ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate (Intel Z390) Motherboard Review
Thermal Imaging and Power Consumption
System power is measured at the wall with an AC power meter.

Note on Thermal Images: In the temperature section, we use our Seek thermal imaging camera to capture the surface temperatures of major components on the board. I look at the VRM and then all other things that light up the screen. If there is something to worry about, then I will state it. Otherwise, I will just show the hotter running parts of the board for fun. Unless some component is over 80-90C, then there isn't anything to worry about.
All systems will act differently, so I will look for commonalities, such as how far from the VRM the heat spreads through the PCB and the difference in temperature between the front side and back side of the PCB. Keep in mind, the majority of the heat from the VRM goes into the PCB as it is a giant soldered on copper heat sink. A larger difference in temperature between the back and front of the PCB points towards a more effective heat sink.
Thermal Testing at Stock Speeds:
The image on the left is always at idle, and the image on the right is at load. During ALL TESTS, fans to the right of the motherboard from the (Corsair H110i) radiator are left on automatic mode (ramps with internal block temperature). Additionally, a 120mm fan is situated right above the VRM, and it blows down at a medium rate (very quiet). Thermal Images are taken at loop 15 of Intel Burn Test
Full frontal.
Up-close of the front of the VRM.
Up-close of the back of the VRM.
The Z390 Taichi Ultimate doesn't have the best VRM we have seen on boards almost twice its price, but VRM thermal performance at stock is excellent! Anything under 60C is great, 60-80C is acceptable, and anything above 80C is a bit worrisome (if at stock).
PRICING: You can find the product discussed for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing, but can change at any time. Click the link below to see real-time pricing for the best deal:
United States: The ASRock Motherboard (Z390 Taichi Ultimate) retails for $298.99 at Amazon.
United Kingdom: The ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate (Intel Z390) Motherboard retails for £XXX at Amazon UK.
Canada: The ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate (Intel Z390) Motherboard retails for $XXX CAD at Amazon Canada.
- Page 1 [Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing]
- Page 2 [Packaging and Z390 Taichi Ultimate Overview]
- Page 3 [ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate Circuit Analysis]
- Page 4 [ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate Circuit Analysis Continued]
- Page 5 [BIOS and Software]
- Page 6 [Test System Setup]
- Page 7 [Overclocking]
- Page 8 [CPU, Memory, and System Benchmarks]
- Page 9 [System IO Benchmarks]
- Page 10 [Thermal Imaging and Power Consumption]
- Page 11 [What's Hot, What's Not & Final Thoughts]
- We at TweakTown openly invite the companies who provide us with review samples / who are mentioned or discussed to express their opinion of our content. If any company representative wishes to respond, we will publish the response here.
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