Introduction
Now that it has been several months since the launch of Intel's Z77 Express chipset, we've seen countless varieties of supporting board products ranging from super-pricey, mega-overclocking products to value orientated boards with just a minimum of features. At the same time though, I've really noticed a huge departure from one brand to the next, although each appears to be delivering the same product. Each brand has its key features and its own specific color-schemes.
Biostar has something completely different this time around with a debut of a whole new product line-up of which I will be covering at least a couple iterations over the coming weeks. The first is, of course, the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X. That "Hi-Fi" moniker, as the name suggests, stands for some audio specialization in the design, and with Biostar that means that's what the whole board is about. Since Biostar is known for value-oriented products, can Biostar bring decent, built-in audio to the market like some other brands do with their high-end boards? Let's find out.
Specifications
Specifications |
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CPU SUPPORT: | 2nd & 3rd Gen Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processor family for the LGA 1155 Socket |
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POWER DESIGN: | CPU Power: 13 Phases PCH Power: 2 Phase Memory Power: 1 Phase |
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CHIPSET: | Intel Z77 Express |
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INTEGRATED GRAPHICS: | Dependant on installed CPU |
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MEMORY: | 4 x DIMM, Max. 32 GB, DDR3 1066 to DDR3 2600+ |
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BIOS: | AMI EFI BIOS with 64 Mb Flash ROM |
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SLOTS: | 3 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (x16/x0/x0 or x8/x8/x0 or x8/x4/x4) 3 x PCIe 2.0 x1 slots |
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HDD CONNECTIVITY: | 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s (Intel Z77) 4 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s (Intel Z77) |
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NETWORKING: | Realtek RTL8111F PCIe Gigabit LAN |
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PORTS: | 8 x USB 2.0 ports (4 at back panel, 4 at front panel) 4 x USB 3.0 ports (2 at back panel, 2 at front panel) 1 x RJ45 LAN connectors 1 x Audio port with 6 audio jacks 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port 1 x HDMI port 1 x VGA Port 1 x DVI Port |
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AUDIO: | Realtek ALC898 HD CODEC |
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FAN HEADERS: | 3 (1x 4-pin PWM, 2x 3-pin) |
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FORM FACTOR: | ATX Form Factor (305 mm x 244 mm) |
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EXCLUSIVE FEATURES: | - uEFI GUI Interface BIOS
- THX TruStudio Pro
- BIO-Remote2
- BIO-Remote
- Rapid Switch2
- Rapid Debug3
- TOverclocker OC software
- Green Power Utility
- Charger Booster
- Hi-Fi Power
- Hi-Fi Ground
- Hi-Fi AMP
- Hi-Fi Cap
- Hi-Fi Resistor
- MultiChannelCalibration(MCC)
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