GIGABYTE GA-Z77N-WIFI (rev. 1.0) Pro Reviews

So what should we do if we really want to build a high-performance LGA 1155 computer on a Mini-ITX platform today? Our recommendation would be to start from the contrary. First of all you need to exclude those mainboards that limit the overclocking. These are Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI, that doesn’t have any functionality to adjust the voltages, and EVGA Z77 Stinger, which doesn’t work with the memory and has several issues in the BIOS. Then we need to eliminate those mainboards, which cannot save power when the CPU is idle and disable all processor power-saving technologies during overclocking. This will take MSI Z77IA-E53 off the list. Finally, we will exclude slower mainboards, which will mean the end of the race for Zotac Z77-ITX WiFi. As a result, the only two choices remain ASUS P8Z77-I DELUXE and ASRock Z77E-ITX. Asus product boasts very well thought-through design, high performance and a WiFi controller supporting 5 GHz frequency range. However, it suffers from some frustrating issues in the BIOS, heats a lot and is quite expensive. ASRock mainboard, on the contrary, is very affordable, comes with a well-balanced BIOS and an additional mSATA slot, but doesn’t support Bluetooth and has somewhat awkward layout.

Before continuing with our final thoughts on this board, we would like to take this opportunity to give our friends at GIGABYTE a hearty “Thank You” for giving us the pleasure of reviewing the Z77N-WiFi motherboard. GIGABYTE did a great job in designing this board, from the layout shifting to free up more space in all areas, to the board's performance overall. While the Z77N-WiFi doesn't include all the frills of higher priced boards, GIGABYTE did include exactly what would be needed for using this board in an HTPC capacity - onboard WiFi and LAN, SATA ports, and plenty of video output ports. As has been said previously, this board is not slouch and did perform well within expectations. The overclocking performance was the most impressive feat of all. The board does have a few shortcomings though. The most obvious is the lack of enthusiast-centric BIOS settings for tweaking board performance. This is one of the few boards I've seen come across my test bench in quite a while that only had a single configurable voltage setting. However, the Z77N-WiFi still managed a solid overclock with only that single voltage tweak. While testing, I found that the CPU power circuitry would get hot, requiring the use of a fan for cooling. If you are using an air-based CPU cooler, this may not be as much of an issue. The only other concern with the board is in the proximity of the PCI-Express x16 slot to the CPU socket. In testing with a Noctua NH-D14 cooler, we could not orient the cooler so that it did not overlap the PCI-Express slot. So this board gives you a choice - an over-large CPU cooler or a standalone video card.

I've had Gigabyte's Z77N-WiFi for some time now. Used as the base of an HTPC, its got a lot to offer, but if you've got another role in mind, it's ready for that as well. Gigabyte does offer significant value for your dollar, and that doesn't just apply to their boards. Take a look at any online retailer, and you'll see Gigabyte's VGAs are decently priced. Gigabyte definitely has made a shift in how they offer their products as of late, and that change is something I really have to commend them for. The lack of voltage control will probably put some people off a bit, but its lack of such particular options is, to me, one of the best things ever, ensuring that Gigabyte's product makes no claim of being able to do something it really isn't capable of while providing one of the most stable computing environments available. You won't be tempted to push the Z77N-WiFi and a couple other recent Gigabyte board products too far, since you simply cannot push them at all.

A tiny Ivy Bridge board with all the features you could need