High-end Intel Z170 motherboards duke it out

New Chipset for a New Architecture

After the confusion that was Broadwell, Intel’s 14nm Skylake processors have finally dropped, and with it the new Intel Z170 chipset. The Intel Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6500K were released at Gamescom 2015, and Intel has since unveiled a whopping 48 sixth-generation parts for both desktop and mobile. After the drought, the rains have come indeed.

It looks like the Intel Core i7-6700K might be the long-awaited replacement to the Intel Core i7-4790K, the flagship Devil’s Canyon chip that is based on the Haswell microarchitecture first unveiled in 2013. However, the notable absence of a -90 in its naming scheme might indicate that higher-end parts are to follow later. Either way, it’s still the first performance-oriented desktop chip we’ve seen from Intel in a long while, with a Thermal Design Power of 91 watts.

The improvements brought about by the new Skylake microarchitecture can be distilled into three key areas – performance, power efficiency, and overclocking. It goes without saying that Skylake will be faster than its predecessors, but it will also offer better power efficiency thanks to changes like an integrated digital PLL (phase-locked loop) on the chip itself. Overclocking capabilities are also bolstered, and a wider range of BCLK values (base clock) is now available, which should provide enthusiasts with finer control over overclocking.

For the full details on the changes in Skylake’s microarchitecture, you can check out our article here.

But enough about the CPUs. Intel Z170 will use the new LGA 1151 socket for Skylake CPUs, and feature several improvements over Z97, most notably the support for DDR4 memory and expanded storage configurations available to you. Here’s a look at some of the key changes, before we proceed to take a look at some of the finest board specimens from the different manufacturers.

What’s new in Intel Z170

DDR4 arrives in the mainstream

One of the major steps forward for Intel Z170 is the support for DDR4 memory, which marks the first time that DDR4 support will be available on a chipset other than the ultra-enthusiast Intel X99. In fact, Skylake motherboards will dispense with support for DDR3 RAM entirely, and will support either DDR4 or DDR3L RAM. But because the slots are different for each memory type, motherboards will only be able to support one of them, and the overwhelming majority of boards are going to opt for DDR4 support, which offers several advantages over older DDR3 modules.

For starters, DDR4 has a lower operating voltage of 1.2V, down from 1.5V on DDR3. This helps reduce power consumption. It also boasts higher data transfer rates – Skylake’s memory controller supports DDR4 2133MHz by default, as compared to DDR3 1600MHz on Haswell CPUs and Intel Z97. Furthermore, DDR4 enables higher memory densities, which means up to 16GB modules. Intel Z170 supports up to 64GB across four DIMMs, so you can really load up those RAM slots if you’re of the persuasion that there is no such thing as too much RAM.

To cap things off, manufacturers are also releasing kits at frequencies that DDR3 would be hard pressed to match. For instance, the new G.Skill Trident Z memory is available in kits clocked up to 4000MHz, nearly double that of the 2133MHz base specification.

These advantages aside, DDR4 does have a slightly higher CAS latency than DDR3 because of the higher memory frequencies. CAS latency is a measure of the time – or more precisely the number of clock cycles – taken by the memory to send data back to the processor when it receives a command. On the other hand, memory frequencies indicate how quickly the system can access data on the RAM. So while it might seem like higher CAS latencies would mean that DDR4 is slower, the outcome isn't always so straightforward because the two work together to influence memory performance.

Memory performance is determined more accurately by the actual latency time, or time to initiate a read, which is measured in nanoseconds (ns). Faster memory clock speeds result in shorter clock cycles between when the memory receives a command and when it actually responds, so even though the CAS latency goes up – more cycles – the actual latency time is only marginally increased, resulting in overall comparable performance. In fact, the higher clock speeds also enable faster transfers and higher bandwidth.

We've actually rounded up a handful of DDR4 kits for your consideration, and you can check them out here.

PCIe 3.0 support and high-speed storage

With Z170, the processor is now connected to the chipset’s Platform Controller Hub (PCH) by the upgraded DMI 3.0 protocol. Compared to the DMI 2.0 used in Z97, DMI 3.0 features a speed boost from 5.0GT/s to 8.0 GT/s, which enables significant upgrades in chipset connectivity.

This explains why Intel Z170 is now able to support PCIe 3.0 on the chipset itself instead of PCIe 2.0 as on Z97. This results in a total of 20 PCIe 3.0 lanes being exposed through the chipset, compared to just eight PCIe 2.0 lanes on Z97. Skylake CPUs will continue to provide 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes for your graphics card, but additional PCIe 3.0 lanes on the chipset itself will now be available for use with PCIe 3.0 x4 storage devices.

These devices were of course supported on higher end Z97 motherboards, but it entailed drawing from the 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes provided by the CPU. So if you plugged in an M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD into a compatible board, the bandwidth sharing would force the PCIe 3.0 x16 slot to run in x8 mode.

WIth Z170, such bandwidth sharing is no longer necessary, and you’ll be able to utilize the maximum available bandwidth for both your graphics card and PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD. And as the number of such storage devices continues to grow, it’s important to finally see proper support for high-speed storage devices on Intel’s latest mainstream chipset.

More Connectivity Options

Z170 also has a far more flexible selection of High-speed Input/Output (HSIO) ports than Z97. While the latter had 18 such ports that could switch between the PCIe lanes, USB 3.0 ports and SATA 6Gbps ports, Z170 now has 26 ports than can be implemented in a variety of ways.

This gives motherboard manufacturers greater ability to pick and choose what combination of connectivity options they’d like to offer. For instance, the new Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) allows Z170 to support up to three PCIe devices at one time, which means that M.2 and SATA Express devices can be installed in RAID arrays as long as they are connected via these HSIO lanes. In addition, this would allow motherboard manufacturers to implement up to three PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots on their boards, complete with RAID support.

But even though Z170 officially supports 10 USB 3.0 ports (up from six on Z97), six SATA 6Gbps ports, and 20 PCIe 3.0 lanes, you can’t have everything all at once because the USB 3.0, SATA ports and gigabit LAN use these HSIO lanes as well. For example, populating both M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 slots on the MSI Z170A Gaming M9 ACK will end up disabling two of the six SATA 6Gbps ports. This is because the SATA ports use a PCIe lane each, which overlaps with the lanes used for the M.2 slots.

Similarly, although Z170 can have up to 10 USB 3.0 ports, only six HSIO lanes are permanently configured as USB 3.0 connections. It is up to motherboard manufacturers to decide if they want to implement the other four, but that would mean taking up HSIO lanes seven to 10, which are also allocated to PCIe lanes one to four.

More expensive boards, but cooler CPUs

Finally, Intel Z170 will see motherboard manufacturers return to implementing voltage regulation on the board itself. This was the case prior to Haswell CPUs, but Z97 and Haswell/Broadwell processors saw Intel create a fully integrated voltage regulator (FIVR) on the CPU itself in order to reduce motherboard costs and power consumption. However, this also had a less desirable consequence in the form of additional heat output in overclocked CPUs. As a result, overclocking was limited by temperatures, and also by the varying quality of the FIVR on individual chips.

With Z170, Intel has handed the task of voltage regulation back to motherboard manufacturers, which could result in cooler processors, but slightly more pricy boards.

ASRock Z170 Extreme 7+

The ASRock Z170 Extreme 7+ is the highest-end model in ASRock’s Z170 Extreme series of motherboards. The plus behind the board’s name simply means that it comes with a USB 3.1 front panel with one Type-A and Type-C port. It works by plugging into a SATA Express port on the motherboard.

For starters, the board has a rather stealthy look with its matte black PCB and heatsinks, with only faint accents of copper that inject a bit of design flourish.

It uses a 12-phase digital power design, which isn’t as elaborate as some of the other boards in this shootout. However, it’s worth noting that the number of phases matters less than the quality of the components themselves, and that’s what we’ll be assessing in our overclocking tests later on. Either way, ASRock is setting a lot of stock by what it says are premium 60A power chokes and Nichicon capacitors that deliver a cleaner and more stable Vcore to the CPU.

There are a total of four PCIe 3.0 x16 slots. The first three will run in x8/x4/x4 modes in triple-GPU setups (x8/x8 for dual-GPU in the first and third PCIe 3.0 x16 slot), while the last slot is limited to just x4 mode. In addition, there is a single PCIe 3.0 x1 slot and PCIe 2.0 x1 for add-in cards.

These PCIe 3.0 x1 slot actually uses a new design that accommodates a wider range of add-in cards. The bandwidth still still be limited to PCIe 3.0 x1, but it will take cards of all sizes because of one end of the slot has been left open to fit larger cards.

One interesting inclusion is the half-size mini PCIe connector located above the topmost PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. This is good for things like Wi-Fi add-in cards, as the board lacks onboard Wi-Fi capabilities.

That’s actually quite a range of PCIe slots, and when it comes to storage options, the ASRock Z170 Extreme 7+ serves up quite a selection as well. There is a total of 10 SATA 6Gbps ports (six from the chipset and four from the ASMedia ASM1061 controller), three SATA Express connectors, and an impressive three M.2 sockets (PCIe and SATA). Taken together, that’s a lot more options than the other boards offer. Then again, it might just be a case of cramming a board with superfluous features that few people are going to utilize fully.

Of course, even though there are three M.2 sockets, populating all of them is going to end up disabling up to six SATA ports due to lane sharing. Furthermore, the M.2 sockets are compatible with ASRock’s M.2 to U.2 adapter, which opens up the possibility of running three 2.5-inch PCIe drives like the Intel 750 series SSD in RAID 0.

The rear I/O port selection includes one USB 3.1 Type-A and one Type-C port (light blue) from the ASMedia ASM1142 controller, four USB 3.0 ports (blue), and two USB 2.0 ports (black) from the chipset. There is even PS/2 connector for legacy devices, although we can’t see many people needing one now in this day and age. There’s also a wider selection of display connectors than usual. There is a single DVI-D port, in addition to the usual HDMI and DisplayPort outputs.

Also present are dual Intel LAN ports that support teaming, which means you can connect two LAN cables simultaneously and combine them for a single, faster connection.

The audio solution is ASRock’s Purity Sound 3, which sports a 115dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a Texas Instruments NE5532 amplifier that can power headsets up 600ohm, and proper shielding to isolate the audio circuitry from digital noise. It uses Realtek’s 1150 audio codec, a rather common choice for manufacturers these days.

Power and reset buttons are located at the top right-hand corner of the board.

Along the bottom edge is a switch to clear CMOS and another to change between the dual BIOS. A BIOS flash gone wrong could brick your board irrevocably, so it’s nice to see a dual BIOS option that could help you recover from that.

And as we mentioned earlier, the board actually comes bundled with a USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C front panel. It plugs into any SATA Express port on any motherboard, so you're not restricted to just ASRock boards.

ASUS Z170 Deluxe

The ASUS Z170 Deluxe is the top model in ASUS’ Signature series of boards. Although it is not a member of the more pricey Republic of Gamers (ROG) line-up, it is still a top-flight board with premium features and a decidedly attractive design aesthetic.

Before taking a closer look at the technical features, we’ve to say that we really like the look of the board. The white I/O cover and heatsinks go extremely well with the matte black PCB and the accents of gunmetal gray on the VRM and PCH heatsinks.

The board boasts a 16-phase digital power design for more stable overclocking. From our experience, ASUS boards tend to provide the best overclocking experience, and as we’ll see later, the Z170 Deluxe does just that. Here’s a closer look at the VRM heatsink and components:

In addition, there are a total of three PCIe 3.0 x16 slots on the board, which will run at x8/x4/x4 in triple-GPU setups (x8/x8 for dual-GPU). A further four PCIe 3.0 x1 slots are available should you wish to install additional add-on cards.

We also like how ASUS has left the space of three slots between the first and second PCIe 3.0 x16 slots. The vast majority of graphics cards today take up only two slots – even a powerful one like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan X – and this ensures that dual-GPU systems will have enough space between the cards for them to breathe. This is particularly important if users are using cards with custom coolers instead of blower-style coolers on reference cards. Custom coolers usually exhaust hot hair back into the case itself, so having sufficient ventilation between cards is important to prevent the top card from just sucking up hot air from the bottom one.

Moving on to the storage options, there are six SATA 6Gbps ports from the Intel Z170 chipset itself, and an additional two such ports provided by the third-party ASMedia ASM1061 controller. Four of the SATA connectors double as two SATA Express ports.

There is a dedicated M.2 connector at the lower right section of the board, with support for SATA and PCIe M.2 2230/2242/2260/2280/22110 devices.

However, even though there is just one M.2 connector, the Z170 Deluxe actually supports up to two M.2 devices if you connect a second one via the included Hyper M.2 PCIe add-in card and plug it into the third PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. So yes, this means the possibility of hooking up two PCIe devices in RAID 0! However, do note that the PCIe 3.0 x16_3 slot shares bandwidth with a couple of SATA slots, so they’ll be disabled if you do go that route. In addition, there is a bundled U.2-to-M.2 adapter to hook up PCIe-based 2.5-inch drives.

The board supports a total of five USB 3.0 ports, five USB 2.0 ports, and another five USB 3.1 (four Type-A, one Type-C). Rear I/O options include a single USB 3.0 port (blue) and another USB 2.0 port (black), both running off the chipset itself. There are a further five USB 3.1 ports (teal blue) provided by the third-party ASMedia ASM1142 controller, and an additional USB 3.1 Type-C connector. Type-C connectors still aren’t that common yet, but if you intend to get a phone like the recently-announced Google Nexus 6P which uses a Type-C port, you’ll be in good hands with this board.

The USB 3.0 port next to the optical S/PDIF out also doubles as the Key Express port which you can plug your keyboard into. The built-in microprocessor then enables you to configure your keyboard and assign custom macros to it, so you can do things like safely remove a USB device with just the press of button.

Other than that, the rear I/O panel is dominated by USB 3.1 ports, while the other eight USB 2.0/3.0 ports are provided via dedicated mid-board headers.

You’ll also probably have noticed the dual Gigabit Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard at the rear. They use the more popular Intel I219-V and I211-AT controllers – instead of a Realtek solution – for improved networking throughput and lower CPU overheads. But although there are two LAN ports, ASUS says that teaming isn't supported, so the presence of these two ports is really just for redundancy.

Other notable features include onboard 3x3 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 support. The 3x3 array is a welcome feature as it lets users take full advantage of their high-end AC1900 class routers.

And like the ASRock board, the onboard Crystal Sound 3 audio solution uses the Realtek 1150 audio codec. It is capable of a 115dB SNR and boasts a dedicated audio amplifier, a de-pop circuit to reduce those annoying popping noises when you connect an audio jack, and Japanese-made audio capacitors. The left and right audio channels are also located on a different PCB layer for more consistency across both channels.

Finally, the power and reset buttons, the debug LED display, clear CMOS button, and the USB BIOS flashback button are located at the bottom.

ECS Z170 Claymore

We didn’t have much choice from ECS this time around, and the Z170 Claymore was the only board available for review. In fact, there is a considerable price gap between this board and the others, which is a good indicator of the performance difference between them. At just US$160 (approximately S$221), one simply cannot expect this board to be as feature-rich as the other boards in this shootout, the majority of which cost upwards of S$500.

And while the other boards sit at the top, or at least near the top, of their respective product line-ups, we have no indication yet as to where ECS is positioning this board within its own product hierarchy. Nevertheless, we’ll be looking at it anyway just to better flesh out the other comparisons.

This Claymore is a lot less explosive than its name. It sports a nearly all-black design, with a black PCB, heatsink, and PCIe and RAM slots. The PCH heatsink has the ECS L337 logo emblazoned on it, but that’s about the most striking stylistic detail on this board.

It is also the only one other than the MSI board to not come with an I/O cover, which is not really surprising given its US$160 price.

And when it comes to the PCIe slots, it looks like the design philosophy so far has been “the more the merrier”. There are no PCIe 3.0 x4 or x1 slots at all, and ECS has instead implemented a total of five PCIe 3.0 x16 slots. Of course, there’s still a limited number of PCIe 3.0 lanes to go around, and the slots are rated to run in either x16/x4/x0/x1/x4 or x8/x4/x8/x1/x4. There is no official support for NVIDIA SLI, making it the only board here to lack that. Instead, it only has support for AMD CrossFire.

This slot configuration is also a good example of the flexibility which Z170’s HSIO port layout offers motherboard manufacturers. ECS is using the majority of Z170’s chipset lanes for its PCIe 3.0 slots, but at the expense of the bandwidth available to the single onboard M.2 socket. Instead of the more common support for PCIe 3.0 x4, the socket supports only PCIe 3.0 x2 or SATA. And compared to the other boards here, there is no support for larger M.2 22110 drives.

It looks like ECS isn’t quite sold on M.2 drive adoption yet – at least not in the market it is targeting – and has decided that its users will value having more lanes available to the PCIe slots instead. With that said, it’s worth noting that this doesn’t entirely stop users from enjoying the full performance benefit of PCIe-based drives as they will still be able to install an SSD that uses a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface in one of the full-length slots. The Intel 750 series SSDs come to mind.

Storage options are relatively sparse, with just four SATA 6Gbps connectors and a single SATA Express port available through the chipset. However, ECS did add two more SATA ports via an ASMedia 2-port controller, but it is limited by the PCIe 2.0 interface, so you’re not going to want to use these ports if possible.

Rear I/O port options include separate PS/2 controllers for keyboard and mouse (because apparently two outdated ports are better than one), an HDMI port, and a DisplayPort output. It also looks like M.2 drives aren’t the only things ECS isn’t quite convinced by as there are no Type-C USB ports at all. Instead, there are four regular Type-A USB 2.0 ports (black), four USB 3.0 ports (blue) and two USB 3.1 ports (turquoise, via the ASMedia ASM1142 controller). An additional four USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports are available via onboard headers.

There is also just a single Gigabit Ethernet port on the rear, and networking is handled by the Realtek Dragon 8118AS LAN chip. Incidentally, ECS is the first manufacturer to tie up with Realtek in implementing its latest network solution, which is designed to target Killer NIC products.

No fancy audio solution on this board either. The Z170 Claymore uses the Realtek ALC1150 audio codec – the same as the ASRock and ASUS boards – but there are no dedicated amplifiers or high-end op-amps to round it out.

Power and reset buttons are located at the bottom right corner of the board, just below the debug LED display.

Gigabyte Z170X Gaming GT

The Gigabyte Z170X Gaming GT is located just below the flagship Gigabyte Z170X Gaming G1 in Gigabyte’s G1 Gaming series.

Frankly speaking, we found the choice of color combination a tad bit jarring. To our eyes at least, the matte black PCB is too muted a background for the striking red-and-white I/O shield and heatsinks. Even the RAM slots use an alternating red and black color scheme. The PCIe slots are red and silver, and we can’t help but think that maybe black should have been used in place of the red.

The number of power phases on the board has taken a cut from the 22 on the Gaming G1 to just 14. Even though this is more than the 12 power phases on the ASRock Extreme 7+, the Gigabyte board actually did worse in our overclocking tests, which goes to show that the number of power phases isn't everything. 

But on the topic of the PCIe slots, one standout feature is the use of stainless steel shielding to reinforce the slots. According to Gigabyte, this boosts the retention force by up to 3.2 times and resistance to shearing forces – as when you wriggle the card to remove it – by up to 1.7 times. Of course, we have no way of verifying those facts, but those are the figures if you want them. Nevertheless, we’re sure we’re not alone in worrying about a board’s PCIe slot when installing a particularly heavy card, so it’s definitely reassuring to have some form of structural reinforcement.

The board has three PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, all of which sport the stainless steel shielding. Gigabyte has also taken care to leave an extra-wide gap between the first and second slots in order to leave sufficient room for ventilation in dual-GPU systems.

Unlike the Gigabyte Z170X Gaming G1, there’s no PLX chip, so triple-GPU systems will run in the standard x8/x4/x4 mode. However, the third PCIe 3.0 x16 slot actually shares bandwidth with the second M.2 socket, so if you do install an M.2 drive into the second slot, the third PCIe 3.0 x16 slot will no longer be useable.

Note that we mentioned a second M.2 slot, and that’s because the board actually has two, which support both PCIe and SATA devices. The topmost slot runs entirely off the PCIe 3.0 lanes on the chipset and doesn’t share bandwidth with any other slots, so this is your best bet if you have just one M.2 drive.

Gigabyte has also gone with a total of eight SATA 6Gbps ports, six from the Z170 chipset and two from an ASMedia ASM1061 controller. In addition, there are three SATA Express connectors thrown into the mix as well.

Moving on to the rear I/O panel, we have one USB 3.1 Type-C port, one USB 3.1 Type-A port (red) and five other USB 3.0 ports. The white port is the Q-Flash Plus port that allows you to connect a thumb drive with the latest BIOS file on it and update the BIOS without needing to install the CPU or memory. The yellow ports are also USB 3.0 ports, but they double as USB DAC ports that enable you to hook up a USB DAC.

One thing to note is that Gigabyte has gone a different route with its implementation of USB 3.1 support, opting for the Intel Alpine Ridge controller instead of the more common ASMedia ASM1142. Unlike the latter controller which supports just two PCIe lanes, Alpine Ridge is a four-lane PCIe controller that supports the maximum data rate of USB 3.1.

There are also the usual HDMI and DisplayPort connectors, and a legacy PS/2 port that we’re pretty sure no one will be needing.

Dual Gigabit Ethernet ports are present, but teaming is not supported. One of the ports uses an Intel I219-V controller while the other uses a Killer E2400 chip.

This time, the audio solution doesn’t use the Realtek 1150 codec, and instead relies on a Creative Sound Core 3D processor. In addition, there are two TI Burr Brown OPA2134 operational amplifiers and Nichicon Muse MW audio capacitors. Furthermore, the op-amps can even be swapped out for higher-end parts if you wish, or if you want to alter the sound signature. Now, here’s something you don’t see every day in an onboard audio solution!

The board also comes with a dual BIOS switch, which should be a welcome feature for overclockers.

MSI Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition

The MSI Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition appears designed to turn heads. From its intriguing name – is it made of titanium? – to its slate gray color, this board isn’t like most of what’s available today. It is part of MSI's Enthusiast Gaming series of motherboards, but manages to stand out from the crowd with its striking looks.

In fact, it’s the only board in our shootout to not feature a black PCB. That’s thanks to some sort of PCB coating that confers its light gray color, which is intended to evoke the Titanium moniker in its name. The VRM and PCH heatsinks are the same titanium gray color as the PCB, while the RAM slots and select PCIe slots are jet black. MSI may just have hit on something here, as the board’s design manages to hold your gaze without the use of any overtly fancy trappings.

It is also lacking an I/O cover, making it the only other board in our line-up – together with the ECS Z170 Claymore – to not have one. That’s a bit unfortunate, since we feel that a titanium gray I/O cover in the fashion of the rest of the board would fit in really nicely.

As further testament to its Titanium branding, the board uses titanium chokes and a 16-phase power delivery system. There’s more than just marketing fluff to this, as titanium chokes do indeed have higher temperature limits, higher inductance density, and longer lifespan than traditional ferrite core chokes.

MSI says this board has been designed for overclockers, which is why it has included additional 4-pin and 6-pin headers to provide more power and stability for extreme overclockers. And by extreme, we mean those who are willing to push their chips with LN2 cooling. If you’re just on regular air or even liquid cooling setups, the standard 8-pin header will do just fine.

There is another header just above the PCI_E1 slot to provide additional power to the PCIe 3.0 x16 slots.

MSI has also equipped the board with a total of four PCIe 3.0 x16 slots. The board officially supports up to four-way AMD CrossFire and two-way NVIDIA SLI, but it’s probably not wise to populate all the slots with cards. They will end up running in x8/x4/x4/x4 modes, and there’s only a two-slot space between each PCIe slot.

But while ASUS and Gigabyte opted to leave a three-slot spacing between the first and second PCIe slots to better accommodate dual graphics setups, MSI has stepped around this by wiring the slots such that it is the first and third slot that will run in x8/x8 modes in the latter scenario. Incidentally, this is similar to what ASRock and ECS did with the Z170 Extreme 7+ and Z170 Claymore.

In the case of the MSI board, this will leave up to a four-slot spacing between the two cards, which should be plenty of room for them to breathe. Furthermore, these are the two slots that are reinforced with metal, a feature MSI refers to as Steel Armor.

Storage connectivity options include six SATA 6Gbps ports from the chipset itself, an additional two via an ASMedia ASM1061 controller, and two more combination SATA Express ports. There are also two onboard M.2 sockets for both PCIe and SATA devices. As expected, you aren’t going to be able to use all of them at once, and populating both M.2 sockets will leave just four SATA 6Gbps ports and one SATA Express connector available.

On the rear I/O panel, there are four USB 3.0 ports (red), two USB 2.0 ports (black), and two USB 3.1 ports (also red) available via the ASMedia ASM1142 controller. The USB 3.1 ports are the ones located just next to the audio jacks. The USB 2.0 port directly adjacent to the PS/2 port also doubles as the Hotkey port, which lets you plug your keyboard into it and use it to directly tweak things like your CPU base clock or ratio. In addition, the vertically-oriented USB 2.0 port is also the BIOS Flashback+ port which allows you to update the board’s BIOS with just a power supply on hand.

The clear CMOS button has also migrated from the board’s PCB to the rear I/O panel, an arguably more convenient location.

However, there’s no dual LAN or teaming function here, and the board has just a single Gigabit Ethernet port that uses the Intel I219-V controller.

The onboard Audio Boost 3 solution uses Nahimic Sound Technology also found on some of MSI’s latest gaming notebooks. The Nahimic technology supposedly helps provide clearer audio and voice communications, and the audio solution is also equipped with typical features like EMI shielding, dual headphone amplifiers, and an isolated audio PCB.

In addition, the board has a debug LED, PCIe CeaseFire switch (PEGSW1), and HotKey toggle along the bottom edge. The three CeaseFire switches correspond to their respective PCIe slots and let you enable or disable the slots manually, while the Hotkey switch allows you to activate the Hotkey function.

The board also comes with nifty features like DDR4 Boost for a supposedly cleaner memory signal, a Game Boost knob for faster overclocking, and the OC Dashboard. We’ve already covered those features in our preview article on the Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition, and you can refer there for more details.

Test Setup

This is the test configuration for our Intel Z170 motherboard shootout.

• Intel Core i7-6700K (4.0GHz)
• Motherboards:- ASRock Z170 Extreme 7+, ASUS Z170 Deluxe, ECS Z170 Claymore, Gigabyte Z170X Gaming GT, MSI Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition
• 2 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-2133 (Auto timings: CAS 15-15-15-36)
• Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti G1 Gaming (GeForce Driver Version 355.82)
• Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SATA 6Gbps solid state drive (one single NTFS partition)
• Windows 10 Home (64-bit)

Our intention was to pit high-end boards from the different manufacturers against each other. However, do note that due to various availability issues, these aren’t the flagship models from their respective brands. Nevertheless, these are the best options from local distributors and we have made an effort to ensure that all the boards fall into the same price range (approximately S$500) for a more fair comparison. The only exception is the board from ECS, which is actually the only board available from the company at the time of writing.

And although we said that these aren’t the flagship models, they are still high-end boards that come crammed with a range of premium features. As usual, we will be focusing on the overclocking and performance levels of the boards, in addition to board layouts, connectivity options, and other value-added features.

Benchmarks

The following benchmarks were used to test the motherboards:

• BAPCo SYSmark 2014 (ver 1.5.0.37)
• SPECviewperf 12.0.2
• Cinebench R15
• Futuremark 3DMark (2013)
• Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
  
   

Motherboard Features Comparison Table

Before diving into the performance figures, you can refer to the below table for an overview of the boards' specifications. You'll probably have noticed that the boards share a lot of features in common in terms of support for multi-GPU solutions, M.2 slots, and other storage options. However, the individual boards do still have certain unique features that help them differentiate themselves from the pack. 

For instance, the ASRock Z170 Extreme 7+ is notable because of its exceptionally wide array of storage connectivity and add-in card options. It is also the only board to have a total of three M.2 sockets, a nice inclusion given that it is the second cheapest board here. But when it comes to network connectivity, the ASUS Z170 Deluxe inches into the limelight because of its support for Bluetooth 4.0 and the inclusion of a 3x3 wireless module that supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi, making it the only board in the shootout to have wireless support. And despite its exceedingly affordable price, the ECS Z170 Claymore manages to have one striking feature (albeit one of dubious utility) – its whopping total of five PCIe 3.0 x16 slots.

On the other hand, key features of the Gigabyte Z170X Gaming GT include its beefed-up onboard audio solution, which includes a quad-core Creative Sound Core 3D audio processor and upgradeable op-amps. There are even a couple of dedicated USB ports to provide a cleaner signal to USB DACs, so audiophiles may want to pay closer attention to this board. Finally, the MSI Z170A Gaming Titanium Edition is undeniably a board for overclockers. The additional four- and six-pin CPU and PCIe power headers supply extreme overclockers with extra power, so this is the board to look at if you're a member of the hardcore LN2 crowd.

[hwzcompare]

[products=525847,525837,525851,525859,525863]

[width=200]

[caption=High-End Intel Z170 Chipset Motherboards Compared]

[showprices=1]

[/hwzcompare]

Performance Benchmarks

SYSmark 2014

SYSmark is a general productivity benchmark suite that measures the response times of tasks on a PC using real-world applications like Microsoft Office 2013 and Adobe Photoshop and simulated user input. Task response times are used to generate a performance rating that reflects actual user experience, so the faster a PC responds to application workloads, the higher its score will be. The method of measuring response times can take many forms, such as the time it takes for an application to show a pop-up completion message, or how long it takes a progress dialog to disappear and for a user to regain application control.

As it turned out, it was the MSI Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition that took the lead, with the ASUS and Gigabyte boards coming close behind. The MSI board did especially well in the Office Productivity test, which was what helped it take first place in the overall score. The ECS board actually fared rather poorly, which is perhaps not surprising given the large price differential between it and the other boards.

Maxon Cinebench R15

Cinebench is a benchmark tool used to compare CPU performance across different systems, so we’ll be using it evaluate how well our Intel Core i7-6700K plays with the different motherboards. The test scenario uses all of the system’s processing power to render a photorealistic 3D scene, making use of various algorithms to stress all available processor cores.

This time, the Gigabyte Z170X Gaming GT came ahead, with the MSI board a close second. The ASUS and ASRock boards tied for third place, while the ECS board came in last again.

SPECviewperf 12.0.2

SPECviewperf is used to measure the 3D graphics performance of systems in professional applications. Each individual workload, called a viewset, represents graphics and content from an actual real-world application. Compared to SPECviewperf 11.0, this latest version of SPECviewperf includes updated traces from the latest application versions and is designed to provide a more accurate indication of GPU performance in the actual applications.

SPECviewperf actually runs a total of eight different viewsets, but we’ve picked just three to display here. The maya-04 viewset is derived from Autodesk’s Maya 2013 application. Lightwave-01 from PTC is no longer tested – instead, it’s been replaced by creo-01, also from PTC. We also included the new energy-01 viewset, which puts the board through some professional volume rendering applications.

The ASRock Z170 Extreme 7+ was the winner here as it took the lead in two out of the three viewsets displayed in the graph below. The ASUS Z170 Deluxe was the runner-up, followed by the MSI Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition.

Futuremark 3DMark (2013)

3DMark is a synthetic gaming benchmark that tests graphics performance at different resolutions, starting at 1080p and going all the way up to 4K. The MSI board shone brightest here, edging out the other boards in Fire Strike and Fire Strike Ultra. The Gigabyte board was second, followed by the ASUS Z170 Deluxe.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

As expected, the performance difference between the boards here was minuscule, given that the underlying CPU and GPU hardware was the same. Nevertheless, the MSI Z170A Gaming Titanium Edition edged ahead at all our tested resolutions in Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. The ASUS Z170 Deluxe was a respectable second, while the ASRock board came in third. 

Temperature, Power Consumption & Overclocking

Temperature

In our thermal tests, the ECS board turned out to have the best temperatures. However, as we’ll see in our overclocking tests, the board appears to have implemented some aggressive voltage controls, so the lower temperatures might be due to that. The ASUS board also did quite well, with the next lowest VRM heatsink temperatures.

Power Consumption

To test power, we ran the energy-01 viewset in SPECviewperf 12.0.2 and recorded the peak power consumption. The ASUS Z170 Deluxe performed the best here, with the lowest power consumption while under load. The ECS board came in second, followed by the Gigabyte board. While the ASRock board had a slightly lower peak power consumption, the Gigabyte Z170X Gaming GT came ahead because of its lower idle power consumption.

Overclocking

In order to assess the respective overclocking performance of the boards, we first tweaked the CPU multiplier ratio and raised the voltage accordingly. After ascertaining that the achieved clock speed was stable, we then proceeded to increase the BCLK value to get smaller overclock increments. This also enabled us to take advantage of the new overclocking capabilities of Skylake CPUs, which allow a wider range of BCLK values. Changing the BCLK values also overclocks the RAM, so we throttled the speed accordingly to maintain system stability. Here’s a table showing the clock speeds we achieved, along with the CPU vCore, multiplier, and RAM frequencies:

The ASUS Z170 Deluxe was the best overclocker here, and we were able to hit a top speed of 4.86GHz, which translated into a nearly 20% performance increase. The MSI and ASRock boards tied for second place, while the Gigabyte board came in third. The ECS board did not fare well here at all, and pushing the CPU vCore above 1.23V only saw the board restrict our CPU multiplier speeds, and increasing it had no effect. We’re not sure if this is due to immature firmware or the board’s design, but the ECS Z170 Claymore absolutely failed to hold its own against the other boards here.

Conclusion

Intel’s new Z170 chipset is a major milestone in many ways. At long last, DDR4 support has arrived on a mainstream chipset, and PCIe 3.0 lanes are finally available through the chipset itself. M.2 was a new addition on Z97 boards, and that feature has now become commonplace on Z170 motherboards from various manufacturers. Thanks to PCIe 3.0 now being supported on the chipset, Z170 boards can now have more M.2 sockets than before. All of our tested boards come with at least one M.2 socket, and most of them feature more. Other features like USB 3.1 Type-C sockets are also found on the majority of the boards, and manufacturers have worked to distinguish their offerings with value-added features like improved onboard audio and metal-reinforced PCIe slots.

To tease out a winner, we took into account different aspects of the board in terms of performance and features. The performance score of each board takes into account the board's stock performance, overclocking capabilities, temperature and power performance relative to each other. In addition, we also considered individual board features like onboard PCIe slot layout, connectivity options, and any other standout features.

The MSI Z170A Gaming Titanium Edition was a consistent performer throughout our performance tests. It took first place in SYSmark 2014, 3DMark 2013 and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, and was among the top three performers in Cinebench and SPECviewperf. In addition, it acquitted itself well in our overclocking tests, going toe-to-toe with the ASRock Z170 Extreme 7+ and falling just shy of the ASUS Z170 Deluxe. Furthermore, it comes with several value-added features like additional CPU and PCIe power headers for improved overclocking capabilities, metal-reinforced PCIe slots, two dedicated M.2 sockets, and onboard Nahimic audio technology. It is also the only board in the line-up to feature an isolated memory circuitry for a cleaner signal and a dedicated OC dashboard. At S$559, it is the same price as the ASUS board but offers more for every dollar (including dual BIOS). And combined with its excellent performance, it manages to edge ahead of the competition.

The ASUS Z170 Deluxe was our other standout performer. It was at its best in our overclocking tests, where the board was able to maintain the highest BCLK value and also the highest overclock. The more the BCLK value deviates from the default, the less stable the system is, and this speaks volumes to the quality of the board’s components. In addition, the ASUS board placed within the top three of most of our benchmarks. In terms of official multi-GPU support, it supports up to NVIDIA quad-GPU SLI. It also comes with dual Intel Gigabit LAN, albeit without support for teaming, and its PCIe slots are sensibly spaced to accommodate dual graphics setups. Furthermore, it was the only board to feature onboard Wi-Fi support with the 3x3 module, definitely a welcome feature for anyone who doesn’t have the luxury of setting up their system near to their router.

The Gigabyte Z170X Gaming GT is an unabashedly gaming-oriented board with a handful of features to attract the gaming crowd. Although it didn’t fare as well as expected in our overclocking tests, it has a dedicated quad-core Creative Sound Core 3D audio processor, the only board here to offer an audio solution from an established audio company. Other key features include upgradeable op-amps and Creative's own SBX Pro Studio Audio Suite for effects like surround sound. It was also the only board other than the MSI Z170A Gaming Titanium Edition to come with metal-reinforced PCIe slots. At S$565, it was also the most expensive Z170 board we tested, which penalizes it slightly in terms of value because it didn’t manage to top the less expensive boards.

The ASRock Z170 Extreme 7+ places a lot of emphasis on connectivity options. Its four PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, three M.2 sockets, and 10 SATA 6Gbps ports combine for the widest selection of connectivity options on all our tested boards. In addition, it did well in our overclocking tests, tying with the MSI board for the second highest overclock. Furthermore, unlike the ASUS and Gigabyte boards which feature dual LAN without teaming support, the Extreme 7+ actually supports teaming with its dual Intel LAN ports. It retails for S$475, making it the second most affordable option out of all our boards. If you want a slightly cheaper but reasonably feature-rich Z170 board, this might be it.

The ECS Z170 Claymore is probably a bit out of place among the boards we tested. At US$160 (approximately S$221), it is far cheaper than the rest of the boards. Nevertheless, as the only available board from ECS at the time of writing, we decided to include it in our shootout anyway. Unique features of the board include its choice of a total of five PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, although this isn’t likely to benefit users much given that triple- and quad-GPU setups still aren’t too feasible on Intel Z170. Perhaps the board’s saving grace is its exceedingly affordable price as it lacks features found on other boards like USB 3.1 Type-C ports and support for NVIDIA SLI (officially, it only supports AMD CrossFire). It also fails to keep pace with its competitors in the vast majority of our benchmark tests.

Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.