Introduction

Specifications

Specifications CPU SUPPORT: 4th Gen Intel Core i7/i5/i3/Pentium/Celeron processor family for the LGA 1150 Socket POWER DESIGN: CPU Power: 6 Phases

Memory Power: 1 Phase CHIPSET: Intel Z87 Express INTEGRATED GRAPHICS: Dependant on installed CPU MEMORY: 2 x DIMM, Max. 16 GB, DDR3 1066 to DDR3 2933+(OC) BIOS: AMI UEFI BIOS with 64 Mb Flash ROM SLOTS: 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot

1 x mSATA slot

1 x mini-PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot(for WiFi) HDD CONNECTVIITY: 6 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s (6 @ Intel Z87) NETWORKING: 1 x Giga PHY Intel I217V PORTS: 6 x USB 3.0 ports (2 at front panel, 4 at rear panel)

6 x USB 2.0 ports (4 at front panel, 2 at rear panel)

1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse port

2 x RJ45 LAN connectors

1 x Audio block with 6 audio jacks

1 x eSATA port

1 x Optical S/PDIF port

1 x HDMI-out port

1 x DVI port

1 x Displayport

1 x CMOS Clear Switch AUDIO: Realtek ALC1150 7.1 HD Audio Codec FAN HEADERS: 1 x 4-pin PWM, 1 x 3-pin FORM FACTOR: mITX Form Factor (170 mm x 170 mm) EXCLUSIVE FEATURES: ASRock A-Tuning

ASRock Instant Flash

ASRock APP Charger

ASRock XFast USB

ASRock XFast LAN

ASRock XFast RAM

ASRock Crashless BIOS

ASRock OMG (Online Management Guard)

ASRock Internet Flash

ASRock UEFI System Browser

ASRock UEFI Tech Service

ASRock Dehumidifier

ASRock Easy RAID Installer

ASRock Easy Driver Installer

ASRock Interactive UEFI

ASRock Fast Boot

ASRock Restart to UEFI

ASRock USB Key

ASRock FAN-Tastic Tuning

Hybrid Booster

ASRock U-COP

Boot Failure Guard (B.F.G.)

Good Night LED

You have not been paying a lot of attention if you by now do not know who ASRock is and what they have to offer. Having been around for quite some time as an enthusiast-focused board manufacturer, ASRock has definitely made a name for itself by providing a host of affordable and functional daily-driver boards and everything up to crazy LSI RAID-equipped storage monsters for every platform, aside from a bunch of other products. From the Fatal1ty line some love, but many hate and to the OC Formula line of boards purely focused on pushing the limits of attainable frequencies, no matter what sort of user you are, an ASRock product should have crossed your path at some point. I have covered many myself and still have quite a few sitting here that I have yet to cover. ASRock is serious about giving you what you want, no matter the twist you desire, and with that in mind, I asked them for some mITX products to review.I have had many requests for mITX product reviews, so much so that it has almost been overwhelming. With current technology offering pretty respectable performance while using very little power, many users want smaller systems that simply take up less space under the desk, or are small enough to dissolve from view in a home theater. With Intel's Haswell offering nearly perfect levels of performance for high-end home theater builds, great for ripping and encoding movies or playing a lightweight game or two, and nearly anything that might be internet-based, the ability to make computing that much less intrusive on daily living is something many cannot ignore. Valve's Big Picture and STEAM OS show that the entire industry recognizes this movement, nevermind that many enthusiast case makers have supporting products for mITX builds. ASRock does recognize this as well, having sent me a mITX Haswell-based board nearly immediately after I asked for one so many months ago, and since then, it and several other mITX boards have been poked, prodded, and abused for 6 months, and over the next several weeks, I'll be reporting my findings to you.The ASRock Z87E-ITX is a small base for high-performance computing platforms that even those interested in smaller-sized gaming boxes might want to pay attention to, nevermind everyone else. Built-in WiFi and a decent set of overclocking-focused features make the ASRock Z87E-ITX an interesting option for those looking to get everything Intel's Haswell has to offer into a smaller form factor.