Biostar TZ77XE4 Review: Dichotomy by Default
by Ian Cutress on July 21, 2012 5:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- Biostar
- Z77
Biostar TZ77XE4 In The Box
With Biostar being a well-enough known budget brand, it is fair to presume that we should not get that much in the box to tantalize us. However, the TZ77XE4 is the high end Biostar SKU, so we could always be in for a surprise.
Driver CD
User's Manual
Rear IO Shield
Four SATA Cables
Rigid 3-slot SLI Bridge
3-Slot Crossfire Bridge
USB 3.0 Panel (USA Special Offer Only)
I was initially confused, as the review sample I received did not correlate with the Newegg image of what is in the box as shown above - I did not get in a USB 3.0 panel. I discussed this with Biostar, who state that it is a USA specific promotion to include the USB 3.0 panel. At the MSRP for the motherboard, I would have expected every sample to include that USB 3.0 panel to sweeten the deal.
Aside from the panel, Biostar have included a CrossFire bridge in the bundle. Usually CrossFire cables are supplied with GPUs and not the motherboard, so it is a welcome addition.
Voltage Readings
After my first publication of OCCT voltage readings, a few readers responded with a more in-depth reasoning behind some of the results we were seeing. With this in mind, I would like to re-describe what we are doing with this test, and how it comes about.
Much of what an enthusiast overclocker does is monitor CPU temperature and voltage. Whatever settings a user places in the BIOS or OS is at the mercy of the motherboard - in terms of actually setting the values and reporting the values back. As an enthusiast, we have to rely on what readings we get back, and hope that motherboard manufacturers are being honest with their readings.
Take CPU voltage. What we as a user see in CPU-Z or OCCT is a time-averaged value that hides voltage ripple (if any) for power delivery. It is very easy for a motherboard manufacturer to hide this value, or to disregard slight deviations and report a constant value to the user. The CPU voltage reading can be taken at a variety of places on the power plane, which can vary between motherboards and manufacturers, meaning that each reading is essentially not comparable with the other. Nevertheless, as an enthusiast, we will constantly compare value A with value B.
Whether or not I can achieve 4.7 GHz with 1.175 volts on a particular board is inconsequential - your motherboard may perhaps produce the same result with a reading at 1.200 volts. The only way to test the actual value is with consistent methodology is via an oscilloscope connected to similar points on each board. This may sound like taking an OCCT reading is therefore redundant.
However, motherboards have settings relating to load line calibration. As load is applied to the CPU, the voltage across the processor decreases (VDroop). Load Line calibration essentially attempts to control this level of droop, by increasing voltage when voltage drops are detected away from a fixed value. Manufacturers have different ideas on how to modify LLC with respect to load, or whether the level of modification should be controlled by the user. Some manufacturers offer the option at a variety of levels, such that overclockers can be sure of the applied setting (even if it increases peak voltage, as explained by AnandTech in 2007).
By doing a full load OCCT test, we are essentially determining both how aggressive the motherboard is reporting the CPU voltage under load and how aggressive load line calibration is performing (from the point of view of the user without an oscilloscope or DVM). If someone has one of the motherboards we have tested and you have a different one, variations in load voltage should describe the offset you may require for overclock comparisons.
| Reported Load Voltage / V | |
| ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional | 0.956 |
| ASRock Z77 Extreme4 | 1.050-1.058 |
| ASRock Z77 Extreme6 | 1.040-1.048 |
| ASUS P8Z77-V Deluxe | 1.085 |
| ASUS P8Z77-V Pro | 1.090 |
| Biostar TZ77XE4 | 1.036 |
| Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H | 1.067 |
| MSI Z77A-GD65 | 1.020 |
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pandemonium - Monday, July 23, 2012 - link
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=22297...If there wasn't anyone in the world that needed a PCI expansion slot, I highly doubt all the major manufacturers would continue to have them available on most of the boards produced today...
Grok42 - Wednesday, July 25, 2012 - link
Good link. So looks like sound card, video capture and network in order of most to least common. I would love it if Anandtech would perform a double blind listening test of discrete cards Vs. on board ones. Video capture cards are certainly a good use but aren't most HD quality ones PCI-E? Using either type of slot for network is odd outside of a very niche application.All that said, I think I would prefer to have at least one PCI-E 1x slot just in case something broke on the board so I could fix it with a cheap 1x NIC or sound card. I still can't think of *any* reason for two old PCI slots this board has.
Darth_Bob - Tuesday, July 24, 2012 - link
I may be the only Biostar fan here lol. Ive used them for my last 2 builds. Used to have a 775 with Q9550 - nice OC for about 2.5 years, never a hiccup, still have it. Currently have an i5 3770 on this same board. Never had bad luck, do just fine with overclocking. I've had much worse luck with other brands.It's nice to see them grace the good pages of Anandtech.
ggathagan - Tuesday, July 24, 2012 - link
Ian, I like generally your writing, but for the love of all that is good and grammatical, can you PLEASE spend more time on wrapping up loose ends?You have a habit of missing important parts of sentences.
Words like "not" and "can", while very short, have a lot of impact on your articles.
Under the "Visual Inspection" section:
"In terms of fan headers, Biostar have unfortunately put much effort in here, with only three to play with - a 4-pin CPU fan header to the top right of the socket, and two 3-pin at the south end of the board."
I'm thinking you meant something along the lines of ...Biostar have unfortunately not put much effort in here...
Last page:
"Motherboards can relatively straightforward and a joy to work with..."
How about: Motherboards can be relatively straightforward and a joy to work with...
Bios page:
"This so far has worked in all testing, albeit even with a hint of instability."
I can't tell if you mean there is a hint of instability or there is not.
This so far has worked in all testing, albeit with a hint of instability.
or
This so far has worked in all testing, without even a hint of instability.
I make these comments as constructive criticism.
Sweating the details is what separates good from mediocre writing.
IanCutress - Monday, July 30, 2012 - link
Please note that these articles to go through two pairs of eyes several times before posting. Writing 12k+ words a week isn't easy, especially if you consider 'variances of understanding'. As a Brit, I constantly have to ensure I do not use contractions, and that all my company names are singular, otherwise I get slammed in the comments for not being in an American style. If you see anything worthy of note that needs changing and wish me to change it, please email at ian [at] anandtech [dot] com.Ian
TuFur - Tuesday, July 24, 2012 - link
I don't know what is up with Biostar. I just returned a TA970XE motherboard because of instability. It started by recognizing my Phenom II 965 as a tri-core processor. Then it would only run two sticks of memory in the auxiliary memory sockets. My diamond 650 TV tuner wouldn't work with my amd 6850 video card. The clincher after a week with this board was it not recognizing my SSD boot drive consistently. And there is no bios update since 2/22/12 when the board was released. I traded it for an Asus M5A88-v-evo and haven't looked back. The new board installed without any problems and is fully functional with my SSD drive, TV tuner and 6850 card. I also saved $20 on an open box.jonjonjonj - Thursday, October 25, 2012 - link
i would never click a 'Install Everything' button to install garbage on a mb dvd. im going to go download each individual driver and make sure its the lastest one. so i know im only installing the ones i actually need. i like knowing exactly whats being install but thats just me. im anal about that stuff.vetu8 - Sunday, January 26, 2020 - link
thanks for this nice reviewhttps://faceforpc.com/