Gigabyte's Z170X-Designare Motherboard: Straight-Forward, Loaded With Features

Today we are going to take a look at Gigabyte’s Z170X-Designare motherboard, one of the company's more recent Socket 1151-based boards for Intel's 6th Generation Skylake-based processors.

At first glance this is an unassuming board, at least in terms of its appearance. It features a dark and subdued black PCB with chrome highlights and nothing overly dramatic or gaudy. Yet for the sub-$250 price tag, this motherboard is loaded up with a strong array of cutting edge technologies. Among them is support for Intel Thunderbolt 3 across the board’s USB Type-c connection on the back I/O. This same port supports USB 3.1 and Mini-DisplayPort connections as well, offering a wealth of connectivity options for high performance storage devices, displays, and more.

Other top-end features include support for DDR4 memory up to 4000MHz, support for NVMe storage solutions (M.2, U.2 and PCIe connections), dual Intel Gigabit LAN and customizable RGB LEDs underneath and across the top of the motherboard to add a bit of flare and liven up that dark PCB.



Gigabyte Z170X-Designare Motherboard Specifications & Features

CPU: Intel Core i7 processors - LGA1151 Chipset: Intel Z170 Chipset Multi GPU: Supports NVIDIA 2-Way GPU SLI Technology

Supports AMD 2-Way CrossFireX Technology Memory: 4 x DIMM, Dual-Channel DDR4 up to 4000MHZ OC Audio: 8-Channel 115dB SNR HD w/ Built-in Rear Audio Amp Connectivity: LAN: Dual Intel GbE LAN Slots: 3 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 (x16/x8/x4)

3 x PCIe 3.0 x1 Slots Storage: 1 x NVMe U.2, 1 x M.2 x4 supports both SATA & PCIE mode (bandwidth shared w/ SATA Express)

6 x SATA3 6Gb/s port(s), 2 x SATA Express ports

USB 3.1: 2 x USB 3.1 w/ USB Type-C support + 6 x USB 3.0

USB 2.0: 6 x USB 2.0 ports (4x via internal header)

Form Factor: ATX 13.8" x 10.6"

Price: $223.23 Currently At Amazon

We tested the Gigabyte Z170X-Designare with an Intel Core i7-6700K processor coupled to a 16GB kit of Corsair Vengeance 2666MHz DDR4 memory.

Within Gigabyte's rainbow colored box, we found a relatively straightforward accessory bundle. The bundle includes the customary x4 6Gb/s SATA cables, 2-Way SLI connector, a user's manual, Quick Install guide, driver DVD, case badge, storage device stickers, an x1 G-Connector, a single Velcro cable tie, and an RGB LED strip extension for after-market LED strips.

It’s a solid package for a Skylake build, which remains an affordable, potent CPU platform for a multitude of user needs. With desktop Kaby Lake right around the corner, it’s good to see continued support and upgrades added to Z170 motherboard solutions.Next we will take a walk around the board, get a good look at the UEFI BIOS environment and then checkout the benchmarks before buttoning things up. Let’s get going.