Technical characteristics

ASRock B85 Fatal1ty
A-Style	- Purity Sound ™
CPU	- Supports 4th generation Intel ^® Core ™ i7 / i5 / i3 / Xeon ^® / Pentium ^® / Celeron ^® in LGA1150 package - Digi Power design - 6 Power Phase design - Supports Intel ^® Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology
Chipset	- Intel ^® B85 - Supports Intel ^® Small Business Advantage 2.0
Memory	- Dual Channel DDR3 Memory Technology - 4 x DDR3 DIMM Slots - Supports DDR3 1600/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory - Max. capacity of system memory: 32GB * - Supports Intel ^® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) 1.3 / 1.2 * Due to the operating system limitation, the actual memory size may be less than 4GB for the reservation for system usage under Windows ^® 32-bit OS. For Windows ^® 64-bit OS with 64-bit CPU, there is no such limitation.
BIOS	- 64Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with multilingual GUI support - ACPI 1.1 Compliant wake up events - SMBIOS 2.3.1 support - CPU, DRAM, PCH 1.05V, PCH 1.5V Voltage multi-adjustment
Audio, Video and Networking
Graphics	- Supports Intel ^® HD Graphics Built-in Visuals: Intel ^® Quick Sync Video with AVC, MVC (S3D) and MPEG-2 Full HW Encode1, Intel ^® InTru ™ 3D, Intel ^® Clear Video HD Technology, Intel ^® Insider ™, Intel ^® HD Graphics 4400/4600 - Pixel Shader 5.0, DirectX 11.1 - Max. shared memory 1792MB - Three graphics output options: D-Sub, DVI-D and HDMI - Supports Triple Monitor - Supports HDMI Technology with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096 × 2304) @ 24Hz - Supports DVI-D with max. resolution up to 1920 × 1200 @ 60Hz - Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 1920 × 1200 @ 60Hz - Supports Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color (12bpc), xvYCC and HBR (High Bit Rate Audio) with HDMI Port (Compliant HDMI monitor is required) - Supports HDCP with DVI-D and HDMI Ports - Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) playback with DVI-D and HDMI Ports * Intel ^® HD Graphics Built-in Visuals and the VGA outputs can be supported only with processors which are GPU integrated. Due to chipset limitation, the Blu-ray playback of Intel ^® HD Graphics is only supported under Windows ^® 8/8 64-bit / 7/7 64-bit / Vista ™ / Vista ™ 64-bit. * Intel ^® InTru ™ 3D is only supported under Windows ^® 8/8 64-bit / 7/7 64-bit.
Audio	- 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1150 Audio Codec) - Premium Blu-ray Audio support - Supports Purity Sound ™ - 115dB SNR DAC with differential amplifier - TI NE5532 Premium Headset Amplifier (Supports up to 600 ohm headsets) - Direct Drive Technology - EMI shielding cover - PCB isolate shielding - Supports DTS Connect
LAN	- PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb / s - Qualcomm Atheros KillerTM E2200 Series - Supports Wake-On-LAN - Supports Energy Efficient Ethernet 802.3az - Supports PXE
Expansion / Connectivity
Slots	- 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2: x16 mode) - 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE4: x4 mode) - 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slots - 3 x PCI Slots - Supports AMD Quad CrossFireX ™ and CrossFireX ™
Storage	- 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb / s Connectors, support NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug - 2 x SATA2 3.0 Gb / s Connectors, support NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug
Connector	- 1 x Power LED Header - 2 x CPU Fan Connectors (1 x 4-pin, 1 x 3-pin) - 3 x Chassis Fan Connectors (1 x 4-pin, 2 x 3-pin) - 1 x Power Fan Connector (3-pin) - 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector - 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector) - 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector - 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports) - 1 x USB 3.0 Header (Supports 2 USB 3.0 ports)
Rear Panel I / O	- 1 x PS / 2 Mouse / Keyboard Port - 1 x D-Sub Port - 1 x DVI-D Port - 1 x HDMI Port - 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port - 3 x USB 2.0 Ports - 1 x Fatal1ty Mouse Port (USB 2.0) - 2 x USB 3.0 Ports - 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT / LINK LED and SPEED LED) - HD Audio Jack: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone
Other Features / Miscellaneous
Unique Feature	- ASRock F-Stream - ASRock Instant Flash - ASRock APP Charger - ASRock XFast RAM - ASRock Crashless BIOS - ASRock OMG (Online Management Guard) - ASRock Internet Flash - ASRock System Browser - ASRock UEFI Tech Service - ASRock Dehumidifier - ASRock Easy Driver Installer - ASRock Interactive UEFI - ASRock Fast Boot - ASRock Restart to UEFI - ASRock USB Key - ASRock Key Master - ASRock FAN-Tastic Tuning - Hybrid Booster: - ASRock U-COP - Boot Failure Guard (BFG) - Good Night LED
Support CD	- Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial version), Google Chrome Browser and Toolbar, Start8 (30 days trial), XSplit, Killer Network Manager
Accessories	- Quick Installation Guide, Support CD, I / O Shield - 2 x SATA Data Cables
Hardware Monitor	- CPU / Chassis temperature sensing - CPU / Chassis / Power Fan Tachometer - CPU / Chassis Quiet Fan (Auto adjust chassis fan speed by CPU temperature) - CPU / Chassis Fan multi-speed control - Voltage monitoring: + 12V, + 5V, + 3.3V, CPU Vcore
Form Factor	- ATX Form Factor - Premium Gold Capacitor design (100% Japan-made high-quality conductive polymer capacitors)
YOU	- Microsoft ^® Windows ^® 8.1 32-bit / 8.1 64-bit / 8 32-bit / 8 64-bit / 7 32-bit / 7 64-bit
Certifications	- FCC, CE, WHQL - ErP / EuP ready (ErP / EuP ready power supply is required)

ASRock Fatal1ty B85 Killer poses in front of the camera

Like all the ASRock Fatal1ty series they come with a peculiar packaging, where the red color of the series predominates. At the front we can see that it is an improved version. And that includes several new features: compatibility with Windows 8.1, HDMI certification, DTS and CrossFireX.

At the rear we have all the most important specifications. Very interesting to read.

The motherboard comes very well equipped (bundle) with:

ASRock Fatal1ty B85 Killer Baseplate Back plate Instruction manuals and quick guide Installation CD SATA cables

Detail of the back plate, manuals, quick guide and installation CD.

At first glance it has a very nice touch of color. The PCB is black in color and the PCI Express and RAM sockets intersperse black and red, giving an aggressive design. As we can see the plate has the size ATX format, valid for 99.99% of the boxes on the market.

Rear view, for the most curious.

The B85 Killer is CrossFireX certified, this allows us to connect two ATI graphics cards to the PCI Express red ports to increase Gaming power. The distribution of the PCI ports is broken down with the following scheme:

PCI Express 2.00 X1.PCI Express 3.00 X16.PCI Express 2.00 X1.PCI Normal.PCI Express 3.00 X16PCI Normal.PCI Normal.

It is very important to note that the pins of the PCI slots are 15μ gold, which offers triple the performance of the usual.

To feed the fourth generation of Intel, it has six feeding phases, which gives a very good efficiency for processors that work in stock. Also, it has an 8-pin EPS connection for extra power.

Regarding memory, we have four DDR3 sockets, compatible with 1600/1333/1066 mhz memory and a maximum of 32 GB of RAM.

The cooling we have two large and robust heatsinks. They perfectly cover the need for a working chip like the B85. Which in themselves are not hot and can work perfectly without it.

WE RECOMMEND YOU Rock releases its new BIOS for Intel Kaby Lake

But this shows us that ASRock wants to do things well and with a head.

It's time to talk about storage. We have 6 SATA connections. The red ones are SATA III, while the black ones are SATA II.

The ASRock Fatal1ty B85 Killer sets itself apart from the rest by two fantastic attributes:

Purity Sound: This is a combination of various solutions (hardware and software) that deliver fantastic sound, driven by the Realtek ALC1150 chip. What are the improvements? Integration of a 115dB SNR DAC, Premium TI 5532 600 ohm headphone amplifier, shielding and interference isolation. Killer E2200 Network Card: it is a specialized gigabit network port for the most gamer. Accelerating the connection and decreasing the pin of your line. In other words, it is optimized for games and quick downloads.

Lastly, talk about the rear connections that are made up of PS / 2 output, digital outputs (DVI / HDMI), sound output, 3 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0, 10/100/1000 network card and sound.

Test bench and tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i7 4770k
Base plate:	ASRock Fatal1ty B85 Killer
Memory:	G.Skills Trident X 2400mhz.
Heatsink	Liquid refrigeration.
HDD	Samsumg 840 250GB
Graphic card	Nvidia GTX780
Power supply	Antec HCP 850

To check the stability of the processor and the motherboard we have used a high-end processor: i7 4770k. Since it does not allow us to overclock, we have passed the tests with the stock values.

TESTS
3dMark Vantage:	34570
3dMark11	10342
Crysis 3	47 FPS
CineBench 11.5	8.12 Pts.
Resident Evil 6 Lost planet tomb Raider Meter	12600 PS 130 FPS 138 FPS 66 FPS.

Final words and conclusion

The ASRock Fatal1ty B85 Killer is a mid-range ATX format gaming motherboard. Considering its excellent price, it has incredible features.

The first of them is the Gaming Armor technology. What improvements does it offer us?

High-density power connectors: Reduce energy loss by up to 23% and lower their temperatures by up to 20%. VGA connections with 15μ Gold Finger: provides three times more performance in your connections.Atheros Killer E2200 Network Card: ideal for the most gamers. Reduces ping and improves system stability when playing. Purity Sound: Dedicated sound card with Realtek ALC 1150 chip: DAC, 600 ohm amplifier and interference reduction by other hardware.

Another detail of the quality of the motherboard is the incorporation of Japanese Preimum GOLD capacitors. With its own style and a coating that extends its life and the stability of the system. We do not have to worry about our processor since it includes 6 power phases, certified by Digi Power technology.

In our test bench we have installed an Intel i7 4770k processor with stock frequency, DDR3 1600 mhz memory and a GTX 780 graphics card. Both the benchmarks and the games have been overwhelming.

Finally I want to tell you about the storage capacity. We have six SATA connections, four of them are SATA III (red) and the other two SATA II (black). Under normal conditions, there are enough for any mortal.

In short, if you are looking for a motherboard for a workstation, gaming or for design. The ASRock Fatal1ty B85 Killer is the ideal board. Since its low price (€ 75 ~ € 80) is unsurpassed for its high performance. I understand that this ASRock idea is to be able to buy an i5 or i7 processor without losing performance on the motherboard.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ VERY AGGRESSIVE AESTHETICS.	- DOES NOT ALLOW TO PERFORM OC.
+ GOLD PREMIUM JAPANESE CAPACITORS.
+ RED KILLER E2200 CARD.
+ SOUND PURITY SOUND CARD.
+ UEFI BIOS.
+ THE BEST PRICE