Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK Motherboard

Conclusions

The Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK is a high-end motherboard targeted to the enthusiast user who is building a high-end computer using a “Haswell” CPU (fourth-generation Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 processors) and wants it to be compatible with the future “Devil’s Canyon” (enhanced fourth-generation) and “Broadwell” (fifth-generation) “Core i” processors.

The highlights of this motherboard include the high-end audio interface, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, Bluetooth 4.0, IEEE802.11ac Wi-Fi, eight USB 3.0 ports, ten SATA-600 ports (supporting one SATA Express connector), four PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, and support for liquid cooling for the voltage regulator circuit.

Another important feature of this motherboard is the presence of a PCI Express switch chip, which makes it possible for the motherboard to have many additional features and the ability to switch bandwidth automatically to the device that is requiring it. Because of this, all PCI Express x16 slots are controlled by the CPU, supporting CrossFireX and SLI arrays with up to four video cards, which is impressive.

The 168-hour stress test is also a sign that the motherboard has a focus on stability and durability.

The only drawback we see with this motherboard is the way the USB 3.0 ports are configured. The Z97 chipset supports six USB 3.0 ports, but the manufacturer wanted to add ten. While two of them are connected directly to the chipset, the other eight are connected to four USB 3.0 ports of the chipset, by way of two hub chips. If you use two or more ports that are actually connected to the same USB 3.0 port on the chipset at the same time, the performance will drop. But this is a minor flaw compared to the incredible set of high-end features of the Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK motherboard.