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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.
Superb review and what a hell of a motherboard, out of my price range, but I agree, its a masterpiece of engineering prowess!
I hear a lot of negative press about asrock, being ‘cheap’ etc, but in recent years its completely changed. I own a Z77 asrock board and its been rock solid, and holds a good overclock. I would buy them again. This is a fully loaded mobo, thats for sure!
Its a good point, Haswell on a core per core basis and clock per clock basis is actually Intels’ ‘fastest’ chip. better than the 4960x etc.
I haven’t read all of the review yet, but it looks to be mighty impressive, with a price tag to match. Good review indeed Luke.
Z87 good chipset. Extreme mainboard