Final Thoughts
I think if you are looking for a mini-ITX motherboard on the Z590 platform the ASRock Z590 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB4 is an excellent choice. It is going to have everything you want on the Z590 platform and more. You get Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 gen 2×2, WiFi 6E, 2.5G LAN, and of course PCI-Express 4.0 for both the expansion slot and M.2 slot. It is quite impressive that ASRock was able to fit so much on such a small board. Also this board and its 10 phase (8+2) VRM will be able to handle Intel’s best 11th generation processors.
When it comes to looks the board has the typical black and red look that most Phantom Gaming boards have and it looks great. You even get some RGB lighting at the bottom edge of the board that will illuminate under your graphics card. Need more RGB lighting? There are headers on the board.
There were a few things I would have liked to have seen on this board though. First there are only five USB ports on the rear I/O, yes we could easily add more with a Thunderbolt dongle, but having more by default would have been nice. Also while we do get USB 3.2 gen 2×2 support by way of a header, I would have rather had the port on the rear I/O. Finally there are only three SATA ports on the board, typically mini-ITX boards have 4.
Even so I think this is a great fully-featured motherboard and one you should really consider if you are building a mini-ITX system. Right now it is selling at our favorite online retailer for $269.99. Overall ThinkComputers gives the ASRock Z590 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB4 Motherboard a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Thunderbolt 4
– 8+2 power phase design and great VRM cooling
– Sleek overall look
– WiFi 6E & 2.5G LAN
– Hefty heatsink for the main M.2 slot
Cons:
– Only 5 USB ports on the rear I/O
– Only 3 SATA ports
