Intel DZ77GA-70K and Core i7-3770K Review

Test Setup

As you may have noticed we're not covering the BIOS of the DZ77GA-70K. This is because our pre-production sample still has a lot of rough edges to be ironed out. However it's worth noting that it is supplied with the now standard UEFI BIOS and everything is laid out in a clear manner.

Our test setup for today's review bridges the gap between our old LGA1155 arrangement, and the one we'll be using going forwards. To this end we have a set of tests done with our GTX570, and also a set with the HD7970 which we'll be using from now on. Eagle-eyed readers will notice we have a new memory kit to test with, and a review of that will be upcoming. So our setup is as follows :

Intel DZ77GA-70K Motherboard
Intel Core i7-3770K
8GB G.Skill Trident 2400 @ 10-12-12-31
EVGA GTX570 with ForceWare 301.24
HIS HD7970 with Catalyst 12.3
Cougar CM1000 PSU
Corsair F80 SSD
Thermalright Silver Arrow
Windows 7 x64

As always with our first look at a new CPU we run just at the exact stock settings. Build the rig, and whatever the motherboard sets itself to is our stock settings. So our i7-3770K is, as you'd expect, at 3.7GHz and our memory is only picked up at 1600MHz. This is what we'll be using for our GTX570 side of the testing.

The HD7970 section will be running a mild overclock of 3.9GHz on the CPU, and 2133MHz on the RAM. Despite much prodding and poking the Intel board just wouldn't POST with the memory at 2400MHz, but 2133MHz should at least give a mild lift to performance, whilst also leaving us lots of headroom for our overclocking review.