ASRock Z370 Fatal1ty Gaming K6 Motherboard Review

A Closer Look

This is a high-end gaming motherboard, and that means it’s going to have to deliver high-end performance. However, the gaming market is very big on aesthetics too, so as much as the hardware on this board is practical, it also look stunning too.

The VRM cooling around the CPU is incredibly robust and features a hefty chunk of metal, as well as a large heat pipe between the two heatsinks. This should help move a lot of heat away from the motherboard, and help you maintain your overclocks under heavy system loads.

to keep things looking neat and tidy, there’s an oversized rear I/O guard. What I like is that it’s overstepping the VRM cooler, merging the two and giving the board a unique look in the process.

There are four DIMM slots on this motherboard, nothing too fancy or armoured, unfortunately, but they’ll get the job done just fine.

Onboard Controls!

One thing I am excited to see is the onboard power and reset buttons. Firstly, this is the only Z370 (out of seven) that I’ve got that even has them! And secondly, they’re easily some of the best looking onboard buttons I’ve ever seen.

Much like the rear I/O guard, the chipset heatsink is also oversized. Sure, that’s partly for the unique aesthetics, but it’s increased surface area is going to help keep all that vital hardware cool too.

There are 8 x SATA 6 Gbps ports on this motherboard, which is a nice upgrade, as most of the Z370 range are set with just six of them. This is good news if you’re running a lot of drives in RAID.

Connectivity just keeps getting better and better too. There’s a pair of USB 3.0 headers here, as well as a Type-C front panel header behind those.

Then you’ve got a plethora of USB 2.0 on top of all that. Another nice treat, this is the first Z370 board we’ve tested so far that also has a BIOS Debug LED, which is a real time saver when you’re overclocking.

Powerful Audio

The Realtek ALC1220 Audio hardware with Purity Sound 4 & Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 3 is a welcome addition to this motherboard. Hi-Res audio with low latency that’s sure to be a perfect match for gaming, movies, music and more.

There are three full-size PCIe slots on the board, all fitted with durable armour to help them take the strain of modern graphics cards.

There are two M.2 drives on the motherboard, offering support for the latest high-speed NVMe storage dries, as well as Intel’s super fast Optane drives.

The rear I/O is well equipped. There’s PS2, all kinds of USB ports to suit your needs and HD audio jacks with gold plated connectors. For some gamers though, it’s the inclusion of a VGA port that may be amusing, crack out your old CRT monitor and get some Counter Strike on!