GIGABYTE Z270X-UD5 Motherboard Review (Page 11)

Here are key points about the GIGABYTE Z270X-UD5.

What's Hot

ThunderBolt 3.0: The Z270X-UD5 costs $199.99 and at that price point you don't expect to find ThunderBolt 3.0, but alas, the Z270X-UD5 has the fastest consumer connection available. The ThunderBolt 3.0 port also doubles as a USB 3.1 port and supports 36W of output.

Workstation Features: The motherboard has a surprising number of features many would consider workstation-like. It is the first motherboard I have seen in the consumer arena that has a built-in POST speaker, two powered SATA DOM ports, and two COM ports. The vertical USB 2.0 type-A port could also be considered a workstation feature, capable of internally housing a USB key for expensive software.

Overclocking Features: The motherboard also carries a lot of overclocking features, including power, reset, clear CMOS, OC, and ECO buttons. It also offers a single BIOS mode switch, dual BIOS ROMs, voltage read points, and a POST-code display.

No-Nonsense Aesthetic: Some enthusiasts are extremely anti-RGB. They dislike how most motherboards light up and don't want to pay for RGB headers. The Z270X-UD5 has no RGB headers and no RGB LEDs. It's heat sink and PCB design also screams no-nonsense, it's simple and looks whole.

Dual Intel LAN: I didn't expect to find two Intel NICs on this motherboard since it also offers ThunderBolt 3.0, but the Z270X-UD5 has dual Intel NICs and ThunderBolt 3.0.

What's Not

Single M.2 slot: Most motherboards at the $200 price point offer at least two M.2 slots since M.2 is the most popular platform for faster consumer drives. While the Z270X-UD5 only has a single M.2 slot, you do have the ability to add in more through the last PCI-E x16 slot which is wired to the PCH.

Final Thoughts

GIGABYTE's Z270X-UD5 represents a lot more than the continuation of the next UD5 iteration; it represents the continuation of GIGABYTE's entire Ultra Durable lineup.

The addition of more workstation features and high-end connectivity and removal of aesthetic ones such as RGB LEDs helps separate the Ultra Durable lineup from the Aorus gaming lineup.

GIGABYTE is hedging their bets on two segments of the enthusiast market, and the Z270X-UD5 is a perfect incarnation of the split in GIGABYTE's motherboard offerings. Some people want tons of gaming features, they like the gaming NICs and RGB LEDs, and others want a motherboard with workstation-like features but the ability to support high-end gaming as well, and that is what the Z270X-UD5 offers.

If you are in the market for a no-nonsense motherboard, capable of filling many shoes, then give it a look.