ASUS PRIME Z370-A vs ASRock Z370 Extreme4 motherboard
Asus Prime Z370-A and ASRock Z370 Extreme4 are closely priced motherboards whose prices hover around $180. Many people can get confused between the two and need to know which will perform best. So, I have done the research and have put the similarities, differences and conclusion for both the motherboards which will help you to select your desired motherboard for your PC build.
ASUS PRIME Z370-A
ASRock Z370 EXTREME4
Similarities
Memory
Supports 64GB DDR4 Max
Has 4x DIMM slots
One side latch system
Storage
Has 6x SATA 6Gb/s ports
1x M.2 socket 3(SATA mode & X4 PCI-E mode)
PCI Slots
Contains 3x PCI-Ex 16 slots
First two PCI-Ex 16 slots with Steel Armour
Supports Nvidia 2 Way SLI and AMD 3 Way CrossfireX
Fan/AIO/Pump Headers
Total of 6x headers including CPU_Fan header
I/O Ports
1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type A port
1x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C port
1x Ethernet port
1x DVI port
1x HDMI port
6x Audio Jacks
Differences
Asus Prime Z370-A
VRM
8+2 Power phase design
Theoretically fine overclocking
Memory Overclocking
Supports up to 3866Mhz OC memory
PCI Slots
4x PCI-Ex 1 slots
Doesn't supports Quad Nvidia SLI and Quad AMD CrossfireX
Onboard Features
1x MemOK and 1x PWR_SW buttons
No USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C header
I/O Ports
1x DP Port
Only 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports
Storage
1x M.2 Support both SATA and PCI-E modes but 1x M.2 supports PCI-E mode only
1x M.2 slot comes with heatsink
Fan Headers
1x 5pin EXT_FAN connector
BIOS
Asus Bios(Easy interface and lots of functions)
ASRock Z370 Extreme4
VRM
12+1 Power phase design
Theoretically much better overclocking
Memory Overclocking
Supports up to 4333Mhz OC memory
PCI Slots
3x PCI-Ex 1 slots
Supports Quad Nvidia SLI and Quad AMD CrossfireX
Onboard Features
No onboard troubleshooting buttons
1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type C header
I/O Ports
1x VGA Port
4x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports
Storage
Both the M.2 slots support SATA and PCI-E modes
No heatsink for any M.2 slot
Fan Headers
No extension fan header
BIOS
ASRock Bios(Just Fine)
Pros of Asus Prime Z370-A
It has much better bios and has easy interface both in Bios and AI suite software to overclock CPU and Memory
Comes with 1x DP port for connecting to a monitor which is the best interface till now
1 additional PCI-Ex 1 slot can be used for various expansion cards
Onboard troubleshooting is easier with Power switch button and MemOK button
Heatsink on the second M.2 slot will help achieve lower temperature on the NVME SSD
Pros of ASRock Z370 Extreme4
Has more Power phases which means better stability in overclocking
It has a onboard USB 3.1 Type C header which is very beneficial in many cases
Both of it's M.2 sockets support SATA as well as PCI-E modes which means better compatibility
It supports Quad SLI and Quad CrossfireX. Although, it's not a big advantage in general
It has 1x DVI port which can be used to connect to a monitor not having having DP or HDMI ports
It has 2 more USB 3.1 ports over Asus Prime Z370-A at its I/O
It supports highly overclockable memories
Winner
Conclusion
Both the motherboards are close in price and in most of the features but the most important feature that ASRock Z370 Extreme4 leaves behind the Asus Prime Z370-A is overclocking for both the CPU and Memory. Although, there are some features that are better in Asus Prime motherboard but if you are looking for a motherboard particularly for overclocking, then ASRock Z370 Extreme4 is the way to go.
