Asrock will launch new Z87 motherboard for Intel’s Haswell processors soon and several of the models will be “water-proof”. As usual when it comes to electronics and liquids it is all a matter of definition, but Asrock has taken this seriously and released a video that really backs up the statement.
Asrock will brand several of its motherboards as “Waterproof by Conformal Coating” and the press release explains it as so;
“The special layer of Conformal Coating makes ASRock’s motherboards invulnerable to conductive liquids, so overclockers won’t have to worry about accidently spilling liquid nitrogen, liquid helium or even clam chowder over their motherboards while they are overclocking. Along with conductive liquids, Conformal Coating also protects the motherboard against dust, corrosion and extreme temperatures.”
To show that its water-proof motherboards are more than just a stunt, Asrock has shared a video on Youtube. The video shows how one of the coming motherboard runs 3DMark while water is running all over the circuit board. As expected no external graphics card is used and ports like PCI Express and SATA are not under water. But it does show that the PCB is indeed water-proof, which Asrock has in mind when it starts the video by telling viewers: “Don’t try this at home”.
As we’ve concluded earlier there will still be components and ports on the board that will be conductive and not protected from a complete disaster, but Asrock coating can still be a savior during a spill. Even more so it will make it easier for overclockers that don’t have to be as thorough when isolating for exotic cooling sessions, for e.g. liquid nitrogen or dry ice.
The motherboard used in the video is Asrock Z87 OC Formula, but exactly which models that will get Asrock’s water-proofing is not entirely certain. The boards will become available in early June when Intel launches the Haswell architecture and the Z87 chipset.
