News ASRock show-off Micro-STX system with MXM & TB3 @CES 2017

Hi All

ASRock are happy to display our new model - Deskmini RX/GTX @CES 2017.
You can get more picture in :https://www.cool3c.com/article/116315/CES-2017-華擎展出具可擴充-MXM-獨立顯示卡的-micro-STX-主機板原型主機

This is prototype of Deskmini RX/GTX
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Considering there are so many SFF enthusiasts still need more powerful 3D graphics performance, why don't we extend Mini-STX to larger board: based on 5x5 screw holes but implement MXM, more video outputs, m.2 connectors, even Thunderbolt 3!

And that is world's firsts' MICRO-STX system:

• Support up to Intel® Core i7 7700K CPU
• Support Intel box cooler
• Intel Z270 (B250) Chipset
• Support MXM Type B, up to 120W
  • RX = AMD RX480/470/460
  • GTX = NVIDIA GTX1060
• Intel® Thunderbolt 3 with Type-C
• 3 x M.2 2260/2280 slots
• 1 x M.2 2230 Wi-Fi slot
• AURA RGB LED connector!
• Support Intel® Optane™ Technology
• 2.x Liter!
• 19V/220W adapter

ASRock planned sell barebones (include motherboard, MXM card, MXM cooler, chassis and adapter) and open mind corporate with system builder to develop new mini PC in micro STX motherboard. It should be launched on 2017 Q2.

 

[Kmpkt]

Also worth mentioning is that according to an Aetina rep, there are no plans to release a 1080ti variant of the MXM card at any point. Apparently it has been designated "desktop only" while the other GPUs SKUs have not. This means you shouldn't need to fear buyer's remorse if you buy a 1080 variant only to have a 1080ti card unexpectedly appear a couple months later (cough... Zotac).

 

[jeshikat]

Computex 2017 update: https://smallformfactor.net/news/asrock-micro-stx-updates-gtx-1080-working

 

[nero626]

Insane year for asrock and zotac this year, the amount of SFF effort they are putting in is amazing

 

[Therandomness]

All we need now is for Asrock to come out with an AM4 STX board that has Intel cooler hole mountings. Then life will be perfect.

 

[cmyk78]

Linus:

 

[jeshikat]

All we need now is for Asrock to come out with an AM4 STX board that has Intel cooler hole mountings. Then life will be perfect.

That's unlikely. Ryzen needs more power and this already can't over clock on Intel at all due to the limited space for power delivery

 

[Boil]

Well, that Silverstone RVZ04 chassis is interesting...

So, I guess one would have to buy the ASRock DeskMini GTX10xx, and swap the guts into the RVZ04 chassis..!

 

[JosephEK]

I want the mSTX form factor for Ryzen for use with Raven Ridge.

 

[Boil]

Okay, I can see these as a great way to do two-PC game streaming; get a GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 unit for the dedicated gaming machine & a barebones unit for the dedicated streaming machine...!

 

[Boil]

From the front page article:

" The DeskMini 250 is a barebone kit that does not include an MXM card, but it’s not aimed at people sourcing their own cards. Instead, it’s intended for users who like the form factor for the 3x M.2 slots for the storage capacity and/or performance via RAID, and as such only includes a 90W AC adapter."

So, the eternal question when presented with three M.2 slots...

What are the specs on the slots; are these all PCIe 3.0 x4 slots going straight to the CPU & can they run as a RAID 5...?

Is this hampered by Intel where you can only have Intel SSDs for RAID (like mentioned in regards to the ASRock X299E-ITX/ac motherboard)...?

i want to say that the Z270 chipset / Kaby Lake CPU does not provide enough direct PCIe 3.0 lanes for this, but I could be wrong...?!?

 

[Kmpkt]

I talked to an AsRock rep about this and he said that the M.2 aren't behind the PCH (at least not all of them) and that they should individually be able to run at x4. The only way I could see this working is if the MXM slot is configured electrically as x8 leaving an x4 for each of the M.2 drives. I've got a Z270 variant of the board I've picked up in Taipei as well as a 960 Pro and 960 Evo an will hopefully be testing this claim on the board when I get home.

 

[Phuncz]

That would be interesting although it would put the task of processing the data onto the CPU.

 

[ASRock System]

" The DeskMini 250 is a barebone kit that does not include an MXM card, but it’s not aimed at people sourcing their own cards. Instead, it’s intended for users who like the form factor for the 3x M.2 slots for the storage capacity and/or performance via RAID, and as such only includes a 90W AC adapter."

What are the specs on the slots; are these all PCIe 3.0 x4 slots going straight to the CPU & can they run as a RAID 5...?
i want to say that the Z270 chipset / Kaby Lake CPU does not provide enough direct PCIe 3.0 lanes for this, but I could be wrong...?!?

All M.2 Slots on Z270M-STX MXM support PCIe Gen3 x4 from PCH (chipset)...and support RAID function.
Please refer to the following fig.

And MXM Slot is directly from CPU...

 

[Kmpkt]

Thanks for the clarification

 

[alexep7]

All M.2 Slots on Z270M-STX MXM support PCIe Gen3 x4 from PCH (chipset)...and support RAID function.
Please refer to the following fig.



And MXM Slot is directly from CPU...

Any news on pricing? This is the sort of product I'd buy, assuming it's affordable, for literally no reason at all other than just to have it.

 

[VisualStim]

If ASRock can bring the new deskmini with a AMD card and offer a MacOS Friendly Bios youll see TonyMac86 flooding to buy these to make them Hackintoshes (Nvidia cards too)

 

[Boil]

If ASRock can bring the new deskmini with a AMD card and offer a MacOS Friendly Bios youll see TonyMac86 flooding to buy these to make them Hackintoshes (Nvidia cards too)

HackMini Pro (especially if moved into the Silverstone RVZ04 chassis)...

 

[VisualStim]

and the reason i stress AMD cards so much is because Final Cut Pro X runs off AMD cards

 

[Boil]

Yeap, OpenCL runs much better on AMD than Nvidia...

Now if we could just get macOS to run on Ryzen...

 

[VisualStim]

Yeap, OpenCL runs much better on AMD than Nvidia...

Now if we could just get macOS to run on Ryzen...

theres only 2 Ryzen builds that ive seen that are running Sierra. but its still new