14 DAY TRIAL // We've already seen some motherboards based on Intel Z97 chipset up for order, but it looks like their number is set to grow every day, probably for another week or two. EVGA has just launched its first models.
There are quite a few of them, and they don't just limit themselves to one or two form factors. In fact, we may be looking at the only E-ATX mainboard so far.
Well, the only Z97-based E-ATX. E-ATX (short for extended ATX) is wider than the traditional ATX form factor but not that much longer down, if at all.
It's the sort of platform that you'll only be able to fit inside especially wide cases, unlike XL-ATX which are easier to fit because even some mid-towers have enough vertical room.
Anyone seeking to build a computer out of a large mainboard of either type is likely to be in the market for a large, tower case anyway. More room for the rest of the overkill hardware that way.
The new motherboards from EVGA are a pretty eclectic bunch actually, which might be a better idea than it sounds like.
After all, while Devil's Canyon Haswell K-suffix chips will come out at some point this year, it won't be this month.
Only the processors without unlocked overclocking multipliers are set to debut this May, so the non-extreme mainboards have to take precedence, marketing-wise.
That's why the mini-ITX Z97 Stinger Core3D and ATX Z97 FTW will probably perform betters, in terms of sales, than the E-ATX Z97 Classified. Of course, the high-end products always sell less than the others anyway. In this case, demand for the top products will be delayed a bit more than usual.
The Z97 Stinger Core3D and Z97 FTW are both priced at $200 / €200, despite the difference sizes. The former has a 10-layer PCB, four SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, one PCI Express x16 slot and two DDR3-2666 memory slots. The Z97 FTW has four PCI Express slots and four memory slots, as well as eight SATA 6.0 Gbps.
ESATA is available on both, as is HDMI and DisplayPort connectivity. Audio differs though: 5.1 and 7.1 channel.
We can only assume that the mini-ITX motherboard is so expensive because it wasn't an easy task to integrate all gaming-grade features in that size. It’s a big difference between ATX and mini-ITX after all. By comparison, micro-ATX is just a shorter ATX version, mostly, with a lot more room than the little square mini-ITX shape. It's odd that there is no micro-ATX board in this range actually.
The Z97 Classified is a $380 / €380 product with 8-layer PCB, five PCI Express x16 slots, dual Gigabit Ethernet, an mSATA/mPCIe slot, 5.1 channel audio, dual mini DisplayPort, and Triple BIOS. LucidLogix's Virtu MVP 2.0 will balance task division between Integrated GPU and the add-in boards.
