Intel Z77 Panther Point Chipset and Motherboard Preview – ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, ECS and Biostar
by Ian Cutress on April 8, 2012 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- Intel
- Biostar
- MSI
- Gigabyte
- ASRock
- Asus
- Ivy Bridge
- ECS
- Z77
Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H—Visual Inspection
In a twist to the previous motherboards, Gigabyte sent us a micro-ATX sample, the GA-Z77MX-D3H. While still a Z77 product, capable of dual GPU setups, we have a motherboard aimed at the cheaper end of the spectrum. This is shown with what looks like a 4 + 2 VRM power delivery, and the relatively small sized heatsinks. We are also limited in terms of fan headers (three), and rear panel USB 3.0 ports (only two) compared to the Z77X-UD3H WiFi bigger brother.
The socket itself is clean with little obstructions—fan headers are found below the VRM heatsink, where we have two of the 4-pin variety. The other fan header on board can be found at the bottom next to the TPM.
.png)
Despite being a cheaper small motherboard, we still have typical Gigabyte features, such as dual BIOSes next to the USB 3.0 header underneath the 24-pin ATX power connector, but only the SATA ports from the PCH. This means two SATA 6 Gbps and three SATA 3 Gbps. The chipset heatsink is also small but has enough surface area to keep Gigabyte confident of its functionality.
-B.png)
The south side of the board is relatively naked, with a front panel audio, fan header, TPM and two USB 2.0 headers. Given the look of the board and that it does not display many potential features (presumably to fit into a price bracket), I was not expecting anything elaborate such as power/reset buttons.
The PCIe layout is aimed at users wanting dual GPUs or users needing an extra PCIe device alongside their GPU. The PCIe layout becomes x16 (x8 on dual GPU), x1, x8, x4, with this final x4 only being PCIe 2.0.
-bb.png)
The rear IO panel is more substantial than I assumed, which can only be a good thing. From left to right we have a pair of USB 2.0 (black), a combination PS/2 port, D-Sub, DVI, two USB 3.0 (blue), HDMI, four more USB 2.0 (black), gigabit Ethernet, and standard audio jacks with a combination optical SPDIF output.
Board Features
| Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H | |
| Size | mATX |
| CPU Interface | LGA-1155 |
| Chipset | Intel Z77 |
| Power Delivery | TBC |
| Memory Slots |
Four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 32 GB Up to Dual Channel, 1066-1600 MHz |
| Video Outputs | HDMI, DVI-D, D-Sub |
| Onboard LAN | Atheros |
| Onboard Audio | Via VT2021 |
| Expansion Slots |
2 x PCIe x16 Gen3 (x16, x8/8) 1 x PCIe x16 Gen2 (x4) 1 x PCIe x1 Gen2 |
| Onboard SATA/RAID |
2 x SATA 6 Gbps (PCH), Support for RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 4 x SATA 3 Gbps (PCH), Support for RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| USB |
4 USB 3.0 ports (2 back panel, 2 from headers) 10 USB 2.0 ports (6 back panel, 4 from headers) |
| Onboard |
4 x SATA 3 Gbps 2 x SATA 6 Gbps 3 x Fan Headers 1 x Front Panel Header 1 x Front Audio Header 1 x SPDIF Output Header 1 x USB 3.0 Header 2 x USB 2.0 Headers 1 x TPM |
| Power Connectors |
1 x 24-pin ATX connector 1 x 8-pin 12V connector |
| Fan Headers |
1 x CPU Fan Header (4-pin) 2 x SYS Fan Headers (4-pin) |
| IO Panel |
1 x PS/2 Combo Port 1 x D-Sub 1 x DVI-D 1 x HDMI 2 x USB 3.0 6 x USB 2.0 1 x Gigabit Ethernet 1 x Optical SPDIF Audio Jacks |
| Warranty Period | 3 Years |
| Product Page | Link |
As with the Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H WiFi, this Z77MX-D3H comes with an Atheros/Via network and audio combination. Given the lack of features on the main area of the board due to the size and the audience this product is aiming for, it seems good if all you want is a stock processor and a working Ivy Bridge system with no frills.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
145 Comments
View All Comments
Zoomer - Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - link
It doesn't matter, firewire maxes out at 800Mbps, which the PCI standard can easily handle ht 133 MBps.Of course, shared bandwidth is an issue, but reworking designs / buying the PCIe design rises issues of cost and reduces the number of PCIe lanes for other devices that can better use the bandwidth.
prophet001 - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
Seeing at the layer that Virtu is running and reading about what it claims to be capable of, is there any reason this could not cure once and for all the micro-stutter associated with multiple video cards?jonyah - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
It's good to know my Z68 (asus maximus iv-extreme) still hasn't been bested. I see nothing from any of these boards that beats what I've been running for some time now. Plus i have more usb 3.0 ports (12 to be exact).flashbacck - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
For my own PC, I'm interested in seeing what mATX sized Z77 boards there are. Often they have weird expansion slot combinations or positions. Looking at what Z68 boards are out now, it surprises me how many still have PCI slots. I would've thought they'd be replaced by PCIe 1x's by now.Also, anything about UEFI bios implementations? Was the promise of fast booting UEFI bioses ever fulfilled?
Aruneh - Friday, April 13, 2012 - link
I'm planning on making my next build a mATX one, and would be interested in seeing some reviews of high quality boards with lots of features. The Gigabyte mentioned in this article sadly seems to be a cheaper model.CharonPDX - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
"...including 8800 and 2400 series..."What, are we back in 2007?
Oh, wait... AMD 8800 and nVidia 2400, not the other way around...
Wait, that's not right either. What's the 2400 referring to?
Ryan Smith - Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - link
Radeon HD 2400; AMD's low end series for the HD 2000 generation in 2007.extide - Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - link
You had it right the first time... That phrase in the article was specifically pointing out the broad range of compatibility of the Lucid solution.extide - Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - link
The first time as in in 8800 = nVidia, and 2400 = AMDkristof007 - Monday, April 9, 2012 - link
I don't know if this helps or you wan to put an update but NewEgg has the boards out and prices on them (I am not sure if they sell it at MSRP or not). Just a thought if you want to update those "TBC" prices.