Motherboard Biostar Hi-Fi Z87X 3D Review

When all the turmoil connected with the launch of new Intel Haswell processors becalmed, potential customers could finally get their own opinion about CPU facilities and decide whether an upgrade is a sensible move. A flagship motherboard from Biostar, entitled Hi-Fi Z87X 3D, proves that it worth the effort. Biostar was one of the first manufacturers in the market to pay much attention to audio subsystem. Hence, all the best audio elaborations have been aptly implemented in its flagship board.

General Specifications

Biostar Hi-Fi Z87X 3D positions itself as the motherboard for overclocking, featuring:
— chipset: Intel Z87;
— form-factor: ATX, dimensions – 305x244 mm;
— socket and supported processors: Socket 1150, Intel Haswell Pentium, Core i3/i5/i7;
— built-in graphics core: Intel HD Graphics 4600;
— memory: type – DDR3, capacity – up to 32 GB, clock frequencies – 1066 MHz – 2800 (OC) MHz;
— expansion slots: three PCI-e 2.0 x1, two PCI-e 3.0 x16, one PCI-e 2.0 x16;
— audio: 7.1-channel sound, Realtek ALC898 controller, Blu-ray Audio;
— network facilities: gigabit Ethernet port based on Realtek RTL8111F controller;
— fan support: one 4-pin, four 3-pin;
— video interface: D-Sub, DVI-D, HDMI ports;
— ports and sockets: six SATA 6 Gb/sec ports with RAID support, four USB 3.0 and eight USB 2.0 ports, PS/2, COM, CIR, POST-indicator;
— delivery kit: user’s manual, software and driver package, board plug, couplings for cable management, four SATA 6 Gb/sec cables, flexible bridge for AMD CrossFireX configurations, and an external microphone.

Design and Layout

As befits to the flagship model, Hi-Fi Z87X 3D features a classical design and layout. The disaffection touches only upon the absence of PCI slots, despite free spacing on the PCB. The reverse side of the board counts six drivers that are a part of power supply subsystem. CPU coolers are mounted by means of plastic nails.

Audio subsystem is separated from all other hardware items into an isolated zone. The integrated Realtek ALC898 controller is additionally isolated by a metallic screen; it features a pair of red LED lights. It should be noted that audio subsystem employs an individual voltage converter, four two-channel operational amplifiers (36135 3H), one 16-contact amplifier (36136 3H), a pair of film capacitors (104J50), and four non-polarized capacitors near the frontal audio panel.

To continue, Power and Reset buttons found their places in the bottom-right section. The first one is equipped with red backlight, while the second one – with green backlight (the latter signalizes about the drives activity). Power supply section is cooled down by a couple of heatsinks. Stability of power supply is ensured by 12-channel voltage converter, based on ISL6376 PWM-controller; it is accompanied by LEPAK PH6030L and PH9030L transistors.

Rear I/O panel resembles too much the historic configuration with the emphasis on USB 2.0 interfaces. There is no optical output, though the motherboard positions itself as a multimedia solution. HDMI port features quite outstanding facilities. The implementation of PTN3360D converter gave rise to the video production with the 4Kx2K resolution; this implies that the users will be able to watch 3D video in such a dramatic resolution.

UEFI

Biostar gladdens its fans with an upgraded UEFI firmware. Its overall framework remained the same but the manufacturer added some useful features to comply with contemporary demands. Let’s have a look at the most peculiar UEFI sections:
1. ‘Advanced’ section is responsible for all general system settings;
2. ‘CPU Settings and Information’ section provides data about the employed CPU and its working modes;
3. ‘Smart Fan Control’ monitors the work of a 4-contact CPU fan;
4. ‘UEFI Chipset’ section combines the settings of chipset and system agent;
5. ‘Security’ section provides analogous to the competitors settings;
6. ‘O.N.E.’ section involves fine-tuning system settings: ‘CPU Configuration’ tab allows for the adjustment of CPU multiplier to Auto, All Core, Fixed or Per Core modes, Intel graphics tab allows for the core frequency adjustments, ‘Host Clock’ tab tunes the frequencies and ensures their stability;
7. ‘DRAM Configuration’ section allows selecting the necessary XMP-profile (manual or automatic);
8. ‘Voltage Configuration’ section is responsible for fine-tuning voltage settings on various system blocks.