ComputersEquipment

Asrock (motherboard): testimonials and advice on choice

Just a decade ago, under an unknown brand, there was only one product on the market that, with its affordability and excellent functionality, won respect both among sellers and among buyers. It's about the motherboard from the manufacturer Asrock. As it turned out later, the unknown brand is one of the divisions of the giant company ASUS. The Chinese brand, without losing its own brand, simply took a niche of the budget class, and the user got the opportunity to buy decent products at a very low price. In the focus of this article, computer equipment from the manufacturer Asrock is the motherboard.

Built forever

The micro-ATX form factor is a distinctive feature of Asrock. The motherboard was initially positioned for offices and home use, but later acquired a reputation among multimedia and gaming enthusiasts. The manufacturer allowed to buy their products to both Intel fans and AMD, releasing the corresponding chipsets. The main feature of the brand, in comparison with competitors - is that all motherboards have full support for existing functions for each generation of processors. In addition, the manufacturer allowed the customer to connect outdated devices, providing his product with all kinds of interfaces. An example is the sales leader in the category of "office computer" - the motherboard Asrock n68c ucc.

Modernization with minimal costs

The dream of any PC owner is the possibility of upgrading the device with minimal costs. In most cases, to increase system performance, basic components need to be replaced. This can apply to any brand, but not Asrock. The motherboard, which is positioned for offices, makes it possible to improve the characteristics of the PC with minimal costs.

  1. Support for all processors in the context of each generation, regardless of the process and heat generation.
  2. Support for two types of memory, for example DDR2 and DDR3, without the possibility of simultaneous operation.
  3. The presence of obsolete interfaces: FDD, IDE, RS-232, LPT, PS / 2.
  4. Integrated video adapter with D-Sub output. Built-in five-channel audio and network adapter.

Interesting equipment

Inexpensive budget devices are accepted to sell in OEM configuration. This is a widespread phenomenon and, judging by the numerous reviews, it does not cause customers' indignation, because they often buy a computer assembly. But the manufacturer Asrock decided otherwise. In a huge box you can find, in addition to the packaged in an antistatic package, two Serial ATA cables, drivers for the Asrock motherboard in the form of several CD-disks without signatures, a stub for the back panel and two huge instructions. One brochure is designed to make the installation of components on the motherboard, and the second book describes the built-in functionality that facilitates the user's work and speeds up the computer's performance. The manual is written in several languages, has color pictures, and all the text is written in an accessible language.

Additional Functionality

Built-in sensors and all kinds of controllers on the motherboard, managed using proprietary utilities, for the manufacturer ASUS is not new. But buyers of Asrock products should be informed about this at least before buying. Only thanks to the feedback of customers in the media can you find out that the drivers for the Asrock motherboard that are included in the bundle contain only a small part. All the rest of the disk space is occupied by utilities and software. Budget device has a lot of built-in sensors to determine the temperature of the chipset, processor and chassis, and also have the ability to monitor the speed of the connected coolers. In addition, there is a monitoring of stresses. Branded utilities allow you to change the frequency of the system bus directly from the operating system. And on the disk with the software there is a lot of interesting software, including antivirus, multimedia-editors and players. True, most of them are Demo versions.

Advantages and disadvantages

Judging by the numerous reviews of the owners, the Asrock n68c motherboard deserves special attention. In the countries of the post-Soviet space, this series led to the fact that most of its advantages were met by users negatively. The fact is that the manufacturer, having occupied the budget class, oriented the motherboard in the office segment - work with office equipment, connect old storage devices, create arrays and connect other peripherals. However, many sellers used the board to build inexpensive platforms for games, which is why the negative appeared.

  1. The installation of the video game adapter by the cooling system closes all available PCI slots, which makes it impossible to connect other devices, for example, a TV tuner. And the long "tail" of the video card closes all SATA connectors to connect the hard drive, you need to gently break the cable.
  2. A strange cooling system that does not cool the chipset.

Lifting performance in a few minutes

Any overclocker, after reading the description of the functionality of the motherboard, will understand that the device with a budget class combines only the price. A small improvement will increase the system's performance. An example is the office motherboard Asrock n68c, S-series, which does not provide cooling of the south bridge, and the radiator on the north bridge leaves much to be desired.

  1. Instead of a regular radiator, it is recommended to install a small cooler on a copper base with spring-loaded legs. Buy it can be in a specialized store for fans to upgrade computers.
  2. In addition to the standard coolers, two additional devices of 80-120 mm must be installed on the system unit. One is placed in front of the body (at the blowing), the other - from behind (blowing). The axes of the installed fans must pass at the level of the south bridge.
  3. Buy couplers and gently fix all the power cables, opening the possibility of normal air circulation.

Expensive segment

Judging by the numerous reviews of customers, the choice of buying gaming components was influenced by the abundant advertising of gold contacts on the connectors of the Asrock device. The motherboard ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Professional, according to the manufacturers, has no analogues in the world in the game class. Full support of all existing standards in one device at an affordable price.

  1. The thoughtful placement of all components and an excellent cooling system will not lead to overheating even at maximum loads.
  2. The Nichicon polymer capacitors installed on the motherboard are marked for manufacturing in Japan.
  3. All system contacts are gold-plated.
  4. Along with all kinds of interfaces, there are obsolete connectors for 100% compatibility of any equipment and components.

After reviewing and familiarizing with the functionality of the motherboard ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Professional there are many questions to expensive brands. Why Gigabyte and MSI with less functionality are 2-3 times more expensive?

Unpleasant little things

Apparently, in order not to allow the device to leave the budget class, the manufacturer did not take care of the cooling system, which is the primary cause of the failure of the components. For example, the motherboard Asrock h61m, which is not inferior in performance to such brands as Foxconn and ECS, supports work with top models of processors and is able to work with game graphics cards, is equipped with a poor-quality cooling system. Radiators installed on the north and south bridge are a fiction. This can be verified experimentally, using thermal paste. Having smeared the radiator paste and installed it on the motherboard, the user will find out the absence of the contact area of the chip with the radiator. This approach of the manufacturer is completely incomprehensible, because most devices are positioned to work in the office, where the problem with dustiness is always relevant.

Finally

The potential buyer will be pleasantly surprised to learn about the capabilities of motherboards under the brand Asrock. ASUS's protector has excellent functionality and an affordable price. And the assortment for today is quite impressive - in addition to budget options on the market, you can find inexpensive solutions for desktop gaming systems. Even the cheapest motherboard Asrock n68 series for work in the office will compete in the performance of well-known brands. This speaks first of all of the manufacturer's orientation toward the end user, allowing him to purchase products of absolute quality at an affordable price.

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