After we’ve seen some MSI, ASRock, and BIOSTAR Z170 motherboards, we now have some pictures from Gigabyte. This time, we have the GIGABYTE Z170-SOC Force based on Intel’s upcoming LGA 1151. As part of the OC or overclocking lineup, the familiar orange theme is back along with a number of overclocking specific features. Along with the usual voltage measurement modules, we have a host of OC control buttons, a 24-phase VRM, 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, 4-pin ATX, and 6-pin PCIe power connectors and a VRM heatsink that is all ready for liquid cooling.
For more normal features, the board support two USB 3.1 ports, of which one is shared with a type-C port. Regular USB 3.0 gets a total of 8 ports (4 of which are by header) along with a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports, of which two are near the SATA ports. A total of 3 M.2 slots, 3 SATA-Express 16Gb/s and 8 SATA 6Gb/s connectors are there for your storage needs. For even faster connectivity, there are 4 PCIE x16 slots (x16/NC/NC/x4 or x8/NC/x8/x4 or x8/x4/x4/x4) and three PCI-Express 3.0 x1 are provided. DDR4 and shielded audio PCB section also make an appearance.
Overall, while being an OC focused board, the SOC Force still carries the connectivity of most high-end gaming boards. If there is any glaring issue, it’s that the orange looks a bit faded and washed-out, though that might just be the lighting/camera. With the removal of FIVR for Skylake, the motherboard returns to the forefront of CPU overclocking, meaning those wanting to hit 5.2Ghz or even 6.5Ghz would do well to invest in a good board.
Thank you ZoLKoRn for providing us with this information
Images courtesy of ZoLKoRn
