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]

I think the other thing about true MXM 3.0b cards right now is there is a relatively small market for them and they are very expensive to develop. Most companies like Alienware etc. develop their own MXM variants that are deliberately out of spec to prevent upgrades. If you get AsRock, Silverstone and Gigabyte on board with the MicroSTX form factor, I bet they come down really quickly as development costs will be spread over a much larger volume.

Also I was talking to one of the higher ups at TUL (AMD's MXM partner) and it sounds like Vega MXM might not be too far off. Fingers crossed that they price aggressively to move into this emerging market segment.

 

[AleksandarK]

I spoke to Eurocom today and their version of MXM 1080 is 1300 EUROS!!! Even they think it is expensive.

 

[QuantumBraced]

MXM cards are obscenely expensive. Plus the future compatibility issue... This will be a tough sell, although I really hope it's successful. When their main selling point is supertiny size, they need to be aiming at 2L or less. Maybe consider selling it with their own custom low-profile cooler, or just bundle it with an L9i. Because at 2.7L it's not ALL that much smaller than the smallest external PSU cases and it just makes no sense to pay double the price for less power.

It'd be nice if they supported 91W CPUs. Even without overclocking, you get an extra 400 MHz and better resale value from the 7700K vs 7700. The power bricks could handle it, I don't know why they're not supporting it.

Sorry to be so negative.

 

[Kmpkt]

Yeah MXM is in a chicken and egg situation right now. If the market demand is there, prices will inevitably come down but demand may not be there until prices drop. I think the key is going to be getting a prosumer or some other segment of the market (emerging AR/VR) to buy into the form factor and get MXM off the ground. Once prices drop then I think it would only be a matter of time before the enthusiast market segment jumps in.

It'd be nice if they supported 91W CPUs.

Maybe I missed the memo, but I'm pretty sure K series chips are just fine on these boards. The Z270 variant should also enable overclocking.

 

[jeshikat]

At CES they said 7700K was okay but no overclocking (VRMs can't take it) but looking back at the Computex pics the signs do say 65W only.

But it may still really support the 7700K.

 

[QuantumBraced]

I hope we get to see the finished package soon. Is the brick 12V? That would explain the lack 19v-to-12v conversion circuitry.

Also, 2 USB rear ports is too few for a gaming board. 2 more would be infinitely better.

 

[jeshikat]

It's a 19V FSP brick.

 

[QuantumBraced]

That's amazing that they can convert it to 270W of 12V power without a sign of any rails, extra capacitors or anything on the board at all resembling an HDPlex. What sorcery is this? Is it on the brick? That wouldn't make sense.

 

[jeshikat]

There's some power circuitry on the back. I believe MXM cards are designed to take 19V in, and the CPU VRMs may be going straight from 19V to whatever the CPU takes.

So that just leaves the little bit of voltage conversion for the M.2, SATA, and USB ports.

 

[QuantumBraced]

Oh I see. That didn't even occur to me, that they could design the VRMs to take 19V. Awesome, the board is a true ASRock engineering marvel.

 

[QuantumBraced]

This is totally off topic, but this board got me thinking about the ATX power standard. If they can pump 270W into this board (vast majority 12V) thru a single GX-16 connector that then goes to the CPU and GPU, including through the MXM slot, then why do we still have those massive 24-pin and 8-pin CPU/GPU connectors for desktop systems. Why can't they just make a single small power connector that powers the whole board and provides like 350W of power through the PCIe slot or something. Is it just that changing the standard would be a logistical nightmare?

 

[|||]

This is totally off topic, but this board got me thinking about the ATX power standard. If they can pump 270W into this board (vast majority 12V) thru a single GX-16 connector that then goes to the CPU and GPU, including through the MXM slot, then why do we still have those massive 24-pin and 8-pin CPU/GPU connectors for desktop systems. Why can't they just make a single small power connector that powers the whole board and provides like 350W of power through the PCIe slot or something. Is it just that changing the standard would be a logistical nightmare?

This has been discussed in this thread.

 

[QuantumBraced]

Thanks, sorry for digressing from topic.

 

[QuantumBraced]

I spoke to Eurocom today and their version of MXM 1080 is 1300 EUROS!!! Even they think it is expensive.

Here are the Eurocom US prices for their GPU upgrade kits:

http://www.eurocom.com/ec/upgradepricelist(2,394)CLEVO_P870DM3-G_SAGER_NP9873-S

$646 for a 1060 (~ 2.5 times PCIe card price)
$817 for a 1070 (~ 2.05 times PCIe card price)
$1245 for a 1080 (~ 2.5 times PCIe card price)

Ouch. The 1070 seems to be the best bang for buck. My totally subjective view is that prices will have to go down to at most 1.6-1.7 times the PCIe MSRP for the vast majority to seriously consider a Micro STX system over a very small Mini ITX system.

 

[Kmpkt]

Out of curiosity, do you know if those boards are compatible with the basic MXM 3.0b spec? I believe I contacted them at one point at the cards were markedly wider than the Aetina boards that are "approved" for the Micro STX form factor. I think this is part of the issue however is that each of these OEMs has a custom board with custom pinouts for their own laptops which inevitably duplicates a lot of the development costs on a manufacturer by manufacturer basis. Also the 1070 definitely looks like the best value in the stack.

 

[QuantumBraced]

Hm. Well they are listed as MXM 3.0, that's all I know. From my EBay research, it seems like cards can have differently shaped PCBs because they are designed to fit in a particular machine, but the connectors look identical if they are listed as MXM 3.0. One thing I'm unclear on is, some of those cards have power connectors, and some don't. I know ASRock can supply up to 200W thru the slot, but I'm not sure if that is an MXM 3.0 spec, thus all cards support it (but maybe their motherboards don't, so they need external power) or if those cards can't run without the power cord connected. I'm not sure which type Eurocom's cards are (they are for Clevo/Sager), but there are definitely 1060s, 1070s, and 1080s on EBay which don't have power connectors and look like they'll physically fit in the ASRock board and they are priced similarly. In fact, I found a 1070 for $711 + shipping. Now, it could be that besides the PCB, the pinouts on the connector are different, but that would seem to defeat the idea of having a standard connector/name/spec...?

I'm clearly not knowledgeable on this. Regardless, this was just for a price reference. I hope they establish a desktop standard for the PCB dimensions and a universal standard for the connector pinouts and power delivery.

 

[alinescoo]

I was wondering if there are any news related to the release of this? It's been 6 months already and no release. Probably we'll see another gen of Intel cpus before seeing the price of this?

 

[Kmpkt]

Coffee Lake 6 Core? : )

 

[QuantumBraced]

Question, in the $2000 price tag for the 1080 version, what is included? If it's just the case, board, PSU, and MXM 1080, that's way too expensive.

When you compare it to the Zotac Magnus EN1080K, that costs $1800 and also has an MXM 1080, but also a 7700 with waterblocks on both, plus a 120mm radiator+fan, and more USB and video connectivity. It is larger though and proprietary.

Honestly, they should just let people pick their own GPU or no GPU and power brick option, and leave everything else barebones. Some people may want to get no GPU but a 270W brick for future proofing. I suspect most people would build it fully custom if there are decent savings involved and nicer/smaller case options.

 

[jeshikat]

Question, in the $2000 price tag for the 1080 version, what is included? If it's just the case, board, PSU, and MXM 1080, that's way too expensive.

Price isn't final yet. You missed the MXM heatsink but otherwise your list is all that is included.

Honestly, they should just let people pick their own GPU or no GPU and power brick option, and leave everything else barebones. Some people may want to get no GPU but a 270W brick for future proofing.

I could see them selling the larger brick by itself down the road, but initially it'd make no sense to try to buy the MXM card separately since it wouldn't be cheaper and there's no guarantee it'd be compatible since laptop manufacturers have a bad habit of deviating from the spec.