ASROCK Z77 Professional with 2600k

[upinsmokes]

After purchasing a Noctura NH-D14 for use in a p67 system I was running at home things went a big south and upgrades commenced after a short (or so I believe - I couldn't find my static guard and the rest is history - yes, I have a new one now) took out two of the memory slots (couldn't get a post with sticks in the first two slots).

So I upgraded to a asrock professional z77 , adding a new Vertex 4 256gb drive, and 4 sticks of Corsair Vengeance memory (pc3-12800 1600mhz).

Due to some company stopping by for the weekend I was able to do very little with the system outside of reinstalling windows (Windows 7 - 64) and some very quick testing with using prime.

If anyone is wondering was wondering if the Noctura would fit on this board , it does. but... I am using a low profile version of the memory in the closest two slots to the cpu (due to the size of the Noctura interfering with that area. I was able to use memory with taller coolers on the two slots furthest away without any interference.

Given I'm at work now I'll post some more details into impressions regarding the board and build along with some pictures. I have to say the build went rather smoothly and quickly. It appears to be a well put together product. This was my first build using a MB from Asrock. I have used numerous asus, abit (remember them), and gigabyte boards in the past so this was not my first time at the rodeo.

 

[upinsmokes]

I'll get the pictures uploaded later. I wanted to get more detailed impressions on the board and installation for those that may be interested in purchasing this particular model.

Installation into the case was pretty much an easy affair, standard in that respect. For the most part the layout is pretty much well thought out. I may have moved the 8 pin mb power connection but with an extension it easily reached. There were a number of cables, screws, plates, USB connections (but capable of being installed in the front or rear of the case using supplied adapters. I used existing cables to avoid any issues by introducing as little as possible new to stability of the system.

I did like the mounting method for memory on the board. I have been used to all past boards having a release on each side of the stick. This ASRock board had a fixed end and a catch release on the other. A very solid click was heard when memory was seated. That could be said for the PCI-E slot used for the video card (Sapphire 7950). It is a rather tight getting to the release and I used a screw driver to reseat the card at one point.

The layout of the memory was a bit close to the cooler, but then again the size of the cooler (Noctua NH-D14) causes problems on many mb's currently in the market. I had to use low profile memory in the first two slots closest to the cooler. Outside of that no issues or mounting problems. The PCB appeared to be a bit warped, but nothing that caused problems in the mounting. After that many screws holding it down it was straight as a ruler. It appeared to have no difficulties with holding the weight of the Noctua (also due to the excellent mounting system they supply).

I'm never one that is fond of using driver disks supplied as they are almost never up to date, but prefer downloads directly from the manufacturer. There are a number of them that needed to be downloaded and felt that there should have been an option from their website to just select all in a bundle. I did need to use the supplied Broadcom driver from the disk to be able to get to the internet after installing Windows 7 on the system.

The UEFI used on the board was quite a treat to use. This was my first time using this interface and I found it quite easy to use. A first time person using it may have some issues but that is due to more the fact that there are quite a few options present on each.

I did get into some initial testing with overclocking the 2600k. 4.0ghz was attained with stock voltage and ran prime without issues. I was able to get to 4.8ghz with a 1.40 voltage and believe this may have been able to be lowered even further. For the time being I'm just running it at 4.0ghz and stock voltage. Temperatures on the cpu were running in the mid to high 70's Celsius when overclocked to 4.8ghz. I should have more time to try different combinations during the weekend. Also if there is something specific that I should try, feel free to holler and I'll try my best to accommodate you (well... within reason...). I did not attempt any overclocking on the memory during the course of the this initial setup and run.

The Vertex 4 ssd was plugged into the SATA3 0 port and the remaining three drives plugged into the SATA2 ports.

The online overclocking utility supplied by ASRock worked without issues as did the LAN monitoring software supplied. I do prefer overclocking from the bios but it was nice to have the option available to with the system running.

Overall I would have to say I'm very pleased how this board has worked out. Runs stable, has a nice layout, a great supply of included accessories, and a well thought out UEFI.