ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/AC Motherboard Review

Final Thoughts about the ASRock Z170 Gaming-ITX/AC Motherboard

To say that performance of a small form factor motherboard is less than a mATX or a standard ATX motherboard would be false. After all the ASRock Z170 Gaming-ITX/AC is a Z170 motherboard. As Yoda said, “Size matters not.” and such is the case with this motherboard. In my testing, the Z170 Gaming-ITX/AC was able to keep up with and in some tests overtake a full sized Z170 ATX motherboard.

Due to the physical size, adding additional PCIe or memory slots cannot be done. But, is it necessary? If your goal is to build a light weight, small foot print LAN Box, maybe it’s not. Slap in a GTX 970 or 980 and you’ve got a powerful gaming rig that you can tuck under your arm when it’s time to leave. With the release of Corsair’s Bulldog ITX case on the horizon, you can choose which ITX motherboard you want to install.

While ASRock didn’t go overboard with extra features, they did just enough to keep the price in check but still include features that users want. At $190.00, it is not the cheapest Z170 motherboard on the market, but you’d expect to pay a little more as the form factor shrinks.

For overclocking, this board is no slouch. I was easily able to reach 4.8 Ghz on the 6700K at 1.44v. However, more testing will be needed to see how far I can drop the voltage and maintain 4.8Ghz.

Honestly, I’ve never really thought about building a performance ITX system. The reason is just because I’ve always built ATX systems, not that I would think from a performance stand point that an ITX board would be slower, it is just what I’ve build. However, my opinions are starting to change. I like the fact that you don’t have to have a full sized case in order to maintain a certain performance level. Overall, I am completely satisfied with the ASRock Z170 Gaming-ITX/AC. From the design, layout, feature-set, capabilities and price, the ASRock Z170 Gaming-ITX/AC scores high and easily earns the Must Have award.