**ASRock Z390 EXTREME4 Motherboard Review**

The ASRock Z390 EXTREME4 motherboard is a cost-effective option for those looking to build a high-performance PC without breaking the bank. The board features a robust power delivery system, including an Intel Power Phase technology module, which provides reliable and efficient power distribution to the CPU.

One of the standout features of this motherboard is its ability to reach extremely high overclocking speeds. With the all core 5 GHz overclock, the board can deliver impressive performance, making it a great option for content creators and gamers alike. The Z390 chipset also supports Intel's 8th Gen Core processors, such as the i9-9900K, which is not expected to push nearly as much wattage due to its six-core design.

The motherboard has an additional USB 2 header, two extra five gigabit USB 3 headers, and a Thunderbolt header, making it a versatile option for those who want to add peripherals or accessories. The board also features addressable RGB digital strip support through the ASRock Polychrome software, which can be accessed via both Windows and Linux operating systems.

The motherboard's VRM area is critical in terms of airflow, as high temperatures can occur during overclocking. However, with proper airflow and cooling solutions, this should not be a significant issue. The board also supports 8th Gen Core processors like the i9-8900K, which will still provide reliable performance without reaching the same heights as its more powerful eight-core counterparts.

One of the unique features of this motherboard is its ability to run VF IO with an integrated GPU on the host and an add-in graphics card for a guest. While the Z390 chipset may not be ideal for this feature, it does offer a viable option for those who need high-performance workstation capabilities without breaking the bank.

**Additional Features**

The ASRock Z390 EXTREME4 motherboard also features a robust audio solution, with the Intel NIC and Realtek ALC 1200-based audio codec. This provides reliable and high-quality audio output, making it suitable for content creators and audiophiles alike.

In conclusion, the ASRock Z390 EXTREME4 motherboard is a cost-effective option for those looking to build a high-performance PC without breaking the bank. Its ability to reach extremely high overclocking speeds, combined with its robust power delivery system and versatile feature set, make it a great choice for content creators and gamers alike.

**Experience with the Motherboard**

I was able to test this motherboard in various scenarios, including running Linux on it. I found that the board worked well with the VF IO solution, and the 8th Gen Core processor performed admirably. However, I did experience some issues during testing, which were resolved after updating the BIOS.

Overall, my experience with the ASRock Z390 EXTREME4 motherboard has been positive, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a cost-effective option that still offers high-performance capabilities.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is the asrock steel legend Z 392 legend of steel the Steely Dan and the vrm band maybe the as rock band it's another motherboard we've gotta get through this I was worried about this one but let's take a look a lot of people think that Z 390 isn't the most exciting because well it's been there and done that it's basically a third iteration the tried-and-true chipset that now finally supports ten gigabit USB and what is there really to be excited about that I mean it's it's pedestrian it's mainstream we're not going to the moon but look this may shock you some people out there are buying systems because they want stability they want predictability they want you know the thing that's Intel basically and this is a cost it down option for Z 390 you'd buy Z 390 because you want at least some overclocking and some tinkerability and Intel's kind of in a weird position because there's overclocking and then there's overclocking oh we've got this weird place where this CPU a 99 hard K runs fine at 5 gigahertz all core as long as you can keep it cool and that's it's kind of an odd place to be I mean the max turbo frequency on any given core is 5 gigahertz that's the spec from Intel it's just that Intel doesn't want you to run all the cores if a gigahertz but any individual core is stable of 5 gigahertz so you know because when you're running a program it doesn't migrate to the fastest core it means that all cores have to be capable of 5 gigahertz though not necessarily at the same time and they're not necessarily at the same time is really down to power delivery or heat dissipation and that's what I was worried about on this board but we can take a deeper look so the power setup here I think is a 6 plus 2 configuration with 60 amp chokes it's decent though and they're using pretty decent components to get there the 19 I heard K this CPU is a 95 watt TDP part but every 99 hard K I've ever put my hands on is going to consume about a hundred and fifty 165 watts and yes TDP is not necessarily power consumed it's not what we're talking about we can get into the physics of it but the vrm can deliver the wattage that this processor requires which is quite a bit over 95 watts in worst case scenario especially in the 5 gigahertz all core overclock so the answer is yes it has a single 810 CPU power connector which you know 375 before hard watts at the top end is what that can deliver so you know 150 165 watts to the CPU plus the PCIe bus not a problem you shouldn't be expecting an extreme all core overclock or even really an extreme overclock because you just shouldn't but you will see stability I have 5 gigahertz to 5.1 gigahertz unless your CPU demands a lot of voltage to get to stability past 5 years but I think 5.1 gigahertz I mean it is technically a bit of an overclock it's potential instability I guess what I'm saying is that even though 5 gigahertz awkward is technically a little bit of an overclock I don't like leaving performance on the table because the CPU can do it each coin individually can do it it's just a question of can they all do it together and be stable and as long as you have decent cooling my experience on a 9 a hard K yes you can and that's perfectly reasonable because you know you want stability so it's a little bit of an overclock C 390 I don't know it's a weird place it's a weird argument that I'm making here but if you're watching this in q4 of 2019 Intel just released the Namie and I heard KS which is the nan Madol heart k but 5 gigahertz all core is guaranteed actually guaranteed by Intel really the way that I think of it and the way that you should think of it is not being a chump leaving performance on the table because you should be able to do 5 gigahertz all core under ninety nine hundred K with just the tiniest little bit of fiddling basically anybody should be able to do that and if you paid what you paid for the 99 hard K and the z3 not a chipset well you should get that performance now of course this motherboard would be a good fit for the i5 or other 9 Series overclockable parts those are the case you parts sure I mean you know if it can do the eight core then the i-5 is not gonna be a problem the i7 has you know eight cores but no hyper-threading also not really a problem but for cost down what else has been trimmed well a bit actually first the rear i/o let's talk about the rear i/o and what's going on back there I think what's going on in the backdoor the motherboard you have two five gigabit USB 3 ports and 2 USB 3 10 gigabit ports one type A and one type C and there are two USB to ports USB 2.0 so you have a combo ps2 mouse and keyboard port and an optional antenna connections and a Realtek ALC 1200 and 7.1 audio solution but with optical s/pdif out the audio solution is a bit scaled back especially with the analog mic preamp or the amplifier for the analog microphone but you know if you've got a USB headset this is not gonna be a problem for you I'm not an audiophile but it sounded fine to me on my you know my headphones my Bose headphones which are something somebody gave me because they it was a gift so thank you but the headphones seem like you're pretty good you do have DisplayPort and HDMI on the back if you've got an eye GPU if you get a CPE that has a built-in GPU in other words you've also got Intel Gigabit LAN which is the right choice I think I mean you do sacrificing a few USB ports here but if you need more USB ports or more connectivity at the back here try it up to another model it cost a little more now the optional antenna connections here there I mean it's it's a it's designed for a two by two connection you could do a three by three but this motherboard also has an onboard ikki m2 which also supports the CN VI wireless card standard so CN VI sort of a new interface that is a little less Hardware overhead or a little less hardware cost so you see erratically you should be able to get the scene VI connections so there you go now the PCIe layout is another difference here this top primary x16 slot is wired directly into the CPU and that's it there's no by 8x8 option this other slot that is physically by 16 is actually electrically four and the PCIe lanes are routed through the chipset so remember that all of the PCIe lanes that are not directly into the CPU are routed through a PCI Express about four connections so all of the other PCI Express ports on here and the MDOT two slots are routed through the chipset which in total only has a PCI Express bus for connection to the CPU that will work fine for you know high-speed PCIe capture card or secondary nvme carrier or something like that but it would not work fine if you wanted to run say sli graphics on crossfire I guess would technically work but you get a little bit of a bottleneck there so I mean if you would have a little bit of a bottleneck if we were using two really high-performance nvme drives it's really it's really designed for one and maybe some other relatively low speed peripherals you could do an add-in sound card something like that the motherboard also has one extra USB 2 header and two extra five gigabit USB 3 headers note I'm seeing which you wouldn't really expect on a cost down motherboard if your case does not have USB headers or USB break outs to use all the USB headers on the motherboard you can buy a USB header that'll give you the USB ports at the back of your case on an expansion slot and that'll give you you know access to the USB ports that are available on the motherboard that but don't physically have the connector if for example your case only has a two front USB 3 ports you could pull out the USB 2 ports and USB 3 ports through one of those cables at the back of the motherboard not a problem and also has a Thunderbolt header so you can add a Thunderbolt add-in card and get that up and running on this platform so that's nice also provides addressable RGB you know the digital RGB strips and an analogue 5050 RGB header control is via the asrock polychrome software of course which is which is Windows or if you're on Linux there is an option you can configure polychrome directly in the UEFI so if you're the unusual combination of a user who wants to run Linux and also really wants their RGB you go through the UEFI speaking of Linux Linux works great on this motherboard you can run VF IO with the I GPU on the host and an add-in graphics card for the guest but you know Z 390 isn't great isn't a great choice for the VF io option although for a Linux workstation this is a perfectly fine option if you want a really zippy 99 heard k again with the all core 5 gigahertz overclock you could do that and the BIOS and it'll work just great in Linux 5 gigahertz on all 8 cores makes a pretty great workstation now I will give you one last note and that's the VRM area you will need pretty good airflow over the vrm now if you're using an all-in-one cooler like I was make sure that you've got good air flow because the VRMs will easily reach 90 degrees C and extended synthetic benchmarks now this motherboard will also work great with 8th gen CPUs like the you know 8600 K the 8086 and that is not going to be pushing nearly as much wattage because it's six cores instead of eight I happen to have an 80 86 K anniversary edition I had no problem reaching 5.2 gigahertz on all cores with the overclock now again 5 gigahertz that's the easy button that's stable that's not leaving any performance on the table you take your stability into your own hands past 5 gigahertz I think but it's a great value I really they didn't cut everything to the bone you know for the Intel platform if you want overclocking you need z3 90 the 99 heart K will pretty reliably hit 5 gigahertz all core if you have an ion hurricane you're not hitting 5 gigahertz I wanna hear from you in the forum at level 1 because that's weird and we'll figure it out that lower cost competing boards tend to skip the Intel Nick or go with a lower-cost audio codec like the realtek 892 C or do both of those things this has got an Intel NIC and it's got the realtek ALC 1200 based audio codec now the vrm isn't overbuilt its adequate if a little Spartan but this combination makes a cost down motherboard that still gives you some overclock ability and some overclocking options and the ability to reach 5 gigahertz even on the nine hard K and I'm pretty sure 99.9% sure the KS when I first got this board I ran into a couple issues but an updated BIOS to fix that for me so thanks asrock for the help don't be surprised if you see more about this board and a build that i've got coming up so I mean what else am I gonna test the noon knotti not hurt KS 5 gigahertz out of the box all core whoo whoo something I got I gotta eat something to test it in right so this motherboard is shockingly light like it doesn't it's really thin it doesn't weigh anything it's just it's very it's shockingly light if you pick this board up you would think so too but if you pick this board up let me know what your experiences are take some pics show off the rig level one I'm Wendell this is level one by the way if you're new here welcome I'm gonna go hang out in the level 1 forums now probably possibly sometime alright getting out of herethis is the asrock steel legend Z 392 legend of steel the Steely Dan and the vrm band maybe the as rock band it's another motherboard we've gotta get through this I was worried about this one but let's take a look a lot of people think that Z 390 isn't the most exciting because well it's been there and done that it's basically a third iteration the tried-and-true chipset that now finally supports ten gigabit USB and what is there really to be excited about that I mean it's it's pedestrian it's mainstream we're not going to the moon but look this may shock you some people out there are buying systems because they want stability they want predictability they want you know the thing that's Intel basically and this is a cost it down option for Z 390 you'd buy Z 390 because you want at least some overclocking and some tinkerability and Intel's kind of in a weird position because there's overclocking and then there's overclocking oh we've got this weird place where this CPU a 99 hard K runs fine at 5 gigahertz all core as long as you can keep it cool and that's it's kind of an odd place to be I mean the max turbo frequency on any given core is 5 gigahertz that's the spec from Intel it's just that Intel doesn't want you to run all the cores if a gigahertz but any individual core is stable of 5 gigahertz so you know because when you're running a program it doesn't migrate to the fastest core it means that all cores have to be capable of 5 gigahertz though not necessarily at the same time and they're not necessarily at the same time is really down to power delivery or heat dissipation and that's what I was worried about on this board but we can take a deeper look so the power setup here I think is a 6 plus 2 configuration with 60 amp chokes it's decent though and they're using pretty decent components to get there the 19 I heard K this CPU is a 95 watt TDP part but every 99 hard K I've ever put my hands on is going to consume about a hundred and fifty 165 watts and yes TDP is not necessarily power consumed it's not what we're talking about we can get into the physics of it but the vrm can deliver the wattage that this processor requires which is quite a bit over 95 watts in worst case scenario especially in the 5 gigahertz all core overclock so the answer is yes it has a single 810 CPU power connector which you know 375 before hard watts at the top end is what that can deliver so you know 150 165 watts to the CPU plus the PCIe bus not a problem you shouldn't be expecting an extreme all core overclock or even really an extreme overclock because you just shouldn't but you will see stability I have 5 gigahertz to 5.1 gigahertz unless your CPU demands a lot of voltage to get to stability past 5 years but I think 5.1 gigahertz I mean it is technically a bit of an overclock it's potential instability I guess what I'm saying is that even though 5 gigahertz awkward is technically a little bit of an overclock I don't like leaving performance on the table because the CPU can do it each coin individually can do it it's just a question of can they all do it together and be stable and as long as you have decent cooling my experience on a 9 a hard K yes you can and that's perfectly reasonable because you know you want stability so it's a little bit of an overclock C 390 I don't know it's a weird place it's a weird argument that I'm making here but if you're watching this in q4 of 2019 Intel just released the Namie and I heard KS which is the nan Madol heart k but 5 gigahertz all core is guaranteed actually guaranteed by Intel really the way that I think of it and the way that you should think of it is not being a chump leaving performance on the table because you should be able to do 5 gigahertz all core under ninety nine hundred K with just the tiniest little bit of fiddling basically anybody should be able to do that and if you paid what you paid for the 99 hard K and the z3 not a chipset well you should get that performance now of course this motherboard would be a good fit for the i5 or other 9 Series overclockable parts those are the case you parts sure I mean you know if it can do the eight core then the i-5 is not gonna be a problem the i7 has you know eight cores but no hyper-threading also not really a problem but for cost down what else has been trimmed well a bit actually first the rear i/o let's talk about the rear i/o and what's going on back there I think what's going on in the backdoor the motherboard you have two five gigabit USB 3 ports and 2 USB 3 10 gigabit ports one type A and one type C and there are two USB to ports USB 2.0 so you have a combo ps2 mouse and keyboard port and an optional antenna connections and a Realtek ALC 1200 and 7.1 audio solution but with optical s/pdif out the audio solution is a bit scaled back especially with the analog mic preamp or the amplifier for the analog microphone but you know if you've got a USB headset this is not gonna be a problem for you I'm not an audiophile but it sounded fine to me on my you know my headphones my Bose headphones which are something somebody gave me because they it was a gift so thank you but the headphones seem like you're pretty good you do have DisplayPort and HDMI on the back if you've got an eye GPU if you get a CPE that has a built-in GPU in other words you've also got Intel Gigabit LAN which is the right choice I think I mean you do sacrificing a few USB ports here but if you need more USB ports or more connectivity at the back here try it up to another model it cost a little more now the optional antenna connections here there I mean it's it's a it's designed for a two by two connection you could do a three by three but this motherboard also has an onboard ikki m2 which also supports the CN VI wireless card standard so CN VI sort of a new interface that is a little less Hardware overhead or a little less hardware cost so you see erratically you should be able to get the scene VI connections so there you go now the PCIe layout is another difference here this top primary x16 slot is wired directly into the CPU and that's it there's no by 8x8 option this other slot that is physically by 16 is actually electrically four and the PCIe lanes are routed through the chipset so remember that all of the PCIe lanes that are not directly into the CPU are routed through a PCI Express about four connections so all of the other PCI Express ports on here and the MDOT two slots are routed through the chipset which in total only has a PCI Express bus for connection to the CPU that will work fine for you know high-speed PCIe capture card or secondary nvme carrier or something like that but it would not work fine if you wanted to run say sli graphics on crossfire I guess would technically work but you get a little bit of a bottleneck there so I mean if you would have a little bit of a bottleneck if we were using two really high-performance nvme drives it's really it's really designed for one and maybe some other relatively low speed peripherals you could do an add-in sound card something like that the motherboard also has one extra USB 2 header and two extra five gigabit USB 3 headers note I'm seeing which you wouldn't really expect on a cost down motherboard if your case does not have USB headers or USB break outs to use all the USB headers on the motherboard you can buy a USB header that'll give you the USB ports at the back of your case on an expansion slot and that'll give you you know access to the USB ports that are available on the motherboard that but don't physically have the connector if for example your case only has a two front USB 3 ports you could pull out the USB 2 ports and USB 3 ports through one of those cables at the back of the motherboard not a problem and also has a Thunderbolt header so you can add a Thunderbolt add-in card and get that up and running on this platform so that's nice also provides addressable RGB you know the digital RGB strips and an analogue 5050 RGB header control is via the asrock polychrome software of course which is which is Windows or if you're on Linux there is an option you can configure polychrome directly in the UEFI so if you're the unusual combination of a user who wants to run Linux and also really wants their RGB you go through the UEFI speaking of Linux Linux works great on this motherboard you can run VF IO with the I GPU on the host and an add-in graphics card for the guest but you know Z 390 isn't great isn't a great choice for the VF io option although for a Linux workstation this is a perfectly fine option if you want a really zippy 99 heard k again with the all core 5 gigahertz overclock you could do that and the BIOS and it'll work just great in Linux 5 gigahertz on all 8 cores makes a pretty great workstation now I will give you one last note and that's the VRM area you will need pretty good airflow over the vrm now if you're using an all-in-one cooler like I was make sure that you've got good air flow because the VRMs will easily reach 90 degrees C and extended synthetic benchmarks now this motherboard will also work great with 8th gen CPUs like the you know 8600 K the 8086 and that is not going to be pushing nearly as much wattage because it's six cores instead of eight I happen to have an 80 86 K anniversary edition I had no problem reaching 5.2 gigahertz on all cores with the overclock now again 5 gigahertz that's the easy button that's stable that's not leaving any performance on the table you take your stability into your own hands past 5 gigahertz I think but it's a great value I really they didn't cut everything to the bone you know for the Intel platform if you want overclocking you need z3 90 the 99 heart K will pretty reliably hit 5 gigahertz all core if you have an ion hurricane you're not hitting 5 gigahertz I wanna hear from you in the forum at level 1 because that's weird and we'll figure it out that lower cost competing boards tend to skip the Intel Nick or go with a lower-cost audio codec like the realtek 892 C or do both of those things this has got an Intel NIC and it's got the realtek ALC 1200 based audio codec now the vrm isn't overbuilt its adequate if a little Spartan but this combination makes a cost down motherboard that still gives you some overclock ability and some overclocking options and the ability to reach 5 gigahertz even on the nine hard K and I'm pretty sure 99.9% sure the KS when I first got this board I ran into a couple issues but an updated BIOS to fix that for me so thanks asrock for the help don't be surprised if you see more about this board and a build that i've got coming up so I mean what else am I gonna test the noon knotti not hurt KS 5 gigahertz out of the box all core whoo whoo something I got I gotta eat something to test it in right so this motherboard is shockingly light like it doesn't it's really thin it doesn't weigh anything it's just it's very it's shockingly light if you pick this board up you would think so too but if you pick this board up let me know what your experiences are take some pics show off the rig level one I'm Wendell this is level one by the way if you're new here welcome I'm gonna go hang out in the level 1 forums now probably possibly sometime alright getting out of here\n"