BIOSTAR Racing Z170GTN Mini-ITX Motherboard Review

Introduction

Some of you may have read a review I did a few months back on the Z170GT7 from BIOSTAR, a motherboard I instantly fell in love with because of its stunning heat sink LEDs and high overall value. Today, I take a look at another BIOSTAR creation along the same lineage as the GT7 but in a much smaller package, the GTN. At first glance, the Z170GTN seems to hit the nail on the head when it comes to the number of ports and their spacing and allotment, so it caught my attention.

The Z170GTN carries the same style of heat sink RGB LED design I saw on the Z170GT7, M.2, U.2, and decent spacing considerations and port layout. I have to admit I was very excited to get the Z170GTN in my hands since I have reviewed a few Z170 Mini-ITX motherboards, all of which are special in their own regard.

However, each one had some glaring issue such as a weak VRM, lack of M.2, or some crazy spacing that would cause headaches. Let's see how the Z170GTN does.

Specifications

The Z170GTN has U.2, M.2, four SATA 6Gb/s ports, four USB 3.0 ports, a USB 3.0 internal header, an Intel NIC, and even support for an RGB extension cable.

Pricing

The Z170GTN is available from many large retailers for $115.