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ASRock releases world’s first mini-ITX X99 motherboard

By Koh Wanzi - on 27 Mar 2015, 10:24am

ASRock releases world’s first mini-ITX X99 motherboard

 Image Source: ASRock

The sheer power of the X99 platform is usually associated with extra-large form factor E-ATX motherboards and system builders with the space to set up a full-tower chassis. That’s all about to change now as ASRock has just released the ASRock X99E-ITX/ac, the world’s first motherboard to bring the computing heft of X99 to the mini-ITX form factor and small system builders. ASRock first announced the motherboard at CeBIT 2015, and we can now have a better look at its specifications.

As an X99 chipset board, the ASRock X99E-ITX/ac will be compatible with Intel LGA 2011-3 socket CPUs. It also features ASRock’s newly designed LGA2011 X Series OC socket that the company claims adds more pins to boost the performance of the CPU and DDR4 memory and enable additional voltage tweaking options for more advanced overclocking.

ASRock has also crammed the board with quality components for smoother power delivery and more stable overclocking. The board sports a complete set of ASRock’s Super Alloy hardware that is also found on its larger X99 boards such as the ASRock X99 OC Formula and the X99 Professional Fata1ty. ASRock’s mini-ITX offering will boast Premium 60A Power Chokes, Premium Memory Alloy Chokes, Fairchild 60A Dual Cool DrMOS, and Nichicon 12K Platinum Capacitors, a slew of quality components that should reassure enthusiasts worried that going small means compromising on quality.

In addition, the board sports an array of connectivity options to take advantage of the latest in storage and networking solutions. There is an onboard 32Gbps PCIe 3.0 x4 Ultra M.2 socket to unlock the full potential of the latest PCIe SSDs, a 10Gbps SATA Express connector, and support for the latest wireless standard with dual-band 2.4/5GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. It has also hopped onboard the upcoming 10 Gbps USB 3.1 standard with two Type-A USB 3.1 ports integrated into the rear I/O panel.

Of course, something has got to give when shrinking the X99 platform, which usually has the luxury of the E-ATX form factor, into such a compact form. The ASRock X99E-ITX/ac will feature a single PCIe 3.0 x16 slot and a 6-phase power design and digi power. In comparison, the ASRock X99 Extreme 6 supports triple-graphics card set-ups with three PCIe x16 slots and sports a 12-phase power design.

The ASRock X99E-ITX/ac features a single PCIe 3.0 x16 slot at the board's bottom edge. (Image Source: ASRock)

Nevertheless, the ASRock’s X99 mini-ITX board will satisfy a niche market that wants the capabilities of the X99 platform but is pressed for space. System builders hoping to pair an LGA 2011-3 CPU with a powerful single graphics card will be able to do so with a much smaller footprint now.

The ASRock X99E-ITX/ac will ship with a suggested retail price of US$249.99 and come bundled with a server-grade narrow ILM cooling fan and water-cooling mounting plate, opening up even more options for users to keep their system cool. For the complete specifications, please visit ASRock's website.

Source: ASRock

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