Skylake-Based Z170 Gaming Mini ITX Motherboard

The new impact is available at newegg for $248.99. Hard to resist.
Not really, since it's the most expensive board by a fair amount and it has severe trade-offs.
Do not be fooled that the ROG sticker means "best choice". It was arguably with the M6I and M7I, but I don't feel they made the right choices on this version.
The overclocking part on other boards is often less restricted than the cooling or PSU capacity in most compact SFF cases, it's not like the other Z170 chipset boards can't run a good overclock.
 
Looks like the ASRock board it is for me then. Just need to get a mini-PCIe to M.2 adapter for that Intel 8260 wifi card.
 
Has anybody read the manual for the Maximus VIII Impact, motherbord diagram shows ASM 1142k. I had a good look at the photo on Anandtech and the postion on the photo vs. the drawing confirms there is an ASMedia chip in the same position though its hard to make out the actual number on the IC is does say "asmedia". I think can't think why they'd put Alpine Ridge on there and an ASM 1142. Does anybody have any idea
 
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Has any body read the manual for the Maximus VIII Impact, motherbord diagram shows ASM 1142k. I has a good look at the photo on Anandtech and the postion on the photo vs. the drawing confirms there is an ASMedia chip in the same position thogh its hard to make out the actual number of the IC. I think can't think why they'd put Alpine Ridge on there and an ASM 1142. Does anybody have any idea

Not sure if this helps, but Anandtech says: there isn’t an ASMedia controller nearby at any rate

Regarding Anandtech, I've moved on from them long ago. They are too afraid to criticise obvious shortcomings on products, just to keep their relation with manufacturers. For this little preview of the VIII Impact, they didn't mention M.2 at all. And I bet they won't in the full review either, if they do one (usually months later).
 
Just got hold two days ago on a GA-Z170N-WIFI. It's globally a good full featured board, running my SL 6700k delidded at 4.7Ghz (1.4v)

Pros :
- Cheap
- Lot of high end features (x4 M.2, SATA Express, etc.)
- Stable
- Available

Cons :
- with current BIOS (F4), I can't get my GSkill 3466MHz to run anything higher than 2300Mhz
- shitty PWM FAN control, my computer went from silent to loud. It's like a 10 years ago fan management engine.
- lack of back USB ports (4+1)

Edit :
New F5a BIOS seems to have corrected XMP issues.
 
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I have it, what do you want to know exactly ?

clearances1.jpg

Specifically, the two measurements in the top left.
 
Just got hold two days ago on a GA-Z170N-WIFI. It's globally a good full featured board, running my SL 6700k delidded at 4.7Ghz (1.4v)

Pros :
- Cheap
- Lot of high end features (x4 M.2, SATA Express, etc.)
- Stable
- Available

Cons :
- with current BIOS (F4), I can't get my GSkill 3466MHz to run anything higher than 2300Mhz
- shitty PWM FAN control, my computer went from silent to loud. It's like a 10 years ago fan management engine.
- lack of back USB ports (4+1)

I might jump on M8I when it gets on stock here in Switzerland.
Same mobo and F4 BIOS won't allow my 2666 mem to run at that either.
 
Regarding Anandtech, I've moved on from them long ago. They are too afraid to criticise obvious shortcomings on products, just to keep their relation with manufacturers. For this little preview of the VIII Impact, they didn't mention M.2 at all. And I bet they won't in the full review either, if they do one (usually months later).
I see it as they limit themselves to the facts and steer away from personal preference. The board has only be launched for a day, so not much clarity about the lack of the M.2 has been given anywhere.

Is the lack of M.2 an issue ? It depends if you need or want it. But it's not a negative per sé.
I remember people being very negative about M.2 over a year ago when it first showed up on the desktop, being useless as it's a "laptop format"...

U.2 will have this rise in interest too when the first halo product is launched. It arguably has been already, the Intel SSD 750.
 
Sorry but it is a negative if you're building a system right now. The U2 is over twice the price of the 950 which is out within days.
 
Over twice the price? Source? The Intel 750 was released at about $1 per GB.. a little less in the US actually. Considering there is a 480GB version, you don't NEED to buy the 1.2TB.
 
I've no idea what you'd pay, but a 400GB U2 is £320 over here and for that you can buy a 256GB NVMe M2 plus a 1TB SSD for data.

To be honest I doubt real world you'd notice the difference between a mainstream SSD against top of the range NVMe but then again I didn't hear one person say - oh I hope it launches with a U2 instead of M2. If anyone is really set on U2 SFF drives maybe uATX in a larger case with M2 to U2 adapters is the best option?
 
Here the Intel 750 400gb is 50% more than the Samsung 950 Pro 512gb so, yeah it is a huge negative.

Asus fu'k this up, no way around it.
 
I've no idea what you'd pay, but a 400GB U2 is £320 over here and for that you can buy a 256GB NVMe M2 plus a 1TB SSD for data.

To be honest I doubt real world you'd notice the difference between a mainstream SSD against top of the range NVMe but then again I didn't hear one person say - oh I hope it launches with a U2 instead of M2. If anyone is really set on U2 SFF drives maybe uATX in a larger case with M2 to U2 adapters is the best option?

There was a specific argument that the 950 Pro was half the price of the Intel 750, this is now a different argument that is being presented. While valid, it was not the original point argued.

Here the Intel 750 400gb is 50% more than the Samsung 950 Pro 512gb so, yeah it is a huge negative.

Asus fu'k this up, no way around it.

The Samsung Pro 950 is available for purchase in your region? Can you provide a link of both so we can all get an idea?
 
The Samsung Pro 950 is available for purchase in your region? Can you provide a link of both so we can all get an idea?[/QUOTE]

Pretty sure he's talking about MSRP.
 
I see it as they limit themselves to the facts and steer away from personal preference. The board has only be launched for a day, so not much clarity about the lack of the M.2 has been given anywhere.

Is the lack of M.2 an issue ? It depends if you need or want it. But it's not a negative per sé.
I remember people being very negative about M.2 over a year ago when it first showed up on the desktop, being useless as it's a "laptop format"...

U.2 will have this rise in interest too when the first halo product is launched. It arguably has been already, the Intel SSD 750.

They limit themselves to facts a bit too much, and omit certain facts, as well. I remember how they failed to analyse and comment on the memory regression in their iPhone 5s review. Less free RAM on the 5s, due to it using 64bit CPU, compared to iPhone 5.

Both Anand and Brian were hired by Apple, not long after.

I very well welcome an explanation from Asus why they went with U.2 and dumped M.2, but at the moment I fail to see a good one. I agree U.2 needs to replace SATA, but at the same time, the cable is clunky. If Asus had kept both M.2 and U.2, and put U.2 port at the opposite side, then it would have been another story. Then they could brag. But now, we are obviously left with disappointed feelings about this.
 
Not really, since it's the most expensive board by a fair amount and it has severe trade-offs.
Do not be fooled that the ROG sticker means "best choice". It was arguably with the M6I and M7I, but I don't feel they made the right choices on this version.
The overclocking part on other boards is often less restricted than the cooling or PSU capacity in most compact SFF cases, it's not like the other Z170 chipset boards can't run a good overclock.

Well, I bought it anyways. Not sure which case to use though. I was thinking ncase but I might just simply re-use my old prodigy that is collecting dust (will be watercooled).
 
Ail, Great build, I have the same board on order, it is my first Gigabyte board. Would you mind taking a detailed photo of the primary bios chip, its the one in between the two mounting nuts for the M.2 slot. I need to know the type of flash chip used.
 
I agree U.2 needs to replace SATA, but at the same time, the cable is clunky. If Asus had kept both M.2 and U.2, and put U.2 port at the opposite side, then it would have been another story. Then they could brag. But now, we are obviously left with disappointed feelings about this.

You mean "put M.2 port at the opposite side". But yes, I agree with you, adding U.2 port to motherboard IS VERY GOOD, however removing M.2 IS VERY BAD. They should have given us BOTH!

Where am I supposed to stick my SM951 now on this board? Can't! eff ASUS!
 
Does there even exist any U.2 to M.2 adapters? I have only read about M.2 to U.2.

Yes they do exist:
http://www.minerva.com.tw/PU3401A.html

The problem is that, after contacting with them, while you can buy the U.2 to M.2 converter board, they do not sell any U.2 cables, at least not yet.

Does any one know how/where to buy a U.2 cable? (SFF-8643 to SFF-8639)
The only sure way I know that can get one in the retail market is to...buy an Intel 750 2.5" SSD (it comes with the U.2 cable), which of course defeats the goal of using another M.2 device.
 
Any reason to go for the Gaming 5 over the normal Z170N-WIFI? Apart from the fancy heatsink and killer lan(bad), they seem kind of similar. In fact I think the all black theme looks better.
 
Ail, Great build, I have the same board on order, it is my first Gigabyte board. Would you mind taking a detailed photo of the primary bios chip, its the one in between the two mounting nuts for the M.2 slot. I need to know the type of flash chip used.

Will check the full Rez photo later to see if it is visible and post up.

EDIT:: Was not able to find any older pics that had the chip text visible. I was able to thread the needle and get a shot of it in the case. Not the best but hope it helps.

z170ng55.jpg
 
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Any reason to go for the Gaming 5 over the normal Z170N-WIFI? Apart from the fancy heatsink and killer lan(bad), they seem kind of similar. In fact I think the all black theme looks better.
USB 3.1. I got tired of waiting for the Wifi and went for the gaming. It was only $20 more.

Word is that the killer lan works great in Win10 (and OS X), so I don't feel so bad giving up the intel NIC, and I wouldn't have used the second NIC anyway.
 
Will check the full Rez photo later to see if it is visible and post up.

EDIT:: Was not able to find any older pics that had the chip text visible. I was able to thread the needle and get a shot of it in the case. Not the best but hope it helps.

Great thank you. Looks like a Macronix MX25L6473F (64Mbit/8MB) chip, I am going to solder a socket in it's place and try to put a 128Mbit MX25L12873F in it's place, all the other GB Z170 boards have a 128Mbit chip (16MB), although there is about 6MB free space in the BIOS images. I am hoping, probably rather foolishly that by hacking pieces of the Z170X-UD5 TH BIOS into the chip I might be able to get the Alpine Ridge to enable Thunderbolt which I could use for my Drobo. I am hoping that it's not enabled more due to Intel licensing rather than PCI-E lane mapping or PCB tracks missing to the Type C connector. Luckily I have an EPROM programmer if all goes bad ;-)
 
XMP isn't working properly on my Gigabyte z170n wifi. I've read more people having this issue. Anyone an idea when Gigabyte will release a new BIOS?
 
In not sure where you are located geographically, but I believe that board is already out in the U.S. and had been for sale at Newegg for a few weeks.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157650
I know the name in the listing doesn't have the Fatal1ty branding, but it shows it on the chipset heatsink.
After waiting for more details on the M8impact, I'm kind of leaning towards this As rock board myself, despite my distrust of anything that has Fatal1ty marked on it. Several members in this thread have sounded positive with their experiences with it so far.
 
I'm located in the UK and I don't think it is out yet over here.

But I am hoping to buy this on my travels when I visit Hong Kong early next month...
 
I have the ASrock Gaming ITX for one week now and nothing to complain.

The I/O is a little weak but that's ok.
I had to screw again the antenna plug but now it seems solid enough.

Wifi works quiet well.
Fans control is easy and effective. You can control 3 pin fans with voltage control and you have 3 fans header to deal with.
Memory (Kingston Hyper Fury X 2X8go) worked right away at its OC clock (2666 Mhz).
No problem to install Windows 10 with a USB key aswell.

Board's layout is good for my needs. No misplaced USB 3.0 header, all the the fan headers are almost on the same side.

So the board is pricey but it is one of the best offer on the market in my opinion.

Aesthetically, i must say i prefer the Gigabyte gaming but that USB 3.0 header killed it for me. And i heard fan control is not good either.
 
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I really want to get the ASRock ITX but it cost so much compared to the Z97 equivalent. At least comparing mobo combos at microcenter, The ASRock Z97 ITX board came out to be $95ish buck when I bought a CPU.
 
I'm located in the UK and I don't think it is out yet over here.

But I am hoping to buy this on my travels when I visit Hong Kong early next month...
Asrock out in UK, and plenty of places in Germany too - easy enough to get bits from there and often available before us
 
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I put a system together using the Gigabyte z710 gaming 5 motherboard last night. I had a win7 key that I intended to upgrade to win10, and found out that installing from USB 3.0 is complicated, since the installer will prompt for usb drivers and will halt if you don't. I ended up initiating the install on another system via USB2, then moving the drive over to the new system right at the first reboot, then the installation continued. Once installed, win7 still didn't have USB3 or lan drivers, so I had to copy them to another sata drive to install.

Having a sata optical drive to install from disc, or having a header to plug into the usb2 pin-out on the motherboard would have simplified things. Otherwise, you could slipstream the drivers onto your usb drive installer. But it's pretty clear that win7 is now a dinosaur, and everyone should step up to 10.

The system works perfectly on win10, I'm very happy with my purchase. Planning on moving from a sata ssd to m.2 when the 950 pro m.2 hits.
 
I put a system together using the Gigabyte z710 gaming 5 motherboard last night. I had a win7 key that I intended to upgrade to win10, and found out that installing from USB 3.0 is complicated, since the installer will prompt for usb drivers and will halt if you don't. I ended up initiating the install on another system via USB2, then moving the drive over to the new system right at the first reboot, then the installation continued. Once installed, win7 still didn't have USB3 or lan drivers, so I had to copy them to another sata drive to install.

Having a sata optical drive to install from disc, or having a header to plug into the usb2 pin-out on the motherboard would have simplified things. Otherwise, you could slipstream the drivers onto your usb drive installer. But it's pretty clear that win7 is now a dinosaur, and everyone should step up to 10.

The system works perfectly on win10, I'm very happy with my purchase. Planning on moving from a sata ssd to m.2 when the 950 pro m.2 hits.


There is an Windows USB Installation Tool for installing Windows 7 using USB3.0. Its on the Gigabyte website : http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5529#utility. Unfortunately,it is not well publicised.
 
Quick question, does the Asrock Gaming Itx support voltage controlled fans (3pin) in bios, or would they only run at one speed?
 
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