This ASUS X670 Mini-ITX motherboard has secondary chipset on the small PCB

ASUS Mini-ITX motherboard with detachable chipset

ASRock, Gigabyte and MSI were not forward-looking enough to develop an X670 motherboard for Mini-ITX form factor, but ASUS managed to do just that with ROG STRIX X67O-I design. 

ASUS X670 Mini-ITX motherboard with secondary chipset, Source: Uniko’s Hardware

ASUS ROG Strix X670-I is a Mini-ATX motherboard with not much room to spare. As we know, all X670 motherboards have two chipsets, while the B650 series have one. This ROG Strix Mini-ITX motherboard would have been a B650 model if not of the secondary chipset that is installed on a small daughter board, hidden under a large I/O cover.

We should note that ASUS showcased this designs many months ago, but there are hardly any reviews that went this far to take the whole motherboard apart. But thankfully Uniko’s Hardware did just that to their review unit to uncover all parts hidden right underneath the large piece of plastic. What ASUS engineers did is impressive and complicated. It’s a multi-level structure of boards and heat-dissipating parts that together make a coherent and sleek design.

ASUS X670 Mini-ITX motherboard, Source: Andreas Schilling

Exactly how was this done might be explained by the graphic shared by one of our readers (JeffreyF). This chipset allows the motherboard to expand support for yet another M.2 storage:

AND X670 Mini-ITX design, Source: JeffreyF

Uniko’s Hardware are now working on a full review, so make sure to check their site soon. Maybe they will explain what would happen if this chipset PCB is not connected to the motherboard, would that turn it into B650?

Source: