We had to switch to our unlocked Core i7-4770K processor to reveal overclocking settings in ASRock's UEFI, which begin with a group of presets that typically push far too much core voltage for our liking. Under maximum stress and maximum clock, our processor reaches its thermal threshold at a mere 1.25 V.




Hitting 1.25 V happens a little faster than expected, since it corresponds to the firmware’s 1.225 V setting. DRAM settings are a little more realistic; our meter shows 1.65 to 1.66 volts at the shown 1.645 V selection.
Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are all adjustable over a wide range within the Z97 Extreme4’s DRAM Configuration submenu.
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Summary
- Gaming Raises The Mainstream
- ASRock Z97 Extreme4
- Z97 Extreme4 Software
- Z97 Extreme4 Firmware
- Asus Z97-A
- Z97-A Software
- Z97-A Firmware
- Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5
- Z97X-Gaming 5 Software
- Z97X-Gaming 5 Firmware
- L337 Gaming Z97-Machine
- Z97-Machine Software
- Z97-Machine Firmware
- MSI Z97 Gaming 5
- Z97 Gaming 5 Software
- Z97 Gaming 5 Firmware
- Test Hardware And Benchmark Configurations
- Results: 3DMark And PCMark
- Results: SiSoftware Sandra
- Results: 3D Games
- Results: Audio And Video Encoding
- Results: Adobe Creative Suite
- Results: Productivity
- Results: File Compression
- Power, Heat, And Efficiency
- Overclocking
- Picking A Value Leader
Ask a Category Expert


What I found lacking is the reviewing of those features like software (audio, fan control etc.), VRM quality, "other stuff".
Now what is this "other stuff" really? Which motherboard has the best "other stuff"? I didn't get it from the review.
Apart from the very simple introduction to the software and hardware, I can't really make what's better between Gigabyte and MSI, the one's I'm interested in. MSI has better UEFI, I understood but how is the software? How many VRM phases and their quality? Is MSI's audio suite better than GB's?
These are what make the products apart in the same price range but finding the value leader with good explanations for why was not possible from this article despite it's title.