Introduction

Specifications

Specifications CPU SUPPORT: Intel Socket 2011-v3 Core i7 Processors POWER DESIGN: CPU Power: 12 Phases (6x 2 Phase)

Memory Power: 4 Phases (2x 2 Phase) CHIPSET: Intel X99 Express INTEGRATED GRAPHICS: Not Applicable MEMORY: 8 x DIMM, Max. 128 GB, DDR4-2133 to DDR4-3200+(OC) BIOS: AMI UEFI BIOS with 2 x 128 Mb Flash ROMs SLOTS: 5 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slots (Electrical configuration dependent on installed CPU) HDD CONNECTIVITY: 10 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s (support RAID 0/1/5/10)

8 x SAS 12 Gb/s-SATA 6.0 Gb/s Port (LSI SAS 3008, support RAID 0/1/1E/10)

2 x eSATA Connector

2 x Ultra M.2 Socket (support M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s, M.2 PCI Express up to Gen3 x4 @32 Gb/s) NETWORKING: 1 x Intel I218V Gigabit LAN br> 1 x Intel I211-AT Gigabit LAN PORTS: 8 x USB 3.0 ports (4 at front panel, 8 at rear panel)

8 x USB 2.0 ports (4 at front panel, 4 at rear panel)

2 x RJ45 LAN connectors

1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port

6 x Audio jacks

1 x Optical S/PDIF OUT Port

1 x Clear CMOS Switch

2 x eSATA Connector AUDIO: Realtek ALC1150 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC featuring Purity Sound 2 FAN HEADERS: 6x total (2x 4-pin, 4x 3-pin) FORM FACTOR: EATX Form Factor (305 mm x 265 mm) EXCLUSIVE FEATURES: ASRock A-Tuning

ASRock Disk Health Report

ASRock USB Key

ASRock APP Charger

ASRock XFast LAN

ASRock XFast RAM

ASRock Restart to UEFI

ASRock Full HD UEFI

ASRock Instant Flash

ASRock Internet Flash

ASRock Crashless BIOS

ASRock OMG (Online Management Guard)

ASRock UEFI System Browser

ASRock UEFI Tech Service

ASRock Dehumidifier

ASRock Easy RAID Installer

ASRock Easy Driver Installer

Several months have passed since I've posted a motherboard review, and it hasn't been because of a lack of boards. Over the weeks that have gone by, I've been busy with school while recovering from a recent car accident, and unfortunately, I've personally felt that many of the boards I had been provided with did not have BIOSes ready for the end user. All three of those points had me hesitate when it came time to post reviews. While explaining this to the board makers wasn't an easy task, it also wasn't really well-received either. In the time that has passed, quite a few things have changed on Intel's X99 Express platform, and in such a way that the time has come to stop putting these reviews off, so if a board fails, it fails. The time for BIOS optimizations has passed. Yet not every board I received before or right after the platform launch in late August failed to meet my expectations.ASRock has been one of those companies with a mixed reputation. You can find some users who complain about bad experiences, although those with issues are obviously going to speak up to look for help, while those happy with their purchase are likely to say nothing at all. To me, this means that there is quite a large user base out there with ASRock boards in their rigs, and they MUST be happy with them. Having had many of ASRock's products myself, I can easily see how many users wouldn't say very much; ASRock provides affordable and functional products in a wide variety of colors, with a wide variety in functionality. Many other board makers do the same, but not all are as affordable, nor are all of them capable of putting out quite as interesting an engineering showcase.Engineering showcase? Yes, when it comes to ASRock, that's the idea that springs to my mind immediately, and for the Intel X99 Express platform, the first ASRock product I'm going to show you is exactly that. ASRock has been releasing "Extreme 11" boards for many generations now, fitted with a huge whack of PCIe expansion options and featuring a built-in LSI RAID card, attached right to the board's PCB like it's no big deal. The board then offers the end user a ton of SATA ports and drive capabilities that cannot be matched by any other product out there, not right off the shelf. Want to plug in 20 drives, in a variety of flavors? The ASRock X99 Extreme11 will do that with no additional hardware, and guess what? It can overclock like mad, too. How about performance? Well, let's take a look.