ASRock Z270 Extreme4

The motherboard is a required piece of equipment for any PC, and yet it often goes unnoticed. I know figuring out a good motherboard can make it hard for consumers to build their first PC, or even upgrade their old one.

Knowing what exactly makes a good motherboard can make the difference between a fully functional PC and one that can barely get by. Today I want to talk about one potential motherboard option, the ASRock Z270 Extreme4 and give all the reasons a consumer may or may not want to make it their PC part of choice.

Technology

The ASRock Z270 Extreme4 motherboard is a solid middle-of-the-road option that offers many features necessary for gaming and productivity alike. The basics of its technology are nothing new for the most part, and there isn’t too much that makes it stand out. That’s not a bad thing, though.

Often a motherboard and its technology are the least flashy parts of a PC. I find that the only times I’ve ever had a lot of attention drawn to my motherboard after it has been installed is when something is going wrong.

While this board might not be at the forefront of innovation, it makes up for it in functionality and efficiency. Like most motherboards released in 2017, this one features the Z270 chipset, allowing it to make use of the new Intel 7th generation Kaby Lake processors. This might not make it cutting edge, but it gives it an efficiency that won’t be outdated for years.

Features

The ASRock Z270 Extreme4 motherboard isn’t particularly revolutionary with its basic technology. However, the design has a few key features that may distinguish it from competitors as the best choice within its price range.

The design of it has 8 SATA3 slots. This is well above average for motherboards in its range and gives it more open slots to work with. It also has a dedicated water-pump header that can support up to 1.5A power.

The ASRock Z720 Extreme4 has two steel-reinforced PCIe slots that prevent signal interference with graphics cards, as well as ensure safe installation for particularly heavy GPUs. The safety of a motherboard should be one of the top priorities whenever it’s being installed, and every tiny bit of added security helps

ASRock’s signature sound solution, Purity Sound, combines hardware and software solutions to deliver higher quality sound effects than might be expected of a motherboard in its range. This includes the Realtek ALC1220 audio codec, individual PCB layers for right and left audio channels, 120dB SNR DAC, gold audio connectors, and more.

Design

I don’t personally put too much stock into the aesthetics of a motherboard. If it looks nice it can be a minor plus, but I care a lot about little aesthetic touches getting in the way of the motherboard functioning at its full potential. Thankfully, I don’t think much of what is added to the ASRock Z270 Extreme4 gets in the way of its functionality.

Aesthetically speaking, the motherboard features a sleek black and white design on par with its competitors. The metallic matte blackboard is visually pleasing, paired with copper components and sheer white protective casings. The board itself is made of high-density glass fabric PCB that effectively protects the motherboard against electrical shorts due to high humidity.

The fact that it gives it a clean design is second to the protective qualities. The fact that there is a benefit is the main draw for me with the glass fabric.

The onboard RGB LEDs aren’t particularly stunning and they are only featured in three locations. It’s small, and many RGB fans might be disappointed, but at least the motherboard isn’t going out of its way to sacrifice its power in exchange for style. The motherboard has an AURA RGB LED header to power additional LED light strips for those who want extra lighting.

A feature that even I don’t like with the lights is if you want to control the LEDs on this motherboard, you must download and install extra software from their site. Alternatively, you can use their integrated “all-in-one live updater and app shop” to achieve the same effect.

Either way, I’m not certain why a motherboard requires an app shop. It’s an unnecessary addition and feels like a cheap way to force people into using outside applications. If it was tied to anything critical with the motherboard it might have changed my entire opinion on the board, but it seems to be limited to just the RGB and LED features.

Other Notes

There are a few other features included in the ASRock Z270 Extreme that I haven’t gone over yet that I would like to touch upon. None of these features are massive on their own, but the amount of them does add up to increase the reliability and quality of the motherboard.

Included in the other features are the DDR4 memory, overclocking, multi-GPU support, and triple display functionality. Among other things, these features allow for use of multiple other pieces of hardware, and the addition of up to three monitors is something I put a lot of value on.

Continuing, there is also a graphical mouse-controlled BIOS, USB 3.1, a USB-C connection, Intel Ethernet connection, and 3 graphics outputs (D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI), and ASRock’s A-Tuning suite. This gives the motherboard a lot of possibilities in what can properly be connected to it.

Although there is no onboard Wi-Fi card, users can install their own M.2 (Key E) adapter for wireless or Bluetooth connection. It’s the only major feature that is missing that I’ve found.

Pros And Cons

With everything I’ve talked about so far, I think it’s a good idea to line up the pros and the cons that the ASRock Z270 Extreme4 offers. I want to allow the most informed choices possible to be made, so I’ll be giving what I think are the biggest things for and against it.

Pros

• Compatible with Intel® Kaby Lake processor
• Graphical mouse-operated BIOS
• RBG LED On/Off toggle
• Reinforced steel PCIe slots
• Competitively priced

Cons

• No onboard Wi-Fi card
• No innovative features
• Seemingly unnecessary software required

Final Thoughts

The ASRock Z270 Extreme4 is not the most powerful motherboard on the market, but most people don’t need the most cutting-edge and advanced piece of equipment out there. For most, a decently priced and fully functional motherboard that will serve them well for years is all that I feel is required.

This version of the ASRock is perfectly suited for the motherboard needs of most people looking to make a PC with reliable power. It allows you to keep your options open without breaking the bank, and the added protection makes sure that it will last a while.

I think it’s clear that I recommend the ASRock Z270 Extreme4 motherboard to anyone hunting for PC parts that won’t dry out their wallet. It’s still not a cheap purchase, but as far as motherboards go it is on the lower end of the price scale. There might be motherboards out there with a little more to offer, but those few drops of extra power come with an added ocean of costs.