Since Intel fully integrated the core logic (northbridge) with its processors, overclocking them by tinkering with the base-clock (BClk, the primary clock domain from which the CPU's clock speed is set using multipliers), became unstable, as it was used as a cadence for other key components on the chip, such as iGPU and PCIe root-complex. Apparently, with its 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors, Intel has de-linked base-clock from other clock domains, re-enabling overclocking using BClk, which is particularly helpful on non-K (upwards multiplier locked) SKUs.

Some of the first motherboards that enable BClk overclocking on Skylake CPUs come from Supermicro, the server/workstation motherboard maker that's dipping its toes into DIY enthusiast platforms these days. "Dhenzjhen," an overclocker from the Philippines struck gold by achieving a 5.00 GHz overclock on a Core i3-6320 dual-core chip, using a Supermicro C7H170-M motherboard (which is driven by an Intel H170 chipset). Shortly after news of this feat broke, ASRock fired an email to the press, stating that its Z170 Extreme7+ motherboard is able to support 4.50 GHz clocks on a Core i5-6600 quad-core chip, using an experimental BIOS. ASRock is validating this BIOS internally, and hopes to release it "very soon."

ASRock unveiled one of the first sub-$100 socket LGA1151 motherboards with USB 3.1 ports, the Z170A-X1/3.1. This narrow ATX board can seat 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors, with support for up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory, at speeds of up to DDR4-3400 MHz via overclocking. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, and uses a simple 5-phase VRM to condition it for the CPU.

Expansion slots on the Z170A-X1/3.1 include one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 wired to the CPU, a PCIe 3.0 x16 (electrical x4), wired to the Z170 PCH, and three other PCIe 3.0 x1 ports. Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. The centerpiece of this board's feature-set is its pair of 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 ports, including a type-A, and a type-C. There are eight other USB 3.0 ports, six on the rear panel, two by headers. Gigabit Ethernet, driven by an Intel-made controller, and 6-channel HD audio with ground layer isolation, make for the rest of it. ASRock is eyeing a sub-$100 price point.

The ASRock-Fatal1ty Z170 Professional Series Gaming i7 is currently the highest performance gaming motherboard available. Built for serious gamers with Intel's Z170 chipset. Our motherboard is designed with 12 power phases and supports the 6th generation Intel Core processors and the latest DDR4 memory modules. This powerful combination allows the ASRock-Fatal1ty Z170 Professional Series Gaming i7 to dominate your competition while playing the most complex PC games. In addition to the three native graphic output options, DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort, power users can further maximize graphics performance via the motherboard's four PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots that fully support 3-way CrossFireX or Quad SLI.

Superior onboard LAN and audio is essential for high performance gaming motherboards, that's why ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Professional Gaming i7 is equipped with Dual gigabit Intel LAN chips, plus ASRock's new proprietary audio solution Purity Sound 3. As for the data transfer and storage side, this professional series gaming motherboard holds ten SATA3 connectors, three SATA Express connectors. For maximum performance we've also included three more Ultra M.2 slots that allows M.2 SSD or Intel 750 U.2 SSDs to be built into a monstrous PCIe SSD RAID 0 array. For unmatched connectivity flexibility you'll find eight USB 2.0 ports including the customizable Fatal1ty mouse port, also eight USB 3.0 ports, and two USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C ports.

ASRock announced the B150M Combo-G, a micro-ATX motherboard that should make your upgrade to the 6th generation Core "Skylake" platform as painless as possible, letting you keep your current DDR3 memory, and upgrade to DDR4 later down the line. The board features two each of DDR3 and DDR4 DIMM slots, letting you use up to 16 GB of DDR3 or up to 32 GB of DDR4 memory. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a simple 7-phase VRM.

Expansion slots on the B150M Combo-G include one each of PCI-Express 3.0 x16, PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical gen 3.0 x4), and PCIe gen 3.0 x1. Storage connectivity includes one SATA-Express 16 Gb/s connector, and six SATA 6 Gb/s. The onboard 6-channel audio solution features ground-layer isolation and electrolytic capacitors. Display outputs include one each of DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub. Six USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, and PS/2 combo port make for the rest of it. Expect an $80-ish price point.

There's the ordinary travel routers that function as their names suggest, and then there's this extraordinary new device that outdoes the rest of the gang - ASRock H2R (HDMI 2-in-1 router). Besides working as a travel router, it can also be used as an Ethernet adapter, or even an HDMI dongle substitute for Apple TV or Google Chromecast.

Imagine yourself on a lonesome odyssey. Weary and burdened from the excursion, you reluctantly relinquish and check in at a shabby hostel. Flipping through foreign channels mindlessly makes you feel even more disconnected. But deep down you know it isn't the solitude that's devouring your consciousness bit by bit. What you're facing is one of human's primal fears, fear of the absence of a strong and perpetual WiFi signal. Your only salvation lies within ASRock H2R and a functioning RJ45 LAN cable.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory solid state storage, power supplies, and gaming peripherals, demos two ultra-fast DDR4 memory kits at DDR4 4266MHz 8GB (2x4GB) and DDR4 4133MHz 8GB (2x4GB) extreme speed at the Intel IDF 2015 event this week.

Featuring the latest 6th Generation Intel Core processors and Z170 motherboards, G.SKILL is pushing dual channel DDR4 speed to new heights. The DDR4 4266MHz 8GB (2x4GB) kit is demoed on the Intel Core i7-6700K processor and ASRock Z170 OC Formula overclocking motherboard, while the DDR4 4133MHz kit is demoed on the Intel Core i7-6700K CPU and ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero motherboard. Both kits represent the fastest DDR4 memory speed ever seen on live air-cooling demo systems.

Intel's 100 Series, otherwise known as Skylake, the successor of Intel's Broadwell chips, not to be confused with Skynet and the end of human civilization, has finally arrived! The spearhead Z170 chipset are the first to make an appearance, while the embargo dates of others are drawing near as well. This year, ASRock continues its three motherboard product lines, the Extreme Series, ASRock Gaming Series and OC Formula Series.

The Extreme Series includes a proud generation of high performance motherboards, specifically tailored for designers and enthusiasts, with Z170 Extreme7+ leading the battalion. This bad boy has four PCIe Gen3 x16 slots that not only support ordinary graphics cards, but also workstation pro graphics cards, such as AMD FirePro cards and Nvidia Quadro cards. Better yet, besides the ten onboard SATA3 ports, it also comes with three SATA Express ports, and another three Ultra M.2 slots that support ASRock's U.2 Kit and Intel 750 SSDs for a monstrous PCIe SSD RAID 0 array.

ASRock unveiled its smallest socket LGA1151 motherboard, the Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac. Built in the mini-ITX form-factor, the board is based on Intel's new Z170 Express chipset, and supports 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors, with DDR4 memory support. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, and conditions it for the CPU using an 8-phase VRM. The CPU is wired to two standard-size DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory; and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. Connectivity on the Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac appears to include six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, one SATA Express 16 Gb/s, roundup up the storage; two HDMI and one DisplayPort making up the display connectivity; Intel-made gigabit Ethernet and 802.11 ac with Bluetooth 4.0 making up the networking; and 6-channel HD audio.

Remember that time when you had to perform a sort of sword dance ritual with your dysfunctional TV remote in order to make it work? To refresh your memory, it involved fanatical waving, twisting your arms into unfathomable yoga positions, and lots and lots of cursing. Those barbaric days of the dark past are almost over, pretty soon you can use ASRock Gaming's new router G10 to turn your smart phone into a universal remote controller.

ASRock Gaming's G10 is the combination of the internet of things and a powerful router. It learns the infrared signals of let's say your TV remote, and assigns it to your smart phone with the ASRock Router APP, which is soon arriving to both Google Play and App Store. Then you may use your smart phone to command your G10 router through WiFi or 3G/4G, and make it remotely control the TV through infrared signals. Power it up, flip through channels, crank up the volume without even bothering to point your phone towards the telly.

ASRock unveiled a pair of motherboards based on AMD A4-5000 "Kabini" quad-core SoCs, to compete with Intel Celeron "Braswell" based solutions. These include the mini-ITX QC5000M-ITX/PH, and the micro-ATX QC5000M. Both boards use passive metal heatsinks to cool the SoC, and are largely identical in their feature-sets, with the only exception being the QC5000M offers two additional PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots. The boards draw power from 24-pin ATX power connectors. The SoC is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots. Display outputs include D-Sub and HDMI. Among its modern connectivity options are 6-channel HD audio with ELNA capacitors, gigabit Ethernet, and a pair of USB 3.0 ports. The company didn't reveal pricing.

One of the three unexpected products based on the "Fiji" GPU, which AMD announced at its E3 event, Project Quantum, or the quest to design a 4K-worthy SFF gaming PC, which runs two "Fiji" GPUs in CrossFire, had the press assume that the rest of the system could be AMD-based, such as AMD-branded (albeit Patriot Memory manufactured) memory, AMD-branded (albeit OCZ manufactured) SSD; and importantly an AMD-made CPU or APU. Given its liquid-cooling, the prospect of a 95W "Godavari," or even upcoming "Carrizo" APU didn't seem far-fetched. Even a 95W FX CPU could have been deployed, since AM3+ on mini-ITX is not impossible.

When taken apart, Project Quantum was shown to be running an Intel Core i7-4790K "Devil's Canyon" CPU, on an ASRock-made mini-ITX motherboard, with its non-essential parts soldered out. The i7-4790K is neighbored by a pair of half-height Crucial Ballistix memory modules, which is excusable, since there are no half-height AMD Radeon memory modules, yet. The SSD is AMD-branded. The unit features a unified liquid cooling solution that's custom-made for AMD, by Asetek. A large (200 mm?) radiator, with a single fan, cools the CPU, the PCH, as well as the two "Fiji" GPUs.

ASRock is seeking to strike a cost-features sweet-spot around the $130-150 mark with the new Z170 Extreme4 motherboard. ASRock didn't finalize the board's heatsink design, but showed it off at Computex. This ATX form-factor, socket LGA1151 motherboard based on Intel's Z170 Express chipset, features four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4-3400 MHz memory. A 10-phase VRM powers the CPU. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors; and with this generation, is appears that ASRock has finally got the onboard electrical distribution right; with the board lacking any additional power inputs.

Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC or x8/x8), one PCI-Express x16 (electrical x4) wired to the PCH, and three PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. Much like the beefier Z170 Extreme7, this board offers three SATA-Express 16 Gb/s ports, but just one M.2 (32 Gb/s) slot; and six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. All other essentials for this generation are covered, with two USB 3.1 ports (one each of Type-C and Type-A), and eight USB 3.0 (four on the rear panel, four by headers); 115 dBA SNR onboard audio with a headphones amp and ground-layer isolation; and a single gigabit Ethernet interface (Intel controller).

Here's one of the first pictures of ASRock's flagship socket LGA1151 motherboards from its mainline Z170 Extreme series, the Z170 Extreme7. This board offers an exhaustive feature set, and should appeal to gamers and overclockers alike. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, with no other auxiliary inputs. The LGA1151 socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4-3200 MHz memory; and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/NC/NC or x8/x8/NC or x8/x4/x4); the fourth PCIe x16 slot is electrical x4, wired to the PCH. There's also an mPCIe slot; which will seat a WLAN+Bluetooth card on the /ac variant of this board.

The Z170 Extreme7 is the first motherboard to feature three M.2 slots, all three of which are PCIe gen 3.0 x4 (32 Gb/s). Other storage options include three SATA-Express 16 Gb/s, and ten SATA 6 Gb/s ports. The board features two USB 3.1 ports, one each of Type-C and Type-A; and eight USB 3.0 ports, four on the rear panel, four by headers. Display outputs include one each of dual-link DVI, HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2. The onboard audio is an ASRock designed Purity Sound III solution, which combines a Realtek ALC1150 CODEC with ground-layer isolation, a headphones amp, and audio-grade capacitors. Other features include dual-BIOS (manual switching), and a high-quality plastic sheath running along its I/O area.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and solid state storage, displays the highest frequency DDR4 3800MHz kit and the largest DDR4 128GB kit running at a full 3000 MHz CL14.

After the announcement of the DDR4 3666MHz kit in May 2015, G.SKILL continued pushing DDR4 speed to new heights. At Computex this year, G.SKILL demos the ultimate DDR4 3800MHz 16GB(4x4GB) kit on two live demo systems with GIGABYTE GA-X99-SOC-Champion and ASRock Fatal1ty X99M Killer motherboards.

ASRock is designing multiple Fatal1ty Killer branded socket LGA1151 motherboards, which it plans to differentiate using a new naming scheme - K3, K4, and K6. The company showed off some of its latest such boards at Computex. The series is led by the Z170 Gaming K6, followed by the Z170 Gaming K4, H170 Performance, and the Z170-e ITX. All four feature the familiar red+black color scheme, and Fatal1ty branding.

The Z170 Gaming K6 leads the pack with a strong 13-phase VRM, 3-way multi-GPU support, dual-channel DDR4-3000 support, dual SATA-Express 16 Gb/s, Ultra M.2 (32 Gb/s), Killer E2200 NIC, and high-end 115 dBA SNR audio. The Z170 Gaming K4 and H170 Performance share a common PCB design, offering all essentials from this platform, and are intended for gaming PC builds with single graphics cards; the Z170 ITX offers a decent feature-set despite its space constraints, including mSATA, Ultra M.2 (32 Gb/s), SATA-Express 16 Gb/s, and USB 3.1 ports. ASRock did not finalize heatsink design.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and solid state storage, is proud to announce that its Ripjaws 4 DDR4 memory has achieved the fastest air-cooling frequency record at DDR4 4062MHz on the ASRock X99M Killer/3.1 motherboard.

G.SKILL has been dedicated to unleash the maximum performance of DDR4 memory since its launch in August 2014. Working closely with ASRock, G.SKILL DDR4 memory is capable of reaching a new height of DDR4 memory frequency at a whopping 4062MHz! It is the fastest DDR4 frequency ever seen with both CPU and memory under standard air-cooling.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and solid state storage, is hosting two major extreme overclocking events at Computex 2015 (June 2~6): the OC World Cup 2015 and the OC World Record Stage 2015! 19 world-class overclockers, 5 motherboard vendors, and 3 hardware sponsors - all at the G.SKILL Computex Booth I0608, located at Nangang Exhibition Hall, 1F.

Very special thanks to Intel, Samsung, and Kingpin Cooling for sponsoring the OC World Cup 2015 and the 4th Annual OC World Record Stage extreme overclocking events. "Intel is pleased to be a sponsor of this year's G.SKILL OC World Cup & 4th Annual OC World Record Stage at Computex 2015," says Gregory Bryant, Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Intel Corporation. "Intel processors and chipsets enable mind-blowing experiences and we are glad to be a part of this exciting event."

Intel's parting gifts to the LGA1150 platform, the Core i5-5675C and the Core i7-5775C, are shaping up to be a pleasant surprise to overclockers. Built on the 14 nm "Broadwell" silicon, the two quad-core chips come with extremely low rated TDP of 65W, for products of its segment. We weren't sure of those energy savings somehow translated into a massive overclocking headroom. It turns out, there's hope. Toying with a Core i7-5775C chip on an ASRock Z97 OC Formula, Hong Kong-based HKEPC found that the chip was able to reach 5.00 GHz clock speeds with ease on air-cooling, and a core voltage of 1.419V. At 4.80 GHz, the i7-5775C crunches 32M wPrime in 4.399 seconds.

One of ASRock's prime attractions at this year's Computex, apart from its socket LGA1151 motherboards, will be a fanless compact desktop, the BeeBox. Driven by 14 nm Intel "Braswell" Celeron N3000 series SoC, the BeeBox will pack in 2 GB or 4 GB of DDR3L-1600 memory (expandable to 8 GB using two SO-DIMM slots), 32 GB to 128 GB mSATA SSD storage, and connectivity that includes 802.11 ac WLAN, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0, four USB 3.0 ports (including one type-C port), and display outputs that include HDMI and DisplayPort. Measuring 110 mm x 46 mm x 118.5 mm, the BeeBox will be complete quiet, including its brick-type power supply.

They've done it! After building the first LGA2011v3 motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor, letting you cram up to 8 "Haswell" cores into a lunchbox-sized PC, albeit having to make do with just dual-channel memory; ASRock developed the first mini-ITX motherboard with not just LGA2011v3, but also its full quad-channel memory interface, called the EPC612D4I. There's just one rider, which shouldn't really be a dealbreaker - this is a server-grade motherboard, and is bound to be expensive.

The EPC612D4I achieves its quad-channel memory chops by using smaller DDR4 SO-DIMM slots instead of standard-sized DIMM slots. Availability of aftermarket DDR4 SO-DIMM memory is close to non-existent, but that could change with 6th Generation Core processor notebooks hitting the shelves by Holiday 2015. As an enterprise board, it also supports Xeon E5-1600 V3 and E5-2600 V3 processors.

ASRock unveiled its latest socket LGA2011v3 motherboard for Core i7 "Haswell-E" processors, the X99M-Killer USB 3.1. Characterized by its micro-ATX form-factor and two 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 ports, the board offers a pretty tight feature-set. To begin with, the board draws power from 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, and an optional 4-pin Molex. A 12-phase VRM conditions it for the CPU, which is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting quad-channel memory. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 wired to the CPU, and one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4), wired to the PCH.

Storage connectivity on the X99M-Killer USB 3.1 include ten SATA 6 Gb/s, from which two turn into SATA-Express 10 Gb/s, an eSATA 6 Gb/s, and one Ultra M.2 (PCI-Express 3.0 x4 physical-layer). Modern connectivity includes ASRock's Purity Sound 2 onboard audio solution, featuring a 115 dBA SNR CODEC, audio-grade capacitors, a headphones amplifier, and ground-layer isolation on the PCB; two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, one driven by a Killer E2205, and another by Intel i218-V controller; two USB 3.1 ports (type-A connectors), six USB 3.0 (four on the rear panel, two by header), and a pair of low-latency, power-stabilized USB 2.0 ports, meant for gaming mice or keyboards. Also featured is dual-BIOS, with manual switching between two physical EEPROMs. ASRock didn't announce pricing or availability.

In addition to the high bang-for-buck Fatal1ty 970 Performance, ASRock announced one of the very few AMD 9-series chipset based socket AM3+ motherboards in the micro-ATX form-factor, the 970M Pro3. Based on the AMD 970 chipset, and built to be priced well under $99, the 970M Pro3 supports AMD FX processors with TDP of up to 125W (that excludes FX-9000 series). Drawing power from a 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS, the board offers a 5-phase CPU VRM. Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16, one PCIe 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to the southbridge), and one each of PCIe 2.0 x1 and legacy PCI. Storage connectivity on the 970M Pro3 includes six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. 6-channel HD audio with ELNA capacitors, gigabit Ethernet, and four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two by header), make for the rest of its modern connectivity. The board is driven by UEFI BIOS.

ASRock unveiled its newest socket AM3+ motherboard for gamers with on a budget, the Fatal1ty 970 Performance. Based on the AMD 970 chipset with SB950 southbridge, this board offers a slick feature-set for its potentially two-figure price. Built in the ATX form-factor, the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors. An optional 4-pin Molex power connector is required, if you have two cards that rely solely on the expansion slot power. The board features a 10-phase CPU VRM, and supports 220W TDP chips such as the FX-9370 and FX-9590.

Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x8/x8 when both are populated), a third PCI-Express 2.0 x16, which is electrical x4 and wired to the southbridge, a legacy PCI, and two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots. Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and an M.2 slot (electrical PCIe 2.0 x4). Other modern connectivity includes six USB 3.0 ports (four on the rear panel, two by headers), an electrically-reinforced Fatal1ty Mouse port, ASRock Purity Sound 2 on-board audio with a 115 dBA SNR CODEC, audio-grade electrolytic capacitors, headphones amp, and ground-layer isolation, and gigabit Ethernet (Realtek-made controller). The board is driven by UEFI BIOS, and supports Windows 8.1 features such as Secure Boot and Fast Boot. Expect this board to be priced at $99.

Tired of that same old boring computing rig that has been sitting lifelessly on the desk? Well, a system upgrade might not be a bad idea right now, especially when Intel is releasing their latest 5th Gen Intel Core Processors. Besides, if you already own an ASRock Z97 or H97 chipset motherboard by any chance, then they're actually ready to support these new processors by a fast and painless BIOS upgrade through the ASRock APP Shop software.

The most noticeable differences between the 4th and 5th generation is that the 5th generation Intel Core processors provide superior performance with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Intel Hyper-Threading Technology. Moreover, these new processors offer enhanced integrated Intel HD Graphics for stunning visuals and significantly better 3D performance. No matter whether your plan is to play 4K Ultra HD videos or simply just to run the latest games, these 5th generation Intel Core processors are going to bring your screen to life!

The global leading motherboard brand ASRock will be debuting the latest SuperSpeed+ USB 3.1 motherboards at CeBIT 2015 Hall 15 Booth D21. With the USB 3.1 specification announced last summer, USB 3.1 featured devices will definitely be in the spotlight at CeBIT 2015.

Besides Type-A Super Speed+ USB 3.1 which is backwards compatible with former USB 3.0/2.0/1.1 ports, ASRock motherboards are also going to be the first in the world to carry Type-C USB 3.1 ports that will support next generation mobile devices. Now, all types of USB 3.1 grants up to 10Gb/s data rates, however only this Type-C interface has a reversible design, so that connectors may fit either way. Moreover, compared to USB 3.0 which only allows 0.9 ampere charging, Type-C USB 3.1 supports up to 3.0 ampere fast device charging, and its durability has been enhanced to withstand over ten thousand plugs and removals. Selected ASRock Z97 chipset motherboards will support both USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C ports.