Software Rundown

The ASRock Z97 M8 comes with ASRock's standard software suite for motherboards. It, as with other Intel Z97-based products by ASRock, includes A-Tuning and App-Shop.


There's also a utility that can get you directly into the BIOS should your system boot too quickly (as can be the case if UEFI and FASTBOOT features are enabled), and having Creative's Sound Core3D hardware, the usual Creative SB Studio software has been included as well.


There are also Intel's SmartConnect interfaces and the XFAST LAN software, so you can make the most out of your new Intel Z97-based M8.

Considering that the Z97 M8 doesn't just consist of a motherboard, I was truly impressed with everything I found. There's also the X-Split license for gamers who want to stream their gameplay, and several other utilities can be installed via the "App Shop" software. I couldn't have asked for more here, and that's saying something since I don't usually expect to find so much on a barebones PC; in my books, ASRock has now set a new bar for all others to reach.