ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac Motherboard Review

1. Introduction2. ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac: Packaging and Bundle3. ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac: Board Layout and Features4. ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac: BIOS5. Testing Methodology6. Tests: System-related7. Tests: Processor-related8. Tests: Gaming-related9. Tests: Motherboard-related10. Overclocking: Frequencies11. Overclocking: Performance12. Comparison: PLX x16 link vs CPU x8 link13. Technical: Power Consumption14. Closing Thoughts15. View All Pages

The 4770K offers quite possibly the highest per-clock performance numbers of any consumer-grade processor currently on the market. It’s just that fact which makes Haswell’s multiplier-unlocked Core i7 a plausible option for workstation applications. And with that possible usage scenario comes the requirement for workstation-grade LGA 1150 motherboards. Is ASRock’s flagship LGA 1150 motherboard, the Z87 Extreme11/ac, the perfect partner for a powerful, Haswell-based workstation?

Equipped with a myriad of controllers to offer support for a large proportion of the market’s desirable connections, ASRock’s Z87 Extreme11/ac clearly sticks to its workstation and power-user theme. With twenty-two (yes, that’s 22) SATA connections, 16 of which operate at SAS 12Gb/s speeds from an LSI SAS 3008 controller and 3X24R expander, the Z87 Extreme11/ac shows great potential for IO-heavy tasks such as media creation and manipulation.

Backed-up by a pair of Thunderbolt 2 ports, up to a dozen USB 3.0 connections, dual Intel Ethernet chips, 802.11ac WiFi, and a strong audio solution, ASRock’s Z87 Extreme11/ac has a ton of connectivity options.

Oh, and let’s not forget 4-way SLI and CrossFire support made possible by a PLX PEX 8747 PCI-E 3.0 bridge chip. But if those PCI-E lanes will be better suited for serving expansion cards, the Z87 Extreme11/ac provides support for up to three monitors via the onboard display channels and pair of Thunderbolt 2 ports.

On paper, ASRock’s Z87 Extreme11/ac is an extreme powerhouse intended for high-performance usage environments. But does that mouth-watering specifications sheet translate into compelling real-world performance?

Features:

• A-Style : Home Cloud, Purity Sound™, 802.11ac WiFi
• 22 x SATA3 (16 x SAS-3 12.0 Gb/s + 6 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s) from LSI SAS 3008 Controller+ 3X24R Expander
• AMD 4-Way CrossFireX™ and NVIDIA^® 4-Way SLI™ supported by PLX PEX 8747 Bridge
• Supports 4-Channel, Dual-Port Thunderbolt™ 2 Technology
• Premium Gold Capacitor Design, Digi Power, 12 Power Phase Design, Dual-Stack MOSFET
• Supports Dual Channel DDR3 2933+(OC)
• 4 x PCIe 3.0 x16, 3 x PCIe 2.0 x1, 1 x mini-PCIe
• VGA Output/Input: 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort-In, 2 x mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt™ 2
• Intel^® Dual Gigabit LAN with Teaming
• 1 x eSATA, 2 x mSATA, 12 x USB 3.0, 7 x USB 2.0
• 1 x ASRock Wi-SD BOX (Supports 4 USB 3.0 ports and an SD 3.0 card slot)
• Supports A-Tuning, XFast 555, Easy Driver Installer, FAN-Tastic Tuning, USB Key

ASRock ships the Z87 Extreme11/ac in its typical motherboard packaging, except it size has been up-scaled to accommodate the E-ATX board and its accessory pack.

Plenty of information regarding the relevant features is outlined on the packaging’s rear side.

Further information regarding the motherboard’s features is outlined on the inside of the box’s flap.

Potential customers are given a glimpse of the motherboard through a transparent window built in to the packaging.

A quick installation guide, software setup guide, ASRock Home Cloud sheet, drivers disk, and case sticker form the Z87 Extreme11/ac’s supplied literature.

ASRock places many of the provided cables and accessories inside a high-quality, draw-string bag made from a felt-like material.

A healthy bundle is supplied with the Z87 Extreme11/ac. The main notable omission is a purpose-built 4-way SLI bridge. Typically, ASRock would warrant criticism through opting for the cheap alternative by using a multi-bridge approach to support 4-way SLI. But given the motherboard’s usage priorities of performance rather than style, the decision to opt for the less concise but cheaper multi-bridge option can be understood.

ASRock also provides two anomalous screws which I have yet to link with a specific application.

The accessory bundle consists of:

• 10x SATA cables, latching.
• 2x molex-to-SATA power adapters.
• 2x screws.
• 2x 2-way SLI bridges, rigid.
• 1x extended 2-way SLI bridge, rigid.
• 1x 3-way SLI bridge, rigid.
• 1x colour-coded IO shield.
• 1x Wi-SD Box (inc. USB 3.0 power cable and 2.5″ HDD screws).

The Wi-SD Box

ASRock uses the Wi-SD Box for many tasks. It functions as a SD/MMC/MS card reader, USB 3.0 4-port bay, and has the pair of wireless antennae built into its front panel.

An internal USB 3.0 header is used to take a pair of USB 3.0 connections from one of the motherboard’s internal headers, before passing them onto the ASMedia ASM1074 hub which splits one of the connections into four front-mounted ports.

The remaining SuperSpeed connection is used to provide bandwidth to Realtek’s RTS5307 USB 3.0 card reader controller. Usage of the RTS5307 controller indicates that fast memory cards, such as the Class 10 ADATA Premier Pro, will not be bottle necked by the connection speed, as they would be with a USB 2 controller.

On its rear side, the Wi-SD Box can be used to secure a pair of 2.5″ drives in place. ASRock supplies the necessary mounting screws.

ASRock uses the ancient floppy power connector to provide current to the Wi-SD Box. Many modern power supplies do not feature a floppy connector, so ASRock would be wise to ship future iterations of the Wi-SD Box with a SATA-to-floppy or molex-to-floppy power adapter. We tested the Wi-SD box with only the USB 3.0 cable connected and found its operation to be faultless.

A pair of wires connects the WiFi adapter found on the motherboard to its antennae located in the Wi-SD Box. ASRock makes these wires long enough to be routed behind the motherboard in a large case, such as our NZXT Phantom 630.

Thankfully, ASRock builds the Wi-SD Box in a 5.25″ front factor, rather than the outdated 3.5″ size – support for which is omitted from many modern cases, such as our NZXT Phantom 630.

The ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac conforms to the E-ATX form factor meaning that it will need to be housed in a wider-than-normal chassis, such as our NZXT Phantom 630.

ASRock equips the board with a black PCB which is significantly darker than the company's usual dark-brown colour.

Four DIMM slots support up to 32GB of non-ECC DDR3 memory operating at speeds in excess of 2933MHz. The Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard’s memory support list indicates that 3000MHz+ kits from G.Skill, ADATA, and Avexir are compatible.

The 24-pin connector is located slightly further up the board than its usual position. Two USB 3.0 headers are found in the usual location that makes them easy-to-access for front panel devices.

Both headers are provided by a single USB 3.0 connection from the Z87 chipset which is then split by an ASMedia ASM1074 4-port hub. This means that a single 5.0Gb/s link to the chipset is shared between the four ports. Don't expect to be able to stuff 20Gb/s of data through the USB 3.0 ports; the connections' combined transfer rate is far more likely to top-out at around the 450MB/s mark (5Gb/s minus USB 3.0 overheads).

All six of the outwards-facing SATA 6Gb/s ports located adjacent to the 24-pin connector operate from the Z87 chipset. The outwards-facing orientation has a negative effect on cable management, but a neat interior isn't necessarily a priority for a proportion of the Extreme11/ac board's target audience.

Given the workstation-orientated design of ASRock's Z87 Extreme11/ac it only makes sense that the board supports consumer-grade LGA 1150 chips, as well as the workstation-orientated Xeons.

ASRock’s Dual-Stack MOSFETs from the twelve phase power delivery system are actively-cooled by a beefy VRM heatsink and 40mm fan. The Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard’s gold capacitors should also receive enough incidental airflow to keep them cool.

An ISL6379 digital voltage controller is in command of the twelve phase CPU power delivery system.

Both of the ‘Hi-Density’ 8-pin CPU power connectors are found on the board’s upper edge, in very close proximity to the socket area. The power connectors will be very difficult to reach when used inside a confined case, or with large CPU coolers, such as the Phanteks PH-TC14PE.

Five fan headers are positioned around the CPU socket area of the Z87 Extreme11/ac. Two headers (one of which is 4-pin) are given CPU fan duties, two feature limited speed control, and the other is simply a powered connection.

Four full-length PCI-E slots are located on the Z87 Extreme11/ac, as well as three standard PCI-E x1 connectors. In addition to the conventional slots, ASRock equips the board with a single mini-PCIe connector which is provided with its own, unshared bandwidth from the Z87 chipset. By default, a Broadcom 802.11ac dual-band, two-stream WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 card is installed in the mini-PCIe slot.

Slot spacing is as ideal as it gets for 4-way graphics card configurations. Only slot PCIE5 (third full-length slot from the top) is wired for full x16 bandwidth. As such, ASRock encourages users to place their graphics card in the aforementioned slot for it to receive sixteen PCI-E 3.0 lanes. As shown by the block diagram (below), the x16 slot receives its bandwidth by doubling-up a pair of downstream connections which have been processed through the latency-inducing PLX chip. Single card (single GPU, more specifically) users may be better served using slot PCIE1 which receives eight Gen 3 lanes which bypass the PEX 8747 device.

Slots PCIE1 (x8) and PCIE5 (x16) are used for 2-card configurations. PCIE3 (x8), PCIE5 (x8), and PCIE7 (x8) get used for 3-card configurations. PCIE1 (x8), PCIE3 (x8), PCIE5 (x8), and PCIE7 (x8) get used for 4-card configurations. As soon as slot PCIE1 is populated, the quick switch device transfers eight of the CPU's PCI-E lanes directly to the slot, hence decreasing the PLX chip's connection with the processor from x16 to x8.

Amidst the storm of PCI-E devices and lanes, ASRock also slips a pair of mSATA connectors between three expansion slots. Both connectors share bandwidth with chipset-fed SATA ports, hence they are able to operate at SATA 6Gb/s speeds.

Supplied to us by ASRock, the Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard's block diagram provides an alternative method of displaying the information written above.

Eight PCI-E Gen 3 lanes from the PLX switch are routed through to the LSI 3008 SAS controller, giving it the bandwidth required to provide for a double-digit number of drives. Natively, the LSI SAS 3008 provides eight SAS ports, but ASRock utilises the same company's 3x24R expander to provide a total of sixteen SAS connections. Don't expect to be able to obtain the bandwidth of sixteen SSDs, though; ASRock states in its promotional material that the storage speeds can reach up to 6.1GB/s.

Moving analysis over to the PCH side of the board, ASRock uses the six SATA, four USB, eight PCI-E 2.0 FlexIO configuration. One PCI-E lane is provided to each of the Intel NICs, as well as the mini-PCIe slot. A PCI-E 2.0 x4 connection powers the Intel DSL5520 Falcon Ridge controller which provides a pair of Thunderbolt 2 ports. Not wanting to switch off two of the three PCI-E x1 physical slots, ASRock incorporates PLX's PEX 8605 Gen 2 switch which multiplies the chipset's only remaining PCI-E 2.0 lane to the three required.

ASRock's methods of achieving effective lane allocation are innovative to say the least. The company has done a noteworthy job in designing a product which caters for so many bandwidth-heavy devices through the LGA 1150 platform's sparse PCI-E subsystem.

A sliding fastener mechanism is used for the Z87 Extreme11/ac board's PCI-E x16-length slots, rather than the widespread deflecting-catch mechanism that is used on most (all?) other high-end boards. The mechanism is typically reserved for low-cost, entry-level motherboards, such as the mATX ASRock H77 part that I use in my personal system.

The mechanism uses a questionable design which is very easy to break when installing expansion cards. I tried installing the heavy Asus R9 280X Matrix Platinum graphics card after sliding the latch to the open position. Whether the latch had moved between me opening it and attempting to install the graphics card, or whether it wasn't fully open in the first place is unclear. But when pushing the graphics card into the slot, the mechanism failed causing the sliding latch to fracture. The piece detached from the end of its PCI-E x16 slot.

This becomes even more of an issue when considering the fact that the fasteners do not seem particularly strong nor do they stay in their open position without sliding about.

We contacted ASRock who told us that the feedback had been sent to the head office in Taiwan.

We would advise care to be taken when installing a heavy expansion card. The same goes for the removal of a card; a quick glance at the uppermost PCI-E x16 slot and PLX heatsink shows the circa-3mm gap between the two. We had no choice but to slide a thin ruler between the back of the graphics card and the heatsink in order to open the badly-designed mechanism.

The typical front panel connections are found in their usual locations – audio to the left and chassis headers to the right. ASRock also equips the Z87 Extreme11/ac with a pair of downwards-facing molex power connections which provide extra current to multi-VGA configurations.

Onboard power and reset buttons and a diagnostic panel make an appearance, as well as the convenient internal USB 2.0 port. The port's internal location makes it ideal for housing flash drives which are used for software licensing or other USB devices which do not require removal.

The six outwards-facing SATA 6Gb/s ports located nearest the 24-pin connector operate from the Z87 chipset. Ports SATA3_4 and SATA3_2 share their connections with MSATA1 and MSATA2, respectively. SATA3_5 shares its bandwidth with the rear panel eSATA connector.

Operating from a PCI-E 3.0 x8 LSI SAS 3008 controller, and multiplied via a 3x24R expander, sixteen SAS 12Gb/s ports are located on the Z87 Extreme11/ac. The ports are compatible with SAS drives with transfer rates of up to 12Gb/s, or SATA devices with up to 6Gb/s speeds. A small memory chip underneath the chipset heatink acts as the controller's cache.

Many people may be quick to question the requirement for sixteen SAS ports. In an IO-heavy workstation system (such as multi-stream, ultra-resolution video creation and editing), the ability to use a double-digit (maximum of 10 for RAID) number of drives in a stable RAID array from the dedicated controller, plus an additional six devices from the Z87 chipset, may reap the rewards of increased productivity.

Commonplace on many of ASRock’s Z87 motherboards, the Extreme11/ac is also outfitted with the Purity Sound audio solution.

Purity Sound uses Realtek’s ALC1150 audio codec to provide a 115 dB signal-to-noise-ratio. Other notable components which form the Purity Sound system include a pair Texas Instruments NE5532 operational amplifiers and isolated circuitry.

With the Extreme11/ac motherboard's target audience potentially consisting of audio and video professionals, the support for headphones with impedance ratings of 600 Ohms could be proven useful.

Dual gigabit Ethernet is provided by Intel I211-AT and I217V PCI-E controllers. The dual ports allow for teaming to increase data transmission bandwidth.

An Intel DSL5520 controller operates the dual Thunderbolt 2 ports. The controller uses a PCI-E 2.0 x4 connection from the Z87 chipset to provide 20Gb/s of bandwidth to the pair of bi-directional 20Gb/s ports. Up to twelve devices can be daisy-chained to a Thunderbolt 2 port. With its built-in DisplayPort connectivity, the Thunderbolt 2 connection can also be used to connect to monitors with a resolution up to 4K, albeit with a reduced refresh rate.

ASRock's DP-in (DisplayPort input) design permits for usage of a discrete graphics card while sending its display signal via the motherboard's Thunderbolt 2 ports. This has the benefit of allowing users to harness the compute (or gaming) power of a discrete graphics card while also enjoying the benefits of the Thunderbolt 2 connection, such as support for the use of long cables without signal degradation (far longer than DisplayPort).

We tested the Thunderbolt 2 ports with our Dell U3011 monitor. The ports were able to output a 2560 x 1600 display resolution, with a corresponding drop in the monitor's refresh rate, using our 4770K processor's onboard graphics.

As was the case with the front panel USB 3.0 headers, four of the six SuperSpeed ports found on the rear panel operate via an ASMedia ASM1074 hub and therefore share a single connection's link speed. The eSATA 6Gb/s port shares its bandwidth with internal port ‘SATA3_5'.

Motherboard rear ports:

• 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
• 1 x HDMI Port
• 1 x DisplayPort Input for Thunderbolt™ 2 port
• 2 x Thunderbolt™ 2 Ports (Support Thunderbolt™ devices or mini DisplayPort monitors)
• 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
• 1 x eSATA Connector
• 2 x USB 2.0 Ports
• 2 x USB 3.0 Ports (Intel^® Z87)
• 4 x USB 3.0 Ports (ASMedia ASM1074 hub)
• 2 x RJ-45 LAN Ports with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED)
• 1 x Clear CMOS Button
• HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone

Circled above are the locations of the Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard's nine fan headers. The red circles indicate free fan headers while the blue circles point out connections which are used for active motherboard cooling equipment. A standard 3-pin header powers the MOSFET fan, while the chipset fan operates from a physically non-standard connector.

Distribution of the fan headers is excellent. Our only slight niggle would be the lack of a free header near the SATA ports – a position which is easily-accessible for a case's front fan.

ASRock uses an assertive motherboard cooling implementation to eliminate the possibility of controller overheating. I (along with many others) typically question the relevance of a MOSFET fan. The same can be said for a chipset blower. But in this case, I believe ASRock's decision to use the pair of cooling fans to be the correct one.

The all-in-one motherboard cooling block will receive a large amount of heat from the PLX bridge chip, twelve phase CPU VRM, Z87 PCH, and pair of LSI chipsets. With this in mind, ASRock's decision to opt for an actively-cooled solution looks like the sensible one. Many workstation users or enthusiast gamers will be happy to trade a low-noise solution for greater stability.

I can confirm that fan noise was not an issue throughout testing. ASRock claims that the circa-36mm chipset fan only spins up when it is required. I cannot confirm whether this is true or not; the fan was operational for all load environments with our 4770K processor installed and an R9 280X graphics card lingering millimetres above it. With a lower-power processor, ASRock's claim may be justified.

Firstly, we are pleased to report that our Roccat Kone XTD mouse worked to its usual standard in the ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard's UEFI BIOS. ASRock's board was able to provide intermittent support for the Leetgion Hellion mouse that we also tested; sometimes the mouse would function correctly and other times it would not.

Despite the multitude of controllers found on the Z87 Extreme11/ac, ASRock's board did not take a noticeably-long period of time to POST or enter the BIOS.

The main page of the BIOS provides basic information regarding the system.

Many of the main system voltages (such as CPU VCore, Cache, Input, and DRAM) can be configured to either fixed values or offsets. Some of the voltage settings deemed less important are limited to offset configurations which is slightly disappointing.

For example, a user with fast RAM who wants to increase the CPU System Agent voltage is forced to use an offset rather than simply key in a value. It isn’t a major issue, but it does given the feeling that some control is being taken away from the end-user.

ASRock provides users with a good amount of frequency tweaking options. Automatic CPU and memory overclocking profiles are built into the motherboard, but whether or not they operate with stability will be hardware dependent.

ASRock’s Z87 Extreme11/ac provides good flexibility with DRAM settings, including dividers of up to 40x, although no current LGA 1150 processor will support ratios that high.

 

The Advanced page is used to configure the operation of onboard devices and controllers. Settings relating to the Thunderbolt 2 ports and LSI SAS controller can be tweaked via their own sections.

Many of ASRock’s convenient features, such as Instant Flash and Easy Driver Installer, are found in the Tool section of the Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard’s UEFI BIOS. A system browser is used to highlight some of the components attached to the board and is particularly useful for diagnosing faulty hardware, such as a broken memory stick.

Only three overclocking profiles can be saved on the Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard. As we have pointed out time and time again on ASRock's high-end motherboard's, this simply isn’t enough; at least five should be provided. Hopefully ASRock will fix this with future motherboards or BIOS updates.

The H/W Monitor page provides temperature and voltage readouts as well as access to fan control parameters.

ASRock has implemented its tried-and-tested UEFI interface on the Z87 Extreme11/ac. This is generally a good thing as the interface is well laid-out, provides plenty of options, and is stable.

ASRock definitely needs to provide more slots to save overclocking profiles, though. The ability to save three different BIOS configurations is not enough on a high-end motherboard designed to operate in a number of different usage states.

The range of adjustable voltage, power, and frequency parameters is perfectly adequate, although a greater emphasis on user-led control would have been preferred with some of the voltage settings (System Agent voltage, for example).

To test the ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac, we partnered it with an Intel Core i7 4770K processor and 8GB of 2133MHz CL9 memory from the G.Skill RipjawsX (F3-2133C9Q-16GXL) kit. We will be outlining the ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard's performance with the Core i7 4770K CPU at its stock frequency of 3.5GHz (3.9GHz due to forced turbo). Overclocked performance will be outlined later in the review.

Our Asus R9 280X Matrix Platinum graphics card was installed in slot ‘PCIE5', as instructed by the motherboard's installation guide. Slot PCIE5 (the third full-length connection from the top) is the only x16-length connection that operates at PCI-E 3.0 x16 bandwidth, albeit using lanes which have been fed through the PEX 8747 bridge chip.

We will be comparing the ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard’s performance to that of three other Z87 boards, none of which use a PLX bridge chip. This will allow us to outline performance differences that are brought about by using the PEX 8747 chip. All motherboards are partnered with identical hardware and software, so the results are directly comparable.

ASRock's Z87 Extreme11/ac is one of the few boards we have tested that does not enable multi-core turbo (MCT) by default. To keep the testing data consistent with that obtained from other Z87 boards, we manually enabled MCT, forcing the 4770K to a constant 3.9GHz. This will be displayed as the ‘stock’ setting (and outlined in the charts' brackets after the non-turbo stock speed is displayed).

As was the case with all of ASRock's other Z87 motherboards that we have tested, the Extreme11/ac uses a needlessly-high CPU VCore of 1.280V when multi-core turbo is enabled. This setting demands a decent CPU cooler to keep a chip akin to the 4770K cool. A heavy load is put on the reference Intel heatsink when battling against a 1.280V VCore.

While decreasing the voltage to something in the region of 1.15 – 1.20V is easy for even a novice overclocker, it shouldn’t be required. We hope that ASRock will address this issue and opt for a lower voltage with future BIOS updates; 1.280V is nothing more than wasted heat and power for a 3.9GHz 4770K.

LGA1150 Motherboard Test System:

• Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K (3.9GHz forced turbo).
• Memory: 8GB (2x 4GB) G.Skill RipjawsX (F3-2133C9Q-16GXL) 2133MHz 9-11-11-31.
• Graphics Card: Asus R9 280X Matrix Platinum 3GB.
• System Drive: 500GB Samsung 840 Series SSD.
• CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i.
• Case: NZXT Phantom 630.
• Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum 1000W.
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional with SP1 64-bit.

Compared Z87 Motherboards:

• ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac (BIOS 1.10 – newest).
• ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer (BIOS v1.10).
• Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 (BIOS v1.0).
• MSI Z87M Gaming (BIOS v1.00).

Settings:

• ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac BIOS v1.10.
• Catalyst 13.11 Beta9.2 VGA drivers.
• Intel 9.4.0.1026 chipset drivers.

Software Suite:

• 3DMark
• 3DMark 11
• SiSoft Sandra 2013 SP4
• Cinebench R11.5 64 bit
• WinRAR
• HandBrake 0.9.9
• ATTO
• RightMark Audio Analyzer
• Bioshock Infinite
• Metro 2033
• Metro: Last Light

We used 3DMark‘s ‘Fire Strike’ benchmark which is designed to be used on gaming PCs. We opted for the Normal setting, NOT the Extreme mode.

We used the ‘Performance’ test in the 3DMark 11 benchmark.

Our ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac-based system struggles against the comparison Z87 boards in Futuremark tests. This is due to the latency-increasing PEX 8747 chip limiting the performance of the system's PCI-E sub-system, hence impacting the graphics score in both 3DMark tests.

The measured decrease in the system's graphics score isn't devastating but the 100-160 point drop is clearly noticeable.

Memory bandwidth and processor arithmetic scores for the Z87 Extreme11/ac follow the typical trend for a Z87 motherboard.

We used the ‘CPU’ test built into Cinebench R11.5 64-bit.

WinRAR’s built in benchmark and hardware test can help us outline the performance differentials between each motherboard.

Cinebench performance doesn't outline anything of concern. However, Handbrake and WinRAR performance numbers look a little different to those from our charted Z87 motherboards.

Handbrake flags up a more-than-ten-second deficit for ASRock's flagship motherboard. Comparing the conversion time of 711 seconds to other Z87 motherboards that we have reviewed in the past lowers our concern regarding the result. Nevertheless, the deficit is present and, as proven by multiple retests, consistent.

The 2% boost to the ASRock board's score in our WinRAR test is more easily attributed to the benchmark's particularly volatile nature, although retesting did confirm the higher speed outputs.

We used the Bioshock Infinite‘s demanding ‘Ultra’ setting and a 1920 x 1080 resolution to push today’s gaming hardware. Our data was recorded using a section of the game, not the built-in benchmark.

We used a 1920 x 1080 resolution and Metro 2033‘s built-in benchmark set to ‘Very High’ quality to offer an intense challenge for the gaming hardware while also making playable frame rates a possibility.

We used a 1920 x 1080 resolution and the Metro: Last Light‘s built-in benchmark set to ‘High’ quality to offer an intense challenge for the gaming hardware while also making playable frame rates a possibility.

The stable and consistent Bioshock test illustrates a 2.4% performance hit from the increased latency in the Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard's PLX-equipped PCI-E sub-system. Metro: Last Light also displays a performance degradation of two frames per second.

Surprisingly, our Metro 2033 test didn't show any performance deficits for the PEX 8747-equipped motherboard. This could be related to the small percentage differences in performance being much more difficult to detect with Metro 2033's lower frame rate, compared to the other two games.

For SATA 6Gb/s testing we use a Kingston HyperX 3K SSD. We tested USB 3.0 performance using the same Kingston HyperX 3K SSD connected to a SATA 6Gb/s to USB 3.0 adapter powered by an ASMedia ASM1053 controller.

Operating from the Z87 chipset, the Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard's native SATA 6Gb/s provide enough bandwidth to offer restriction-free performance to a modern SSD.

The LSI SAS 3008 controller was able to provide restriction-free read throughput for our SATA 6Gb/s SSD, although write speeds suffered a drop of around 50MB/s.

Unfortunately we didn't have enough storage drives to create a large RAID array and fully test the performance of the LSI SAS 3008 controller and 3x24R expander.

ASRock’s XFast USB is able to make use of the extra speed obtained through the UASP protocol. Using the Z87 Extreme11/ac to benchmark a fast SSD over USB 3.0 takes us to the real-world limit of the SuperSpeed interface’s 5Gb/s link speed.

These kinds of USB 3.0 speeds will be particularly relevant for this board's target audience which may consist of users looking to regularly transfer large quantities of data.

The multi-card reader incorporated into ASRock's Wi-SD box uses a Realtek RSTRTS5307 controller to provide USB 3.0-powered transfer speeds. We test its performance with a memory card capable of transfer rates beyond the limit of USB 2.0 speeds.

ASRock's use of a USB 3.0-speed card reader is particularly relevant for photo and video professionals who need to rapidly transfer files from their equipment. The Realtek RSTRTS5307 controller allows our high-speed ADATA Class 10 SD card to perform at its maximum transfer rates.

We use RightMark Audio Analyzer to analyse the performance of the motherboard’s onboard audio solution. A sampling mode of 24-bit, 192 kHz was tested.

Purity Sound uses Realtek’s ALC1150 audio codec to provide a 115 dB signal-to-noise-ratio. Other notable components which form the Purity Sound system include a pair Texas Instruments NE5532 operational amplifiers and isolated circuitry.

The Z87 Extreme11/ac displays ‘very good' audio performance, as measured by RightMark Audio Analyzer. High-quality audio is likely to be of particular relevance to many of the Z87 Extreme11/ac's target users, be it for professional (media creation and editorial work) or recreational (gaming and media playback) purposes.

We run a basic test to certify the functionality of the onboard wireless networking solution.

Windows registered a 300Mb/s (two-stream) connection speed on our Tenda N60 router's 5GHz frequency band. This represents the maximum speed that our router can provide, hence we can safely say that ASRock's chosen wireless network adapter clearly has more performance to give.

Automatic CPU Overclocking:

 

Built into the Z87 Extreme11/ac are five automatic overclocking profiles. The five included profiles consist of the following settings:

• 4.00GHz use a core ratio of 40x with a 1.000V + ‘auto' offset CPU VCore. Cache voltage is set as 1.000V + ‘auto' offset with a 39x multiplier. LLC and the CPU input voltage are set to ‘auto'.
• 4.20GHz use a core ratio of 42x with a static 1.200V CPU VCore. Cache voltage is set as a static 1.150V with a 39x multiplier. LLC and the CPU input voltage are set to ‘auto'.
• 4.40GHz use a core ratio of 44x with a static 1.300V CPU VCore. Cache voltage is set as a static 1.270V with a 39x multiplier. LLC is set to level 1 and the CPU input voltage is increased to 1.900V.
• 4.60GHz use a core ratio of 46x with a static 1.320V CPU VCore. Cache voltage is set as a static 1.300V with a 39x multiplier. LLC is set to level 1 and the CPU input voltage is increased to 1.900V.
• 4.80GHz use a core ratio of 48x with a static 1.420V CPU VCore. Cache voltage is set as a static 1.300V with a 39x multiplier. LLC is set to level 1 and the CPU input voltage is increased to 1.900V.

All settings keep the memory operating at its default (XMP in our case) value.

Using ASRock’s built-in turbo profiles, we had no problems taking our 4770K chip straight to 4.4GHz. The 4.6 and 4.8GHz profiles were unstable with our chip.

The automated profile was tweaked well; at no point did we encounter voltage spikes or instability. Temperatures were bearable with our Corsair H100i CPU cooler, too.

The automatic overclock validation can be found here.

Manual CPU Overclocking:

To test the ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard’s CPU overclocking potential, we first increased the CPU VCore to 1.325V, Cache voltage to 1.275V, and CPU Input Voltage to 1.900V. Load-line calibration was set to level 1 in order to maintain a constant voltage supply.

As we encountered with ASRock's Fatal1ty Z87 Killer and Z87 Extreme9/ac to name just a few, the CPU VCore offset had to be set to its minimum increment (+0.001V) in order to maintain safe voltage levels. Without applying this setting, VCore levels would spiral off past the danger region of 1.40V with temperatures following in voltage’s footsteps towards equally worrying levels.

We tested a number of different overclocking settings to ensure that we hadn't selected a parameter which messed with the voltage override. Confirmation of the needlessly-applied additional VCore voltage was present with a number of different overclocking-related settings both enabled and disabled.

This is an irritating issue that will frustrate many users who are looking to boost their processor’s frequency. When a user selects the ‘override’ voltage option, they shouldn’t be forced to tweak other settings in order to tame voltage levels. That defies the point of giving users the override option in the first place.

In comparison to an entry-level board used by novice overclockers, the voltage issue on the Extreme11/ac isn't as worrying due to the likelihood of its user being knowledgeable in regards to overclocking and voltage-adjustment. Nevertheless, the issue should not exists at all; ‘override' should mean override.

After our BIOS-led voltage tweaks, ASRock’s Z87 Extreme11/ac fed our 4770K with only 2mV more than what we applied. This is a good level of accuracy and resulted in complete stability as well as tolerable temperatures with our Corsair H100i CPU cooler.

We pushed for 4.6GHz but could not achieve stability upon running Prime95. This mirrors the results that our 4770K showed on other Z87 motherboards that we have tested.

Our 4.5GHz validation can be viewed here.

We will outline the performance increases that can be obtained from using the ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard to overclock our system. Our overclocked processor frequency was 4.5GHz and memory speed was 2133MHz.

As a performance comparison, we have included the overclocked results from three other Z87 motherboards. The maximum overclocked configuration achieved with each board was a 4500MHz (45 x 100MHz) processor frequency and 2133MHz CL9 memory speed.

Remaining while the processor is overclocked, ASRock's PLX-equipped board continues to show the same minor performance deficiencies that are forced into its PCI-E sub-system by providing support for 4-way SLI and CrossFire.

Cinebench performance when overclocked is comparable to the other Z87 motherboards that have taken our 4770K to 4.5GHz.

Metro: Last Light continues to place ASRock's Z87 Extreme11/ac at the bottom of its performance chart. The key difference for ASRock's board is its ability to support 4-way SLI and CrossFire solutions which would make its small performance deficit in Metro: Last Light look irrelevant.

Noticing the minor performance deficiencies provided to ASRock's Z87 Extreme11/ac by the PLX PEX 8747 switch, we couldn't help but show inquisitiveness towards the bypassed PCI-E x8 slot.

We repeated testing with our Asus R9 280X Matrix Platinum 3GB graphics card installed in slot PCIE1 and receiving its eight PCI-E 3.0 lanes directly from the processor, without passing through the PLX chip. While this is not necessarily a real-world scenario for a board designed with multi-GPU usage in mind, it does allow us to outline the minor performance differences (if any) that the PLX PEX 8747 switch may induce.

All test settings and procedures were identical to our previous tests, as outlined earlier in this review.

By using the native x8 lane, the Z87 Extreme11/ac motherboard's overall score jumps by more than 100 points, cementing it in the typical-Z87 performance region.

The CPU's native eight-lane link also helps to boost performance in 3DMark 11.

Moving from the PLX-fed sixteen-lane PCI-E Gen 3 link to the CPU's native x8 connection provides a performance improvement in our Metro: Last Light and Bioshock Infinite tests.

Metro 2033, on the other hand, shows a single-frame drop, indicating its affection for a x16 link.

We measured the power consumption with the system resting at the Windows 7 desktop, representing idle values.

The power consumption of our entire test system is measured at the wall while loading only the CPU using Prime95′s Small FFTs setting. The rest of the system’s components were operating in their idle states, hence the increased power consumption values (in comparison to the idle figures) are largely related to the load on the CPU and motherboard power delivery components.

Given its multitude of add-on controllers, it comes as no surprise that ASRock's Z87 Extreme11/ac doesn't score well in terms of power consumption. What is surprising is the small, 4 Watt, difference in idle power usage between the stock and overclocked states of ASRock's flagship board.

The stock (multi-core turbo) voltage is high at 1.280V, but it is still a good distance away from the 1.325V that we put through the 4770K for the overclocked speed. Quite possibly, the results could be indicative of default over-volting for certain parameters even when the board is at its multi-core turbo (‘stock') speeds.

The ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac is an impressive feat of engineering which has the potential to form the foundation of a high-performance workstation system for professional users or an all-round powerhouse for enthusiasts.

There is the question to be made why such a board would use the LGA 1150 socket and its limited number of PCI-E lanes. The simplest response to that question would be to point out the high IPC performance of Haswell-based chips. Many workloads still prefer IPC performance over number of cores.

Overclocking performance of the Z87 Extreme11/ac is similar to every other Z87 motherboard that we have tested. We were able to take our 4770K to its limit of 4.5GHz, albeit after being forced to manually adjust offset voltages when we had already tweaked the override setting. The issue is an irritating one and is certainly something that ASRock needs to fix with future BIOS iterations. Without spotting the issue, dangerously-high CPU voltages could be applied without the user knowing.

General performance of the Z87 Extreme11/ac was a little hit-or-miss, but that was for good reason. In CPU-related benchmarks, the board was able to offer similar performance to other Z87 parts. But with GPU-intensive loads, the added latency put into the PCI-E subsystem by the PEX 8747 bridge chip had a negative effect on benchmark numbers.

We don't see this slight performance deficit as an issue; users are far more likely to show appreciation for the 4-way SLI and CrossFire support or ability to build a strong GPU compute system. As our extended testing pointed out, single card users can boost graphics performance by using the PCI-E slot that bypasses the PLX chip.

The sixteen SAS ports have their use for media professionals dealing with IO-heavy workloads. Granted not all of the sixteen ports are likely to be used, but the fact that they are supplied by a high-bandwidth controller is another positive point. The off-chipset RAID support brought about by the LSI SAS 3008 controller is also particularly useful.

ASRock crams the Extreme11/ac with useful features that will be of convenience to the board's target audience. Two Thunderbolt 2 connections, up to twelve USB 3.0 ports, dual Intel gigabit NICs, and ultra-fast 802.11ac WiFi connectivity are useful for large file transfers to and from multiple devices.

Board layout by ASRock is very good. Four dual-slot graphics cards can be installed without fouling crucial connectors. The CPU socket area leaves enough room for large CPU coolers and fan header distribution is excellent. Our biggest complaint in regards to the board's design is the decision to use awkward PCI-E slot fasteners which are simply an accident waiting to happen (as proven by our misfortune).

ASRock's UEFI interface is good. The system is well laid-out and very easy to use. System browser is an excellent diagnostic tool that could be all-important in saving users time which, in many cases, translates directly into money. Plenty of options are provided, although some parameters (such as the System Agent voltage) are limited to offset modes. Providing saving slots for only three overclocking profiles is a disappointing factor. At least five should be provided, especially for a board such as the Extreme11/ac which could quite easily be used for a number of different system states.

ASRock tells us that the Z87 Extreme11/ac will retail for £409 including VAT in the UK. This makes it one of the most expensive Z87 motherboards on the market, but it also one of the most feature-heavy too; an LSI SAS card alone can cost over £200 separately. For a workstation user wanting a large amount of GPU compute power and the ability to connect a multitude of storage devices to tackle IO-heavy workloads, the ASRock Z87 Extreme11/ac is a smart buy.

While ASRock's Z87 Extreme11/ac does have its shortfalls, the sheer number of components featured on the board and their relevance to power users and workstation personnel make it a unique motherboard which is worthy of praise.

To a user who deals with IO-heavy workloads and also needs a large amount of GPU compute power, the ASRock Z87 Extreme 11/ac is an excellent choice with its LSI SAS 3008 controller and four PCI-E 3.0 x8 connections via the PLX PEX 8747 bridge chip. If you're a power user who wants the finest board sporting the LGA 1150 socket, ASRock's Z87 Extreme11/ac is arguably the best option.

Pros:

• Intelligent design.
• 4-way SLI and CrossFire support.
• LSI SAS 3008 storage controller and 3x24R expander onboard.
• Dual Intel NICs with teaming functionality.
• Good overclocking performance.
• Plenty of external storage interfaces – up to 12 USB 3.0 connectors, eSATA 6Gb/s, and 2 Thunderbolt 2 ports.
• Dual-band, two stream 802.11ac WiFi.
• High-speed SD cards supported without throughput restrictions.
• Onboard fans are quieter than a high-end CPU cooler (such as the H100i).
• Powerful audio solution.

Cons:

• Awkward PCI-E slot fastener mechanism.
• Multi-core turbo voltage too high for stock levels.
• Forced to manually adjust offset voltages when overclocking.

KitGuru says: With strong performance and a host of add-on controllers and features, the Z87 Extreme11/ac is an excellent motherboard that serves as a testament to ASRock's engineering capabilities.

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