Gadgetory

what's up guys Ibrahim with hardware connects and we're gonna start our CES coverage of something interesting for you guys now you may be wondering why I'm recording our coverage here in the studio rather than you know Las Vegas and the reason is NZT sent there a new product to me before the show and we the team here at Harbor Canucks want to get this coverage to you guys as soon as possible now in the past we've seen case and cooler manufacturers moving to simple secondary markets like peripherals and gaming chairs but NZXT is daring to be different with their latest introduction this is the n7z 370 motherboard yeah it certainly isn't what you were expecting from NZXT but this thing sure looks good subjectively I think this is one of the best-looking motherboards we've seen in a really long time but will it be enough to actually compete with companies like ASIS MSI asrock and Gabe byte who have been around for a long long time and have some serious experience with building motherboards our CES 2018 coverage is brought to you by fantex Corsair and Coolermaster with that out of the way let me say that this isn't a review since I didn't have the time to test out the n7 before leaving to CES however our motherboard reviewer Patrick is hard at work overclocking and testing this board so expect that content really soon on our website physically the n7c 370 does look a lot like the Asus Tough Series ports since it has an armor like covering that covers almost all of the PCB but unlike the EZ 370 tough these metal pieces are completely modular and they aren't designed to enhance cooling keeping with the brand identity the main covers are available in white or black meanwhile the hits and covers will come in a glossy blue red or purple finish that will coordinate with NZXT these cases basically the hope is that you'll be able to buy all the most visible components like a motherboard case cooling fan and power supply front NZXT so everything looks like it belongs together from a feature standpoint I would actually call this a bit of a bare-bones motherboard that puts looks and compatibility with NCATS ecosystem above overclocking capabilities more about NZXT ecosystem a bit later but taking a tour around the board or two PCIe x16 slots that operated 8 X 8 X when dual graphics cards are installed there are two empty slots below the metal casing and underneath one of those slots you'll also find an LED post readout it's been oddly placed below the lower PCI slot connectivity is a bit challenge to since the n7 only offers four SATA 6 gigabits per second outputs and no internal headers for USB 3.1 gen2 the lack of Gen 2 support is a huge miss in my opinion since if NZXT decides to add a USB 3.1 gen2 header to their cases fund panels in the near future this motherboard will natively supported there are some good additions here though like the onboard power reset buttons a dual BIOS setup a ROM backup button and a real tech a LC 1220 codec with aneasha on gold capacitors the rear i/o is a bit basic - and it doesn't feature any USB 3.1 gen2 connectors or type-c ports disappointing in my opinion by this point you're probably wondering what makes the n7z 370 special well according to NZXT this is the first motherboard to fully integrate their cam hue plus and great plus eco systems with those modules natively added to this board you'll have quick and easy access to two lighting channels through hue and six independent fan channels through great plus all of that can be control through can't of course even though our testing for the n7 isn't done I'm not quite sure if NZ sees exclusive features on this motherboard will be enough to justify its $300 price tag it really does look amazing but actually taking full advantage of cam and hue means you'll have to remain in the NZXT ecosystem while they do offer a ton of products that's a bit limiting you'll also need to go without USB 3.1 gen2 Auto overclocking capabilities and other things these more expensive z 370 boards are known for but let us know what you think about this motherboard in the comments down below are the sacrifices worthy of the amazing design do you think NZXT will be successful with their first venture into the motherboard arena that's for you to tell us i'm eber with harbor connects and stay tuned for more content from CES throughout this week you