BIOS Walkthrough

The Golden Board Z77H2-AX features a rather traditional BIOS layout, with many tabs across the top that each lead into subheadings with many option inside. This makes for a very easy-to-navigate interface, and ECS has done a bunch of layout optimizations that make things far easier to find than ever before.


ECS doesn't quite do things like other OEMs, as when you get into the BIOS you're greeted with a very simple page with just a few options, and then can get into the sections that I have pictured here. ECS starts off with date and time options, and then quickly transitions into board-level options seen in the first several images here.


This layout and ordering of options appeals in a large way to me, and fits with my own way of thinking. The first thing I want to do when firing up a board is see what options it offers itself, looking at drive and USB controller options, and other on-board component management, like the option to set the POST display to display system temps when the POST process has completed.


Each board component has a couple of options at least, but SmartFan controls are not as varied as I'd like, with the only available option being to adjust the CPU fan profile, while the other two headers get no user customization at all. Other options, pictured above, are much more varied.


Even the list of options itself is well ordered, with platform-specific board options found last, and pictured in the images above. The chipset section contains a few CPU-level options, perhaps not the best choice, but because things like iGPU options for nearly decades have been part of a board's chipset, this choice is one directly for ease of use and familiarity for users.


Moving through the options sees audio and such there as well, while moving over to the overclocking options, pictured in the third image above, I found a few surprises.


Right up top I found two sub menus; one for the CPU, and one for memory, and both had many options there that I did not expect. What I also did not expect was a complete lack of ability to adjust Turbo multiplier settings, leaving me totally confused. How can I overclock without that? The listings are there, but they cannot be changed, unlike the memory options, which contained far more than I expected, and since I've been telling ECS for some time now that memory specifically needed more options, it was great to see.


Boot and security options are pretty plentiful as well, with nary an option missing that I'd like to see added.

So, OK, I just mentioned that there was no way to manipulate Turbo multiplier options to overclock, and then moved right on, like it wasn't a big deal, and really it wasn't. I mean, yes, I cannot deny that a lack of CPU overclocking ability in the BIOS is not acceptable, especially considering that this product is clearly intended for at least some moderate clocking, having measuring points and other clocking-specific hardware features all over the place. SO what's going on?

The ECS Z77H2-AX is not your everyday overclocking product, when looking at other options on the market today. Not too long ago, overclocking in and of itself was to some considered an art form, and like any art, there is a very steep learning curve that means mastery is not easy. The ECS Golden Board Z77H2-AX is just the same, especially considering I found all of the monitoring options in the BIOS for system voltages to be 1000% wrong in nearly every instance except for stock. This in and of itself is why there are measuring points up above the DIMMs, in my opinion, yet at the same time, I cannot fathom why ECS would do things like this, as false voltage readings are something that cannot be excused by most users. I've had this product since before the Intel Z77 Express launch, and there has yet to be a BIOS update to fix this issue since the launch, which is a real problem in my books. However, be that as it may, once this is known, it becomes less of an issue, and simply provides a challenge when clocking...like overclocking SHOULD BE. And for this, I applaud ECS. If you don't know what you are doing, this product is NOT for you, but given that there is just 200 units for the entire world, and most users won't have a chance to even purchase one, it's a big issue, but one that I am more than willing to accept and enjoy, because although it may seem that no overclocking is possible, that idea could not be further from the truth. Let's see what the software can do.