I am very unimpressed with both the port layout and the slot layout. It's just not good. I guess for that price, there's not much to complain about, but I would pay more for a better slot layout, more USB ports, and a DisplayPort from the iGPU.
I haven't seen an overclocking-per-board comparison recently. It seems that's what these boards are made for (to get higher, more stable overclocks than other boards). Or are we at a point now where the board really doesn't matter and you'll get the same stable overclocks (on air) with a $90 board?
Ian, would recommend this over the Gigabyte Z97X SOC Force and the MSI Z97 MPower?
I like the fact that this board ships with conformal coating, and compared to the SOC Force, it does seem to have the advantage of having an M.2 slot.
The MSI board also has an M.2, but the VRM design is much weaker and probably not good for an OC board. 12x PowerPAK, a downgrade from the Z87 MPower I fear.
Otherwise, all 3 are very much OC-oriented boards that are relatively stripped down.
The CPU isn't that important for gaming numbers, it's the GPU there so there isn't much point in running all those tests on even more hardware. Not only that, but AMD hardware is irrelevant in this comparison because it's a motherboard review. It only really matters how it compares to other socket 1150 Motherboards.
Either AMD is relevant or not. Why is it relevant enough to include in application benchmarks but not relevant enough to include in the gaming benchmarks? What dictates that decision? Cuz the only obvious factor is that AMD suks in apps while it is not all that bad in gaming...
If anything, there are more people buying AMD systems for gaming that people buying Xeon systems for gaming, yet we have Xeon gaming benches...
1 thing to note about this mobo is that if u use more than 2 pci-e slots u must install a molex connector at the bottom of thd mobo (pointing down, so hard to get to after installing it & impossible to get to in a small case cause PSU will block it). Otherwise a solid mobo that would make a good foundation for any system.
Theres not much to differentiate all the z97 mobos apart in the $200 price range, but Asrock does provide alot more options for the price compared to their competitors....
If Asrock had gone with standard Intel GbE instead of the crappy "Killer" ethernet, and ignored Thunderbolt (TB on an overclocking board, seriously?), they would've easily been able to get this board under the $200 mark. Maybe that would've also allowed them to use 4-pin fan headers for the whole board. All in all, a missed opportunity.
The comments are more interesting than the motherboard review. iGP display port connector, really? LoL 4 vs 3 ping fan headers? Not enough USB ports? And there is a difficult to get to molex if you have a small case? Complaining about the TB header?
This board is an oddity because if I was going to run a lot of hardware, why would I use a 1150 cpu? And for the AMD fan boys, Intel crushes AMD, not sure why AMD is included in any of the benchmarks, since this is theoretically aimed at the performance market. Seems a socket 2011 would be better. I think the reason this board will be bought is because it looks good in a windowed case. It's geek jewelry.
My only complaint is PS/2 ports, really? Seriously? PS/2 ports? At least the printer and serial ports have finally been deprecated.
Bought a Asrock MB Z97 Extreme 6 with m2 Ultra in july. Already one of the PCIE 3.0 slots is broken and no VGA card inserted in it is recognized by the computer. Complete junk.
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21 Comments
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dgingeri - Thursday, October 2, 2014 - link
I am very unimpressed with both the port layout and the slot layout. It's just not good. I guess for that price, there's not much to complain about, but I would pay more for a better slot layout, more USB ports, and a DisplayPort from the iGPU.zent - Thursday, October 2, 2014 - link
Did you disable 'Multi Core Enhancement' before setting the CPU Ratio on 'all core'?Kogan - Thursday, October 2, 2014 - link
I haven't seen an overclocking-per-board comparison recently. It seems that's what these boards are made for (to get higher, more stable overclocks than other boards). Or are we at a point now where the board really doesn't matter and you'll get the same stable overclocks (on air) with a $90 board?CrazyElf - Thursday, October 2, 2014 - link
Ian, would recommend this over the Gigabyte Z97X SOC Force and the MSI Z97 MPower?I like the fact that this board ships with conformal coating, and compared to the SOC Force, it does seem to have the advantage of having an M.2 slot.
The MSI board also has an M.2, but the VRM design is much weaker and probably not good for an OC board. 12x PowerPAK, a downgrade from the Z87 MPower I fear.
Otherwise, all 3 are very much OC-oriented boards that are relatively stripped down.
mfenn - Thursday, October 2, 2014 - link
Ian, I really like the use of crops of the motherboard top-down shot when pointing our various features. It adds a nice visual touch to the review.ddriver - Thursday, October 2, 2014 - link
Why AMD systems in "application" benchmarks but no AMD systems in gaming benchmarks?Looks like "we are only gonna show AMD doing 2-4 times worse than intel, but not gaming cuz AMD isn't doing that bad there"...
ddriver - Thursday, October 2, 2014 - link
And LOL, it is not all bad, gonna give you Xeon benches instead, cuz that's what people buy Xeons for...Flunk - Thursday, October 2, 2014 - link
The CPU isn't that important for gaming numbers, it's the GPU there so there isn't much point in running all those tests on even more hardware. Not only that, but AMD hardware is irrelevant in this comparison because it's a motherboard review. It only really matters how it compares to other socket 1150 Motherboards.ddriver - Thursday, October 2, 2014 - link
Either AMD is relevant or not. Why is it relevant enough to include in application benchmarks but not relevant enough to include in the gaming benchmarks? What dictates that decision? Cuz the only obvious factor is that AMD suks in apps while it is not all that bad in gaming...If anything, there are more people buying AMD systems for gaming that people buying Xeon systems for gaming, yet we have Xeon gaming benches...
poohbear - Friday, October 3, 2014 - link
1 thing to note about this mobo is that if u use more than 2 pci-e slots u must install a molex connector at the bottom of thd mobo (pointing down, so hard to get to after installing it & impossible to get to in a small case cause PSU will block it). Otherwise a solid mobo that would make a good foundation for any system.Theres not much to differentiate all the z97 mobos apart in the $200 price range, but Asrock does provide alot more options for the price compared to their competitors....
poohbear - Friday, October 3, 2014 - link
Oh and if ure looking for auto overclocking, this mobo is as good as it gets! Very simple & straight forward with very little hassle & ure at 4.6ghz.zent - Friday, October 3, 2014 - link
You don't have to install that molex, I'm running MGPU just fine without it.The_Assimilator - Friday, October 3, 2014 - link
If Asrock had gone with standard Intel GbE instead of the crappy "Killer" ethernet, and ignored Thunderbolt (TB on an overclocking board, seriously?), they would've easily been able to get this board under the $200 mark. Maybe that would've also allowed them to use 4-pin fan headers for the whole board. All in all, a missed opportunity.gammaray - Friday, October 3, 2014 - link
Always wondered why they put 4 slots for video cards, i mean, how many people put 4 VCs in their rigs??The_Assimilator - Saturday, October 4, 2014 - link
I'm guessing the same people who buy "overclocking" boards.gammaray - Saturday, October 4, 2014 - link
hmm, no, i always buy OC boards, but only use 1 video card.Shiitaki - Saturday, October 4, 2014 - link
The comments are more interesting than the motherboard review. iGP display port connector, really? LoL 4 vs 3 ping fan headers? Not enough USB ports? And there is a difficult to get to molex if you have a small case? Complaining about the TB header?This board is an oddity because if I was going to run a lot of hardware, why would I use a 1150 cpu? And for the AMD fan boys, Intel crushes AMD, not sure why AMD is included in any of the benchmarks, since this is theoretically aimed at the performance market. Seems a socket 2011 would be better. I think the reason this board will be bought is because it looks good in a windowed case. It's geek jewelry.
My only complaint is PS/2 ports, really? Seriously? PS/2 ports? At least the printer and serial ports have finally been deprecated.
zent - Saturday, October 4, 2014 - link
Do you own a mechanical keyboard? My QPAD (bought in 2014, not 1999) is native PS/2.Kanuj5678 - Sunday, October 5, 2014 - link
i have been using the Z77 extreme 6 mother board it is a good board but have minor issues with USB ports and sound output at timesredwolfe98 - Tuesday, October 7, 2014 - link
i love the yellow and black color scheme..Rumpeltroll - Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - link
Bought a Asrock MB Z97 Extreme 6 with m2 Ultra in july. Already one of the PCIE 3.0 slots is broken and no VGA card inserted in it is recognized by the computer. Complete junk.