Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X Motherboard

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Biostar.

The latest chipset from Intel, the Z77, has been around for a little while now and has certainly spurred a lot of interest by aftermarket motherboard manufacturers. Little actually changed between the Z68 chipset and the Z77 chipset. Z77 added Smart Connect to let you receive emails while your computer is asleep and Rapid Start to speed up boot times. With so little changing, it is up to the manufacturers to pack their motherboards so full of features that they stand out above the rest of the competition. That is exactly what Biostar has done with the Hi-Fi Z77X.

Biostar itself has put six Z77 motherboards on the market. The most recent motherboard released by Biostar is the Hi-Fi Z77X. Biostar focused on audio enhancements when they built the Hi-Fi Z77X. The target market for the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X includes audiophiles everywhere. Gamers, HTPC builders, or even those who want to listen to their music in the best possible way while they are doing their homework. Biostar claims perfect sound delivery with their new Hi-Fi technology, enabling PC users the ability to experience virtual surround sound without investing in any extra equipment.

To provide this extensive audio experience, Biostar has added a lot of new hardware to the Hi-Fi motherboard. All of the pieces maintain the Hi-Fi monitor. They include the Hi-Fi Ground, the Hi-Fi Amp, Hi-Fi Caps, and Hi-Fi Resistors. Now, we will get into much more detail on each of these items later in this review, but for now it's enough to say that Biostar has made some serious design changes to the Hi-Fi Z77X that promise a great deal of audio power.

Closer Look: Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X

Before delving into the specialty features of the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X, let's take an overview of what you'll get with the Hi-Fi Z77X. The white box that the Hi-Fi Z77X comes stands out pretty well. It definitely touts the audio centric nature of the motherboard.

The back of the box gives a great overview of all of the features offered by the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X, including a paragraph specifically dedicated to the Puro Hi-Fi technology integrated onto the motherboard.

From the top, the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X offers all the basics you'd expect from a Z77 motherboard. The Hi-Fi Z77X sports a black and blue color scheme that looks nice. The PCI slots, DIMM slots and the PCB itself are all black and the Heatsinks and some of the other components are blue.

The Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X sports three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots and three PCI Express x1 slots. The PCI-E x16 slots function at x8 + x8 + x4 when all three are in use. Of course, the PCI-E x16 slots are only PCI Express 3.0 slots when an Ivy Bridge CPU is in use. The Z77 chipset also supports Sandy Bridge CPUs, but since the PCI controller is on the CPU, the slots are only PCI Express 2.0 slots when Sandy Bridge CPUs are being used.

As far as RAM is concerned, the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X sports the standard four DDR3 DIMM slots. Now, Ivy Bridge increases RAM support to 1600MHz, but Biostar takes it a bit further. Biostar says that the Hi-Fi Z77X will support RAM up to 2600+MHz.

One thing Biostar does with the Hi-Fi Z77X that confuses me a little is that they only provide the minimum amount of SATA 3.0 ports. That means two. In fact, Biostar only gives more 6Gbps ports to its very highest end Z77 motherboard, the TZ77XE4. Now, an extra controller would cost extra money, but a lot of devices are moving up to SATA 3.0 and I don't think we are going back anytime soon. Nevertheless, the other four SATA ports on the Hi-Fi Z77X are SATA 2.0 ports.

Taking a look at the I/O for the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X, we find all the basic suspects, including an antiquated legacy PS2 port. I know, I've heard all the arguments, but I think that the amount of simultaneous keystrokes available through some USB keyboards now takes care of that. I think it's time to dump the PS2 and add a couple more USB ports. Under the PS2 port are two USB 2.0 ports. Next up is an HDMI port, a DVI port, and a VGA port. Two USB 3.0 ports follow come next, followed by two final USB 2.0 ports and an RJ45 LAN port. Rounding out the I/O are the six audio ports.

Hi-Fi Z77X Detailed Features

When building the Hi-Fi Z77X, Biostar certainly focused on construction quality. The capacitors on the Hi-Fi Z77X are all 100% Japanese Solid State Capacitors placed with "armor-plated Biostar Technology". These capacitors are used to increase life span and durability across the motherboard. Additionally, Biostar included a massive 13 phase power design on the Hi-Fi Z77X. That should provide plenty of extra power to help boost overclock speeds.

For the LAN controller, Biostar went with the Realtek RTL8111F GbE controller for the Hi-Fi Z77X. This is a widely used controller that functions very well, but it well documented that this controller is outperformed by the most recent Intel GbE controllers. Of course, Biostar isn't touting the LAN capabilities of this motherboard, they are touting the Audio capabilities. For that, they also went with Realtek. The Audio Codec is the Realtek ALC898 8 Channel Blu-Ray Audio Codec. Of course, that codec is boosted by a bunch of other stuff that we will discuss in the next section.

Video support on the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X is an interesting matter, as it is with most Z77 motherboards now. With Z77 motherboards, both CrossFireX and SLI configurations are supported. That's nothing new, but what you won't find on the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X is a lot of extra PCI-E lanes. If you run more than one GPU, it will be at x8 + x8 or at x8 + x8 + x4. Now, technically, PCI-E 3.0 runs about twice as fast as PCI-E 2.0, so if you are using an Ivy Bridge CPU and a PCI-E 3.0 video card it will theoretically run at the same as PCI-E 2.0 x16 + x16.

The other video feature of note is the Lucidlogix Virtu Universal MVP that comes supported with the Z77 chipset. Virtu Universal MVP allows you to pair the on-die graphics of the socket 1155 chip that you choose with a discrete graphics card. That means you can use Intel's Quick Sync technology to rapidly encode or decode video while still having enough graphics power to play the latest games.

Another couple of interesting features on the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X motherboard include the Rapid Switch 2 and the Rapid Debug 3. Rapid Switch 2 was engineered by Biostar specifically for their high end and enthusiast targeted motherboards. It's a similar feature to what you will find on many enthusiast motherboards and consists of a power and reset switch built directly into the board. That way, if you are tinkering or building on a testbench or other unconventional case, you can easily turn the system on or off or restart it.

The Rapid Debug 3 feature is another feature that is similar to what many other motherboards have added. Biostar puts a digital LED display on the Hi-Fi Z77X that displays codes during startup and operation. If any sort of system error occurs, the device that is causing the problem will be flushed out and the appropriate code will show up LED display. This display also shows the CPU temperature.

Continuing with special features, the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X has a function called Charger Booster. Again, this is similar to functions that other motherboard manufacturers have implemented as well. The Charger Booster allows you to charge your portable devices connected over USB much faster. They tout a 42% decrease in charge time for an iPad when compared to charging without Charger Booster enabled. The really impressive thing about Charger Booster is that it can actually charge your device regardless of the power state of your computer. To experience this, you plug your device in while the computer is on, then you can put your PC into Standby, Sleep, Suspend, or Hibernate mode and the device will continue charging. By switching a jumper on the motherboard and disabling EuP in the UEFI, you can even charge your device when the system is off.

Hi-Fi Z77X Proprietary Features

The thing that sets the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X apart is the Puro Hi-Fi technology. It starts out with Hi-Fi Power. This feature takes a page out of the AV equipment book by setting aside an independent power design specifically for the audio components. This should allow the audio components to experience a greatly reduced amount of electronic noise. The Hi-Fi Power technology is coupled with Hi-Fi Ground. The Hi-Fi ground technology is built on a noise-blocking multi-layer PCB design. The PCB isolates analog audio signals from digital sources. These two features focus on isolating the audio components from everything else on the motherboard, ensuring the clearest possible signal reaches your ears.

The next feature in the Puro Hi-Fi basket is Hi-Fi 192/24. The Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X motherboard has a sampling rate of 192kHz/24-bit, which is Blu-Ray grade audio. This sampling rate is delivered over an analog connection to your speakers or home theater system. The Puro Hi-Fi system also has a built in amplifier that can drive performance headphones with over 100dB loads. The Hi-Fi AMP also delivers wide bandwidth, low noise, high slew rate, and low distortion from the front panel audio I/O.

The Puro Hi-Fi system focuses a lot of functionality towards the front I/O panel, since this is where gamers or anyone using headphones is likely to plug in. Another feature dedicated to the front I/O is the High Quality ESD, which stands for Electro-Static Discharge. The High Quality ESD is designed to prevent static electricity from affecting your system or your motherboard when you plug in or unplug headphones. Also for your headphones is the Smart EAR audio utility included with the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X Puro Hi-Fi system. Smart EAR allows you to quickly adjust system volume through a GUI. Gain settings are also adjustable through Smart EAR.

Going back to your home theater system, the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X Puro Hi-Fi system uses Multi Channel Calibration. This incorporates the use of the included microphone to help calibrate your speakers. To use the bundled MCC software, you simply keep your existing speakers where they are now and set up the microphone. The MCC software listens to the sound coming out of your speakers and adjusts the channels for the best possible listening experience.

Biostar UEFI and Bundled Software

Just about every motherboard produced now comes with a UEFI rather than a BIOS. The Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X is no different. The Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X also comes bundled, as most motherboards do these days, with a slew of software products to help enhance the experience. In this section, we'll take a look at both.

UEFI

The first thing that shows up when you enter the UEFI is the main screen. Here you are provided with the basic system information, including the motherboard model, the UEFI version and build date, and the total amount of memory. This screen also allows you to set the system date and time.

The next section in the UEFI is labeled advanced. This section is full of sub-sections that allow for very intricate system configuration. The PCI Subsystem Settings you can configure PCI latency and the Active State Power Management features. The ACPI section allows you to set power-on features, wake timers, and sleep and hibernation modes. The CPU section is dedicated to configuring CPU active cores, C-state, and hyperthreading options. In the SATA section, you can configure the SATA controller to IDE, AHCI, or RAID mode. Next up is the Intel Rapid Start Technology section to enable or disable this feature, followed by the USB configuration section. SMART FAN control allows you to change your fan speed for your CPU depending on the temperature and Super IO configures the serial port and CIR features. In the last section you can monitor your system's temps, voltages, and fans.

Under the Chipset section there are fewer sub-sections. The first one, PCH-IO, allows you set PCI-E speeds and set the USB to either XHCI or EHCI. The PCI-E Devices section lets you configure storage, video, and LAN settings. Finally, the System Agent section holds the configuration settings for the IGP.

The Boot section of the UEFI on the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X lets you set up the amount of time your system will wait for the setup activation key. You can set the NumLock state here and enable the full screen logo display on startup. If you disable this function, you will see the startup text instead. The BIOS Flash Protection, when enabled, won't allow the UEFI to be written to. Also in this section you can set your boot priorities.

The Security section is pretty straightforward. Here you can set an administrator or user UEFI password.

The O.N.E section is the section we've all been waiting for. This section stands for Overclocking Navigation Engine. Here you can configure all of the settings for your CPU or RAM in order to reach that extreme overclock. Disable the fixed CPU ratio to set your own numbers. In the manual CPU power system you set your current maximum values and wattage values. In the CPU turbo system you set the individual ratios for each core, and right under that you can set the limits for the iGFX core. Under the CPU settings come the memory settings. Set the multiplier, timings, and latency settings here. Down at the very bottom of the O.N.E section is where you set the voltage settings for the CPU.

The last section is the Save and Exit section. Here you can restore the UEFI to default settings if you want to start over. You can also choose a boot override device if you want to quickly boot to another device. In this section you can also save different UEFI profiles to load immediately.

Software

The Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X comes bundled with a few pieces of software. The first is a 90-day trial of BullGuard Internet Security. This security suite comes with a dual Antivirus engine, Online Backup, PC Tune Up, Game Mode, Parental Control, Firewall, and Safe Browsing features.

(Image from BullGuard.com)

T-Overclocker is another piece of software that comes with the Hi-Fi Z77X motherboard. T-Overclocker is a windows-based overclocking utility that lets you tune your overclock settings from within Windows. From within T-Overclocker, you can tweak CPU and Memory settings, as well as setting fan-speeds and checking on system temps and voltages. T-Overclocker comes with a few pre-set modes for easy overclocking.

Biostar G.P.U. (Green Power Utility) is another piece of software bundled with the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X. This program helps you save on your power draw by disabling extra power phases when you aren't using them.

The BIOScreen Utility is one of my favorite programs that comes with the Hi-Fi Z77X. This program lets you customize a boot logo for yourself.

Another favorite of mine is the Bio-Remote 2 utility. This utility turns your Android or iPhone into a remote control for your computer. You can control your multimedia functions, mousepad functions, and even powerpoint presentations using this application.

Motherboard Testing Methodology

Motherboards are a tricky component to test. Comparing one motherboard to another in terms of component performance doesn't really work out well, because the tests are focused on the individual components. The motherboard brings them all together and helps them work in tandem to run your system smoothly. Because of that, it is better to test the actual features of the motherboard.

For the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X motherboard, the features that are touted more than any other are the audio features from the Puro Hi-Fi System. Using DAWbench, we can attempt to test the audio features through the multimedia tests. Other features include the Charger Booster, which we can test against itself by checking speeds with the booster active and inactive. The final feature we can really test from the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X is the T-Overclocker utility to see how well it overclocks the CPU and the difference it can provide.

Test System

• Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X Motherboard; ASUS Sabertooth P67 Motherboard
• Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge CPU 3.3GHz
• System Memory: 16GB (4 4GB DIMMs) Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 (9-9-9-24)
• Disk Drive: OCZ Vertex4 128GB
• PSU: Corsair CMPSU-850TX 850W 80-Plus Certified
• Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

Benchmark Applications

• DAWbench DSP Universal -2012 - R2
• Charger Booster
• Cinebench R11.5 64-bit

DAWbench DSP Universal -2012 - R2

For the tests, I used the RXC Compressor Instances test to see how many instances are achieved at varying buffer settings. In order to isolate the specific audio components of the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X, its important to keep all of the other system components the same. For that reason, I only tested against the ASUS P67 Sabertooth motherboard.

One thing to keep in mind here is the effect of the buffer latency settings. Lower latency settings means the audio tracks can depend more on the CPU and will communication with the CPU more quickly. When the latency settings are raised, the CPU is used less and less, freeing up more power to run more tracks. This makes the audio tracks depend more on the audio components. You can see that the Sabertooth P67 starts to stagnate at higher latency settings while the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X continues to excel.

Charger Booster Tests

For the charger booster tests, I charged by Samsung Nexus S 4G, my Samsung Galaxy Tab, and my iPad 2 from empty to full both using the Charger Booster and with it inactive. Here are the results:

Overclocking Tests - Cinebench R11.5 64-bit

Using T-Overclocker to auto overclock the Core i5-2500K, a got an overclock of 4326MHz. The T-Overclocker program set the clock to 103MHz and the multiplier to 42. Interestingly enough, this is the exact same overclock that I got with the Sabertooth P67 motherboard when using the auto-overclock function. Not as interesting was the fact that I reached the same maximum overclock with both the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X and the Sabertooth P67 at 4738MHz. To get there, I set the clock to 103MHz and used a multiplier of 46. The following chart shows the results of the overclocking.

Hi-Fi Z77X Final Thoughts

The Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X is an interesting motherboard. At $149.99, it sits right around the middle of the road for Z77 motherboard. While it carries a lot of the features I'd expect to see from a motherboard at that price, it also lacks a few. The shining feature of the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X is, of course, the Puro Hi-Fi system.

I've seen something very similar to the Puro Hi-Fi system on the ASUS Rampage IV Formula motherboard. On that motherboard, ASUS isolated the audio components to avoid interference and noise pollution. The Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X takes things a step further. Not only did Biostar layer the PCB and isolate the audio components, they also used particularly audio-centric components such as Hi-Fi resistors and capacitors to boost the audio performance. There is a power phase dedicated to the audio components as well. The Puro Hi-Fi system also builds in a powerful amplifier and it uses a very high sampling rate.

The difference doesn't end there, however. The Puro Hi-Fi system includes a microphone to use for Multi Channel Calibration that helps the system calibrate your surround speakers so they sound their best. It also dedicates a lot of resources to the front panel I/O so that gamers and enthusiasts using headphones aren't left out.

For the most part, the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X is a normal Z77 motherboard and provides the functions that you need and plenty that you want. The only thing that really sets it apart is the Puro Hi-Fi. My recommendation? If you are an audiophile or want a great, albeit full-sized, home theater PC, then the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X is for you. You'll definitely notice a difference in your movies, games, and music in terms of sound quality and output. If you are in the mood for more PCI-E lanes, SATA 6Gb/s ports, or USB 3.0 ports, you'll have to look elsewhere.

Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X Conclusion

The Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X performs just like you would expect a Z77 motherboard to perform. It works great, supports high speed RAM, and runs like a champ. The features are easy to use and very self-explanatory. The Hi-Fi Z77X doesn't really outperform other systems in any areas besides the audio. The audio performance, however, is rock solid. If you want powerful sound, this is your board.

I definitely like the appearance of the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X. The blue and black theme is appealing and I like the look of the heatsinks. The isolated portion of the audio shows up with a yellow line and looks pretty cool. Also, the Hi-Fi resistors and capacitors in the audio section of the board look pretty awesome.

Biostar stepped up on the construction of the Hi-Fi Z77X. The motherboard uses all 100% solid state Japanese capacitors. The MOSFETs are covered by heatsinks and well protected. The motherboard is solid and uses a multi-layer PCB to separate the Audio components from the rest of the board. The 13 phase power design is above average as well.

As for functionality, the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X is really hit or miss. I wish there were more than two SATA 6Gb/s ports and more than just four USB 3.0 ports. Also, some extra PCI-E lanes would be nice, although the PCI-E 3.0 specs make that less important. That being said, the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X does include a lot of nice features that you generally find on more expensive motherboards. Those include the LED post display, the onboard power and reset switches, and the bundled software for overclocking, LAN, and more. The best of functionality for the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X is, of course, the audio. The Puro Hi-Fi system really takes the cake.

For only $149.99 (Newegg), the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X sits about in the middle of the Z77 range. That being said, it does include a lot of features only found on more expensive motherboards. Also, the Puro Hi-Fi system sets this motherboard apart and, if you are an audiophile, makes it well worth the price.

Pros:

+ Puro Hi-Fi Audio is Awesome
+ Onboard Power and Reset Switches
+ LED Post Error Display
+ Customizable Boot Logo
+ Nice Overclocking Utility
+ Microphone Included

Cons:

- No Screenshot in UEFI
- Only 4 USB 3.0 ports
- Only 2 SATA 6Gb/s

Ratings:

• Performance: 8.50
• Appearance: 8.50
• Construction: 9.00
• Functionality: 9.50
• Value: 9.00

Final Score: 8.9 out of 10.

Quality Recognition: Benchmark Reviews Silver Tachometer Award.

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