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ATTO Disk Benchmark
The ATTO disk benchmark is a Windows-based utility for testing storage performance of any storage drive or controller. We use the default benchmark setup.
M.2 PCIe Performance
For M.2 testing we use a Toshiba OCZ RD400 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD.
M.2 performance is spot on and the drive tested with is able to function at full speed in both PCIe M.2 slots provided on this motherboard. However, no M.2 cooling is provided so the drive throttles within a relatively short time period. The lack of M.2 cooling is a little disappointing but understandable given the price constraints of this motherboard.
USB Performance
We test USB 3.0 and 3.1 performance using a pair of Transcend SSD370S 512GB SSDs in RAID 0 connected to an Icy Box RD2253-U31 2-bay USB 3.1 enclosure powered by an ASMedia ASM1352R controller.
USB 3.1 and 3.0 performance are roughly the same as Z370. H370 and B360.
Unlike Z370, B360 and H370 include USB 3.1 (Gen 2) by default whereas on Z370 it is an optional extra that motherboard vendors are required to add themselves.
SATA 6Gbps Performance
For SATA 6Gbps testing we use an OCZ Trion 150 480GB SSD.
SATA III performance is typical and directly comparable to Z370.
Audio
Rightmark Audio Analyser is a freeware benchmarking utility designed to objectively test the performance characteristics of audio solutions. We setup a line-in line-out loop and execute the record/playback test before generating the results report you see below. A sampling mode of 24-bit, 192 kHz is tested where available. If unavailable the closest alternative operating mode available is used and clearly marked.
Audio performance was generally very good across the range of tests and easily keeps up with Z370 options. It is surprising to see a motherboard of this price point come equipped with such a high-quality Realtek ALC1220 solution, though this is possible because of the lower cost of the B360 chipset.
