As the power consumption and heat generation of PC hardware gradually decrease, mini PCs have become increasingly popular. Today, I would like to introduce the Colorful iGame Z270I-WF GAMING motherboard, which is designed for high-performance mini PCs. Unlike other motherboards equipped with Intel’s Z270 chipset, this motherboard is very affordable, priced at only 999 yuan.
Basic Parameters
Socket: LGA 1151
Form Factor: Mini-ITX
Chipset: Intel Z270 Chipset
Memory Slots: DIMM×2 (up to DDR4 3466)
Graphics Slot: PCIe 3.0 x16×1
Expansion Interfaces: SATA 6Gbps×4, M.2×2
Audio Chip: Realtek ALC1150 8-channel audio chip
Network Chip: Intel I219-V & Realtek RTL8118AS Gigabit Ethernet + Intel Wireless-AC 3165 Wireless Card
I/O Ports: USB 3.0×5, USB 3.0 Type-C×1, USB 2.0×2, PS/2×1, DP×1, HDMI×1, LAN×2, S/PDIF×1, virtual 8-channel audio jacks
Reference Price: 999 yuan
Pros:Affordable price, equipped with dual Gigabit network cards and wireless card
Cons:Power supply circuit generates slightly higher heat
The Colorful iGame Z270I-WF GAMING adopts a Mini-ITX form factor design. Despite its small size, its configuration is impressive. First, it is equipped with the Intel Z270 chipset and has 2 memory slots that can reach DDR4 3466, as well as a PCIe 3.0 x16 graphics slot. In terms of storage interfaces, this motherboard has 2 M.2 slots, which are designed on both sides of the motherboard due to space limitations. Additionally, it is equipped with 4 SATA 6Gbps interfaces, sufficient for everyday user needs.
▲ The back of the motherboard is equipped with 1 M.2 slot
In terms of functionality, this motherboard is equipped with an Intel I219-V Gigabit Ethernet chip and also has a Realtek RTL8118AS Gigabit Ethernet chip. Moreover, it uses an Intel Wireless-AC 3165 wireless card, supporting 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.2. To meet user demands for gaming audio, the Colorful iGame Z270I-WF GAMING is also equipped with a Realtek ALC1150 audio chip with a signal-to-noise ratio of 115dB and professional-grade Nichicon electrolytic capacitors in its audio system.
▲ Overview of the I/O ports
From the power supply perspective, this motherboard adopts a 6-phase power supply circuit design and is equipped with 2 heat sinks. The main control chip for the power supply circuit is the ISL69137 from Intersil, while the MOSFETs use a 1 up and 2 down design. The upper bridge is from SM4377 and the lower bridge is from PK650BA from Nexperia. Additionally, the power supply circuit also uses I.P.P. inductors, CapXon solid-state capacitors, and other components. In our tests, we used Prime95 In-place large FFTs to stress test the Intel Core i7-7700K processor for half an hour. Throughout the test, the system remained stable without any crashes or instability. However, the highest temperature of the power supply circuit was slightly high, reaching 83.5℃ in an environment with a room temperature of 23℃.
▲ This motherboard adopts a 6-phase power supply circuit design, composed of ISL69137 main control chip, SM4377 and PK650BA MOSFETs, I.P.P. inductors, and CapXon solid-state capacitors.
In the performance testing phase, we tested this motherboard with an Intel Core i7-7700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, and Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR4 3466 memory kit.
With XMP mode enabled, the Intel Core i7-7700K can reach a maximum frequency of 4.5GHz, achieving single-thread and multi-thread scores of 2248 and 9913 respectively in CPU-Z Bench. The Super Pi one million digit calculation took 8.157 seconds, and the CINEBENCH R15 multi-thread rendering performance scored 971cb, while 3DMark Fire Strike scored 17130 points.
Since this motherboard is equipped with the Intel Z270 chipset, its overclocking performance is naturally a key focus of our assessment. With an air cooler, we set the CPU voltage to 1.35V, and the system could boot normally at a frequency of 4.8GHz. Additionally, we adjusted the frequency to 4.7GHz, and the processor successfully completed all our test projects and passed the Prime95 In-place large FFTs stress test for half an hour.
Furthermore, with the support of the Colorful iGame Z270I-WF GAMING, the Intel Core i7-7700K showed varying degrees of performance improvements. For example, the CPU-Z Bench multi-thread performance increased from 9913 to 10614, SiSoftware Sandra arithmetic processor test scores improved by 7%, and other project test scores also showed varying degrees of enhancement.
▲ After a half-hour stress test with Prime95 In-place large FFTs, the highest temperature of the power supply circuit was 83.5℃, indicating slightly high heat generation.
In summary, the Colorful iGame Z270I-WF GAMING motherboard not only performs well in leveraging the capabilities of its components but also has certain overclocking capabilities. Its wireless card, dual Gigabit network cards, and audio system can also ensure a good gaming experience for players. If you are considering building a high-performance gaming mini PC, this Z270 motherboard priced at only 999 yuan is worth considering.
