Let's consider the Gigabyte Aorus GA-Z270X-Gaming 7 which is not the highest, but not just the average level one in the line of gaming motherboards from the popular manufacturer. The equipment of younger models most often means the availability of bonus software for the network and audio subsystem, that is interesting hardware ideas are not always implemented in that segment. The considered GA-Z270X-Gaming 7 is included in a special Aorus product line. The sound system here is not currently traditional Realtek ALC1220, but the hardware and software complex from Creative. The power system also looks powerful; there is a massive radiator as well and this fact gives hope for successful overclocking.


Features


Chipset: Intel Z270

Processor socket: Socket 1151

Processors: Core i7, Core i5, Core i3, Pentium, Celeron (Skylake-S, Kaby Lake-S)

RAM: 4 DIMM DDR4 SDRAM 2133/2400/2666 * / 2800 * / 3000 * / 3200 * / 3300 * / 3333 * / 3400 * / 3466 * / 3600 * / 3666 * / 3733 * …

In the year of 2015 the Intel Company announced a mini PC with a completely new layout, named Intel Compute Stick. According to its dimensions it resembles a mobile 3G adapter or a slightly enlarged typical flash drive, though its functionality lets us consider this sample to be a fully-featured PC, which only needs to be connected to the monitor or TV-set through the HDMI interface.



At first the Intel Company and its partners released their versions with Intel Bay Trail CPUs, being later exchanged by the Intel Cherry Trail series solutions. In 2016 even more powerful models with Intel Core m3 and Intel Core m5 (Intel Skylake) CPUs appeared. One can expect, that in the second quarter of 2017 the Intel Compute Stick manufacturers will use the Intel Apollo Lake series chips.


At least two new Intel Compute Stick versions are to be released. The first model will feature 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of ROM eMMC memory and the pre-set 64-bit Windows 10 Home OS. The second version will …

Arsenal Gaming is a specific lineup of motherboards in MSI’s portfolio. It embraces 7 different models, joined under military-style codenames. The units are targeting primarily gaming community, although the Z170A Tomahawk is a universal solution at an affordable price. As distinct from the comrades, it features a set of controllers & sockets which are considered to be remnants of the past. Let’s find out what kind of advantages this board offers.



CPU & Memory


Motherboard MSI Z170A Tomahawk is developed on Intel Z170 Express chipset. It supports LGA1151-compatible CPUs of the 6th generation (Skylake): Intel Celeron/Pentium/Core i3/Core i5/Core i7. The hardware rests on a 4-layer dark PCB (304x224 mm, ATX) with red PCI-e and RAM slots. The rear panel is differentiated by the availability of a backplate for the CPU socket. The integrated ISL95856 controller is accountable for the providing power to the CPU (3+5 VRM).


The board comes with four DIMM slots for the …