EVGA Z77 FTW Motherboard Review

Dual channel memory comes standard on the Ivy Bridge and the Z77 FTW supports DDR3 modules at 2133Mhz+ with a maximum of 32GB usable.  24pin ATX power is located in the traditional location near the upper edge of the motherboard and is oriented 90 degrees to help with cable routing and airflow. 

Internal SATA connections number eight.  The black connections are SATA3 spec while the red connections follow the new SATA6 connection standard direct from the Z77 chipset.  Above the SATA connections you will find a series of jumpers which are how you can disable any of the PCI Express slots for debugging purposes.  It also gives you a convenient way to run multi card benchmarks without having to tear everything down.

The I/O panel is rather self explanatory.  On the panel you will find a single PS/2 port for keyboard connection followed by six USB 2.0 and four USB 3.0 ports, Dual Ethernet, Digital audio, eSATA, CMOS reset and 8-channel analog audio.  The small connection located between the secondary Ethernet and analog audio block is a Thunderbolt connection using mini display port.