ASRock M8 Gaming Barebone as Steam Box Alternative

TAIPEI, Taiwan, January 6, 2014 If youre still furious over the fact that Valve only released 300 beta Steam Machines and nada was delivered to you, then boy does AnandTech have great news for you! From the latest review by Ian Cutress, they have given BMW Group DesignworksUSA and ASRocks masterpiece M8 the Editors Choice Silver Award and recommended it as a Steam Box alternative.

ASRock M8 is a very nicely built barebone that offers the opportunity to build a mobile gaming platform that should stand the test of time as well as providing nice aesthetics and industrial design. The price might not appeal to most in the bang-for-buck stakes, but ultimately that is not the real point of the M8 power and size with design. Explained Ian Cutress, Editor of AnandTech.

The mysterious Steam Box has been stirring up so much hype lately, but to be fair, M8 is even kicking it up a notch! Just in case youve missed it, the 300 beta Steam Machines were actually built with ASRocks Z87E-ITX motherboards, on the other hand, ASRocks M8 is built with Z87-M8 motherboard which holds even better hardware features. Aside from specs, M8 also offers great flexibility and adequate space for future upgrades. Hence it could turn out to be a pretty good Steam Machine.

ASRocks M8 is designed with a G-sensor integrated OLED control panel called A-Command, so users may either keep the case upright or horizontal. Theres an 802.11ac WiFi + Bluetooth v4.0 module for lightning fast wireless connections, and the onboard audio is powered by the best in the market Creative Sound Core3D quad core sound and voice processor. Plus, users also get an XSplit three month premium account which is worth $24.95 dollars for free!