Here is the first picture of Sapphire's socket LGA1155 motherboard in the works, based on Intel Z77 "Panther Point" chipset. Carrying the model number PT-CI7Z77, the board will probably carry the company's "Pure Black" branding. Its chipset and VRM heatsink designs have not been finalized, yet. To begin with, the LGA1155 socket, which supports upcoming "Ivy Bridge" processors out of the box, is powered by a 10-phase VRM. This VRM uses ferrite-core chokes, Driver-MOSFETs, and a secondary NEC-TOKIN multi-phase capacitor to condition power. Three other phases handle memory and miscellaneous power domains on the board.

The processor is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory. It is also wired to two PCI Express 3.0 long slots, which are auto-configured as x16/NC or x8/x8, depending on the second slot being populated. Other slots include a PCI Express 2.0 x1, and a PCI Express 2.0 long slot (gray), which is electrically PCIe 2.0 x4, and wired to the Z77 PCH. There are two legacy PCI slots, driven by an ASMedia-made bridge chip.Storage connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s, four SATA 3 Gb/s, wired to the PCH. There are no eSATA ports. There are plenty of USB 3.0 ports, since the PCH is also contributing a few ports. It appears as if all USB 3.0 ports from the PCH are wired to two USB 3.0 front-panel headers (4 ports), while ASMedia-made controllers are driving the USB 3.0 ports on the rear panel. Other connectivity includes Bluetooth, gigabit Ethernet, 8+2 channel HD audio. The display I/O includes D-Sub, DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Expect this board to feature in the first-wave of Z77 motherboards, slated for April.