The Asus Prime Z270-A & GIGABYTE Z270X-Ultra Gaming Motherboard Review

Conclusion

Although both the Asus Prime Z270-A and the GIGABYTE Z270X-Ultra Gaming are similarly priced and targeted towards the same group of users, and even if both motherboards are sharing virtually the same subsystems, the approach that each manufacturer took is significantly different. Asus stuck with the features that benefit from high adoption rates, inserting two M.2 PCIe ×4 slots, with the third full-length PCIe slot being an additional high-speed storage device option. For the average gamer, the simultaneous support of two M.2 PCIe ×4 and six SATA drives probably is more than enough. GIGABYTE prioritized storage options and their performance, inserting a native U.2 PCIe ×4 and SATA Express ports that share no bandwidth with other devices, as well as a single M.2 slot. The third full-length PCIe slot can support an additional high-performance storage device, disabling two PCIe ×1 slots in the process, which will not affect the maximum number of storage devices that the motherboard can simultaneously support.

Both of the motherboards are sharing the same main primary subsystems. Both use the ASMedia 2142 controller, which provides one Type-A and one Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 2 port. Both boards use one Intel I219-V chip to provide a single RJ45 ethernet connection, and both use Realtek for the audio with an ALC1220/ALC1220A codec. All of these subsystems perform admirably, with the ALC1220 being a particularly good choice for a gaming-oriented motherboard. Asus placed a lot of effort on their implementation of the audio codec and the result was one of the best audio performance results that we have seen to this date, yet GIGABYTE does not fall far behind. As for CPU and gaming performance, we faced no issues with either of the motherboards that we reviewed here today. The overall CPU and gaming performance was almost identical during our testing, as both boards implemented Multi-Core Turbo by default.

GIGABYTE made the most out of the USB controllers, implementing a maximum of eight USB 3.1 Gen 1 (four internal and four at the back panel) and six USB 2.0/1.1 ports (four internal and two at the back panel). The Prime Z270-A respectively has six USB 3.1 Gen 1 (two internal and four at the back panel) and six USB 2.0/1.1 ports (internal headers only). Asus forgoes the USB 2.0 ports at the back panel, which should not be an issue considering that the USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) design requires it to be fully compatible with USB 2.0 devices. However, compatibility problems between old USB 2.0/1.1 devices and new USB 3.0/3.1 controllers are an uncommon, yet existent issue, with devices that are using RS-232 converters being the most frequent culprits. Both motherboards have an onboard Thunderbolt header. What the GIGABYTE Z270X-Ultra Gaming is lacking in comparison to the Asus Prime Z270-A is a COM header, which may be unimportant on a gaming motherboard, yet it could be a deterrent for certain users.

Aesthetics are a subjective matter and it falls upon each individual user to decide whether Asus’s design is too extravagant or GIGABYTE’s design is too dull. As far as RGB implementation goes, GIGABYTE took a more careful approach, with the inclusion of an RGBW/-UV header and a slightly more sophisticated application. This header can support regular RGB strips, RGBW strips (with extra white LEDs) or RGB/UV strips (with extra UV LEDs). The header on the Asus Prime Z270-A can support only RGB strips. The app for Asus’s RGB application, AURA, can sync lighting effects between all devices that support it (e.g. keyboards, DRAM and GPUs). The GIGABYTE RGB Fusion application is more flexible in terms of programming and control, and can also sync lighting effects between all devices supported by the RGB Fusion application.

We should not forget to mention that both of these motherboards feature 3D printing support, which is something of a trend lately. GIGABYTE’s approach on this is very rudimentary, offering 3D files and support only for the replacement of the LED overlay that lies across the right side of the motherboard. Asus took this quite more seriously and they are offering files for M.2 drive fan mounts, SLI bridge and cable covers, fan grills and cable combs. These files are editable of course, allowing users to perform modifications should they wish to do so. With 3D printers becoming more popular and affordable as time goes by, it would definitely be interesting to see more such ideas and options being implemented in the future.

Finally, when compared in terms of quality, both motherboards are up to task. GIGABYTE may have a slight psychological advantage here, as the Nippon Chemi-Con capacitors that the Z270X-Ultra Gaming is using are more popular than the Nichicon FPCAP capacitors found on the Asus Prime Z270-A. Both of these are top quality capacitor suppliers and the polymer products on both motherboards should easily last a decade, greatly surpassing the longevity of other parts. As both manufacturers also offer the same warranty length and terms, we ought to consider the comparison in terms of quality to be a tie. Where the Asus Prime Z270-A has an immense advantage is on the power delivery circuitry, which is significantly superior to what GIGABYTE implemented on the Z270X-Ultra Gaming, making the Prime Z270-A a far more appealing option for users who might look into heavier overclocking. GIGABYTE is mainly placing their faith on the native U.2 and SATA Express support, technologies that currently are not popular in the market, but still many users that do not upgrade or build new systems often may opt to have them just in case they gain traction in the future.