ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 Review

Conclusions are difficult to draw when you only have two data points.  My conclusions on the first FM2 motherboard I tested were primarily a comparison between a dual core Ivy Bridge processor and the A10-5800K Trinity processor used in the FM2 reviews.  But with both the ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 and the ASUS F2A85-V Pro tested, we can draw some conclusions about the FM2 motherboard market.

The ASRock board is aimed squarely at the middle of the pack for FM2-A85X motherboards, sitting near the cheaper side of middle in the $80 to $140 range at $100.  This means the ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 is $40 less than the ASUS F2A85-V Pro board, which actually takes up the role as the most expensive FM2 motherboard on Newegg at the time of writing.  Despite this, the ASRock motherboard seems to trade blows with the ASUS motherboard in terms of performance quite well.

The ASRock motherboard seems to enjoy the gaming side of our testing suite more than the ASUS motherboard did, but in comparison the ASUS motherboard did outperform in all single-threaded tasks.  The two motherboards at the high level read very similarly in terms of output hardware, both having four video outputs and the chipset requirements of SATA ports.  The ASUS gives us another USB 3.0 controller, the ALC892 audio codec and the 8111F NIC - in turn, the ASRock board gives an ASMedia USB 3.0 controller, the better ALC898 audio codec but the 8111E NIC.  Both products offered similar extras in the box.

The main disparity between the ASRock and the ASUS boards will be base design, with ASUS often taking a more pragmatic view to power delivery and fan controls.  In terms of what the user will actually see and feel, the extra money spent on the ASUS gives the better software package, often a smidge more compatibility (though that is not directly testable without every bit of hardware ever), better fan controls and if forums would have you believe, perhaps a smoother RMA experience.  Despite all this, as a plug and play board, the ASRock FM2A85X is much more cost effective, just don't expect much from manual overclocking on the BIOS at the time of testing (P1.50).

In order for ASRock to break into the top tier of motherboard manufacturers, they have to show that their products are more than just cheaper alternatives to the top end competition.  While ASRock do try and offer innovation (nice BIOS, features like Internet BIOS Flash in the BIOS and system dehumidifier), there needs to be a ground up redesign of how they attack the markets which sell the most motherboards, and targeting both system integrators and end users with products they really need. 

The ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 fills a hole that is ASRock shaped in the FM2 market around $100, but there is nothing new and exciting to be seen.  I have tested almost every motherboard company available at retail in almost all chipsets, and rather than aggressively targeting consumers, there is a general zeitgeist at this end of the market of having a price competitive board at every point, rather than something that can wow consumers in terms of feature set.  If you need a Trinity board and have $100 to spend, this motherboard is a good consideration, but until I get a few more FM2 boards tested, I cannot say for sure if it beats the rest of its nearby competition.  Stay tuned…