Six $220-280 Z77 Express-Based Motherboards, Reviewed

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Expanded graphics card support, enhanced on-board features that include Thunderbolt on some models, and more-robust voltage control are all good reasons to consider paying a little extra for a higher-end motherboard. Today we examine five top choices.

Z77 OC Formula Software

We’re trying to not redundantly cover software in this month’s round-up, but instead focus on changes. For example, ASRock’s “Formula Drive” adds an alternative GUI to its already-familiar Extreme Tuning Utility.

A thermal sensor map makes it easy to find anomalies; this is the one new feature we found in ASRock's "Formula Drive" software.

ASRock’s bundled RAM drive is still found within its overclocking software suite. In addition to traditional applications, such as adding swap space, the company's implementation lets users of 32-bit operating systems access memory above and beyond the 4 GB limit as if it were available drive capacity.

ASRock’s other bonus applications are also found on the Z77 OC Formula’s installation disc, including Norton Internet Security nag-ware and Smartview with its horribly-persistent Zynga links.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.