Biostar Racing Z170 GT7 Motherboard Review

1. Introduction2. Biostar Racing Z170 GT7: Packaging and Bundle3. Biostar Racing Z170 GT7: Layout and Examination4. Biostar Racing Z170 GT7: UEFI5. Biostar Racing Z170 GT7: Software6. Testing Methodology7. Tests: CPU-related8. Tests: Memory-related9. Tests: GPU-related10. Tests: Motherboard-related11. Overclocking12. Conclusion13. View All Pages

The gaming motherboard market for Z170 is more competitive than it has ever been since all motherboard models have now been released. Motherboard vendors will not be releasing any more models in preparation for the release of new Z270 motherboards alongside associated Kaby Lake CPUs. As such now is probably the best time to buy Z170 and any prospective buyer is surely aware of this fact.

Biostar's Racing Z170 GT7, then, faces a high level of competition and needs to offer something special to standout from its competitors. On paper specification alone the Biostar motherboard seems to have most of the bases covered and the RGB LEDs built into the motherboard heatsink give it a unique and eye-catching twist. It's a great idea worth commending and many will see this motherboard as worth purchasing for that design feature alone.

However, there are many more factors to take into consideration when it comes to deciding on a Z170 motherboard, the price is one of those key factors. The current real-world retail price of £150 ($165) for the Biostar motherboard goes up against motherboards of a strong calibre – the ASRock Z170 Fatal1ty Gaming K6, ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming AURA, MSI Z170A Gaming M5 and Gigabyte Z170X-Ultra Gaming.

Based on our testing we don't feel like the Biostar Racing Z170 GT7 does enough to prove itself worthier than the strong competition. The RGB feature set may catch your eye but our experiences with the UEFI, which included compatibility problems, strange power throttling and no LLC, leave something to be desired.  So too does the sub-par memory performance and the fact Biostar opted for the ALC898 audio codec rather than the stronger ALC1150 used by much of the competition.

Pros:

• Extensive RGB LED customisation options
• Neutral styling
• Onboard touch buttons and dual-BIOS

Cons:

• Flaky BIOS compatibility and performance
• Sub-par memory performance

KitGuru says: A motherboard with a unique RGB-twist, the Biostar Racing Z170 GT7 is a reasonable attempt at a mid-range gaming motherboard.

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