Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 7 Motherboard Review

We measured the power consumption with the system resting at the Windows 7 desktop, representing idle values.

The power consumption of our entire test system (at the wall) is measured while loading only the CPU using Prime95′s in-place large FFTs setting. The rest of the system’s components were operating in their idle states, hence the increased power consumption values (in comparison to the idle figures) are largely related to the load on the CPU and motherboard power delivery components.

Despite featuring an add-on SATA chipset and a Killer E2201 NIC, Gigabyte's Z97X-Gaming 7 motherboard displays pleasing power consumption numbers. Only MSI's Z97 Gaming 5 can provide lower power draw, thanks to its limited operation of add-on controllers.

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