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ASRock Z97 M8 Barebones PC

cadaveca

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The award-winning ASRock M8 barebones chassis has received an upgrade recently, sporting Intel's latest Z97 chipset as well as a larger 600W PSU. Ready to accept nearly any add-in VGA and nearly any LGA1150 CPU, the ASRock Z97 M8 barebones is that system many lust over, and we get our own chance to see why.

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cadaveca

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Thanks for doing this review. I'm curious if you had any issues with the fan configuration being inverted or the noise of the 70mm fans? I've been wanting to pick this up but the User Reviews on places like Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=Asrock_barebones-_-56-158-036-_-Product) have constantly touted this as an big issue. Did you notice any fan/PSU noise problems?
Under high load the fans can get a bit loud, for sure, and Yes, it's the PSU that puts out the majority of the noise. I did mention this in the review as well. Under most basic workloads, the system is dead silent. It might be worthwhile to swap the bottom fans as intake, and that might subside the PSU fan noise. I do plan to use this system a lot, so I'll have more info on that subject specifically soon, too, since I do plan on keeping the configuration pictured in the review, as well as trying out a 4790K in it.
 

Benthon

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Thanks for replying!

... It might be worthwhile to swap the bottom fans as intake, and that might subside the PSU fan noise... I'll have more info on that subject specifically soon, too, since I do plan on keeping the configuration pictured in the review

Awesome, that was going to be my next question for you. I'm curious to see how it turns out.
 
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I think there's a typo in the dimensions 800mm by 740mm is way too large.
 
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Is there anyway to buy the m8 without PSU??
The barebone looks great btw
Nice review!
 

cadaveca

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I think there's a typo in the dimensions 800mm by 740mm is way too large.


Uh, just noticed my ruler says 1:2!!!




OMG, THANKS!!!

Fix'd it. ;)


Thanks for replying!
Awesome, that was going to be my next question for you. I'm curious to see how it turns out.

I'll update, for sure.

Is there anyway to buy the m8 without PSU??
The barebone looks great btw
Nice review!

Thanks!!

AS far as I know, there is no model without PSU. The past Z87 model had 400W PSU, IIRC, so the upgrade to 600W is nice, IMHO, but if I had not been able to quell the noise, I'd understand why this might be a concern.
 
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Would've been nice if Aris had a go at that PSU, I'm curious about it...
Also, the power delivery can certainly take some punishment, as those MOSFETs aren't simple MOSFETs... They're full-blown buck regulator power blocks.
They can dish out 40A at up to 125°C and they're 90% efficient, so that VRM should be ok at least up to 160W continuous without a heatsink. Considering the cooling options for the M8 case, that's surely more than enough.

Nice review, as usual, Dave :)
 

cadaveca

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Would've been nice if Aris had a go at that PSU, I'm curious about it...
Also, the power delivery can certainly take some punishment, as those MOSFETs aren't simple MOSFETs... They're full-blown buck regulator power blocks.
They can dish out 40A at up to 125°C and they're 90% efficient, so that VRM should be ok at least up to 160W continuous without a heatsink. Considering the cooling options for the M8 case, that's surely more than enough.

Nice review, as usual, Dave :)
Yeah, most definitely Aris has the right equipment to make an accurate report on the PSU and the performance it offers, however, the huge expanse of water that separates us makes this rather difficult. I'm not sure I could convince ASRock to send Aris a whole unit just to cover the PSU, and there's no point in reviewing a product that isn't available on it's own in retail. The best I could offer myself is efficiency numbers as even the lab at school doesn't quite have all the needed equipment.
 
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I was so hyped up about this product, when I saw the first reveal that I couldn't help but giggle in joy at the review. I'd say, I would add "Availability" as a con. Other than that, I really like the display there. It would be awesome if other manifacturers follow suit. Not like Bitfenix Pandora. It's not bad, but I'd rather have other info than a picture :)
 

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Looks damn awesome, but (for me at least) the price is too high. :(
 
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nice board and with those sata ports
 

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At that price point aren't you really just buying it for the looks?
 
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