Options galore as a slew of X670E motherboards from ASUS join the fray this Ryzen 7000 launch season.

AMD's Ryzen 7000 series of processors and their corresponding X670E and X670 motherboards have just launched, where as of 27 September 2022, consumers can now get their hands on AMD's Zen 4 desktop parts codenamed "Raphael". With the Zen 4 architecture,  AMD claims to have achieved 13% improvements in instructions per clock (IPC) compared to processor offerings from the previous generation Ryzen 5000 (Zen 3) series. These claims are sure to be put to the test in the coming days (if not hours), as the inevitable slew of third-party Ryzen 7000 series benchmark results start to hit the web. As part of coverage for this launch event, ALKtech takes a closer look at another Ryzen 7000-ready motherboard, the ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI.

Source: AMD website

The Ryzen 7000 series of processors will first launch with the range-topping X670E and X670 motherboard chipsets, whilst AMD's mid-tier AM5 chipset offerings, the B650E and B650, will follow suit likely in October 2022. The arrival of the Ryzen 7000 series also sees the introduction of a new processor socket, AM5, which spells the retirement of the venerable AM4 socket that has served AMD users well since its debut back in September of 2016.

One key difference between the X670E and X670 chipsets has to do with PCIe 5.0 connectivity; while both chipsets will serve up PCIe 5.0 support, the X670E chipset will have PCIe 5.0 support for both GPU and M.2 applications. The X670 chipset on the other hand, will offer PCIe 5.0 support for either the GPU or M.2 drives only, a decision to be taken by motherboard manufacturers. The TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI featured in this article, as its name implies, is powered by the top-of-the-line X670E chipset.

Summary of Specifications

• Processor Support: AMD Ryzen 7000 series (Zen 4) AM5 processors
• Chipset: AMD X670E
• Memory: 4x DDR5 slots, max 128GB, up to DDR5 6400+ (OC) support
• Audio: Realtek S1220A audio codec
• LAN: Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
• WIFI: AMD RZ608 or AMD RZ616 WIFI 6E module with built-in Bluetooth 5.2
• Expansion Slots: 1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 1x PCIe 4.0 x4, 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4 mode)
• Storage: 4x SATA III, 1x PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2, 2x PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2, 1x PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 (SATA mode supported)
• Form Factor: ATX

Packaging & Contents

The TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI comes in a black and silver box with yellow accents, a nod to the TUF Gaming line-up's brand identity.

The following accessories come included with the board:

• 1x WIFI antenna
• 2x SATA III cables
• 2 packs of M.2 drive screws and standoffs
• 2x M.2 rubber pads (adds height clearance for single-sided M.2 SSDs)
• User manual
• DVD driver disc
• TUF Gaming Certificate of Reliability
• TUF Gaming decorative stickers
• ASUS WebStorage promotional leaflet

Board Aesthetics

In keeping with the TUF Gaming line-up's brand identity, the board has a black and grey colour scheme with small touches of yellow thrown in for contrast. ASUS has adorned the PCB with large black heatsinks with no shortage of TUF Gaming motifs, and the board also comes with an integrated I/O shield that enhances the appearance of the board.

The TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI comes with onboard RGB LEDs that are located near the bottom of the long edge of the motherboard. Given the subtle appearance of the board's RGB effects, this may disappoint fans of RGB lighting somewhat.

As a board that is targeted at the casual gamer market, it comes with VRM heatsinks that are decently sized, and has a large passive heatsink for the dual chipsets of the X670E. Also included are heatsinks for three out of the four M.2 drive slots.

VRM & Memory Support

In terms of power delivery, the TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI comes with 14+2 power stages rated for 70A, and has four DDR5 slots that support up to 128GBs of RAM, and the DDR5 6400+ standard when overclocked. With the AM5 platform's release comes the introduction of AMD EXPO - Extended Profiles for Overclocking, which are built-in overclocking profiles for DDR5 memory, similar to what XMP stands for in Intel's world. The RAM slots feature a single-tab design called Q-DIMM that helps with RAM removal, especially when a graphics card is already installed.

Front Panel USB Headers

Shoring up the front panel USB 3.2 connectivity department are a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C header, as well as a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A header that supports up to two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports.

Also included are three USB 2.0 front panel headers, with each header supporting up to two front panel USB 2.0 Type-A ports.

Expansion Slots & Storage Options

In terms of expansion slots, the TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI comes with a single PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, a PCIe 4.0 x4 slot, as well as a full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot that operates at x4 mode. The PCIe 5.0 x16 slot comes with ASUS's SafeSlot feature which reinforces the slot for use with heavy graphics cards.

For storage, ASUS has included four SATA III ports, with two ports in a straight-angled configuration, and two ports in a right-angled configuration. In terms of M.2 drive support, the TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI comes with a single PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot, two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, as well as a PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slot that also provides support for SATA M.2 drives. Do note that the PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slot (slot M.2_2) shares bandwidth with the first two SATA ports, where if a NVMe M.2 SSD operating at x4 mode is installed on the M.2_2 slot, SATA ports 1 & 2 will be disabled.

A welcome feature that the board comes with is Q-Latch, which replaces the traditional screw and standoff arrangement with plastic devices that facilitate a tool-less M.2 drive installation experience. Q-Latch is included for all four of the board's M.2 drive slots.

Audio & Internet Connectivity

The TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI comes with Realtek's S1220A audio codec which is coupled with what ASUS terms to be "premium audio capacitors".

Wired internet connectivity is courtesy of Realtek's RTL8125BG 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet part...

...while WIFI on the other hand, according to the compliance notices found in the motherboard manual, is courtesy of either AMD's RZ608 or RZ616 module, where both modules are WIFI 6E parts that support Bluetooth 5.2. As to which module would come included with the board that you purchase, this would likely boil down to parts availability at the point of the motherboard's manufacture.

Fan & RGB Headers

The TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI comes with eight fan headers:

• 1x CPU_FAN
• 1x CPU_OPT
• 4x CHA_FAN
• 1x W_PUMP+
• 1x AIO_PUMP

Also included are three 5V addressable RGB headers, and a single 12V RGB header.

Other Features

Near the RAM slots are a set of LEDs that ASUS terms "Q-LED" - these LEDs help with troubleshooting Power On Self Test (POST) issues.

An unexpected feature that the board comes with is a serial port header, which could come in useful in business settings that still use legacy PC hardware. Also included is a Thunderbolt add-on card header, which is to be used in conjunction with a Thunderbolt 4 add-on card that is sold separately by ASUS.

Rear I/O

The TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI comes with the following rear I/O ports:

• 1x DisplayPort 1.4 (max 8K resolution @ 60Hz)
• 1x HDMI 2.1 (max 4K resolution @ 60Hz)
• 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10Gbps)
• 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10Gbps)
• 1x USB 3,2 Gen 2x2 Type-C (20Gbps)
• 1x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port
• 5x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (5Gbps)
• WIFI antennae connectors
• BIOS Flashback button
• Audio jacks

BIOS Flashback allows for the motherboard's BIOS to be updated without needing a processor, RAM and graphics card to be installed. Seeing as AMD has indicated that the AM5 platform should see support for several generations of new Ryzen processors in the future, this sure is a handy feature to have.

Conclusion

The ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI comes across as an AM5 motherboard that is well suited for mid-range gaming PC builds powered by AMD's Ryzen 7000 series of processors. This is especially since the board serves up a decent set of new features such as DDR5 support, PCIe 5.0 connectivity on the graphics card slot as well as a M.2 slot, 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet alongside WIFI 6E, all in an aesthetic package that can be considered to be gamer-oriented.

Updated on 28 September 2022: The TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI has an indicative price of $589 Singapore dollars through retailers based in Singapore. For overseas readers, the board can be purchased online from eRetailers such as Newegg for $329.99 US dollars.

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The motherboard featured in this article was a review unit provided on loan from ASUS Singapore.