Introduction

I covered several boards already, but a couple of board makers still haven't graced these pages with their latest Z87 products. ASRock, still a relatively new addition to my board reviews, although at times one of the most plentiful, is one of those companies. I too have definitely noticed quite a few ASRock users on our forums, and our readers asked that we cover ASRock products many months ago, so I asked W1zzard to touch base with them, and since he did, there's been a steady stream of parts flowing my way from their head offices--we've seen entry-level and high-end ASRock boards for quite a few platforms now. ASRock's products also take their own twist to enthusiast computing, delivering a wide range of products that are designed to meet the needs of nearly any user. Today, I take a look at a new styling, and this new product, the ASrock's Z87 Extreme6/ac, also comes with a new feature focus for Intel's Z87 platform.

Launched in early June of 2013, reactions to Intel's Haswell platform were very mixed. Not everyone sees a benefit in Haswell products, enthusiast and PC part makers alike, so many board partners have focused on solidifying the features of each product segment their product caters to, leading to an evolution in board design I find pretty exciting. I have received well over 20 board samples prior to the launch, and I've picked a few of them to be shown first, over the past couple months. Most of those have been new designs, but older product positions from past generations are still here, and we get to take our first look at one of those products today. The ASRock Z87 Extreme6/ac is a mainstream, user-focused product with a good amount of bells and whistles to help you get a bit more out of your Haswell experience. Are older product positions a bit underwhelming, like the CPUs are? Let's take a look...

Specifications

Intel Z87 Chipset

New and fresh on the scene for June of 2013 is Intel's latest Socket 1150 platform, with Intel's Z87 chipset taking the top-tier spot in chipset functionality and for performance options on this platform.


Most of the basic functionality offered by Intel's new Z87 chipset is quite similar to what was offered with Intel's Z77 Express, but there are more USB 3.0 ports, and they are faster too. All of the SATA ports provided offer SATA 6 Gb/s functionality. Intel's Z77 Express only had two ports at those speeds. There are also new power-saving features to keep power consumption at a bare minimum, and Z87 also includes all the features of the Intel Z77 Express. The chipset offers PCIe speeds of up to 5 GT/s for fast access to peripheral devices and networking with up to eight PCI Express 2.0 x1 ports that can be configured to act as x2-, x4-, or x8 ports. Intel's functionality diagram for the Z87 chipset is shown above.


The new 4th Gen Intel Core CPUs are 64-bit, multi-core chips built on a 22nm process; pairing with the Intel Z87 chipset enables the performance-tuning features of "K"-SKU CPUs, allowing independent changes to core-, graphics-, "ring"-, and memory frequencies. This allows you to clock up one part of the chip while running any other part of the chip at stock speeds, which is extremely useful for enthusiasts that like to overclock, as each part can be clocked and tested independently for the absolute most out of your chip if the time is taken to test everything fully. Users who prefer the simpler approach of past platforms can use it instead, ensuring everyone's needs are met. For PCIe connectivity, Intel Z87-based platforms allow the processor's PCI Express 3.0 port to be configured into three different configurations: 1x16, 2x8, or 1x8 and 2x4. The third x8 and 2x4 configuration is primarily meant for use with Intel Thunderbolt Technology but can be used to support other devices as well.

Other TPU reviews cover the CPUs themselves in more detail. We will now also separate those reviews. One will cover iGPU performance and the other will cover CPU performance.

Packaging

The ASRock Z87 Extreme6/ac showed up on my doorstep clad in ASRock's new "A-Style" packaging, a new look for a new platform and a new feature focus. The rear of the box has several brief descriptions of the technology inside.


Opening the box reveals all the included goodies on top, with a few additional papers that ASRock throws into the boxes they send to reviewers like myself. The board was below, underneath the cardboard divider. Inside a crisp anti-static bag and surrounded by some foam inside that bag, the board appears to be a bit bigger at first glance than it really is.

Contents

I did find some interesting things amongst those accessories. A full list is below:

• 1 x ASRock SLI_Bridge_2S card
• 1 x Quick Installation Guide
• 1 x Support CD
• 1 x I/O shield
• 6 x SATA data cables
• 1 x Front USB 3.0 panel with 2.5" HDD/SSD rack
• 1 x Rear USB 3.0 bracket
• 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5GHz antenna
• 2 x SMA Wi-Fi antenna cables