Biostar announced two new motherboards in the mini-ITX form factor with support for LGA 1151 socket processors. The Racing Z270GTN and Racing B250GTN support the Intel Z270 and B250 chipsets, respectively, and offer two 5050 LED headers to "bring more colorful lighting options to DIYers."
The Racing Z270GTN supports up to DDR4-3200 RAM, whereas the Racing B250GTN is restricted to DDR4-2400. Besides the differences in supported memory and compatible chipsets, the motherboards are pretty much the same, with identical expansion slots and I/O. The other main difference is the Racing Z270GTN's support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10, as well as Intel Rapid Storage Technology, so far as storage goes.
Both of these motherboards arrive shortly after Biostar released a bunch of new AM4 motherboards--three in the ATX form factor and three more in micro-ATX--as well as a couple of boards for the B250 chipset. All of them have been outfitted with what Biostar calls the 5050 LED Fun Zone (the two 5050 LED headers mentioned above) and let you use the bundled Vivid LED DJ software to customize your lighting with various colors and effects.
Biostar didn't announce pricing or availability for the Racing Z270GTN or Racing B250GTN.
| Model | Racing Z270GTN | Racing B250GTN |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Intel Z270 | Intel B250 |
| Form Factor | Mini-ITX | Mini-ITX |
| CPU Support | Intel LGA 1151 socket processors | Intel LGA 1151 socket processors |
| Memory Support | Dual Channel DDR4 1,866/2,133/2,400/3,200 (OC)2x DDR4 DIMM Memory Slot, Max. Supports up to 32 GB MemoryEach DIMM supports non-ECC 4/8/16GB DDR4 module | Dual Channel DDR4 1,866/2,133/2,4002x DDR4 DIMM Memory Slot, Max. Supports up to 32 GB MemoryEach DIMM supports non-ECC 4/8/16GB DDR4 module |
| Expansion Slot | 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 Slot | 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 Slot |
| Storage | 4 x SATA III (6Gbps): Supports AHCI, RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, and Intel Rapid Storage Technology1 x M.2 - Key M (32Gbps): Supports PCI-E, SATA SSD, and Intel Optane Technology1 x U.2 (32Gbps): Supports Intel Optane Technology | 4 x SATA III (6Gbps): Supports AHCI1 x M.2 - Key M (32Gbps): Supports PCI-E and SATA SSD 1 x U.2 (32Gbps): Supports Intel Optane Technology |
| USB | 6 x USB 3.0 port (4 on rear I/Os and 2 via internal headers)4x USB 2.0 port (2 on rear I/Os and 2 via internal headers) | 6 x USB 3.0 port (4 on rear I/Os and 2 via internal headers)4x USB 2.0 port (2 on rear I/Os and 2 via internal headers) |
| LAN | Intel i219V10/ 100/ 1000 Mb/s auto negotiation, Half / Full duplex capability | Intel i219V10/ 100/ 1000 Mb/s auto negotiation, Half / Full duplex capability |
| Rear I/O | 1 x PS/2 Mouse / Keyboard1 x DVI-D Port1 x HDMI Port4 x USB 3.0 Port2 x USB 2.0 Port1 x LAN Port5 x Audio Jack1 x S/PDIF Out Port | 1 x PS/2 Mouse / Keyboard1 x DVI-D Port1 x HDMI Port4 x USB 3.0 Port2 x USB 2.0 Port1 x LAN Port5 x Audio Jack1 x S/PDIF Out Port |
| Internal I/O | 4 x SATA III Connector (6Gbps)1 x U.2 Connector (32Gbps)1 x M.2 - Key E Slot : Supports 2230 Wi-Fi1 x USB 2.0 Header (each header supports 2 USB 2.0 ports)1 x USB 3.0 Header (each header supports 2 USB 3.0 ports)1 x 8-Pin Power Connector1 x 24-Pin Power Connector1 x CPU Fan Connector1 x System Fan Connector1 x Front Panel Header1 x Front Audio Header1 x Clear CMOS Header2x 5050 LED Header | 4 x SATA III Connector (6Gbps)1 x U.2 Connector (32Gbps)1 x M.2 - Key E Slot : Supports 2230 Wi-Fi1 x USB 2.0 Header (each header supports 2 USB 2.0 ports)1 x USB 3.0 Header (each header supports 2 USB 3.0 ports)1 x 8-Pin Power Connector1 x 24-Pin Power Connector1 x CPU Fan Connector1 x System Fan Connector1 x Front Panel Header1 x Front Audio Header1 x Clear CMOS Header2x 5050 LED Header |
| Integrated Video | By CPU modelSupports DX12Supports HDCP | By CPU modelSupports DX12Supports HDCP |
| Audio Codec | ALC892 7.1 Channels, High Definition Audio, Hi-Fi (Front) | ALC892 7.1 Channels, High Definition Audio, Hi-Fi (Front) |
