The Intel DQ77KB is the first of its kind to hit retail channels, an energy efficient mini-ITX motherboard powered externally and supporting a selection of Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge based CPUs.
January 10, 2012 by Lawrence Lee
Product | Intel DQ77KB LGA1155 Mini-ITX Motherboard |
Manufacturer | |
Street Price | US$140 |
The mini-ITX motherboards we usually come across fall in to one of two groups. First there are the energy efficient models with embedded processors e.g. Intel Atom, used to power basic nettop and compact media PCs. Then there are those that are simply mini-ITX versions of regular desktop motherboards, offering the same potential horsepower in a much smaller package. The Intel DQ77KB is a very different animal, an unusual board that has a foot in each camp.
Intel DQ77KB: Specifications (from the product web page) | |
Form factor | Thin Mini ITX |
AA# (Altered Assembly) | G40294-401 |
BIOS ID string | KBQ7710H.86A |
Processor | At product launch, this Intel® Desktop Board DQ77KB supports: > Intel® Core™ i7, Intel® Core™ i5, and Intel® Core™ i3 vPro™ processor series in the LGA1155 package |
Memory | > Two 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets > Support for up to DDR3 1600/1333 MHz > Support for up to 16 GB of system memory |
Chipset | > Intel® Q77 Express Chipset |
Audio | Intel® High Definition Audio (Intel® HD Audio) subsystem in the following configuration: > Four-channel (2+2) |
LAN support | Dual Gigabit Intel® (10/100/1000 Mbits/sec) LAN subsystem using two Intel® Gigabit Ethernet Controllers |
Peripheral interfaces | > Four USB 3.0 ports (4 external ports with 2 supporting high power charging) > Five USB 2.0 ports (5 via internal headers) > Four Serial ATA ports: 2 internal connectors (6.0 Gb/s), 2 internal connectors (3.0 Gb/s) |
Expansion capabilities | > One PCI Express* 2.0 x4 connector (from CPU) > One PCI Express* full length mini connector (support mSATA) > One PCI Express* half-length mini connector |
Warranty | > 3-year warranty (BOX/BLK) > Standard Warranty Replacement (SWR) |
If we told you that the DQ77KB was an LGA1155 model with support for Intel’s Sandy and Ivy Bridge processors, you might assume it’s yet another board with all the trimmings for users building SFF gaming PCs and the like but this couldn’t be further from the truth. For one thing, CPU support is restricted to parts with TDPs of 65W or lower, limiting processor selection to premium quad core “S” and “T” series chips and of course dual core models. It’s also driven by external DC power rather than an internal ATX unit so monster power supplies are out of the question, and with it the prospect of a high-end graphics card, not that it has a PCI-E 16x slot to support this in the first place. A PCI-E 4x slot is offered instead as well as the option for a pair of mini PCI-E devices.
Like many of Intel’s products, the DQ77KB is designed for businesses, more specifically those who require very small and energy efficient PCs but also a decent level of performance. The Q77 chipset sports various management, security, and virtualization features and the board has been outfitted with a pair of Intel gigabit ethernet adapters and additional display output options including LVDS and eDP (embedded DisplayPort). It’s not targeted at consumers or enthusiasts but as it breaks down the high and low power paradigms that we’ve gotten accustomed to, it undoubtedly has some crossover appeal.
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The board has an unusual layout with the socket rotated 90 degrees from its usual orientation on larger boards and is shifted in position toward the right side. It’s a low profile model as well so it uses slimmer DDR3 SO-DIMMs, though heatsink height can be an issue depending on the case.
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A single SATA connector directly on the board provides all the power for any peripherals. A daisy chain cable with multiple SATA plugs is provided which can be problematic if you require molex power (molex to SATA adapters are not very common). The board also ships with a pair of SATA data cables, an HDMI to DVI adapter, and both a full-sized and low profile I/O shield.
PHYSICAL DETAILS
Given all the features, the surface of the Intel DQ77KB is jam-packed with components and nothing is where one would expect it to be, aside from the PCI-E 4x slot. Additional connectivity is provided by two mini PCI-E
slots (one half-height, one full-sized), four SATA ports (two 3 Gbps, two 6 Gbps), and a pair of 4-pin PWM fan headers.
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BIOS/UEFI
Given the focus on low power operation, the DQ77KB doesn’t sport the usual set of enthusiast BIOS/UEFI options found on larger, mainstream models. The only performance settings of note are memory frequency (1066, 1333, and 1600 MHz), memory voltage (1.20 to 1.80 V), and basic memory timing control. The fan control and monitoring options are more comprehensive, using a similar interface to those from Intel’s more mainstream motherboards.
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The monitoring section of the BIOS/UEFI has a leg up on most, with temperature readings for both the memory and voltage regulators. While this is useful to know, these extra sensors can also be used as variables for the fan control system.
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The board has two 4-pin PWM fan headers each with its own customizable settings. Interestingly users can designate a primary and temperature input sensor for the fan to react to, so for example, the CPU fan can be set to spin up when the CPU heats up, while the speed of a case fan can be tied to the PCH temperature. However, you can’t define your own temperature targets — you tell it what to respond to and the BIOS/UEFI takes care of it automatically. Adjusting the minimum and maximum fan speeds is permitted but there’s noting to adjust its aggressiveness.
TEST METHODOLOGY
Test Setup:
- Intel Pentium G2120
processor – 3.1 GHz, 22 nm, 55W, integrated Intel HD graphics - Scythe Kabuto
CPU cooler – stock fan at 800 RPM - Mushkin Enhanced Blackline SO-DIMM memory – 2x4GB, DDR3-1600, 9-9-9-24
- Western
Digital Scorpio Blue notebook hard drive – 500GB, 5400RPM,
8MB cache - Asus
BC-08B1ST Blu-ray drive - Great Wall GA120SC1 DC power supply – 120W
- Microsoft
Windows 7 operating system – Ultimate, 64-bit
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Measurement and Analysis Tools
- CPU-Z
to monitor CPU frequency and voltage. - CPUBurn
CPU stress software. - Prime95
CPU stress software. - FurMark
GPU stress software. - Cyberlink
PowerDVD 10 to play video. - CrystalDiskMark benchmarking tool for storage devices.
- SpeedFan
to monitor system temperatures and fan speeds. - Seasonic
Power Angel AC power meter, used to measure the power consumption
of the system. - Icy Dock MB981US32-1S eSATA/USB 3.0 dock to test storage subsystems.
- Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB solid state drive to test storage subsystems.
Testing Procedures
If available, the latest motherboard BIOS is installed prior to testing. Certain services/features
like Indexing, Superfetch, System Restore, and Windows Defender are disabled
to prevent them from causing spikes in CPU/HDD usage. We also make note if energy
saving features like Cool’n’Quiet/SpeedStep or S3 suspend-to-RAM do not function
properly. If a WiFi adapter is present, it is disabled unless the system lacks wired ethernet.
Our main test procedure is designed to determine the overall system power consumption
at various states (measured using a Seasonic Power Angel). To stress the CPU, we
use either Prime95 (large FFTs setting) or CPUBurn depending on which produces higher system power consumption. To stress the IGP, we use FurMark, an OpenGL benchmarking and stability testing utility.
Finally, storage subsystems are tested briefly using CrystalDiskMark (1000 MB of 0x00 fill test data) and a Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB solid state drive. For USB and eSATA we use an external eSATA/USB 3.0 dock to connect the drive.
TEST RESULTS
Power Consumption
As the DQ77KB uses an external DC power source we compared its power consumption to a group of mini PCs with varying levels of CPU power. The processors used in this comparison group range from the relatively slow Atom N2600 to the formidable quad core Core i5-2500S. The CPU we paired with the DQ77KB is an Ivy Bridge part, the 55W dual core Pentium G2120 which runs at 3.1 GHz.
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Note: that all the systems above were tested with different power supplies of varying efficiency, so consider these numbers a rough comparison.
In light load situations (idle and playing H.264 video), our system used less than 20W which is higher than most of the nettops we’ve recently reviewed. However, considering it was equipped with an off-the-shelf desktop processor running at more than 3 GHz, it’s an impressive result, though not unprecedented. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M91p SFF PC we examined last year came very close in idle draw. The M91p had similar hardware including a a laptop-style motherboard with SO-DIMM memory, and a hefty DC power brick, though it was armed with the much more capable Core i5-2500S, a 65W part. It’s also important to note that while these figure are promising, they still don’t hold a candle to real mobile hardware like the internals of the Intel NUC DC3217BY. The NUC idles at just 10W or 40% less than the DQ77KB/G2120.
Its efficiency on heavy load was more of an eye-opener, just 41W with the CPU stressed to its theoretical limit, and 56W total with the GPU thrown into the mix as well. It’s especially surprising considering the Pentium G2120’s rated TDP is 55W and that our numbers are in AC, not accounting for the inefficiency of the power supply. For an entire system to draw that much for the wall is simply amazing. This is probably more of a compliment to the CPU rather than the board however.
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SATA Performance
As the DQ77KB uses the same native SATA controller as the rest of Intel’s 7 series, it’s a known quantity. It scores very well in CrystalDiskMark, eclipsing AMD’s latest controllers in almost every test and is especially dominant in big block writes with large deep queues, an operation frequently used on servers with multi-user access.
USB 3.0 Performance
Our experience with Intel’s native USB 3.0 controller is less reliable, with the odd board sometimes mysteriously producing poor results despite using the same hardware. In the DQ77KB’s case, USB 3.0 performance was on target aside from a slight slow down in large block writes.
Software & Fan Control
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For utilities, ASUS has AI Suite, Gigabyte has EasyTune, and Intel has IDU (Intel Desktop Utility) but it’s not nearly as powerful or easy to use. The layout itself is rather ugly, littered with small text, and lacking the polish ASUS has implemented over the years. Gigabyte’s software is unattractive as well but at least it’s functional. IDU depicts sensor information and allows you to dictate warning types and levels but like the UEFI/BIOS, there are no options for overriding the board’s fan control.
Furthermore, despite enabling the board’s fan controls in the UEFI/BIOS, we weren’t able to observe it in action. We put the CPU and GPU and full load and the fans we had connected would not speed up from their minimum settings. We even removed the fan from the CPU heatsink, allowing the CPU to heat up to almost 80°C before it stabilized. Either the controls were malfunctioning or it takes an even higher temperature before they will respond.
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If you’re working in a Windows environment, SpeedFan comes to the rescue once again. It has access to the same sensors as IDU, though they are mislabeled, but also includes two working fan controls. To activate
fan control, locate the “Nuvoton NCT6776F” chip in the Advanced tab of the
configuration menu and change PWM modes 1-2 from “Smart Fan IV” to “Manual.” This will unlock complete speed control for both headers though it should be noted that the CPU_FAN header does not support 3-pin fans, running them at full speeds at all times.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Outfitted specifically for business users, the Intel DQ77KB comes with the usual management and security features, plus size and energy efficiency, and the potential for a heavier performance punch than the typically weak mini PC fare, namely machines using Intel Atom chips and AMD’s low-end APUs. The dream of a very compact, low power system with real desktop speed is one that is shared by many DIY PC users and the DQ77KB makes that dream a real possibility. It has the distinction of delivering the best performance experience we’ve had on a sub-60W draw desktop configuration.
The only issue we encountered was with the limited automated fan control system which lacks the ability customize the temperature at which the fans ramp up from their minimum speeds. In fact, we were unable to get them to do so, even under severe thermal duress. This is surprising as the issue it can result in instability, something that is not synonymous with the Intel brand. The software included doesn’t do anything to address this either. As for the physical hardware there’s not a whole lot to complain about.
If for whatever reason, you prefer discrete graphics, the PCI-E 4x slot is an obstacle to be overcome as the vast majority of video cards use a 16x interface. The bandwidth of PCI-E 4x and the capacity of DC power adapters also limits the class of card that can be used, so any notion of serious gaming should be tossed out the window. The DQ77KB also has many features that will never be taken advantage of by most home users. The various extras provided by the Q77 chipset, the second gigabit ethernet controller, and the onboard display headers are all likely to sit unutilized by the average PC enthusiast.
While you might not get as much value out of it as a mainstream board, it’s par for the course when it comes to SFF PCs. Most of the components needed to fill out these types of systems also carry price premiums: low TDP processors, notebook memory, slim optical drives, mSATA drives, mini PCI-E accessories, low profile coolers, etc. The thing is, the DQ77KB isn’t just small, it fits a very narrow niche for which many users will be happy to open their wallets.
Our thanks to Intel
for the DQ77KB CPU/motherboard sample.
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