So it's almost tax time and this year we couldn’t ask for better timing on hardware launches. Intel launched their new chipsets and CPUs around CES time and AMD has their new CPUs and Chipsets coming here soon as well. So it looks like this year might be a big year for hardware, especially with more companies refocusing again on the PC. Well, Gigabyte introduced a whole selection of Z270 boards at CES and along with that they also expanded the reach of their Aorus line. It used to just be their gaming laptop lineup, but they have now brought together that brand with their gaming peripherals, motherboard, and video cards as well. The first Aorus product to come in is their new Z270X-Gaming K7 board. Let’s take a look and see what it’s all about.
Product Name: Gigabyte Aorus Z270X-Gaming K7
Review Sample Provided by: Gigabyte
Written by: Wes
Pictures by: Wes
Amazon Link: HERE
Specifications | |
CPU |
-Support for 7th and 6th generation Intel® Core™ i7 processors/ Intel® Core™ i5 processors/Intel® Core™ i3 processors/ Intel® Pentium® processors/Intel® Celeron® processors in the LGA1151 package -L3 cache varies with CPU (Please refer "CPU Support List" for more information.) |
Chipset | Intel® Z270 Express Chipset |
Memory |
-4 x DDR4 DIMM sockets supporting up to 64 GB of system memory -Dual channel memory architecture -Support for DDR4 4133(O.C.) - 2133 MHz memory modules -Support for ECC UDIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8 memory modules (operate in non-ECC mode) -Support for non-ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8/1Rx16 memory modules -Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules (Please refer "Memory Support List" for more information.) |
Onboard Graphics |
Integrated Graphics Processor-Intel® HD Graphics support: 1 x DisplayPort, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096x2304@60 Hz * Support for DisplayPort 1.2 version. 1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096x2160@24 Hz * Support for HDMI 1.4 version. Maximum shared memory of 1 GB |
Audio |
-Realtek® ALC1220 codec -Support for Sound Blaster X-Fi MB5 -TI Burr Brown® NE5532P operational amplifier -High Definition Audio -2/4/5.1/7.1-channel -Support for S/PDIF Out |
LAN |
1 x Intel® GbE LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit) (LAN1) 1 x Killer™ E2500 LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit) (LAN2) |
Expansion Slots |
-1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16) * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot. -1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8) * The PCIEX8 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16 slot. When the PCIEX8 slot is populated, the PCIEX16 slot operates at up to x8 mode. -1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4) * The PCIEX4 slot shares bandwidth with the M2P_32G connector. The PCIEX4 slot will operate at up to x2 mode when a PCIe SSD is installed in the M2P_32G connector. -3 x PCI Express x1 slots * The PCIEX1_3 slot shares bandwidth with the SATA3 1 connector. When the PCIEX1_3 slot is populated, the SATA 3 1 connector becomes unavailable. (All of the PCI Express slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard.) |
Multi-Graphics Technology |
-Support for NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ and 2-Way NVIDIA® SLI™ technologies -Support for AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ and 3-Way/2-Way AMD CrossFire™ technologies |
Storage Interface |
Chipset: 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 SATA and PCIe x4/x2 SSD support) (M2M_32G) 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280 SATA and PCIe x4/x2 SSD support) (M2P_32G) 1 x U.2 connector 3 x SATA Express connectors 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 * Refer to "1-10 Internal Connectors," for the installation notices for the PCIEX4, M.2, and SATA connectors. |
USB |
Chipset+ASMedia® ASM2142 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Controller: 1 x USB Type-C™ port on the back panel, with USB 3.1 Gen 2 support 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port (red) on the back panel Chipset: 8 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (4 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers) 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers) |
Internal I/O Connectors |
1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector 1 x CPU fan header 1 x water cooling CPU fan header 2 x system fan headers 1 x system fan/water cooling pump header 1 x RGB (RGBW) LED strip extension cable header 3 x SATA Express connectors 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors 2 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors 1 x U.2 connector 1 x front panel header 1 x front panel audio header 1 x S/PDIF Out header 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 headers 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header 1 x Thunderbolt™ add-in card connector 1 x Clear CMOS jumper 1 x ECO button 1 x OC button 1 x audio gain control switch |
Back Panel Connectors |
1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI port 1 x USB Type-C™ port, with USB 3.1 Gen 2 support 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port (red) 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 2 x RJ-45 ports 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector 5 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out, Rear Speaker Out, Line In, Line Out, Mic In) |
I/O Controller | iTE® I/O Controller Chip |
H/W Monitoring |
Voltage detection Temperature detection Fan speed detection Overheating warning Fan fail warning Fan speed control * Whether the fan (pump) speed control function is supported will depend on the fan (pump) you install. |
BIOS |
2 x 128 Mbit flash Use of licensed AMI UEFI BIOS Support for DualBIOS™ PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0 |
Bundle Software |
Norton® Internet Security (OEM version) Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready |
Operating System |
Windows® 10 64-bit (for 7th Generation Intel® Processors) Windows® 10 64-bit / Windows® 8.1 64-bit / Windows® 7 32-bit / 64-bits (for 6th Generation Intel® Processors) * Please download the "Windows USB Installation Tool" from GIGABYTE's website and install it before installing Windows 7. |
Form Factor | ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm |
Box Contents |
GA-Z270X-Gaming K7 motherboard Motherboard driver disk User's Manual Quick Installation Guide Four SATA cables I/O Shield One GC-SLI2P SLI bridge connector One G Connector One RGB (RGBW) LED strip extension cable Two Velcro Cable Ties One pack of back I/O dust covers |