14 DAY TRIAL // ASRock has introduced a series of motherboards, and for once there is more we can do besides listing all the dry specifications, even more so than on other gaming motherboards which, admittedly, usually have a perk or two that leaves us pondering.
The new collection of desktop platforms is called the Fatal1ty Z87 Killer Series and gets its name form a combination of tradition, the chipset powering it, and a certain perk usually available only if you buy a particular add-in-board.
Said add-in-board is the Killer LAN network card, from Killer Gaming. It's a technology that detects when a game is running and if it is using the network. If yes, then it gives it priority, so you won't have to close, say, a torrent program or an active download in order to play without lag.
That’s especially convenient during shooters and real-time strategy games, although MMORPGs aren't far behind in the connection-caused frustration department.
On the ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer Series, this functionality is built directly into the motherboard (Killer E2200 Intelligent Networking Platform).
According to the company press release, lag (or rather latency) in League of Legends can be reduced by 136%, and by 60% in Diablo 3. Likewise, in DOTA2, latency will diminish by 47%. Now you can kill lag instead of being killed by LAG.
All in all, performance in UDP (User Datagram Protocol) based applications (online games, high quality streaming media) rises by up to five times. According to lab tests anyway. Real-life benefits might turn out lower, but they will be there, and they will be visible.
In addition to Killer LAN support, ASRock tossed in Hi-Density Power Connectors (25% less power loss), 15 gold fingers in the VGA PCIe slot, a SLI/CrossFireX Power Connector, Purity Sound, the XSplit recording tool, 3050+(OC) MHz Dual Channel DDR3, etc.