Down at this section of the board we can see BIOS switches, a power button, reset button, clear CMOS button, debug LED and dual fan headers – all great things to have on a motherboard. For a flagship motherboard an 8 phase VRM is fairly “modest” but it isn’t all about the quantity – the quality of the phases is just as important too and Gigabyte are pretty confident about their quality.Īs I have already briefly mentioned the RAM banks seem to be a little close to the CPU socket, there seems to be adequate space to move them a little. The CPU socket has two modestly sized heatsinks and an 8 phase VRM supplemented with 10K rated durable black solid caps. This board has a good layout, nothing offensively bad, but it could be slightly improved. However, even with those minor improvements that could be made the overall layout in terms of PCI spacing, power connector placement and so on is fairly sensible. Gigabyte might also consider moving the memory banks further away from the CPU socket to allow for better RAM compatibility with CPU coolers. I also think the USB 3.0 port should be swapped with the debug LED and made right angled to further improve cable management options. I would have liked to have seen the front panel audio connector a little closer to the front of the board, the TPM and COM ports should be closer to the back because they are less likely to be used inside a standard case. On the layout front Gigabyte have made sensible choices all around, we have the 8 and 24 pin connectors in ideal locations, the storage connectors all in one place and right angled for better cable management and we’ve got two CPU fan headers placed right next to the CPU socket. ![]() ![]() I think the high end gamers might be disappointed with how “small” the heatsinks are – the board doesn’t have a lot of bulk to it, but that can also play to its advantage in allowing it to be more affordable, more compact and more compatible with other hardware. The Gigabyte Z97X Gaming 7 is a fairly attractive motherboard.
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