ASRock's Z97 motherboards have finally been exposed a few weeks prior to their launch next early next month with Intel 9-Series platform. The ASRock Z97 motherboards lineup is the fourth product line we will be detailing today, in addition to the several Z97 product lines from ASUS, MSI and Gigabyte which have been pictured over the past weeks.

ASRock Z97 Motherboards – OC and FATAL1TY Boards Pictured

ASRock's Z97 motherboards will fall into three tiers, the OC boards will be geared towards overclockers who need the best performance with new design schemes and powerful VRM designs. The FATAL1TY series is ASRock's long running product line which are the feature packed yet low cost offerings. These boards slightly resemble the Z97 Gaming lineups from MSI and Gigabyte. The classic series would be aimed towards everyone moving on the Z97 platform with design schemes and price ranges that make them an attractive product line. ASRock's Z97 boards include the following:

• ASRock Z97 OC Formula
• ASRock Z97 Extreme 6
• ASRock Z97 Extreme 4
• ASRock FATAL1TY Z97X Killer
• ASRock FATAL1TY Z97 Killer

For those of you who know ASRock, the motherboards listed up don't make up their entire Z97 lineup. We will see more motherboards such as the Z97 OC Formula /AC, Z97 Extreme 9 and other variants in the coming future but for now, let's just detail the one we have access to at the moment.

ASRock Z97 OC Formula

ASRock Z97 OC Formula is the spiritual successor of Z87C OC Formula, built and tested by ASRock's in-house and legendary overclocker, Nick Shih. The motherboard has an impressive yellow and black color theme which show that it sticks loyal to the OC series design from ASRock. The motherboard features the Z97 Express chipset and the LGA1150 socket which will support the latest Haswell, Haswell Refresh, Devil's Canyon and Broadwell CPUs.

The ASRock Z97 OC Formula features 12 Phase supply featuring a Digi Power, Dual-Stack MOSFET (DSM), Multiple Filter Cap (MFC) (Filters different noises by 3 different capacitors: DIP solid cap, POSCAP and MLCC) and Premium Alloy Choke (Reduces 70% core loss compared to iron powder choke). The CPU socket is powered with Dual 8-Pin connectors while the PCH and VRM are cooled by large aluminum heatsinks featuring heatpipe tech. Four DDR3 DIMMs can be spotted and a large voltage check-point is located on their right. For storage, ASRock went with 7 SATA 6 GB/s ports and a USB 3.0 header that's adjusted next to the 24-Pin ATX connector. A few OC and tuning switches are located below the SATA ports along with the Dual BIOS chips.

Expansion slots include four PCI-e 3.0 x16 and two PCI-e 3.0 x1 slots. A SATA M.2 slot can also be seen which will support Intel's NGFF form factor SSDs. ASRock has loaded their Z97 OC Formula with features such as the Purity Sound 2 chip for high-quality audio output and the Killer E2200 chip for lag free online experience. I/O includes 6 USB 3.0, 4 USB 2.0, HDMI, PS/2, LAN, Clear CMOS and a 7.1 channel audio jack.

ASRock Z97 Extreme 6

The ASRock Z97 Extreme 6 is a high-end board featuring the LGA1150 socket and Z97 PCH. ASRock went with a blue color scheme as opposed to the silver one they featured on their previous Extreme series motherboards. We are looking at a 12 Phase VRM featuring high-quality components while the CPU is powered by a 8-Pin ATX power connector for stability and overclocking. Four DDR3 DIMMs are spotted with the same black and blue color and support upto 32 GB of maximum capacity. Storage includes a massive 10 SATA 6 GB/s ports while OC and LED for Diagnostics can be found under the Z97 PCH heatsink.

Expansin slots includethree PCI-e 3.0 x16, two PCI-e 3.0 x1, Ultra M.2 and M.2 slots for support of add-in mPCIe cards and SSDs. A separate PCI-e power connector is added in the bottom which adds additional stability to the board. I/O includes Purity Sound 2 powered 7.1 Channel audio jack, Dual Intel Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports, Cloud from ASRock, e-SATA, DVI, HDMI, Display port, 6 USB 3.0 ports and a PS/2 port.

ASRock Z97 Extreme 4

The ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 is a mid-end board featuring the LGA1150 socket and Z97 PCH. ASRock went with a blue color scheme as opposed to the silver one they featured on their previous Extreme series motherboards. We are looking at a 12 Phase VRM featuring high-quality components while the CPU is powered by a 8-Pin ATX power connector for stability and overclocking. Four DDR3 DIMMs are spotted with the same black and blue color and support upto 32 GB of maximum capacity. Storage includes 8 SATA 6 GB/s ports while OC and LED for Diagnostics can be found under the Z97 PCH heatsink.

Expansin slots include three PCI-e 3.0 x16, three PCI-e 3.0 x1, M.2 slots for support of add-in mPCIe cards and SSDs. A separate PCI-e power connector is added in the bottom of the VRM heatsinks which adds additional stability to the board. I/O includes Purity Sound 2 powered 7.1 Channel audio jack, Intel Gigabit Ethernet LAN port, Cloud from ASRock, e-SATA, DVI, HDMI, Display port, 6 USB 3.0 ports, 2 USB 2.0, VGA and a PS/2 port.

ASRock Z97E-ITX /ac

The ASRock Z97E-ITX /ac is the Mini-ITX form factor motherboard built on the Z97 PCH and LGA1150 socket. Retaining the blue and black color scheme, the motherboard offers a 6 Phase Digi power supply which is fed power through a 8-Pin power connector. The small aluminum heatsinks are enough for cooling the Z97 chip. Storage includes four SATA 6 GB/s ports and interestingly, a SATA Express port can also be found.

Two DDR3 DIMMs offer support of OC memory with maximum capacity of 16 GB while a single PCI-e 3.0 x16 slot offers expansion. a Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n /ac module can be spotted for wireless connectivity. I/O includes four USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, PS/2, DVI, Dual HDMI, Display port, Intel Gigabit Ethernet LAN and a 7.1 Channel audio jack.

ASRock FATAL1TY Z97X Killer

Next up, we have the ASRock FATAL1TY Z97X Killer which is kind of ASRock's own gaming lineup series. The board is equipped with a 8 Phase Digi power supply and the LGA1150 socket is powered through a 8-Pin connector. The four DDR3 DIMMs offer support of OC memory with maximum capacity of 32 GB. Storage includes 6 SATA 6 GB/s ports. Expansion includes three PCI-e 3.0 x16, three PCI-e 3.0 x1 and an M.2 SSD interface. An additional power connector is featured to add more stability to the PCI-e slots.

The motherboard packs a large set of red and black colored heatsinks over the VRM and PCH while the I/O is bundled with 6 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0, DVI, VGA, Display port, Killer E2200 LAN and a Purity Sound 2 powered 7.1 Channel audio jack.

ASRock FATAL1TY Z97 Killer

Finally, we have the ASRock FATAL1TY Z97 Killer which is kind of ASRock's own gaming lineup series. The board is equipped with a 8 Phase Digi power supply and the LGA1150 socket is powered through a 8-Pin connector. The four DDR3 DIMMs offer support of OC memory with maximum capacity of 32 GB. Storage includes 4 SATA 6 GB/s port and a SATA Express port. Expansion includes two PCI-e 3.0 x16, two PCI-e 3.0 x1, two PCI slots and an M.2 SSD interface.

The motherboard packs a large set of red and black colored heatsinks over the VRM and PCH while the I/O is bundled with 4 USB 3.0, 4 USB 2.0, DVI, VGA, Display port, Killer E2200 LAN and a Purity Sound 2 powered 7.1 Channel audio jack.

The ASRock Z97 motherboards from ASRpcl will launch along side Haswell Refresh on 10th May 2014 and would be available at different price points. More products under the Legacy brand will be introduced after launch of Intel’s 9-Series platform.

ASRock Z97 Motherboards:

ASRock Z97 Motherboards w/ Box Pictures:

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