Forget Hubs — This Board Packs 25 USB Ports

ASRock’s X870 LiveMixer WiFi puts USB connectivity first with twenty-five total ports for creators, gamers, and power users.

Most boards today give you a few decent USB connections and expect you to figure out the rest with hubs and adapters. That’s fine for casual setups, but chances are if you’re running external drives, cameras, audio gear, or other devices, you’ll run out of ports fast. The ASRock X870 LiveMixer WiFi flips that script. This board comes with twenty-five USB ports in total, which is way more than you’ll see on a typical motherboard.

Rear panel options

The first thing to understand is that the back panel is stacked. You get sixteen ports right out of the box, and two of those are USB4 Type-C. Those are your heavy hitters: up to 40 Gbps transfers, plus display output if the CPU supports it. That kind of bandwidth makes external SSDs or capture gear run like they should.

You also get another Type-C rated for USB 3.2 Gen1 speeds and about seven Type-A ports in that same Gen1 class. That’s plenty fast for most peripherals — webcams, audio interfaces, or storage that doesn’t need crazy speed. Then there’s the legacy support: six USB 2.0 ports still hanging around. They’re slow at 480 Mbps, sure, but perfect for things like keyboards, mice, dongles, or older hardware that doesn’t benefit from more bandwidth.

Internal headers and front access

Add another nine ports through the internal headers and you hit the big twenty-five. The standout here is a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 header for a front panel Type-C at 20 Gbps. That’s a sweet spot — faster than Gen1, not quite USB4 — but perfect for quick plug-in drives when you don’t want to reach around the back.

The rest of the headers cover four more USB 3.2 Gen1 ports and four USB 2.0 connections. How many of those you actually use depends on your case, but the options are there.

A few extras that stand out

ASRock didn’t just go for raw numbers. Some ports are tagged as Lightning Gaming Ports, tuned for lower latency so your high-polling mouse or gaming keyboard gets priority treatment. Others are Ultra USB Power ports, wired to the 12-volt line for steadier current. That’s a nice touch if you’ve got devices that draw more power or don’t like voltage drop.

Why do we care?

Here’s the thing: most of us don’t want to keep swapping gear or living off hubs. With sixteen ports on the back, you can leave your main setup plugged in all the time. The extra nine on headers give you front panel access for fast swaps. Creators can run multiple cameras, mics, and drives at once. Gamers can dedicate the “good” ports to their peripherals. Even offices still using low-demand gear will appreciate all those USB 2.0 slots.

Our final take

The ASRock X870 LiveMixer WiFi is about one thing: connectivity without compromise. Two USB4 ports on the rear, a 20 Gbps header up front, and more Gen1 and USB 2.0 ports than you’ll probably know what to do with. Some folks might say it’s overkill in 2025, but if you’d rather plug in what you want and not think about it, this board makes that easy.

Source: ASRock official webpage for the X870 motherboard with 25 USB ports.