ASRock X99E-ITX/ac Mini-ITX Motherboard Review - First and Only Mini-ITX X99 Motherboard

[BiG StroOnZ]

"The World's One and Only Mini-ITX Sized X99 Motherboard"

 

 

 

 

 

1. ASRock Super Alloy

   - Premium 60A Power Choke

   - Premium Memory Alloy Choke

   - Fairchild 60A Dual Cool™ DrMOS

   - Nichicon 12K Platinum Caps

   - Sapphire Black PCB

2. Supports Intel^® Core™ i7 and Xeon^® 18-Core Processors Family for the LGA 2011-3 Socket
3. X Series OC Socket, Digi Power, 6 Power Phase design
4. Supports Dual Channel DDR4 3200+(OC)
5. 1 PCIe 3.0 x16, 1 Vertical mini-PCIe for WiFi + BT Module
6. 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1150 Audio Codec), Supports DTS Connect
7. Intel^® Dual Gigabit LAN with Teaming Function
8. 6 SATA3, 1 eSATA, 1 SATA Express, 1 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)
9. WLAN: 2T2R Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi + BT v4.0 Module, ASRock WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antenna
10. 2 USB 3.1 Type-A 10Gb/s, 6 USB 3.0 (2 Front, 4 Rear), 4 USB 2.0 (2 Front, 2 Rear)
11. Free Bundle : CPU Cooler, Water Cooling Mounting Plate, ASRock U3 to U2 Converter
12. Supports ASRock Full Spike Protection, APP Shop, A-Tuning, Full HD UEFI

 

 

As exciting as the notion of a Mini-ITX X99 motherboard was, we expected it to deliver limited features, memory performance and ultimately system performance. Furthermore, placing a 140w Core i7-5960X processor on a tiny motherboard in an equally tiny case seemed  like a recipe for disaster.

 

We proceeded with our Mini-ITX build nonetheless and we ended up with something truly amazing.

 

As expected, memory bandwidth performance fell, by almost 40% in fact. That seems like a huge blow but we've found that this doesn't necessarily impact performance and the Core i7-5960X delivered virtually the same results using dual-channel memory as it did quad-channel.

Therefore, performance-wise the X99E-ITX/ac is as good as any other X99 motherboard on the market.

 

Feature-wise, the X99E-ITX/ac isn't really missing anything, especially considering it's a Mini-ITX motherboard and you get an Ultra M.2 slot, 802.11ac WiFi, SATA Express and USB 3.1 out of the box -- what more could you want?

 

We aren't sure about the board's retail price but early indications suggest around $250, which seems fair given the highly unique design, rich feature set and extras such as the CPU cooler. That price would be quite competitive considering the cheapest base model X99 boards sell for $180.

 

The Asrock X99E-ITX/ac will no doubt inspire many new Mini-ITX builds over the coming months -- it certainly has us dreaming of all the epic possibilities.

 

 

 

 

More Detailed Review:

 

 

Overclocking Results

 

In this section, I will go through overclocking this board.

 

CPU Overclocking

 

Max CPU Overclock is found by setting the VCore to 1.5v, Input voltage to 2.1v, cache voltage to 1.15v, booting with a CPU multiplier of 45x and disabling any features that would result in CPU frequency fluctuation. I then proceed into Windows and use software to increase the multiplier; in this case I opted to use ITXU.

 

 

4.9GHz was my maximum overclock which is kind of impressive considering the cooling.

 

Maximum AIDA64 Stable Overclock (BIOS settings below for this):

 

 

Thermal Testing at 4.2GHz Overclocked Speeds:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In both cases again the backside of the PCB never got warmer than the front; even with the heat from the CPU creeping its way towards the VRM, the tiny heat sink did its job. Any higher on the overclock and this temperature delta would have reversed, but still I think this VRM can support a 24/7 4.5GHz overclock, in my case the cooler limits the CPU's thermals, not the VRM.

 

System IO Benchmarks

 

 

Anvil SATA6G:

 

 

Anvil M.2:

 

 

System power usage is measured at the AC/DC PSU (the Corsair AX1200i) which I have connected to another system to measure the test system and as a backup I have a wall meter to verify. The CPU power is measured through the 8-pin connect which is hooked up to a hall effect IC which measures current and puts out a voltage in proportion to the current. That voltage is logged by a National Instruments ADC which logs the DC voltage level, which I then convert into current.

 

 

 

This system is without a doubt the fastest Mini-ITX system to date, you just can't go higher in the Mini-ITX playing field than this board. It packs a ton of features including USB 3.1, wirelesses AC, SATA Express, and Ultra M.2 while providing the proper hardware for high overclocks. Its VRM has extremely high power density, and CPU cooling will hold you back before the VRM does on this board.

 

Sure, it's limited by its size, but that doesn't keep the X99E-ITX/ac from performing like any other X99 motherboard. I think that the price of the X99E-ITX/ac at $290 is a bit on the high side for a Mini-ITX motherboard, but comparing its feature set to other X99 motherboards, you can start to see why the board comes with such a price tag.

 

I really like that ASRock provides the CPU cooler, as most people would have to go buy a special one just for this board, which brings me to my final point. If you want the highest performance in the smallest form factor and are willing to make the needed sacrifices along the way, you want the ASRock X99E-ITX/ac.

 

 

 

 

 

Source: http://www.techspot.com/review/992-asrock-x99e-itx-ac/

Source 2: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7112/asrock-x99e-itx-ac-mini-intel-x99-motherboard-review/index.html

 

 

This is pretty cool, as a lot of people probably want to do an epic Mini-ITX build and still want to go X-99 but do not really have any choices. Until ASRock comes along and does something new and different that nobody else is doing. Releasing the first Mini-ITX X99 motherboard, and as of now the only one. I know a lot of people dig the small form factor for many reasons, and now they have the opportunity to put the most beastly processor you can imagine inside a Mini-ITX case without worry thanks to ASRock.

[SWAGGA]

useless, the only point of X99 is to run 4way sli

[WereCat]

Why ITX x99? I mean... 2RAM slots only and just one PCIe 3.0 x16.... If you need only those cores on the CPU then OK but otherwise this makes no sense.

It just defeats the purpose of x99... It is like buying Lambo and only using it as city car.

[Sauron]

I still don't really see the point, but very cool nonetheless ^^

[HeathCliff]

I hope EK makes a monoblock for this. 

[Sauron]

You cannot quote the entire review or even near half of the stuff you listed, that would be against CoC. This is Tech News and Reviews. You need a summary of the article, that's how it works. You should know this by now. 

 

Posting all of that would get the thread locked because it would break CoC. That's why you post the conclusion, and the link to the review so others can go read it themselves.

 

Stop shit posting.

 

I think he meant those things are lacking from the review itself, not from your post.

 

amirite @Sintezza?

 

It's a misunderstanding, let's keep it civil

[Sintezza]

I think he meant those things are lacking from the review itself, not from your post.

 

amirite @Sintezza?

 

It's a misunderstanding, let's keep it civil

 

Thats indeed what i mean.

 

But he starts shit posting himself, calling people kids.

That kinda annoys me lol

[Mitrailleuse]

this+5960x+titan x in a ncase m1 sounds so goood.

especially when the 32gb and 64gb ram modules gets released.

[BiG StroOnZ]

I think he meant those things are lacking from the review itself, not from your post.

 

amirite @Sintezza?

 

It's a misunderstanding, let's keep it civil

 

Well then if that's the case, here:

 

Overclocking Results

 

In this section, I will go through overclocking this board.

 

CPU Overclocking

 

Max CPU Overclock is found by setting the VCore to 1.5v, Input voltage to 2.1v, cache voltage to 1.15v, booting with a CPU multiplier of 45x and disabling any features that would result in CPU frequency fluctuation. I then proceed into Windows and use software to increase the multiplier; in this case I opted to use ITXU.

 

 

4.9GHz was my maximum overclock which is kind of impressive considering the cooling.

 

Maximum AIDA64 Stable Overclock (BIOS settings below for this):

 

 

Thermal Testing at 4.2GHz Overclocked Speeds:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In both cases again the backside of the PCB never got warmer than the front; even with the heat from the CPU creeping its way towards the VRM, the tiny heat sink did its job. Any higher on the overclock and this temperature delta would have reversed, but still I think this VRM can support a 24/7 4.5GHz overclock, in my case the cooler limits the CPU's thermals, not the VRM.

 

System IO Benchmarks

 

 

Anvil SATA6G:

 

 

Anvil M.2:

 

 

System power usage is measured at the AC/DC PSU (the Corsair AX1200i) which I have connected to another system to measure the test system and as a backup I have a wall meter to verify. The CPU power is measured through the 8-pin connect which is hooked up to a hall effect IC which measures current and puts out a voltage in proportion to the current. That voltage is logged by a National Instruments ADC which logs the DC voltage level, which I then convert into current.

 

 

 

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7112/asrock-x99e-itx-ac-mini-intel-x99-motherboard-review/index.html

[Sintezza]

Then here:

 

Overclocking Results

 

In this section, I will go through overclocking this board.

 

CPU Overclocking

 

Max CPU Overclock is found by setting the VCore to 1.5v, Input voltage to 2.1v, cache voltage to 1.15v, booting with a CPU multiplier of 45x and disabling any features that would result in CPU frequency fluctuation. I then proceed into Windows and use software to increase the multiplier; in this case I opted to use ITXU.

 

 

 

4.9GHz was my maximum overclock which is kind of impressive considering the cooling.

 

Maximum AIDA64 Stable Overclock (BIOS settings below for this):

 

 

 

Thermal Testing at 4.2GHz Overclocked Speeds:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In both cases again the backside of the PCB never got warmer than the front; even with the heat from the CPU creeping its way towards the VRM, the tiny heat sink did its job. Any higher on the overclock and this temperature delta would have reversed, but still I think this VRM can support a 24/7 4.5GHz overclock, in my case the cooler limits the CPU's thermals, not the VRM.

 

System IO Benchmarks

 

 

Anvil SATA6G:

 

 

 

Anvil M.2:

 

 

 

System power usage is measured at the AC/DC PSU (the Corsair AX1200i) which I have connected to another system to measure the test system and as a backup I have a wall meter to verify. The CPU power is measured through the 8-pin connect which is hooked up to a hall effect IC which measures current and puts out a voltage in proportion to the current. That voltage is logged by a National Instruments ADC which logs the DC voltage level, which I then convert into current.

 

 

 

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7112/asrock-x99e-itx-ac-mini-intel-x99-motherboard-review/index.html

 

Finaly, now we are talking

[sgloux3470]

The whole appeal of X99 in my mind is a huge ass motherboard, a huge ass full tower, 4 GPU's and a billion SSD's and hard drives all hooked up to some massive water block with 8 sticks of RAM screaming "IAM THE OVERBUILT".

 

I think this exists primarily to capitalize on those people that *think* they need X99 when they really don't. (i.e gamers without quad SLI rigs.)

[niofalpha]

useless, the only point of X99 is to run 4way sli

Erm...

 

What about M-ITX Workstations?

I can think fo several occasions where this would be useful...

 

As in Mobile workstations

People who Stream on the go and need more than Laptops

[BiG StroOnZ]

Finaly, now we are talking

 

Added to OP. 

[dizmo]

OH man. Hello beast portable gaming system.

Or, apartment friendly gaming system.

*drool*

 

 

useless, the only point of X99 is to run 4way sli

 

Why ITX x99? I mean... 2RAM slots only and just one PCIe 3.0 x16.... If you need only those cores on the CPU then OK but otherwise this makes no sense.

It just defeats the purpose of x99... It is like buying Lambo and only using it as city car.

 

I still don't really see the point, but very cool nonetheless ^^

 

 

While it might be slightly pointless, it's nice for those of us that want such things. For example I upgrade my PC every 3 or 4 years, so I usually go for balls out systems, only changing out the GPU if required (single GPU only). I like SFF builds. So, this would play perfectly into that. Let's be honest not many of us need more than two or three SATA ports anyway.

DDR4 isn't just for quad channel RAM. It also opens up the option for 32gb in a SFF like this. You can't do that with LGA1150.

 

Let's not forget. Want and need are two entirely different things.

 

Also..please..I'd say 80%+ of Lambos and similar cars are city cars. They're merely status symbols.

 

 

The whole appeal of X99 in my mind is a huge ass motherboard, a huge ass full tower, 4 GPU's and a billion SSD's and hard drives all hooked up to some massive water block with 8 sticks of RAM screaming "IAM THE OVERBUILT".

 

I think this exists primarily to capitalize on those people that *think* they need X99 when they really don't. (i.e gamers without quad SLI rigs.)

You don't always populate the PCI slots with GPU's only. SSD's, and other things also use up those pipe lines.

[imthewalrus]

Small portable server? Overkill itx system?

[sgloux3470]

 

 

You don't always populate the PCI slots with GPU's only. SSD's, and other things also use up those pipe lines.

 

M.2 Provides it's own lanes.  Any modern CPU has enough lanes for a single GPU and a myriad of other PCI hardware.  For example, my 8370 has 38 lanes.  A single GPU taking up 16 still leaves 22 free lanes for whatever else.  

 

Sorry I didn't realize that the i7 was only limited to 16 lanes...in that case X99 makes a lot more sense to me for people who want that stuff.

[WereCat]

OH man. Hello beast portable gaming system.

Or, apartment friendly gaming system.

*drool*

While it might be slightly pointless, it's nice for those of us that want such things. For example I upgrade my PC every 3 or 4 years, so I usually go for balls out systems, only changing out the GPU if required (single GPU only). I like SFF builds. So, this would play perfectly into that. Let's be honest not many of us need more than two or three SATA ports anyway.

DDR4 isn't just for quad channel RAM. It also opens up the option for 32gb in a SFF like this. You can't do that with LGA1150.

Let's not forget. Want and need are two entirely different things.

Also..please..I'd say 80%+ of Lambos and similar cars are city cars. They're merely status symbols.

You don't always populate the PCI slots with GPU's only. SSD's, and other things also use up those pipe lines.

Yes, you are right. I am well aware that there would be no such product of there was no demand. I just can't see my self going forITX x99 even if I had unlimited money.

[TroubleKlef]

Looks like Linus has an upcoming build with this motherboard. Not sure what CPU he put in (most likely 5960x) along with a Titan X in a silverstone case.

[Psykomantis00]

This is relevant to my interest. The only thing I don't like is the price, but by the time I'm ready to build for x99 Asus should have something to compete, maybe dropping the price of the asrock. I just bought an asrock m8 for cheap, can't wait to start buying parts. 

[Comrade_Dave]

I am guessing no ECC memory.

That would make a neat little server.

[carolkarine]

I just wish the board was less ugly. Great technical achievement, and I want one (I'm an SFF sucker) but Goddamn do I wish Asus did this with the ROG impact. Just imagine: ROG impact X.

[Deli]

i'm surprised the little VRM can handle the power hungry 5960x monster.

[Technous285]

I am guessing no ECC memory.

That would make a neat little server.

From the Specs page for that board on ASRock's own site - http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/X99E-ITXac/?cat=Specifications

 

- Supports DDR4 3200+(OC)*/2933(OC)/2800(OC)/2400(OC)/2133 non-ECC, un-buffered memory

- Supports non-ECC RDIMM (Registered DIMM)

- Supports DDR4 ECC, un-buffered memory/RDIMM with Intel® Xeon® processors E5 series in the LGA 2011-3 Socket

So you whack a Xeon E5 chip in there (instead of an i7) and you can use the DDR4 16GB ECC RDIMM's out on the market to max it at 32GB right away.

[Comrade_Dave]

From the Specs page for that board on ASRock's own site - http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/X99E-ITXac/?cat=Specifications

 

So you whack a Xeon E5 chip in there (instead of an i7) and you can use the DDR4 16GB ECC RDIMM's out on the market to max it at 32GB right away.

Thank you for looking that up. I was being lazy.

 

If only it had IPMI it would be a perfect little server board.

[ShadowCaptain]

that is SO awesome, i want it