Introduction
The ASRock Z270 Pro4 motherboard is a familiar site. ASRock is a familiar brand and since the birth of the ASRock company, it has secured a healthy and immediately identifiable place in the component market. With the recent launch of mainstream graphics cards, it’s also clear that ASRock is looking for more. The Intel Z270 is getting on a bit now, and though it wasn’t apparent at the time of launch, it has become a small part of Intel’s chipset masterplan, with the release of the 3xx and other chipset models.
To us, this is in response to AMD’s amazing resurgence, it’s almost caught the sleeping giant that is Intel, sleeping! We sourced the ASRock Z270 Pro4 motherboard for a project some time ago, so this is not a review sample.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Supports 7th and 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 |
| Chipset | Intel Z270 Express Chipset |
| Memory | 4 x DIMM, Max. 64GB Dual Channel Memory Architecture DDR4 2133 - 3733MHz (O.C.) Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) 5μ Gold Contact in DIMM Slots |
| Graphics | Supports Intel® HD Graphics Max. shared memory 1024MB Three graphics output options: D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI Supports Triple Monitor Supports HDMI with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096x2160) @ 24Hz / (3840x2160) @ 30Hz Supports DVI-D/D-Sub with max. resolution up to 1920x1200 @ 60Hz Supports HDCP with DVI-D and HDMI Ports Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray playback with DVI-D and HDMI Ports |
| Audio | Realtek® ALC892 7.1 Channel High Definition Audio CODEC |
| LAN | Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s Giga PHY Intel® I219V |
| Expansion Slots | 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slots (PCIE2: x16 mode; PCIE4: x4 mode) 3 x PCI Express 3.0 x1 Slots (Flexible PCIe) 1 x PCI Slot Supports AMD Quad CrossFireX™ and CrossFireX™ 1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT module |
| Storage Interface | 6 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel® Rapid Storage Technology 15 and Intel® Smart Response Technology), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug 2 x Ultra M.2 Socket (M2_1/M2_2) M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCIe up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s) |
| Connectors | 1 x COM Port Header 1 x TPM Header 1 x Chassis Intrusion Header 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin) 2 x Chassis Fan Connectors (4-pin) 1 x Chassis Optional/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector 1 x Thunderbolt™ AIC Connector (5-pin) 1 x Thunderbolt™ AIC Connector (10-pin)** 3 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 5 USB 2.0 ports) 1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.1 Gen1 ports) |
| Back Panel Connectors | 2 x Antenna Ports 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port 1 x D-Sub Port 1 x DVI-D Port 1 x HDMI Port 5 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A Ports 1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C Port 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED) HD Audio Jacks: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone |
So why would we even look at the Intel Z270? Well, the internet can be a volatile place, especially when keeping up with the Jones’s. The Intel Z270 is not an end of life product, and although there are newer chipsets, in CPU support and feature set, the Intel Z270 is not out of the running. It will probably go this way soon, but it is still a valid Chipset in 2018.
ASRock Z270 Pro4 Motherboard Review
Package - 7
Performance - 8
Price - 7.5
Consumer Experience - 8
7.6
We bought the ASRock Z270 Pro4 for a project before the Z370 CPU upgrade fiasco happened. It's working as planned and it's got a 7700K installed and the owner is very happy. We persevered with the review because it's a good motherboard, and the only element that makes it last generation is the CPU. It's a modern Z270 chipset motherboard with a couple of throwbacks to yesteryears, such as the PCI slot, and a VGA graphics port.