ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 Specifications
| Specifications | ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 |
|---|---|
| Chipset | Intel Z170 |
| CPU Support | 6th Generation Intel Core i7 / i5 / i3 / Pentium / Celeron processors (Socket 1151) - Supports Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology - Supports Intel K-Series unlocked CPUs - Supports ASRock BCLK & Hyper BCLK Engine Full-range Overclocking |
| CPU Power | 10-phase digital power design |
| Memory Support | Up to 64 GB of non-ECC, unbuffered DDR4 memory - Four DDR4 DIMM slots with 15 μ gold-plated contacts (dual-channel) - Supports up to DDR4-3866+ (OC) with a single memory module - Supports DDR4-3600 (OC) / DDR4-3200 (OC) / DDR4-2933 (OC) / DDR4-2800 (OC) / DDR4-2400 (OC) / DDR4-2133 - Supports ECC UDIMM memory modules (operating in non-ECC mode) - Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) 2.0 |
| BIOS | Two 128 Mbits AMI UEFI BIOS with multilingual GUI support - Supports Secure Backup UEFI Technology - ACPI 5.0 & SMBIOS 2.7 Compliant - Supports CPU, DRAM, PCH 1.0V, VCCIO, VCCSA voltage adjustments |
| Processor Graphics Support | - Supports Intel HD Graphics with up to 1792 MB shared memory - Built-in DVI-D, HDMI and DisplayPort 1.2 output supports triple monitors - Maximum DVI-D resolution : 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz - Maximum HDMI resolution : 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 3840 x 2160 @ 30 Hz - Maximum DisplayPort resolution : 4096 x 2304 @ 60 Hz |
| Audio Support | ASRock Purity Sound 3 - Realtek ALC1150 7.1-channel HD audio codec - Nichicon Fine Gold series capacitors, 115 dB SND DAC with two Ti NE5532 amplifiers |
| LAN Support | Killer E2400 Gigabit LAN - Supports Energy-Efficient Ethernet 802.3az - Supports Lightning & ESD Protection |
| Expansion Slots | 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots - x16 (PCIE2) and x4 (PCIE4) - Supports AMD Quad CrossFireX and CrossFireX 3 x PCI Express 3.0 x1 slots (Flexible PCIe design) |
| Storage Ports | 2 x SATA Express (10 Gb/s) ports with RAID 0/1/5/10 support - each can be converted into two SATA 3 (6.0 Gb/s) ports 2 x SATA 3 (6 Gb/s) ports 1 x Ultra M.2 socket - Supports Type 2230 / 2242 / 2260 / 2280 / 22110 M.2 modules - Supports M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen 3 x4 |
| Connectors | - 1 x COM Port Header - 1 x TPM Header - 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header - 2 x CPU Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control) - 4 x Chassis Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control) - 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector - 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector) - 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector - 1 x Thunderbolt™ AIC Connector - 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (ASRock Full Spike Protection) - 1 x USB 3.0 Header (ASRock Full Spike Protection) |
| Rear Panel I/O | - 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port - 1 x DVI-D Port - 1 x HDMI Port - 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port - 1 x USB 2.0 Port (ASRock Full Spike Protection) - 1 x USB 2.0 Fatal1ty Mouse Port (ASRock Full Spike Protection) - 5 x USB 3.0 Ports (ASRock Full Spike Protection) - 1 x USB 3.0 Type C Port (ASRock Full Spike Protection) - 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED) - HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone |
| Hardware Sensors | - CPU & chassis temperature sensors and fan tachometers - Voltage monitoring for +12V, +5V, +3.3V, CPU Vcore, DRAM, VPPM, PCH 1.0V, VCCIO, VCCSA |
| Form Factor | Full ATX : 30.5 cm x 21.8 cm / 12.0" x 8.6" |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 / 8 / 8.1 / 7 |
| Certifications | - FCC, CE, WHQL - ErP/EuP ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required) |
Unboxing The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 comes in a typical motherboard box – a large cardboard box with its key features printed on the underside. Let us show you what’s inside the box in this unboxing video…
When you remove everything, you will find the following items :
- One ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 motherboard
- One ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 Quick Installation Guide
- One ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 Software Setup Guide
- One ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 driver CD
- One ASRock case sticker
- One ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 I/O shield
- Four SATA 3 cables
- One M.2 module screw
Next Page > The Motherboard, CPU Power & Performance, PCI Express
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The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 Motherboard
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 is a full ATX-sized motherboard that boasts the following key features :
- [adrotate banner=”4″]ASRock Super Alloy
- Gaming Armor – Memory / VGA Card / Cooling / Internet / Audio
- Supports 6th Generation Intel Core Processors (Socket 1151)
- Digi Power, 10 Power Phase design
- Supports DDR4 3866+(OC) memory modules
- 2 PCIe 3.0 x16, 3 PCIe 3.0 x1
- AMD Quad CrossFireX and CrossFireX
- Graphics Output Options: DVI-D, HDMI
- 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1150 Audio Codec), Supports Purity Sound 3 & DTS Connect
- 2 SATA Express, 6 SATA3, 1 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)
- 8 USB 3.0 (5 Type-A & 1 Type-C) – 2 Front, 6 Rear)
- Supports Full Spike Protection, ASRock Live Update & APP Shop, F-Stream, Key Master, XSplit
We also prepared a special video to show you the key design features of the ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 motherboard. Enjoy!
CPU Power & Performance
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 motherboard features a 10-phase power design. This is most likely an 8+2 design, with 8 phases dedicated to the CPU. That ensures a cooler and more efficient power conversion compared to voltage regulator modules (VRM) with fewer phases. Its MOSFETs and inductors are kept cool by large aluminium alloy heatsinks, which helps ensure reliability and longevity of the VRM.
The Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 uses digital pulse-width modulation (PWM) to control its VRM. The PWM is critical in ensuring a stable power supply. Although high quality (and expensive) analog PWM exists, digital PWM allows for more accurate control of the power frequency and modulation.
ASRock also equipped the Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 with Nichicon 12K Platinum capacitors, which not only boasts faster response times and lower voltage noise but also a much longer lifespan (12,000 hours @ 105 °C). In general – this motherboard is designed to last.
To support CPU coolers with two fans, or a DIMM cooler, The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 has two CPU fan headers – one on each end of the four DIMM slots.
PCI Express Slots
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 motherboard has 5 PCI Express slots – 2 full-sized PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, and 3 much smaller PCI Express 3.0 x1 slots. The upper PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot (PCIE2) operates at full x16 speed while the lower PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot (PCIE4) only operates at x4 speed.
The three PCI Express 3.0 x1 slots are of the flexible design. That basically means an open-ended slot. This allows you to use any PCI Express card in those x1 slots, even x16 cards. The only downside is that they will only run at x1 speed.
Next Page > DDR4 Memory, Ultra M.2, SATA Ports, Purity Sound 3, Dual BIOS
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DDR4 Memory Slots
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 motherboard has four DDR4 DIMM slots, their contacts gold-plated to protect them against oxidation and corrosion. Even though the Intel Z170 chipset only supports non-ECC memory, these DIMM slots can accept ECC memory modules – with their ECC capability disabled.
The Intel Z170 chipset only supports DDR4 memory up to 2133 MHz in frequency, but the Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 allows for overclocked memory clock speeds of up to 3600 MHz with selected modules. It even supports 3866 MHz, but only if a single memory module is installed.
Ultra M.2 Socket
The Ultra M.2 socket is a unique ASRock feature. The M.2 socket is usually connected to the Z170 chipset using two PCI Express lanes. ASRock has instead connected the M.2 socket directly to the Intel Core processor using four PCI Express lanes. This not only doubles the maximum bandwidth to 32 Gbits/s (4 GB/s), it also reduces the M.2 socket’s latency.
Of course, you will need an M.2 SSD that supports PCIe x4. Even so, PCIe x2 SSDs may benefit slightly from the lower latencies associated with the Ultra M.2 socket being directly connected to the CPU, bypassing the Z170 chipset.
SATA Ports
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 specifications officially quotes 2 SATA Express ports as well as 6 standard SATA 3 ports. However, this is not really the case – it only comes with 2 SATA Express ports and 2 SATA 3 ports.
Of course, each SATA Express port can be “converted” into 2 standard SATA 3 ports. After all, the SATA Express port is really just two SATA 3 ports with a smaller PCI Express port that delivers two PCIe lanes. In other words, it supports up to 2 SATA Express drives and 2 SATA drives, or up to 6 SATA drives.
Depending on how many drives you intend to use in your system, this may or may not be sufficient. But the good news is that they did stack the connectors, like they did in the ASRock Z170 Extreme4. This makes the Z170 Gaming K4’s connectors must easier to access.
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ASRock Purity Sound 3
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 motherboard comes with the ASRock Purity Sound 3 audio solution. This is a combination of the Realtek ALC1150 audio codec with a 115 dB SNR DAC, two Ti NE5532 amplifiers as well as EMI and PCB shielding.
One of the Ti NE5532 amplifiers is used as a differential amplifier, which avoids the distortion caused by audio capacitors. The other Ti NE5532 amplifier is dedicated to driving the headphone port, allowing you to use high-impedance headphones without a separate amplifier or sound card.
Dual BIOS
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 was designed with techies in mind. It sports two 128 Mbit BIOS chips, with a physical switch. This allows you to quickly switch to the backup BIOS if you make an unrecoverable mistake in the BIOS setting, or the BIOS is corrupted after a flash failure.
Next Page > Fatal1ty Mouse Port, I/O Ports & Armor, Other Accessories, Our Verdict
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Fatal1ty Mouse Port
This is the ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4‘s “killer feature” – the Fatal1ty mouse port. This red-coloured mouse port is supposed to impart Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel‘s skills to the user when a mouse is plugged in. How is that supposed to happen?
With the ASRock F-Stream software installed, the Fatal1ty mouse port is set to use Fatal1ty’s personal preferred mouse polling rate of 500 Hz. The ASRock F-Stream software also allows you to change the mouse polling rate from 125 Hz to 1000 Hz. Of course, the higher polling rates may not be supported by some mice.
Frankly speaking, this is really just marketing fluff. Any gamer who takes gaming even half-seriously would be using a half-decent gaming mouse. And most (if not all) half-decent gaming mice allow you to change the mouse polling rates, amongst other things. There is no need to even use a special mouse port to achieve this.
If you have a good gaming mouse, it will even allow you to change the polling rate or sensor resolution on-the-fly… and yes, it would work with any USB port. So why bother with the Fatal1ty mouse port?
I/O Ports & Armor
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 has a ton of I/O ports at the rear, including a legacy PS/2 port, two USB 2.0 ports (the top port being the Fatal1ty mouse port), a Type C USB 3.0 port (note that this is not the faster USB 3.1 port) as well as 5 standard USB 3.0 ports. In addition to the 5 audio and line-in port, it also sports a single Gigabit LAN port. For display purposes, it offers a DVI-D port and a HDMI port.
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 also features what ASRock calls their I/O Armor. It is ostensibly a protective cover that protects the rear I/O ports from static damage. Frankly speaking, this is only useful if you are using the motherboard outside of a chassis. When installed in a chassis, that job is fulfilled by the I/O shield (also included) that is installed into the chassis.
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Other Accessories
Here is a closer look at the other accessories included in the ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 package – the manual and driver CD. A case sticker can be found inside the driver CD sleeve.
It also comes with four SATA 3 cables and a small plastic bag with a single small screw – this is used to lock the Ultra M.2 SSD in place.
Our Verdict
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 motherboard has all of the hallmarks of a decent gaming motherboard. It boasts a 10-phase power design with a digital PWM and Nichicon 12K Platinum capacitors. The entire power supply is further cooled by large aluminium-alloy heatsinks. A lot of effort has gone into ensuring an efficient power conversion, stable power supply and longer lifespan.
There are decent expansion options with 2 full-sized PCI Express x16 slots and 3 small PCIe x1 slots. The PCIe x1 slots are even the “flexible” type that will accept any PCI Express card. Audiophiles will appreciate the better audio quality courtesy of its Purity Sound 3 module. Their Ultra M.2 socket is also a nice touch although it has minimal effect on your M.2 SSD’s performance unless it supports PCIe x4.
The ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 comes with plenty of USB ports and headers, and even a Type C port. However, we should point out that it does not support the latest USB 3.1 standard. Even the Type C port is a USB 3.0 port. It allows you to attach USB 3.1 devices but it will only transfer data at USB 3.0 speeds, which is roughly half that of USB 3.1. If you must have USB 3.1 support, you need to consider the higher-end ASRock Z170 Extreme4 motherboard.
But the greatest disappointment is the Fatal1ty Mouse Port feature. It is really nothing more than marketing fluff, since it is just a USB 2.0 port. Its ability to adjust the mouse polling rate is through the bundled F-Stream software. This is a standard feature in all gaming mouse software that does not require any special USB port.
If you are looking for a decent gaming motherboard based on the Intel Z170 chipset, the ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 is worthy of consideration. It has plenty of genuine hardware features that will ensure long lifespan and high reliability. Just don’t expect the Fatal1ty brand or the Fatal1ty Mouse Port to impart any gaming benefit. That’s pure marketing. Focus on the real features and you won’t be disappointed.
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