Gigabyte Z370N WiFi Motherboard Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Board Layout and Features4. UEFI5. Software6. Testing Methodology7. Tests: CPU Related8. Tests: Memory Related9. Tests: Gaming Related10. Tests: Motherboard Features Performance11. Overclocking & Power Consumption12. Closing Thoughts13. View All Pages

Intel's latest iteration of its mainstream platform, Z370 and socket LGA1151-V2, provides a solid foundation for high-performance and compact systems. All of the major motherboard vendors offer mini-ITX options, though choice is limited in comparison to ATX and micro-ATX equivalents. Gigabyte's sole mini-ITX option is the Z370N WiFi that we are looking at today.

Gigabyte's approach to mini-ITX for Intel Z370 is fairly inconspicuous and not specifically positioned as a gaming product. This contrasts with its rivals who have mostly targeted the gaming market – ASUS with the ROG STRIX Z370-I Gaming, ASRock with the Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming-ITX/ac and MSI the Z370I Gaming Pro Carbon AC. ASRock does, however, offer the Z370M-ITX/ac that is somewhat aligned to Gigabyte's Z370N WiFi in terms of features, market positioning and price.

Despite Gigabyte's inconspicuous design the Z370N WiFi is well-equipped for most target audiences. Feature highlights include dual M.2 with a cooled M.2 slot, dual Intel Gigabit LAN, onboard Intel WiFi, USB Type-C and high-quality Realtek ALC1220-based audio.

Gigabyte's primary selling point with the Z370N WiFi is that it is more affordable than most of its competitors and this means a wider market appeal. A more affordable motherboard also means a larger budget for the level-headed buyer to allocate towards other system components that have a greater impact on system performance.

	Gigabyte Z370N WiFi
Form Factor	mini-ITX, 17 x 17cm
CPU Socket	Intel LGA 1151 “v2” for 8th Generation Core CPUs
Chipset	Intel Z370
Memory	DDR4, 2 DIMMs, up to 32GB, up to 4400MHz+ with OC
Onboard Graphics	Intel HD Graphics (with supported CPUs)
Discrete Graphics	Single Graphics Card Configurations Only
Expansion Slots	1 x PCIe 3.0 X16
Storage	4 x SATA III 6Gbps 1 x M.2 PCIe 32Gbps or SATA III 6Gbps 1 x M.2 PCIe 32Gbps
USB	2 x USB 2.0 (2 Front, via Intel Z370) 8 x USB 3.0 (6 Rear, 2 Front, via Intel Z370) 1 x USB 3.0 (1 Rear, Type-C, via Intel Z370)
Networking	1 x Intel I211AT Gigabit Ethernet 1 x Intel i219V Gigabit Ethernet Intel Wireless-AC 8265NGW with Bluetooth 4.2
Audio	Realtek ALC1220 7.1 Channel* HD Audio *7.1 channel requires multi-channel configuration of front panel audio module
Fan Headers	3, all support 3/4 pin fans (1 CPU, 2 x SYS)
Rear I/O	2 x HDMI ports (1.4 and 2.0) 1 x DisplayPort 1.2 2 x SMA antenna connectors (2T2R) 6 x USB 3.0 ports 1 x USB Type-C USB 3.0 port 2 x RJ-45 ports 3 x audio jacks (Line In, Line Out, Mic In)
UEFI	dual 128Mbit AMI UEFI BIOS

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