Z87 Extreme9/ac Software
ASRock includes a variety of freeware and trial software on its installation CD, in addition to ODM-supplied and its own branded applications. These include XFast USB by FNet, XFast LAN packet prioritization by cFos, Restart to UEFI, and various freeware and shareware discussed in a previous review. Realtek’s DTS-enabled audio control interface replaces the non-DTS-enabled Creative software found in some of the firm’s other high-end boards.
We were able to confirm much of ASRock’s OC Tweaker functions through CPU-Z and DIMM slot measurements. The program’s limits are tied to motherboard hardware limits, which are fairly consistent for ASRock’s full-sized enthusiast-grade motherboards.
ASRock A-Tuning also has an automatic overclocking algorithm with a built-in stability test. It pushed our Core i7-4770K to 4.30 GHz at 1.20 V, which is a perfectly acceptable target for this heat-constricted CPU. Our tests at 1.25 V generally yield a limit of around 4.6 GHz.
The Thunderbolt device manager is new to the Z87 Extreme9/ac, and accurately shows that I have no Thunderbolt devices to connect. Fortunately, our storage editors handle those details, and the hardware on this board is consistent with previously-tested configurations.