ASUS Prime X570-Pro Motherboard Preview & Unboxing

Peter Donnell / 5 years ago

X570-Pro

We’ve already taken a look at quite a few motherboard unboxings for the new X570 series, including another from ASUS, and a few other brands like MSI and AORUS too. However, we’ve just about got time for one more before we push on with the final benchmarking phase for the new CPUs, motherboards, graphics cards, etc, from AMD and their partners.

Features

AMD AM4 Socket: Ready for 3rd and 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen™ processors
Enhanced power solution: 12+2 DrMOS power stages, ProCool connectors, alloy chokes and durable capacitors for stable power delivery
5-Way Optimization: One-click, system-wide tuning delivers optimized overclocks and intelligent cooling for CPU or GPU-intensive tasks
Industry-leading cooling options: Comprehensive controls for fans and dual pump headers, via Fan Xpert 4 or the acclaimed UEFI
M.2 heatsink: Ultra-efficient heatsink reduces M.2 SSD temperature for unthrottled transfer speeds and enhanced reliability
ASUS OptiMem: Careful routing of traces and vias to preserve signal integrity for improved memory overclocking
Next-gen connectivity: Supreme flexibility with PCIe 4.0, dual M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports and front-panel header
Aura Sync RGB: Synchronize LED lighting with a vast portfolio of compatible PC gear, including next-gen addressable RGB strips

Ryzen 3rd Gen (or 2nd Gen)!

This is an AM4 socket motherboard, so pretty much any Ryzen CPU will fit. However, you’ll only get life out of 2nd and 3rd Gen Ryzen CPUs. Unfortunately, X570 has no 1st Gen Ryzen support, as we covered in our X570 Buying Guide here. Of course, there are benefits to 3rd Gen that you can only get on X570, such as PCIe 4.0 functionality.

Prime

First impressions of this motherboard are strong. I’ve always have a soft spot for the Prime designs. They sit somewhere between “gamer” and that premium high-end level of features and a more professional “design” focused theme. Either way, they’re going to look fantastic in any system I would think. There’s a bit of white, a bit of chrome, and that lovely digital design on the PCB too.

Power

Unlocking the maximum performance from your new Ryzen CPUS is important. Fortunately, the Prime shouldn’t have any issues even with the Ryzen 9 CPUs at its heart. With an 8+4 pin PSU input, running through a 12+2 power stage design. It features DrMOS, as well as high and low side MOSFETs, with alloy chokes for improved stability. As you can see, there’s a fairly significant chunk of metal cooling it all too; overclocking should not be an issue here.

Peripheral

There are plenty of fan heads dotted around the motherboard, as well as water pump headers for your CPU. Plus, if you love your RGB, you’ll be happy to see both RGB LED as well as ARGB headers on offer.

Active Cooling

The X570 chipset is a bit of a beast, and requires robust cooling to ensure maximum performance. As you would expect, there’s the X570 active fan on the chipset, hiding just behind that lovely heatsink on the motherboard. Below that, you’ll find an M.2 mount with heatsink too.

PCIe 4.0

With PCIe 4.0 being a main selling point of Gen 3 CPUs and X570 motherboards, ASUS have certainly got you covered. There are three full-size PCIe lanes, two of which are armoured to handle the weight of modern GPUs. There are three 4x lanes too, so adding additional PCIe devices should be a breeze. Of course, both of the M.2 mounts are PCIe 4.0 also.

Connectivity

This board doesn’t feature WiFi 6 like some of the models do. However, it does have Intel LAN for getting you hooked up easily enough. There’s no USB 2.0 ports at all here. However, you do get 4 x USB 3.0 Gen 1, 3 x USB 3 Gen 2, and a Gen 2 Type C; more than enough, I think you’ll agree. My favourite aspect is the audio though, and with Realtek S1220A backed up by a bank of gold Japanese capacitors, it should be pretty capable.

AURA Sync

Of course, we have the ARGB and LED headers for expanding your lighting configurations. However, there’s some ARGB built right into the chipset heatsink here.

As well as into the rear I/O guard at the top. It’s quite subtle compared to some of the gaming boards, but I quite like it this way. Plus, with AURA Sync you can control lots of other devices RGB like peripherals, RAM and much more.

Performance

Unfortunately, there are no figures we can show you at this time. We’re allowed to test them on our test bench, but you will have to wait for the NDA to pass before we can share those figures. Of course, we’ll have a review for you soon enough. For now, though, you can check out our X570 Buying Guide, Ryzen 3rd Gen Buying Guide and why not also check our Radeon RX 5700 and 5700 XT Buying Guide while you’re at it!