Test System

Initial Setup

Initial setup with a boosted Turbo profile and without XMP enabled was pretty easy. The memory matched standard JEDEC timings. Everything worked great, but I did notice that the Turbo profile used an increased "39" multiplier for all workloads. This is par for the course with high-end boards of this nature and shouldn't be an issue with all CPUs, but it should help the ASRock Z77 Extreme11 toe up a bit higher in the benchmark section.


Spacing on the board is actually pretty good so long as two GPUs are installed. Slot arrangement requirements are pretty specific with a quad of VGAs, to ensure that a user's high-end VGAs get the airflow they need. High-end VGAs can unfortunately cause board chipsets to heat up because of the PCH cooler's fan and the proximity of VGA VRM sections in that area, as can be seen above. The ASRock Z77 Extreme11's fan sped up pretty wildly under high workloads, but the fan on my particular board fortunately failed to emit obscene sounds like those I've heard from other boards with such tiny fans. Those users that do install four VGAs might want to consider alternative board cooling like the recently announced EK-FB ASR Z77 Extreme11, a block specifically designed for the ASRock Z77 Extreme11.


The large VRM cooler did come pretty close to the rear-mounted fan on my Coolermaster TPC 812 cooler, but there was, as you can see above, just enough clearance. There was also plenty of room between the uppermost VGA and both the cooler and RAM slots, so mounting things like RAM coolers shouldn't be a problem in most cases.

Power Consumption

We measure CPU power consumption since one of our first tasks is to truly verify system stability. I isolate the power coming through the 8-pin ATX connector using an in-line meter that provides voltage and current readings as well as total wattage passed through it. While this may not prove to isolate the CPU power draw in all instances, it does serve as a good indicator of board efficiency and effective VRM design. I also measure total system power consumption, which allows you to get an idea of how much power the board and all installed devices draw.






Power consumption with the ASRock Z77 Extreme11 was a bit high on the charts, but this comes as no surprise as it employs both the PLX PEX8474 and LSI SAS chip. You can't add all that functionality without it affecting power consumption.