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ASRock · AM4 · A520M

ASRock A520M-ITX/AC

Mini-ITX · DDR4 · 2 DIMMs · 8-phase VRM · 802.11ac

Quality
33
VRM
24
Value
63
Amazon
$100
ASRock A520M-ITX/AC
View ASRock A520M-ITX/AC Gallery in high resolution
$100
Available Updated 2 days, 5 hours ago
Overall33.0
VRM24.0
Chipset41.0
Expansion / storage29.0
Connectivity31.0
Audio40.0
Quality / price62.7
$100 on Amazon Motherboard table Compare this motherboard

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Written analysis

ASRock A520M-ITX/AC at a glance

The ASRock A520M-ITX/AC uses the Mini-ITX form factor, AM4 socket, and A520M chipset. This is an entry-level platform focused on the essential connections for a practical, lower-cost build.

Memory support is DDR4 across 2 DIMM slots, with up to 64 GB and rated overclocked speeds up to 4733 MT/s. ECC modules are accepted, subject to CPU support. XMP / EXPO memory-profile support is recorded for easier tuning.

Best fit: a budget or straightforward office build using a lower-power CPU and a small number of add-in devices.

Power delivery

The calculated VRM score is 24.0, placing the power delivery in the basic class. The board lists 8 CPU power phases, 60 A power stages in a 8+1 layout. CPU power input is listed as 1. Keep it paired with lower-power processors and avoid sustained overclocked loads.

Expansion and storage

The expansion and storage score is 29.0: focused on the essentials. The platform supports PCIe 3.0. Physical expansion includes 1 ×16 slot.

On-board storage consists of 1 M.2 slot and 4 SATA ports. Supported M.2 lengths are listed as 2280. The single M.2 slot makes drive planning more important if future expansion matters.

Connectivity and rear I/O

The connectivity score is 31.0, rated essential. Wireless networking is Wi-Fi 802.11ac ; wired networking is PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s at up to 1000 Mbps. Bluetooth 4.2 is included. The recorded USB provision is 6 rear connections; a front-panel total is not recorded. The specification sheet below separates every USB speed and connector type.

Display connectivity includes HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4. These motherboard outputs require a processor with integrated graphics.

Audio

The audio score is 40.0. This is a standard onboard solution using Realtek ALC887/897 Audio Codec. It covers normal gaming and communication; demanding headphones or production work still benefit from an external interface. The rear panel has 3 analogue jacks.

Buying verdict

Overall quality is 33.00, a minimal result. Buy it for a simple compatible build, not for expansion, heavy tuning, or a long list of onboard features.

At the recorded Amazon price, the quality-to-price score is 62.7—a balanced value for its feature class.

Board data

Full specifications

Platform, expansion, storage, rear I/O, internal headers, networking, audio, and board controls in one sheet.

General

Manufacturer
ASRock
Motherboard
ASRock A520M-ITX/AC
Chipset / socket
A520M / AM4
Form factor
Mini-ITX
Launch price
—
Amazon price
$100
Availability
In stock
Price updated
2 days, 5 hours ago

VRM

CPU phases
8 (60 A)
Power design
8+1
EPS connector
1

Memory

Type / slots
DDR4 / 2 DIMMs
Max capacity / OC
64 GB / 4733 MT/s
Per DIMM
32 GB
XMP / EXPO
Yes
ECC
Modules supported

PCIe

Supported version
PCIe 3.0
x16 physical
1
x16 Gen 3
1

Storage

M.2 slots
1
M.2 lengths
2280
SATA ports
4

Display outputs

HDMI
Yes · 2.1 · 4K x 2K (4096x2160) @ 60Hz
DisplayPort
Yes · 1.4 · 5K (5120x2880)@120Hz
USB-C DisplayPort
No

USB

Rear USB 2.0
2
Rear USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps
3
Rear USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C 5 Gbps
1
Header USB 2.0
2
Header USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps
2

Networking

Ethernet
PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s
LAN ports
1
LAN speed
1000 Mbps
Wi-Fi
802.11ac
Wi-Fi bandwidth
433Mbps
Bands
2.4GHz, 5GHz
Antenna connectors
2
Bluetooth
4.2

Audio

Chipset
Realtek ALC887/897 Audio Codec
Analog jacks
3
Gold-plated jacks
No
Optical S/PDIF
No
Spatial audio
Rear output

Additional information

Memory notes
Supports DDR4 un-buffered memory. Supported speeds vary by CPU series (Vermeer, Matisse, Cezanne, Renoir). Features 15μ Gold Contact in DIMM Slots.
Display notes
Requires Integrated AMD Radeon™ Vega Series Graphics in Ryzen Series APU. Supports DirectX 12 and Pixel Shader 5.0. Shared memory is 2GB by default, with a maximum of 16GB. Dual graphics output is supported via independent display controllers. The HDMI 2.1 port supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC, HBR (High Bit Rate Audio), and HDR. Both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports support HDCP 2.3 and 4K Ultra HD (UHD) playback. Also supports Microsoft PlayReady.
Expansion notes
With AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Matisse), the x16 slot supports bifurcation into x8/x8 mode using a riser card. Includes a Vertical M.2 Socket (Key E) with a bundled WiFi module.
M2_1
3.0 4 · SATA · 2280 — NVMe SSD is not supported when using an AMD Athlon™ 3000G Processor.
RAID
SATA (0, 1, 10)
Storage notes
SATA connectors support NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug. Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks. Supports ASRock U.2 Kit.
USB notes
All USB ports and headers support ESD Protection.
Audio notes
Features 7.1 CH HD Audio. Supports Surge Protection. The rear jacks are: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone.
Networking notes
RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED). Supports Bluetooth 4.2 + High speed class II.
Fan / RGB headers
1 CPU · — OPT · — AIO · 2 chassis · 1 ARGB · 1 RGB
Other headers
Front audio
Dimensions
17 cm x 17 cm

Extracted notes sit here. Official manufacturer copy is at the bottom of the page.

Amazon

Price history

Nearby quality

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VRM fit

VRM-appropriate CPUs

AM4 processors whose TDP sits in this board’s VRM window. Socket match is required; chipset extras still matter on sTR5. This is a power-delivery filter, not a ranked CPU guide.

Open AM4 CPUs in the CPU table

Discussion

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Vendor copy

Official manufacturer data

Raw manufacturer text kept for reference. Structured specs above are extracted from this copy and are the source for scores and tables.

Memory

- Dual Channel DDR4 Memory Technology
- 2 x DDR4 DIMM Slots
- AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Vermeer) support DDR4 4600+(OC) / 4533(OC) / 4466(OC) / 4400(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4266(OC) / 4200(OC) / 4133(OC) / 4000(OC) / 3866(OC) / 3800(OC) / 3733(OC) / 3600(OC) / 3466(OC) / 3200 / 2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 ECC & non-ECC, un-buffered memory*
- AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Matisse) support DDR4 4600+(OC) / 4533(OC) / 4466(OC) / 4400(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4266(OC) / 4200(OC) / 4133(OC) / 4000(OC) / 3866(OC) / 3800(OC) / 3733(OC) / 3600(OC) / 3466(OC) / 3200 / 2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 ECC & non-ECC, un-buffered memory*
- AMD Ryzen series APUs (Cezanne) support DDR4 4733+(OC) / 4666(OC) / 4600(OC) / 4533(OC) / 4466(OC) / 4400(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4266(OC) / 4200(OC) / 4133(OC) / 4000(OC) / 3866(OC) / 3800(OC) / 3733(OC) / 3600(OC) / 3466(OC) / 3200 / 2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 ECC & non-ECC, un-buffered memory*
- AMD Ryzen series APUs (Renoir) support DDR4 4733+(OC) / 4666(OC) / 4600(OC) / 4533(OC) / 4466(OC) / 4400(OC) / 4333(OC) / 4266(OC) / 4200(OC) / 4133(OC) / 4000(OC) / 3866(OC) / 3800(OC) / 3733(OC) / 3600(OC) / 3466(OC) / 3200 / 2933 / 2667 / 2400 / 2133 ECC & non-ECC, un-buffered memory*
- Max. capacity of system memory: 64GB**
- Supports Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules
- 15μ Gold Contact in DIMM Slots

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 1.4 ports by independent display controllers
- Supports HDMI 2.1 with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096x2160) @ 60Hz
- Supports DisplayPort 1.4 with max. resolution up to 5K (5120x2880)@120Hz
- Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI 2.1 Port (Compliant HDMI monitor is required)
- Supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) with HDMI 2.1
- Supports HDCP 2.3 with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 Ports
- Supports 4K Ultra HD (UHD) playback with HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 Ports
- Supports Microsoft PlayReady

Expansion slots

- 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1: x16 mode)*
- 1 x Vertical M.2 Socket (Key E) with the bundled WiFi-802.11ac PCIe WiFi module (on the rear I/O)

*AMD Ryzen series CPUs (Matisse) supports PCIe riser cards to extend x8/x8 slots
Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks

Storage

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 2280 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s)*

*Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
NVMe SSD is not supported with AMD Athlon™ 3000G Processors
Supports ASRock U.2 Kit

Internal I/O

- 1 x RGB LED Header*
- 1 x Addressable LED Header**
- 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)***
- 2 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
- 1 x USB 2.0 Header (Supports 2 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection)
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.2 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

***The CPU Fan Connector supports the CPU fan of maximum 1A (12W) fan power.

****The Chassis/Water Pump Fan supports the water cooler fan of maximum 2A (24W) fan power.
CHA_FAN1/WP and CHA_FAN2/WP can auto detect if 3-pin or 4-pin fan is in use.

Rear I/O

- 2 x Antenna Ports
- 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
- 1 x HDMI Port
- 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
- 2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
- 3 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
- 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C Port (Supports ESD Protection)
- 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED)
- HD Audio Jacks: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone

Wireless

- 802.11ac WiFi Module
- Supports IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
- Supports Dual-Band (2.4/5 GHz)
- Supports high speed wireless connections up to 433Mbps
- Supports Bluetooth 4.2 + High speed class II

Audio

- 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC887/897 Audio Codec)
- Supports Surge Protection

Special features

Software
- ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning)
- ASRock Polychrome SYNC
UEFI
- ASRock Full HD UEFI
- ASRock Instant Flash

*These utilities can be downloaded from ASRock Live Update & APP Shop.

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