# GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming G1 Motherboard Review PART-1



## rakesh_sharma23 (Aug 22, 2015)

*GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming G1 Motherboard Review*

*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/Z170XGAMINGG1.jpg  


With the launch of the Intel’s new Skylake platform, many high end motherboards started appearing in the market with promising features and great performance.  And today we have the opportunity to review one such board from GIGABYTE and my first Z170 board the GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming G1 Motherboard.
 GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming G1 Motherboard is the top of the line motherboard from GIGABYTE based on the new LGA1151 socket supporting the Intel 6th Generation Skylake processors with great feature like dual channel DDR4 support, Intel USB 3.1 with USB Type-C, Dual PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 Connectors with up to 32Gb/s Data Transfer, Creative certified Sound Blaster ZxRi 120+dB sound, Killer DoubleShot Pro™ X3 networking and many more. 
Now let’s see what GIGABYTE  Z170X-GAMING G1   board have for us.


*Features*




 Extreme Intel® USB 3.1 Controller  - The Intel® USB 3.1 controller utilizes 4 PCIe Gen3 lanes, offering 32 Gb/s of total bandwidth, for uncompromised transfer speeds of up to 10 Gb/s per USB 3.1. With twice the bandwidth compared to its previous generation, and backwards compatibility with USB 2.0 and 3.0, the much improved USB 3.1 protocol is available over the new reversible USB Type-C™ and the traditional USB Standard-A connector for better compatibility over a wider range of devices.
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Connecting the Future - USB Type-C™ - The World's Next Universal Connector. Reversible USB Type-C™ with USB 3.1. The USB Type-C™ is a new reversible connector that is loaded with useful features such as USB 3.1 support for 10 Gb/s transfer speed and DisplayPort 1.2 support to connect 4K monitors. Powered by the Intel® controller, this little port is the better USB Type-C™.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/02.jpg  


GIGABYTE AMP-UP Audio™ Technology - GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming G1 motherboard is equipped with Creative Sound Blaster Certified ZxRi 120dB+ Audio and the GIGABYTE exclusive AMP-UP Audio Technology, which provides the industry's highest level of onboard audio features and technologies. With GIGABYTE AMP-UP Audio, gamers and audiophiles are able to experience crisp, ultra-realistic sound effects while gaming, and the richest possible sound experience when listening to their favorite music and movies. 
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/03.jpg  


USB DAC-UP -Clean, low-noise power for your Digital-to-Analog Audio converter -GIGABYTE USB DAC-UP provides clean, noise-free power delivery to your Digital-to-Analog Converter. DACs can be sensitive to fluctuations in power from the other USB ports, which is why GIGABYTE USB DAC-UP takes advantage of an isolated power source that minimizes potential fluctuations and ensures the best audio experience possible.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/04.jpg  


Killer DoubleShot-X3™ Pro – Automatically prioritize your game network needs over the fastest available connection for high quality, lag-less and uninterrupted gaming connectivity.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/05.jpg  


2 Killer GbE + 1 Killer WiFi - The Killer DoubleShot Pro™ X3 allows three killer interfaces to work together for the best networking by freeing the highest bandwidth to the most important traffic, allowing you to multitask without affecting your performance.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/06.jpg  


Dual PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 – With two PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 connectors onboard, GIGABYTE brings to the user PCI-Express connectivity for SSD devices. Delivering up to 32 Gb/s data transfer speed per connector, the dual M.2 provides an ideal storage solution as it also supports RAID modes.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/07.jpg  


Fast Intel® 750 Series 2.5" SSD Support via M.2 to U.2 Add-in-Card – GIGABYTE motherboards support the latest consumer NVMe SSD for truly amazing performance. Experience the future of storage performance for desktop client and workstation users with the Intel® SSD 750 Series. The Intel® SSD 750 Series delivers uncompromised performance by utilizing NVM Express over four lanes of PCIe 3.0.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/08.jpg  


Turbo B-Clock –Built-in Advanced Performance Tuning IC. Thanks to the onboard TURBO B-Clock Tuning IC, GIGABYTE Motherboards enable Overclockers to have the ability to change their BCLK Frequency to a desired value of their choice. With the new linear range adjustment option of the Tuning IC, ranges from 90MHz to 200MHz are now possible, so that overclockers are not limited to the 5% ranges of traditional straps.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/09.jpg 

Water Block Thermal Design with G1/4 Threaded Fittings - Tube connectors at each end of the heatsink provide easy integration with any water cooled system. These technologies help combat high temperatures by effectively removing heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU VRM zone, allowing it to remain cool, even when the battle heats up. 
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GC-USB3.1 BAY GIGABYTE USB3.1 5.25" Front Bay Expansion Port
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/11.jpg  


15 Gold Plated CPU Socket Design -GIGABYTE motherboards come equipped with a 15 micron thick gold plated CPU socket*, which means that enthusiasts can enjoy absolute reliability and longevity for the CPU socket overtime, without having any concerns about corroded pins or bad contacts.  *www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/12.jpg  



*Specifications* 
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*Package*
Board comes in a nice black cardboard box with model number, image of the board and details about supporting technology and features.
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*Inside the box*
GIGABYTE  Z170X-GAMING G1  comes with very nice set of accessories
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Intel® 750 Series 2.5" SSD Support via M.2 to U.2 Add-in-Card
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/22.jpg  


Next Generation SATA Express Cable
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/23.jpg 

more accessories 
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GIGABYTE USB3.1 5.25" Front Bay Expansion Port 


 USB Type-C™ supports USB Power Delivery 2.0 (Profile 5) delivering  100 watts power 
 x1 future-proof reversible Type-C™ connector
 x1 popular Type-A connector 
 Supports USB 3.1, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0
 High-quality steel construction 
 Fits in standard 5.25" drive bay
 Uses SATA-Express interface to provide USB3.1 support for up to 10Gb/s data-transfer speed  



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*Looks*
Board made with a black PCB of size ATX (30.5 X 24.4 cm). A white colour plastic shield covers the back I/O connectors, SATA Ports and audio section. Same While / Red colour metal sheets covers the heatsinks giving whole board a rich White and Red theme. 
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/28.jpg

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*Layout*
Detailed layout of board.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/30.jpg  


1.  Intel New LGA 1151 socket. Heatsink mounting holes layout is same as earlier LGA1150 socket, so your old cpu cooler will fit perfect with the new socket.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/31.jpg  


2. GIGABYTE  Z170X-Gaming-G1 is equipped with 4 DIMM  Dual channel DDR4 memory slots supporting max. 64GB at 2133MHz in normal and up to 3666MHz when OC. Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) is also supported.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/32.jpg  


3. ATX Power connector (24-pin EATXPWR)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/33.jpg  


4. ATX CPU Power Connector 8-pin ATX12V_2x4.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/34.jpg  


5. Back I/O Ports 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port, 1 x HDMI port , 1 x USB Type-C™ port, with USB 3.1 support, 1 x USB 3.1 port, 7 x USB 3.0/2.0 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/Mic In, Line Out, Headphone),2 x MMCX antenna connectors (2T2R)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/35.jpg 

6. 7. 8. 10. 16.1 x CPU Fan connector, 1 x CPU OPT Fan/ Water cooler pump connector, 5 x System Fan connectors and Back I/O Plate LED connector
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/36.jpg 

9. Top right of the board locates an OC button which provides automatic overclocking and an ECO button which provides power savings  alongside a POST code display, power, reset ,clear CMOS buttons  and voltage read points. 
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/37.jpg  


11. 2 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 3.0 port(s) (19-pin)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/38.jpg  


12. 3x SATA Express connector, 10 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/39.jpg  


13. Expansion Slots  2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1, PCIEX16_2) * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16_1 slot; if you are installing two PCI Express graphics cards, it is recommended that you install them in the PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots , 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x8 (PCIEX8_1, PCIEX8_2) * The PCIEX8_1 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16_1 slot and the PCIEX8_2 slot with PCIEX16_2. The PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2 slot will operate at up to x8 mode when the PCIEX8_1/PCIEX8_2 is populated, 3 x PCI Express x1 slots(All of the PCI Express slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard.)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/40.jpg  


14.  15.  2 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors
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17. System Front panel
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18.  2 x BIOS Control button(s). One switches between the main and backup BIOS and the other disables dual BIOS .
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/43.jpg 

19. USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/44.jpg  


20. Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/45.jpg  


21. 2 x Audio gain control switches, one for front port and other for rear audio port.
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22. Front panel Audio connector port
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/47.jpg  




*Removing Heat-sinks*
Heatsinks are made up of dense aluminum and heat pipes with thermal pad installed, giving great passive cooling to VRM MOSFETs and Z170 chipset.
*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/48.jpg

*www.pctekindia.com/Reviews/Z170XGAMINGG1/49.jpg


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