Intel Z77 Motherboard Review with Ivy Bridge - ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI
by Ian Cutress on May 7, 2012 7:40 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- MSI
- Gigabyte
- ASRock
- Asus
- Ivy Bridge
- Z77
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 - In The Box
Driver CD
User Manual
IO Shield
2 locking SATA cables
3-slot SLI bridge
Uncharacteristically from ASRock, we do not have a lot to shout about regarding the contents of the box. Previously with the P67 products we had a USB 3.0 bracket, but this time we are limited to just a pair of SATA cables. This is unfortunate, but perhaps was required to hit a price point.
Voltage Readings
Using OCCT we monitor the voltage change of the motherboard under load. This represents the direct correlation between the Load Line Calibration and how the processor/motherboard deals with voltage requests while under load. This is not to be confused with the quality of power delivery, but more an indication of how aggressive the default LLC settings are on a motherboard.
The CPU voltage at load for the ASRock board seems to vary more than the other boards in this review, which may be a result of the price difference. Nevertheless, this is not a series of massive jumps to be concerned over.
Overclocking
Note: Ivy Bridge does not overclock like Sandy Bridge. For a detailed report on the effect of voltage on Ivy Bridge (and thus temperatures and power draw), please read Undervolting and Overclocking on Ivy Bridge.
As the first explanation of overclocking results on a platform, I would highly suggest you read my article on overclocking performance on Ivy Bridge. As the successor to Sandy Bridge, people may expect similar to Sandy Bridge. However, there are a number of key differences, especially in terms of heat generation and applied voltages.
Auto Overclocking: ASRock comes with several automatic overclocking features, however these are all in the BIOS – ‘Enhanced Turbo 30’ and ‘Optimized CPU Setting’. Enhanced Turbo 30 initially calls upon preloaded settings – 4.7 GHz on the CPU, 1600 MHz on the iGPU, +0.085 volt offset on the CPU and CPU load line calibration (LLC) set at ‘Level 1’. This setting did not do anything to the memory, and made the machine run rather hot – 92ºC during OCCT causing it to stop, and 97ºC during PovRay. Both of these temperatures were on the test bed outside a case, so I would not recommend them inside a case!
The Optimized CPU Settings offers CPU speeds in 200 MHz increments. When selected, it adjusts the CPU multiplier but leaves all else on automatic.
- At the 4.4 GHz setting, this gave 1.112 volts on load, 72ºC during PovRay and 70ºC for Blender.
- At the 4.6 GHz setting, this gave 1.192 volts on load, 85ºC during PovRay and 86ºC for OCCT.
- At the 4.8 GHz setting, this gave 1.240 volts constant at LLC Level 1. This caused the blue screen of death on boot.
Manual Overclocking: Given the overview of overclocking on Ivy Bridge, choosing your maximum voltage to aim for a speed is critical. The best combination I achieved on the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 was 4.7 GHz at 1.175 volts, using LLC Level 1. This gave 86ºC during both PovRay and OCCT, which is essentially near the limit as to what I would suggest on Ivy Bridge.
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ggathagan - Thursday, May 10, 2012 - link
Yeah, we got your rant the 1st time around and didn't care about it then, either.JSt0rm01 - Thursday, May 10, 2012 - link
If you don't have anything to add to the conversation then maybe you should stfu. Its a perfectly fine place to discuss the slowing release schedules of desktop hardware and I don't think you, as a random internet name, are in any position to say what others care or don't care about. You aren't special.-------------
Also, after being a member of the anandtech forums for 10 years I was permanently banned by the moderators there because they wanted to censor a website (ffdt.info) that had conversation that was critical of their moderation. I find that the free flow of all information on the internet is critical. For a tech website such as this to limit the flow of information is offensive the core of these beliefs and its all because certain people in positions of illusory power deem that information detrimental to their positions.
bji - Thursday, May 10, 2012 - link
I think he was referring to the 'signature' that you are putting after every post. You know, the stuff after the dashes. With all respect, if you are going to put that in every post you're going to have to expect some flak from people who don't like when others try to make a statement. Not saying that I have a problem with it, but there are people who get pissed off about every little thing ...JSt0rm01 - Thursday, May 10, 2012 - link
well then let him be pissed. Thats my sig and if he wants to see it less then he shouldnt be responding to me.-------------
Also, after being a member of the anandtech forums for 10 years I was permanently banned by the moderators there because they wanted to censor a website (ffdt.info) that had conversation that was critical of their moderation. I find that the free flow of all information on the internet is critical. For a tech website such as this to limit the flow of information is offensive the core of these beliefs and its all because certain people in positions of illusory power deem that information detrimental to their positions.
Paapaa125 - Friday, May 11, 2012 - link
I don't understand why this site even accepts such a long sig. Stupid.smalM - Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - link
Black connectors on black boards - I really hate it.Where are the boards for grown-ups?
TGressus - Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - link
Not black enough if you ask me. Caps could be all Hi-c, silk screening ever single component should just stop, the branding could be black and UV reactive.Worst is all that silver metal that connects the chips/sockets. Black that!
embeddedbill - Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - link
Thunderbolt is curiously missing, more than a year after the apple intro. Some compelling features if price and vendor support don't drive you mad. Time can solve both those problems, I'm just not sure how flexible the implementation will be in a Windows environment, i.e. hot plug of performance hardware, and discrete video card integration of its display port out with the TB pcie lanes.Scarce details exist which makes me wonder if this tech will eventually wind up as overpriced fringe apple only, read FireWire!
kenyee - Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - link
Probably something a bit too bleeding edge for you guys, but Gigabyte has apparently figured out how to make it painless for setting up a Hackintosh w/ their UEFI BIOS:http://teksyndicate.com/news/2012/04/24/best-mothe...
Zoomer - Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - link
Hmm, that might be the reason for their weird phy choices.