Intel Z97 Express: Five Enthusiast Motherboards, $120 To $160

Z97 Extreme4 Firmware

We had to switch to our unlocked Core i7-4770K processor to reveal overclocking settings in ASRock's UEFI, which begin with a group of presets that typically push far too much core voltage for our liking. Under maximum stress and maximum clock, our processor reaches its thermal threshold at a mere 1.25 V.

Hitting 1.25 V happens a little faster than expected, since it corresponds to the firmware’s 1.225 V setting. DRAM settings are a little more realistic; our meter shows 1.65 to 1.66 volts at the shown 1.645 V selection.

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Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are all adjustable over a wide range within the Z97 Extreme4’s DRAM Configuration submenu.