The next generation Intel processor seem is around the corner and ASRock take this opportunity to unveil its smallest socket LGA 1151 motherboard, the Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac. The board is based on Intel’s new Z170 Express chipset and supports 6th generation Core “Skylake” processors, with DDR4 memory support.
The motherboard need to draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, and conditions it for the CPU using an 8-phase VRM. The CPU is wired to two standard-size DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory; and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The connectivity on the Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac includes six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, one SATA Express 16 Gb/s, roundup up the storage. Besides that, Intel-made gigabit Ethernet and 802.11ac with Bluetooth 4.0 making up the networking and 6-channel HD audio.
Surprisingly, ASRock includes a USB Type-C, seven USB 3.0, one P/S 2 port, two HDMI ports, one optical port and one display port. Apparently, the motherboard has three fan connector instead of the usual two ports only and this will be a huge benefit to most of the users that require a lot of case fan in their PC.
The price and availability for the motherboard will be unveils soon because the official release date for Skylake processor still a mystery at the moment.
