Question 1

I am attempting to use a 256GB Samsung SM951 as a boot drive via the Ultra M.2 connection. Windows 10 says it is not able to install on this device because the hardware may not support it. It said to check that the controller was on. I have updated the BIOS to the most recent version (1.30) and I tried every different BIOS configuration I could think of regarding the storage management. Am I missing something? Not sure why this won't work other than a possible oversight by ASRock not including support for this in either the origional BIOS or the BIOS update. Please Help!

Accepted Answer

I'm not really sure what the difference between the extreme6 and the extreme6/3.1 other than the additional USB 3.1 add-on card. The BIOS on the regular extreme6 is actually up to 2.30 and had some optimization on their m.2 slots already. maybe this board is still new and they haven't given it some love yet... Personally, I have the extreme9 and the exact same PCIe SSD and I was able to get windows 8.1 installed relatively painless. That being said, there are a couple of things to look for. It's good that your BIOS had picked up the SSD, at least we know at the hardware level this is working. Make sure that you're setting the boot to UEFI, but I'm pretty sure that's the default. when you get to the install menu where you get to choose what drive to install to, does the SSD show up? If so, you might have to format the drive first to get the installer to recognize it as a usable drive.

Question 2

Will this AsRock 6 board accommodate an optical drive or two?

Accepted Answer

Yes.  You have 10 SATA ports therefore you have the ability for a mixture of HDs and Optical Drives.  Your case is probably more of a limiting factor than the MB on this issue but if you're getting this size of board, I assume you'll be fine on that front.  I have two DVD burners connected to mine - I say for efficiency - but honestly, just b/c I had them laying around.  Both work great.

Question 3

Does this board support 4th Generation CPUs?

Accepted Answer

The web info said it did but the board I received did not have an updated BIOS that would support my 4th Gen i7.
The BIOS was at v1.0.
I contacted support and they basically said I had two options either use an older generation processor or send the board back to be updated.
I returned the board for a refund.

Question 4

For a gaming computer:

Intel 17 4790 K processor
2x  R9 390 video cards
Samsung M2 3 x 4 256 Gb SSD using the ASRock M2 Ultra slot

Is it a waste to use the M2 3x4 SSD with this set up if I have 2xR9 390 GPUs, assuming the GPUs will use all the Express Lanes?

The goal is to maximize the gaming experience. Should I forget the M2 SSD and just stick with a SATA III SSD

Accepted Answer

The I7-4790K has 16 lanes. Your first GPU takes all 16, when you place the second one in they both begin to use only 8 lanes. There will be essentially no performance hit to adding an M.2 SSD. You could drop as low as 4 lanes and you should not even notice a difference.

Full disclosure: I admit this is from my own experience and testing, and some research from when I was in high school. So may memory has most likely degraded. Do a little research but I am fairly sure/confident in my answer.

You can see how many lanes the I7 has at Intel's website called ARK. It does have 16 lanes though.

Brand	ASRock
Model	Z97 Extreme6/3.1

CPU Socket Type	LGA 1150
CPU Type	Xeon / Core i7 / i5 / i3 / Pentium / Celeron (LGA1150)
Supported CPU Technologies	Turbo Boost Technology 2.0

Number of Memory Slots	4x240pin
Memory Standard	DDR3 3200+(OC)/ 2933/ 2800/ 2400/ 2133/ 1866*/ 1600/ 1333/ 1066
Maximum Memory Supported	32GB
Channel Supported	Dual Channel

PCI Express 3.0 x16	2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slots (PCIE2/PCIE4: single at x16 (PCIE2); dual at x8 (PCIE2) / x8 (PCIE4))
PCI Express 2.0 x16	1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (PCIE5: x2 mode)
PCI Express x1	2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slots * If M2_1 slot is occupied, PCIE2 slot will run at x8 mode, and PCIE4 slot will run at x4 mode.
Mini Card Slots	1 x mini-PCI Express Slot * mini-PCI Express slot is shared with PCIE3 slot.

Serial ATA (SATA)	6 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors by Intel Z97, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel Rapid Storage Technology 13 and Intel Smart Response Technology), NCQ, AHCI, Hot Plug and ASRock HDD Saver Technology 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors by ASMedia ASM1061, support NCQ, AHCI, Hot Plug and ASRock HDD Saver Technology* * SATA3_A4 connector is shared with the eSATA port.
SATA Express	1 x SATA Express 10 Gb/s Connector (shared with SATA3_4, SATA3_5 and M.2 Socket (M2_2)) Support to be announced. The M.2 Socket (M2_2), SATA3_4, SATA3_5 and SATA Express share lanes. If either one of them is in use, the others will be disabled.
M.2	1 x Ultra M.2 Socket (M2_1), supports M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s) 1 x M.2_SSD (NGFF) Socket 3 (M2_2), supports M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen2 x2 (10 Gb/s)

ASRock Z97 Extreme6/3.1 LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Learn more about the ASRock Z97 Extreme6/3.1

Customer Reviews of the ASRock Z97 Extreme6/3.1

Warranty & Returns

Warranty, Returns, And Additional Information

Warranty

Return Policies

Manufacturer Contact Info

LAN Chipset	Intel I218V
Second LAN Chipset	Realtek RTL8111GR
Max LAN Speed	2 x 1Gbps

PS/2	1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port
Video Ports	1 x DVI-I Port
HDMI	1 x HDMI
RJ45	2 x RJ-45 LAN Ports with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED)
DisplayPort	1 x DisplayPort 1.2
USB 3.1	ASRock USB 3.1/A+C: 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)) 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
USB 3.0	2 x USB 3.0 Ports (ASMedia ASM1042AE) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)) 4 x USB 3.0 Ports (Intel Z97) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
eSATA	1 x eSATA Connector
S/PDIF Out	1 x Optical
Audio Ports	HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone

Onboard USB	2 x USB 2.0 Headers (support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection)) 1 x Vertical Type A USB 2.0 2 x USB 3.0 Headers (support 4 USB 3.0 ports) (Supports ESD Protection (ASRock Full Spike Protection))
Other Connectors	1 x COM Port Header 1 x TPM Header 1 x Power LED Header 2 x CPU Fan Connectors (1 x 4-pin, 1 x 3-pin) 3 x Chassis Fan Connectors (1 x 4-pin, 2 x 3-pin) 1 x Power Fan Connector (3-pin) 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector) 1 x HDD Saver Connector 1 x PCIe Power Connector 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector 1 x Thunderbolt AIC Connector 1 x Dr. Debug with LED 1 x Power Switch with LED 1 x Reset Switch with LED 1 x BIOS Selection Switch

Onboard Audio
Audio Chipset	Realtek ALC1150
Audio Channels	7.1 Channels

Physical Spec
Form Factor	ATX
Power Pin	24 Pin

Item#: N82E16813157602