News NZXT enters the motherboard market with the N7 Z370

Integrated Hue and Grid controllers is a fantastic idea, and with the layout would allow for a super clean build. Also mitigates the high cost somewhat, just a shame it's on Z370 - though I suspect an X470 version is in the works.

 

ECS junk.

 

The excessive shroud makes me think it is aimed at those who want to do stealth builds, so why did they stop at the halfway point and not have all the bloody connectors angled?

 

Hmm, that will put off a lot of potential buyers.

The People who spend this kind of money on a motherboard will not be impressed with it being an ECS OEM board, and those that don't care about such details are not the sort to ever be spending £300+ on a motherboard in the first place.

 

Indeed, I have a windowless case and there is no way I would pay through the nose for bling that won't be seen.

 

NZXT are about to learn what a harsh, "dog eat dog" place the mobo market is. £300, for a £100 board. Nice try.

 

Even if it made by ECS, I wouldn't call it a "£100 board" - Still has Grid and Hue controllers built in (£30 & £50 separately), full metal complete board cover and a better layout than most manufactures are churning out. £300 is still too steep though, that's X299 money right there.

 

Have you seen how poor the feature set is for the actual board? like the important part? it's a £100 board - end of. All of that bolt on tat will not make it more stable, or overclock better and etc.

 

£300+. No. No no no.

 

• Intel Z370 Express Chipset
• ATX format 305 x 244 x 43mm
• 4x DDR4 DIMM slots (max 64GB)
• Supports memory overclocking speeds of up to 3866+MHz and Intel XMP 2.0
• Compatible with Intel 8th Generation Core i7, Core i5, and Core i3 processors using LGA socket 1151
• Intel Optane Memory Ready
• Four SATA 6Gb/s ports
• Two M.2 connectors
• Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN via RJ45
• HDMI/DisplayPort 1.2 ports
• Multi-GPU support with Nvidia SLI and AMD CrossFireX Technology
• Two PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8), Two PCIe 3.0 x4, One PCIe 3.0 x1
• 7.1 channel high-definition audio with Nichicon gold capacitors
• 15 digital power-phase design using Infineon ICs ensures clean and reliable power for your CPU, memory, and PCH chipset
• Rear I/O: 5x USB 2.0 ports, 4x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, Clear CMOS button, Optical S/PDIF Out port, 7.1-Channel Audio jacks
• Internal ports: 2x USB 3.1 headers, 3x USB 2.0 headers

+ the previously mentioned hardware for the Grid and Hue controllers... What else do you expect on a Z370 board? I'm not arguing with you about the fact £300 is a stupid price to pay for ANY mainstream chipset motherboard, but to say "it's a £100 board - end of" when the only omission I can see that will affect anybody in day to day use is the lack of USB-C, it's just absurd.

 

Hue and Grid bolted to the board plus a 300 quid price tag...

Having the Hue and Grid bolted to the board is reason enough NOT to buy it, the 300 quid price tag seals the deal - oh and it’s Intel

 

ECS... NZXT... £300...

And there's your 3 strikes...

 

Unless it's got thermal pads under it and is really a huge heatsink I have never seen the draw of a motherboard cover. It's something that increase the cost, impedes cooling and gives the manufacturer a place to hide a multitude of sins.

 

No USB-C. Four SATA ports (really? my X99 SLi Plus that cost £160 full price has ten !) no PLX chip (so X8 X8) and so on. From memory my X99 board has 6 or 8 USB3 and six regular.

That's a £100 board based on the spec. The rest is all bolt on tat, as I said.

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Pr...DetailName=Feature&MenuID=12&LanID=0#Overview

Look at the caps for the sound card and traces going to it. Look familiar? That is a $180 board. And it has a Killer NIC on it too.

 

Someone has actually reviewed it -

AnandTech

 

Great... so not only is it made by ECS, it also has two controllers that has no real software support. The CAM software is dire to say the least and crashes constantly.

Terrible attempt at breaking into the market, especially with its price and poor performance. Oh, yeah, that comes from ECS...

 

It even looks like a cheap board under all the shrouding. The cynic in me tells me they've bolted all that shrouding to it to hide the fact they've put their name to the cheapest motherboard they could get their hands on.

 

Given how long it took AsRock to become considered a viable alternative to Asus, Gigabyte and MSI...

It makes you wonder what form of medication someone at NZXT is on and that perhaps they need to detox as a matter of urgency.

 

4 SATA because their cases only support 4 places. It's made to match for people who buy one design, but they won't be selling many. Probably 100k tops.