The Z170X-Ultra Gaming motherboard is among the latest offerings from GIGABYTE in their Z170 product line, introducing Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1(Type C), and LED enhancements to their Z170 boards. The board features black aesthetic with integrated red LEDs spread throughout its surface for a sleek look. The board’s integrated Intel Z170 chipset gives the board support for the latest Intel LGA1151 Skylake processor line as well as Dual Channel DDR4 memory.
Key Features
Intel® Thunderbolt™ 3 Certified Motherboard
Powered by Intel’s own Thunderbolt controller the new Thunderbolt™ 3 protocol, which is available over a USB Type-C™ connector on the back I/O of the GIGABYTE Z170X-Ultra Gaming, brings an unprecedented single-wire bandwidth of up to 40 Gb/s — twice more than the previous generation of Thunderbolt! This incredible increase in bandwidth is also accompanied with support for different protocols such as Mini DisplayPort 1.2 and USB 3.1, which is backwards compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, opening up a world of new possibilities.
Daisy-chain Multiple Devices
Support for Mini DisplayPort 1.2 makes Thunderbolt™ 3 a must have for any enthusiast. The Z170X-Ultra Gaming is able to support a display in 4K resolution at 60 FPS. In addition, Thunderbolt™ 3 over USB Type-C™ has revolutionary industry-first features such as Power Delivery 2.0, and the ability to daisy-chain up to 6 devices thanks to the Z170X-Ultra Gaming’s USB Type-C™ port.
Ambient Surround LED
Now offering more LED customizations than ever, users can truly adapt their PC to represent their lifestyle. With a redesigned Ambient LED application, the user has complete control over the LEDs which surround the motherboard.
Dual Hybrid Fan Headers
Many of today’s modern computers feature water cooling to ensure that the CPU or graphics cards stay cool and quiet while they are put under heavy load. In order to provide the best support for water cooling solutions, GIGABYTE has equipped its Z170 motherboards with an additional water pump power header. This allows the user to have full control over two water pumps or fans. An additional benefit of these headers with GIGABYTE’s motherboards is the option to choose between voltage calibration or PWM modes.
Immersive VR
Gaming Experience
- VR requires 30% more performance than Full HD graphics for a steady 60FPS or greater.
- Only Gaming PCs can provide the best VR experience.
To create a seamless VR experience GIGABYTE Motherboards offer the best features to make your virtual reality feel like your actual reality.
With technologies such as Thunderbolt™ 3 to transfer data and video, NVMe support via M.2 or U.2, and a one piece metal shielding to brace for heavier discrete graphics cards its obvious that GIGABYTE has the tools you need to start your journey in VR. To set the mood GIGABYTE Motherboards include Ambient Surround LED to put you in the center of action.
Intel® USB 3.1 + Power Delivery 2.0
The Intel® USB 3.1 controller utilizes four PCIe Gen3 Lanes, offering up to 32 Gb/s total bandwidth, for uncompromised transfer speeds of up to 10 Gb/s per USB 3.1. With twice the bandwidth compared to its previous generation, and backwards compatibility with USB 2.0 and 3.0, the much improved USB 3.1 protocol is available over the new reversible USB Type-C™ and the traditional USB Type-A connector for better compatibility over a wider range of devices.
100W USB Type-C™
Redesigned to take full advantage of all the features that USB Type-C can support, GIGABYTE’s new Z170 motherboards with Intel’s USB 3.1 controller not only supports USB 2.0, 3.0, and 3.1, but also completely supports Power Delivery 2.0. This means users are able to get up to 100 watts through their Intel powered USB Type-C port. This opens the door for users looking to clean up their cable cutter and power or recharge their devices through this universal connector, the Type-C Port.
2-Way SLI™ / CrossFire™ Multi-Graphics
Multi-graphics configuration offers better graphics performance for gaming enthusiasts who demand the highest frame rates without compromising on resolution.
GIGABYTE Design By spacing the graphics cards in multi-graphics configurations, users are now able to obtain maximum airflow between cards.
Support for DDR4 XMP Up to 3866MHz and Beyond
GIGABYTE is offering a tested and proven platform that ensures proper compatibility with profiles up to 3866MHz and beyond. All users need to do to attain this performance boost is to ensure that their memory module is XMP capable and that the XMP function is activated and enabled on their GIGABYTE motherboard.
Extreme Performance with Gen.3 x4 NVMe PCIe SSDs
GIGABYTE’s Z170 motherboards offers the industry’s best compatibility in terms of NVMe storage for users who demand high capacity and seek the best performance. GIGABYTE’s unique design supports up to three Intel® 750 Series NVMe PCIe SSDs which can be configured in RAID for record speeds of up to 3525 MB/s (Sequential Read), making GIGABYTE the obvious choice for the ultimate PC.
NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 U.2 Onboard
The new Intel 750 series SSDs offer an incredible increase in performance over SATA drives. Using the NVMe protocol which takes advantage of the fast bandwidth of PCIe Gen3 x4 lanes (32 Gb/s), the drives are a clear advantage for users looking to boot their OS faster, load their games in a flash and access large files without waiting. By implementing the U.2 port onboard to support the 2.5″ Intel 750 Series drive, GIGABYTE ensures that the users can benefit from the best performance.
Dual Armor DIMM and PCIe Metal Shielding
Never worry about your heavy graphics card damaging your motherboard again. GIGABYTE’s proprietary Ultra Durable PCIe Metal Shielding reinforces the PCIe connector to prevent slot damage due to heavy graphics card. The DIMM and PCIe metal shield also provides extra strength for when you forget to release the lock while replacing your component, adding a fool proof option which can save your PC’s life.
Spec Sheet
| CPU | Support for Intel® Core™ i7 processors/Intel® Core™ i5 processors/Intel® Core™ i3 processors/Intel® Pentium® processors/Intel® Celeron® processors in the LGA1151 package L3 cache varies with CPU (Please refer “CPU Support List” for more information.) |
| Chipset | Intel® Z170 Express Chipset |
| Memory | 4 x DDR4 DIMM sockets supporting up to 64 GB of system memory * Due to a Windows 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than the size of the physical memory installed.Dual channel memory architecture Support for DDR4 3866(O.C.) / 3800(O.C.) / 3733(O.C.) / 3666(O.C.) / 3600(O.C.) / 3466(O.C.) / 3400(O.C.) / 3333(O.C.) / 3300(O.C.) / 3200(O.C.) / 3000(O.C.) / 2800(O.C.) / 2666(O.C.) / 2400(O.C.) / 2133 MHz memory modules Support for ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8 memory modules (operate in non-ECC mode) Support for non-ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8/1Rx16 memory modules Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules (Please refer “Memory Support List” for more information.) |
| Onboard Graphics | Integrated Graphics Processor-Intel® HD Graphics support: 1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096×2160@24 Hz * Support for HDMI 1.4 version.1 x Mini-DisplayPort, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096×2304@60 Hz * Support for DisplayPort 1.2 version.Maximum shared memory of 512 MB |
| Audio | Realtek® ALC892 codec High Definition Audio 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel Support for S/PDIF Out |
| LAN | Intel® GbE LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit) |
| Expansion Slots | 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16) * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8) * The PCIEX8 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16 slot. When the PCIEX8 slot is populated, the PCIEX16 slot operates at up to x8 mode.1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4) * The PCIEX4 slot shares bandwidth with the SATA3 0/1 connectors. When the PCIEX4 slot is installed with a x4 or above card, the SATA 3 0/1 connectors becomes unavailable. 3 x PCI Express x1 slots |
| Multi-Graphics Technology | Support for NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ and 2-Way NVIDIA® SLI™ technologies Support for AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ and 2-Way AMD CrossFire™ technologies |
| Storage Interface | Chipset: 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 SATA and PCIe x4/x2 SSD support) 1 x U.2 connector 2 x SATA Express connectors 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 * Refer to “1-8 Internal Connectors,” for the installation notices for the U.2, M.2, SATA Express, and SATA connectors. |
| USB | Chipset+Intel® Thunderbolt™ 3 Controller: 1 x USB Type-C™ port on the back panel, with USB 3.1 support 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A port (red) on the back panelChipset: 6 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports (4 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header) 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers |
| Internal I/O Connectors | 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector 1 x U.2 connector 1 x M.2 Socket 3 connector 2 x SATA Express connectors 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors 1 x CPU fan header 1 x water cooling fan/pump header (CPU_OPT_PUMP) 2 x system fan headers 1 x system fan/water cooling pump header (SYS_FAN2_PUMP) 1 x front panel header 1 x front panel audio header 1 x USB 3.0/2.0 header 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers 1 x S/PDIF Out header 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header 1 x Thunderbolt™ add-in card connector 1 x Clear CMOS jumper |
| Back Panel Connectors | 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port 1 x USB Type-C™ port, with USB 3.1 support 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A port (red) 1 x Mini-DisplayPort In port 1 x Mini-DisplayPort 1 x HDMI port 4 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x RJ-45 port 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector 5 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out, Rear Speaker Out, Line In, Line Out, Mic In) |
| I/O Controller | iTE® I/O Controller Chip |
| H/W Monitoring | System voltage detection CPU/System/Chipset temperature detection CPU/CPU OPT/System fan (pump) speed detection CPU/System/Chipset overheating warning CPU/CPU OPT/System fan (pump) fail warning CPU/CPU OPT/System fan (pump) speed control * Whether the fan speed control function is supported will depend on the fan (pump) you install. |
| BIOS | 2 x 128 Mbit flash Use of licensed AMI UEFI BIOS Support for DualBIOS™ PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0 |
| Unique Features | Support for APP Center * Available applications in APP Center may vary by motherboard model. Supported functions of each application may also vary depending on motherboard specifications.
Support for Q-Flash |
| Bundle Software | Norton® Internet Security (OEM version) Intel® Smart Response Technology cFosSpeed |
| Operating System | Support for Windows 10 / 8.1 64-bit Support for Windows 7 32-bit / 64-bit * Please download the “Windows USB Installation Tool” from GIGABYTE’s website and install it before installing Windows 7. |
| Form Factor | ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm |
Is it worth it?
GIGABYTE’s Z170X-Ultra Gaming is a feature loaded product for an affordable price. For Rs. 15,180 (Around $150), it offers Thunderbolt 3 with 100W USB Power Delivery 2 support, U.2, M.2, Intel NIC, and a sleek heat sinks/shield design. The only flaw I find in the product is the use of red LED’s instead of RGB one’s used by most manufacturers. If you don’t mind the black and red color theme, this is most likely the best Z170 motherboard for under $200. It’s highly worth it.
Buy it here.
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