NZXT Z370 N7 Motherboard Review

NZXT Z370 N7 Motherboard Review

Introduction

NZXT are probably most famous for their case range, with many of their models adorning the desks of gamers everywhere.

Much like other big manufacturers though, cases aren’t all that NZXT provide. We’re sure that our discerning readership are aware of their coolers available either in AIO form for your CPUs or as a kit to convert your air-cooled GPU into a water-cooled offering without requiring a degree in plumbing to obtain. They also famously produced the Hale PSU, one of the first white power supplies on the market and one which found a home in many systems as the option of white internals went from being a pipe dream to a reality.

Never a company to rest upon their laurels their latest product is the N7 motherboard. Based around the Z370 chipset and utilising a whole host of RGB and cooling controls, the N7 promises to be a worthy addition to the NZXT range. With so many high end motherboards with supremely famous brand names already on the market, it certainly needs to pull out all the stops to get noticed.

Is this brand expansion a successful one?

Technical Specifications

The majority of features on the N7 will be familiar to anyone who has spent any time examining the elements available on the Z370 platform. There are only a couple of notable absences, the USB 3.1 Gen2 or Type-C headers are lacking, and the N7 also doesn’t have a U.2 storage connector. Both things which are fairly new to the party and so haven’t yet obtained full market saturation, but nonetheless it’s a curious omission from a product aimed squarely at the enthusiast end of the market.

But let’s take a closer look at it in the flesh.

CPU & Socket LGA socket 1151 for Intel® 8th Generation Core™ i7/ Core™ i5/ Core™ i3 Processors
Support Intel 14nm CPU
Support Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
Chipset Intel® Z370
Memory 4 x DIMM, Max. 64GB, DDR4
• 3866(O.C.)/ 3733(O.C.)/ 3600(O.C.)/ 3466(O.C.)/ 3400(O.C.)/ 3333(O.C.)/ 3300(O.C.)/ 3200(O.C.)/ 3000(O.C.)/ 2800(O.C.)/ 2666(O.C.)/ 2400(O.C.)/ 2133 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory
• Dual-channel memory architecture
• Support Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Integrated Graphics Multi-VGA output support: HDMI/DisplayPort 1.2 ports
• DisplayPort with max. resolution of 4096×2304@60Hz
• HDMIâ„¢ with max. resolution of 4096×2160@24Hz
• Maximum shared memory of 1024MB
Multi-GPU Support • Supports NVIDIA® 2-Way SLI™ Technology
• Supports AMD 2-Way CrossFireX™ Technology
Storage Intel® Z370 Express Chipset
• 1 * M.2 type 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA mode)
• 1 * M.2 type 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 3.0 x4 mode only)
• 4 * SATA 6Gb/s ports
Support RAID 0/1/5/10
Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology 15
Intel® Optane Memory Ready
LAN Intel® I219-V Gigabit LAN
Audio Realtek® ALC1220 Codec w/ Nichicon Gold Capacitors
7.1-Channel High Definition Audio, 32-bit / 192KHz DAC
Expansion Slots • 2 * PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)
• 2 * PCIe 3.0 x4
• 1 * PCIe 3.0 x1
Rear I/O • 5 * USB 2.0 ports
• 4 * USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports
• 1 * DisplayPort 1.2
• 1 * HDMI™ 1.4b
• 1 * Clear CMOS button
• 1 * LAN (RJ45) port
• 1 * Optical S/PDIF Out port
• 1 * 7.1-Channel Audio jacks
Internal I/O • 1 * 24-pin EATX power connector
• 1 * 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
• 1 * 4-pin CPU_FAN connector
• 1 * 4-pin AIO_PUMP connector
• 1 * 4-pin W_PUMP connector
• 6 * 4-pin SYS_FAN connectors (Up to 6W per channel)
• 3 * USB 2.0 header (Up to 6 USB 2.0 ports)
• 2 * USB 3.1 Gen1 header (Up to 4 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports)
• 4 * SATA 6Gb/s connectors
• 1 * M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, (PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA mode)
• 1 * M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, (PCIe 3.0 x4 mode only)
• 2 * RGB LED connectors
• 1 * Noise detection module
• 1 * Front panel audio connector
• 1 * Power button
• 1 * Reset button
• 1 * ROM backup button
• 1 * Dual BIOS switch
Included Accessories • 1 * User’s manual
• 1 * I/O shield
• 4 * SATA data cables
• 1 * NZXT SLI bridge
• 2 * LED strips
• 2 * 500mm LED connection cable
• 2 * 300mm LED extension cable
• Mounting screws
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® 10 (64-bit)
Form Factor ATX
Dimensions 305 x 244 x 43mm
Certifications FCC, CE, WHQL, ErP/EuP Ready
Model Number N7-Z37XT-W1
UPC 815671013330
EAN 5060301693658
Warranty 4 Years