Asrock P67 Extreme4 UEFI & Drivers thread [Extreme6 & Pro3 owners welcome]

[swampy]

So I shut down, turn off electricity, remove battery for a while, reset jumper to clear, replace battery, power on, power off, reset jumper to save, power on?

[GregoryDonner]

L3.03 posted: http://europe.asrock.com/downloadsit...(L3.03)ROM.zip

[radier]

Orly?

[GripS]

So I shut down, turn off electricity, remove battery for a while, reset jumper to clear, replace battery, power on, power off, reset jumper to save, power on?

Power off.
Disconnect power chord.
Move jumper to clear position (or press CMOS clear button on back of PC).
Move jumper back to original position.
Plug in power.
Power on and enter UEFI. Load Optimized defaults. Reboot
Enter UEFI again and see if you can increase multiplier.

I would not advise flashing a beta bios in the future especially if it is a feature that does not apply to you (adding IVY support).

edit: I should read better. You already tried the button so ignore that and use the jumper. You can also pull the CMOS battery for good measure. Wait 5 minutes... put everything back in and fire it up. You might also try to re-flash 2.00 or 2.10 again if that doesn't work.

[Ket]

Power off.
Disconnect power chord.
Move jumper to clear position
Move jumper back to original position.
Plug in power.
Power on and enter UEFI. Load Optimized defaults. Reboot
Enter UEFI again and see if you can increase multiplier.

^ This. Do note simply hitting the CMOS reset button is not a full CMOS reset, it just effectively loads setup defaults.

[Olivon]

L2.02 IB Support for P67 Extreme6 :

http://download.asrock.com/bios/1155...(L2.02)ROM.zip

http://www.asrock.com/mb/beta.asp?Model=P67%20Extreme6

[Arska]

Asrock has an L3.01 beta bios for P67 pro3. Any idea if this one includes all the improvements mentioned by radier here: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...=1#post5057564

[Ket]

There will be a lot of improvements with it, exactly what those improvements will be I don't know. Deffinately worth the update though.

[xdan]

It is safe to flash...i mean i hope that there will not be any problems like P67 Extrem4(ealier post).
I don't have time for a dead motheboard.
When will Asrock release the official bioses for all P67/Z68 bioses?....i mean this beta is from 18/04.

It's a little annoying the support for P67/Z68 boards.
I mean H61 low entry motheboards have IB official bioses from the start of the month.
http://www.asrock.com/news/events/2012H61/

[radier]

If someone don't plan to switch for an Ivy Bridge CPU I would recommend to stick withe current UEFI. People still reports problems with XMP profiles.

[radier]

New beta UEFI L3.04 for P67 Extreme4:

http://www.asrock.com/mb/beta.asp?Model=P67%20Extreme4

[radier]

New UEFI seems to work like a charm:




http://minus.com/mvbFnm7/

[GregoryDonner]

Ket, is ASRock still accepting feedback regarding the Etron USB 3.0 drivers? If so, I have had intermittent hangs when trying to access my Hitachi Touro Mobile Pro USB 3.0 External HDD (plugged into my E4's rear USB 3.0 port). I'm using the latest 1.0.0.111 drivers. (I know you recommended the .101 drivers, but I neglected to keep a copy of them--they're not in your RapidShare DL archive or on the ASRock drivers page.)

I must admit that from some of the threads on the web I've read, there's some question as to whether these bugs are primarily caused by bad drivers, or if there isn't a hardware bug in the Etron chip itself?

[papatsonis]

I happened to install my new ARES 1600 10-10-10 memory kit yesterday, and found one bug in setting manual values in tRFC and tWR in my P67 Fatal1ty board (i suspect the very same bug exists in other p67 asrocks). XMP profile for gskills 2133 32gb kit, has 17 tWR and 278 tRFC, if i leave in auto my ares kit, i can see the 278 tRFC value, but if i want to extra relax it i cant (to check if it has any positive result in further lowering vcore), as it has max value 255... also tWR has max value 16.

[bat4]

I must admit that from some of the threads on the web I've read, there's some question as to whether these bugs are primarily caused by bad drivers, or if there isn't a hardware bug in the Etron chip itself?

I tend to believe, that there is a hardware design flaw. Our EJ168A chip is already history. Etron has already released two new controllers, EJ188 and EJ198. See this:
Etron debuts new usb 3.0 host and device ics

I have checked the Asrock site, there are no more new products with the old chip EJ168A, and even the new Etron chips are appearing in only very few new motherboards.

I have recently installed the 0.111 driver, but the same happens: rear Etron ports don't work and when plugging in external HDD's, the system stops responding and reset is required. So not only bad design, but some chips are wearing out too early. I think some motherboards even come with already dead Etron chips which means that bad chips are not removed from production, but they are sold to customers.
Intel at least had the decency to admit the flaw in the SATA2 controller. I don't think Etron will ever admit the flaw.

[papatsonis]

already got one of this and i finally have usb3 that WORKS.... without massive dpc latency and f#$@$king my sound... when gaming and skype for example...

[bat4]

already got one of this and i finally have usb3 that WORKS.... without massive dpc latency and f#$@$king my sound... when gaming and skype for example...

The additional PCI-E card with USB 3.0 ports is not a real solution. If you want to sell your motherboard in the future, what will you explain: "there is a broken USB 3.0 port, but I'm giving you an additional PCI-E card?"

I think we should add to the first post of this thread, that some users have issues with the Etron USB 3.0 controllers, so that no more people gets disappointed by Asrock and Etron.

For the other users: yes, I know that for some users the Etron ports work correctly, you had good luck and have got a "perfect" Etron chip, but many other users have got the faulty chips. Also, if it works correctly with specific devices, don't be sure that it will work with any other USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 devices.

I am adding here my list of links with unhappy users. I will update this list with new links. Some of the issues have been resolved but most of them are still unresolved.

See these forums:

ASRock and Etron USB 3.0 BSOD - How bad is it really?
http://www.overclock.net/t/1155878/a...d-is-it-really

Getting BSOD on new build!! HELP!
http://windows7forums.com/blue-scree...uild-help.html

Random BSODs on Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
http://www.techspot.com/community/to...64-bit.170040/

New Build on Win 7 x64, Multiple different BSOD
http://www.computersupportforums.com....php?tid=61747

Bluescreen USB 3.0
http://forum.canardpc.com/threads/62...creen-USB-3.0?

Continuous blue screens help
http://foro.noticias3d.com/vbulletin...d.php?t=362701

BSOD on a new Rig
http://windows7forums.com/blue-scree...d-new-rig.html

Multiple BSODs within few minutes of startup
http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-d...s-startup.html

Computer BSOD on wake up from sleep
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/w...7-0b4e0959d0c3

New! BSOD everytime after sleeping.
http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-d...-sleeping.html

BSOD a few minutes after wake from sleep
http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-d...ake-sleep.html

BSOD all over the place
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/sh....php?p=2489099

I just had a BSOD lol. When i plugged something into the USB 3.0 slot on the case
Erocker is there a driver i need for the USB 3.0?? Because everytime i select the playback on TS as my USB mic it BSOD
Okay apparently there is. Etron USB 3.0 Driver
Wait i already have it installed. wtf
Im going to have to change the USB 3.0 to a USB 2.0. Etron seems to causing issues for a lot of people. BSOD all over the place

Workstation 8.0 Blue Screen
http://communities.vmware.com/thread/332528

Blue screen at shutdown
http://www.windows-7-forum.net/windo...terfahren.html

I've Given Up And Disabled My USB 3.0 controllers.
http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=55137385&f=188

I get random BSOD's with it pointing to "ETRONXHCI.sys" - I've looked it up and it's my 3.0 controller drivers.
I downloaded them from Etron and they were outdated after checking the mobo site. I downloaded the drivers from the mobo site and it persisted.
Drivers are current.
I don't actually have any peripherals capable of taking advantage of 3.0 anyways, but i mean still - now I have 3 dead ports.
What else can I do to trouble shoot my problem. I just disabled the controllers and am sure that that will stop my BSOD's.
Tried googling, found someone with the same issue but with an ASRock mobo.
Anyone got any suggestions? Otherwise computer's been fantastic and stable as ever.

Random BSOD Driving me crazy!
http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-d...e-crazy-8.html

New Sandybridge Build BSODs!! HALP!!
http://www.overclock.net/intel-gener...sods-halp.html

BSODS : BAD_POOL_HEADER and SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION
http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-d...ception-2.html
Quote:

My problem now is finding if I can get a different controller for the USB 3.0 port I am using and ditch this Etron junk.

DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
http://www.techsupportforum.com/foru...re-589073.html

DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
http://forum.xbitlabs.com/viewtopic.php?t=18896

DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE
http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-d...r_failure.html

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
http://forums.techguy.org/windows-7/...ess-equal.html

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
http://www.infos-du-net.com/forum/id...nxhci-sys.html

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.p...ic,7837.0.html

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
http://windows7forums.com/blue-scree...-attached.html

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-d...nprovoked.html

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL - Random BSOD
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2277685

WORKER_INVALID
http://www.sg.hu/listazas.php3?id=979813350

MULTIPLE_IRP_COMPLETE_REQUESTS
http://forums.gametrailers.com/threa...utdown/1219012

Adobe Audition 3.0 (blue screen of death)
http://forums.techguy.org/multimedia...-3-0-blue.html

How do I fix this kind of blue screen problem ?
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/w...d?tab=MoreHelp

EtronXHCI.sys and asio4all
http://forum.image-line.com/viewtopic.php?p=661701

I get BSOD when plugging in a USB 2.0 thing to a 3.0
http://www.overclock.net/t/1173530/i...thing-to-a-3-0

Blue screen upon loading Battlelog only?
http://www.overclock.net/t/1250450/b...og-only-solved

BSOD when plugging in turtle beach headset into Etron usb 3.0
http://windows7forums.com/blue-scree...3-0-etron.html

Etron USB 3.0 drivers cause blue screen error (BSOD)
http://kb.eset.com/esetkb/index?page...LN2805&ref=wsf
Quote:

If you are experiencing a blue screen error after installing ESET NOD32 Antivirus or ESET Smart Security on a system with the motherboard equipped with an Etron USB 3.0 controller, you will need to update your Etron USB drivers to version 1.01 or newer. To obtain the latest version of the drivers, please visit the web page of your motherboard's manufacturer.

Etron USB 3.0 drivers identified as virus by Kaspersky Internet Security 2011
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/680150.aspx
Quote:

MY USB 3.0 Drivers, it thinks theres a virus when it tried to install, but if i pause AV it will install successfully aswell the driver is coming straight from ASROCK's website...

The mysterious case of the disappearing USB3 external drives ...
http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-...al-drives.html
Quote:

After installing driver 112 I still see the same trouble on the USB 3.0 ports. I think the only advice I can give here is if you plan on purchasing a motherboard, think twice if the name Etron appears anywhere...

"Not only is it less reliable than the Renesas solution found on most boards, it is slower as well."
http://www.hardcoreware.net/gigabyte...oard-review/9/
Quote:

This board is the first time I have seen the Etron EJ168A controller, and I have to say, it sucks.

See this review:
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1668/6/

On a German site they are building up a list with compatible and incompatible USB devices:
http://www.pctreiber.net/forum/intel...e_14617.0.html

USB 3.0 ports not responding?
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/...rts-responding

ASRock Extreme4 Front Panel USB 3.0 ports Performance Issues!
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1624179

Slow USB 3.0 Speeds
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sho...php?t=18395342

Slow boot due to Etron USB 3.0
http://forums.vr-zone.com/hardware-d...2011-a-15.html
Quote:

The slow boot up only happens after I installed Etron USB drivers, from 15 secs go up to 32 secs.

Etron USB 3.0 Treiber
http://www.computerbase.de/forum/sho...d.php?t=843223

See these questions:
http://www.madshrimps.be/vbulletin/f...-review-80156/
Quote:

Despite the fact this controller recently received the SuperSpeed USB Certification from the USB-IF, it is still plagued by problems such as random disconnect from external USB 3.0 hard drive. It also has issue with some web cam and other peripherals. Your USB device might work, or not. How would you like Russian roulette style USB connectivity with your brand new 185.00$ purchase?

Users start to RMA Asrock mainboards with this Etron controller and exchange them for Asus:
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1785632
Quote:

As mentioned, I've returned my ASRock E4G3 due to the etron EJ168A USB 3.0 controller issue.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1789651
Quote:

You're absolutely right - when it comes to the etron EJ168A USB 3.0, it literally is luck of the draw on any motherboard using them.

The long and the short of it is, if you're keen on the E4G3 (and it is a great board bar the etron controller issue):

1. Have a test bench ready to go
2. Purchase your board, take it home and fire it up
3. Test all USB ports on both the front panel and rear ports with a fast USB 3.0 mechanical or Solid State drive.
4. Keep taking it back for an exchange until you have a board with no faulty etron controllers.

If I had a day spare, that was my plan.
Just keep cycling through boards until I get one that works 100%.

As I don't have that sort of time spare, I just went for the Asus with no known issues.

Cracking/distortions and sound crashes
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/pax-dr...d-crashes.html
Quote:

I may have solved the problem. I had problems with all my audio devices (though only the two creative cards needed reboot), but mostly while playing games:
- Realtek onBoard Sound - bad sound / heavy distortions
- Asus Xonar DX (PCIe) - bad sound / heavy distortions
- nVidia Audio (HDMI) - bad sound / heavy distortions
- Creative X-Fi Titanium (PCIe) - bad sound / heavy distortions / sound crash (need reboot)
- Creative Audigy 2 ZS (PCI) / bad sound / heavy distortions / system crash (need reset)

I found out that I have very high DPC latencys (sometimes >100000 ?s) and that the problem is the onboard Etron USB 3.0 controller. I left a game running in the background and deinstalled the Etron drivers while monitoring the DPC latency. The latency fell from red (more than 50% off the values were above 10000?s) to normal green just as the unistaller finished.

High latency on Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=358273
Quote:

I do not trust Asrock Boards I had an Asrock Extreme 4 Gen 3. Within two months the onboard sound died. It left an annoying hiss whether I disabled the onboard sound or not. This also somehow caused my usb slots to produce super high latency in DPCLatency Checker. I would not recommend these boards. I replaced it with ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 and never looked back excellent board so far.

USB 3.0 Problem
http://forums.tweaktown.com/asrock/4...0-problem.html
Quote:

For your information, Power Saving feature is disabled in the Etron drivers since driver version 0.101. See the following settings in the inf file of the driver:
[POWER.AddReg]
HKR,,PowerSavingMode, 0x00010001, 0
It is also disabled in driver versions 0.104, 0.105, 0.5.394.1 beta.

Quote:

The newest Etron driver 0.105 cannot hibernate properly - not in my setup anyway. I'm using Win 7 64-bit + Asrock P67 Pro3 with BIOS 2.00. After waking up USB3 ports never work and don't even show up in device manager. And every now and then there's a blue screen when trying to wake up.

Z68 Extreme 4 USB3 problems
http://forums.tweaktown.com/asrock/4...-problems.html

Z68X UD3H B3 USB3 not working
http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte...t-working.html

Asrock Extreme 4 gen 3, slow usb 3 speed on front panel.
http://forums.tweaktown.com/asrock/4...ont-panel.html
Quote:

Anyway, it's day 22 for me with this board, an ASRock rep thinks it's the USB chipset, so I RMA'd it for an exchange.

USB 3.0 issues
http://forums.overclockers.com.au/sh...01626&page=179
Quote:

Where to begin... same board as me and I have had non stop USB 3.0 issues (Etron) & overclock instability issues. Some boards hold the exact same clock settings so much better but yet my Fatal1ty board requires more voltages.

Yeah that reminds me, I contastly have USB issues, where sometimes plugging in devices to the rear USB3 ports don't work at all, or just aren't detected.

It is a board issue. EJ168 USB 3.0 causes BSOD with some USB 3.0 Enclosures & Devices.

Etron have released over 5 different drivers for it and they all conflict in different ways. This boards sucks.

See this German forum:
"The Etron EJ168A USB 3.0 controller is a disaster"
http://www.pctreiber.net/forum/intel...e_15202.0.html

Forum posting in German language:
"Warning! The new EtronTech EJ168A USB 3.0 Host Controller is incompatible with USB 3.0 devices having JMicron JMS539 chipset"
http://forum.gigabyte.de/index.php?p...&threadID=3743

Etron EJ168 Incompatible With AFT PRO-57U
http://zarathustrashallspeak.com/201...h-aft-pro-57u/

Etron EJ168 not compatible with Hyper-V 3.0
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/...1-3de973329adc

Beware of ETRON USB 3.0 chip on motherboards...
http://www.amazon.com/review/R238C7DVN3T4D1

Faulty USB/eSATA on ECS Black Deluxe P67H2-A2 SLI motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813135283
Quote:

Pros: Good price, supports SLI and high-end processors.
Cons: USB3 doesn't work right. Etron chipset causes random reboots. New driver version doesn't reboot...but also doesn't see most devices. Also, after bios update (recommended by ECS support), now the eSATA doesn't work at all.
Other Thoughts: I initially thought this board was amazing, with a few bugs. Thought ECS would fix it through driver updates. No luck. They will not fix it and are fighting me about an exchange. Do a google search for "etron usb 3.0 issues" and you'll see a LOT of people with this issue.

Etron USB3.0 (Asrock P67 Extreme4)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo
Quote:

The Etron USB3.0 is horrible and essentially worthless. I have yet to get anything that is plugged into the USB3 to work. When there is a device plugged into the USB3, the system will not shut-down. You can imagine how long it took me to figure out why Windows would lock-up at shut-down.

Etron USB3.0 (Asrock Z77 Extreme6)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo
Quote:

The performance of the USB 3 ports controlled by the Eltron chip is terrible. I measured the performance of a USB 3 hard drive enclosure connected to one of the Eltron USB 3 ports and large file sequential transfers ran in the 30 to 40 mega byte per second range. The same hard drive enclosure connected to an Intel USB 3 port ran at roughly 100 Mega Bytes per second - which is exactly what USB 3 performance should be for the enclosure I tested.

Good Board. Horrible Etron USB 3.0 (ASRock P67 Extreme4 Gen3)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo
Quote:

Pros: This board overclocks very well. As for now I keep it at stock speeds with my 2600k but wanted something somewhat future proof with the USB 3.0, PCI express 3.0 and the ability to go with the new Ivory bridge processors. Everything works great except the USB 3.0.
Cons: OK. Big con unless you don't plane on using the 3.0 USB ports. In fact if your not going to use USB 3.0 I would recommend you disable it all together. I have had consistent crashes with this board and I have seen the blue screen of death several times. I use the program called whocrashed and it points at the Etron USB 3.0 being the issue. After reading many forums about the USB 3.0 chipset used by Etron it seems to be a HUGE issue with many motherboards from all manufactures using USB 3.0 chipset from Etron on their mother boards. ASROCK only has driver .096 for this chipset on their website. Had to go to Gigabyte to get the latest .105 drivers. I just recently installed these drivers but haven't tried to use my 3.0 ports again since my final crash resulted in windows becoming unbootable. Had to do a complete reinstall to get my system back up and running.
Other Thoughts: If the .105 drivers resolve this issue I will update this review. If they do it is very frustrating that ASrock doesnt' have them listed on their website. Makes me wonder if the rest of my hardware on the board has the latest drivers.
Final note. My case has front USB ports that are 3.0 only. So I used these consistently with my flash drive and my Android phone. This is the majority of time I would see the crash is when something was plugged into the 3.0 ports. So if they are not used I don't think I would be having these issues.

I'm still not totally sold on this board (ASRock P67 Extreme4)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo
Quote:

Pros: Great board, great price. It has everything that the Asus p8p67 Pro does and is $30 cheaper. I have read that a lot of ppl are having problems with the Asus too, but so far this board has been great for me. It was easy to install and well designed.
Cons: None
Other Thoughts: Not enough to remove an egg, but this board uses some Etron usb 3.0 chip. Every other quality board out there uses a NEC controller. I'm having some issues with my Huawei EC168 usb air card not staying connected for very long. I'm not sure if it's because the card is old or the usb controllers are shabby.

Etron chipset + driver is buggy
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815124106
Quote:

Pros: This is an update to my review. As another poster stated, the Etron chipset and driver are well, pretty bad. I am now 100% sure that this is what hangs up my computer when I use ANY USB 3.0 device. I updated the driver on Etron's wacky website (shows the driver as a pdf file!) and no improvement. Their given link in their "literature" gives you an old driver which doesn't work either.
Cons: After searching, I found that this chip is roundly panned. It's not just Gigabyte boards that it doesn't work with apparently. Maybe it works with some; I sure don't know.
Other Thoughts: Replaced it with a Trendnet TU3-H2PIE (available at good old NewEgg) and no problems. This one has a NEC chipset which is apparently the way to go. Speed may be limited by your computer internals, but mine is much faster than USB 2.0, that's for sure.

Great quality, but some caveats. (ASRock 990FX Extreme3)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157281
Quote:

Pros: Great price. Solid build quality. Plethora of features and the UEFI is pretty cool.
Cons: Etron USB 3.0 controller. My OS would freeze if I inserted a USB thumb drive into ANY of the usb ports. To remedy this problem you must find and install the "110" drivers floating around the web (ASRock did not have them on their install CD or their website). So a big warning in advance to those who especially care about USB 3.0 (I don't). Etron should probably be avoided unless you don't mind hunting down and manually installing the drivers.
Other Thoughts: ASRock has come a long way in their mobo quality. I'd like to see them continue to rise as a solid, mainstream manufacturer, but they need to avoid shoddy implementations where possible (ie: Etron!)

ETRON!!!!!!!! (Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo
Quote:

Pros: Pretty good mobo; plays well, has RAID support, and seems to handle most everything. SATA 3 is awesome- it would be better if it had USB3, though (see Cons).
Cons: ETRON... Just type in ETRON USB3 BSOD. Yeah. Wish I could plug in a USB3 device without playing Russian Roulette with my OS. (WIN7x64). Have latest drivers (.105), but it still crashes. When there's no USB3 plugged in, rock solid. When there was a USB3 device plugged in, it BSOD'd about 2x/week.
Other Thoughts: I've really been pleased with gigabyte- my last 3 boards were from them; this USB3 thing is not making me happy.

Which Z77 motherboard are you already planning to get and why?
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1682749&page=12
Quote:

The problem with the Asrock was the fact that it utilized very poor controllers. (for example, USB 3 was an Etron controller) Tons of people experienced BSODs due to the Etron controller, and I experienced serious system instability whenever the USB 3 ports were in use. This remained the case even with the newer Etron drivers.

Pretty good, except for USB 3.0 drivers (ASRock P67 Pro3)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asrock-P67-P.../dp/B004R9PCNK
Quote:

This motherboard has got to be one of the best ones I have ever used. It has plenty of SATA and USB ports, nice BIOS for overclocking, and pretty easy to install.
My only problem is with the USB 3.0 controller by Etron. I cannot install the USB 3.0 drivers or else I'll get a BSOD. It only happens with certain USB devices. For me, it happened with my Turtle Beach Ear Force PX21 headphones. If I have the Etron drivers installed and the headphones plugged into the USB 3.0 slot, the system would immediately go to a BSOD. It also seems like Asrock has stopped releasing drivers for this motherboard so this problem will probably never be fixed by either companies.
Other than not being able to use my USB 3.0 ports, the motherboard has been performing well. I recommend this motherboard only if it's on sale and you don't need USB 3.0.

Etron USB 3.0 (ASRock P67 Extreme6)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo
Quote:

Pros: Price
Cons: Corsair RAM only works in single channel mode.
USB 3.0 does NOT work. Uses Etron chip for USB, not NEC.
Other Thoughts: I'll replace it with anything but ASRock.

Etron USB 3.0 (Gigabyte GA-P67A-D3-B3)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...scrollFullInfo
Quote:

Pros: Decent features.
Cons: No internal USB3 header.
The onboard USB3 controller (made by Etron) is very unstable: causing BSOD, no response from the device, and shutdown of the device. Many similar cases have been reported. Updating the controller driver have not solved the issue, as of yet.

Except for USB 3.0 Controller, good board (Gigabyte GA-P67A-D3-B3)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...scrollFullInfo
Quote:

Pros: Always had good luck with Gigabyte boards, so bought another. Install was easy, although I had to flash the BIOS to get it up to date (had F0 on it before). Only had it a short time, but it has been solid, except fot the Etron USB 3.0 controller.
Cons: Did I mention the USB 3.0 controller sucked? I didn't get any BSOD, but the controller frequently froze while transferring files to my WD external drive. Even reformatted the external drive to make sure. It would always come out of the freeze about 30 seconds later, but it was still a pain. And I was on the latest driver, 1.0.0.98.
Other Thoughts: I think I forgot to say the USB 3.0 controller sucked. Otherwise, a great board.

Lots of Features but NOT stable (ASRock P67 Extreme6)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo
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Pros: - Dual Gigabit Lan
- eSATA Port
- OK layout
- Solid Build Quality
- 4 SATA III ports
- 3 Pci Express Ports

Cons: - USB 3.0 Ports are unstable = Useless
- Turns off and back on when you first power it on

Other Thoughts: The first thing that I noticed after setting my system up is that when I first turn it on, it shuts off abruptly after a second or two; then 3 to 5 seconds later it turns on by itself, and then shut off again for another 3 to 5 seconds before coming back on, and the cycle may repeat several times or just happen once. But it will happen without fail if I leave the computer off for a few hours. And yes, my power supply is an Antec 650W and it also happens with a different 550W Antec, which were used in a different system with the same load and they both worked. I have upgraded the BIOS to the most recent firmware, and that didn't do squat. My more annoying problem is that I can only use the USB2.0 ports because if I connect to the USB3.0 ones the system may work briefly but it will stop responding or restart at some point. I've updated the drivers, I've tried everything and nothing works.

Z68X-UD3H Review
http://forums.overclockers.com.au/sh...d.php?t=987448
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Hmm havent seen this before. It might be a contender to the P8Z68-V Pro im planning on getting. So far the only thing that bothers me is that theyre still using that POS etron controller for USB3.

Issues with Etron under Windows 8
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/...5-95b3abf42135

Freecom XS 3.0 3TB external harddrive problem with Etron USB 3.0 on Windows 7 32 bit and Debian Linux
http://www.freecomforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33063

Asus Essence One and corrupted sound
http://www.head-fi.org/t/542563/asus...cebit-2011/630
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Got it fixed. Isolated the problem to the Etron USB 3.0 USB host controller and/or its drivers. They are used in ASRock motherboards at least.

NOS1 USB not compatible with Etron USB 3.0
http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=1977.0;all
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I have a usb3 mobo with etron pcie usb3 chip that does not work as expected. Another reason to get a PCIe card.

Problem with USB 3.0
http://www.computerbase.de/forum/sho...d.php?t=937882
Quote (translation by Google translate):

Everyone is complaining about this crap Etron chip .... the internet is full of discussions about this topic. Inform yourself before buying (on the internet and at the dealer) that helps!

QB-35US3 (JMicron JMS539) + AsRock Z68 Extreme4 (Etrontech EJ168A) + USB3
http://www.fantec-forum.de/index.php...d&postID=10528
Quote (translated):

That is due to the Etron USB3.0 chip, the only solution is a USB 3.0 card with a different chipset (ideally ASMedia, you can get it from import for little money, as this is currently still rare in Europe, from Renesas I would prefer the old chip "uPD720200", the new chips 200a, 201 and 202 can sometimes make problems, but Renesas constantly releases updates.

There are no other options, the Etron chip is the terror in this area.

What desktop PC should I buy?
http://prohardver.hu/tema/milyen_asz...117-31117.html
Quote (translation by Google translate):

If you can, avoid EtronTech USB 3.0, those who already have it, turn it off because it is doing more harm than good.

Etron USB 3.0 Controller Issues, Controller/Driver Recommendation?
http://www.overclock.net/t/1183990/e...recommendation
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In French, Etron means crap(or manure)
So yeah, just get anything other than that and you should be fine.

Asrock have stepped away from the commonly used NEC USB 3.0 controller and chosen to use the EtronTech EJ168 USB 3.0 controller.
The EJ168 certainly sounds like it can do the business, according to the documentation provided by EtronTech they are a world class IC design company. The chip itself is touted as being the world?s fastest USB 3.0 controller and the first to be interoperable with USB 2.0 and 1.1. EtronTech also claim their drivers are WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) tested and certified.

USB3 performance is fine and reliable (if anyone is plugging USB2 devices into USB3 ports... well thats just silly at this point in time with everything transitioning

We all suspected EJ168 had a design flaw, the new controllers migh add a few extra USB3 ports but I suspect thats a mask and the real reason for the new controllers is to fix the flaw EJ168 has/had.

[radier]

New final version of UEFI for many motherboards: http://www.asrock.com/news/events/2012ivy/

[bat4]

New Etron driver 0.112: http://www.station-drivers.com/page/etron.htm

[papatsonis]

@radier thanks ,
installation was successful (P67 Fatal1ty)no problems with missing dividers etc, migrated my settings correctly, and at last i got rid of Jonathan's face starring at me :p (no offense Fatal1ty). I do have a problem right now with error when trying to install Intel MEI 8, but i hope i'll find a solution soon.

edit: the problem was with embedded vcredist file in MEI from asrock's site, solution was to copy the entire folder from temp, replace both vcredist files with working ones from newer MEI from station-drivers, and installed ok.

1 MAJOR bug i found in new UEFI (and i want Extreme4/6 users to check) is that if you disable the USB3 in uefi, you also disable the upper pci-e 1x slot... (the slot i use for nec usb3 controller...), if you enable it, it works, ok. I suspect this will be an easy fix.., but if possible, etxreme4/6 users with updated uefi to ivy versions, try to disable usb3 in uefi and check if upper pci-e 1x slot works... as these 3 motherboards are quite similar -and share similar uefi code- i suspect they will have the same bug.

[radier]

I dont have a device to chceck it. Which Fatal1ty do you have because Performance version lacks PLX switch which might be crucial in this case.

[papatsonis]

Fatality professional, with the same plx switch as extreme 4/6. According to an old schematic, the Pcie 1x slots are directly connected to p67, without multiplexer except from 4x slot which is connected with quick switch to bottom 1x slot (when both populated, the 4x drops to 2x)

Thanks anyway

Sent from my U8800 using Tapatalk

update : speaking only for the "goodness" of this UEFI, i see nice improvement in memory compatibility (with 2.00 i couldnt even post with 1T with my gskill ares, now, boots fine, along with a small improvement in aida latency bench) and a slight higher bclk (before the need to adjust vtt)

[bat4]

but if possible, etxreme4/6 users with updated uefi to ivy versions, try to disable usb3 in uefi and check if upper pci-e 1x slot works... as these 3 motherboards are quite similar -and share similar uefi code- i suspect they will have the same bug.

Sorry, I can't test, because I have sent my motherboard back for two weeks due to the Etron issue.

The "workaround" is to enable USB 3.0 in UEFI and disable the USB 3.0 ports in Windows Device Manager, but I know this is not acceptable.

[papatsonis]

1 MAJOR bug i found in new UEFI (and i want Extreme4/6 users to check) is that if you disable the USB3 in uefi, you also disable the upper pci-e 1x slot... (the slot i use for nec usb3 controller...), if you enable it, it works, ok. I suspect this will be an easy fix.., but if possible, etxreme4/6 users with updated uefi to ivy versions, try to disable usb3 in uefi and check if upper pci-e 1x slot works... as these 3 motherboards are quite similar -and share similar uefi code- i suspect they will have the same bug.

Kudos to Asrock, for such a great support
I contacted the support, yesterday evening describing my problem, and today in my mailbox i found a new bios (L3.12 - Bios date 15/5/2012) which solved the issue!!!!
Thanks again Asrock

[wander_jarra]

Hey papatsonis

Do you mind to share this bios with us ? Thx broda !