Test System

Initial Setup

Initial setup and testing was uneventful with the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X. I noticed a regular Turbo profile, pictured in the CPU-Z screenshot above. Things worked as they should at stock - with no surprises.


Installation was quite easy, but I noticed little issues with heatsink clearance, or making the most use of all the provided slots. There's a PCIe x1 slot up on top for a wireless card or something similar, and dual VGA spacing is good as well.

Power Consumption

We measure CPU power consumption since one of our first tasks is to truly verify system stability. I isolate the power coming through the 8-pin ATX connector using an in-line meter that provides voltage and current readings as well as total wattage passed through it. While this may not prove to isolate the CPU power draw in all instances, it does serve as a good indicator of board efficiency and effective VRM design. I also measure total system power consumption, which allows you to get an idea of how much power the board and all installed devices draw.


Idle power consumption for the Biostar Hi-Fi Z77X's VRM was right near the top, which is very good. At the same time, full system power consumption was perfect, something I did not expect at all. I mentioned that the VRM design changes Biostar made were going to take them a long ways towards becoming far more efficient after being one of the worst in my review of the Biostar TZ77XE4, and the Hi-Fi Z77X does manage to post the best result ever.


Load power consumption was the best yet, and a big part of that is, based on the numbers provided, clearly due to the simplistic board design Biostar has adopted.