Z170M Extreme4 DVI and HDMI port

I'm trying to determine whether this particular motherboard can output a 2560 x 1440 signal (at minimum of 60Hz) - does anyone know whether this is possible?

The specs for the DVI port imply that it is a single link output only, hence not capable of the resolution I want. (And if I am mistaken on this count then please correct me!)

But what about the HDMI output? Is it v1.4 compliant? And can it output 2560 x 1440 at 60Hz or higher?

Would be grateful for any help!

parsec wrote: DVI max resolution is 1920 x 1200 @ 60Hz, from the Intel 530 graphics. HDMI: The Intel 530 graphics is HDMI 1.4 compliant, from their specs. Does that mean the HDMI output on this board is HDMI 1.4 compliant? Not sure. Also not sure about the resolution you need. DisplayPort: Wait, you did not ask about DP, and this board does not have a DP output. To bad, DP supports the resolution you are looking for, and beyond. So does the 530 graphics, over DP.

Edited by Hokey - 08 Jul 2016 at 10:51am

Sorry to hear that.

I'm surprised you are having that experience (not saying it did not happen), after my recent trip to Taiwan. The Taiwanese people were very nice to me, without exception.

I don't know where the ASRock support you are dealing with is located. Given your location, I assume it would be Asia, either China or Taiwan.

I haven't researched this much yet, but from what I have read, it is the devices being used that need to be compliant with an HDMI standard. Meaning the video signal source and the video playback device. The HDMI cable must be too, but that is a bandwidth or signal transmission capability, that is determined by the design of the individual wires within an HDMI cable. I don't see any reference to additional connections on the HDMI jack or connector on an HDMI cable.

Which brings me to the question, what does it mean for the output to be HDMI 1.4 compliant? That standard is not new, and currently HDMI 2.0 is the new standard. Again, that seems to be additional bandwidth and signal transmission capabilities.

So the implication of your question is, even if the video source is HDMI 1.4 compliant (the Intel integrated graphics), the HDMI signal output jack must be compatible as well? I don't know what the difference in the HDMI jack would be for HDMI 1.4. Not to mention there seems to be 1.4a and 1.4b versions as well?

Hokey wrote: parsec wrote: The Taiwanese people were very nice to me, without exception. I've been to Taiwan before too, and agree with you wholeheartedly that they are very friendly people.  I've actually just had another look at the emails I've been receiving from ASRock tech support - and they come from the asrockamerica.com domain - so presumably I've been speaking to the guys in the USA.  parsec wrote: Which brings me to the question, what does it mean for the output to be HDMI 1.4 compliant? That standard is not new, and currently HDMI 2.0 is the new standard. Again, that seems to be additional bandwidth and signal transmission capabilities. Yes, my understanding is that HDMI 1.4 specifies increased bandwidth - and that is what enables the higher resolutions and refresh rates.  Regardless, I've recently received another reply from ASRock, this time he clearly states: "motherboard does not support 1.4" This is the same person I've gone back and forth four times with - he could have simply answered my question from the get-go, rather than repeatedly give me the run-around and hide behind infuriatingly-vague language.  To be honest I'm still not 100% convinced I've been given the right answer. I get the feeling that ASRock tech support is just trying to get rid of me for whatever reason.  If anyone is able to refute the answer I've been given -  perhaps a fellow owner out there has been able to get a 2560 x 1440 60Hz signal from the HDMI port - then I would love to hear about it.

About the HDMI 1.4 support answer from ASRock support, I suppose it is possible that person did not know the answer, and either finally got one for you, or just told you that. I have no contact with ASRock support in the USA, so that is simply my guess.

I would be surprised if the HDMI port did not support HDMI 1.4, that is not a recent standard. But I cannot answer your question directly since I don't have a monitor of that resolution.

I checked the other three major mother board manufactures, and chose one random high end Z170 board to check the integrated graphics specs.

One gave no standard versions for HDMI or DisplayPort (ie, 1.4 for HDMI, or 1.2 for Display port.)

The other two listed HDMI 1.4 support, but nothing for DisplayPort.

The Z170M Extreme4 only includes the HDMI resolution, Supports HDMI with max. resolution up to 4K x 2K (4096x2160) @ 24Hz / (3840x2160) @ 30Hz.

The other boards I checked had similar specs for the HDMI resolutions, with one listing 60Hz for the 3840x2160 resolution.

All of those other boards were at least twice the price of the Z170M Extreme4, and really were easily $300+ boards.

I hope someone can give you a specific answer to your question.