NZXT Z370 Motherboard. Wut?

[UsandThem]

Apparently NZXT wants to test out the motherboard market:

https://www.anandtech.com/show/12215/the-nzxt-n7-z370-motherboard-review

For $300, it had better be really, really good....

 

[rchunter]

I wouldn't buy it simply for the fact it has all that tuff armor plastic all over it. Not a big fan.

 

[UsandThem]

I wouldn't buy it simply for the fact it has all that tuff armor plastic all over it. Not a big fan.

That's actually not plastic. It's mostly black aluminum.

But regardless of the material, I am not a fan of the "armor" either (on any manufacturer's boards). There's no way the M.2 drives and other components stay cooler under all of that rather than having fans blow cool air across them.

 

[EXCellR8]

Was checking this out earlier. I do actually like the simplistic and clean look but only because it matches most of their chassis. Would I buy? Maybe, but only if was considering another Intel machine, which I'm not.

 

[XavierMace]

That's actually not plastic. It's mostly black aluminum.

But regardless of the material, I am not a fan of the "armor" either (on any manufacturer's boards). There's no way the M.2 drives and other components stay cooler under all of that rather than having fans blow cool air across them.

Which is probably why NZXT recommends leaving the M.2 shrouds off if you're using M.2 drives, as stated in the review.

I'm not a huge fan of the shrouds either, but I can't say the temperature aspect of it concerns me. The only components on the motherboard with any real heat concerns have heatsinks on them. These shrouds have nothing to do with cooling.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I keep wondering why ASUS seems to have discontinued the Sabertooth model-line. Now I wonder if ASUS made some deal with NZXT . . . . Could the board be rebranded or rebadged in such a deal?

 

[UsandThem]

Which is probably why NZXT recommends leaving the M.2 shrouds off if you're using M.2 drives, as stated in the review.

I'm not a huge fan of the shrouds either, but I can't say the temperature aspect of it concerns me. The only components on the motherboard with any real heat concerns have heatsinks on them. These shrouds have nothing to do with cooling.

I know that's what they say, but anybody who buys this board will want to leave the shroud on. Otherwise, there are a lot better $/performance boards out there under $300. And if someone is going to drop $300 on a motherboard, they will also likely buy a M.2 drive as they are becoming much more common in the mainstream market.

From the various reviews of boards like from MSI (who offer the integrated m.2 heatsink) to Asus' "Tuf" series, I am just not a big fan of the 'cover everything' look. However, Asus claims better cooling on some of their shrouded boards, like the TUF Z270 Mark 1 (TUF ICe):

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/TUF-Z270-MARK-1/

 

[aigomorla]

That's actually not plastic. It's mostly black aluminum.

But regardless of the material, I am not a fan of the "armor" either (on any manufacturer's boards). There's no way the M.2 drives and other components stay cooler under all of that rather than having fans blow cool air across them.

actually an air shroud is much more effective solution but it requires static fans which are noisy.

The problem with most tuff armor and board armor is that the shroud is paired with a unspectacular fan which really kills any and all air movement. Hence why you get dead spots and IC's overheating because the fan is just too under powered.

But servers for example use shrouds all the time and very effectively.

Dell also made very effective use a shrouds, which allowed less fans, and made the system quiet.

Anyhow im not feeling this 300 dollar z370 board.
Its not even a x299 and priced in the x299 catigory.
You can get a z370 Taichi which i would consider probably one of the upper tier boards for 219.

NXZT has no track record with motherboards, however its probably made by FOXCON which means its probably from the same basic family from most OEM vendors. But 300 dollars for a z370 board.

I think the armor parts are interchangeable so you can get a fairly blingy appearance.

 

[UsandThem]

actually an air shroud is much more effective solution but it requires static fans which are noisy.

The problem with most tuff armor and board armor is that the shroud is paired with a unspectacular fan which really kills any and all air movement. Hence why you get dead spots and IC's overheating because the fan is just too under powered.

But servers for example use shrouds all the time and very effectively.

True that style works. But enthusiast builders would not do that, because it doesn't look "TUF" or "military grade".

NXZT has no track record with motherboards, however its probably made by FOXCON which means its probably from the same basic family from most OEM vendors. But 300 dollars for a z370 board.

That would be my concern as well. Software/BIOS updates likely would be minimal, compared against other established brands.

Dell also made very effective use a shrouds, which allowed less fans, and made the system quiet.

I had one of those. Those boxes were great until you added a gaming GPU, and then it heat forced shutdown city.

 

[aigomorla]

I find it funny that "military grade" is so far from true military grade.

The only thing they probably share is the caps, and IC, but after that its completely different.

I remember on XS some guy had somehow managed to get a hold of a server that was used in Iraq.
The thing was cooled by liquid gallium using a magnetic pump because a normal pump wouldn't work reliability when and if the metal was to cool down and solidify during the nights.

 

[Lordhumungus]

The preview from GN states they are 99.99% sure that the OEM is ECS.

Also, apparently the back of the M.2 shields are plastic, so they literally can’t be used as heatsinks.

Overall I am less than impressed, especially for the price.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I find it funny that "military grade" is so far from true military grade.

The only thing they probably share is the caps, and IC, but after that its completely different.

I remember on XS some guy had somehow managed to get a hold of a server that was used in Iraq.
The thing was cooled by liquid gallium using a magnetic pump because a normal pump wouldn't work reliability when and if the metal was to cool down and solidify during the nights.

But -- what is "military grade?" I assumed that the Pentagon has a MIL-spec for motherboards. But all I really know about the ASUS Sabertooths are these things.

The boards are a tad thicker than some of the other models, probably with exception of the top-end flagships.

ASUS and some reviewers noted that the components were superior -- solid state capacitors, etc.

the boards came with a 5-year warranty.

I only bought one Sabertooth in my experience as brand-new in-the-box purchase -- the one I currently have. It's been the absolute best, so far, even if the phase-power-design is 8+4 instead of 12+4 or the 16-phase spec of the boards more expensive than the Sabertooth.

But now, there is no more Sabertooth. there is only "TUF."

ON THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE DUCT-PLATE

The duct-plate should improve board-component cooling if you can assure enough airflow into the cavity between board and plate and out of it -- preferably with directed, restricted airflow over hot items like the chipset, VRMs and similar components.

I had bought the cheaper Sabertooth Z170 S without the duct-plate, and built my own. To some extent, mine would seem less effective because it sits off the board by about an inch, as opposed to what looks like a quarter-inch. But it works for me . . .

 

[Mockingbird]

ECS is the OEM.

Straight from the horse's mouth:

“We also heard from the PC gaming community that they are concerned with our ability to produce a high-quality motherboard. We are working with ECS, a company that produces motherboards for some of the world’s largest OEMs. We are very confident in our quality. And to help allay the fears of the community, we are increasing our warranty from 3 to 4 years.”

 

[UsandThem]

ECS is the OEM.

Straight from the horse's mouth:

“We also heard from the PC gaming community that they are concerned with our ability to produce a high-quality motherboard. We are working with ECS, a company that produces motherboards for some of the world’s largest OEMs. We are very confident in our quality. And to help allay the fears of the community, we are increasing our warranty from 3 to 4 years.”

I don't know if I'd personally trust ECS. They weren't known for good stuff back in 2000's, and I know they tried to reposition themselves as a high-end board maker, but looking at both their Z270 and Z370 "Lightsaber" motherboards, they have 2 BIOS releases for the Z270, and 1 for the Z370.

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Pr...oryID=1&DetailName=Feature&MenuID=228&LanID=0

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Pr...oryID=1&DetailName=Feature&MenuID=228&LanID=0

If that's the best support they provide for their own lineup, and I can't imagine they are going to provide a lot to NZXT. Places like Newegg don't even sell ECS boards it appears.

 

[AlucardX]

Unless I'm missing something, seems overpriced for what you get compared to other z370 boards

 

[Justinbaileyman]

Good lord not ECS!! I had several ECS boards in the past and had problems out of every one.. Not sure if they got better through out the years but no way hosay for me!!

 

[aigomorla]

I don't know if I'd personally trust ECS.

ECS has never had a true premium brand motherboard.
Sorry to say no one would even think of purchasing a premium brand ECS motherboard.

That is probably why its missing a lot of the beefier mosfets, and digital VRM's which other boards have like ASRock, ASuS, Gigabyte, and MSI has.

ECS is synonymous with budget...
It was the free board Fry's would give you in their cpu package deals, because they were so cheap.

Its like saying this is a luxury branded Toyota Corolla priced at a lexus LS500 price range... >.<

oh wait we have those.. it was called the IS-F...

 

[UsandThem]

ECS has never had a true premium brand motherboard.
Sorry to say no one would even think of purchasing a premium brand ECS motherboard.

That is probably why its missing a lot of the beefier mosfets, and digital VRM's which other boards have like ASRock, ASuS, Gigabyte, and MSI has.

ECS is synonymous with budget...
It was the free board Fry's would give you in their cpu package deals, because they were so cheap.

Its like saying this is a luxury branded Toyota Corolla priced at a lexus LS500 price range... >.<

oh wait we have those.. it was called the IS-F...

No, I agree with you. They attempted an image overhaul back in the 2000s by trying to rebrand themselves as a premium brand. It didn't work as referenced by their limited product lineup and availability.

 

[sandorski]

Mostly cosmetic, methinks. Comes in a nice white version as well that coincidentally matches the interior on at least one of their cases.

 

[Jimie]

it matches well with their cases, but anything other case would need some work...

BTW, TUF used to have all armored motherboards, but started to do less did't they?