BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z87X 3D motherboard Review

Conclusion

The BIOSTAR HiFi Z87X 3D is not the first HiFi board from BIOSTAR but it has become the Stellar Feature of their motherboards. In most motherboard reviews, we usually don’t really test the audio portion as we would usually connect it via HDMI to TV or Amplifier. With the HiFi 3D, BIOSTAR has changed that audio output from the backplane audio ports.

BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z87X3D plays back vocals in it’s entirety even via Apple’s iPhone earpiece. We played back both Celine Dion “Because you Loved me” . The bass is nice and treble is crisp. The vocal is simply amazing. With Smart Preamp turned on ( in the software Smart Ear 3D), the audio is raised to another level. Although it might sound very subjective, you ought to try it out as it is not just another audio equalizer software.

We also played back Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting”. The piano interlude and guitar accompaniment is crisp clear and the Richard Marx‘s vocal is simply fantastic. I have never heard anything that before from a PC.  Both audio files are played back via Spotify. Imagine if it is the original audio CD. As a comparison, the same tracks were played on my HP notebook with Beats Audio turned on for a comparison test. I prefer the Biostar HiFi Z87X 3D over Beats Audio.

Performance of this board is on par with other boards. The benchmark numbers are also pretty decent as we used the integrated graphics for the tests.

As for features, the board supports Lucid MVP 2.0, SmartSpeedLan which prioritises traffic, USB 3.0, BIO-Remote2. Not many manufacturers include Lucid MVP 2.0 support on their boards. Depending on what you use the board for, the MVP feature comes in handy if you wish to upgrade and mix and match graphics cards for better performance using HyperFormance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=WxrihGqaqc4

Installation is a breeze with Biostar boards. There are colour coded front panel connectors, Power On/Off and ClearCmos buttons. It is straightforward to get the machine up and running within minutes once the CPU and PSU are installed.

Documentation and Packaging are above average. It would be nice to bundle a ear piece or a discount coupon for a headset as the selling point of the product is on it’s audio.

In Conclusion, I think BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z87X 3D is a product that is a board where you get what you pay for. There is no reason to pay a high price for a motherboard with features you do not require. BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z87X 3D has done that and done it well.

I give it our Gold Award.

We will do a giveaway of this lovely motherboard (worldwide) if our FACEBOOK LIKES reaches 2000.

Pros :

Smart Ear 3D
Power On/Off switch

Cons:

No Help menu in software

Pricing
BIOSTAR HI-FI Z87X 3D LGA1150