The Differences between All Mainstream ASROCK Z87 Motherboards

ASRock Z87 Motherboards Comparison GuideIn this small guide we will be looking at several mainstream ASRock Z87 Motherboards (instead of ASUS Z87), including the first ASRock Z87 Pro3, Pro4, Extreme3, Extreme4 and the Extreme6.

Keep in mind that the common specification such as color of SATA ports, number of DIMM Slots, I/O Sound ports, etc.. are not mentioned because you can easily guess or find information about them on the manufacturer website. Here we only reveal the main differences between each of these ASRock Z87 Motherboards.

A brief overview of ASRock as outlined in The Differences between All Mainstream Asrock Z77 Motherboards :

You may find Asrock motherboards are a little cheaper than Asus lineup, but they are still well-equipped with many impressive and quality core features. On the flipside, in order to meet the lower tag price you will see fewer accessories or add-on bonus in Asrock motherboards.
However, by no mean that alone should be the judge for the performance of the product. While Asus brand is the main focus and the premium offer to power users, budget enthusiasts seem to find better values from Asrock brand. They have been consistently delivering outstanding and reliable products for OEM or DYI computer market in the past few years, at a very competitive cost

1. ASROCK Z87 Motherboards Comparison Chart :

Asrock Z87 Pro3

ASRock Z87 PRO3 LGA 1150 ATX

Expansion Slots :

  1. 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 runs at x16 Mode
  2. 3 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
  3. 2 x Legacy PCI
  4. No CrossFire or SLI supported.

Graphics Outputs :

  1. VGA
  2. DVI
  3. HDMI

SATA :

  1. 6 x SATA III by Intel Controller

LAN :

  1. Intel® Ethernet Connection I217-V

Audio :

  1. Realtek ALC-892
  2. No Optical S/PDIF Out

USB :

  1. 1 x USB 3.0 headers (add 2 ports)
  2. 4 x USB 3.0 ports
  3. 2 x USB 2.0 headers (add 4 ports)
  4. 2 x USB 2.0 ports

Fan Connectors :

  1. 2 x Main CPU Fan (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  2. 2 x Chassic Fan Connector (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)

Miscellaneous :

  1. 1 x IR Header
  2. 1 x Serial COM header
  3. 1 x S/PDIF header.
  4. 4-Phase Power Design
  5. 2 x SATA Cables
  6. All Solid Capacitors
  7. 1 x Top heatsink

Price :


Asrock Z87 Pro4

ASRock Z87 PRO4 ATX LGA 1150

Expansion Slots :

  1. 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 runs at x16 Mode
  2. 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 runs at x4. Reduced to x2 if next two PCIe x1 Slots below is occupied. 
  3. 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
  4. 2 x Legacy PCI
  5. CrossFire or Quad Crossfire.

Graphics Outputs :

  1. VGA
  2. DVI
  3. HDMI

SATA :

  1. 6 x SATA III by Intel Controller

LAN :

  1. Intel® Ethernet Connection I217-V

Audio :

  1. Realtek ALC-892
  2. 1 x Optical S/PDIF Out

USB :

  1. 2 x USB 3.0 headers (add 4 ports) by ASmedia Controller.
  2. 4 x USB 3.0 ports
  3. 2 x USB 2.0 headers (add 4 ports)
  4. 4 x USB 2.0 ports
  5. 1 x USB 3.0 Vertical Type A port

    ASRock Vertical Type A USB

    Example of ASRock Vertical Type A USB Port

Fan Connectors :

  1. 2 x Main CPU Fan (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  2. 2 x Chassic Fan Connector (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  3. 1 x 3-pin Power Connector

Miscellaneous :

  1. 1 x IR Header
  2. 1 x Serial COM header
  3. 1 x TPM header
  4. 1 x S/PDIF header.
  5. 6-Phase Power Design
  6. 2 x SATA Cables
  7. All Premium Gold Capacitors
  8. 1 x Left heatsink

Price :


Asrock Z87 Extreme3

ASRock Z87 Extreme3 LGA 1150 Z87 ATX Intel Motherboard

Expansion Slots :

  1. 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 runs at x16 Single Mode or x8/x8 Dual Mode
  2. 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
  3. 3 x Legacy PCI
  4. CrossFire / Quad Crossfire or SLI / Quad SLI.

Graphics Outputs :

  1. VGA
  2. DVI
  3. HDMI

SATA :

  1. 6 x SATA III by Intel Controller

LAN :

  1. Intel® Ethernet Connection I217-V

Audio :

  1. Realtek ALC-892
  2. 1 x Optical S/PDIF Out

USB :

  1. 1 x USB 3.0 headers (add 2 ports)
  2. 4 x USB 3.0 ports
  3. 2 x USB 2.0 headers (add 4 ports)
  4. 2 x USB 2.0 ports

Fan Connectors :

  1. 2 x Main CPU Fan (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  2. 3 x Chassic Fan Connector (two 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  3. 1 x 3-pin Power Connector

Miscellaneous :

  1. 1 x IR Header
  2. 1 x Serial COM header
  3. 1 x S/PDIF header.
  4. 8-Phase Power Design
  5. 2 x SATA Cables
  6. All Premium Gold Capacitors
  7. 1 x Left heatsink and 1 x Top heatsink

Price :

Asrock Z87 Extreme4

ASRock Z87 Extreme4 Socket LGA 1150 Z87 ATX Intel Motherboard

Expansion Slots :

  1. 3 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 runs at x16 Single Mode or x8/x8 Dual Mode or x8/x4/x4 Triple Mode
  2. 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
  3. 2 x Legacy PCI
  4. CrossFire / Quad Crossfire / 3-way Crossfire or SLI / Quad SLI.

Graphics Outputs :

  1. VGA
  2. DVI
  3. HDMI
  4. DisplayPort

SATA :

  1. 6 x SATA III by Intel Controller
  2. 2 x SATA III and 1 x eSATA III by ASmedia ASM1061 Controller

LAN :

  1. Intel® Ethernet Connection I217-V

Audio :

  1. Realtek ALC-1150
  2. 1 x Optical S/PDIF Out

USB :

  1. 2 x USB 3.0 headers (add 4 ports) by ASmedia Controller
  2. 4 x USB 3.0 ports
  3. 3 x USB 2.0 headers (add 6 ports)
  4. 2 x USB 2.0 ports

Fan Connectors :

  1. 2 x Main CPU Fan (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  2. 3 x Chassic Fan Connector (two 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  3. 1 x 3-pin Power Connector

Miscellaneous :

  1. 1 x IR Header
  2. 1 x Serial COM header
  3. 1 x S/PDIF header.
  4. 1 x Dr.Debug LED
  5. 1 x HDMI In
  6. 12-Phase Power Design
  7. 4 x SATA Cables
  8. 1 x SLI
  9. All Premium Gold Capacitors
  10. 1 x Left heatsink and 1 x Top heatsink
  11. Purity Sound microprocessor
  12. 1 x Clear CMOS button

Price :


Asrock Z87 Extreme6

ASRock Z87 EXTREME6 ATX 1150

Expansion Slots :

  1. 3 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 runs at x16 Single Mode or x8/x8 Dual Mode or x8/x4/x4 Triple Mode
  2. 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
  3. 2 x Legacy PCI
  4. 1 x Mini PCI Express
  5. CrossFire / Quad Crossfire / 3-way Crossfire or SLI / Quad SLI.

Graphics Outputs :

  1. DVI
  2. HDMI
  3. DisplayPort

SATA :

  1. 6 x SATA III by Intel Controller
  2. 2 x SATA III and 1 x eSATA III by ASmedia ASM1061 Controller (eSATA shares bandwidth with SATA III port A4)

LAN :

  1. Intel® Ethernet Connection I217-V
  2. Intel® Ethernet Connection i211AT
  3. Both support Teaming Mode

Wireless Connection :

  1. Wireless Dual Band a/b/g/n/ac adapter
  2. Bluetooth 4.0 adapter

Audio :

  1. Realtek ALC-1150
  2. 1 x Optical S/PDIF Out

USB :

  1. 2 x USB 3.0 headers (add 4 ports) 
  2. 4 x USB 3.0 ports by ASmedia Controller
  3. 2 x USB 2.0 headers (add 4 ports)
  4. 2 x USB 2.0 ports
  5. 1 x USB 3.0 Vertical Type A port

Fan Connectors :

  1. 2 x Main CPU Fan (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  2. 3 x Chassic Fan Connector (two 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  3. 1 x 3-pin Power Fan Connector

Miscellaneous :

  1. 1 x IR Header
  2. 1 x Serial COM header
  3. 1 x S/PDIF header.
  4. 1 x HDMI In
  5. 12-Phase Power Design
  6. 6 x SATA Cables
  7. 1 x SLI
  8. 1 x SLI / Crossfire Power Connector
  9. All Premium Gold Capacitors
  10. 1 x Left heatsink and 1 x Top heatsink
  11. Purity Sound microprocessor
  12. 1 x Clear CMOS button
  13. Dual Stack MOSFET
  14. 1 x Read USB Bracket
  15. 1 x Front USB 3.0 Panel with internal mounting bay for 2.5" Drive

Price :


Asrock Z87 Pro3

ASRock Z87 PRO3 LGA 1150 ATX

Expansion Slots :

  1. 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 runs at x16 Mode
  2. 3 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
  3. 2 x Legacy PCI
  4. No CrossFire or SLI supported.

Graphics Outputs :

  1. VGA
  2. DVI
  3. HDMI

SATA :

  1. 6 x SATA III by Intel Controller

LAN :

  1. Intel® Ethernet Connection I217-V

Audio :

  1. Realtek ALC-892
  2. No Optical S/PDIF Out

USB :

  1. 1 x USB 3.0 headers (add 2 ports)
  2. 4 x USB 3.0 ports
  3. 2 x USB 2.0 headers (add 4 ports)
  4. 2 x USB 2.0 ports

Fan Connectors :

  1. 2 x Main CPU Fan (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  2. 2 x Chassic Fan Connector (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)

Miscellaneous :

  1. 1 x IR Header
  2. 1 x Serial COM header
  3. 1 x S/PDIF header.
  4. 4-Phase Power Design
  5. 2 x SATA Cables
  6. All Solid Capacitors
  7. 1 x Top heatsink

Price :


Asrock Z87 Pro4

ASRock Z87 PRO4 ATX LGA 1150

Expansion Slots :

  1. 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 runs at x16 Mode
  2. 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 runs at x4. Reduced to x2 if next two PCIe x1 Slots below is occupied. 
  3. 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
  4. 2 x Legacy PCI
  5. CrossFire or Quad Crossfire.

Graphics Outputs :

  1. VGA
  2. DVI
  3. HDMI

SATA :

  1. 6 x SATA III by Intel Controller

LAN :

  1. Intel® Ethernet Connection I217-V

Audio :

  1. Realtek ALC-892
  2. 1 x Optical S/PDIF Out

USB :

  1. 2 x USB 3.0 headers (add 4 ports) by ASmedia Controller.
  2. 4 x USB 3.0 ports
  3. 2 x USB 2.0 headers (add 4 ports)
  4. 4 x USB 2.0 ports
  5. 1 x USB 3.0 Vertical Type A port

    ASRock Vertical Type A USB

    Example of ASRock Vertical Type A USB Port

Fan Connectors :

  1. 2 x Main CPU Fan (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  2. 2 x Chassic Fan Connector (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  3. 1 x 3-pin Power Connector

Miscellaneous :

  1. 1 x IR Header
  2. 1 x Serial COM header
  3. 1 x TPM header
  4. 1 x S/PDIF header.
  5. 6-Phase Power Design
  6. 2 x SATA Cables
  7. All Premium Gold Capacitors
  8. 1 x Left heatsink

Price :


Asrock Z87 Extreme3

ASRock Z87 Extreme3 LGA 1150 Z87 ATX Intel Motherboard

Expansion Slots :

  1. 2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 runs at x16 Single Mode or x8/x8 Dual Mode
  2. 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
  3. 3 x Legacy PCI
  4. CrossFire / Quad Crossfire or SLI / Quad SLI.

Graphics Outputs :

  1. VGA
  2. DVI
  3. HDMI

SATA :

  1. 6 x SATA III by Intel Controller

LAN :

  1. Intel® Ethernet Connection I217-V

Audio :

  1. Realtek ALC-892
  2. 1 x Optical S/PDIF Out

USB :

  1. 1 x USB 3.0 headers (add 2 ports)
  2. 4 x USB 3.0 ports
  3. 2 x USB 2.0 headers (add 4 ports)
  4. 2 x USB 2.0 ports

Fan Connectors :

  1. 2 x Main CPU Fan (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  2. 3 x Chassic Fan Connector (two 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  3. 1 x 3-pin Power Connector

Miscellaneous :

  1. 1 x IR Header
  2. 1 x Serial COM header
  3. 1 x S/PDIF header.
  4. 8-Phase Power Design
  5. 2 x SATA Cables
  6. All Premium Gold Capacitors
  7. 1 x Left heatsink and 1 x Top heatsink

Price :

Asrock Z87 Extreme4

ASRock Z87 Extreme4 Socket LGA 1150 Z87 ATX Intel Motherboard

Expansion Slots :

  1. 3 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 runs at x16 Single Mode or x8/x8 Dual Mode or x8/x4/x4 Triple Mode
  2. 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
  3. 2 x Legacy PCI
  4. CrossFire / Quad Crossfire / 3-way Crossfire or SLI / Quad SLI.

Graphics Outputs :

  1. VGA
  2. DVI
  3. HDMI
  4. DisplayPort

SATA :

  1. 6 x SATA III by Intel Controller
  2. 2 x SATA III and 1 x eSATA III by ASmedia ASM1061 Controller

LAN :

  1. Intel® Ethernet Connection I217-V

Audio :

  1. Realtek ALC-1150
  2. 1 x Optical S/PDIF Out

USB :

  1. 2 x USB 3.0 headers (add 4 ports) by ASmedia Controller
  2. 4 x USB 3.0 ports
  3. 3 x USB 2.0 headers (add 6 ports)
  4. 2 x USB 2.0 ports

Fan Connectors :

  1. 2 x Main CPU Fan (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  2. 3 x Chassic Fan Connector (two 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  3. 1 x 3-pin Power Connector

Miscellaneous :

  1. 1 x IR Header
  2. 1 x Serial COM header
  3. 1 x S/PDIF header.
  4. 1 x Dr.Debug LED
  5. 1 x HDMI In
  6. 12-Phase Power Design
  7. 4 x SATA Cables
  8. 1 x SLI
  9. All Premium Gold Capacitors
  10. 1 x Left heatsink and 1 x Top heatsink
  11. Purity Sound microprocessor
  12. 1 x Clear CMOS button

Price :


Asrock Z87 Extreme6

ASRock Z87 EXTREME6 ATX 1150

Expansion Slots :

  1. 3 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 runs at x16 Single Mode or x8/x8 Dual Mode or x8/x4/x4 Triple Mode
  2. 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
  3. 2 x Legacy PCI
  4. 1 x Mini PCI Express
  5. CrossFire / Quad Crossfire / 3-way Crossfire or SLI / Quad SLI.

Graphics Outputs :

  1. DVI
  2. HDMI
  3. DisplayPort

SATA :

  1. 6 x SATA III by Intel Controller
  2. 2 x SATA III and 1 x eSATA III by ASmedia ASM1061 Controller (eSATA shares bandwidth with SATA III port A4)

LAN :

  1. Intel® Ethernet Connection I217-V
  2. Intel® Ethernet Connection i211AT
  3. Both support Teaming Mode

Wireless Connection :

  1. Wireless Dual Band a/b/g/n/ac adapter
  2. Bluetooth 4.0 adapter

Audio :

  1. Realtek ALC-1150
  2. 1 x Optical S/PDIF Out

USB :

  1. 2 x USB 3.0 headers (add 4 ports) 
  2. 4 x USB 3.0 ports by ASmedia Controller
  3. 2 x USB 2.0 headers (add 4 ports)
  4. 2 x USB 2.0 ports
  5. 1 x USB 3.0 Vertical Type A port

Fan Connectors :

  1. 2 x Main CPU Fan (one 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  2. 3 x Chassic Fan Connector (two 3-pin and one 4-pin)
  3. 1 x 3-pin Power Fan Connector

Miscellaneous :

  1. 1 x IR Header
  2. 1 x Serial COM header
  3. 1 x S/PDIF header.
  4. 1 x HDMI In
  5. 12-Phase Power Design
  6. 6 x SATA Cables
  7. 1 x SLI
  8. 1 x SLI / Crossfire Power Connector
  9. All Premium Gold Capacitors
  10. 1 x Left heatsink and 1 x Top heatsink
  11. Purity Sound microprocessor
  12. 1 x Clear CMOS button
  13. Dual Stack MOSFET
  14. 1 x Read USB Bracket
  15. 1 x Front USB 3.0 Panel with internal mounting bay for 2.5" Drive

Price :


2. ASROCK Z87 Motherboard Feature Notes :

Premium Gold Caps.

ASRock All Premium Gold Caps

Purity Sound Microprocessor

ASRock Purity Sound

Intel® Ethernet Connection I217-V : A high ESD protection LAN chipset.

Intel® Ethernet Controller I211-AT

TPM Header

Realtek ALC-892 Sound Chipset

These Following Bonuses Are Available to All ASRock Z87 Motherboards :

ASRock A-Tuning : a multi-purpose utility that includes XFAST RAM, Dehumidifier, Good Night LED, FAN-Tastic Tuning, OC Tweaker, etc…

ASRock Instant Flash : An embedded tool in BIOS that can be launched by hitting F6 or F2 during POST. This utility allows you to update the BIOS easily from a removable storage device.

ASRock APP Charger : similar to AI Charger+ on ASUS motherboards, this feature charges your device up to 40% faster than normal. It continues charging even your computer is in Off, Standby, Log Off or Hibernation mode.

ASRock APP Charger

ASRock XFast USB : Speed up data transfer on USB communcation

ASRock XFast LAN : Analyze and prioritize application’s bandwidth or latency on your internet-access network.

ASRock XFast RAM : Automatically stores live cache data onto System Memory to improve application performance as much as 5 times faster than on regular Solid State Drive.

ASRock Crashless BIOS : Automatically finish BIOS Update if it fails the first time due to power loss.

ASRock Crashless BIOS

ASRock OMG (Online Management Guard) : Manage and Restrict Internet Access Time. Stop your kid from watching porn at night (erm..)

ASRock Internet Flash : Automatically download UEFI firmware from ASRock server without entering OS.

ASRock UEFI System Browser : Shows details specs of your system and connected peripheral devices.

ASRock Dehumidifier Function : Reduces motherboard damages due to dampness.

ASRock Easy RAID Installer : Helps copy RAID driver from a CD or USB storage device.

ASRock Interactive UEFI : A super awesome interface system configuration tool with cool sound effects and stunning visuals.

ASRock Fast Boot : Allows system to logon to Windows 8 from a cold boot under 1.5 seconds.

ASRock Restart to UEFI : First World Problem – my computer boots up too fast I can’t go to BIOS. This feature allows computer boots directly to UEFI BIOS.

Asrock Restart to UEFI

ASRock On/Off Play Technology : Blasting music even when your computer is Off

ASRock Good Night LED : Switches off Power/HDD/Keyboard LEDs even when computer is On. Totally helps your girlfriends sleep a lot better at night.

ASRock USB Key : Automatically logon to Windows without the need to enter Username and Password by plugging in an encrypted USB drive.

ASRock Home Cloud : Remote-wakes and controls your computer whenever you are via internet-accessible smart device.

ASRock Home Cloud

ASRock FAN-Tastic Tuning : Apply up to 5 auto preset fan speeds at different temperature threshold.

ASRock Easy Driver Installer : No optical drive to install drivers? No worry. UEFI automatically installs LAN drive to the OS via an USB storage device and proceeds to download and install the rest of other drivers.  (I wonder why not just download everything onto an USB device in the first place. Oh well. )

It would be great, right ?

Staff-Pick Promo Codes

*These discount codes are shared by Glitch Deals Hero, our sister site from another neanderthal great grandfather twice removed.

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