ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Gaming Motherboard Delivers 4K 60Hz Playback In Pint-Sized Package
If you're contemplating a small form factor build for your next system, you may want to consider ASRock's new Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac motherboard. That's a mouthful and as the name suggests, this is a mini ITX motherboard for space saving builds, though don't be fooled by its diminutive size.
Though its small in form, it offers a high level of function, starting support for Intel's 6th Generation Core processor line (Skylake) that utilizes the new LGA1151 socket. You could certainly do worse for a Skylake chip -- this thing boasts an eight-layer PCB with an eight-phase power design. It also uses high end components such as "Premium 60A Power Chokes, Dual-Stack MOSFET, Nichicon 12K Platinum Capacitors, Hi-Density Power Connector, 15μ gold contacts, and Digi Power." The sum of all those fancy terms is stability with perhaps a bit of overclocking prowess.
ASRock's latest Fatal1ty board also features a pair of DDR4 DIMM slots supporting memory frequencies of 4,000MHz or higher (overclocked, of course), a single PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, a half-size mini PCI-Express slot, onboard dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0, half a dozen SATA 6Gbps ports, SATA Express and Ultra M.2 (one each), two USB 3.2 ports, GbE LAN, eight USB 3.0 (2 x front, 5 x rear, 1 xFatal1ty mouse port), 7.1 channel audio, two HDMI outputs, and a DisplayPort 1.2 connector.
According to ASRock, one of the two HDMI ports is HDMI 2.0 with support for 4K resolution content at 60Hz using Intel's HD Graphics. That won't do much good for gaming, but for moving viewing, it's a nice amenity with a bit of future proofing.
ASRock didn't say how much the Fatal1ty Z17k0 Gaming-ITX/ac will cost or when it will be available.
Though its small in form, it offers a high level of function, starting support for Intel's 6th Generation Core processor line (Skylake) that utilizes the new LGA1151 socket. You could certainly do worse for a Skylake chip -- this thing boasts an eight-layer PCB with an eight-phase power design. It also uses high end components such as "Premium 60A Power Chokes, Dual-Stack MOSFET, Nichicon 12K Platinum Capacitors, Hi-Density Power Connector, 15μ gold contacts, and Digi Power." The sum of all those fancy terms is stability with perhaps a bit of overclocking prowess.
ASRock's latest Fatal1ty board also features a pair of DDR4 DIMM slots supporting memory frequencies of 4,000MHz or higher (overclocked, of course), a single PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, a half-size mini PCI-Express slot, onboard dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0, half a dozen SATA 6Gbps ports, SATA Express and Ultra M.2 (one each), two USB 3.2 ports, GbE LAN, eight USB 3.0 (2 x front, 5 x rear, 1 xFatal1ty mouse port), 7.1 channel audio, two HDMI outputs, and a DisplayPort 1.2 connector.
According to ASRock, one of the two HDMI ports is HDMI 2.0 with support for 4K resolution content at 60Hz using Intel's HD Graphics. That won't do much good for gaming, but for moving viewing, it's a nice amenity with a bit of future proofing.
ASRock didn't say how much the Fatal1ty Z17k0 Gaming-ITX/ac will cost or when it will be available.
