i wonder how the quality of components and bios features are with asrock? the last one i used was a KT266 board with a AMD K6 Athlon XP, they were still owned by asus at that time. 

Nereus
4 way SLI isn't supported now, so not sure what the point is with that, and it's probably why EVGA aren't going there with the Z270 (not to mention the CPU has only 16 lanes).
 
Asus also have the supported/reinforced PCIe slots, I think it will become standard. I imagine EVGA will likely start doing the same soon.
 
EVGA boards have usually been concerned with performance, not bling. A few LEDs can look good, but what would you prefer in your case - a well-tuned performance board, or a freaking Christmas tree? lol.
 
Just posting responses to the OP arguments for the sake of it, not intending to be an EVGA fanboi, although I'm well aware I'm coming across that way. ;)
 
 
 
 
 
 

I'm quite a EVGA fan that's why I'm building on the Z270 Classified K irregardless of what any other company has.  Wasn't MAKING the point that this day and time 4way SLI should or shouldn't be used at all.  Just simply stating Asrock does have a 4way SLI mobo and maybe still for those enthusiasts that sli many older gpu's together.  Besides just the obvious, there are other plus on that mobo that EVGA could take note of.  Most of us who bought the 10 series gpu's, know there really wasnt a need to go beyond 2way SLI.  Most games are "still" not written to work well with SLI configurations.  Even Directx 12 is still not in fully itilized either which should also help later. 
 
"Multi-GPU configurations rarely scaled well beyond the second GPU, but a four-way SLI system has long been the ultimate enthusiast configuration just for the fact that it was possible and made everything run a little bit better. Such rigs require top-end motherboards and CPUs, beefy power supplies, roomy cabinets with purpose-designed airflow (or custom liquid cooling) and, needless to say, a whole lot of money. Multi-GPU gaming has also been plagued by issues with stuttering and tearing due to synchronisation issues with multiple output video streams.
Nvidia has claimed that a single GeForce GTX 1080 doubles the performance of a GeForce GTX Titan, so there's no overall reduction in capabilities with the new 10-series. Dropping the requirement for 3-way and 4-way SLI might also make game development easier, though the still-emerging DirectX 12 and Vulkan APIs do let developers harness the power of multiple GPUs on a lower level than SLI or AMD's Crossfire, which means support might still exist in some form as a niche.
Nvidia debuted a new "high-bandwidth bridge" for two-way SLI setups at the time that it launched the GeForce GTX 1080, which it said would support much higher resolutions and refresh rates than the original SLI specification. The company has also promoted the idea of using independent GPUs to render different images for each eye when used with VR headsets."

Nereus
4 way SLI isn't supported now, so not sure what the point is with that, and it's probably why EVGA aren't going there with the Z270 (not to mention the CPU has only 16 lanes).
 
Asus also have the supported/reinforced PCIe slots, I think it will become standard. I imagine EVGA will likely start doing the same soon.
 
EVGA boards have usually been concerned with performance, not bling. A few LEDs can look good, but what would you prefer in your case - a well-tuned performance board, or a freaking Christmas tree? lol.
 
Just posting responses to the OP arguments for the sake of it, not intending to be an EVGA fanboi, although I'm well aware I'm coming across that way. ;)
 
 

Who says you can't have both well-tuned performance board and a freaking Christmas tree. 
 
If people like EVGA Z270 Classified-K, they can still make it look like a freaking Christmas tree too, they make a remote kit for rgb light strips. I think it's silly to have brand loyalty, just buy the product you think is the best.
 
 

MSim

Nereus
4 way SLI isn't supported now, so not sure what the point is with that, and it's probably why EVGA aren't going there with the Z270 (not to mention the CPU has only 16 lanes).
 
Asus also have the supported/reinforced PCIe slots, I think it will become standard. I imagine EVGA will likely start doing the same soon.
 
EVGA boards have usually been concerned with performance, not bling. A few LEDs can look good, but what would you prefer in your case - a well-tuned performance board, or a freaking Christmas tree? lol.
 
Just posting responses to the OP arguments for the sake of it, not intending to be an EVGA fanboi, although I'm well aware I'm coming across that way. ;)
 
 

Who says you can't have both well-tuned performance board and a freaking Christmas tree. 
 
If people like EVGA Z270 Classified-K, they can still make it look like a freaking Christmas tree too, they make a remote kit for rgb light strips. I think it's silly to have brand loyalty, just buy the product you think is the best.
 
 

not a fan of the rgb craze, i do like some nice accent lighting but once i pick a color theme i pretty set it and let it be, but thats just me. 

MSim

quadlatte

MSim

Nereus
4 way SLI isn't supported now, so not sure what the point is with that, and it's probably why EVGA aren't going there with the Z270 (not to mention the CPU has only 16 lanes).
 
Asus also have the supported/reinforced PCIe slots, I think it will become standard. I imagine EVGA will likely start doing the same soon.
 
EVGA boards have usually been concerned with performance, not bling. A few LEDs can look good, but what would you prefer in your case - a well-tuned performance board, or a freaking Christmas tree? lol.
 
Just posting responses to the OP arguments for the sake of it, not intending to be an EVGA fanboi, although I'm well aware I'm coming across that way. ;)
 
 

Who says you can't have both well-tuned performance board and a freaking Christmas tree. 
 
If people like EVGA Z270 Classified-K, they can still make it look like a freaking Christmas tree too, they make a remote kit for rgb light strips. I think it's silly to have brand loyalty, just buy the product you think is the best.
 
 

not a fan of the rgb craze, i do like some nice accent lighting but once i pick a color theme i pretty set it and let it be, but thats just me. 

RGB makes it easy to go with a color theme, if you get sick of it, you can disable it.
 
 
 
I've been waiting in que for my turn to Step Up from the Z170 Class K to the Z270 Class K.  In that time, Asus came out with the new ASUS ROG Maximus IX APEX Z270 which is now considered the Ultimate Overclocking/Gaming/Aura RGB mobo.  It stably accepts/runs up to DDR4 4266 and has already won unmatched speed-performance awards unreachable by other mobos.  In looking over all the specs and reading all the highly positive reviews from buyers and testers, I'm at a point of possibly going with this mobo instead.  At least this one has everything I could ever want and more and costs less than the Z270 Class K.  
 
https://rog.asus.com/foru...IX-Apex-Leads-the-Pack
 

Nereus

gm12338

MSim

quadlatte

MSim

Nereus
4 way SLI isn't supported now, so not sure what the point is with that, and it's probably why EVGA aren't going there with the Z270 (not to mention the CPU has only 16 lanes).
 
Asus also have the supported/reinforced PCIe slots, I think it will become standard. I imagine EVGA will likely start doing the same soon.
 
EVGA boards have usually been concerned with performance, not bling. A few LEDs can look good, but what would you prefer in your case - a well-tuned performance board, or a freaking Christmas tree? lol.
 
Just posting responses to the OP arguments for the sake of it, not intending to be an EVGA fanboi, although I'm well aware I'm coming across that way. ;)

Who says you can't have both well-tuned performance board and a freaking Christmas tree. 
 
If people like EVGA Z270 Classified-K, they can still make it look like a freaking Christmas tree too, they make a remote kit for rgb light strips. I think it's silly to have brand loyalty, just buy the product you think is the best.
 

not a fan of the rgb craze, i do like some nice accent lighting but once i pick a color theme i pretty set it and let it be, but thats just me. 

RGB makes it easy to go with a color theme, if you get sick of it, you can disable it.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
I've been waiting in que for my turn to Step Up from the Z170 Class K to the Z270 Class K.  In that time, Asus came out with the new ASUS ROG Maximus IX APEX Z270 which is now considered the Ultimate Overclocking/Gaming/Aura RGB mobo.  It stably accepts/runs up to DDR4 4266 and has already won unmatched speed-performance awards unreachable by other mobos.  In looking over all the specs and reading all the highly positive reviews from buyers and testers, I'm at a point of possibly going with this mobo instead.  At least this one has everything I could ever want and more and costs less than the Z270 Class K.  
 
https://rog.asus.com/foru...IX-Apex-Leads-the-Pack
 

That Apex is intended for benching builds not as a gaming build - it's missing several standard features (bluetooth, wifi etc), has only 2 DDR4 mem slots which are apparently positioned a little too close to the CPU and make some CPU coolers incompatible, weird vertical m.2 mounts that stick out like a pair of dog's balls, and I've also read minor complaints about fan header placement on that board among one or two other minor issues.
 
If benching and LN2 pots etc. are your thing, go for it, but if you want gaming / 'real world' use then go for the flagship ASUS ROG Maximus IX Hero, Formula, or Code (assuming you are set on getting an ASUS product). Also that review was written before the other Z270 boards were released, so the author claiming it was the best is misleading.
 
The claim that the Apex has unmatched speed-performance and is unreachable by other mobos is complete crap - go look at the current world record holders (Fire Strike Extreme Hall of Fame) - guess what the 1st place is using - an EVGA motherboard, and so is 2nd place, lol. Actually the top record holders for TimeSpy, Fire Strike Ultra and Fire Strike Extreme are ALL using EVGA motherboards. Also that Apex is only $10 cheaper than the Classy K... not really a big difference there lol.
 

 
Really???...Here's quote and chart from Overclock3D....Look what board is on TOP of all the others and it's considered a enthusist mobo but ALSO a monster Gaming mobo too!
https://www.overclock3d.n..._motherboard_review/16
Gaming
And if you were still being a naysayer, "oh well that's just synthetics, it wont be that good in actual games", then shut up right now. The Apex is a monster.

 

 
At least the Chart is showing that ASUS has Finally release a MB that is better than what they have been putting out.

Nereus

gm12338

Nereus

gm12338

MSim

quadlatte

MSim

Nereus
4 way SLI isn't supported now, so not sure what the point is with that, and it's probably why EVGA aren't going there with the Z270 (not to mention the CPU has only 16 lanes).
 
Asus also have the supported/reinforced PCIe slots, I think it will become standard. I imagine EVGA will likely start doing the same soon.
 
EVGA boards have usually been concerned with performance, not bling. A few LEDs can look good, but what would you prefer in your case - a well-tuned performance board, or a freaking Christmas tree? lol.
 
Just posting responses to the OP arguments for the sake of it, not intending to be an EVGA fanboi, although I'm well aware I'm coming across that way. ;)

Who says you can't have both well-tuned performance board and a freaking Christmas tree. 
 
If people like EVGA Z270 Classified-K, they can still make it look like a freaking Christmas tree too, they make a remote kit for rgb light strips. I think it's silly to have brand loyalty, just buy the product you think is the best.
 

not a fan of the rgb craze, i do like some nice accent lighting but once i pick a color theme i pretty set it and let it be, but thats just me. 

RGB makes it easy to go with a color theme, if you get sick of it, you can disable it.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
I've been waiting in que for my turn to Step Up from the Z170 Class K to the Z270 Class K.  In that time, Asus came out with the new ASUS ROG Maximus IX APEX Z270 which is now considered the Ultimate Overclocking/Gaming/Aura RGB mobo.  It stably accepts/runs up to DDR4 4266 and has already won unmatched speed-performance awards unreachable by other mobos.  In looking over all the specs and reading all the highly positive reviews from buyers and testers, I'm at a point of possibly going with this mobo instead.  At least this one has everything I could ever want and more and costs less than the Z270 Class K.  
 
https://rog.asus.com/foru...IX-Apex-Leads-the-Pack
 

That Apex is intended for benching builds not as a gaming build - it's missing several standard features (bluetooth, wifi etc), has only 2 DDR4 mem slots which are apparently positioned a little too close to the CPU and make some CPU coolers incompatible, weird vertical m.2 mounts that stick out like a pair of dog's balls, and I've also read minor complaints about fan header placement on that board among one or two other minor issues.
 
If benching and LN2 pots etc. are your thing, go for it, but if you want gaming / 'real world' use then go for the flagship ASUS ROG Maximus IX Hero, Formula, or Code (assuming you are set on getting an ASUS product). Also that review was written before the other Z270 boards were released, so the author claiming it was the best is misleading.
 
The claim that the Apex has unmatched speed-performance and is unreachable by other mobos is complete crap - go look at the current world record holders (Fire Strike Extreme Hall of Fame) - guess what the 1st place is using - an EVGA motherboard, and so is 2nd place, lol. Actually the top record holders for TimeSpy, Fire Strike Ultra and Fire Strike Extreme are ALL using EVGA motherboards. Also that Apex is only $10 cheaper than the Classy K... not really a big difference there lol.
 

 
Really???...Here's quote and chart from Overclock3D....Look what board is on TOP of all the others and it's considered a enthusist mobo but ALSO a monster Gaming mobo too!
https://www.overclock3d.n..._motherboard_review/16
Gaming
And if you were still being a naysayer, "oh well that's just synthetics, it wont be that good in actual games", then shut up right now. The Apex is a monster.

 

LOL did I hit a nerve? :D
 
Ok, for a start, EVGA wasn't even tested for that bar chart, so how is that proving anything? lol
 
Overclock3D are giving a review, and that's just fine and dandy - I can give a review too - does that make me right? Nope. The accepted standard for benching is (and has been for a long time) 3DMark - at present TimeSpy, Fire Strike Ultra and Fire Strike Extreme. EVGA's Z270 leads on all three. There is no argument to counter that, it's simple fact.
 
For gaming, seriously a few FPS when you're talking in terms of hundreds of FPS is going to be completely immaterial in real world use, and is only relevant in benching, but my point was the Apex is stripped down and designed for benching, not gaming, which is why I mentioned the issues people have been having. I'll mention them again for you so you understand that being the top benching board does not necessarily mean it's the top gaming board, and vice versa: the Apex is missing several standard features (bluetooth, wifi etc), has only 2 DDR4 mem slots which are apparently positioned a little too close to the CPU and make some CPU coolers incompatible, weird vertical m.2 mounts that stick out like a pair of dog's balls, and has complaints about fan header placement on that board among one or two other minor issues.
 
Apex is clearly a great board FOR BENCHING. Still not as good as EVGA according to 3DMark benchmarks, but still the best ASUS have to offer - again, for benching. For gaming, there's more to it that just the highest FPS and bench scores (which is EVGA anyway lol) - there's feature set, placement of fan headers, placement and number of dimm and GPU slots etc.. That is what you seem to be confused about. I hope that's a little clearer now.
 
 
 

Nah, LOL....takes way more than that to hit a nerve... :D  Put that out there as I knew you'd want to take time again to make your knowledgeable point to "properly" educate the masses. :D  And yes, I'm sure we're all be the much more wiser buyers for it now! Bravo! :D

gm12338
 
 
I've been waiting in que for my turn to Step Up from the Z170 Class K to the Z270 Class K.  In that time, Asus came out with the new ASUS ROG Maximus IX APEX Z270 which is now considered the Ultimate Overclocking/Gaming/Aura RGB mobo.  It stably accepts/runs up to DDR4 4266 and has already won unmatched speed-performance awards unreachable by other mobos.  In looking over all the specs and reading all the highly positive reviews from buyers and testers, I'm at a point of possibly going with this mobo instead.  At least this one has everything I could ever want and more and costs less than the Z270 Class K.  
 
https://rog.asus.com/foru...IX-Apex-Leads-the-Pack
 

ASUS prices are competitive that's for sure. I paid $220 for my ASUS ROG Maximus IX Hero Z270 and now it's on sale for $215 on newegg. ASUS mobo's have a lot of features and performance for the money.
 
 

The two DIMMS slots are a price consideration for graphics centric enthusiasts wanting to max out RAM. Where I imagine those "pairs matched" come at a premium.
But then again...
That Plex 8757 chip allowing for 4 card SLI/Crossfire in the Asrock Supercarrier Also touts it's inclusion to support graphics workstation Quadra and Radeons which seemingly still have QUAD SLI support considering the importance of parallel compute?
Something to consider if you are building for workstation enthusiasts looking for something different?

In general the competition is touting the quality of their components for all their marketing PT Barnum prowess energy will avail ( nichicon fine gold 10k audio caps! Nichicon 12k Black Caps! PCB layers! Dual Stack Mosfets!( what could that possibly be? ) Premium Alloy chokes! Fiber threaded enforced! Audi shielding! 1000 watt Hyper BLCK Engine II!
13 phase PWM!( wait? that's EVGA! compared to Asrock's 12 phase... that's 1 better? :) )

Not sure if I should feel better or worse that EVGA in comparison isn't buried in featuritis claims.
If anything. All I can do is look at a row of mosfets and givem an Uhuh... dey sure iz pretty! And I suppose eye the build quality.
Speaking of which... The z270 classy sure has some gorgeous chunky metallic heatsinks.

Nereus

MSim
ASUS prices are competitive that's for sure. I paid $220 for my ASUS ROG Maximus IX Hero Z270 and now it's on sale for $215 on newegg. ASUS mobo's have a lot of features and performance for the money.

How's that Maximus IX Hero going? I'm thinking of getting one if I go to Z270. Was looking at the TUF but it has comparatively crap audio (I'd go for the TUF otherwise), and also looking at the Code (which is basically a Formula without the water block) but the Code is a bit more expensive and I don't really need the WiFi and Bluetooth, so that leaves the Hero ..or the EVGA Classified K.
 

I thought about getting the CODE, but like you i don't need WiFi or bluetooth.  ASUS ROG Maximus IX Hero Z270 has been working fine for me. I like how the audio software (Sonic Studio 3) allows me to set each application audio profile, my old $150 HT OMEGA Claro+ didn't have that option. I still haven't added any RGB strips to my case. 
 
I would check out other hardware forums to see what people have to say about both motherboards.