ASRock has shown off their latest Z170 motherboards at a pre-computex show which include their top-tier Z170 Extreme 7 and Z170 FATAL1TY Gaming K6. The new Z170 chipset based motherboards were shown off with finalized details which goes off to show that motherboard manufacturers are ready for the launch of Intel's next generation Skylake processors which launch in Q3 2015.
ASRock's Top Z170 Motherboards Include Z170 Extreme 7 and Z170 Gaming K6
The two Z170 motherboards revealed by ASRock are part of the complete 100-series lineup which will be detailed at Computex 2015. ASRock has made some decent updates to their design scheme which adds a lot to the aesthetics department while pushing for designs that deliver better overclocking, performance and stability. The end result are motherboards that are in all ways better designed compared to the Z97 series which will span two generations, Broadwell and Haswell. The Skylake processors which will launch for these motherboards will be unveiled at IDF '15 in August and hit retail market in under a month which will allow users from older platforms to update to Intel's latest desktop platform. The details of the Z170 motherboards can be found below:
ASRock Z170 Extreme 7 Motherboard
First of the Z170 lineup from ASRock is the high-end Z170 Extreme 7 that comes with a fully loaded super alloy design.The motherboard adopts a black and gold color scheme like the previous Extreme boards and offers a lot in the overclocking department. Fitted with high-quality capacitors, VRMs and MOSFETs, this motherboard is meant to push the overclocking limits. The LGA 1151 socket that allows support of Intel's Skylake processors is powered by a 8-Pin connector while the board draws power from an ATX connector. The motherboard has its VRMs and power area kept cool by a large aluminum heatpipe based heatsink that has a Z170 label etched to it.
Being the first mainstream consumer platform to support DDR4 memory, we found four DDR4 DIMM slots on the left side to the socket. There are separate power phases for the DIMMs to enhance overclocking on the modules. Two switches (On/Off and Reset) can be found along with a CMOS reset switch. Storage will include 10 SATA 6 GB/s and 3 SATA Express ports while there are two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 internal headers on the motherboard. The Z170 chipset is kept hidden inside a cool aluminum based heatsink with a nice design. The motherboard includes a Dual BIOS that can be changed from a switch and a Diagnostic LED can also be spotted. When it comes to expansion, ASRock is offering four PCI-e 3.0 x16, two PCI-e 3.0 x1 slots and three Ultra M.2 slots that operate at speeds of PCI-e 3.0 x4. A Mini PCIe slot can also be seen that can support SSDs or WiFi cards and can easily be used since the M.2 slot above it is risen.
On I/O front, we can see 6 USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, dual Gigabit LAN ports, a 7.1 Channel audio jack, PS/2 port, HDMI and DVI display outputs. Sound is provided through the Purity Sound 3 design that has the technology implemented on an isolated PCB. ASRock is using a thermal armor across the I/O and sound PCB to enhance thermal loads and looks of the board.
ASRock Z170 FATAL1TY Gaming K6 Motherboard
The second motherboard shown off by ASRock, the Z170 Gaming K6 is part of the FATAL1TY brand or ASRock's own gaming series products. This motherboard is designed to look similar to the Extreme 7 but comes with a red and black color scheme. The LGA 1151 socket that allows support of Intel's Skylake processors is powered by a 8-Pin connector while the board draws power from an ATX connector. The motherboard has its VRMs and power area kept cool by a large aluminum heatpipe based heatsink that has a Z170 label etched to it.
Being the first mainstream consumer platform to support DDR4 memory, we found four DDR4 DIMM slots on the left side to the socket. There are separate power phases for the DIMMs to enhance overclocking on the modules. Two switches (On/Off and Reset) can be found along with a CMOS reset switch. Storage will include 8 SATA 6 GB/s and 2 SATA Express ports while there is a single USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 internal headers on the motherboard. The Z170 chipset is kept hidden inside a cool aluminum based heatsink with a nice design. The motherboard includes a Dual BIOS that can be changed from a switch and a Diagnostic LED can also be spotted. When it comes to expansion, ASRock is offering three PCI-e 3.0 x16, three PCI-e 3.0 x1 slots and a single Ultra M.2 slot that operate at speeds of PCI-e 3.0 x4.
On I/O front, we can see 8 USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, Killer E2200 LAN port, a 7.1 Channel audio jack, PS/2 port, HDMI and DVI display outputs. Sound is provided through the Purity Sound 3 design that has the technology implemented on an isolated PCB. ASRock is using a thermal armor across the I/O and sound PCB to enhance thermal loads and looks of the board. Expect more details on Computex 2015.
