REVIEWS / MOTHERBOARDS / PALIT

Biostar TZ77XE4 Review

21 May, 2012, 12:48 pm IST | by Anand Tuliani | Motherboards

Motherboards

Supports both Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors

Supports both Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors
A good choice of expansion slots
Side-oriented SATA ports and debugger

PRICE IN INDIA

13,390

TECH2 RATING

7.0

AVERAGE USER RATING

8.5

How we test

CONTACT

palit

 enquiry@abacusperipherals.com

 www.biostar.com.tw

Layout

We liked the overall layout of the motherboard. The CPU socket has ample amount of clearance around it and installing large coolers shouldn’t be a problem. The power phases are cooled by heatsinks connected by a heat pipe for effective dissipation of heat. The expansions slots are placed such that there won’t be a clutter when you install multiple cards.

A good choice of expansion slots

A good choice of expansion slots

 

 

There’s ample space between the first and second PCIE x16 slots so that the tiny PCIE x1 slot is usable despite two dual-slot graphics cards installed. Also there’s no question of lengthy graphics cards making SATA ports unusable due to overlapping.

 

Test rig configuration

Processor: Intel Core i7-3770k

Memory: 2 x 4 GB G.Skill Ripjaws 2, DDR3-2133

Graphic card: AMD Radeon HD 6870

SSD: Plextor PX-256M2S

Power supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro, 800w

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit

 

Performance

Before running the benchmarks we set the BIOS values to default and used the memory’s XMP profile to make sure it was running at full speed. Core i7-3770K performs marginally better than Core i7-2600K. The setup logged an overall PCMark 7 score of 5313 and 3DMark 11 score of 4419.  At 1920x1080 with very high settings and AA enabled, Crysis Warhead and Mafia II logged 36 fps and 51 fps respectively. These scores were slightly lower than what the Intel DZ77GA motherboard reported using the same hardware. Next, we switched to the CPU graphics and used the Radeon HD 6870 in Virtu’s HyperFormance mode. The 3DMark 11 score went up by 1770 points but surprisingly, the frame rates in Crysis Warhead and Mafia II dropped by 3 fps and 10 fps respectively. However, taking all scores into consideration, the overall performance is very good.

 

Verdict

Supports both Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors

Supports both Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors



For Rs 13,390, the Biostar TZ77XE is good value for money. If you have the budget to upgrade your existing motherboard or buy a motherboard to build a new PC, we suggest you consider this board instead of going in for an older generation Z68 chipset based model. Also, note that this is not a high-end motherboard, but it’s great for building a mid-range gaming PC. If you want to build a high-performance PC with enthusiast-class components, then we recommend you consider high-end models offered by Asus and Gigabyte.

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Layout - Performance - Verdict


Tags:

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Would you buy it?




 


How We Test

The Tech2 Labs receives many products every single week and each of them is tested with the utmost care and highest level of objectivity. There’s a constant effort to reduce and totally eliminate subjectivity. Each product is tested according to set test processes so the same test scenario is used.

Verdict
The ratings awarded to a product are derived from a number of tests and calculations, keeping certain important factors in mind. These factors consist of features, performance, quality and value for money. In case of software and some other categories, build quality might be replaced with ease of use or ease of installation. Products are compared with other products in a similar price range or product category.


Features
The features component of the score is rated based on the kind of features present on a particular product. Features are a big part of what people look for when they’re buying a new product such as a phone or a camera.

Performance
The performance score is derived from the benchmarks and tests run on the product. In case of the subjective scores, an average of the scores given by the group of reviewers is considered.

Build Quality
The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.

Value
Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category. 

There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

What is the Average User Rating?

We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.

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