ASRock Fatal1ty H370 Performance Motherboard Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Board Layout and Features4. UEFI5. Software6. Testing Methodology7. Tests: CPU Related8. Tests: Memory Related9. Tests: Gaming Related10. Tests: Motherboard Features Performance11. Power Consumption12. Closing Thoughts13. View All Pages

Intel's new H370 chipset targets a more mainstream segment than Z370 sacrificing CPU overclocking ability, among other things, in return for a lower price. Motherboard vendors are therefore able to bring to market gaming-oriented products, like this ASRock Fatal1ty H370 Performance, with lower price points than Z370 equivalents.

ASRock's take on Intel's H370 chipset is influenced by the fact that prospective buyers will be on a strict budget. Despite price-constraints, this is intended to be the most premium ASRock motherboard for Intel H370 and as such it includes some higher-end features and on-board hardware.

Product highlights include the dual M.2 storage slots operating at PCIe 3.0 X4 (32Gbps), multiple-zone on-board RGB lighting with an impressive three optional RGB headers, USB 3.1 10Gbps, Realtek ALC1220-based audio with a headphone amplifier and a 10-phase VRM for the CPU.

Certainly no slouch then and for the same money the nearest Z370 motherboard is no match in terms of feature richness. Yet there are limitations from the H370 chipset for prospective buyers to be aware of including no CPU overclocking, a maximum memory frequency of 2,666MHz and fewer PCIe lanes for multiple graphics card configurations.

Can the ASRock Fatal1ty H370 Performance remain an attractive option despite the chipset limitations? Let's find out.

	ASRock Fatal1ty H370 Performance
Form Factor	ATX, 30.5cm x 24.4cm
CPU Socket	Intel LGA 1151 Version 2
Chipset	Intel H370
Memory	DDR4, 4 DIMMs, up to 64GB, up to 2,666MHz
On-board Graphics	Intel HD Graphics (supported CPUs)
Discrete Graphics	Single Nvidia graphics card configurations, up to AMD 2-way CrossFireX or Quad CrossFire
Expansion Slots	1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 electrical, from CPU) 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 electrical, from chipset)* 4 x PCIe 3.0 x 1 (from chipset)** *Becomes X2 if PCIe5 and PCIe6 (x1 slots) are occupied **PCIe3 is disabled if M2_3 WiFi slot is occupied by PCIe device
Storage	6 x SATA III 6Gbps 2 x M2 (both support SATA III 6Gbps or PCIe x4 32Gbps)* *either M2_1 SATA or SATA_2 either M2_2 SATA or SATA_1 either M2_2 PCIe or SATA_0
USB	2 x USB 3.1 (2 Rear, Type-A and C, all via H370) 6 x USB 3.0 (2 Rear, 4 Front, all via H370) 6 x USB 2.0 (2 Rear, 4 Front, all via H370)
Networking	Optional M2_3 (M.2 WiFi) slot available Intel I219V Gigabit Ethernet
Audio	Realtek ALC1220 7.1 Channel HD Audio with headphone amplifier
Fan Headers	5, all support 3/4 pin fans (1 x CPU @ 1A, 1 x CPU/W_PUMP @ 2 A, 3 x CHA/W_PUMP @ 2A)
Rear I/O	2 x Antenna Ports 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port 1 x D-Sub (VGA) Port 1 x HDMI Port 1 x DisplayPort 1.2 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port 2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection) 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A Port (Supports ESD Protection) 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Port (Supports ESD Protection) 2 x USB 3.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection) 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone (Gold Audio Jacks)
UEFI	UEFI AMI 128Mb

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