Some of us love compact gaming builds, but the best of these have always been pre-configured into custom enclosures. Is ASRock’s M8 the perfect open-architecture alternative? We load this $550 barebones up with hardware and test its mettle.
A number of Tom's Hardware editors are excited about the trend towards smaller, faster PCs after witnessing Chris Angelini’s love affair with Falcon Northwest's Tiki. At the same time, we still remember that expensive pre-built systems were outside of our budgets back when we actually had to pay for the latest hardware (Ed.: Hey, I paid for the Tiki with my own money). Sharp memories like those help us keep a proper perspective on the reasons enthusiasts like to build their own boxes.
ASRock thinks it has the perfect do-it-yourself solution in the M8 PC. But is this system really all that special? Isn’t it just another fancy case with conventional, standardized parts inside? Couldn’t we just buy a mini-ITX motherboard, an SFX power supply, and a slim gaming case of our choosing?

Designed with a riser to accommodate extra-large graphics cards, enclosures that leveraged this concept aren't very common any more. Maybe they were ahead of their time, or perhaps enthusiasts simply didn't "get it". But with compact towers introducing us to flagship-class hardware in ever-small spaces, ASRock sees this as the perfect time to re-introduce the concept to our do-it-yourself community.
Rather than forcing builders to figure out on their own (the hard way) that they need special cables to connect a standard board to a slim optical drive, the company even goes so far as to include the drive itself. And rather than watch us all argue over the various power supply form factors that erroneously get labeled microATX, ASRock installs a 450 W SFX unit at its own factory. And since ASRock just so happens to be a motherboard manufacturer, it ties everything together using an upgraded version of its Z87-ITX.
| ASRock M8 Barebones PC Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Chassis | |
| Model | ASRock M8 miniITX Slim Tower |
| Expansion Slots | 2 x full-height on riser card |
| Internal Bays | 5 x 2.5", or 1 x 2.5" + 1 x 3.5" |
| Power Bay | SFX, front-mounted, internal extension cable |
| Optical Bay | 5.25" slim, front-loading-only |
| Front Panel I/O | 4 x USB 3.0, headset, flash media interface (SD/MMC/MS PRO) |
| Fans | 2 x 70 mm bottom, 2 x 70 mm top |
| Dimensions | 15.8" (H), 4.9" (W), 14.7" (D), 16.25 Pounds |
| Motherboard | |
| Model | ASRock Z87-M8: LGA 1150, Intel Z87 Express |
| External Data | 4 x USB 2.0, 4 x USB 3.0, eSATA, 1x gigabit Ethernet |
| External Audio | 5 x Analog, 1 x S/PDIF |
| External Video | 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI |
| Internal Ports | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s (shared w/eSATA), 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0 |
| Internal Slots | 1 x PCIe x16, 1 x mini-PCIe (filled w/Wi-Fi), 2 x SO-DIMM |
| Maximum Memory | 2 x DDR3 SO-DIMM (all standard speeds and capacities) |
| Gigabit Ethernet | Intel WGI217V PHY |
| Wireless Network | Broadcom BCM4352 802.11ac dual-band, 867 Mb/s |
| Audio Controller | Creative Sound Blaster Core3D |
| Other Features | |
| Optical Drive | Lite-On DC-8A2SH 8x DVD-RW (slot-loading) |
| Power Supply | FSP450-60GHS(85)-R: 450 W, dual eight-Pin PCIe, 80 PLUS Bronze |
| Cooling | 4 x 70 mm 4000 RPM Fans |
| Warranty | One Year |
| Price | $550 |
| CPU, CPU Cooler, Hard Drives, RAM, Operating System And Peripherals Not Included | |
If we subtract the cost of its expensive slot-loading optical drive and power supply, we end up paying $400 for a very nice compact motherboard and BMW-designed feature-packed case. Two hundred dollars each for a motherboard and case isn’t cheap, but it still pushes us towards a far less expensive build compared to the pre-configured systems we’ve recently tested. We'reready for a closer look!
- ASRock's M8: Build Your Own Compact Gaming Box
- ASRock M8 Mini-ITX Gaming PC
- Inside ASRock's M8 Chassis
- Taking More Of The M8 Apart
- Hardware Installation
- Overcoming A Significant Thermal Issue
- ASRock M8 Software
- Z87-M8 Motherboard Firmware
- Benchmark And Overclocking Configurations
- Results: Synthetic Benchmarks
- Results: Battlefield 3
- Results: Far Cry 3
- Results: F1 2012
- Results: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Results: Audio And Video Encoding
- Results: Adobe Creative Suite
- Results: Productivity
- Results: File Compression
- Power Consumption And Heat
- Average Performance And Efficiency
- Is ASRock's M8 A High-End Mini-ITX Winner?
Completely gut the system, since the bottom panel is secured from the inside with four screws.
And then slice up the wire sleeves, since the guide on each fan frame was farther apart.
CPU load temperature immediately dropped by roughly 20°, but at the expense of messier cabling.
Awesome way of thinking Thomas, that's why I love you guys. I am curious however to know if you emailed them to tell them about this solution. Since it made such a dramatic difference they should change the way those fans are positioned.
Does the added trace length or extra connection required to use a riser card impose any kind of penalty on graphics cards? Please test this, by using one on a typical motherboard just for some measurements.
Does the added trace length or extra connection required to use a riser card impose any kind of penalty on graphics cards? Please test this, by using one on a typical motherboard just for some measurements.
It's probably obvious to most people that those nine pages of tests were primarily motherboard validation.
Or is it a power supply review?
It's probably obvious to most people that those nine pages of tests were primarily motherboard validation.
Or is it a power supply review?
Not without oscilloscope shots of noise and ripple. I think this particular PSU has been reviewed though, perhaps when HardwareSecrets reviewed one of the Silverstone cases that uses it. I'm not sure; they may have only done the 300W version that way, but I thought I'd seen this one done somewhere too... Anyway, FSP is one of the better PSU OEMs, and I'd be inclined to trust this one.
I wouldn't expect ASRock to want to re-tool this, but a case manufacturer might readily do so. I really need to post some pics of "Hobo," a build I finished recently (except for the graphics card) using one of those InWin slim cases. I'm waiting for some R7 reviews before deciding what graphics card it gets, which is limited to a low-profile model.
Incidentally, that build uses an ASRock Z77E-ITX. I got it quite some time ago from HardwareSecrets (it was their review sample), without a warranty, but when it died suddenly (apparent VRM failure), ASRock replaced it for $50. I was happy about that.
The reason I would build such a small machine like this is for portability to take and game at friends houses so gaming results matter more than productivity.
In my perspective you lost.
P.S. It's shocking that you figured out a dramatic and easy solution to M8's cooling and noise problem and their engineers couldn't figure that on their own. I wonder if they're going to fix this so that I could wait on the fix, or just buy it now with the i5-4670K CPU and not have to worry so much about it overheating.
Thanks for this wonderful and thorough review!
It's probably obvious to most people that those nine pages of tests were primarily motherboard validation.
The reason I would build such a small machine like this is for portability to take and game at friends houses so gaming results matter more than productivity.
In my perspective you lost.
I don't understand this response at all, in particular since it seems to contradict itself.
If portability is the goal, this machine creamed Don's (to be fair, Don wasn't building for portability). I'd probably say the same even if it used an i3 with the stock cooler. A rig built to provide "show-off" settings is unlikely to be easy to carry around at all. Here is a small, easily portable machine that can play any game on enjoyable settings, and does quite well at a variety of tasks.