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ASRock M8 Mini-ITX Barebones Gaming PC Review

By ASrock 

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.

Z87-M8 Motherboard Firmware

ASRock Z87-M8 O/C Settings
Base Clock90-300 MHz (0.1 MHz)DRAM Voltage1.05-2.40 V (5 mV)
CPU Multiplier8.0-120x (1x)CAS Latency4-15 Cycles
DRAM Data Rates800-4000 (200/266.6 MHz)tRCD3-20 Cycles
CPU Vcore0.80-2.00 V (1 mV)tRP4-15 Cycles
PCH Voltage0.98-1.32 V (5 mV)tRAS9-63 Cycles

Thermal limits hampered my overclocking efforts. Theoretically, if there was an unlocked dual-core processor, we'd probably have more room to play. ASRock's Z87-M8 motherboard offers all of the settings most overclockers need to push either the limits of their CPU and DRAM or thermal limits of the entire system.

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The easiest way to start overclocking on this ASRock board is to choose from a built-in profile that approximates your goal. From there, fine tune. I picked the 4.2 GHz profile and gradually dropped core voltage until I eliminated thermal throttling. Stability at 1.060 V necessitated a step back to 4.1 GHz.

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Though the board supports XMP and manual voltage controls, our memory didn’t respond well to increased voltage. Unable to produce a DRAM overclock, I instead found added performance by decreasing timings from the stock 9-9-9-24 to 8-9-8-21.

59 Comments Comment from the forums
  • rolli59 25 October 2013 04:22
    Definitely only reason to purchase is the style.
    Reply
  • lpedraja2002 25 October 2013 04:50
    The old saying that hot air rises is usually true because it's less dense. To take advantage of this phenomenon, I flipped the bottom exhaust and top intake fans. Both bottom fans were now intakes, both top fans were now exhaust, and all I needed to do was:

    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.
    Reply
  • second_exodous 25 October 2013 04:52
    I'm looking into barebones to build a steam box and I'm finding they all have noise/thermal issues. I hope that Valve has a hand in some sort of certification program and hires their own engineers to test these barebone systems before giving the stamp of approval as a system to be used as a steam box. I'm also a Linux user and if they can clear up Linux compatibility for me that would also be great.
    Reply
  • jestersage 25 October 2013 06:40
    I hope this fans the flames of trend and others follow suit - so innovation goes up and prices go down. I like the M8. And Thomas gives it a very good once-over - including answers to some issues. Good job!
    Reply
  • gadgety 25 October 2013 07:09
    Thank you for a thorough review.
    Reply
  • razzb3d 25 October 2013 08:23
    Just remove the plexiglass window and replace it with a nice honeycomb metal mesh. Cooling problem solved.
    Reply
  • Onus 25 October 2013 11:27
    This case looks like a good idea, that just needs some refinement to make it even more generic. Another 10mm of thickness to allow 80mm fans (and possibly a full-size optical drive) could go a long way.
    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.
    Reply
  • Crashman 25 October 2013 11:50
    11789583 said:
    This case looks like a good idea, that just needs some refinement to make it even more generic. Another 10mm of thickness to allow 80mm fans (and possibly a full-size optical drive) could go a long way.
    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 doesn't need extra thickness to support the larger fans, just a minor redesign of the top and bottom panel. But the top panel redesign would include a different locking mechanism, so the tooling cost would be high.

    Reply
  • thespaceduck 25 October 2013 11:51
    Maybe it is just me, but doing 9 different test for "performance" for a CHASSIS seems redundant and obsolete.
    Reply
  • crenwelge 25 October 2013 12:01
    I purchased an ASRock mini-ITX HTPC that never worked. It continually blue screened and crashed. I sent it to ASRock 5 times for repair before finally giving up. Its technicians are either incompetent or dishonest . Once they sent it back with parts loose inside the case, another time without the power supply. Every time they claim to have tested it, but every time it came back blue-screening and crashing. Newegg refused to take it back and instead offered me a $100 credit. When I tried to use it, I found Newegg had deactivated my account. ASRock may be a competent motherboard house, but they cannot build and service reliable systems.
    Reply