Introduction

Our second look at recently annouced Intel Z77 Express products comes from Biostar, in the form of the TZ77XE4. The Biostar TZ77XE4 is another high-end Intel Z77 Express product like the ECS board we've already previewed, but Biostar's take on Z77 has a slightly different slant, and offers a feature set that is quite a bit different from the ECS product.

Biostar has been in the motherboard business for quite some time, but their entry into the enthusiast market is still relatively new, and as such, they've had a few "growing pains", but today they present a completely different look and quite a mature package, one that really suits the "high-end enthusiast" moniker, but at the same time it still rings true with Biostar's company mantra of providing top-level, high quality products that do not break the bank while doing so.

Specifications

Packaging

The Biostar TZ77XE4 arrived on my doorstep in a new box design for Biostar, quite separate from the designs they used for products launched in 2011. The grey box is quite busy, with 20 technology logos on the bottom half surrounding the product name, which makes the "TOverclocker" logo across the top half of the box stand out even more than it would normally, looking like Thor's hammer come down to smite the competition. The rear of the box contains the standard brief desciptions of some of the technology present in the Biostar TZ77XE4, along with various certifications and previous awards along the bottom.


Upon opening the box I found the box goodies on top, separated from the board itself by a protective cardboard layer. The board below is wrapped nicely in my favorite type of anti-static bag, which allows easy inspection of the board without having to remove the bag.