he GA‎-Z97X‎-Gaming GT ATX Motherboard from Gigabyte serves as the foundation for creating your own custom desktop computer for gaming‎,‎ work‎,‎ as well as general use‎.‎ Running advanced 3D games requires multiple graphic cards connected together to allow higher frame rates without compromising resolution‎,‎ which is why this motherboard offers 2‎-‎,‎ 3‎-‎,‎ or 4‎-Way CrossFire or SLI multi‎-graphics technology‎.‎ Some of the hardware needed for building your own system is included on the motherboard‎.‎ For instance‎,‎ the G1 Audio features a combination of technologies which can provide crisp sounds for music and realistic sound effects for gaming‎.‎ To provide lag‎-free gameplay or stream videos over a network‎,‎ the Killer E2201 LAN chip offers better performance when compared to standard Ethernet controllers‎.‎

This Gigabyte Gaming GT motherboard features an LGA1150 socket that accepts a 4th or 5th generation Intel processor‎.‎ You may add up to 32GB of RAM across 4 memory slots‎.‎ This motherboard offers eight SATA III 6 Gb/s connectors for adding optical and storage drives‎.‎ Installing multiple storage drives can in turn allow for different RAID configurations‎.‎ These configurations can be set so the drives provide the best transfer speed‎,‎ the greatest data protection‎,‎ or both‎.‎ Optimize system‎-loading times by connecting an SSD to the SATA Express‎.‎ Native 4K support is available via HDMI or DisplayPort when using an Intel CPU chip with an integrated Intel graphics processor‎.‎ This GPU also supports up to three displays at the same time‎.‎ For connecting to other peripherals‎,‎ eight USB ports are available‎.‎ Included with the Z97X motherboard are a driver disk‎,‎ SATA cables‎,‎ SLI bridge connectors‎,‎ a CrossFire bridge connector‎,‎ and a I/O shield‎.‎

G1 Audio

Gigabyte AMP‎-UP Audio Technology

The exclusive Gigabyte AMP‎-UP audio technology provides realistic sound effects while gaming and crisp sounds when you listen to your favorite music and movies‎.‎

Upgradable OP‎-AMP

Gigabyte‎'‎s Gaming GT motherboard features an onboard OP‎-AMP socket‎,‎ allowing you to swap out the motherboard‎'‎s onboard operational amplifier and choose an OP‎-AMP based on your listening preferences‎.‎ Choosing a different amplifier improves audio dynamics and overall sound quality‎.‎ The installed TI Burr Brown OPA2134 allows you to select either standard 2.5x or high‎-amplification 6x mode for high impedance speakers and headphones‎.‎

Realtek ALC1150 HD Audio

The ALC1150 is a multi‎-channel High Definition Audio Codec that delivers up to 115 dB SNR‎.‎ It provides ten DAC channels that simultaneously support 7.1‎-channel sound playback‎,‎ plus 2 channels of independent stereo sound output ‎(‎multiple streaming‎)‎ through the front panel stereo outputs‎.‎ Two integrated stereo ADCs can record at 104 dB SNR and can support a microphone array with Acoustic Echo Cancellation‎,‎ Beam Forming‎,‎ and Noise Suppression technologies‎.‎

Additional Sound Blaster X‎-Fi MB3

This motherboard includes the Sound Blaster X‎-Fi MB3 software suite‎,‎ included within this suite are the SBX Pro Studio and Creative Alchemy‎,‎ which are designed to provide a fuller audio experience‎.‎ SBX Pro Studio suite offers audio realism by enhancing the sounds so you can clearly hear explosions‎,‎ surround sound effects and more‎.‎ Creative Alchemy restores EAX effects and 3D surround audio for older DirectSound 3D games running on Windows 7 and above‎.‎

High‎-End Audio Capacitors

Japanese‎-branded Nichicon capacitors offer expanded high‎-resolution audio to create realistic sound effects for gamers‎.‎

Gold‎-Plated Audio Hardware

Gold‎-plated audio and HDMI connectors offer improved connectivity and durability compared to other metals‎.‎ Gold has better signal conductivity and will not tarnish over extended periods of use‎.‎ The audio controller is also shielded by a gold‎-plated cover which eliminates electrostatic interference‎.‎

Dual DAC‎-UP USB Ports

The two USB 2.0 DAC‎-UP ports supply clean noise‎-free power delivery to your Digital‎-to‎-Analog Converter‎,‎ which can be sensitive to fluctuations in power from the other USB ports‎.‎ These ports take advantage of an isolated power source that minimizes potential fluctuations and ensures the best audio experience possible‎.‎

Dedicated Audio Hardware Zone

• Separation on the PCB layer protects the board‎'‎s sensitive analog audio components‎.‎
• Each analog and digital component is grounded to help protect against electromagnetic interference‎.‎
• LED trace path lighting illuminates to show the separation of the PCB layers‎.‎

Separate PCB Layers

By placing the right and left audio channels on separate PCB layers‎,‎ Gigabyte Gaming GT motherboards are able to eliminate channel crosstalk and help maintain the best audio quality‎.‎

G1 Networking

Killer E2200 Network

Gigabyte Gaming GT motherboards feature the Killer E2200 from Qualcomm Atheros‎,‎ an adaptive gigabit Ethernet controller that offers smoother online gaming and online media performance compared to standard solutions‎.‎

G1 Performance

Multi‎-GPU Support

Supports either 4‎-Way SLI or CrossFire action‎,‎ which delivers faster graphics performance for gaming enthusiasts who demand the highest frame rates without compromising on resolution‎.‎

SATA Express Connector

The onboard SATA Express connector provides data transfer rates up to 10 Gb/s‎,‎ which is considerably higher than SATA Revision 3 that only transfers at 6 Gb/s‎.‎ This prevents bottlenecking when using faster NAND flash technologies in SSDs‎.‎ SATA Express combines the benefits of PCI‎-Express and SATA to provide much higher bandwidth‎,‎ allowing SATA Express based drives to perform at similar speeds as PCI‎-Express based drives‎.‎

Gigabyte App Center Including EasyTune and Cloud Station Utilities

Access Gigabyte apps via the APP Center‎,‎ which can help you get the most of your Gigabyte motherboard‎.‎ Using a simple‎,‎ unified user interface‎,‎ the Gigabyte APP Center allows you to launch all Gigabyte apps installed on your system‎.‎

• Gigabyte‎'‎s EasyTune app is a simple and easy‎-to‎-use interface that allows users to fine‎-tune their system settings or adjust system and memory clocks and voltages in a Windows environment‎.‎ With Smart Quick Boost‎,‎ one click is all it takes to automatically overclock your system‎,‎ giving an added performance boost when you need it the most‎.‎
• Gigabyte Cloud Station is composed of several unique apps‎,‎ which allow your smart phone/tablet device to wirelessly communicate‎,‎ share files‎,‎ and control desktop PCs‎.‎

4K HD HDMI Support

This motherboard provides native 4K support with an integrated Intel HD Graphics via an HDMI port‎.‎ This High‎-Definition Multimedia Interface provides up to 5 Gb/s of bandwidth for transmitting video and 8‎-channels of audio all through a single cable‎.‎ Capable of transmitting uncompressed digital video and audio‎,‎ HDMI ensures rendering of digital content up to 1080p without the quality losses associated with analog interfaces and their digital‎-to‎-analog conversion‎.‎ In addition‎,‎ HDMI is compatible with High‎-bandwidth Digital Content Protection‎,‎ allowing the playback of Blu‎-ray/HD DVD and other protected media content‎.‎

Gigabyte OPT Fan Support

An additional CPU fan pin header can be used to connect a water pump and configured for continuous full speed operation‎.‎ The OPT Fan is also useful for high performance coolers employing two fans‎.‎

5x 15μ Gold‎-Plated CPU Socket Design

The CPU socket is gold‎-plated to help prevent corroded pins and bad contacts when used longer than an average workday‎.‎ In turn‎,‎ gold‎-plating provides added reliability and longevity‎.‎

Game Controller

Gigabyte Game Controller allows you to define your own hotkeys and change the mouse sensitivity‎,‎ helping you make the most out of your keyboard and mouse in games‎.‎

• Create macro commands and define your own hotkeys to quickly perform the function your want‎.‎
• The Sniper key switches the mouse sensitivity into sniper mode for precision aiming‎.‎

Bundled Software

• Norton Internet Security ‎(‎OEM version‎)‎ ‎- Provides protection for your system against malware‎,‎ viruses‎,‎ and more‎.‎ 
• Intel Rapid Start Technology ‎- Resume in 6 seconds from deep sleep state‎.‎ 
• Intel Smart Connect Technology ‎- Periodically wakes up the system from standby mode to check and apply updates‎.‎ 
• Intel Smart Response Technology ‎- Automatically stores your most frequently used applications and data into the faster SSD‎.‎

Technical Specs

CPU

• Support for Intel® Core™ i7 processors/Intel® Core™ i5 processors/ Intel® Core™ i3 processors/Intel® Pentium® processors/Intel® Celeron® processors in the LGA1150 package
• L3 cache varies with CPU
• ‎(‎Please refer ‎"‎CPU Support List‎"‎ for more information‎.‎‎)‎

Chipset

• Intel® Z97 Express Chipset

Memory

• 4 x DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory
• * Due to a Windows 32‎-bit operating system limitation‎,‎ when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed‎,‎ the actual memory size displayed will be less than the size of the physical memory installed‎.‎
• Dual channel memory architecture
• Support for 3200‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 3100‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 3000‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 2933‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 2800‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 2666‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 2600‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 2500‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 2400‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 2200‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 2133‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 2000‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 1866‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 1800‎(‎O‎.‎C‎.‎‎)‎ / 1600 / 1333 MHz memory modules
• Support for non‎-ECC memory modules
• Support for Extreme Memory Profile ‎(‎XMP‎)‎ memory modules
• ‎(‎Please refer ‎"‎Memory Support List‎"‎ for more information‎.‎‎)‎
• Onboard Graphics Integrated Graphics Processor ‎- Intel® HD Graphics support‎:‎
• 1 x D‎-Sub port‎,‎ supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x1200@60Hz
• 1 x DVI‎-D port‎,‎ supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x1200@60Hz
• * The DVI‎-D port does not support D‎-Sub connection by adapter‎.‎
• 1 x HDMI port‎,‎ supporting a maximum resolution of 4096x2160@24Hz or 2560x1600@60Hz
• * Support for HDMI 1.4a version‎.‎
• 1 x DisplayPort‎,‎ supporting a maximum resolution of 4096x2160@24Hz or 3840x2160@60Hz
• * Support for DisplayPort 1.2 version‎.‎
• Support for up to 3 displays at the same time
• Maximum shared memory of 512MB

Audio

• Realtek® ALC1150 codec
• TI Burr Brown® OPA2134 operational amplifier
• Support for Sound Blaster X‎-Fi MB3
• High Definition Audio
• 2/4/5.1/7.1‎-channel
• Support for S/PDIF Out

LAN

• Qualcomm® Atheros Killer E2201 LAN chip ‎(‎10/100/1000 Mbit‎)‎

Expansion Slots

• 2 x PCI Express x16 slots‎,‎ running at x16 ‎(‎PCIEX16_1~2‎)‎
• * For optimum performance‎,‎ if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed‎,‎ be sure to install it in the PCIEX16_1 slot‎;‎ if you are installing two PCI Express graphics cards‎,‎ it is recommended that you install them in the PCIEX16_1 and PCIEX16_2 slots‎.‎
• 2 x PCI Express x16 slots‎,‎ running at x8 ‎(‎PCIEX8_1~2‎)‎
• * The PCIEX8_1 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16_1 slot and the PCIEX8_2 slot with PCIEX16_2‎.‎ The PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2 slot will operate at up to x8 mode when the PCIEX8_1/PCIEX8_2 is populated‎.‎
• ‎(‎The PCI Express x16 slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard‎.‎‎)‎
• 3 x PCI Express x1 slots
• ‎(‎The PCI Express x1 slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard‎.‎‎)‎
• Multi‎-Graphics Technology
• Support for 4‎-Way/3‎-Way/2‎-Way AMD CrossFire™/NVIDIA® SLI™ technology
• Storage Interface Chipset‎:‎
• 1 x SATA Express connector
• 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors ‎(‎SATA3 0~5‎)‎
• Support for RAID 0‎,‎ RAID 1‎,‎ RAID 5‎,‎ and RAID 10
• ‎(‎SATA Express and SATA3 4/5 connectors can only be used one at a time‎.‎‎)‎
• Marvell® 88SE9172 chip‎:‎
• 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors ‎(‎GSATA3 6~7‎)‎
• Support for RAID 0 and RAID 1
• * Due to system limitation‎,‎ Intel RAID and Marvell RAID can only use either one‎.‎

USB Chipset‎:‎

• 4 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports ‎(‎2 ports on the back panel‎,‎ 2 ports available through the internal USB header‎)‎
• 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports ‎(‎2 ports on the back panel‎,‎ 6 ports available through the internal USB header‎)‎
• Chipset + Renesas® uPD720210 USB 3.0 Hub‎:‎
• 4 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports on the back panel

Internal I/O Connectors

• 1 x 24‎-pin ATX main power connector
• 1 x 8‎-pin ATX 12V power connector
• 1 x PCIe power connector
• 1 x SATA Express connector
• 8 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
• 1 x CPU fan header
• 1 x water cooling fan header ‎(‎CPU_OPT‎)‎
• 5 x system fan headers
• 1 x front panel header
• 1 x front panel audio header
• 1 x S/PDIF Out header
• 1 x USB 3.0/2.0 header
• 3 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
• 1 x serial port header
• 1 x Clear CMOS jumper
• 1 x power button
• 1 x reset button
• 1 x Clear CMOS button
• 1 x audio gain control switch
• 8 x onboard voltage measurement points
• 2 x BIOS switches

Back Panel Connectors

• 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port
• 1 x D‎-Sub port
• 1 x DVI‎-D port
• 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
• 1 x HDMI port
• 1 x DisplayPort
• 6 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports
• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• 1 x RJ‎-45 port
• 6 x audio jacks ‎(‎Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out‎,‎ Rear Speaker Out‎,‎ Side Speaker Out‎,‎ Line In‎,‎ Line Out‎,‎ Mic In‎)‎

I/O Controller

• iTE® I/O Controller Chip
• H/W Monitoring
• System voltage detection
• CPU/System/Chipset temperature detection
• CPU/CPU OPT/System fan speed detection
• CPU/System overheating warning
• CPU/CPU OPT/System fan fail warning
• CPU/CPU OPT/System fan speed control
• * Whether the fan speed control function is supported will depend on the cooler you install‎.‎

BIOS

• 2 x 128 Mbit flash
• Use of licensed AMI UEFI BIOS
• Support for DualBIOS™
• PnP 1.0a‎,‎ DMI 2.7‎,‎ WfM 2.0‎,‎ SM BIOS 2.7‎,‎ ACPI 5.0

Unique Features

• Support for APP Center
• * Available applications in APP Center may differ by motherboard model‎.‎ Supported functions of each application may also differ depending on motherboard specifications‎.‎
• @BIOS
• EasyTune
• EZ Setup
• Fast Boot
• Game Controller
• ON/OFF Charge
• Smart TimeLock
• Smart Recovery 2
• System Information Viewer
• USB Blocker
• Support for Q‎-Flash
• Support for Smart Switch
• Support for Xpress Install

Bundle Software

• Norton® Internet Security ‎(‎OEM version‎)‎
• Intel® Rapid Start Technology
• Intel® Smart Connect Technology
• Intel® Smart Response Technology

Operating System

• Support for Windows 10/8.1/8/7

Form Factor

• ATX Form Factor‎;‎ 30.5cm x 24.4cm