Skylake-Based Z170 Gaming Mini ITX Motherboard

Can I please ask if any GA-Z170N Gaming 5 owners find the manual misleading in that it shows a motherboard schematic which details an "Intel Thunderbolt 3 Controller" IC. Do you think this suggest the board has Thunderbolt 3 or not?. Gigabyte support seem to think that its OK to have this in the manual but specify the board without Thunderbolt 3, IMHO this is utter nonsense and misrepresents the product. whether or not it's a typo it should have been sense checked and vetted prior to publishing and release.

Thanks
 
Does anyone know if offset mode works for the Asrock ITX Gaming mobo? It seems the vcore is very sporadic for me and sometimes doesn't change voltage when i'm stability testing.
 
brams said:
Can I please ask if any GA-Z170N Gaming 5 owners find the manual misleading in that it shows a motherboard schematic which details an "Intel Thunderbolt 3 Controller" IC. Do you think this suggest the board has Thunderbolt 3 or not?. Gigabyte support seem to think that its OK to have this in the manual but specify the board without Thunderbolt 3, IMHO this is utter nonsense and misrepresents the product. whether or not it's a typo it should have been sense checked and vetted prior to publishing and release.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Nope, the manual is actually correct at this point because they used a thunderbolt "Alpine Ridge" chip for USB 3.0/1 connectivity.
Standard performance for USB 3.0/3.1 is a maximum of 10Ggps, using an Intel Thunderbolt DSLxxx chip gives you a little advantage over standard because you (theoretically) have 16Gbps speed available.
Another point is the long certification process for thunderbolt 3 - you need compatible chips on your boards in order to apply for this verification; everything else would be complete nonsense.

And yes, if they get their certification for another Gigabyte board, you will be able to use it with TB3. No hurry atm because there's no TB3-peripherals out there, will start around end of the year/start of the new year.

I will pick up my Z170N Gaming 5 board from the postal office in about 2 hours; will check it out tonight to verify manual and web rumors :)
.. still waiting for my 6700k :eek:
 
Notting said:
Nope, the manual is actually correct at this point because they used a thunderbolt "Alpine Ridge" chip for USB 3.0/1 connectivity.
Standard performance for USB 3.0/3.1 is a maximum of 10Ggps, using an Intel Thunderbolt DSLxxx chip gives you a little advantage over standard because you (theoretically) have 16Gbps speed available.
Another point is the long certification process for thunderbolt 3 - you need compatible chips on your boards in order to apply for this verification; everything else would be complete nonsense.

And yes, if they get their certification for another Gigabyte board, you will be able to use it with TB3. No hurry atm because there's no TB3-peripherals out there, will start around end of the year/start of the new year.

I will pick up my Z170N Gaming 5 board from the postal office in about 2 hours; will check it out tonight to verify manual and web rumors :)
.. still waiting for my 6700k :eek:
Click to expand...

Hi Notting,

Thanks for the input, you've been waiting for a long time for the CPU?

Well good luck with the Gaming 5. I'd welcome your opinion on it vs. the ASUS Impact VIII. I've not got the ASUS to compare it to but I have to say that I think that mine OK as it is is nowhere near as polished as anything I've used by ASUS (my last being a P8P67-M-Pro).

I need Thunderbolt as I want to get rid of my Mac mini and I have a couple of Drobos with Thunderbolt 1 & 2, no adapters or cables yet but they say there will be coming.

If you had in mind trying to incorporate the TB modules into the G5 BIOS everything related to TB3 seems to be in volume 2 of the BIOS image. I've made a BIOS image up using pieces from GA-Z170-D3H (which has TB3 support in the BIOS) which is also a 64 Mbit image as is the G5. I have not flashed it yet as I have fried my SPI programmer trying to unbrick a DSL modem.......

BTW you'll have to play with the power saving features in the BIOS on the G5 when you get it, at least I did, it wont power on if left off for a while. The BIOS / platform still seems buggy to me.
 
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brams said:
Hi Notting,

Thanks for the input, you've been waiting for a long time for the CPU?

Well good luck with the Gaming 5. I'd welcome your opinion on it vs. the ASUS Impact VIII. I've not got the ASUS to compare it to but I have to say that I think that mine OK as it is is nowhere near as polished as anything I've used by ASUS (my last being a P8P67-M-Pro).

I need Thunderbolt as I want to get rid of my Mac mini and I have a couple of Drobos with Thunderbolt 1 & 2, no adapters or cables yet but they say there will be coming.

If you had in mind trying to incorporate the TB modules into the G5 BIOS everything related to TB3 seems to be in volume 2 of the BIOS image. I've made a BIOS image up using pieces from GA-Z170-D3H (which has TB3 support in the BIOS) which is also a 64 Mbit image as is the G5. I have not flashed it yet as I have fried my SPI programmer trying to unbrick a DSL modem.......

BTW you'll have to play with the power saving features in the BIOS on the G5 when you get it, at least I did, it wont power on if left off for a while. The BIOS / platform still seems buggy to me.
Click to expand...

So Gigabyte have reprinted the manual for the GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 they are now calling the Thunderbolt 3 / Alpine Ridge chip a USB 3.1 Controller.........
 
brams said:
So Gigabyte have reprinted the manual for the GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 they are now calling the Thunderbolt 3 / Alpine Ridge chip a USB 3.1 Controller.........
Click to expand...

it does not actually matter how they call it in the manual..
the only standalone chip for USB 3.1 from Intel is a Thunderbolt chip, it's a Intel® DSL6540 Thunderbolt™ 3 Controller on the Z170N Gaming 5 mainboard, the same chip as used on the Impact VIII.

btw. "Intel USB 3.1. chip" has been used on all mainboards with Alpine Ridge chip "USB 3.1 with 16Gbps speed" until the manufacturer got their certification for Thunderbolt 3 - just like the additional three Gigabyte full ATX mainboards which got their "Thunderbolt 3" label just recently.
 
Hello, I got an ASRock Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac and I'm facing issues with the HDMI 2.0 output when used at full resolution: flickers, short dropouts, and even full signal loss after fiddling with HDMI audio. I tried with 3 different cables so I'm fairly confident it's not the cause.

There's improvement with the latest MegaChips firmware but it's still not 100% stable.

Is there any mini-ITX or µATX alternative that doesn't cost $450? I need HDMI 2.0 and an M.2 connector.
 
Regarding HDMI 2.0 on mITX, that is the only board supporting it right now. µATX i'm not sure, but at least i've heard of no boards. Apart, from that, your issues are weird. Does your monitor even support HDMI 2.0.? Most only do 4K60 on displayport, so I advise using that if your screen has it. If it's a TV which has no DP but HDMI 2.0. first check that all cables you tried are high quality (HDMI 2.0. certified) then RMA your board and see whether the replacement works... (EDIT: You could also try to use a different HDMI port if your screen has multiple)
 
It's a Samsung UHD TV, sadly with only one input supporting 4K at 60Hz 4:4:4.

I strongly believe it's related to the MegaChips firmware since I've seen a very clear improvement with the upgrade. I guess I'll try to contact ASRock...
 
henry_ said:
It's a Samsung UHD TV, sadly with only one input supporting 4K at 60Hz 4:4:4.

I strongly believe it's related to the MegaChips firmware since I've seen a very clear improvement with the upgrade. I guess I'll try to contact ASRock...
Click to expand...

I have had so many issues with the Asrock board. It started out fine but suddenly the hdmi signal flickered and went black. After that the computer would power up and the fans spin but no signal.

After hours of troubleshooting I swallowed my pride and left it to a computer firm for evaluation. They told me the CPU was faulty and I got myself a new 6700k.

Works awesome for one day then the same issues started occurring. I tried with an ASUS gtx 970 and at first I got a video signal showing all kinds of weird BSODs. But after a couple of restarts it went black.

Went back to the technician responsible at the computer firm and they found the new cpu broken as well. After some extended testing they concluded that the motherboard was somehow frying the poor skylakes.

Going to send this mobo from hell right back to Asrock. Too bad, really liked the feature sets and now I'm uncertain whether I should try a new fatal1ty board or go with another manufacturer.
 
Can anyone with the Asrock Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac tell me what your RAM voltage is showing up as? I set mine to 1.35 but it's showing 1.40 in HWInfo, HWMonitor, and HWMonitor within BIOS.
 
zlo said:
I have had so many issues with the Asrock board. It started out fine but suddenly the hdmi signal flickered and went black. After that the computer would power up and the fans spin but no signal.

After hours of troubleshooting I swallowed my pride and left it to a computer firm for evaluation. They told me the CPU was faulty and I got myself a new 6700k.

Works awesome for one day then the same issues started occurring. I tried with an ASUS gtx 970 and at first I got a video signal showing all kinds of weird BSODs. But after a couple of restarts it went black.

Went back to the technician responsible at the computer firm and they found the new cpu broken as well. After some extended testing they concluded that the motherboard was somehow frying the poor skylakes.

Going to send this mobo from hell right back to Asrock. Too bad, really liked the feature sets and now I'm uncertain whether I should try a new fatal1ty board or go with another manufacturer.
Click to expand...


Darn...

everything is stock too?

I have a couple of Asrock boards from the Haskell era and they have been solid...previously did gigabytes and MSI. Was hoping Asrock was coming into their own as a manufacturer...
 
caycep said:
Darn...

everything is stock too?

I have a couple of Asrock boards from the Haskell era and they have been solid...previously did gigabytes and MSI. Was hoping Asrock was coming into their own as a manufacturer...
Click to expand...

Yes, never got the chance to overclock. After some extensive googling I've found others with similar experience but also a lot of very satisfied customers. If I can get a speedy replacement I think I'll give the asrock board another try. (As long as they keep replacing any dead 6700k.)

Looking around on newegg, Amazon and a couple of European sites people actually seem more satisfied with the asrock board than for example ASUS z170i pro gaming (which would be my second choice).
 
Hanakuso said:
Can anyone with the Asrock Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac tell me what your RAM voltage is showing up as? I set mine to 1.35 but it's showing 1.40 in HWInfo, HWMonitor, and HWMonitor within BIOS.
Click to expand...

Here's a screenshot of my H/W Monitor (ASRock Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac). Using 2x16GB 2666 Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM. The only change I've made is to enable the 2666 profile (after first inserting the RAM it defaults to 2133):

ZiTfjCH.jpg
 
Thank you so much! You didn't manually set the RAM voltage? If you did, what is it at?

I think tomorrow is my last day to do an exchange/return. I just don't want to do that if it's just a glitch or all them are reporting the same thing.
Prizm4 said:
Here's a screenshot of my H/W Monitor (ASRock Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac). Using 2x16GB 2666 Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM. The only change I've made is to enable the 2666 profile (after first inserting the RAM it defaults to 2133):

ZiTfjCH.jpg
Click to expand...
 
I didn't manually change anything. All I did was hit the button to enable the 2666 profile for the ram. I'm not at home atm, so can't check the actual setting.
 
Hanakuso said:
Thank you so much! You didn't manually set the RAM voltage? If you did, what is it at?

I think tomorrow is my last day to do an exchange/return. I just don't want to do that if it's just a glitch or all them are reporting the same thing.
Click to expand...
Mine is the same. It's just how it is. Set to 1.2 auto and it shows 1.28.
 
My Asrock board bluescreened under Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 with recent updates because of the WLAN/Bluetooth card. I bought and Intel card to fix it.

"Supports Windows 10", well...

This board has been a nightmare, next time I'll wait for Asus.

Also RAM didn't work properly without a BIOS update (causing bluescreens), also had to install chipset driver etc or it would hang, any other board I had had no problems with the drivers that came with Windows (at least not such grave problems to freeze and bluescreen every 5 mins).
 
Thanks for the replies. I didn't see them until now and I already made an exchange. The new board still has the same "overvolting" but it's about half of what it used to be.
 
freigeist said:
My Asrock board bluescreened under Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 with recent updates because of the WLAN/Bluetooth card. I bought and Intel card to fix it.

"Supports Windows 10", well...

This board has been a nightmare, next time I'll wait for Asus.

Also RAM didn't work properly without a BIOS update (causing bluescreens), also had to install chipset driver etc or it would hang, any other board I had had no problems with the drivers that came with Windows (at least not such grave problems to freeze and bluescreen every 5 mins).
Click to expand...


Hm, wonder if it is all toothing problems w/ the BIOS.

I suppose newegg reviews are not the best way to gauge these things but seems like there are all glitchy things with the ITX candidates:

Gigabyte GA170N-Wifi: VRM overheats, CPU throttles under load

Gigabyte GA170N-gaming: using the Qualcomm Atheros NIC instead of intel

Asrock: good feature set but electrical and BIOS issues?

Asus 170I: glitchy wifi, bluetooth, SATA, posting issues?

Asus ROG: expensive.

Hopefully a lot of this is BIOS/UEFI glitches and just a new platform shaking off bugs...
 
I still have mixed feelings about the Asrock ITX. The first arrived with the wifi connectors bent back so I assumed the box had been dropped and returned it.

The second was the same so I went ahead and built with a 6700K and installed windows. All was fine until I got round to installing the HDMI update (the version before the one on the website now). After power on I noticed images in web pages were corrupted but on the next reboot it wouldn't post at all so I first assumed a dead m/b.

I then tried an Asus ITX but that wouldn't post either (CPU LED on) so had to RMA the CPU and swapped the m/b for good measure for my third Asrock. Windows installed smoothly (onto a 950 pro) but haven't risked overlocking yet and the RAM is still at 2133 - so keeping fingers crossed as it's a nice board but I'm nervous!
 
jwsg said:
I still have mixed feelings about the Asrock ITX. The first arrived with the wifi connectors bent back so I assumed the box had been dropped and returned it.

The second was the same so I went ahead and built with a 6700K and installed windows. All was fine until I got round to installing the HDMI update (the version before the one on the website now). After power on I noticed images in web pages were corrupted but on the next reboot it wouldn't post at all so I first assumed a dead m/b.

I then tried an Asus ITX but that wouldn't post either (CPU LED on) so had to RMA the CPU and swapped the m/b for good measure for my third Asrock. Windows installed smoothly (onto a 950 pro) but haven't risked overlocking yet and the RAM is still at 2133 - so keeping fingers crossed as it's a nice board but I'm nervous!
Click to expand...

Maybe we should start a specific thread for the Asrock mobo where we can share our experiences and solutions! I've been lurking on this forum for years but I'm still too green to pull it off in style :) only registered to share my asrock trauma.
 
jwsg said:
I still have mixed feelings about the Asrock ITX. The first arrived with the wifi connectors bent back so I assumed the box had been dropped and returned it.

The second was the same so I went ahead and built with a 6700K and installed windows. All was fine until I got round to installing the HDMI update (the version before the one on the website now). After power on I noticed images in web pages were corrupted but on the next reboot it wouldn't post at all so I first assumed a dead m/b.

I then tried an Asus ITX but that wouldn't post either (CPU LED on) so had to RMA the CPU and swapped the m/b for good measure for my third Asrock. Windows installed smoothly (onto a 950 pro) but haven't risked overlocking yet and the RAM is still at 2133 - so keeping fingers crossed as it's a nice board but I'm nervous!
Click to expand...

My first had bent Wifi connectors and after it could be the culprit that trashed my 6700K I realized it had slightly bent pins too. Second had broken graphics card holder, but I fortunately saw it at the store. Then after my first one came back from rejected RMA by my Retailer (he had rejected taking it back and sent it in) I got RMA directly from Asrock (payed shipping both abck and fourth though) this one is working after a BIOS upgrade and switching the Wifi/Bluetooth card with an intel one. Unfortunately I "only" have a i7 6700 now since the 6700K is nowhere in stock. Hoping I can get my 6700K refunded... although I don't expect much from this greedy retailers...
 
freigeist said:
My first had bent Wifi connectors and after it could be the culprit that trashed my 6700K I realized it had slightly bent pins too. Second had broken graphics card holder, but I fortunately saw it at the store. Then after my first one came back from rejected RMA by my Retailer (he had rejected taking it back and sent it in) I got RMA directly from Asrock (payed shipping both abck and fourth though) this one is working after a BIOS upgrade and switching the Wifi/Bluetooth card with an intel one. Unfortunately I "only" have a i7 6700 now since the 6700K is nowhere in stock. Hoping I can get my 6700K refunded... although I don't expect much from this greedy retailers...
Click to expand...

Which wifi/bt card from Intel did you go for?
 
zlo said:
Which wifi/bt card from Intel did you go for?
Click to expand...

-->Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260

I just took the one available at my local shop since I could return it if it had the same problems. When I popped this one in it worked with the Standard drivers that come with Windows and --> no more bluescreens
 
freigeist said:
-->Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260

I just took the one available at my local shop since I could return it if it had the same problems. When I popped this one in it worked with the Standard drivers that come with Windows and --> no more bluescreens
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

I seriously think it's quite infuriating that Asrock don't publicly adress the issue with their motherboard possibly destroying CPUs. They should warn people or at least give a recommendation to stand by until they have found out what's going on. Unless ofcourse this is a classical case of "all the dissatisfied customers write their anger off on the forums and all the happy ones remain quiet."
 
zlo said:
Thanks for the info.

I seriously think it's quite infuriating that Asrock don't publicly adress the issue with their motherboard possibly destroying CPUs. They should warn people or at least give a recommendation to stand by until they have found out what's going on. Unless ofcourse this is a classical case of "all the dissatisfied customers write their anger off on the forums and all the happy ones remain quiet."
Click to expand...

I must say mine is working properly. Except some Bios Crash if I spend too much time in it, the mobo works perfectly. I've tried Wifi, Ethernet, Memory Ram and CPU OCing, Fan control (both PWM and Voltage control) and everything works fine.
 
SHwoKing said:
I must say mine is working properly. Except some Bios Crash if I spend too much time in it, the mobo works perfectly. I've tried Wifi, Ethernet, Memory Ram and CPU OCing, Fan control (both PWM and Voltage control) and everything works fine.
Click to expand...

Thank you for bringing hope :)
 
What MSI Z170I Gaming Pro? Has its downsides, like the luck of a USB Type-C connector or only 60 mm M.2 port (however, there should soon be such drives available), but besides those, it is a really strong offering.

Edit: I mean 60mm M.2 PCIe drives, because there are some M.2 SATA ones available now.
 
Those two things are specifically what eliminate it from being an option for most people.

If it lacked one or the other, it would be more acceptable, but lacking both is a point of contention.
 
My Intel 6700K and Samsung 950 Pro are still waiting for a mini-itx board that supports M.2 and Thunderbolt 3. Turns out to be a very long wait :(
 
60mm M.2 PCIe should come sooner or later. Then, only the lack of an USB Type-C connector or the TB3 interface will persist. Its advantages are Intel NIC and WiFi/BT card. It also has a pretty good layout (no front USB connector in the middle of the board, which is the case on GB motherboards).
 
I wouldn't put too much faith in the 2260 M.2 format, most current M.2 SSD manufacturers have been focussing on 2280 and 22110. Most (m)ATX boards support these formats and most mITX boards support 2280 mainly.
 
I finished my ITX gaming build over Thanksgiving week, using the Asus Z170i Pro Gaming, you can see more here: http://pcpartpicker.com/b/wPr7YJ

I chose that board mostly because I wanted two chassis fan connectors, when most ITX boards only have one.

The v701 BIOS update came out on Tuesday 24th, and it sounds like it solved several of the issues reported with the board, including the Wifi problem. I'm very happy with it, but I haven't had time to try overclocking yet.
 
Owen S said:
I finished my ITX gaming build over Thanksgiving week, using the Asus Z170i Pro Gaming, you can see more here: http://pcpartpicker.com/b/wPr7YJ

I chose that board mostly because I wanted two chassis fan connectors, when most ITX boards only have one.

The v701 BIOS update came out on Tuesday 24th, and it sounds like it solved several of the issues reported with the board, including the Wifi problem. I'm very happy with it, but I haven't had time to try overclocking yet.
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Do you have to depend on Asrock for "custom" audio drivers for their "supremeFX" stuff or will the standard realtek ones work?
 
caycep said:
Do you have to depend on Asrock for "custom" audio drivers for their "supremeFX" stuff or will the standard realtek ones work?
Click to expand...

You mean Asus? I don't know for sure, but looks like they have Realtek drivers for download on their website, so I'd assume they're standard.
 
JMonkeYJ said:
Thanks for that. An interesting quote regarding my issue:


The driver ASUS provides for the WiFi module is still a Qualcomm driver. I wonder if my issue is that I'm trying to use a Qualcomm driver with a Broadcom module. Does anyone know how to check if I have the Broadcom module?
Click to expand...

I can confirm that my board comes with a Qualcomm wifi card.
 
I also received an ASRock Z170 Gaming ITX board with a bent WiFi antenna bracket, board appears to be DOA. Not looking good on the QC front, but I'll be sticking with the ASRock Z170 gaming if I can get a working one (best combination of features out of all the Z170 ITX boards released so far)
 
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