Asrock Z87E-ITX

Darn C2 is not currently implemented in the Asrock boards? Do you have any idea if the to be released Asus ITX mobos will have C2?
 
My understanding was that none of the 87 series boards have the C2 stepping yet, and won't until at least the end of July.
 
Latest news I've seen says boards will be shipping with the C2 revision around end of July / beginning of August. Hopefully, ASRock can fix the mSATA slot by the time they get the C2 chips to put on their boards...
 
I just picked up one of these boards...pretty stable so far (with one exception; see below) and it's got a good feature set.

I'm having some trouble updating the BIOS though. The Asrock Instant Flash utility in the UEFI seems to freeze whenever it searches my USB stick. Doesn't even get as far as letting me tell it to start the flash/update process. After I restart the machine it has no trouble booting right back up again, so I'm not really sure what's going on.

EDIT: I was able to complete the update using the Internet Flash feature in the UEFI. I'm still curious as to why I couldn't update via USB (tried 3 different sticks formatted in FAT32 in several different USB ports), but I'm satisfied for now.
 
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A few days ago a new firmware update was released, v1.80:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z87E-ITX/?cat=Download&os=BIOS

1. Improve UEFI stability.
2. Improve Overclock ability.

The previous update (v1.40):

1. Update multi-language string.
2. Add setup item "Multi core enhancement".
3. Improve DDR 2133+ compatibility.

The original release is v1.20.

Updating it was horrid:
- using the ROM on a USB stick resulted in seemingly freezing, but I'm reading some people just have waited half an hour to complete. Maybe a tip: disconnect ALL storage except an empty USB stick with just the ROM on it.
- using the Windows updater resulted in not being able to get past the POST and needed a CMOS CLEAR.
- using the Internet Updater in the UEFI worked, once I went into Network Connection and saw both settings were fine. For some reason it didn't work when I didn't check it.

All is well and now I'm on 1.80. One of the more scarrier firmware updates I've done thanks to crappy implementations.
 
This might be handy:

tgqt.jpg


f745.jpg


http://techreport.com/review/25013/asrock-z87e-itx-mini-itx-motherboard-reviewed
 
Got Stuck !! Just bought ASRock Z87E-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard
Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor and now I heard about the C2 revision chip on the Z87 boards. I have not opened the box yet. Should I refund my ASRock Z87E-ITX and wait for C2 revision chip.? If so how would one know if the board one buys has C2 revision chip on it or the old C1 ?
 
I don't think anybody knows yet how to identify the new series but it also hasn't been confirmed they will release this month.

Is the bug really a problem for you ?
 
Thanks Phubcz ! I haven't even built my system yet so I don't really know how bad the USB bug is . As far as mSata goes i will not be usiging it so i am not worried. I see you have the same motherboard so have you encountered any problem?
 
ami said:
Thanks Phubcz ! I haven't even built my system yet so I don't really know how bad the USB bug is . As far as mSata goes i will not be usiging it so i am not worried. I see you have the same motherboard so have you encountered any problem?
Click to expand...

The USB bug is a non issue for almost everyone. It causes a minor annoyance with a small handful of USB 3 thumb drives.
 
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Phuncz said:
I don't think anybody knows yet how to identify the new series but it also hasn't been confirmed they will release this month.

Is the bug really a problem for you ?
Click to expand...

The only way is to check in CPUZ and see if you have revision 4(C1) or revision 5(C2). They aren't shipping till the end of the month though.
 
Yeah maybe but I'm still convinced Asrock will also differenciate motherboards visually, like a new motherboard revision or with other serial numbers. Don't forget their support should also be able to see what chipset revision it has without installing a complete PC and installing Windows.
 
wreckem said:
The only way is to check in CPUZ and see if you have revision 4(C1) or revision 5(C2). They aren't shipping till the end of the month though.
Click to expand...

I just read some where that the only way to identify the revision is to check the bios . So that being said one cant really tell before opening the board , unless the tech support can tell that ..
 
A new BIOS update has been released last week: v1.90
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z87E-ITX/?cat=Download&os=BIOS

1. Improve overclocking CPU fan behavior.
2. Improve UEFI guide string for multi-language.
3. Update CPU code.

I haven't installed it yet, will do soon.

Something I have noticed after running v1.80 for a while: my PC wouldn't always boot the first time and just hang at the splash screen. My previous PC also had this issue (although less) and I blamed a USB device causing this. After the update to v1.80 I have yet to come across this, so it seems like it solved my problem.
 
Anybody come across a way to control fans using voltage on this board?

There are all type of fan configuration screens, but they only seem to work with PWM (4-pin) fans...
 
This is a SFF motherboard though. It's going to be installed in Mini-ITX cases, which means there will likely not be any free slots.

I suppose I could super glue it to the bottom of my case or something, but before I try that, is there something more elegant?
 
The actual PCB is pretty small. Also, if you're only using the PWM mode, you can even unsolder the rheostat - something to consider.
 
Just me, or is anyone else seeing more system instability with 1.90 than with 1.80?
 
I haven't seen any instability and I'm running it for almost a week. A few hours of gaming a day and watching some movies, no instability thus far. But I haven't overclocked, mind you.
 
Same here, stability is about the same. Currently OC'd to 4.0ghz and 1550 on the iGPU.
 
Interesting. I'll be reinstalling Windows anyway, hopefully it's just a driver issue then.
 
I'm definitely regretting buying this board. The bluetooth chip has problems, as noted earlier in this thread - both with Asrock's listed drivers and the updated ones from Broadcom. On linux, bluetooth and wifi chips are both non-functional [some patches are available but they don't give full functionality] The wifi chip in linux causes a whole slew of problems beyond not having internet. It wouldnt be such a big deal, as you can get some USB add-ons for wifi and blu, but even disabling the chips in bios - linux is still spazzing out. :mad:
 
That's not a problem. Replace it with an Intel Centrino 6235 which does bluetooth as well and has Linux drivers available.

Your problem is not with the board.
 
Indeed, your problem is with Broadcom for not developing the drivers and Linux for not being popular enough to require them to.
 
What happened to the other ASRock Z87 itx?
That one with SODIMM ram?
Is it OEM? Or did it never go beyond prototyping?
 
whitek said:
I'm definitely regretting buying this board. The bluetooth chip has problems, as noted earlier in this thread - both with Asrock's listed drivers and the updated ones from Broadcom. On linux, bluetooth and wifi chips are both non-functional [some patches are available but they don't give full functionality] The wifi chip in linux causes a whole slew of problems beyond not having internet. It wouldnt be such a big deal, as you can get some USB add-ons for wifi and blu, but even disabling the chips in bios - linux is still spazzing out. :mad:
Click to expand...

Just get a cheap replacement Mini-PCIe from ebay that is linux compatible ...
 
For what it's worth, my general system instability was solved by setting my RAM to use its second profile, which was identical to the first except 1.50V instead of the 1.35V it's rated for. Not sure why that ended up being an issue with this motherboard in my case, when it worked perfectly at 1.35V in another case, but I'm just glad everything is working now.

As for the Bluetooth/Wifi, yeah, I still hate the one they used. I'm sticking it out for now, but I'm keeping my eye on some of the alternatives... leaning towards this Intel 802.11ac/BT4.0 model:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106190

Don't know if that one is Linux compatible either though.
 
Just a follow-up, I did end up switching to the above-mentioned Intel 802.11ac/Bluetooth 4.0 card, using the same antenna pigtails that came with the motherboard (though admittedly I switched out the antennas for duck antennas a while ago.)

I uninstalled the Asrock Bluetooth drivers, and then the Intel's Bluetooth worked immediately out of the box with Windows' built-in Bluetooth stack (this is on 8, if it matters). Wifi, on the other hand, did need a driver. Intel's got that hosted on their site now, unlike what the Newegg review says.

Anyway, for Bluetooth at least, it's been much more stable. Not perfect... because as I said my area is kind of a torture test for 2.4GHz signals. But with the Intel card, the Bluetooth never completely drops out. The mouse cursor gets a little laggy occasionally, but it maintains a connection throughout.

Haven't experimented much with the Wifi of the Intel one though, as I'm also upgrading my router in the next few days.
 
I just got this board a few days ago.
My Wifi reception is really bad compared to my previous Alfa 150n USB adapter, so I temporarily switched the included antenna to use one from the Alfa, and another from an older USB adapter. Signal is slightly better now, but not as good as the Alfa.

I'm thinking of buying a pair of antennas to use since they're more space saving than having the stock antenna, but I'm wondering if any regular antennas will work? Or are they specific to 2.4/5GHz?


Other than this, no complaints about the board so far. :)
 
FWIW the antenna that came with my Z77E-ITX was terrible. I connected the mini antennas that came with my old zotac and that greatly boosted reception. I'm currently using the Intel Centrino 6235 (as mentioned earlier) and it works great. Looking forward to moving it to this board when I upgrade.
 
Yeah I'm waiting for a pair of antennas to arrive from ebay now.

A new issue I've noticed. On the Realtek control panel, under Advanced Settings, I do not have an option to auto-mute the rear output when I plug something into the front jack. So when I plug headphones up front, I get audio from both my headphones and speakers. Has anyone else noticed this?

I'm using the drivers from ASRock's website. I was thinking of trying the drivers from Realtek's website, but theirs actually seem to be a lower version number.
 
Hi,

I just wanted to check if the Wifi and BT started working on Ubuntu with this board with the original module ?
 
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7484/asrock-z87eitx-review

However overall I am pleased with the ASRock Z87E-ITX: it surpassed my high expectations in a few important areas (SATA ports, audio codec, overclock performance, 802.11ac) and is well deserving of a recommended award. Another fan header or two, and perhaps an adjustment of that 8-pin CPU power connector might see it hit a full award.

Anandtech recommending it, not an easy to achieve feat.
 
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