Layout
At a first glance the
Gigabyte Z97X-SOC Force leaves a very good impression with its harmonic design.
The manufacturer decided to go for a combination of black and orange which
suites nicely and in the end you get an aesthetic product. The layout itself is
well thought and there is for example plenty of space around the CPU socket to
install even todays largest CPU coolers. The fact that there are SATA connectors
which have been angled by 90 degrees allow an easy installation of oversized
graphics cards. Another very practical thing are the two standard USB ports
right next to the SATA connectors. Overclockers will love them but they're also
practical if you own a case where the front USB ports have to be connected using
a standard USB cable. Usually you have to rout this cable to the backside of the
motherboard to connect it with a USB port located at the I/O panel.
The Gigabyte Z97X-SOC Force comes with a digital
8 phase power design. It's most important for the manufacturer to make sure that
components of highest quality are being used. Each individual phase is equipped
with chokes from International Rectifyer (IR3580), which are able to withstand
loads of up to 60A. Additionally there are special black capacitors which offer
100'000 hours lifespan at 105°C.
Totally you'll find four
DIMM-slots on the Z97X-SOC Force. Officially supported are DDR3 3300 (O.C)
/ 3200 (O.C.) / 3100(O.C.) / 3000(O.C.) / 2933(O.C.) / 2800(O.C.) / 2666(O.C.) /
2600(O.C.) / 2500(O.C.) / 2400(O.C.) / 2200(O.C.) / 2133(O.C.) / 2000(O.C.) /
1866(O.C.) / 1800(O.C.) / 1600 / 1333 MHz. There is engough space between the
DIMM-slots and the CPU socket which means that you wont encounter compatibility
problems with big coolers even when you choose to install RAM with big
heatspreaders. Also supported are Xtreme Memory Profiles (XMP) in version 1.3.
Southbrigde as well as the current converters are being held at adequate temperatures via
individual passive heatsinks.
The fact that the cooling blocks around the CPU socket aren't too big makes it
comfortable to install a big aircooler. We also noticed the very good build quality of the cooling blocks and their weight which is quite immense.
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