14 DAY TRIAL // The mini-ITX form factor has gained a lot in popularity over the past couple of years, so it comes as no surprise to anyone that motherboard makers everywhere, ASRock included, are racing to release new compact LGA 1155 solutions based on Intel’s new 7-series chipsets.
The Z77E-ITX, as ASRock’s mini-ITX creation will be called, was recently spotted by SweClockers and it looks like it will come as one of the most feature rich motherboards in this category.
Just as its name implies, the newcomer is based on the Z77 Express chipset, which makes the board compatible with all of Intel’s LGA 1155 processors, including the soon-to-be-launched Ivy Bridge CPUs.
This chipset also provides full support for the built-in Intel HD graphics core found inside the company’s LGA 1155 processors, but users who require more graphics power than this GPU can deliver could also install a full-size PCI Express 3.0 x16 video card.
The rest of the expansion options available in the Z77E-ITX include a half-size mini PCI Express slot, which can be populated with an mSATA SSD, a pair of full size DIMM sockets and four SATA ports.
Two of these run at SATA 6Gbps speeds, while one of the remaining two SATA interfaces found in the Intel Z77 PCH are routed to the rear of the motherboard as eSATA connectors.
Also in the back users will find four USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports, DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI connectors, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, and 5.1-channel audio with optical S/PDIF out.
Furthermore, ASRock has also crammed a Clear CMOS switch, so users can recover more easily from a failed overclocking attempt.
Speaking of overclocking, the Z77E-ITX should fare quite well in this department since it comes with a 6+2 phase VRM with Japanese capacitors.
No detail regarding the Z77E-ITX price or availability has been provided by its maker.
