ASROCK Z270 Ex treme4

Www.asrock.com $150

This is one of the cheaper boards in this test, but packs plenty of features and performance. Styling isn’t its strong suit, but it’s a step up from the Pro4 thanks to a matt finish to its PCB, more extensive plastic shrouding, and RGB lighting. Something I’m less keen on is the backplate IO, which has just four USB 3.0 ports, no USB type-C and too many legacy video connections—who needs DVI, HDMI and VGA on a board like this?

Otherwise the Extreme4 has a good all round selection of features, with a layout that’s easy to work with. The two M.2 slots are easy to reach while all the fan headers and other connections are conveniently arranged around the edges. Some of the on-PCB labeling of those features is a bit hard to read but you can get by.

What’s more, the UEFI of this motherboard is great. It’s nothing too fancy but it’s logically laid out and easy to get overclocking.

Not that I quite reached my target of 5GHz for overclocking. The CPU wouldn’t go beyond 4.9GHz through basic multiplier and Vcore adjustment. It was also quite power hungry once overclocked.

Overall, though, this board offers plenty and is well worth considering, if rear IO isn’t your biggest priority.