GIGABYTE Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK Motherboard Review

[PAGETITLE=Introduction, Specifications & Board Comparison][Top Ad] I've taken a look at two mini-ITX Z97 motherboards over the past month from ASUS and MSI which helped proved that "small" doesn't have to mean "lackluster", and now, I'm going to take a look at a model that resides on the opposite end of the spectrum. It's big, it's mean, and it caters to gamers like few boards do. The board I'm talking about is GIGABYTE's Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK, and with a price tag of about $350, it's clear right from the get-go that this board means business. In some ways, that might also mean that it's a little over-the-top, but there's nothing particularly wrong with that, right? This is what I'd call a proper gaming motherboard: Lots of PCIe x16 slots, a multitude of SATA ports, an LED BIOS readout, onboard power / reset switches, and a dedicated audio card. For those who like to build a rig with a robust water cooling solution, you'll be happy to know that the MOSFET area of the board can be cooled using 1/4" tubing. Before diving more into the board's specs, let's talk a bit about the "BK" in this board's model name. It stands for "Black Edition", and is far more than just a simple name: It represents the fact that the board survived an intense 168-hour durability test conducted at GIGABYTE's Taiwan factory. This not only gives someone the peace of mind that their new board is built to last, it also results in GIGABYTE giving the board an incredible five-year warranty. To learn more about how a Black Edition motherboard is built and tested, check out the below video: For that extra bit of insurance that the board you receive did in fact undergo such testing, a certificate is included right in the box: I might be an enthusiast, but if there's one thing I appreciate from a motherboard, it's stability first and foremost. As a consumer, then, I'd greatly appreciate knowing that the board I'm buying has passed such rigorous testing, and even if I build my PCs more frequently than once-per-five-years, that kind of warranty is outstanding. After all, I might end up using that board for a second build, or for a friend or family member's build. So, let's see what else this board has to offer. I'll be covering its design and layout on the following page, but to help you gain an immediate understanding of what this board offers, you can refer to this table: GIGABYTE Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK Architecture Intel Z97 (LGA1150) Form-Factor ATX (12" x 9.6") Memory Up to 4x8GB DDR3-3200 Multi-GPU 2/3/4-way AMD CrossFire 2/3/4-way NVIDIA SLI Expansion 2x PCIe 3.0 x16 2x PCIe 3.0 x16 (Operates as x8) 3x PCIe 2.0 x1 Storage 1x SATA Express 6x SATA 6Gbps (Intel) 4x SATA 6Gbps (Marvell) Network 1x Intel Gigabit 1x Killer Ethernet (E2201) Gigabit Wireless Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.0 Audio Creative Sound Core3D TI Burr Brown Amplifier S/PDIF Out USB Back-panel: 2x USB 3.0 (Intel), 4x USB 3.0 (Renesas) 2x USB 2.0 (Intel) Internal: 2x USB 3.0 (Intel), 6x USB 2.0 (Intel) Back I/O 2x 1Gbps LAN, 6x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 1x Optical S/PDIF, 5x Audio Jacks, HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, Wi-Fi connector (when card is installed), PS/2 Features @BIOS, Q-Flash, Smart Switch, Xpress Install, EasyTune, ON/OFF Charge, EZ Setup, Dual BIOS, Smart Recovery, Smart TimeLock, USB Blocker, Fast Boost, 7x 4-pin Fan Headers The best question to start with is, "What is this board missing?" In terms of features that could be seen here, Thunderbolt is the only omission, and that's not going to affect too many people. As a high-end gaming board, it comes as little surprise that 4 GPUs are supported in either CrossFire or SLI, and yes, bridges are included for all of these configurations (this can be seen on the following page). Because of its gaming focus, the Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK includes a robust audio and networking selection, with the former involving a Creative chip, and the latter, a Qualcomm Killer Ethernet one. As I mentioned in my look at MSI's Z97I Gaming AC a couple of weeks ago, I don't really care too much for Killer Ethernet, and it annoys me when a board includes only it as a wired option. That's not a problem here, though, as this board includes an Intel Gigabit NIC as well. I'll tackle some of the board's more specific features later, but first, let's get into a look at the hardware itself. [PAGEBREAK][PAGETITLE=A Hardware Tour of GIGABYTE Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK][Top Ad] As a motherboard that costs about $350, you can expect the Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK to generally offer everything you need, +1. Not many people are going to need ten SATA ports, for example, or all 16 USB ports that can be made available. Heck - even the cooling can be kicked up a notch, thanks to the ability to add the MOSFET area to your water cooling loop. Truly, this is one seriously packed motherboard. Because motherboards that don't include many fan headers - or place them in odd locations - annoy me, one of the first things I do after hauling a board out of its box is scan it for those. I was pretty impressed to see that this board includes seven 4-pin fan headers, with two beside the CPU socket and another just above the top-most PCIe slot. As seen in the stock image above, the other four headers are located at the bottom of the board, a decision that's hit-or-miss with me. On one hand, I appreciate the clean build that these locations would help with, but I generally appreciate having at least one or two headers near the top-right side of the board - or the top - so that fans mounted to the top can reach it easier. If you also have top-mounted fans, either affixed to the chassis itself or a radiator, you might have to get a little creative to get them plugged-in. Nonetheless, it's hard to complain too much when the header locations are hardly poorly placed, especially given the fact that there's seven of them. We can see two of these 4-pin fan headers at the bottom right-hand corner of the board, beside a couple of BIOS switches and the chassis connectors. After having dealt with MSI's truly bizarre chassis connector location with its Z97I Gaming AC, it was a huge relief to see it placed here on GIGABYTE's board. Also seen here is a SATA Express port along with 10x regular SATA 6Gbps ports. There's a lot going on at the top-right corner, with perhaps the most notable feature being the onboard power and reset switches. Also worth noting though are the voltage points right beside the corner screw hole, aiding overclockers who take things more seriously. And on the topic of "serious", GIGABYTE has included a SATA power connector beside the 24-pin one that it recommends anyone using two or more GPUs take advantage of, as it supplies additional power to the PCIe slots. For being such a hardcore gamers' board, the CPU socket area sure does look pretty. Maybe that's just the hardware geek in me appreciating solid-looking designs. Likewise, the heatsink looks great, and even if you don't take advantage of the water cooling abilities of it, it should still be effective enough on its own. On the left-hand bottom corner is the dedicated Creative Sound Core3D audio card which is one of the true highlights of the board. First and foremost, high-quality audio capacitors are implemented here, and should you take things really seriously, you can even swap out the OPAMP. Further, while I'll never call it an important feature, the audio connectors on the I/O panel are gold-plated. Perhaps more important than that is the fact that the audio card on this board has been strategically-placed to deliver the cleanest audio possible to the I/O panel's connector. Notice those small toggles? Those are used to increase the gain in both the left and right channel from 2.5x to 6x, something that could be important for some headphones users. The back I/O panel includes a total of 8 USB ports, 6 of which are 3.0. Also here are the dual LAN ports, the full complement of audio ports, HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort video ports, and PS/2. The yellow USB ports at the top are 2.0, and are designed for use with USB-based audio, which GIGABYTE says "provides clean, noise-free power delivery to your Digital-to-Analog Converter". This might sound like just marketing, but often, your USB bus can become extremely busy and throttle performance; with audio plugged into these ports, your listening experience should never be interupted. It seems like I've been talking about the Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK's hardware for a while, but I'm not quite done yet. Next up, the accessories. In this first shot, you can see the included Wi-Fi add-in card and its antenna, along with a front 3.5-inch bay that supplies 2x USB 3.0 ports, and also one of any multi-GPU bridge you'll need. Along with the manual and driver DVDs, badges, the I/O panel protector and some front panel cable (I truly have no idea what it's for; it kind of looks like a floppy connector on one end, while the other is a USB 2.0 header) are also included. What really stood out to me with this package is that all six of the included SATA cables are sleeved. Is that important? Not at all. Is it nice nonetheless? Damn right it is. It goes without saying that this board is packed with features and accessories. So let's get this thing installed, and check out its EFI. [PAGEBREAK][PAGETITLE=A Look at the EFI][Top Ad] An archive including all of these screenshots and more can be downloaded here (.ZIP, 8.3MB). One of the things I look forward to most with each new chipset generation is seeing what motherboard vendors have done to their EFIs since the last generation. As we saw over the past month, ASUS and MSI had modest updates to their respective EFIs, and overall, their solutions are quite good. What about GIGABYTE? Admittedly, I'm not entirely impressed, and I'll go as far to say that I feel the EFI on this board is a step backwards. Let's start with the very first thing you'll see after entering the EFI, a screen called "Startup Guide". The EFI on this board has three...

GIGABYTE Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK Motherboard Review

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Rob Williams