Review: gigabyte h77n

Today we bring you an exclusive review of one of the two new Gigabyte Mini-ITX format motherboards. It is the GIGABYTE H77N-WIFI designed to offer a high level of connectivity, such as Intel® Wireless Display 2.0, Dual HDMI and Dual Gigabit LAN, in addition to its absolute compatibility with Windows 8.

Product ceded by:

These new boards are characterized by having the new Intel Z77 chipset. They are compatible with all "Sandy Bridge" Core I3, Core i5 and Core i7 and all "Ivy Bridge". The new chipset offers few features that differ from the Z68 Chipset, such as;

• Ivy Bridge LGA1155 processors. Native USB 3.0 ports (4). OC capacity. Maximum 4 DIMM modules DDR3. PCI Express 3.0. Digital phases. Intel RST technology. Intel Smart Response Technology (Z77 & H77). Dual UEFI BIOS. (Depends on model and manufacturer) Wi-Fi + Bluetooth (Depends on model and manufacturer).

Here is a table to see the differences between the current chipsets of socket 1155:

In fact we must remind our readers that 90% of P67 and Z68 boards are "Ivy Bridge" compatible with a BIOS update.

We also don't want to bore you with a lot of information, but we find it necessary to highlight the new advantages of the Ivy Bridge processor:

• New manufacturing system at 22 nm. Increasing the Overclock capacity and decreasing the temperature. New random number generator that was left outside of "Sandy Bridge". Increases the maximum multiplier from 57 to 63. Increases the memory bandwidth from 2133 to 2800mhz (In step of 200 mhz).Your GPU includes DX11 instructions increasing ~ 55% performance.

Now we include a table with the new models of Ivy Bridge 22nm processors:

Model	Cores / Threads	Speed ​​/ Turbo Boost	L3 Cache	Graphics Processor	TDP
I7-3770	4/8	3.3 / 3.9	8MB	HD4000	77W
I7-3770	4/8	3.3 / 3.9	8MB	HD4000	77W
I7-3770S	4/8	3.1 / 3.9	8MB	HD4000	65W
I7-3770T	4/8	2.5 / 3.7	8MB	HD4000	45W
I5-3570	4/4	3.3 / 3.7	6MB	HD4000	77W
I5-3570K	4/4	3.3 / 3.7	6MB	HD4000	77W
I5-3570S	4/4	3.1 / 3.8	6MB	HD2500	65W
I5-3570T	4/4	2.3 / 3.3	6MB	HD2500	45W
I5-3550S	4/4	3.0 / 3.7	6MB	HD2500	65W
I5-3475S	4/4	2.9 / 3.6	6MB	HD4000	65W
I5-3470S	4/4	2.9 / 3.6	3MB	HD2500	65W
I5-3470T	2/4	2.9 / 3.6	3MB	HD2500	35W
I5-3450	4/4	2.9 / 3.6	3MB	HD2500	77W
I5-3450S	4/4	2.8 / 3.5	6MB	HD2500	65W
I5-3300	4/4	3 / 3.2º	6MB	HD2500	77W
I5-3300S	4/4	2.7 / 3.2	6MB	HD2500	65W

GA-H77N-WIFI FEATURES
Processor	Support for Intel ® Core ™ i7 / Intel ® Core ™ i5 / Intel ® Core ™ i3 processors / Intel ® Pentium ® / Intel ® Celeron ® on LGA1155 L3 cache varies by CPU (Some Intel® Core ™ processors require a graphics card, see the “list of supported CPUs” for more information.)
Chipset	Intel® H77 Express Chipset
Memory	2 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 16 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 DDR3 1600/1333/1066/800 MHz memory modules * To support DDR3 1600 MHz, you must install an Intel 22nm (Ivy Bridge) CPU. Support for non-ECC memory modules Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules.
Integrated Graphics	Integrated Graphics Processor: 1 x DVI-I port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920 × 1200 2 x HDMI ports, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920 × 1200
Audio	Realtek ALC892 Codec: High Definition Audio. 2/4 / 5.1 / 7.1-channel. Support for S / PDIF Out.
LAN	2 x Realtek GbE LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)
Expansion Sockets	1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (The PCIEX16 slot conforms to PCI Express 3.0 standard.) * Whether PCI Express 3.0 is supported depends on CPU and graphics card compatibility.
Multi Graphics Technology	AMD CrossFireX ™ / NVIDIA SLI technology
Storage interface	2 x SATA 6Gb / s connectors (SATA3 0/1) supporting up to 2 SATA 6Gb / s devices 2 x SATA 3Gb / s connectors (SATA2 2/3) supporting up to 2 SATA 3Gb / s devices Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 * When a RAID set is built across the SATA 6Gb / s and SATA 3Gb / s channels, the system performance of the RAID set may vary depending on the devices being connected.
USB	Up to 4 USB 3.0 / 2.0 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header) Up to 6 USB 2.0 / 1.1 ports (4 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header)
Rear connectors.	1 x PS / 2 keyboard / mouse port2 x HDMI ports 2 x antenna connectors 1 x DVI-I port 2 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 ports 4 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 ports 2 x RJ-45 ports 1 x optical S / PDIF Out connector 5 x audio jacks (Center / Subwoofer Speaker Out, Rear Speaker Out, Line In, Line Out, Mic In)
BIOS	2 x 64 Mbit flash Use of licensed AMI EFI BIOS Support for DualBIOS ™ PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.6, ACPI 2.0a
Format	Mini ITX, 17.0cm x 17.0cm.

Intel® WiDi is a new technology that enables users to share content from the PC monitor with another compatible display or HDTV *. This not only eliminates the need for cables, but also allows you to play videos and movies on a screen in another room.

Intel® Wireless Display 2.0 technology supports screen resolutions up to 1080p, ensuring no loss of image quality, while HDCP 2.0 and 5.1 surround sound do the same with audio.

Distribution of high quality (HD) content from a PC from the office to the living room

GIGABYTE Miti-ITX Series 7 motherboards are ideal for mounting a PC at home for the office, living room or living room, connecting dual HD monitors via HDMI. A Dual LAN connection can be used to connect to broadband internet and the NAS while using Intel® WiDi to distribute HD content to the living room TV wirelessly. Note: Sound is heard from the TV through your speakers or an AV connection.

PC as Home Theater

A PC based on a GIGABYTE Series 7 Mini-ITX motherboard is the ideal supplement to any home Home Theater, sending content to an HD TV while maintaining an additional control screen that allows the user to monitor, manage and prepare the media stored or reproduced in streaming. The PC can also be connected to the broadband Internet, to act as a WiFi access point. Other HD TVs can receive content through Intel® WiDi in another room, such as the bedroom or kitchen.

A compact PC to play

GIGABYTE Series 7 Mini-ITX Motherboards are also the perfect platform to mount your own portable gaming PC. With an Intel® i7 Core ™ processor and Intel® HD4000 graphics or even a separate graphics card, the gaming performance is impressive coming from a Mini-ITX chassis. Consider the Z77N-WiFi when mounting the gear to take to your next LAN Party.

Gigabyte presents its product in a box with reduced dimensions. In it we can see all the most important characteristics and specifications.

The plate is perfectly protected to withstand any blow. As we see in the image, it includes a bag to avoid the static electricity that we release.

The bundle includes:

• Gigabyte H77N-Wifi Motherboard Instruction Manual and Quick Guide. 2 x SATA Cable. 2 x Wifi antennas. Back plate.

We are impressed by its small design since it is an ITX format motherboard: 17 x 17 cm. Its design is completely in black / metallic gray.

Back view.

As it is a board with the H77 chipset, no extra dissipation is required in the power phases. No need to worry because it incorporates Ultra Durable 4 technology.

Supports a maximum of 16GB DDR3 at 1.5v and 1600mhz speeds.

The incorporation of a WIFI wireless network card is already mandatory. Specifically, it has a very good one: Intel 2230BHMW 802.11 / b / g / n and two antennas to increase its power.

4 SATA ports and USB 3.0 connection.

Digital rear connection (DVI-HDMI), 2 network cards, 6 USB and sound card. PS2 connection very important?

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i5 3570k
Base plate:	Gigabyte H77N-Wifi
Memory:	Kingston Hyperx Predator
Heatsink	Corsair H60
HDD	Kingston Hyperx 120gb
Graphic card	Gigabyte GTX 660 Ti OC
Power supply	Thermaltake TouchPower 1350W

We have used a computer in its STOCK version, since we cannot overclock when canceling the H77 chipset. Here the results obtained:

TESTS
3dMark Vantage:	P28904
3dMark11	P8541
Heaven Unigine v2.1	2554 pts
Battlefield 3	50.4 fps
Lost Planet 2	100.3 fpS
Metro 2033	44 fps

The Gigabyte H77N-WIFI is an ITX format motherboard: 170 x 170mm, compatible with Ivy Bridge / Sandy Bridge, 16GB DDR3 1600mhz, PCI x16 port, 2 dual LAN card and 802.11N wireless network card with two antennas.

The limitation with the H77 chipset has not allowed us to overclock and our tests have been based on the stock values ​​of the processor and RAM memory. Having more than optimal results: 3DMARK11 P8541 and Lost Planet at 100 FPS on average.

To highlight the level of connectivity with SATA, USB 3.0, Wifi and Dual LAN connections. In other words, an excellent board for HTPC, daily work equipment or graphic design. All a success on the part of Gigabyte.

What I liked least was its very high price of € 129. And it is that the competition is around 80-90 € and the Z77 from 120 to 180 €.

In short, if you are looking for an ITX motherboard for multimedia use, home server or playing mid-range games, with a very stable BIOS the Gigabyte H77N-WIFI should be on your list.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ COMPONENTS.	- PRICE.
+ PCI-E 16X PORT.
+ SATA 6.0 AND MINIPCI CONNECTION.
+ WIFI CONNECTION AND DOUBLE ANTENNA.
+ UEFI BIOS.
+ DUAL LAN.

The Professional Review team awards him the gold medal