Intel’s Z87 chipset may be aimed at high end consumers and power users but the reality is the majority of people who use the Z87 chipset don’t need as much connectivity as is offered by most of the really high end motherboards. In fact a substantial portion of Z87 users will only have a single graphics card, a couple of storage devices and maybe 4-5 USB devices at the most. That’s where today’s product steps in – the ASRock Z87M Extreme4 motherboard. This motherboard comes in the micro-ATX form factor with a more basic, but still sufficient, array of connectivity. SATA and USB connectivity has been dropped to the bare minimum provided by the Z87 chipset and the PCIe connectivity is optimised for consumers with only a few PCIe devices. Of course it has a competitive price to match this reduction in connectivity and for most consumers the Z87M Extreme4 will still have more than enough connectivity to meet all their needs. High speed memory support, high quality audio, an 8 phase CPU VRM and a UEFI BIOS give this entry-level Z87 motherboard all the high end features most consumers want.



Link: eTeknix