The Board - A Closer Look

The Gigabyte Z77N-WiFi features a 3+1 VRM design, which is more than enough for stock-clocked CPUs, but only, as I was advised by Gigabyte, enough to consistently put out 125 watts. There are MOSFETs on the obverse side of the VRM, since not all of them can fit up top. Because there are so few phases, the VRM takes up very little space on the board's PCB, as does the PCH cooler shown in the second image above. This cooler is very thin, but has been shaped to maximize its surface area while also being positioned in such a way as to catch airflow from stock coolers.


Audio and LAN controllers are provided by Realtek, with an ALC892 controller for audio duties and dual RTL8111F LAN controllers for LAN support.


Monitoring duties are managed by an ITE IT8728F Super I/O, and it also provides the PS/2 Keyboard/mouse port on the backplate. There is a trio of NXP TMDS chips to convert video signals to their respective outputs. Since there are three, you should be able to use three monitors with your IVB/SB CPU, and one may be dedicated to Intel WiDi duties.


To ensure that Intel WiDi is possible, Gigabyte had to equip the Z77N-WiFi with an Intel Wireless LAN controller, which also provides Bluetooth connectivity.

And that is everything on the Gigabyte Z77N-WiFi. As always, there is a Dual BIOS implementation as well, but the Gigabyte Z77N-WiFi is, other than that, fairly basic, which helps in keeping its cost down. You'll also note that there is no external USB 3.0 controller, so all USB 3.0 connectivity is provided for by the Intel Z77 Express PCH.