GIGABYTE Announces Z270X-DESIGNARE Motherboard

Not every motherboard is designed for our beloved gaming systems, some of them are designed to be workstations. Gigabyte’s newest 200-series motherboard is just such a board as the Z270X-DESIGNARE is geared towards the creative minds of content creators.

The series as such isn’t new; it was introduced with the 100-series chipsets to promote Nvidia Quadro graphics cards. The new Z270X-DESIGNARE has gone through the same extensive testing and has been validated and optimised for use with Nvidia Quadro graphics cards which makes sure that designers have nothing that holds them back.

“Content creators need a high-performance platform that can keep up with the inventive minds as they craft their masterpieces.” – Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE’s Motherboard Business Unit.

The Intel Z270X Express chipset support the newest 7th generation Intel Core processors as well as the 6th generation processors. The four DDR4 DIMM sockets support up to 64GB memory in a dual-channel setup. Supported speeds are 2133MHz and 2400MHz, and you can use ECC unbuffered as well as non-ECC unbuffered DIMMs.

The audio part is handled by a Realtek ALC1220 codec with HD audio and up to 7.1 channel output. Network wise, it features an Intel GbE LAN chip. Storage wise, you get one M.2 PCIe x4 M.key connector, one U.2 connector, two SATA Express connectors, and six SATA3 connectors.

The workstation-oriented board comes with support for NVIDIA Quad-GPU SLI and 2-Way NVIDIA SLI technologies as well as AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX and 3-Way/2-Way AMD CrossFire technologies.

It also comes with the latest external connectors with USB 3.1 Gen.2 Type-C connectors, Type-A connectors and front panel headers. Legacy connections go all the way back to the PS2 keyboard and mouse combo connector and include USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports too.

It isn’t just a motherboard with the latest specifications and features; it also looks great with its grey-silver PCB and blue LEDs. Even the rear follows the style with a large series logo imprinted on it.

Feature highlights

• Supports 7th/ 6th Generation Intel® Core™ Processors
• Dual Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs
• Front USB 3.1 Gen 2 Header
• Fast USB 3.1 Gen 2 with USB Type-C™ and Type-A
• 3-Way Graphics Support with Dual Armour and Ultra Durable™ Design
• Dual NVMe PCIe SSDs in RAID 0 Support
• NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 U.2 Connector
• Ultra-Fast M.2 with PCIe Gen3 x4 & SATA interface
• Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready
• ALC1220 120dB SNR HD Audio with Smart Headphone Amp
• Intel® GbE LAN with cFosSpeed Internet Accelerator Software
• USB DAC-UP 2 with Adjustable Voltage
• RGB FUSION LED Light Show Design
• Swappable Overlay for Accent LED
• Smart Fan 5 features Multiple Temperature Sensors and Hybrid Fan Headers
• Silver Alloy Coated PCB Design
• Lightning-Fast Intel® Thunderbolt™ 3 AIC Support
• GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS™
• APP Center Including EasyTune™ and Cloud Station™ Utilities