Supermicro C7Z170-SQ Review
Category : Z170
Published by Marc Büchel on 02.11.15
Supermicro is well-known in the server market. Meanwhile the manufacturer also has a focus on the gaming sector and approach is to bring server-grade quality to the table. Therefore the C7Z170-SQ could be an interesting product and we're certainly curious what it can do in our review.
Supermicro is well-known for their high-end server products. Since the past few chipset generations the vendor is also offering gaming products. The C7Z170-SQ is an interesting product although it might not look like that at a first glance.
Specs and Delivery
| Chipset | Intel Z170 |
| Memory | Dual Channel DDR4, 4 x DIMM, Max. 64 GB DDR4, 3200 (O.C.) / 3000 (O.C.) / 2800 (O.C.) / 2666 (O.C.) / 2400 (O.C.) / 2133 Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory |
| Multi-GPU |
|
| Slots |
|
| Sound | Realtek ALC1150 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
|
| Storage |
|
| Network |
|
| Internal Connectors |
|
| Extrenal Connectors |
|
| Forfactor | ATX (30.5cm x 24.4cm) |
| BIOS | Bios (128 Mb flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS) |
- 1 x Supermicro Motherboard
- 6 x SATA Cables
- 1 x I/O shield
- 1 x Quick Reference Guide
- 1 x Driver CD
Layout
The main color scheme of this board is black and red, whereas the PCB is kept in matte black and the PCIe x16 expansion slots as well as two DIMM slots and some parts of the heatsinks are red. The design shows that Supermicro has it's roots in the server market. In other words we would like this feature for example larger heatsinks and maybe a shroud cover the back I/O ports. This would help improving the looks significantly. The layout in general is ver well thought. The mention our two usual points: there are angled SATA ports, which means you can install extra long graphics cards without having them collide with SATA cables. Apart from that there is plenty of space around the CPU socket, so you can install even today's largest CPU cooler.
The
Supermicro C7Z170-SQ comes with a
digital 6+3+1+1 phase power design. The CPU receives six full phases, the iGPU can rely on three full phases and VCCSA as well as VCCIO receive stable current supply from
one
phase each. Regarding the VCCIO it's worth noticing, that a smaller voltage converter is being used. On this board Supermicro uses Vitec 59PR72151 inductors, which feature a saturation current of 66A and a maximum operating temperature of 125°C. There is no other vendor today, which is using higher quality inductors on their consumer motherboards. Apart from that Supermicro doesn't do any phase splitting, which means every single phase is controlled by the main PWM chips directly. These come from International Rectifier and go by the name IR35203. Unfortunately there is no datasheet available on these chips.
Having a closer look at the six CPU phases as well as the three iGPU phases, we find one IR3556M power stage per phase, which features up to 50A. Compared to any other Z170 based consumer motherboard, this is the highest quality power design we've seen so far and apparently it's completely overengineered and therefore offers excellent endurance.
There is a total of four DIMM-slots on the C7Z170-SQ and the board officially supports DDR4-3200. There is enough 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 2.0. If you want to put your memory in place, you have to push down a lash, which is located close to the graphics card and not near the top edge of the board. If you want to swap your memory when there is a dedicated gaming graphics card in the slot, there is not too much space to push the lash down. We would like to see the lash close to the top edge of the boards, which would make swapping memory even easier.
On the
C7Z170-SQ the southbridge is being cooled by a
passive cooling block. A closer look at the VRM area shows
there are two more heatsinks. All heatsinks on this board are pretty small. Apparently this means there is a lot of space around the CPU socket, which makes installing hardware a bit more comfortable. On the other hand there are the looks where the heatsinks play a big part. Other vendors use larger heatsinks in order to make the board look more better and especially these days many useres buy motherboards judging them by the looks.
Connectors and I/O
Supermicro equipped the C7Z170-SQ with six angled SATA ports. All of them offer 6Gbps bandwidth. There are no SATA Express ports on this board and we have to say we don't miss them, since there are virtually no peripherals with this connector. Supermicro provided practical onboard power- and reset-buttons and there is also a debug LED on this board as well as a speaker. Looking for the M.2 x4 Gen3 Slot we find it located above the first PCI Express x16 slot. This means that should you choose to install even today's largest CPU cooler there will be enough space between the heatsink and a gaming graphics card to easily swap the card, while the cooler is in place.
There is a total of five fan headers on the C7Z170-SQ which is more than enough, to provide a well equipped high-end or workstation with fresh air. The fan header are located close to the CPU as well as spread over the board. Other than that it's a good thing that all of them feature four pins, which allows for rpm regulation in BIOS as well as under Windows.
Looking at the external connectors directly at the back-panel Supermicro equipped the C7Z170-SQ with one USB 3.1 Type C port, two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports, one Intel gigabit ethernet port, as well as an optical out and an analogue audio panel and a PS/2 port. Furthermore there is also an HDMI, a DisplayPort and a DVI-D connector.
BIOS
Overall Supermicro has created a nice looking BIOS. The manufacturer has managed to create a very well structured user interface, which has been beautifully designed. Apart from that there are several overclocking features, which made pushing your CPU to 5.0 GHz no problem at all. Nevertheless we would have liked the BIOS to be browseable by keyboard only as well. In other words you have to use you mouse at certain points to select the different sub menus.
Test setup
Hardware |
|
| Motherboard |
|
| Processor | Intel Core i7-6700K @ 4.0 GHz |
| Memory | 8 GB (2x4) G.Skill Ares DDR4-2133 CL15-15-15-2T 350 |
| Graphic card | ASUS GeForce GTX 980 |
| Driver | ForceWare 353.62 |
| Hard disk | Intel 335 Series SSD 120 GB |
| Power supply | Seasonic Platinum Fanless 520W |
Preview / Gallery
3D Mark
Ice Storm
| 3D Mark Ice Storm Score |
Review Rating |
Percent | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 196'281 | 101.42% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 195'178 | 100.85% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 195'737 | 101.14% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 195'491 | 101.02% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 195'151 | 100.32% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 195'107 | 100.82% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 193'524 | 100.00% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 187'768 | 97.03% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 184'489 | 95.33% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 186'491 | 96.37% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 185'448 | 95.83% | |
| more is better | |||
Ice Storm Physics
| 3D Mark Ice Storm Physics Score |
Review Rating |
Percent | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 68'073 | 104.08% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 67'026 | 102.48% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 66'616 | 101.16% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 66'332 | 101.42% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 65'716 | 100.48% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 65'681 | 100.42% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 65'404 | 100.00% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 63'524 | 97.13% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 62'866 | 96.12% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 62'775 | 95.98% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 62'072 | 94.91% | |
| more is better | |||
Fire Strike
| 3D Mark Fire Strike Score |
Review Rating |
Percent | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 12'103 | 100.12% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 12'089 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 12'085 | 99.97% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 12'085 | 99.97% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 12'081 | 99.93% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 12'081 | 99.93% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 12'071 | 99.85% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 12'068 | 99.83% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 12'061 | 99.80% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 12'061 | 99.80% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 12'059 | 99.75% | |
| more is better | |||
Fire Strike Physics
| 3D Mark Fire Strike Physics Score |
Review Rating |
Percent | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 13'050 | 100.48% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 13'043 | 100.33% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 13'000 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 12'993 | 99.95% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 12'988 | 99.91% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 12'987 | 99.90% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 12'977 | 99.82% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 12'972 | 99.78% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 12'966 | 99.74% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 12'938 | 99.52% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 12'925 | 99.42% | |
| more is better | |||
3D Mark 11
| 3D Mark 11 Total |
Review Rating |
Percent | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 16'428 | 100.27% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 16'425 | 100.25% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 16'423 | 100.24% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 16'416 | 100.20% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 16'406 | 100.13% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 16'397 | 100.08% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 16'389 | 100.03% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 16'384 | 100.00% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 16'366 | 99.89% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 16'377 | 99.96% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 16'357 | 99.83% | |
| more is better | |||
CPU
| 3D Mark 11 Physics |
Review Rating |
Percent | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 11'597 | 101.27% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 11'549 | 100.85% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 11'548 | 100.84% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 11'531 | 100.69% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 11'531 | 100.69% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 11'519 | 100.59% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 11'502 | 100.44% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 11'477 | 100.22% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 11'459 | 100.06% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 11'452 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 11'357 | 99.17% | |
| more is better | |||
3D Mark Vantage
| 3D Mark Vantage Total |
Review Rating |
Percent | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 46'246 | 100.68% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 46'135 | 100.44% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 46'052 | 100.26% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 45'932 | 100.00% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 45'903 | 99.94% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 45'900 | 99.93% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 45'891 | 99.91% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 45'881 | 99.89% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 45'793 | 99.70% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 45'725 | 99.55% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 45'717 | 99.53% | |
| more is better | |||
| 3D Mark Vantage CPU |
Review Rating |
Percent | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 32'869 | 100.68% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 32'860 | 100.66% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 32'852 | 100.63% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 32'850 | 100.62% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 32'801 | 100.47% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 32'753 | 100.33% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 32'646 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 32'590 | 99.83% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 32'461 | 99.43% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 32'380 | 99.19% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 32'304 | 98.95% | |
| more is better | |||
PC Mark 08
Total
| PC Mark 08 Total |
Review Rating |
Points | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 4'647 | 100.37% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 4'640 | 100.22% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 4'631 | 100.02% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 4'630 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 4'627 | 99.94% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 4'621 | 99.81% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 4'620 | 99.78% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 4'618 | 99.74% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 4'617 | 99.72% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 4'615 | 99.68% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 4'612 | 99.61% | |
| more is better | |||
| Web Browsing - JunglePin |
Review Rating |
sec | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 0.28177 | 100.08% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 0.28182 | 100.06% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 0.28198 | 100.01% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 0.28200 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 0.28200 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 0.28209 | 99.97% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 0.28215 | 99.95% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 0.28219 | 99.93% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 0.28253 | 99.81% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 0.28284 | 99.70% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 0.28300 | 99.65% | |
| more is better | |||
| Web Browsing - Amazonia |
Review Rating |
sec | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 0.12176 | 100.12% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 0.12176 | 100.12% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 0.12182 | 100.07% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 0.12185 | 100.05% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 0.12186 | 100.04% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 0.12186 | 100.04% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 0.12187 | 100.03% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 0.12191 | 100.00% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 0.12200 | 99.88% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 0.12200 | 99.93% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 0.12256 | 99.42% | |
| more is better | |||
| Writing |
Review Rating |
sec | Percent |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 3.06777 | 101.05% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 3.06814 | 101.04% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 3.09132 | 100.28% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 3.09199 | 100.26% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 3.10012 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 3.10024 | 99.99% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 3.14001 | 98.73% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 3.11766 | 99.44% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 3.13622 | 97.82% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 3.21000 | 96.58% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 3.21000 | 96.58% | |
| more is better | |||
| Casual Gaming |
Review Rating |
fps | Percent |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 140.10 | 100.96% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 139.91 | 100.82% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 139.48 | 100.51% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 139.32 | 100.40% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 139.22 | 100.32% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 139.05 | 100.11% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 138.90 | 100.09% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 138.77 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 138.65 | 98.97% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 138.49 | 99.80% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 137.39 | 98.07% | |
| more is better | |||
| Video Chat Playback 1 |
Review Rating |
fps | Percent |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 30.00 | 100.00% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 30.00 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 30.00 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 30.00 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 30.00 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 30.00 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 30.00 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 30.00 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 30.00 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 30.00 | 100.00% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 30.00 | 100.00% | |
| more is better | |||
| Video Chat encoding |
Review Rating |
ms | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 48.00 | 101.29% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 48.00 | 101.29% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 48.62 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 48.88 | 99.47% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 49.00 | 99.22% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 49.00 | 99.22% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 49.00 | 99.22% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 49.00 | 99.22% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 49.00 | 99.22% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 49.00 | 99.22% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 50.00 | 97.24% | |
| more is better | |||
| Advanced Photo Editing |
Review Rating |
sec | Percent |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 0.30548 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 0.30810 | 99.15% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 0.31066 | 98.33% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 0.31100 | 98.23% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 0.31240 | 97.78% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 0.31300 | 97.60% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 0.31355 | 97.43% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 0.31357 | 97.42% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 0.31501 | 96.97% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 0.31558 | 96.80% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 0.31645 | 96.53% | |
| more is better | |||
SiSoft Sandra 1
Arithmetic Benchmark
| SiSoft Sandra - Arithmetic Benchmark - Dhrystone |
Review Rating |
GIPS | Percent |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 155.67 | 102.75% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 155.23 | 102.46% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 155.20 | 102.44% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 155.10 |
102.38% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 155.00 | 102.31% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 155.00 | 102.31% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 152.17 | 102.44% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 154.95 | 102.28% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 154.92 | 102.26% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 152.00 | 100.33% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 151.50 | 100.00% | |
| more is better | |||
| SiSoft Sandra - Arithmetic Benchmark - Whetstone |
Review Rating |
GFLOPS | Percent |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 108.49 | 100.58% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 108.47 | 100.57% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 108.00 | 100.13% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 107.86 | 100.00% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 107.61 | 99.77% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 107.46 | 99.63% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 107.41 | 99.58% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 107.36 | 99.54% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 107.17 | 99.36% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 106.73 | 98.95% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 106.14 | 98.41% | |
| more is better | |||
Multimedia
| SiSoft Sandra - Multimedia - Integer |
Review Rating |
MPixels/sec | Percent |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 512.34 | 101.54% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 506.53 | 100.39% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 504.69 | 100.03% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 504.56 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 502.20 | 99.53% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 501.55 | 99.40% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 501.00 | 99.29% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 499.82 | 99.06% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 499.14 | 98.90% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 499.12 | 97.42% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 498.84 | 97.37% | |
| more is better | |||
| SiSoft Sandra - Multimedia - Floating Point |
Review Rating |
MPixels/sec | Percent |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 495.73 | 101.83% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 492.12 | 101.09% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 491.71 | 101.01% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 490.73 | 100.81% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 490.29 | 100.72% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 490.00 | 100.66% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 489.18 | 100.49% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 488.07 | 100.26% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 487.79 | 100.20% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 486.80 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 480.54 | 98.23% | |
| more is better | |||
Crytography
| SiSoft Sandra - Crytography - AES 256 |
Review Rating |
GB/sec | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 7.80 | 101.17% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 7.80 | 101.17% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 7.78 | 100.91% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 7.77 | 100.78% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 7.77 | 100.78% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 7.77 | 100.78% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 7.73 | 100.26% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 7.71 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 7.71 | 100.00% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 7.68 | 99.61% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 7.66 | 99.35% | |
| more is better | |||
| SiSoft Sandra - Crytography - SHA 256 |
Review Rating |
GB/sec | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 1.56 | 101.96% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 1.55 | 101.31% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 1.55 | 101.31% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 1.55 | 101.31% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 1.55 | 101.31% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 1.55 | 101.31% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 1.55 | 101.31% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 1.55 | 101.31% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 1.55 | 101.31% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 1.55 | 101.31% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 1.53 | 100.00% | |
| more is better | |||
SiSoft Sandra 2
Memory bandwidth
| SiSoft Sandra - Memory bandwidth - Integer |
Review Rating |
GB/sec | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 23.35 | 101.52% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 23.32 | 101.39% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 23.26 | 101.13% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 23.18 | 100.78% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 23.16 | 100.70% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 23.12 | 100.52% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 23.11 | 100.48% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 23.00 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 23.00 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 23.00 | 100.00% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 22.91 | 99.61% | |
| more is better | |||
| SiSoft Sandra - Memory bandwidth - floating point |
Review Rating |
GB/sec | Percent |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 23.34 | 102.46% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 23.11 | 101.45% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 23.00 | 100.97% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 23.00 | 100.97% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 22.92 | 100.61% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 22.92 | 100.61% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 22.86 | 100.35% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 22.80 | 100.09% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 22.79 | 100.04% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 22.78 | 100.00% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 22.67 | 99.52% | |
| more is better | |||
Memory latency
| SiSoft Sandra - Memory latency |
Review Rating |
ns | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 22.8 | 101.32% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 22.9 | 100.87% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 22.9 | 100.87% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 22.9 | 100.87% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 23.0 | 100.43% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 23.1 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 23.1 | 100.00% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 23.1 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 23.1 | 100.00% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 23.1 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 23.2 | 99.57% | |
| less is better | more is better | ||
Memory and cache access
| SiSoft Sandra - Cache |
Review Rating |
GB/sec | Percent |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 207.35 | 100.41% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 207.24 | 100.35% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 207.20 | 100.33% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 207.18 | 100.32% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 206.87 | 100.17% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 206.79 | 100.14% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 206.65 | 100.07% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 206.51 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 206.40 | 99.95% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 206.00 | 99.75% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 205.49 | 99.51% | |
| more is better | |||
UC Bench
| UC Bench |
Review Rating |
PW/sec | Percent |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 1'057.2 | 100.36% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 1'057.1 | 100.35% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 1'056.9 | 100.33% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 1'056.3 | 100.28% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 1'055.9 | 100.24% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 1'055.9 | 100.24% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 1'055.5 | 100.20% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 1'055.1 | 100.16% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 1'054.6 | 100.11% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 1'054.1 | 100.07% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 1'053.4 | 100.00% | |
| more is better | |||
Super Pi 1M - 32M
Super Pi 1M
| Super Pi 1.5 XS - 1M |
Review Rating |
sec | Percent |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 9.057 | 100.70% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 9.068 | 100.57% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 9.079 | 100.45% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 9.094 | 100.29% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 9.094 | 100.29% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 9.095 | 100.27% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 9.095 | 100.27% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 9.110 | 100.11% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 9.111 | 100.10% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 9.111 | 100.10% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 9.120 | 100.00% | |
| less is better | more is better | ||
Super Pi 32M
| Super Pi 1.5 XS - 32M |
Review Rating |
sec | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 480.688 | 100.48% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 480.919 | 100.43% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 481.135 | 100.38% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 482.305 | 100.14% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 482.462 | 100.11% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 482.789 | 100.04% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 482.985 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 484.677 | 99.65% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 485.394 | 99.38% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 486.127 | 99.35% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 487.266 | 99.12% | |
| less is better | more is better | ||
wPrime 1024M Multicore
| wPrime - 1024M Multi Core |
Review Rating |
sec | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 158.356 | 100.75% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 158.470 | 100.67% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 158.752 | 100.49% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 158.816 | 100.45% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 158.963 | 100.36% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 159.026 | 100.32% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 159.042 | 100.31% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 159.262 | 100.17% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 159.401 | 100.08% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 159.459 | 100.05% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 159.536 | 100.00% | |
| more is better | more is better | ||
Cinebench R15
| Cinebench R11.5 - Multi Core |
Review Rating |
pts | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 887 | 100.68% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 886 | 100.57% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 886 | 100.57% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 884 | 100.34% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 882 | 100.11% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 881 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 881 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 879 | 99.77% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 878 | 99.66% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 877 | 99.55% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 874 | 99.21% | |
| less is better | more is better | ||
Tomb Raider
Low resolution - 1024 x 768
| Tomb Raider (low resolution, low details) |
Review Rating |
fps | Percent |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 264.6 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 262.6 | 99.24% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 261.0 | 98.64% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 260.6 | 98.49% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 260.0 | 98.26% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 258.1 | 97.54% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 258.0 | 97.51% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 258.0 | 97.51% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 257.2 | 97.20% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 257.1 | 97.17% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 255.1 | 96.41% | |
| more is better | |||
High resolution - 1920 x 1080
| Tomb Raider (high resolution, high details) |
Review Rating |
fps | Percent |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 150.0 | 101.42% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 149.8 | 101.28% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 147.9 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 147.9 | 100.00% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 147.9 | 100.00% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 145.9 | 98.65% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 144.3 | 97.57% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 144.0 | 97.36% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 144.0 | 97.36% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 143.1 | 96.75% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 142.0 | 96.01% | |
| more is better | |||
Metro Last Light
Low resolution - 1024 x 768
| Metro Last Light (low details, low resolution) |
Review Rating |
fps | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 186.03 | 101.53% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 185.90 | 101.46% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 185.70 | 101.35% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 185.63 | 101.32% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 184.71 | 100.81% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 184.02 | 100.44% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 183.22 | 100.00% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 182.29 | 99.49% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 182.27 | 99.48% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 181.85 | 99.25% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 181.55 | 99.09% | |
| more is better | |||
High resolution - 1920 x 1080
| Metro Last Light (high details, high resolution) |
Review Rating |
fps | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 57.23 | 100.81% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 56.77 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 56.77 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 56.77 | 100.00% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 56.77 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 56.70 | 99.88% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 56.60 | 99.70% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 56.60 | 99.70% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 56.57 | 99.65% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 56.54 | 99.59% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 56.06 | 98.75% | |
| more is better | |||
Sleeping Dogs
Low resolution, low details
| Sleeping Dog (low details, low resolution) |
Review Rating |
fps | Percent |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 557.7 | 101.97% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 556.6 | 101.77% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 555.9 | 101.65% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 555.2 | 101.52% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 550.4 | 100.64% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 550.2 | 100.60% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 548.4 | 100.27% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 548.3 | 100.26% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 548.1 | 100.22% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 546.9 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 545.7 | 99.53% | |
| more is better | |||
High resolution, high details
| Sleeping Dogs (high details, high resolution) |
Review Rating |
fps | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 248.1 | 101.51% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 246.8 | 100.98% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 245.5 | 100.45% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 244.4 | 100.00% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 243.6 | 99.67% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 242.5 | 99.22% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 241.7 | 98.90% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 241.1 | 98.65% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 241.0 | 98.61% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 240.8 | 98.53% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 238.4 | 97.55% | |
| more is better | |||
Power Consumption
Idle
| Idle |
Review Rating |
Watt | Percent |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 43 | 141.86% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 48 | 127.08% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 49 | 124.49% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 55 | 110.91% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 55 | 110.91% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 55 | 100.91% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 56 | 108.93% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 59 | 103.39% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 61 | 100.00% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 61 | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 62 | 98.39% | |
| less is better | more is better | ||
Load
| Load |
Review Rating |
Watt | Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 108 | 123.15% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 109 | 122.02% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 113 | 117.70% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 117 | 113.68% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 121 | 109.92% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 127 | 104.72% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 131 | 101.53% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 133 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 133 | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 133 | 100.00% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 133 | 100.00% | |
| less is better | more is better | ||
Performance Rating
| 3D and Gaming Benchmarks |
Review Rating |
Percent |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ragner | 100.53% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 100.32% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 100.16% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 100.11% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 100.00% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 99.92% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 99.82% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 99.49% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 99.18% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 98.80% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 98.64% | |
| more is better | ||
| 2D Benchmarks |
Review Rating |
Percent |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 100.52% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 100.51% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 100.32% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 100.32% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 100.01% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 100.00% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 99.94% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 99.82% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 99.82% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 99.61% | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 99.41% | |
| more is better | ||
| Performance per Watt |
Review Rating |
Percent |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | 79.57% | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ | 80.91% | |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | 84.57% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | 89.37% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | 90.38% | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | 90.68% | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | 94.43% | |
| ASUS Z170-A | 98.91% | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | 99.50% | |
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | 99.86% | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe | 100.00% | |
| less is better | ||
Price comparison
| Model |
Geizhals.eu |
| ASRock Z170 Extreme7+ | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Gene | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Hero | |
| ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger | |
| ASUS Z170 Deluxe |
|
| ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming | |
| ASUS Z170-A |
|
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 | |
| MSI Z170 Gaming M7 | |
| MSI Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition | |
| Supermicro C7Z170-SQ |
Conclusion
| General | + | - | |
| With the C7Z170-SQ, Supermicro has a gaming motherboard in its portfolio, which offers server-grade quality and that is what the price of this board reflects. Since there is simply the highest quality power design on this motherboard we've seen on any Z170 board, the vendor asks 240 Euro for this piece of hardware. Nevertheless we would have liked to see a better looking design, since this is an important aspect for gaming motherboard. Apart from that we liked the position of the M.2 x4 Gen 3 slots, which add a little bit more space between the CPU cooler and the graphics card - if palced in the first PCIe slot. | -
Design - Layout - Price |
||
| Layout | + | - | |
| The Supermicro C7Z170-SQ's layout has been very well thought. Once more practical are the angled SATA connectors and there are also practical power- and reset-buttons as well as a debug LED. Apart from that we like the placement of the PCI-Express x16 slots. There is a total of three full sized PCI Express slots and between them there are x1 slots. This means that there is plenty of space for graphics card in multi GPU setups, but unfortunately this board only supports CrossFire and no SLI. As we already mentioned we also like the flexibility regarding storage connectors. | -
Angled SATA
connectors - Space around the CPU socket - Placement of PCIe slots - Number of different storage connectors - Power/reset button and no debug LED |
- No SLI | |
| Performance | + | - | |
| Calculating the average of all 3D benchmarks results we ran, we see that this board scores 8th. When taking the average of all 2D results, this board comes in 5th out of 11 boards tested. On another note, we had a look at power consumption, and especially in idle this board is in a different league. | -
Power consumption |
||
| Overclocking / BIOS | + | - | |
| Supermicro has a beautiful looking BIOS. Meanwhile it's almost normal that a BIOS is complete, offering countless features. If you're looking for overclocking options you'll find a great many of them and they are equally practical for novices and extreme overclockers. We always love the pre-defined profiles, which makes overclocking quite a bit more efficient. Boosting our CPU to 5.0 GHz was absolutely no problem at all. | - Sheer amount of
options - Design |
||
| Recommendation | + | - | |
| The C7Z170-SQ is a Z170 motherboard, where the vendor is using extremely high-end components. If you're looking for a gaming-grade motherboards, which has been built and pre-tested according to server standards, then the C7Z170-SQ is an excellent choice. Nevertheless you should be aware that this level of high-end components comes at a price and apart from that there are simply not enough USB ports at the back I/O panel and there is also no support for SLI - only Crossfire. | |||
| Rating | |||
| We give the Supermicro C7Z170-SQ sufficient 3 out of 5 stars. | |||
