Intel Skylake Z170 Motherboards: A Quick Look at 55+ New Products
by Ian Cutress on August 5, 2015 7:59 AM ESTGIGABYTE Z170: Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX
GIGABYTE Z170MX-Gaming 5
Moving back to the gaming line and we get a couple of models in smaller form factors. The MX naming here implies a micro-ATX design.
Here we get what is technically an x8/x4/x4 arrangement, although two-way graphics solutions will typically block the third slot. The PCIe slots get the metal shielding, but due to the lack of space the M.2 slot is now between the PCIe and the chipset – this M.2 runs at PCIe 3.0 x4 for full bandwidth. The styling on the motherboard is similar to that seen on the Gaming 3, which means no rear panel cover but the red/black/white motifs are still present on the heatsinks.
The Alpine Ridge controller is in play here for the USB 3.1 A+C port combinations on the rear panel, while networking duties are through the gaming-focused Killer E2400 network controller. Realtek provides the ALC1150 audio in GIGABYTE’s enhanced solution, with an upgradable OP-AMP as part of the design. Storage extends from the M.2 mentioned before to six SATA 6 Gbps ports that are split into pairs for the three SATA Express configurations.
GIGABYTE Z170N-Gaming 5
Marching into the mini-ITX arena for the gaming range is the Z170N-Gaming 5, with a heatsink/heatpipe arrangement that looks a little different than normal. The power delivery is adjusted too as a result. Functionality here by virtue of the small size extends to a Killer network port as well as the Intel 802.11ac 2T2R dual band AC-8260, Intel’s 3rd generation AC adapter which also supports Bluetooth 4.2. For such a small motherboard we also get the Alpine Ridge controller providing the usual USB 3.1 A+C combination, and it’s worth noting that the power connectors are on the outside of the motherboard which should make it easier to install than some previous GIGABYTE motherboards.
GIGABYTE Z170M-D3H - MSRP ($115)
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The Z170M-D3H is aimed at being just the micro-ATX version of the Z170-D3H, with the focus being a few added features over the regular chipset integration. Surprisingly we get a pair of PCI ports from a bridge chip here, but the PCIe slots are given by a PCIe 3.0 x16 from the CPU and a PCIe 3.0 x4 from the chipset. Another four PCH lanes go to the M.2 slot in the middle, with six SATA ports / three SATA Express ports also included in the storage aspect of the motherboard. There is no USB 2.1 here, relying purely on USB 3.0. Networking uses the Intel I219-V and audio from the Realtek solution.
GIGABYTE Z170N-WIFI
The Z170N-WIFI follows a line of N-WIFI boards from GIGABYTE that has gone back several generations. The aim here is to make something that fits in similar to the Z170N-Gaming 5 but under that on the Ultra Durable line and that costs a little bit less. So while there are no power delivery heatsinks to speak of there are dual Intel I219-V network ports as well as the Intel AC-8260 dual band wireless card. Audio is an upgraded relatek solution and an ASMedia controller gives USB 3.1 A+C. GIGABYTE historically gives this board dual HDMI ports, and we get them here in 1.4b form.
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Oyster - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
Ian, do you think it is possible to supply us with a tabular breakdown of all the motherboards? Not sure about others, but going through page-by-page is a bit overwhelming, and confusing at the very least. Good coverage as usual!Eidigean - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
I second this. looking for number of M.2 slots, PCIe slots, USB 3.1 ports w/ type of controller (Alpine or otherwise). I'm shocked so few support 3 M.2 slots.MrBowmore - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
Why not just use the pcie? Is there anything better than a intel 750 and demands M.2? I dont get the need for M.2.Eidigean - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
Well, the SM951 is quite interesting. Also, if the M.2 slots are used, the PCIe slots can be used for 4 GPUs, NICs, or RAID cards. The ASUS workstation board in this article is interesting.Gadgety - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
Tabular would be great.The_Assimilator - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
Z170X-UD5 and Z170X-UD3 galleries are swapped.I'm glad to see that Gigabyte is exposing 2x USB 3.0 internal headers on almost all their boards - USB 2.0 needs to die. Now if only they would replace the dual USB 2.0 headers with an additional 3.0, giving 3x USB 3.0 headers, then I would be ecstatic. My Z77X-UD5H is still the only decently-priced motherboard around with a trio of USB 3.0 headers, and it's not getting any newer!
Regardless, I'm probably going to skip Skylake, for the simple reason that I'm not interested in buying a board equipped with the useless SATA Express. By the time Cannonlake rolls around, M.2/NGFF should have killed SATAe and there will be even more USB 3.0 ports from the chipset.
DanNeely - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
I bought a GB board for a 4790k earlier this year for the dual headers. At least in the medium term though, I think they do need to keep 1 or 2 2.0 headers around. Not everyone buys a new case for their new builds, and older cases have built in 2.0 ports on the front/top panel. The same thing for front panel SD card readers; there are USB 3.0 versions out now, but the SD reader won't benefit from the faster connection so why spend money to replace it. I can't remember who makes it, but there's one OEM who sells some PSUs with an internal USB2 header for monitoring purposes.Beyond all of that, the chipset itself provides 14USB ports only 10 of which can be 3; so the mobo makers have 2 "free" headers to do something with. Dell/HP/etc will ignore them; but in the box ticking consumer market they're going to get used either for internal headers or a pairs of ports in the back. Anyone clinging to w7 who doesn't have PS2 peripherals in the closet will need those since 7 doesn't have a USB3 class driver; and at least in my case refused to talk to a 2.0 device in a 3.0 port until I got drivers installed.
Impulses - Thursday, August 6, 2015 - link
If you're using an SD reader for a modern camera with modern SD cards then it'll absolutely benefit from USB 3.0... Last 128GB SD I bought for like $58 can read at 150MB/s (or about 3x USB 2.0 speeds), Lexar UHS-II card. Most recent mirrorless bodies can take advantage of it too...8steve8 - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
when will these actually be for sale?Ian Cutress - Wednesday, August 5, 2015 - link
Depends on the motherboard and what region you are in, but some are listed already: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-...