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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
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