Asrock Z77 pro4-m motherboard sata 3 connectors.

[jpk1080]

Hello. i recently picked up this motherboard and have an ssd as my primary drive. does anyone know offhand which sata ports are the intel z77 sata 3 6 gps ports. there are 6 i believe with the two on the left, the black ones, being sata 2. i just want to make sure i'm using the right ports. the performance i'm getting from my ssd isn't bad, but not quite what it should be. i'd feel better knowing i'm at least using the right ports. thank you.

[highcountryrider]

I'm sure you've gotten an answer or figured it out by now but I'm pretty sure that the Intel SATA 3 ports are SATA 3_0_1, the middle 2 ports on the six connector module.


I'm looking pretty seriously at this MB. Any feedback as to how reliable it is, memory compatibility, etc.? I'm planning on using a i5-3570K with it.

[parsec]

You're right, those are the Intel ports. You are brilliant for reading the manual, which can be downloaded and is included with the board. Reading the manual is very cool and smart, I cannot believe the number of questions in this forum that could be answered, like this one, by simply looking at the manual. It would take less time than creating a thread.

If the Pro 4 is anything like the Extreme 4, it will be a great board. Memory compatibility is always an issue with all modern boards and CPUs, you just can't pick your favorite memory, you must check the QVL or Compatibility list. IMO, the EX 4 is a little more forgiving than some other boards regarding memory compatibility, but you still need to have a matching model number, if not the speed too.

[highcountryrider]

Agree with you about downloading the manual. They are available for almost anything you might be thinking about purchasing and really have much more information than the description/details shown on the online retail sites like Newegg, etc. Of course, they can also be very poorly written but at least you will have more information to base a decision on. One of the best things you can usually find in the manual will be the full dimension specs and that can be critical when planning your system build.

The Pro4-M is about $30 cheaper than the Extreme4-M and doesn't add much to what my intended use would be. I'm planning on using a SilverStone Temjin Series TJ08B-E computer case and this board will fit just fine. One of my concerns with this board/memory/case combo is using memory sticks with high heatsinks like GSkill Ripjaws. I would prefer using 2 x 4GB of GSkill's Ares series but can't find any that are listed on the ASRock site for this board. This is kind of critical because I plan on using a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU cooler and DIMM slot 1 might be blocked if I use the Ripjaws memory. That means I would have to use DIMM slots 2 and 4 but there is a concern about slot 4's clearance from the HDD cage in the Temjin TJO8-E. Below is a quickie PS mockup of the Temjin case and the ASRock Z77 Pro4-M board.


As usual, so many things to consider when executing a build but I guess that is part of the fun!

[parsec]

Given your CPU cooler, you will likely be Ok with clearance. It also depends on which way you mount it. I clearance will be an issue, get some low profile memory, since the big heatsinks on memory is really all for looks. An alternative would be the new Samsung memory, which seems to be compatible with any board you use it with, it is amazing in that respect. It has no heatsink/cover at all, and gives new meaning to low profile. I use it in my EX 4 and it works great. You can find it on Newegg, it's the only Samsung memory they stock for DDR3 desktop boards.

Yes, manuals can be poorly written (translated) but they don't label the various I/O ports incorrectly, and can answer basic questions quickly.

[highcountryrider]

Thanks for the tip on the Samsung memory. I've never used Samsung and I don't know much about OCing memory but the size is great! If I can get the timings to 1866MHz, 9-9-9-24 1T 1.35V as listed by some of the reviewers on Newegg that would be perfect. Time to do some research on OCing memory!

[parsec]

Guess what, I've run the Samsung memory on my EX 4 at just the settings you mentioned. FYI, this Samsung memory does not have the XMP profile populated with data, as most other memory does. You simply set it manually, which is fine. I've had it at 2000, 9 9 9 24 1T, at 1.35V. The most amazing thing about that is the 1.35V setting. The default settings are pretty loose, and the first time you use it I would just let it start at whatever it and your board wants it to. After you're sure the PC starts, etc, then go in and set it as you like. It will run fine and safely at 1.5V, so if you need to set it at 1.5V, do so.

Another thing I've seen is CPUz shows slightly different JEDEC data than in the specs and what other programs show. CPUz shows 1.28V for some settings. Could be a bug in it, or something in the memory, since it is kind of a rebel as memory goes. I've used it in two different boards, with different CPUs, and it just works fine. BTW, I got it easily running at 2000, 9 9 9 24 1T, at 1.35V, using 16GB, four 4GB DIMMs. That is with unmatched sets, one 8GB kit and two single 4GB DIMMs combined. Can you imagine what matched sets could do?