Gigabyte Z270X-Ultra Gaming LGA1151 Motherboard Review

Introduction

Even though Kaby Lake isn’t a revolutionary step forward compared to Skylake, motherboard vendors have worked tirelessly to produce innovative designs which take advantage of the Z270 Express chipset’s features. Unlike the previous flagship, the Z270 platform supports more downstream PCI-E gen 3.0 lanes which provide greater flexibility to include fast storage protocols including U.2, M.2 and Thunderbolt 3. Gigabyte has been a major proponent of Thunderbolt 3 technology and unleashed the world’s first Thunderbolt 3 certified motherboard in the form of the Z170X-UD5 TH.

Of course, Thunderbolt 3 devices are still relatively new and it’s not a feature many obsess about on budget-friendly solutions. To coincide with today’s launch, Gigabyte unveiled the Z270X-Ultra Gaming which supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 via an ASMedia controller and other NVMe storage options. Also, the motherboard has an Intel Gigabit LAN, Realtek ALC1220 audio with 120dB signal-to-noise ratio and incorporates the company’s stylish RGB lighting system. Not only that, the product opts for five hybrid fan headers, six temperature sensors and durable armour shielding. As you can see, this is an excellent specification and I’m expecting the motherboard to offer a great upgrade path without breaking the bank.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

The Gigabyte Z270X-Ultra Gaming arrives in a really striking box which succinctly outlines the product’s main features. Also, the motherboard’s branding provides an insight into the spectacular RGB lighting and contrasts rather nicely with the shiny black background.

Here we can see the end-user is presented with a description of the motherboard’s attracting lighting, Smart Fan 5 technology, audio circuitry and much more. As per usual, the information is positioned alongside high-quality images which make the text easier to understand.

The motherboard is bundled with a user’s guide, G-Connector, Gigabyte Gaming sticker, drivers/utilities disk, I/O shield, installation guide and four SATA cables.