ASRock X99 Extreme11 Motherboard Review

With the highest possible compute performance that consumers can purchase, Intel's Haswell-E processors and the X99 chipset make a viable combination for users with demanding workloads. If the price, features, and performance are right, there's nothing stopping a semi-professional buying a consumer-grade motherboard to house their LGA2011-3 CPU and DDR4 memory. Bearing that in mind, ASRock has given its X99 series of motherboards the 'Extreme11' treatment. What exactly does that mean? It translates into a high-end, feature-heavy motherboard whose secret sauce is deployed in the form of an LSI SAS 3008 storage controller to provide eight SAS 12Gbps connections. Star of the X99 Extreme11 show is, without doubt, the LSI SAS 3008 storage controller. Other notable features come in the form of 4-way SLI and CrossFire support, thanks to a couple of PLX PEX8747 PCIe bridge chips, and dual 32Gbps Ultra M.2 connectors. It is clear that (high-speed) storage capability is an important factor for ASRock's X99 Extreme11. Could this be the board that will garner the interest of users with IO-heavy workloads? Features: 18 x SATA3 (8 x SAS3 12.0 Gb/s + 10 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s) from LSI SAS 3008 Controller 4-Way SLI™ & 4-Way CrossFireX™ (x16) supported by 2 embedded PLX 8747 bridges ASRock Super Alloy components Supports Intel® Core™ i7 and Xeon® 18-Core Processors Family for the LGA 2011-3 Socket Digi Power, 12 Power Phase design Supports Quad Channel DDR4 3200+(OC), with maximum capacity up to 128GB Supports DDR4 UDIMM ECC*, RDIMM Memory (*ECC is supported with Intel® Xeon® processors.) 5 PCIe 3.0 x16, 2 embedded PLX PEX 8747 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1150 Audio Codec), Supports Purity Sound™ 2 & DTS Connect Intel® Dual Gigabit LAN with Teaming Function 10 SATA3, 8 SAS3, 2 eSATA, 2 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3) Supports ASRock HDD Saver Technology, Full Spike Protection, APP Shop ASRock ships the X99 Extreme11 in the company's typical style of packaging. A few of the key features are outlined on the front of the box, while detailed specifications are highlighted on the rear. The standard affair of documentation is supplied, along with a case sticker and driver CD. A felt bag holds all of the supplied accessories. This is a move that I like to see; an accessory can be stored neatly after being used and then retired back to the box for storage. Six SATA cables and ASRock's HDD Saver cable form part of the bundle. Given the board's storage capacity, I am surprised to see fewer than ten SATA cables provided. Two screws are used to hold each of the potential M.2 devices in place. The rear IO shield is colour-coded to make finding the correct port in low-light conditions an easier task. Four rigid SLI bridges are provided, all of which are quite dark, but seem to be more of a washed-out brown than pure black. Two bridges are for short-range two-card configurations and those are backed-up by an extended 2-way bridge. There is also a dedicated 3-way SLI bridge. We were quick to notice the lack of a dedicated 4-way SLI bridge. Instead, 4-way SLI must be done by connecting the three 2-card bridges as follows; one to the first and second card, another linking the second and fourth, and the last one joining the third and fourth graphics cards’ SLI tabs. ASRock, please include a dedicated 4-way SLI bridge with future premium motherboards. Given a potential target audience of high-performance enthusiasts (who may value aesthetics), ASRock maintains its recently-adopted light blue and black colour scheme for the X99 Extreme11. The motherboard is widened to the E-ATX form factor in order to provide area for the sizable array of components. ASRock does a good job of keeping the PCB's all-black appearance, even under bright light. A look at the motherboard's rear side reveals the physical PCIe lane allocations and also shows a 1Mb MRAM chip from Everspin. Marked as an MR0D08BMA45, the magnetoresistive random access memory chip is used to provide rapid access to permanently stored, critical data. It is intended to function with the LSI storage controller. We took an in-depth look at ASRock's twelve-phase CPU power delivery system in our review of the company's X99 OC Formula motherboard, over here. The system deployed for the X99 Extreme11 is similar in many respects. In short, the system uses 60A chokes, twelve MOSFETs, and 12,000 hour-rated (although significantly longer at realistic usage temperatures) Nichicon 'Platinum' capacitors to provide power. Electronic management is conducted by Intersil's ISL6379 PWM controllers and six rear-mounted ISL6611A phase doublers from the same vendor. All-in, the X99 Extreme11's power delivery system is not as pumped-up as that used on the X99 OC Formula, but it still looks to be capable of handling heavy overclocks, nevertheless. The eight DDR4 memory slots provide support for up to 128GB of quad-channel memory with operating frequencies in excess of 3200MHz (depending on other hardware's capabilities). Both ECC and non-ECC memory is supported, the former of which requires a Xeon processor for operation. Two outwards-facing USB 3.0 headers provide a total of four SuperSpeed ports for front panel usage. To provide maximum bandwidth, ASRock does not use the popular ASM1074 bandwidth-dividing hub controller, instead opting to run each USB 3.0 connection directly from the X99 chipset. Positioning of the headers keeps them away from potential interference. The decision not to go with a right-angled orientation is smart, given the board's already-wide E-ATX dimensions. A few power delivery components and the 8-pin CPU power connector are nestled along the motherboard's top edge. The 8-pin EPS connector is further towards the 24-pin connector than usual, and its positioning may cause cable management issues. ASRock's block diagram for the X99 Extreme11 is, by far, one of the most complex versions that I have seen. So let me try to make this explanation as clear as possible. The PLX PEX8747 PCIe switch can take one 16-lane PCIe 3.0 input (from the CPU) and output up to 32 downstream lanes (in the form of expansion slots/components). For example, a 16-lane input can be split into x16/x16 or x16/x8/x8 or x8/x8/x8/x8 outputs. Alternatively, ASRock feeds an x8 lane into the switch, with two x16 lanes being output (this approach decreases the upstream bandwidth to a Haswell-E CPU). 40-lane CPU operation: 4-card SLI and CrossFire are supported with 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes to every GPU, thanks to the pair of PEX8747 PCIe switches. Assuming the LSI SAS 3008 storage controller is not being used, the first, second, fourth, and fifth PCIe slots are each fed with 16 lanes downstream of the PLX switches (one x16 lane input from the CPU to each PLX switch). That leaves eight CPU-fed PCIe 3.0 lanes to cater for the dual Ultra M.2 connectors. So 4-way SLI/CrossFire plus dual PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 operation is possible. And workstation users will be keen to know that PCIe slots three and four share sixteen PCIe 3.0 lanes between them. So two workstation graphics cards can be installed into those slots to receive eight PCIe 3.0 lanes each. In this case, the three other full-length PCIe slots will continue to operate at x16 bandwidth. Adding the eight-lane LSI controller into the equation changes things a little. Eight PCIe 3.0 lanes are taken away from the first PEX8747 switch, which halves its communication bandwidth to the CPU. Two 16-lane PCIe outputs (slots one and two) are still supported, however. 28-lane CPU operation: 4-way, x16 SLI and CrossFire are still supported with the 28-lane 5820K CPU. That could result in a sizable cash saving for users who require PCIe connectivity without computer horsepower. Up to sixteen lanes still feed into the first PEX8747 switch. As with the 40-lane solution, that number drops to eight if the LSI controller is using its eight lanes. Irrelevant of whether eight or sixteen lanes are being fed into the first PLX switch, two PCIe x16 outputs are provided. The second PEX8747 switch is fed with a maximum of eight PCIe 3.0 lanes from the CPU. This allows up to two PCIe x16 outputs for graphics cards and the likes, and sharing of one of those x16 links is still possible between PCIe slots three and four. That leaves us with a spare four PCIe 3.0 lanes from the 5820K's on-chip generator. ASRock diverts all four of those lanes to its upper Ultra M.2 connector, providing a single 32Gbps storage connection. The lower M.2 slot is left inactive for PCIe operation, although it can still support a SATA-based drive. The standard affair of USB 2.0, front panel, and audio connectors are found along the X99 Extreme11 motherboard's bottom edge. ASRock also adds one of two 4-pin molex power connectors in this location to provide additional juice for heavy expansion configurations. Dual BIOS chips, and a selector switch, for redundancy are positioned slightly below on-board power and reset buttons as well as a two-digit debug LED. The HDD Saver port is located towards the board's bottom-right corner. Other than the on-board buttons and Dr. Debug display, there is nothing of considerable size on the bottom edge that will get blocked by an overhanging graphics card. Given its storage-heavy design, it only makes sense that ASRock equips the X99 Extreme11 with two of the company's excellent Ultra M.2 connectors. We were impressed by Ultra M.2's performance when we tested it with the speedy Samsung XP941 SSD in our ASRock Z97 Extreme6 review. The slots can use a PCIe 3.0 x4 connection directly from the CPU to provide up to 32Gbps of bandwidth each. They also support M.2 SATA connections by borrowing lanes from two of the chipset's SATA 6Gbps ports. There is also the potential to software RAID a pair of PCIe-fed M.2 SSDs together to provide particularly high transfer rates. All of the common M.2 form factors are supported, including the common 80mm-long design. The ten SATA 6Gbps ports furthest to the right side are provided by the X99 chipset. Six of the ports support RAID, with the other four being useful for non-RAID purposes and sharing their connection with M.2 or eSATA connections. With its eight-lane PCIe 3.0 connection directly to the CPU, the LSI SAS 3008 controller's eight SAS 12Gbps/SATA 6Gbps ports could be an important component for users with IO-heavy workloads. ASRock's promotional material shows the controller delivering transfer speeds of 6.1GBps. RAID 0, 1, 1E, and 10 are supported by the LSI controller. I am surprised to see that RAID 5/6 support is omitted as I would think the combination of speed, redundancy, and drive cost would make it popular for IO-intensive workloads that deal with important data. That said, many users may deem RAID 1E a worthwhile substitute, albeit different in function. There is no SATA Express on the X99 Extreme11, but given the sheer number and speed of alternative options (and the early popularity of M.2), I would not call this a negative point. Realtek’s ALC1150 codec, with its 115dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), provides the foundation for ASRock’s Purity Sound 2 audio system. EMI shielding and a distinct PCB pathway are used to minimise signal interference. A pair of Texas Instruments NE5532 operational-amplifiers are used to provide support for 600 Ohm headsets, while Nichicon fine gold series capacitors filter the audio signals. A total of four USB 2.0 ports and a single PS/2 connection provide peripheral installation points. Some people still use PS/2 keyboards, and old-school USB 2.0 is far more convenient than USB 3.0 when installing Windows 7, thanks to its inherent driver support. Two eSATA connectors, in addition to four USB 3.0 ports (two of which operate from an ASMedia ASM1042AE PCIe 2.0 x2 host controller), continue the motherboard's storage theme. Intel I218-V and I211-AT Gigabit Ethernet NICs are used and can be teamed together. Rear audio is fed by the Purity Sound 2 system, and a clear CMOS button provides convenience for overclockers using a chassis. Thunderbolt 2 may have been a worthwhile addition to such a storage-centric board. Finding 20Gbps of bandwidth from the heavily-utilised X99 chipset would have required compromise elsewhere, but a PCIe 2.0-based PLX switch (such as the PEX8605) for lower bandwidth devices would have solved that issue. If you're going nuts on storage, why not offer everything that an enthusiast could ask for? Covering the pair of PLX PEX8747 switches (which can drink up to 8W of power each) and the LSI SAS 3008 storage controller, not to mention the X99 PCH, ASRock is forced into using a sizeable, actively-cooled chipset heatsink. The 37mm fan operates through its own header and can be speed-controlled via the UEFI or software. This is one of the louder chipset fans that I have worked with. It was clearly audible, even when idling, if the Corsair H100i fans were operating at reduced levels. A total of six fan headers are found on the X99 Extreme11. Two headers (one 4-pin and the other 3-pin) in the top-right corner are allocated with the CPU fan duties. Their far-right positioning makes hiding CPU fan cables a little more difficult. Sat just beneath the left-hand DIMM bank is a powered 3-pin fan header. While this is great for connecting the pump unit of an AIO liquid cooler, it is not good for connecting a rear chassis fan due to its lack of speed control. The remaining three headers (one 4-pin along the bottom edge and two 3-pin) are all speed-controlled. Their distribution is optimised for connecting side panel and front chassis fans. Firstly, we are pleased to report that our NZXT Avatar S mouse worked to its usual standard in the ASRock X99 UEFI BIOS. We’ve found our NZXT Avatar S to be the most troubling mouse with UEFI support, so when it functions correctly in the interface, that is usually a good sign for overall mouse support. ASRock's X99 UEFI is very similar to its Z97 implementation. The interface uses a 1920x1080 display resolution. The Main page displays information about the system components. There is a My Favorite section that gives users quick access to their most desirable settings. The OC Tweaker page controls access to the board's numerous overclocking-related sub-sections. I like the way that ASRock has split its main overclocking sections into separate folders. This keeps the interface clean and makes the desirable settings easy to find. It also proves that ASRock is listening to feedback and taking steps to improve its UEFI user experience. Overclocking profiles designed by ASRock's engineers are pre-tuned in the UEFI. Up to five customised user profiles can be saved to the board's internal memory. I feel the five profiles is sufficient for a motherboard that is not intended for competitive overclocking. A USB flash drive can be used to transfer profiles to and from the board. The standard set of parameter and ratio settings are provided under the CPU Configuration section. ASRock also adds a CPU TJ Max input which is a unique setting allows users to change their processor's thermal throttling temperature. Approach this setting with caution and a knowledge of the involved risks. There is a strong range of memory overclocking settings provided in their specific sub-section. Users can adjust their DRAM frequency and voltage in addition to viewing their kit's rated, and applied, timings. I am a little surprised to see no pre-tuned memory overclocking profiles provided. This is a sign that ASRock is reserving the custom tweaked settings for its overclocking-geared motherboards. Settings relating to the Haswell-E processor's Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator (FIVR) are given their own section. Here users can apply the primary voltage settings that will deliver their quick-and-easy overclocked settings. Moving over to the Voltage Configuration section is where users can fine-tune the parameters to squeeze even more frequency out of their components. ASRock typically allows users to opt for automatic, manual, or adaptive voltage configurations. The Chipset Configuration section is useful when ensuring that expansion slots are receiving the correct PCIe bandwidth. Storage interfaces and their installed drives can also be controlled. ASRock includes a number of convenient tools in its UEFI. Users can rapidly apply a number of system configurations and drivers can also be downloaded via the interface. Instant Flash, ASRock's simple BIOS updating tool, scans through one's USB flash drive to search for the relevant BIOS file. While this sounds good, with the tool's ability to scan all the way through your flash drive until it finds the relevant BIOS profile, users with a large amount of data on their drive could find the search time to be in the order of minutes. There's nothing wrong with a manual folder search. System Browser is a convenient tool that displays which components are connected to the motherboard. The tool is particularly useful for troubleshooting purposes; if, for example, a memory stick is faulty, it will not show up in the System Browser window. ASRock includes a set of voltage, temperature, and fan speed readings on its HWMonitor page. This is where the pair of Nuvoton SuperIO chipset proves valuable. There are two ways of setting fan speeds in ASRock's UEFI. Users can either select from pre-defined profiles, or they can fine-tune their own custom fan speeds. There's the old way of doing this - by selecting the relevant choices from multiple drop-down lists. Or there's ASRock's modern FAN-Tastic Tuning visual tool. I was very impressed by the capabilities of the FAN-Tastic Tuning tool (the cheesy name, on the other hand...). The five-point curve can be adjusted to an individual's preference with a large range of freedom; a CPU temperature as low as 30°C can be set, while the fan can run at 0% or 20-100% in 1% increments. And what is particularly impressive is the board's ability to completely shut-off a controlled fan below a user-defined temperature threshold. I hope ASRock's future motherboards use a similar iteration of the FAN-Tastic Tuning tool. The level of control it provides is excellent, especially when a fan can be set to stop spinning in order to provide a particularly quiet system. UEFI Summary In the latest motherboard platform launches, ASRock has worked hard to improve its UEFI. The company has moved to a Full HD - 1920x1080 - resolution, the layout has been re-ordered, the styling has changed, and new-and-improved tools have been designed. ASRock now has a UEFI that I would deem to be right on the heels of Asus' solution, making it the second best interface on the market (in my opinion). And there are some clear areas where ASRock's interface trumps that of Asus' (System Browser, for example). What is equally positive is that ASRock has clearly listened to user feedback that said the UEFI needed to improve its layout and that the fan control methods could be improved. The interface is well laid-out, easy to use, and full of relevant user-customisable parameters. ASRock A-Tuning There are three system modes designed for different operating scenarios. We opted for the Performance mode. ASRock includes a number of tools in its A-Tuning software suite. Overclocking settings and parameters can be tweaked via the software, in an OS environment. Readings relating to system parameters such as voltages, frequencies, and fan speeds are outlined in the System Info page. The health and other general statistics relating to a storage drive can be read via one of ASRock's tools. ASRock also puts its convenient Board Explorer tool in the A-Tuning software package. XFast RAM can be used to create RAM drive, while XFast LAN gives users the opportunity to control their network bandwidth allocation (much like Killer's Network Manager software). Live Update is well-implemented by ASRock and is more convenient than trawling through a website full of drivers. App Shop can be used to download new software, including some pieces from external companies, such as Google. ASRock also includes 1-year subscription to Orbweb.ME (worth $50) which will be welcomed by users who opt for cloud storage. We will be outlining the ASRock X99 Extreme11 motherboard's performance with the Core i7 5960X CPU at its stock frequency (3.5GHz due to forced turbo). Overclocked performance will be outlined later in the review. By default, the ASRock X99 Extreme11 motherboard does not apply multi-core turbo (MCT) when XMP is enabled. We had to manually apply the MCT setting in ASRock's UEFI, which is a very simple process. This will be displayed as our 'stock' setting. ASRock sneakily applies a 1.25V DRAM voltage when our memory is manually set to 2666MHz. This is 50mV higher than the 2666MHz XMP mode set by G.Skill. X99 Motherboard Test System: Processor: Intel Core i7 5960X ES (3.5GHz forced turbo). Memory: 16GB (4x 4GB) G.Skill Ripjaws4 2666MHz CL15 DDR4 @ 1.25V. Graphics Card: Asus R9 280X Matrix Platinum 3GB. System Drive: 500GB Samsung 840. CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i. Case: NZXT Phantom 630. Power Supply: Seasonic Platinum 1000W. Operating System: Windows 7 Professional with SP1 64-bit. Compared X99 Motherboards: ASRock X99 OC Formula (BIOS v1.16) - with 16GB (4x4GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX 2800MHz 16-18-18-44 DDR4 @ 2666MHz 1.25V. Asus X99 Deluxe (BIOS 0801) – with 16GB (4x4GB) G.Skill Ripjaws4 3000MHz 15-15-15-35 DDR4 @ 1.35V. MSI X99S Gaming 7 (BIOS V17.3B1) – with 3.56GHz CPU and 16GB (4x 4GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX 2800MHz CL16 DDR4 @ 2800MHz 1.20V. Memory support issues with earlier motherboard BIOSes means that there are still differences in the tests kits and configurations used. G.Skill's 2666MHz Ripjaws4 kit has stabilised our test system and will be standard from this review onwards. Software: ASRock X99 Extreme11 BIOS v1.00 (latest at the time of testing). Catalyst 14.9 VGA drivers. Tests: 3DMark 1.3.708 - Fire Strike (System) SiSoft Sandra 2014 SP2 - Processor arithmetic, memory bandwidth (System) Cinebench R15 - All-core CPU benchmark (CPU) WinRAR 5.10 - Built-in benchmark (CPU) HandBrake 0.9.9 - Convert 4.36GB 720P MKV to MP4 (CPU) ATTO - SATA 6Gbps, USB 3.0, M.2 transfer rates (Motherboard) RightMark Audio Analyzer - General audio performance test (Motherboard) Bioshock Infinite - 1920 x 1080, ultra quality (Gaming) Metro: Last Light - 1920 x 1080, high quality (Gaming) Tomb Raider - 1920 x 1080, ultimate quality (Gaming) 3DMark We used 3DMark‘s ‘Fire Strike’ benchmark which is designed to be used on gaming PCs. We opted for the Normal setting, NOT the Extreme mode. Sandra Processor Arithmetic Sandra Memory Bandwidth ASRock's X99 Extreme11 makes a positive show in the Sandra benchmarks. Strong processor arithmetic and memory bandwidth scores give the Extreme11 a pair of second-place finishes. The PLX-equipped motherboard struggles against the competition in 3DMark. The result is likely to be related to additional latency from the PLX switch dragging down the physics score. The forced use of different VGA drivers could also account for the disparity. Cinebench We used the ‘CPU’ test built into Cinebench R15 . WinRAR WinRAR’s built in benchmark and hardware test can help us outline the performance differentials between each motherboard. We record the amount of data processed after a 30-second run. Handbrake Conversion We measured the average frame rate achieved for a task of converting a 4.36GB 720P H.264 movie (in the MKV container) to one in the MP4 container. ASRock's X99 flagship continues to score well in our set of CPU-related tests. WinRAR performance is joint-best, along with the X99 OC Formula. Handbrake sits the Extreme11 in second place, behind Asus' X99 Deluxe. Cinebench's result is only bested by MSI's X99S Gaming 7 and its higher processor clock. Bioshock Infinite We used the Bioshock Infinite demanding ‘Ultra’ setting and a 1920x1080 resolution to push today’s gaming hardware. Our data was recorded using a section of the game, not the built-in benchmark. Metro: Last Light We used a 1920x1080 resolution and the Metro: Last Light built-in benchmark set to ‘High’ quality to offer an intense challenge for the gaming hardware while also making playable frame rates a possibility. Tomb Raider We used a 1920x1080 resolution and the Tomb Raider built-in benchmark set to ‘Ultimate’ quality. We must first point out that we were forced to update to the Catalyst 14.9 drivers prior to testing ASRock's X99 Extreme11. All other motherboards used the 14.4 drivers, which may offer slightly different performance levels. Despite its latency-inducing PLX switch, the ASRock X99 Extreme11 manages a strong set of gaming results. That said, the biggest frame rate difference between the competing pack is just 1.3 FPS, in Bioshock Infinite. Ultra M.2 connector We use Plextor's fast M6e 256GB M.2 SSD to test the speed of a motherboard's M.2 connector. We reviewed the 512GB Plextor M6e (and its PCIe x2 adapter card) HERE. Unfortunately we do not have access to a PCIe 3.0-based SSD to fully test the M.2 connector's performance limits. Plextor's M6e is no match for the 32Gbps bandwidth capacity of ASRock's Ultra M.2 connector. The PCIe-fed lane has no problem supplying the Plextor SSD with as much bandwidth as it can use. SATA 6Gbps For SATA 6Gbps testing we use a Kingston HyperX 3K (SandForce SF-2281) SSD. Unfortunately we do not have access to a SAS 12Gbps device or a selection of identical drives for RAID testing. SATA performance is where we would expect it to be for an X99-powered set of 6Gbps ports. USB 3.0 We tested USB 3.0 performance using the Kingston HyperX 3K SSD connected to a SATA 6Gb/s to USB 3.0 adapter powered by an ASMedia ASM1053 controller. ASRock's USB 3.0 performance is similar to competing options using the same interfaces. MSI's X99S Gaming 7 manages a slightly higher transfer rate on its X99-fed USB 3.0 ports, while ASRock's option pips it for the lead when it comes to ASMedia-fed connections. Since dropping XFast USB with the introduction of its 9-series motherboards, ASRock's products do not provide UASP support to Windows 7 users. Audio We use RightMark Audio Analyzer (RMAA) to analyse the performance of the motherboard’s onboard audio solution. A sampling mode of 24-bit, 192 kHz was tested. ASRock’s Purity Sound 2 audio system uses a Realtek ALC1150 codec, two Texas Instruments NE5532 operational-amplifiers, Nichicon fine gold series capacitors, and a number of design optimisations to reduce signal interference. RMAA rates ASRock's Purity Sound 2 audio system on the X99 Extreme11 as having Very Good overall performance. Segregated audio channels are working well, as proven by the particularly strong stereo crosstalk performance. Automatic CPU Overclocking: ASRock includes well-tuned overclocking pre-sets. The 4.4GHz function (1.31V VCore) worked correctly, as did the 4.5GHz profile. ASRock applies 1.36V VCore for the 4.5GHz preset, which is a little higher than we like for 24/7 usage, but the system was stable. Load CPU temperatures were tending towards the 90°C-mark using a Corsair H100i CPU cooler. While this well-tuned overclocking preset is perfectly stable for our chip, the voltage and temperature levels are higher than I would use on a daily basis. That's the joy of flexibility; backing down to the less intense 4.4GHz setting is simple, and will still render noteworthy performance increases. The validation can be viewed here. Manual CPU Overclocking: To test the ASRock X99 Extreme11 motherboard’s CPU overclocking potential, we first increased the CPU VCore to 1.30V, Cache voltage to 1.25V, and CPU Input Voltage to 1.90V. We also applied level 1 LLC. DRAM frequency was maintained at 2666MHz to take its stability out of the overclocking equation. Cache frequency was maintained at 3.0GHz. With its segregated sections, ASRock's UEFI is very easy to use for overclocking. We adjusted the settings in their given location and rebooted the system. 4.4GHz was the highest frequency that we could hit using a 1.30V VCore level. This is the same limit that has been observed on all other motherboards that we have tested. As proven by ASRock's pre-sets, a higher voltage level will lead to higher stable frequencies with our chip. We were happy with temperatures in the 70°C region that were observed with a 1.30V VCore. The validation link can be viewed here. Memory Frequency Performance: Support for high-speed memory kits has been a particularly troubling topic since the X99 launch. We test the motherboard's ability to load the 3000MHz XMP configuration on our G.Skill Ripjaws4 DDR4 memory. ASRock's X99 Extreme11 had no problem booting with G.Skill's 3GHz memory kit. We simply installed the memory, selected the relevant XMP profile, and rebooted the system. The validation can be viewed here. We will outline the performance increases that can be obtained from using the ASRock X99 Extreme11 motherboard to overclock our system. Our overclocked processor frequency was 4.4GHz and memory speed was 2666MHz. As a performance comparison, we have included the overclocked results from three other X99 motherboards. The maximum overclocked configuration achieved with each board was a 4.4GHz processor frequency and 2666MHz memory speed. Performance when overclocked is strong for the X99 Extreme11. Only ASRock's own X99 OC Formula can displace the Extreme11 for the top-spot in the Cinebench and 3DMark tests. Bioshock Infinite still point towards VGA driver differences providing performance gaps between the X99 Extreme11 and the other charted solutions. We measured the power consumption with the system resting at the Windows 7 desktop, representing idle values. The power consumption of our entire test system (at the wall) is measured while loading only the CPU using Prime95′s in-place large FFTs setting. The rest of the system’s components were operating in their idle states, hence the increased power consumption values (in comparison to the idle figures) are largely related to the load on the CPU and motherboard power delivery components. ASRock's chosen PWM controller dynamically adjusts the CPU VCore to great effect when the system is under low load. Even with its array of add-on controllers, idle power consumption for the X99 Extreme11 remains at a worry-free level and below that of Asus' X99 Deluxe. Pumping a load through the processor is when the twelve phase CPU power delivery system is able to show its performance. Under stock conditions, the X99 Extreme11 displays the second-lowest load power consumption numbers, behind the related X99 OC Formula. Overclocked load sees power consumption jump past the 400W-mark. The stress of an overclocked 5960X being fed 1.30V and all of the on-board controllers results in the highest power consumption level that we have recorded for an X99 motherboard. As far as features go, ASRock crams almost everything that a performance computing enthusiast could ask for onto the X99 Extreme11. If you have demanding graphics, connectivity, or storage needs the X99 Extreme11 can tend to those requirements. General performance of the X99 Extreme11 was positive. The board is able to hold its own and deliver promising results against competing parts. The same can be said for overclocking potential, especially in regards to the well-tuned frequency presets. LSI's SAS 3008 storage controller is one of the headline features for the X99 Extreme11. With support for up to eight SAS 12Gbps/SATA 6Gbps drives in RAID 0, 1, 1E, and 10, the solution could prove useful to content creators who desire in-system backup (not that we're advising that as the best approach). I am surprised to see a lack of RAID 5/6 support, however. Carrying on with connectivity, ASRock provides ample USB 3.0 ports, additional SATA 6Gbps links from the chipset, a pair of its excellent Ultra M.2 connectors (that can be used to RAID PCIe-fed M.2 SSDs), and dual Intel Gigabit NICs. The only interface that may be missed by some is Thunderbolt 2. PCIe connectivity is the other main headline for ASRock's X99 flagship. The motherboard equips two 48-lane PLX PEX8747 PCIe 3.0 switches to provide 4-way SLI and CrossFire, in addition to the aforementioned storage capabilities. And if full-blooded x16 lanes are your thing, four of the five plausible PCIe links downstream from PLX's switch run at sixteen PCIe 3.0 lanes of bandwidth. That's even with the 28-lane 5820K processor installed. It must be highlighted that some latency-induced or bandwidth-overload performance penalties may be incurred by the pair of switches. Unfortunately we did not have the sheer quantity of identical hardware to test those scenarios by using 4-way SLI/CrossFire. Layout of the motherboard is smart and is wisely optimised for a quartet of graphics cards. ASRock's UEFI solution is a well-designed option that operated with perfect stability, despite currently being on the launch version. ASRock tells us that the X99 Extreme11 will retail for around £530. X99 platform or not, that is a huge investment for a motherboard. ASRock's X99 Extreme11 is an effort from the vendor to show off its motherboard design capabilities. The board aims to offer the best of everything and spares no expense in doing so. While the market for a £530 motherboard is niche, we have to commend ASRock for its commitment to providing a premier solution for those with deep pockets and demanding requirements who simply want the best. Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE. Pros: Supports 4-way SLI and CrossFire with x16 lanes. LSI SAS 3008 storage controller with eight SAS 12Gbps/SATA 6Gbps ports and RAID support. Dual 32Gbps Ultra M.2 connectors. Very good UEFI implementation. Strong power delivery system and good overclocking capacity. Plenty of connectivity (eight USB 3.0, 10 X99 SATA 6Gbps, two eSATA 6Gbps, dual Intel NICs). Positive general usage features - Purity Sound 2, HDD Saver. Cons: No Thunderbolt 2. Chipset fan is audible. Expensive (although possibly justifiable to some users). KitGuru says: There's no kill like overkill. ASRock takes pretty much every possible design feature that an enthusiast user with demanding requirements could wish for and consolidates them to form the X99 Extreme11.