ASrock has just announced the release of its latest lineup of B450 chipset motherboards for AMD Ryzen processors, the B450 Legend Series. The new motherboards will be built using the highest grade parts available to ensure stable and reliable performance. According to ASRock, the new series will feature massive oversized aluminum heatsinks, I/O armor, reinforced PCI-E slots to add to the overall toughness of thew board. As far as components go, both boards provide stable power to the CPU thanks to the premium 60A power chokes and Nichicon black 12K capacitors.
As RGB is a must with any build these days, ASRock has incorporated two RGB zones, one at the soutbridge heatsink and another at the rear I/O cover. Users are able to modify the RGB colors and effects using the ASRock Polychrome software allowing LED sync between components.
The obvious difference between the new motherboards are their physical size. The Standard ASRock B450 Steel Legend will come in the standard ATX form factor while the B450M Steel Legend motherboard is smaller, fitting the micro ATX profile.
ASRock B450 Steel Legend Motherboard
The ASRock B450 Steel Legend is a full-featured standard sized ATX motherboard. Processor support will be for the first and second generation (maybe third?) AM4 socketed AMD Ryzen processors with Radeon VEGA graphics. The rear I/O panel comes equipped with both HDMI & DisplayPort ports for 4K video when using AMD Ryzen and Athlon processors. SSD support is also included as the board features dual M.2 slots. The top slot is heatsinked featuring ASRock’s unique M.2 Armor reducing the temperature of M.2 SSDs. Additionally, the B450 Steel Legend features two USB 3.1 Gen2 (Type A, Type C), four USB 3.1 Gen1 Type A ports, and a Combo PS/2 port with USB 2.0 ports.
ASRock B450M Steel Legend Motherboard
Like its bit brother, the Micro ATX version of the Steel Legend motherboard provides identical CPU support for AMD AM4 processors. Because of size limitations, the B450M Steel Legend features less expansion slots. Overall, both boards specification-wise are pretty similar.
2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slots (PCIE1: x8 mode; PCIE4: x4 mode) (If you use Athlon 2xxGE series APU, PCIE1 slot will run at x4 mode.)AMD Athlon series CPUs
2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slots (PCIE1: x4 mode; PCIE4: x2 mode)*- 4 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slots
Supports AMD Quad CrossFireX™ and CrossFireX™***Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
If M2_1 is occupied, PCIE4 will be disabled.
**This feature is only supported with Ryzen Series CPUs (Summit Ridge, Pinnacle Ridge and Raven Ridge).
AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Summit Ridge and Pinnacle Ridge)
1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2: x16 mode)*
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE3: x4 mode)
AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Raven Ridge)
1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2: x8 mode) (If you use Athlon 2xxGE series APU, PCIE2 slot will run at x4 mode.)
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE3: x4 mode)
AMD Athlon series CPUs
1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2: x4 mode)*
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE3: x4 mode)- 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slot
Supports AMD Quad CrossFireX™ and CrossFireX™*Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
Graphics
Integrated AMD Radeon™ Vega Series Graphics in Ryzen Series APU*
DirectX 12, Pixel Shader 5.0
Shared memory default 2GB. Max Shared memory supports up to 16GB.**
Dual graphics output: Support HDMI and DisplayPort 1.2 ports by independent display controllers
Supports HDMI 1.4 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096×2160) @ 24Hz / (3840×2160) @ 30Hz
Supports DisplayPort 1.2 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096×2160) @ 60Hz
Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI 1.4 Port (Compliant HDMI monitor is required)
Supports HDCP 1.4 with HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 Ports
Supports 4K Ultra HD (UHD) playback with HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 Ports*Actual support may vary by CPU**The Max shared memory 16GB requires 32GB system memory installed.
Integrated AMD Radeon™ Vega Series Graphics in Ryzen Series APU*
DirectX 12, Pixel Shader 5.0
Shared memory default 2GB. Max Shared memory supports up to 16GB.**
Dual graphics output: Support HDMI and DisplayPort 1.2 ports by independent display controllers
Supports HDMI 1.4 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096×2160) @ 24Hz / (3840×2160) @ 30Hz
Supports DisplayPort 1.2 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096×2160) @ 60Hz
Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI 1.4 Port (Compliant HDMI monitor is required)
Supports HDCP 1.4 with HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 Ports
Supports 4K Ultra HD (UHD) playback with HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 Ports*Actual support may vary by CPU**The Max shared memory 16GB requires 32GB system memory installed.
Audio
7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec)*
Premium Blu-ray Audio support
Supports Surge Protection
Nichicon Fine Gold Series Audio Caps
PCB Isolate Shielding
Individual PCB Layers for R / L Audio Channel
Gold Audio Jacks*To configure 7.1 CH HD Audio, it is required to use an HD front panel audio module and enable the multi-channel audio feature through the audio driver.
7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec)*
Premium Blu-ray Audio support
Supports Surge Protection
Nichicon Fine Gold Series Audio Caps
PCB Isolate Shielding
Individual PCB Layers for R / L Audio Channel
Gold Audio Jacks*To configure 7.1 CH HD Audio, it is required to use an HD front panel audio module and enable the multi-channel audio feature through the audio driver.
Lan
PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10 / 100 / 1000 Mb / s
Realtek RTL8111H
Supports Wake-On-LAN
Supports Lightning / ESD Protection
Supports Energy Efficient Ethernet 802.3az
Supports PXE
PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10 / 100 / 1000 Mb / s
Realtek RTL8111H
Supports Wake-On-LAN
Supports Lightning / ESD Protection
Supports Energy Efficient Ethernet 802.3az
Supports PXE
WiFi
n/a
n/a
Rear Panel I/O
1 x PS / 2 Mouse / Keyboard Port
1 x HDMI Port
1 x DisplayPort 1.2
1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A Port (10 Gb / s) (Supports ESD Protection)
1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb / s) (Supports ESD Protection)
4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)*
1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT / LINK LED and SPEED LED)
HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone (Gold Audio Jacks)*Ultra USB Power is supported on USB3_34 ports.
ACPI wake-up function is not supported on USB3_34 ports.
1 x PS / 2 Mouse / Keyboard Port
1 x HDMI Port
1 x DisplayPort 1.2
1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A Port (10 Gb / s) (Supports ESD Protection)
1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb / s) (Supports ESD Protection)
4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT / LINK LED and SPEED LED)
HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone (Gold Audio Jacks)
Storage
4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb / s Connectors, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug*
2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb / s Connectors by ASMedia ASM1061, support NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug
1 x Ultra M.2 Socket (M2_1), supports M Key type 2230 / 2242 / 2260 / 2280 M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb / s) (with Summit Ridge, Raven Ridge and Pinnacle Ridge) or Gen3 x2 (16 Gb / s) (with Athlon 2xxGE series APU and Raven Ridge 2)**
1 x M.2 Socket (M2_2), supports M Key type 2230 / 2242 / 2260 / 2280 / 22110 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb / s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x2 (16 Gb / s)***M2_2, SATA3_3 and SATA3_4 share lanes. If either one of them is in use, the others will be disabled.**If M2_1 is occupied, PCIE4 will be disabled.
Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
Supports ASRock U.2 Kit
4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb / s Connectors, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug*
1 x Ultra M.2 Socket (M2_1), supports M Key type 2242 / 2260 / 2280 M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb / s) (with Summit Ridge, Raven Ridge and Pinnacle Ridge) or Gen3 x2 (16 Gb / s) (with Athlon 2xxGE series APU and Raven Ridge 2)**
1 x M.2 Socket (M2_2), supports M Key type 2230 / 2242 / 2260 / 2280 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb / s module***M2_2 and SATA3_3 share lanes. If either one of them is in use, the other one will be disabled.**Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
Supports ASRock U.2 Kit
Connectors
1 x COM Port Header
1 x TPM Header
1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
1 x RGB LED Header*
1 x Addressable LED Header**
1 x AMD Fan LED Header***
1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)****
1 x CPU / Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)*****
3 x Chassis / Water Pump Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)******
1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector
1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector
1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection)
1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.1 Gen1 ports) (Supports ESD Protection)*Supports in total up to 12V / 3A, 36W LED Strip**Supports in total up to 5V / 3A, 15W LED Strip
1 x COM Port Header
1 x TPM Header
1 x Chassis Intrusion Header
1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
1 x RGB LED Header*
1 x Addressable LED Header**
1 x AMD Fan LED Header***
1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)****
1 x CPU / Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)*****
3 x Chassis / Water Pump Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)******
1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector
1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector
1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection)
1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.1 Gen1 ports) (Supports ESD Protection)*Supports in total up to 12V / 3A, 36W LED Strip**Supports in total up to 5V / 3A, 15W LED Strip
BIOS
128Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with multilingual GUI support
Supports “Plug and Play”
ACPI 5.1 compliance wake up events
Supports jumperfree
SMBIOS 2.3 support
DRAM Voltage multi-adjustment
128Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with multilingual GUI support
Supports “Plug and Play”
ACPI 5.1 compliance wake up events
Supports jumperfree
SMBIOS 2.3 support
DRAM Voltage multi-adjustment
Support CD
Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial Version), Google Chrome Browser and Toolbar
Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial Version), Google Chrome Browser and Toolbar
Software and UEFI
Software
ASRock A-Tuning
ASRock Polychrome RGB
ASRock XFast LAN
UEFI
ASRock Full HD UEFI
ASRock Instant Flash
ASRock Easy RAID Installer*These utilities can be downloaded from ASRock Live Update & APP Shop.
Software
ASRock A-Tuning
ASRock Polychrome RGB
ASRock XFast LAN
UEFI
ASRock Full HD UEFI
ASRock Instant Flash
ASRock Easy RAID Installer*These utilities can be downloaded from ASRock Live Update & APP Shop.
Hardware Monitor
Temperature Sensing: CPU, MB
Fan Tachometer: CPU, CPU / Water Pump, Chassis / Water Pump Fans
Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by CPU temperature): CPU, CPU / Water Pump, Chassis / Water Pump Fans
Fan Multi-Speed Control: CPU, CPU / Water Pump, Chassis / Water Pump Fans
Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, Vcore
Temperature Sensing: CPU, CPU / Water Pump, Chassis / Water Pump Fans
Fan Tachometer: CPU, CPU / Water Pump, Chassis / Water Pump Fans
Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by CPU temperature): CPU, CPU / Water Pump, Chassis / Water Pump Fans
Fan Multi-Speed Control: CPU, CPU / Water Pump, Chassis / Water Pump Fans
CASE OPEN detection
Voltage monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, Vcore
OS
Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
Certifications
FCC, CE
ErP / EuP ready (ErP / EuP ready power supply is required)
FCC, CE
ErP / EuP ready (ErP / EuP ready power supply is required)
Accessories
Quick Installation Guide, Support CD, I / O Shield
2 x SATA Data Cables
2 x Screws for M.2 Sockets
1 x Standoff for M.2 Socket
Quick Installation Guide, Support CD, I / O Shield