13 replies to this topic

[Jonny Wright]

I have been saying/wanting to start my new build for a while now and am actually starting to seriously consider parts. When I first started thinking about the new build (probably 1-2 years ago), I got into my head I was going to get the EVGA FTW Z77 board. However, after recent research, I am currently considering the "ASRock Z77 Extreme6 Intel Z77".

Firstly, does anyone out there have any opinion, good or bad, on ASRock boards (If anyone owns this particular board then please speak up!)? I have done a bit of Googling and was getting very mixed results so thought I would turn to the Neowin community as I value the opinions of the members here.

My reasons this board is my current choice are its looks; although the heatsinks may not be to everyones taste, the colour scheme of the board is nice and sits well with the colour scheme I hope to run with (Black/White monochrome etc). Its feature set; seems to be more feature packed than the EVGA one (I only compare to the EVGA board as it was my original first choice). More internal/external IOs etc. Also read its very good for overclocking. It is considerably cheaper than the EVGA, and slightly cheaper than any other board of a similar spec for that matter.

This decision isn't necessarily set in stone. I am open to suggestions for other boards. I am basically after mid-higher range board for as cheap as possible. I read the ASRock boards are the best "bang for buck" you will get, however I don't want to massively sacrifice reliability (Obviously I will have to some extent, hence the cheaper price).

[DigitalManifestations]

I had an ASRock board years ago when AMD had their socket 939 CPUs. It was a solid board that still works to this day with no frills and limited overclocking options. Apparently they're on the precipice of breaking out and being considered serious top contenders. I've heard that there are still reliability issues however and you won't find as varied options as you would on say the Gigabyte Z77X UD3H or UD5H. Benchmark results for the board are impressive to say the least and there is ample overclocking headroom. It depends really on what you're looking for. I've heard more positive than negative about their Z77x boards and that's always a good sign.

I'll just leave these right here...

http://www.anandtech...cy-bites-back/4
http://www.anandtech...abyte-and-msi/7
http://www.tomshardw...2x,3187-10.html

[+Brando212]

I'd stay away from ASRock personally. it's a very hit and miss company. you'll either get a really good experience with the product or a very poor experience depending on how lucky you are. (just so we're clear this is entirely going off of everything i've heard about the company, and I've sadly heard more bad than good)

the three companies that are consistently good are Gigabyte, MSI, and Asus

[+BoneyardBrew]

My Z77 Extreme 4 boots quickly, overclocks my CPU well, and has been solid as a rock so far. I've mostly owned Asus boards in the past and have had both good and bad experiences with them, so I'd also say it's down to luck and not the manufacturer specifically.

[yxz]

Quote

On top of that, speaking of ASRock mainboards in general, I am very pleased to say that they are indeed turning around the perception of the brand with remarkable success. Previously we would consider ASRock products as an inexpensive alternative to mainboards from the leading makers for those users who are on a very tight budget and therefore have to put up with certain limitations. Now the products are practically free from any limitations or shortcomings, but the low price advantage is still present. Moreover, the variety of available mainboard models has significantly increased. Today we reviewed only two Intel Z77 Express based mainboards from ASRock, however, the company currently offers almost a dozen models on this chipset. I am sure that you will be able to find the best feature combination to suit your needs, besides, you can also consider products based on other chipsets. All in all, if you are in the market for a new mainboard any time soon, you should definitely consider products from ASRock, otherwise you may miss the opportunity to land the most optimal solution out there.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mainboards/display/asrock-z77-extreme6-extreme4_11.html

[+Brando212]

yxz, on 23 January 2013 - 00:37, said:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mainboards/display/asrock-z77-extreme6-extreme4_11.html

glad to hear they're actually turning themselves around

[tim_s]

I do not have the extreme 6 but I do have the pro 3 and the extreme 3. I have switched around through the years - cannot say I personally had any issues with ASRock.

[Wakers]

My Wife's computer is built on the Z77 Pro 4 and mine on the Extreme 4.

They've both been brilliant with the exception of my CMOS battery running flat after 3 months. I'm not sure why that happened.

Overclocking is good on mine and its a lower series than the one you're interested in. Plenty of features in the BIOS and the update utility works from within Windows so there's no chance of bricking it. BIOS updates are quickly published when they're needed.

[threetonesun]

I've had no issues yet with my Z77 Extreme 4.

FWIW, I wouldn't go by brand when it comes to motherboards, look at reviews online for that specific board and go by that. Every brand seems to be incredibly variable when it comes to manufacturing, probably thanks to outsourcing some components, or short turn around for new boards. If you can find numerous people running into the same issue, you know there's probably something wrong with the manufacturing of the board.

[stena]

I worked at an OEM for several years we used ASRock boards along with all the other names, the new ones are extremely good and reliable. Infact we had more problems with Asus than we did ASRock. I wouldn't hesitate in buying one at all. I say go for it you won't be disappointed.

[Jonny Wright]

Thanks for all the responses. Nice to hear some good things about them as this board does seem good for the money. There hasn't been many reviews for this board specifically but the few I have found have been good. Pretty sure on it now. Will order in the next week or so. Any issues will be posted here!

[tim_s]

threetonesun, on 23 January 2013 - 12:56, said:

I've had no issues yet with my Z77 Extreme 4.

FWIW, I wouldn't go by brand when it comes to motherboards, look at reviews online for that specific board and go by that. Every brand seems to be incredibly variable when it comes to manufacturing, probably thanks to outsourcing some components, or short turn around for new boards. If you can find numerous people running into the same issue, you know there's probably something wrong with the manufacturing of the board.

I second this, I have never had an issue with a Mother Board for over 10 years - research and chose what fits best.

[Nothing Here]

I personally used to love ASRock, then went to MSI and had nothing but issues. Now I use Asus and haven't looked back.

[Labbybear2294]

I usually purchase ASUS when I custom build a PC but recently I just purchased a 970 Extreme 3 MB and loaded it with a AMD AM+ Quad proc with a max of 32GB of memory. It has been running for over a month now and is working for me as a 2011 Small Business Server and has been flawless!