ASRock Z97 Extreme6 Motherboard Review (w/ Samsung XP941 M.2 SSD)

1. Introduction2. ASRock Z97 Extreme6: Packaging and Bundle3. ASRock Z97 Extreme6: Board Layout and Features4. ASRock Z97 BIOS5. ASRock Z97 Software6. Testing Methodology7. Tests: System-related8. Tests: Processor-related9. Tests: Gaming-related10. Tests: Motherboard-related11. Overclocking: Frequencies12. Overclocking: Performance13. Technical: PCIe Performance w/ Ultra M.214. Technical: Power Consumption15. Closing Thoughts16. View All Pages

Automatic CPU Overclocking:

ASRock provides three automated overclocking settings for users with a 4790K processor. The profiles are:

• 4.5GHz on all-cores with a VCore of 1.230V.
• 4.6GHz on all-cores with a VCore of 1.280V.
• 4.7GHz on all-cores with a VCore of 1.400V.

The 4.5 and 4.6GHz profiles seem well-optimised, but the 4.7GHz option's 1.400V VCore is higher than I'd like to use for 24/7 operation.

We tested the 4.6GHz profile and found it to be perfectly stable.

Manual CPU Overclocking:

To test the ASRock Z97 Extreme6 motherboard’s CPU overclocking potential, we first increased the CPU VCore to 1.30V, Cache voltage to 1.275V, CPU Input Voltage to 1.900V, and PCH voltage to 1.10V. We also enabled PLL overvoltage. The CPU cache ratio was set to 40x and LLC was set to level 1 (to maintain a constant voltage).

Setting voltages and parameters in ASRock's easy-to-use UEFI is a simple task. The clear layout makes overclocking an enjoyable experience.

We managed to hit our chip's limit of 4.7GHz with our applied voltage levels. 4.8GHz proved unstable.

Voltage accuracy of ASRock's board was fair. HWMonitor told us the 1.328V was delivered to our CPU under load. An overshoot of 28mV with level 1 LLC applied is acceptable for a board of this market.

Our 4.7GHz validation can be viewed here.

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