It’s not unusual for a motherboard manufacturer to shift a few features here and there, and then release said creations out in the wild to see if it catches on. In this case, ASRock is currently making a few heads turn with its new X570 motherboard.
The motherboard in question here is the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming mini-ITX, and the primary reason it’s worth a mention is because of the heatsink mounting system it supports. Instead of using AMD’s AM4 socket, it uses an Intel mounting system.
As pointed out by ExtremeTech, ASRock’s choice of fitting its X570 motherboard with an Intel’s mount system is odd and peculiar. As we all know, both Intel and AMD CPU are of different sizes. Even when installed, both CPUs sit at different heights; Intel CPU’s sit parallel with its bracket, while AMD’s CPUs sits on top of a small elevated platform.
While this cross-compatibility may be interesting to some PC enthusiasts, it should be pointed out that not all currently existing LGA 115X coolers will be compatible. Not to worry, however, as ASRock has also released a list of Intel CPU coolers that are compatible with this motherboard.
Last but not least, this Phantom Gaming mini-ITX features support for another Intel-developed feature, Thunderbolt 3. More importantly, it’s the first AMD motherboard in its line to feature the hardware interface, although it should be said that ASRock has been pushing for on AMD hardware.
Whether or not this cross-compatibility will see widespread adoption among PC enthusiast, only time will tell. However, it’s nice to see ASRock opening up options to its consumers when it comes to CPU for AMD’s AMD4 chipset.
(Source: ExtremeTech)
