ports)
USB 2.0	1 x Type-A Header (2 x ports)
Power Connectors	1 x 24-pin ATX 1 x 8pin CPU 1 x 4pin CPU
Fan Headers	1 x CPU (4-pin) 1 x Water Pump (4-pin) 3 x System (4-pin)
IO Panel	6 x USB 3.1 G1 Type-A 2 x USB 3.1 G2 Type-C (Thunderbolt 3) 1 x Network RJ45 10 G (Aquantia) 1 x Network RJ45 1 G (Intel) 5 x 3.5mm Audio Jacks (Realtek) 1 x S/PDIF Output (Realtek) 2 x Intel AX200 Antenna Ports 1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button 1 x PS/2 Combo port 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 Input 1 x HDMI 2.0 output

On the networking side, ASRock includes two Ethernet controllers which consist of an Aquantia AQC107 10 G and Intel I211-AT 1 G. For wireless, there is an Intel AX200 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface which also adds BT 5.0 connectivity. The rear panel omits any USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, but instead opts for six G1 Type-A ports, in addition to the two USB 3.1 G2 Type-C Thunderbolt 3 ports. Also featured is a single HDMI 2.0 video output, five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical out powered by a Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec, a P/S2 combo port, and a USB BIOS Flashback button. One of the most impressive technical features is that the X570 Aqua has support for DDR4-5200 memory out of the box, with a total capacity of up to 128 GB.

Test Bed

As per our testing policy, we take a high-end CPU suitable for the motherboard that was released during the socket’s initial launch and equip the system with a suitable amount of memory running at the processor maximum supported frequency. This is also typically run at JEDEC subtimings where possible. It is noted that some users are not keen on this policy, stating that sometimes the maximum supported frequency is quite low, or faster memory is available at a similar price, or that the JEDEC speeds can be prohibitive for performance. While these comments make sense, ultimately very few users apply memory profiles (either XMP or other) as they require interaction with the BIOS, and most users will fall back on JEDEC supported speeds - this includes home users as well as industry who might want to shave off a cent or two from the cost or stay within the margins set by the manufacturer. Where possible, we will extend out testing to include faster memory modules either at the same time as the review or a later date.

While we have been able to measure audio performance from previous Z370 motherboards, the task has been made even harder with the roll-out of the Z390 chipset and none of the boards tested so far has played ball. It seems all USB support for Windows 7 is now extinct so until we can find a reliable way of measuring audio performance on Windows 10 or until a workaround can be found, audio testing will have to be done at a later date.

Test Setup
Processor	AMD Ryzen 3700X, 65W, $329  8 Cores, 16 Threads, 3.6 GHz (4.4 GHz Turbo)
Motherboard	ASRock X570 Aqua (BIOS 1.40 - ABBA)
Cooling	Corsair Custom Cooling XD5 Pump/Reservoir, 240mm radiator
Power Supply	Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 1200W Gold PSU
Memory	2x8GB G.Skill TridentZ DDR4-3200 16-16-16-36 2T
Video Card	ASUS GTX 980 STRIX (1178/1279 Boost)
Hard Drive	Crucial MX300 1TB
Case	Open Benchtable BC1.1 (Silver)
Operating System	Windows 10 1903 inc. Spectre/Meltdown Patches

Readers of our motherboard review section will have noted the trend in modern motherboards to implement a form of MultiCore Enhancement / Acceleration / Turbo (read our report here) on their motherboards. This does several things, including better benchmark results at stock settings (not entirely needed if overclocking is an end-user goal) at the expense of heat and temperature. It also gives, in essence, an automatic overclock which may be against what the user wants. Our testing methodology is ‘out-of-the-box’, with the latest public BIOS installed and XMP enabled, and thus subject to the whims of this feature. It is ultimately up to the motherboard manufacturer to take this risk – and manufacturers taking risks in the setup is something they do on every product (think C-state settings, USB priority, DPC Latency / monitoring priority, overriding memory sub-timings at JEDEC). Processor speed change is part of that risk, and ultimately if no overclocking is planned, some motherboards will affect how fast that shiny new processor goes and can be an important factor in the system build.

Hardware Providers for CPU and Motherboard Reviews
Sapphire RX 460 Nitro	MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X OC	Crucial MX200 + MX500 SSDs	Corsair AX860i + AX1200i PSUs
G.Skill RipjawsV, SniperX, FlareX	Crucial Ballistix DDR4	Silverstone Coolers	Silverstone Fans

 

System Performance

Not all motherboards are created equal. On the face of it, they should all perform the same and differ only in the functionality they provide - however, this is not the case. The obvious pointers are power consumption, but also the ability for the manufacturer to optimize USB speed, audio quality (based on audio codec), POST time and latency. This can come down to the manufacturing process and prowess, so these are tested.

For X570 we are running using Windows 10 64-bit with the 1903 update as per our Ryzen 3000 CPU review.

Power Consumption

Power consumption was tested on the system while in a single ASUS GTX 980 GPU configuration with a wall meter connected to the Thermaltake 1200W power supply. This power supply has ~75% efficiency > 50W, and 90%+ efficiency at 250W, suitable for both idle and multi-GPU loading. This method of power reading allows us to compare the power management of the UEFI and the board to supply components with power under load, and includes typical PSU losses due to efficiency. These are the real-world values that consumers may expect from a typical system (minus the monitor) using this motherboard.

While this method for power measurement may not be ideal, and you feel these numbers are not representative due to the high wattage power supply being used (we use the same PSU to remain consistent over a series of reviews, and the fact that some boards on our testbed get tested with three or four high powered GPUs), the important point to take away is the relationship between the numbers. These boards are all under the same conditions, and thus the differences between them should be easy to spot.

Despite a heavy controller count, the ASRock X570 Aqua managed to perform above expectations, with the same load power consumption as the previously tested ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace. The results at both idle and long idle power state also show the X570 Aqua in a very positive light.

Non-UEFI POST Time

Different motherboards have different POST sequences before an operating system is initialized. A lot of this is dependent on the board itself, and POST boot time is determined by the controllers on board (and the sequence of how those extras are organized). As part of our testing, we look at the POST Boot Time using a stopwatch. This is the time from pressing the ON button on the computer to when Windows starts loading. (We discount Windows loading as it is highly variable given Windows specific features.)

While not the fastest X570 model in terms of POST times, the ASRock X570 Aqua performs well considering the sheer number of controllers including two Ethernet controllers, a Thunderbolt 3 controller, and all the usual culprits. It should be noted that in our stripped test, the Aqua didn't allow us to disable either of the Ethernet controllers in the BIOS.

DPC Latency

Deferred Procedure Call latency is a way in which Windows handles interrupt servicing. In order to wait for a processor to acknowledge the request, the system will queue all interrupt requests by priority. Critical interrupts will be handled as soon as possible, whereas lesser priority requests such as audio will be further down the line. If the audio device requires data, it will have to wait until the request is processed before the buffer is filled.

If the device drivers of higher priority components in a system are poorly implemented, this can cause delays in request scheduling and process time. This can lead to an empty audio buffer and characteristic audible pauses, pops and clicks. The DPC latency checker measures how much time is taken processing DPCs from driver invocation. The lower the value will result in better audio transfer at smaller buffer sizes. Results are measured in microseconds.

We test the DPC at the default settings straight from the box, and the ASRock X570 Aqua didn't follow the trend we were expecting. ASRock desktop models tend to have the upper hand in out of the box DPC latency performance, but the Aqua performed noticeably worse this time around. It's still not the worst out of the box performance we have seen on X570, and it trades blows with the models in the middle of our results.

CPU Performance, Short Form

For our motherboard reviews, we use our short form testing method. These tests usually focus on if a motherboard is using MultiCore Turbo (the feature used to have maximum turbo on at all times, giving a frequency advantage), or if there are slight gains to be had from tweaking the firmware. We put the memory settings at the CPU manufacturers suggested frequency, making it very easy to see which motherboards have MCT enabled by default.

For X570 we are running using Windows 10 64-bit with the 1903 update as per our Ryzen 3000 CPU review.

Rendering - Blender 2.7b: 3D Creation Suite - link

A high profile rendering tool, Blender is open-source allowing for massive amounts of configurability, and is used by a number of high-profile animation studios worldwide. The organization recently released a Blender benchmark package, a couple of weeks after we had narrowed our Blender test for our new suite, however their test can take over an hour. For our results, we run one of the sub-tests in that suite through the command line - a standard ‘bmw27’ scene in CPU only mode, and measure the time to complete the render.

Streaming and Archival Video Transcoding - Handbrake 1.1.0

A popular open source tool, Handbrake is the anything-to-anything video conversion software that a number of people use as a reference point. The danger is always on version numbers and optimization, for example the latest versions of the software can take advantage of AVX-512 and OpenCL to accelerate certain types of transcoding and algorithms. The version we use here is a pure CPU play, with common transcoding variations.

We have split Handbrake up into several tests, using a Logitech C920 1080p60 native webcam recording (essentially a streamer recording), and convert them into two types of streaming formats and one for archival. The output settings used are:

• 720p60 at 6000 kbps constant bit rate, fast setting, high profile
• 1080p60 at 3500 kbps constant bit rate, faster setting, main profile
• 1080p60 HEVC at 3500 kbps variable bit rate, fast setting, main profile

Rendering – POV-Ray 3.7.1: Ray Tracing - link

The Persistence of Vision Ray Tracer, or POV-Ray, is a freeware package for as the name suggests, ray tracing. It is a pure renderer, rather than modeling software, but the latest beta version contains a handy benchmark for stressing all processing threads on a platform. We have been using this test in motherboard reviews to test memory stability at various CPU speeds to good effect – if it passes the test, the IMC in the CPU is stable for a given CPU speed. As a CPU test, it runs for approximately 1-2 minutes on high-end platforms.

Compression – WinRAR 5.60b3: link

Our WinRAR test from 2013 is updated to the latest version of WinRAR at the start of 2014. We compress a set of 2867 files across 320 folders totaling 1.52 GB in size – 95% of these files are small typical website files, and the rest (90% of the size) are small 30-second 720p videos.

Synthetic – 7-Zip v1805: link

Out of our compression/decompression tool tests, 7-zip is the most requested and comes with a built-in benchmark. For our test suite, we’ve pulled the latest version of the software and we run the benchmark from the command line, reporting the compression, decompression, and a combined score.

It is noted in this benchmark that the latest multi-die processors have very bi-modal performance between compression and decompression, performing well in one and badly in the other. There are also discussions around how the Windows Scheduler is implementing every thread. As we get more results, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Point Calculations – 3D Movement Algorithm Test: link

3DPM is a self-penned benchmark, taking basic 3D movement algorithms used in Brownian Motion simulations and testing them for speed. High floating point performance, MHz, and IPC win in the single thread version, whereas the multithread version has to handle the threads and loves more cores. For a brief explanation of the platform agnostic coding behind this benchmark, see my forum post here.

Neuron Simulation - DigiCortex v1.20: link

The newest benchmark in our suite is DigiCortex, a simulation of biologically plausible neural network circuits, and simulates activity of neurons and synapses. DigiCortex relies heavily on a mix of DRAM speed and computational throughput, indicating that systems which apply memory profiles properly should benefit and those that play fast and loose with overclocking settings might get some extra speed up. Results are taken during the steady-state period in a 32k neuron simulation and represented as a function of the ability to simulate in real time (1.000x equals real-time).

Gaming Performance

For X570 we are running using Windows 10 64-bit with the 1903 update as per our Ryzen 3000 CPU review.

World of Tanks enCore

Albeit different to most of the other commonly played MMO or massively multiplayer online games, World of Tanks is set in the mid-20th century and allows players to take control of a range of military based armored vehicles. World of Tanks (WoT) is developed and published by Wargaming who are based in Belarus, with the game’s soundtrack being primarily composed by Belarusian composer Sergey Khmelevsky. The game offers multiple entry points including a free-to-play element as well as allowing players to pay a fee to open up more features. One of the most interesting things about this tank based MMO is that it achieved eSports status when it debuted at the World Cyber Games back in 2012.

World of Tanks enCore is a demo application for a new and unreleased graphics engine penned by the Wargaming development team. Over time the new core engine will implemented into the full game upgrading the games visuals with key elements such as improved water, flora, shadows, lighting as well as other objects such as buildings. The World of Tanks enCore demo app not only offers up insight into the impending game engine changes, but allows users to check system performance to see if the new engine run optimally on their system.

Grand Theft Auto V

The highly anticipated iteration of the Grand Theft Auto franchise hit the shelves on April 14th 2015, with both AMD and NVIDIA in tow to help optimize the title. GTA doesn’t provide graphical presets, but opens up the options to users and extends the boundaries by pushing even the hardest systems to the limit using Rockstar’s Advanced Game Engine under DirectX 11. Whether the user is flying high in the mountains with long draw distances or dealing with assorted trash in the city, when cranked up to maximum it creates stunning visuals but hard work for both the CPU and the GPU.

For our test we have scripted a version of the in-game benchmark. The in-game benchmark consists of five scenarios: four short panning shots with varying lighting and weather effects, and a fifth action sequence that lasts around 90 seconds. We use only the final part of the benchmark, which combines a flight scene in a jet followed by an inner city drive-by through several intersections followed by ramming a tanker that explodes, causing other cars to explode as well. This is a mix of distance rendering followed by a detailed near-rendering action sequence, and the title thankfully spits out frame time data.

F1 2018

Aside from keeping up-to-date on the Formula One world, F1 2017 added HDR support, which F1 2018 has maintained; otherwise, we should see any newer versions of Codemasters' EGO engine find its way into F1. Graphically demanding in its own right, F1 2018 keeps a useful racing-type graphics workload in our benchmarks.

Aside from keeping up-to-date on the Formula One world, F1 2017 added HDR support, which F1 2018 has maintained. We use the in-game benchmark, set to run on the Montreal track in the wet, driving as Lewis Hamilton from last place on the grid. Data is taken over a one-lap race.

Overclocking Ryzen 3000

Experience with the ASRock X570 Aqua

Ryzen 3000 runs very warmly, even at idle temperatures in comparison due to higher density packaged cores on its 7nm chiplets, and with the Aqua, a custom loop liquid setup with the integrated full cover monoblock should do the trick. In terms of our motherboard testing, it makes our Ryzen 7 3700X testbed processor slightly harder to cool than a processor such as the Ryzen 7 3900X. The reason for this is the cores are evenly split between two CCDs on the 3900X, whereas the 3700X has all its eight cores on a single CCD. This means that in our overclock testing, the Ryzen 7 3700X performs similarly on a custom loop when compared with a closed-loop liquid cooler.

Overclocking our Ryzen 7 3700X using the ASRock X570 Aqua is the quintessential typical mid-range motherboard we come to expect from ASRock, with the firmware laid out into easy to navigate sections. All of the overclocking settings users need can be found under the OC Tweaker section, with some of the more advanced Precision Boost Overdrive settings found under the advanced menu. Typically users will overclock the CPU and memory, and the ASRock X570 Aqua has two modes to select from, stable and OC mode. The only notable difference is the level of voltage for the CPU. The stable overclock mode allows users to use up to 1.500 V of CPU VCore, while the OC mode extends this to a whopping 2.500 V. Users can fine-tune memory latencies in the DRAM Timing Configuration menu, while changes to memory frequency can be made by altering the DRAM Frequency setting.

Compared with other ASRock models we have tested recently, the ASRock X570 Aqua ticks the right boxes for users looking to overclock and squeeze all of that unlocked performance. The key variable to consider with the Aqua is that it's designed for enthusiasts looking to benefit from the reduced operating temperatures with water cooling, and potentially eke out any extra performance available from the silicon. ASRock did inform us that its most beneficial testing was performed with a Ryzen 9 3950X processor which at the time of writing, isn't released yet. The ASRock X570 Aqua does include a small overclockers toolkit at the bottom right-hand side of the board with a two-digit LED debugger, a power button, and a reset button.

Overclocking Methodology

Our standard overclocking methodology is as follows. We select the automatic overclock options and test for stability with POV-Ray and OCCT to simulate high-end workloads. These stability tests aim to catch any immediate causes for memory or CPU errors.

For manual overclocks, based on the information gathered from the previous testing, starts off at a nominal voltage and CPU multiplier, and the multiplier is increased until the stability tests are failed. The CPU voltage is increased gradually until the stability tests are passed, and the process repeated until the motherboard reduces the multiplier automatically (due to safety protocol) or the CPU temperature reaches a stupidly high level (105ºC+). Our testbed is not in a case, which should push overclocks higher with fresher (cooler) air.

Overclocking Results

In our overclocking results with the ASRock X570 Aqua, the board at the default load-line calibration profile displayed good levels of VDroop throughout our testing. Going from 3.6 GHz to 4.2 GHz with 1.250 V on the CPU VCore, the X570 Aqua under full load consistently undervolted by 0.031 V. Fewer volts at load than a system needs can reduce temperatures, and with the design of the Aqua, means marginally less heat when considering the monoblock cools the VRM and X570 chipset too. Going up to 4.3 GHz at 1.350 V on the CPU VCore, our Ryzen 7 3700X consistently remained at 1.331 V under load. This equates to 0.019 V which when compared directly to the same results as the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 model with the same settings meant 3 W less of power consumption at full load.

In our POV-Ray benchmark, the scores, along with power consumption and CPU core temperature gradually increased as we went up in each of our 100 MHz increments. Like the X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 model, the ASRock X570 Aqua also includes its own Eco mode which when combined with our Ryzen 7 3700X processor, drops the TDP from 65 W to just 35 W. This is designed for low powered systems such as HTPCs that still require grunt on demand. Unfortunately, the Eco mode proved highly unstable when we applied a load, and we hope this is either an anomaly or if it can be rectified in a later firmware revision. Enabling Precision Boost Overdrive yielded no benefit when compared with the default settings, which leads us to believe the auto setting means PBO is enabled by default. 

Power Delivery Thermal Analysis

One of the most requested elements of our motherboard reviews revolves around the power delivery and its componentry. Aside from the quality of the components and its capability for overclocking to push out higher clock speeds which in turn improves performance, is the thermal capability of the cooling solutions implemented by manufacturers. While almost always fine for users running processors at default settings, the cooling capability of the VRMs isn't something that users should worry too much about, but for those looking to squeeze out extra performance from the CPU via overclocking, this puts extra pressure on the power delivery and in turn, generates extra heat. This is why more premium models often include heatsinks on its models with better cooling designs, heftier chunks of metal, and in some cases, even with water blocks such as the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Formula.

Three K-Type Thermal Probes attached to the rear of the power delivery on the ASRock X570 Aqua

Testing Methodology

Out method of testing out if the power delivery and its heatsink are effective at dissipating heat, is by running an intensely heavy CPU workload for a prolonged method of time. We apply an overclock which is deemed safe and at the maximum that the silicon on our AMD Ryzen 7 3700X processor allows. We then run the Prime95 with AVX2 enabled under a torture test for an hour at the maximum stable overclock we can which puts insane pressure on the processor. We collect our data via three different methods which include the following:

• Taking a thermal image from a birds-eye view after an hour with a Flir Pro thermal imaging camera
• Securing three probes on to the rear of the PCB, right underneath CPU VCore section of the power delivery for better parity in case a probe reports a faulty reading
• Taking a reading of the VRM temperature from the sensor reading within the HWInfo monitoring application

The reason for using three different methods is that some sensors can read inaccurate temperatures, which can give very erratic results for users looking to gauge whether an overclock is too much pressure for the power delivery handle. With using a probe on the rear, it can also show the efficiency of the power stages and heatsinks as a wide margin between the probe and sensor temperature can show that the heatsink is dissipating heat and that the design is working, or that the internal sensor is massively wrong. To ensure our probe was accurate before testing, I binned 10 and selected the most accurate (within 1c of the actual temperature) for better parity in our testing.

For thermal image, we use a Flir One camera as it gives a good indication of where the heat is generated around the socket area, as some designs use different configurations and an evenly spread power delivery with good components will usually generate less heat. Manufacturers who use inefficient heatsinks and cheap out on power delivery components should run hotter than those who have invested. Of course, a $700 flagship motherboard is likely to outperform a cheaper $100 model under the same testing conditions, but it is still worth testing to see which vendors are doing things correctly.

Thermal Analysis Results

We measured 44.2°C on the hottest part of the board during our testing.
The hottest part of the heatsink was 30°C

The ASRock X570 Aqua is using a 14-phase power delivery with twelve International Rectifier IR3555 60 power stages for the CPU section, and two IR3555 60 A power stages for the SoC. The CPU section is using six IR3599 doublers, and the International Rectifier IR35201 PWM controller is operating in a 6+2 configuration. One of the primary benefits of the ASRock X570 Aqua is that the power delivery is cooled by the monoblock along with the CPU, and X570 chipset. This level of cooling is superior to models with standard heatsinks, and although we mentioned the board weighs around 2.5 KG in total, the vast majority of the weight comes from the monoblock itself. 

While the ASRock X570 Aqua isn't the coolest power delivery we've tested, it does come second. It is surpassed by GIGABYTE's impeccable design on the X570 Xtreme model. Outside of that, the benefits of the Aqua's monoblock is clear to see when compared with an equal power delivery such as the MSI MEG X570 Ace. The ASRock X570 Aqua and MSI MEG X570 Ace use the same power delivery including the same components, and the difference in the results of the two boards is night and day.

In our X570 Ace testing, we got readings of 66°C from the sensor and 61°C from our external K-type probes. Compared to our results with the X570 Aqua which were 50°C from the sensor and 37°C from the probes, it shows the cooling potential to be had from liquid-cooled power delivery heatsinks such as on the Aqua. The variance in temperature from the temperature sensor and our thermal probes shows that the monoblock is efficiently cooling the power delivery as a lot of the heat is removed from the top of the board before it seeps through into the rear. That is just remarkable thermal performance in the grand scheme of things with a massive difference between the cooling solution on MSI's X570 Ace, and ASRock's X570 Aqua.

ASRock X570 Aqua Conclusion

The ASRock X570 Aqua ($999) is a very interesting motherboard for a few different reasons; some that are eye-opening, and some not so much. Touching on what is likely to be the biggest consideration when looking to the Aqua for a users brand new Ryzen 3000 system is the price. The X570 Aqua has a beefy price tag of $999 which puts it as the most expensive X570 motherboard currently in production, or not in production with just 999 units available in retail channels. Exclusivity comes at a price and the ASRock X570 Aqua is certainly one of the most exclusive motherboard models in recent times. Users will have to use custom liquid cooling to use this beautiful, but the equally jaw-droppingly expensive model out of the box, which adds extra cost in of itself.

For the money, ASRock has gone all out on the stylings as the Aqua is covered from head to toe in aluminium. Central to the design is a full-cover nickel-plated copper monoblock which doesn't just cool the CPU, but the boards 14-phase power delivery and X570 chipset too. While the X570 chipset temperatures even with a modest heatsink aren't likely to cause thermal issues, we've seen users lean heavily on power delivery marketing and in our thermal performance testing, the monoblock does provide very fruitful cooling to this area. One design improvement ASRock should have considered before pushing the Aqua to retail shelves would have been to include RGB LEDs in the main window of the monoblock around the CPU. The RGB LEDs pop well at the bottom of the monoblock, so having some RGB laden uniformity would have been nice to see.

To feel the full benefits of the monoblock on the CPU, the Ryzen 9 series (3950X, 3900X) processors are more likely to see the thermal benefit with the two core laden CCDs spread evenly rather than the single CCD Ryzen 7 series (3700X, 3800X). Compared to another model with a similar spec power delivery, the differences were extraordinary which shows the true thermal benefits of water-cooled power deliveries. Unfortunately, it's unlikely to make much of a difference as none of the designs tested so far have come close to the operating limits, but in the case of the Aqua, it's keeping things cool while looking even cooler.

Underneath the alluring aluminium on the surface is a high-quality feature set with an Intel JHL7540 dual port Thunderbolt 3 controller which adds two 40 Gbps Type-C ports on the rear panel, and two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs which act as a passthrough to the Thunderbolt 3 for video. Another inclusion is the Aquantia AQC107 10 G Ethernet controller which is assisted by a standard Intel I211-AT Gigabit controller, and the X570 Aqua also benefits from Intel's AX200 Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface with added BT 5.0 connectivity. The rear panel drops any other USB 3.1 G2 outside of what the Thunderbolt 3 controller brings, and instead opts for six USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports. A total of two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots sit underneath two well-fitting heatsinks, with the board also featuring eight SATA ports; four are controlled by the chipset and the other four by a pair of PCIe 2.0 ASMedia controllers which might seem odd, but PCIe 2.0 is the reason the Aqua is able to add so much to the feature set. The same goes for the three PCIe 2.0 x1 slots which are sandwiched in between the three full-length PCIe 4.0 slots which run at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/x4.

ASRock X570 Aqua system with AMD Ryzen 3950X, ASRock RX 5700 XT Taichi X 8G OC+ and full Corsair Hydro X water cooling loop

The performance of the ASRock X570 Aqua for the majority is competitive with pretty quick POST times considering the controller set included onboard. Power consumption was good, although users looking for a power-conscious option will need to factor in the extra power drawn by the water cooling equipment, most notable the pump. To note, our Corsair XD5 pump and reservoir combo pulled nearly 31 W on its own from the wall. In our computational tests, everything seemed in line with what was expected, and especially in line with the performance of our other ASRock X570 model, the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3. The overclocking performance was also decent with good VDroop compensation across our results, and power consumption also seemed competitive with other models we've tested too. Unfortunately the Eco mode within the firmware didn't seem to work with us and our Ryzen 3700X processor which was disappointing, but hopefully, if it is a widespread issue, it will be ironed out with future firmware updates.

For the pricey sum of $999, the price tag makes it hard to compare it to other models on the X570 chipset, but eagle-eyed users might have spotted that the ASRock X570 Aqua and the ASRock X570 Creator share near-identical feature sets, with the latter costing nearly half the price. This is true, and from the feature set it looks like ASRock's X570 Aqua and the X570 Creator are the same board, but minus the monoblock and aluminium covering. With that in mind, for the features alone, it makes the ASRock X570 Aqua look crazily expensive, but when things are put into perspective, users are paying for the cooling performance of the monoblock, the unique styling of all the aluminium, and more importantly, its exclusivity due to just 999 units being made available to the public through retail channels.

Making a Splash

The ASRock X570 Aqua is a special motherboard, and one of the most beautiful looking ever to grace the test bench, but all of this aluminium, the copper monoblock, and exclusivity come at a price. Whether that price is enough to put off the average consumer remains to be seen, but the ASRock X570 Aqua is a true halo product deserves all of the adulations it was created for; it's not the everyman board, but a stunning collector's piece that'll almost certainly benefit a high end AM4 CPU.