GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming 6 (Intel Z170) Motherboard Review

Introduction

About a month ago I took a look at one of GIGABYTE's main gaming series motherboards, the Z170X-Gaming 7. Today I have their Z170X-Gaming 6 in the test bench, a more affordable and less equipped version of the popular Z170X-Gaming 7.

Looking purely at the spec sheet doesn't reveal why the Z170X-Gaming 6 costs roughly $20-30 less than the Gaming 7. At first glance, the Z170X-Gaming 7 has totally different aesthetics, but underneath the hood, many differences justify the existence of both models instead of just one.

It's no secret that motherboard manufacturers are trying to produce as many models to hit as many price points as possible. Differentiating motherboards is harder than ever with the Intel Z170 chipset since most of the basic features are integrated into the PCH. However, motherboard manufacturers have been improving their custom features to levels not seen before to try and provide features that buyers are willing to pay for. Let's see what the Z170X-Gaming 6 has to offer in the sub-$200 range.

Specifications

The GIGABYTE Z170X-Gaming 6 has some high-end features including USB 3.1 (Type-C and Type-A), dual NICs (Intel and Killer), Creative XFI MB3 audio (based on Realtek), dual 32Gb/s M.2 slots, and support for 3-way CrossFireX and 2-way SLI.

Pricing

The Z170X-Gaming 6 is available from many large retailers such as Amazon for roughly $190.