EVGA Z170 Classified K Motherboard Review

Dual channel memory comes standard on the Skylake processor and the Z170 Classified supports standard speed DDR4 modules up to 2133Mhz with overclocking support beyond 3600Mhz.  A maximum of 64GB is addressable with the proper module density.  

Benchtop controls are located in the upper right of the motherboard next the memory slots and near the 24 pin power connector.  These consist of power, reset and CMOS clear.  Nearby you'll find a dual purpose debug LED that reads off post codes during boot and later relays CPU temp. 

Some of the common overclocking controls have been removed on the Classified K.  For instance there are no voltage test points and the PCI Express disable switches have been removed.  On the regular Classified you will get a triple BIOS switch which has been reduced to two on the Classified K.  One of them is removable just in case you have a double failure flashing your board.

Internal SATA connections number six and follow the new SATA6 connection standard.  Two of the standard SATA6 ports are dedicated to SATA Express from the chipset.  There are two additional SATA ports to the right that are controlled by an onboard ASMedia controller which also provides USB 3.1.

The Z170 chipset comes with 20 PCI Express 3.0 lanes which happen to be more than you get from the Skylake processor.  Unlike the CPU bandwidth the chipset PCIe is intended for connectivity and storage.  You will find a total of three M.2 slots on the motherboard with an interesting formula to determine bandwidth and what is disabled during use.  The upper Key-M shares bandwidth with the onboard SATA while the lower Key-M shares with the PCI Express 4x slot in the middle of the board.  Key-E, along the left, is shorter but also pure PCI Express.