Biostar Introduces Racing Series Motherboards For Z170, H170, B150 Chipsets

By Rexly Peñaflorida
published

Biostar ended 2015 with the release of not one, but three new motherboards for the Z170, H170 and B150 chipsets as part of its brand new "Racing" series, so aptly named due to the checkered flag pattern that dominates the board.

Other features for the new motherboards include what Biostar calls Racing I/O Armor, which protects the I/O port and other components on the board from both static and dust. LED lights are also included, with the option to attach additional LED strips straight to the motherboard (a 5050 header is required for the strips). All of the lighting can be controlled with the Vivid LED DJ software.

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Biostar Racing Series MotherboardsZ170GT7B150GT5H170GT3
CPULGA 1151 ProcessorLGA 1151 ProcessorLGA 1151 Processor
Power9-phase7-phase7-phase
ChipsetZ170Z170 / B150Z170 / B150
Solid cap100% Solid100% Solid100% Solid
Memory4xDIMM, supports DDR4-32004xDIMM, supports DDR4-21334xDIMM, supports DDR4-2133
Expansion Slot4 x PCI-E x16 3.03 x PCI-E x1 3.01 x M.2 32Gb/s (42/60/80mm)2 x PCI-E x16 3.01 x PCI-E x1 3.03 x PCI2 x PCI-E x16 3.02 x PCI-E x1 3.01 x M.2 32Gb/s (42/60/80mm)
Audio7.1ch Blu-ray Audio w/ Double Hi-Fi7.1ch Blu-ray Audio w/ Double Hi-Fi7.1ch Blu-ray Audio w/ Hi-Fi
LANIntel i219VIntel i219VIntel i219V
Storage3 x SATA Express 16Gb/s4 x SATA 6Gb/s1 x SATA Express 16Gb/s2x SATA 6Gb/s1 x SATA Express 16Gb/s
VideoDVI-D, 2 x HDMI, VGADVI-D , HDMI, VGADVI-D , 2*HDMI
USB 3.1 / 3.0 / 2.01USB 3.1 (TYPE C )8USB3.0 (2+5)4USB 2.0 (4+0)6USB3.0 (2+4)6USB 2.0 (4+2)8USB3.0 (4+4)4USB 2.0 (2+2)
FeatureVivid LED DJ/ Smart Ear/BIO-Remote2 / BIOS Online UpdateVivid LED DJ/ Smart Ear/BIO-Remote2 / BIOS Online UpdateVivid LED DJ/ Smart Ear /BIO-Remote2 / BIOS Online Update

The company also added a GT Touch feature, which allows you to change the board’s overall performance. Sports Mode provides a boost in performance, which should be useful for intense gaming sessions, while Eco Mode puts a focus on reducing the motherboard’s overall energy consumption.

There’s also the Dual BIOS technology, which Biostar said ensures recovery if the main BIOS fails. This eliminates the need for you to return the hardware back to the factory in the event of a corruption or failure issue, or at least Biostar hopes.

Biostar didn’t provide an exact release date or price for any of the motherboards, only stating that it will be available “soon.”

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Rexly Peñaflorida
Topics
Motherboards
14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Mac266
    It looks ridiculous.
    Reply
  • turkey3_scratch
    Eh, the thing is, I don't think i have ever seen a Biostar motherboard recommended or even being used by a poster on this site since I've been on here since August 2014. I really wonder who's buying these motherboards?

    Of course, that's unrelated to these particular motherboards, but there definitely are reasons why Biostar is totally unpopular.
    Reply
  • Math Geek
    love to see one of these reviewed. have not seen anything worthwhile from them in a quite a while and wonder how they are coming along
    Reply
  • Shankovich
    Looks like the cover of a SNES game...don't know why....
    Reply
  • HeatherHaze
    This such a "me too" motherboard, it just screams notice me with its poor aesthetics. Take the look and feature set of other manufacturers and water it down to Biostars level and then ta-da this board
    Reply
  • whassup
    Why a Motherboard needs fancy eye soaring designs ?? Make it simple, functional and quality made than giving the Motherboard artistic looks. You never going to place the naked motherboard on to showcase or in living room.
    Reply
  • mamasan2000
    Why a Motherboard needs fancy eye soaring designs ?? Make it simple, functional and quality made than giving the Motherboard artistic looks. You never going to place the naked motherboard on to showcase or in living room.

    What? I take my mobo everywhere. I even bathe with it. I'ts so beautiful. I just wanna look at it all the time. Selfies with me and the motherboard. Family portraits with only me and the mobo, the centerpiece on any table!

    Yeah, I don't care about aesthetics much either, placement of fan headers and Sata-connectors, number of USB-headers. Don't care for anything else.
    Reply
  • blazorthon
    Eh, the thing is, I don't think i have ever seen a Biostar motherboard recommended or even being used by a poster on this site since I've been on here since August 2014. I really wonder who's buying these motherboards?

    Of course, that's unrelated to these particular motherboards, but there definitely are reasons why Biostar is totally unpopular.

    Actually, Biostar can be very underrated. They have some good boards and I do recommend them on occasion. They are not very consistent about the quality, but the same is true for the other motherboard manufacturers, especially with the lower end boards where Biostar is mostly around. Not even getting an Asus or such comes anywhere near guaranteeing a board that isn't absolute garbage.

    Why a Motherboard needs fancy eye soaring designs ?? Make it simple, functional and quality made than giving the Motherboard artistic looks. You never going to place the naked motherboard on to showcase or in living room.

    You say this as if it's just Biostar doing this. All of the other big motherboard manufacturers make boards like this. Why are people specifically mocking Biostar about this when they aren't the only ones doing it, nor are they even the first? Furthermore, a huge portion of system builders use windowed cases specifically so people can look at the components so this is hardly surprising.

    HeatherHaze is the only one here who is negative about it for a real reason. Many other motherboard companies such as MSI, Asus, and Gigabyte are offering motherboards like this that have "armor" of some sort and significant LED lighting. Unfortunately, the "me too" attitude is sometimes what many businesses need to do with changing trends among their customers, so here's Biostar doing it too.

    Personally, I don't care for it, but a lot of people do.
    Reply
  • Avus
    I will choose Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Asrock or even EVGA before I consider Biostar. Go to newegg.com and search for Intel CPU motherboard from Biostar, you will only find 5 low end models... May be they are big in Asia but definitely not popular in North America. Good luck for them...
    Reply
  • rolli59
    Great job Biostar, At least you are not calling it gaming this or that like every other manufacturer!
    Reply