For office machines and workstations, they will release solutions based on the Q270 Express and Q250 Express logic. Taiwan managed even with such chips "Look out" game boards. The same Q270 Express on functionality is no different from the Z270 Express. There is no acceleration, but there is support for technologies such as Intel Standard ManageAbility and Intel Active Management Technology. 11.6.

What do we end up? The 200th series chipsets are the most functional solutions today. But let's speak honestly: the differences, say, Z270 Express from the Z170 Express minimum. Queues for Intel Optane (like the drives themselves) I do not see. In addition, we take into account the fact that store warehouses are scored by non-soldered products. Therefore, the new first time will be more expensive than the "older".

AMD has already declassified the features of the X370 / B350 logic for the AM4 platform. We will see that the "red" partners will be offered both in the budgetary and in the top segments. But now it is obvious that in 2017 all developers central processors will use modern developments: USB 3.1, PCI EXPRESS. 3.0, NVM Express. "Eternally drunk, forever young" AM3 + and FM2 are noticeably outdated. It's time to conquer the flea markets on peace.

ASUS Prime Z270-A and Asus Strix Z270E Gaming

PRIME Z270-A and STRIX Z270E Gaming boards are real middling. In the good sense of the word. Because on sale there will be cheaper solutions on the Z270 Express chipset, and more expensive. Noticeably more expensive. Big Study technical characteristics Arrives for one thought: We have twins before us. The only noticeable difference is the presence of a wireless module with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth at the Strix Z270E Gaming. But not everything is so unequivocal.

Today we will understand what the differences intel chipsets 1151 and differences motherboards On chips H110, B150, B250, H170, H270, Z170, Z270. There are many different delusions: someone "accelerates" processors on motherboards with H110 chipset, others are "convinced", which is required for games exclusively " game fee»Z170, Z270.

In 2018, the article "What is the differences in Intel chipsets 1151V2."You can read it.

Let's look at what is really the difference and which motherboard is suitable for your tasks.

The first point should be noted that there is no cardinal difference between the 100 and 200th series of chips. In general, the 200th series received minor improvements in features compared to the 100th series.

A hundreds of motherboards was made before the seventh generation of Intel processors - Kaby Lake and, accordingly, their "old" Bios is designed only for Skylake (Intel 6-Generation Processors). However, if you buy a new Motherboard of the cell of the cell of the series, then the BIOS is more likely to flash at the manufacturing plant itself (as a rule, indicated on the package), which means that the processors of both generations will support the processors. A two-person series already from the box supports both Kaby Lake and Skylake.

All the features and functions of the 100-series were transferred to 200 with some additions. For example, the SSD work with Optane's cache support will require a strict chipset of the 200th series and Kaby Lake processors at least I3. The most optimal PC in 2018 is to read.

Features of motherboards on the chipset H110

If you decide to assemble the system having limited budget, then the chipset H110 is your choice.

The H series chipsets traditionally served as tristed versions of the Z series due to smaller HSIO slots and the lack of overclocking support.

1. There is no acceleration of the processor (with the exception of very rare models of which it is difficult to get enough in Russia)
2. The power system is usually 5-7 phases. (For the motherboard not intended for overclocking quite enough)
3. Two connectors for RAM
4. One video card (without CROSSFIRE / SLI)
5. Maximum frequency RAM - 2133MHZ
6. Up to 4 USB, 4SATA \u200b\u200b3X4PIN FAN
7. No technology: Intel Smart Response Rapid Storage

All these restrictions lead to the fact that this motherboard is very cheap. It is perfect for budgetary assemblies, but with the possibility of installing the latest generation processors. On the basis of this chipset can be collected gaming computer initial mid-level. The average price of motherboards on the chipset H110 - 2.5-3.5 thousand rubles.

Features of motherboards on B150 / B250 chipsets

Motherboards on the B150 / B250 chips have, perhaps, the most optimal price / quality ratio (if there is no overclocking for you). The ideal option for the middle system.

The price for the boards on the B150 / B250 chips is from 4 thousand. The only drawback is missing support for the RAID array (combining two (or more) physical disks into one "physical" disc).

1. No acceleration processor
2. No acceleration random access memory
3. Maximum RAM frequency - 2133MHz (B250 - 2400MHz)
4. Up to 12 USB, 6 SATA 3-5 x4pin fan, up to 2 times m2? USB support 3.1.
5. Technology Support: Intel Small Business Advantage

Features of motherboards on chipsets H170 / H270

Solutions based on H170 This is a compromise between the chips B150 / B250 and Z170 / Z270. The user receives even more features: support RAID array, large quantity Ports, but still can not use this motherboard for overclocking.

1. No acceleration processor
2. There is no acceleration of RAM
3. Power system 6-10 phases (usually)
4. Up to 4 slots for RAM
5. There are CrossFire X16x4, no SLI support
6. Maximum RAM frequency - 2133MHz (H250 - 2400MHz)
7. Up to 14 USB, 6 SATA 3-7 x4pin fan, up to 2 m2 samples? USB support 3.1.

Features of motherboards on chipsets Z170 / Z270

Motherboards on the chipset Z170 / Z270 is the possibility of overclocking. Present useful chips For enthusiasts, such as: Inclusion buttons directly on the motherboard, post-code indicators, additional connectors for fans, Bios reset buttons and switching it. All this greatly simplifies the life of enthusiasts (people who are engaged in overclocking).

In addition to the fact that on motherboards with chips Z170 / Z270, you can drive the processor, they allow you to use more and more speed sets of RAM (RAM) and produce their overclocking.

1. Supports processor acceleration
2. Supports RAM acceleration
3. Power system 7-13 phases (usually)
4. Up to 4 slots for RAM
5. CROSSFIRE X8X8 / \u200b\u200bX8X4X4 / X8X8X4, SLI X8X8
6. Maximum frequency RAM - 4500MHz (B250 - 2400MHz)
7. Up to 14 USB, 6 SATA 5-7 x4pin Fan, up to 3 M2 times, Support USB 3.1
8. Technology Support: Intel Small Response Technology, Intel Rapid Storage

Comparative characteristics of motherboards for the LGA1151 platform

By the way, we did not affect motherboards on the chipset with the index "Q". These motherboards are used mainly for business and quite rarely in build buildings. In essence, the Q170 chip is an analogue of H170, but with corporate "chips." By the way, you may be interested in the article "The best game processor. Overview Intel Core I7-8700K, "you can read it.

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At the beginning of January, the 7th generation Intel Core processors, also known as Kaby Lake, also have a LGA 1151 connector and, in principle, are compatible with the battles based on the Intel 100 series chipsets. Nevertheless, at the same time with new processors, Intel introduced the new 200th series of chipsets, and manufacturers of motherboards, respectively, updated their model ranks.

In this article, we consider one of the new markets - the Asus Strix Z270F Gaming motherboard on the basis of the new Intel Z270 chipset.

Complete set and packaging

The ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming fee is supplied in a small box of black box, on which the name of the lamination is applied by the name of the board and logos of supported technologies. In addition to the package, the delivery package includes user manual (in English only), DVD disk with software and drivers, four SATA cables (all connectors with latches, two cables have an angular connector on one side), SLI bridge into two video cards, the back panel plug, the RGB Header cable. There is a special mounting frame to facilitate the installation of the processor into the connector. And the most necessary accessory included in the kit is the stand under the beer mug (you can, of course, use it and under tea / coffee, but it is already called the use of non-intended).

Configuration and Features of the Board

ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming Consolidated Table Feature Table below, and then we will look at all of its features and functionality.

Form factor

The ASUS STRIX Z270F Gaming board is made in ATX form factor (305 × 244 mm). For installation board, nine standard holes are provided.

Chipset and processor connector

The Asus Strix Z270F Gaming board is based on the new Intel Z270 chipset and supports Intel Core 7th and 6th and 6th Generations (Kaby Lake and Skylake code names) with the LGA1151 connector.

Memory

To install the memory modules on the ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming board, four DIMM slots are provided. The User Guide marks that the board supports non-buffered DDR4 memory (Non-ESS), and the maximum amount of memory is 64 GB (when using a 16 GB capacity modules).

Expansion slots

To install video cards, extension and drives on the Motherboard ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming, there are three slots with PCI Express X16 form factor, four PCI Express 3.0 x1 slots and two M.2 connections, one of which allows you to install the storage devices 2242/2260 / 2280/22110 and supports the PCIe 3.0 X4 and SATA devices, and the other allows you to install the storage devices 2242/2260/2280 and supports only PCIe 3.0 x4 devices.

The first two (from the processor connector) slots with the PCI Express X16 form factor are implemented using 16 PCIe 3.0-line processor lines, which, using multiplexers / demultiplexers, are grouped either into one PCI Express 3.0 x16 port, or in two PCI Express 3.0 x8 ports . That is, if only one slot is activated with PCI Express 3.0 x16 form factor (nearest to the processor connector), then it will operate at the X16 speed, and if both slots are both slot, they will function at the X8 speed.

Another slot with PCI Express X16 form factor is implemented on the basis of four PCI EXPRESS 3.0 Intel Z270 chipset lines. In fact, this is a PCI Express 3.0 x4 slot, but in the PCI Express X16 form factor.

Note that the board supports NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFirex technology and allows you to install two nVIDIA video cards and up to three AMD video cards.

Four slots PCI Express 3.0 x1 (with closed ends) are implemented through the Intel Z270 chipset.

One of the connectors M.2 (M.2_1) supports PCIe 3.0 X4 and SATA devices. It uses four PCI Express 3.0 chipset ports and one SATA port 6 Gb / s.

Another M.2 connector (M.2_2) supports only PCIe 3.0 x4 devices.

Video invoices

Since Kaby Lake and Skylake processors have an integrated graphic kernel, To connect a monitor on the back of the board, there are video outputs DisplayPort 1.2 ( maximum resolution 4096 × [Email Protected] Hz), HDMI 1.4 (4096 × [Email Protected] Hz / 2560 × [Email Protected] Hz) and DVI-D (1920 × [Email Protected] Hz). You can simultaneously connect three monitors to the board.

SATA ports

To connect drives or optical drives, six SATA 6 Gbps ports are provided, which are implemented on the basis of the controller integrated into the Intel Z270 chipset. These ports support the ability to create RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 5, 10.

USB connectors

To connect all kinds peripheral devices The board provides six USB ports 3.0, six USB 2.0 and two ports. uSB ports 3.1.

Six USB 3.0 ports and six USB 2.0 ports are implemented on the basis of the Intel Z270 chipset. Four USB 3.0 ports are made on rear panel Cards, and to connect two more USB 3.0 ports and six USB 2.0 ports on the board there is one USB 3.0 connector and three USB 2.0 connector.

To implement the two USB ports 3.1, a two-port ASMEDIA ASM1142 controller is used on the board. This controller is connected to the chipset with two PCIe 3.0 lines.

Both USB 3.1 ports are displayed on the rear board panel. One port has a regular Type-A connector, and the other port has a symmetric Type-C connector.

Network interface

To connect to the network on the ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming board there is a gigabit network interface based on the PHY controller (controller physical level) Intel i219-V (used MAC controller integrated into chipset). This controller uses the PCIE chipset port to connect.

How it works

Recall that the Intel Z270 chipset has 30 high-speed I / O ports (HSIO), which can perform PCIe 3.0 ports, USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb / s. Part of high-speed I / O ports is strictly fixed behind USB 3.0 ports, one more port ports can only act as PCIe 3.0 ports, but there are dual-purpose ports that can be configured or as PCIe 3.0 ports, or as SATA ports 6 Gb / s, and there are ports that are configured either as ports pcie 3.0 or as uSB ports 3.0. Taking into account the dual-purpose ports, 10 chipset high-speed I / O ports are given to the USB ports 3.0, under SATA ports 6 Gb / s - 6 ports, and under the PCIe 3.0 ports - 24 ports (in the Intel Z170 chipset under the ports of PCIe 3.0, 20 chipset HSIO ports, and there were 26 HSIO ports in the chipset).

Now let's see how all this is implemented in the ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming board.

Actually, only SATA 6 Gbps ports are very simple and divided here. The first SATA port 6 Gbit / s (SATA # 1) is divided with the M.2_1 connector, that is, if the M.2_1 connector is used in SATA mode, then the first SATA 6 Gb / C port will be unavailable. But if the first SATA 6 Gbit / s port is activated, the M.2 connector can be used in PCIe 3.0 x4 mode.

M.2_2 connector is divided with two SATA ports 6 Gbps (SATA # 5, # 6), but somewhat different than the M.2_1 connector. If the M.2_2 connector is used in PCIe 3.0 x4 mode, then SATA # 5 ports will be unavailable (two HSIO chipset ports are configured as PCIe 3.0 ports). If the SATA # 5 ports are used (two HSIO chipset ports are configured as SATA ports), then the M.2_2 connector will be available only in PCIe 3.0 x2 mode. M.2 connectors mode is configured in UEFI BIOS.

If you calculate the total number of HSIO chipset ports, they will be 29: 6 USB ports 3.0, 4 SATA 6 Gb / s ports and 17 PCIe 3.0 ports. Two more HSIO ports can be either SATA ports or PCIe 3.0 ports.

ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming Board Flowchart is shown in the figure.

Extra features

The number of different additional features on the Asus Strix Z270F Gaming fee is minimized. On this board there are no power and reboot buttons, no post codes indicator.

Nevertheless, something from the new-fashioned chips on the board is still present. In the plastic cover, which closes the connectors on the back of the board, is built into the RGB backlight. When the power board is connected, this backlight starts glowing, and the backlight color changes wave. Moreover, using special utility ASUS AURA You can customize this backlight.

In one of the corners of the board there is a special place (3D Mount), which is intended for attaching decorative elements printed on a 3D printer. On the website of ASUS, you can even download the version of the drawing of such an element with the Logo of the ASUS logo.

Another new-fashioned feature is that two slots with PCI Express X16 form factor have a metal casing.

There are two special AURA RGB STRIP connections, which are designed to connect the LED tape (it is not included in the board), but the 77 cm adapter cable is 77 cm for connecting the ribbon itself in the set only one. However, such a cable is not a mandatory accessory, you can do without it, and it is unlikely that someone has the need to connect two RGB ribbons to the board. Just the connectors themselves for connecting the tape on the board are in different places, which is very convenient.

There are on the board and jumpers like Clear CMOS (for reset bIOS settings) and CPU OVER Voltage (to overclock the processor allows you to increase the voltage on the processor in wider limits).

In addition, there is a two-contact connector for connecting the thermal sensor (the sensor itself is not included).

There is (true, it is not clear for what) and the connector for connecting the Rare COM port.

It is also worth noting the presence of a special Rog Extension connector, which is designed to connect various ROG accessories that are purchased separately.

In addition, there is a special Fan Extension connector, designed to connect a special board (not included) to which several additional fans and thermal sensors can be connected.

Supply system

Like most modern plantsThe ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming model has a 24-pin and 8-pin connectors for connecting the power supply.

A 10-channel processor voltage regulator and built on the DIGI + VRM PWM controller database with ASP1400 marking. The power channels themselves are built using MOSFET transistors NTMFS4C09B and NTMFS4C06B on Semiconductor.

Cooling system

ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming Board Cooling System consists of three radiators. Two radiator are located on two adjacent parties to the processor connector and are designed to remove heat from the processor power supply regulator elements (MOSFET-transistors). Another radiator is designed to cool the chipset.

In addition, to create an effective heat sink system, two four-pin connector (CPU FAN, CPU OPT) are provided to connect the processor coolers fans, three four-pin connector for connecting additional enclosure fans and one four-pin connector for connecting water cooling pumps. One of the three four-pin connectors for connecting additional enclosed fans is called High Amp FAN and supports the fans with a current to 3 A.

The mode of operation of each fan connected to the board can be configured in UEFI BIOS. In addition, the board supports the installation aSUS cards Fan Extension (for this there is a special connector) to connect additional fans and thermal sensors, and in UEFI BIOS fees It is possible to configure the speed mode of these additional fans. Itself aSUS board Fan Extension is not included.

AudioSystem

The ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming Card AudioSystem has a traditional ASUS marketing name SUPREMEFX. IN this case It is based on the new HDA-audio code for REALTEK ALC1220, which is not yet available information on Realtek.

The chip is closed with a metal casing. All elements of the audio code are isolated at the level of PCB layers from other components of the board and are highlighted in a separate zone.

The rear panel of the board provides five audio connections of the type of minijack (3.5 mm) and one Optical S / PDIF connector (output).

To test the output audio path intended for connecting headphones or external acoustics, we used external sound card Creative E-MU 0204 USB in combination with the utility Right Mark Audio Analyzer 6.3.0. Testing was conducted for stereo mode, 24-bit / 44.1 kHz. According to the results of testing, the audio code on the ASUS Z270F Gaming fee was evaluated by "very good". A full report with test results in the RMAA 6.3.0 program has been issued on a separate page The following is a brief report.

UEFI BIOS.

Despite the fact that the ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming board is based on a new chipset, its UEFI BIOS interface is no different from any ASUS cards with Intel Z170 chipset. There is nothing to surprise here: after all, in addition to increasing the number of HSIO ports in the Intel Z270 chipset, there is nothing that would not be in the Intel Z170 chipset. And in terms of opportunities on acceleration, they are absolutely the same.

However, once it is still describing the possibilities for setting up the UEFI BIOS on the ASUS board with the Intel Z270 chipset.

Let's start with the fact that, like on all ASUS boards, the Strix Z270F Gaming has the opportunity to very just update the version of the UEFI BIOS using the traditional utility asus EZ Flash 3 embedded in BIOS, which allows you to update the UEFI BIOS not only from the flash drive, but also via the Internet.

Traditionally, the BIOS UEFI on the ASUS boards has two display modes: simple (EZ MODE) and advanced (Advanced Mode).

EZ MODE mode is designed for the basic configuration of the board and control of the main parameters, and the fine tuning of the board and acceleration of the system are available only in Advanced Mode mode.

To overclock the processor and memory, the traditional AI Tweaker tab is designed, on which all possible options for overclocking are provided.

And just as on other ASUS boards, the acceleration of the unlocked processor (K-series) is possible only when the TURBO MODE mode is activated (it is activated by default). Activating this mode is performed on the Advanced tab in the CPU Power Configuration \\ CPU menu Power Management Configuration.

If you block the TURBO MODE mode, then, despite the possibility of changing the processor multiplication factor, it will work at a nominal frequency.

In addition, to overclock the processor on the Asus Strix Z270F Gaming board (as, by the way, on other ASUS cards) on the AI \u200b\u200bTweaker tab for the AI \u200b\u200bOverclock TUNER parameter you need to set the MANUAL or XMP value.

In this case, it is possible to change the frequency of the BCLK clock generator and the multiplication coefficient of the processor. You can set the multiplication factor for each case of the number of loaded processor kernels, and you can set the multiplication ratio at the same time for all loaded processor cores.

The BCLK frequency can be changed in increments of 0.1 MHz in the range from 50 to 650 MHz.

In addition to the multiplication coefficient of the CPU Core Ratio and the BCLK frequency (BCLK Frequency), in the AI \u200b\u200bTweaker settings, you can set the BCLK Frequency ratio: DRAM FREQUENCY (100: 100, 100: 133) and configure the operation of the memory modules.

At the BCLK frequency of 100 MHz, the maximum frequency of DDR4 memory modules can be 4266 MHz.

Naturally, it is possible to configure memory timings.

In addition, you can configure the supply voltage processor, memory, etc., as well as configure the operation of the supply voltage regulator.

In short, everything is as usual.

conclusions

Let's summarize. The new Intel Z270 chipset, by and large, is no different from a similar decision of the last generation (Z170). A few PCIe 3.0 ports were added (it was 20, it was 24) and, accordingly, high-speed HSIO ports (it was 26, was 30). How can this affect the fees themselves? This will slightly simplify them in the sense that the less will have to come up with inventing division schemes to ensure the operation of all connectors, slots and controllers under conditions of lack of lines / ports PCIe 3.0. That is, the functionality of the boards will increase in the sense that more additional devices On the board will be able to work simultaneously. But waiting for an increase in the number of connectors and ports does not have to: they are on board and so much already too much.

And the ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming board is an excellent illustration of the whole thing. The use of additional PCIe 3.0 chipset lines allowed not to separate the connectors M.2 with the PCIe 3.0 x4 slot and PCIe 3.0 x1 slots, while the number of slots themselves, connectors and ports it does not differ from the ASUS of the previous generation on the Intel Z170 chipset.

At the time of publication of this review, the ASUS Strix Z270F Gaming fee has not yet arrived on sale, so we cannot say anything about its value.

The board is provided for testing by the manufacturer

Intel Z270 and H270 series of the 200th series with the LGA1151 socket come out at the beginning of 2017 together with the 7th family processor family generation Intel Kaby Lake-S.

Key feature system Plasteps The Z270 and H270 chipsets are support for Kaby Lake-S processors "from the box", that is, orientation on desktop computers.

It should be noted that many charges based on the 100th series chipsets also support new CPUs thanks to updating the UEFI firmware (BIOS).
Intel decided not to induce users in innovation, so the Z270 and H270 chipsets do not offer new features and who hoped to support new interfaces will be disappointed.

The Z270 and H270 chipsets offer support for ultrafast Intel Optane drives created on the basis of 3D XPoint memory chips.
According to Intel, sSD data Could offer similar to RAM performance when maintaining non-volatile.

The first devices based on new memory will be "system accelerators" Intel 8000P.

One advantage of the 200-series Intel logic sets is an enlarged number of PCI Express 3.0 interface lines.
So in the Z270 lines PCI EXPRESS increased from 20 to 24, and in H270 the number of lines increased from 16 to 20.
The number of speed Lines I / O (HSIO) has also increased for communication with USB and SATA, instead of 22 or 26 high-speed I / O lines, new chipsets support 30 such lines.

number interfaces SATA 6 Gbps and USB 3.0 will not change.
There is also no native uSB support 3.1 Gen 2 ( USB Type C), i. Motherboard manufacturers need to install individual chips.
The situation should change with the release of the chipsets of the 300th series at the end of 2017.

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