Mini-ITX motherboards have been extremely popular over the past couple of years. So much so that many case manufacturers have created special cases just for the form factor that have become some of their best sellers. Typically Mini-ITX motherboards have been reserved for mainstream systems, recently we saw many impressive Z97 Mini-ITX motherboards. But what about Intel’s HEDT (High-End Desktop) platform? Because of the size of the CPU package the thought of having an X99 motherboard in the Mini-ITX form factor was unheard of, until ASRock released the X99E-ITX/ac. They were able to fit the LGA2011v3 socket onto a Mini-ITX form factor and still have room for quite a lot of other features. The only real downfall of this motherboard is that you are limited to dual-channel memory and you have to use ASRock’s included proprietary CPU cooler, which we will get into a bit later in the review. But this board packs in ASRock’s OC socket, a SATA Express port, Ultra M.2 slot, Wireless 802.11ac + Bluetooth, USB 3.1, ASRock’s Super Alloy design and much more! Let’s see what this tiny, yet powerful motherboard is all about!
Special thanks to ASRock for providing us with the X99E-ITX/ac Motherboard to review.
Features
– ASRock Super Alloy
–Premium 60A Power Choke
–Premium Memory Alloy Choke
–Fairchild 60A Dual Cool™ DrMOS
— Nichicon 12K Platinum Caps
–Sapphire Black PCB
– Supports Intel® Core™ i7 and Xeon® 18-Core Processors Family for the LGA 2011-3 Socket
– X Series OC Socket, Digi Power, 6 Power Phase design
– Supports Dual Channel DDR4 3200+(OC)
– 1 PCIe 3.0 x16, 1 Vertical mini-PCIe for WiFi + BT Module
– 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1150 Audio Codec), Supports DTS Connect
– Intel® Dual Gigabit LAN with Teaming Function
– 6 SATA3, 1 eSATA, 1 SATA Express, 1 Ultra M.2 (PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA3)
– WLAN: 2T2R Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi + BT v4.0 Module, ASRock WiFi 2.4/5 GHz Antenna
– 2 USB 3.1 Type-A 10Gb/s, 6 USB 3.0 (2 Front, 4 Rear), 4 USB 2.0 (2 Front, 2 Rear)
– Free Bundle : CPU Cooler, Water Cooling Mounting Plate, ASRock U3 to U2 Converter
– Supports ASRock Full Spike Protection, APP Shop, A-Tuning, Full HD UEFI
For a full list of specifications check out the product page.
Packaging
The X99E-ITX/ac comes in a retail box this is much smaller than the typical motherboard box. On the front there is a photo of the motherboard and a listing of some of the main features.
On the back of the box there is a full overview of the motherboard and it goes into detail on many of the features. This way you can get a good idea of what the motherboard is about before you buy it.
Getting everything out of the box you have X99E-ITX/ac motherboard, the proprietary CPU cooler and cooling fan, two SATA cables, I/O shield, WiFi+Bluetooth modules, WiFi Antenna, WiFi antenna cables, watercooling adapter, software setup guide, quick installation guide, software & driver CD, and a ASRock case sticker.
For a full unboxing and overview of the motherboard be sure to check out our video below.