BIOSTAR, is a professional brand dedicated to the production of motherboards, gaming motherboards, SSD, graphics cards, industrial computing systems, IoT, crypto mining equipment, healthcare solutions and motor start battery. Since its establishment in 1986, BIOSTAR has become a major motherboard supplier in the IT industry. In order to pursue the best quality and aesthetic design, BIOSTAR has invested heavily in ID design, equipment, global marketing research as well as R&D. With a constant emphasis on quality, BIOSTAR always seeks to improve beyond better and race to the future.
│Mid-end positioning of motherboard capable of overclocking, complete functions
I believe that everyone has put a lot of effort into Intel’s brand-new 690 chipset, and this time we saw the B660GTA positioned in the mid-range chipset. The B660 chipset supports PCIe 5.0 & DDR5 (B660GTA only supports DDR4 slots), and also supports CPU and memory overclocking.
BIOSTAR launched the B660GTA motherboard this time. Compared with the previous generation 500 series, the biggest change is that the CPU fully adopts the new LGA1700 Alder Lake architecture and strengthens the power supply design. With a high-efficiency 70A inductor, integrated Dr. Mos and 10,000-hour solid capacitors, the CPU power supply is more stable and reliable. Wired networks also use 2.5G and support WiFi 6E. Generally speaking, under the powerful performance of the new generation of CPU, it can be said to be a big upgrade.
B660GTA specification:
Package : LGA1700 VRD : 20-phase Chipset : Intel® B660 Memory : 4 x DIMM, MAX 128GB Expansion slots : 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4) 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 Storage : 8 x SATA 6Gb/s 2 x M.2 PCIe 4.0(64Gb/s ) 1 x M.2 PCIe 3.0(32Gb/s ) & SATA(6Gb/s) 1 x M.2 Key E (Support WiFi 6E /BT Module) Network : Realtek® RTL8125B 2.5G Audio : Realtek® ALC1220 7.1ch Blu-ray Audio USB ports : USB 3.2 GEN2( 10Gb/s ) : 1(Type-C) + 6(1 x Type-C) USB 3.2 GEN1( 5Gb/s) : 2 + 0 USB 2.0 : 4 + 2 Internal display output : 1 x HDMI、1 x DP、1 x DVI-D Motherboard size : ATX (305 x 244mm)
│B660GTA inherits the excellent pedigree of Z690GTA RACING series add new power
↑ On the front packaging, the B660GTA inherits the style of the series, integrates elements of the racing and engine concepts↑ The back packaging is the main feature and detailed specifications of the B660GTA
The appearance of the motherboard adopts the standard version of ATX (320 x 244mm). It has two PCIe x16 slots (PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 4.0 respectively) and three M.2 slots. I/ O provides support for 5 USB 3.2 (Gen 2) and 1 USB 3.2 (Gen2) Type-C ports, which improves the transmission performance.
↑ B660GTA front
For PCIe, a total of two x16 slots are equipped with metal armor for enhanced protection. The first channel is drawn from the CPU. The actual bandwidth is x16, and it can support PCIe 5.0 with Alder Lake CPU Specifications, the second is to pull out the PCH, the highest speed is PCIe 4.0 x4, and two additional PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. The main body also has three M.2 slots, the first and second of which support PCIe 4.0 specifications, the third is PCIe 3.0, and the lanes support both PCIe and SATA. In addition, there is one dedicated for PCIe 4.0. The M.2 E-Key of the wireless network card and 8 SATA slots ensure that users have enough space for use.
↑ PCIe, M.2, and SATA slots all have metal armor reinforcement design
Basically, enough to meet the needs of installed and even high-end users, while the PCB board and M.2 heat sink are decorated with specially designed gray and cyan lines, and are equipped on the rear I/O cover and PCH heat sink. RGB LED lighting, the lighting can be adjusted through Vivid LED DJ, and the rear I/O also adopts the integrated baffle design used by high-end motherboards, making the installation more convenient.
↑ CPU MOS Heat sink close-up
CPU MOS The heat sink completely covers the parts of VCore and VCCGT in a whole, making the operation process at low temperature more stable and reliable.
↑ RGB Header Close-up, one +12V RGB and two +5V ARGB are located near the CPU socket on the upper right↑ After turning on the power, the blue matrix and RACING, which symbolize the speed, will give priority to the blue main color
│INTEL ALDER LAKE new architecture, power supply upgrade 17-phase Dr. MOS
B660GTA is BIOSTAR’s mid-to-high-end boards are equipped with 17-phase power supply and DIGITAL PWM to improve system efficiency and provide stable voltage output. With high-efficiency 70A inductors, integrated Dr. Mos and 10,000-hour solid capacitors, the INTEL ALDER LAKE series CPUs provide the most stable And durable power supply and efficiency.
↑ B660GTA LGA1700 CPU and its power supply
B660GTA inherits the design of Z690GTA, and is also equipped with finned heat sinks, I/O shells and PCH heat sinks. Equipped with RGB lights, when the power is turned on, the blue matrix and RACING, which symbolize the speed, will be mainly blue, giving the motherboard more weight and texture.
↑ B660GTA 4DIMM DDR4
Although the B660 chipset supports DDR5, the current price of DDR5 is relatively high. Biostar chose DDR4, which is affordable. 4 DIMM DDR4 can run up to 128GB of memory. The highest speed can reach 5000+Mhz, plus PCIe 5.0 function, B660GTA is better than competing products in performance. The use of series-finned radiator all-copper base and metal backplane design improves power supply efficiency and makes the overall temperature controllable. Extend the service life of the motherboard within a reasonable range.
↑ B660GTA I/O
The BIOSTAR RACING series is specially designed for players. In terms of storage, the RACING series adopts the excellent PCIe M.2 4.0 technology, providing a maximum transmission efficiency of 64Gb/s and a maximum of 8 SATA 6Gb/s connection ports. Additional functions such as CPU OPT connector, AI FAN and the BIOS EZ mode provides a series and expandability for RACING series motherboards, and there are 5 USB 3.2 (Gen 2) and 1 USB 3.2 ( Gen2) Type-C and other connection ports, the network is also upgraded to a combination of 2.5GbE LAN+Wi-Fi 6E, audio effects provide 7.1 channels of ALC1220 audio output for quick installation and system management. Allow players to realize the perfect computer.
↑ M.2 The two parts are covered by thermally conductive adhesive on the back, and both can be disassembled independently without affecting other armor parts
As mentioned in the preface, the CPU MOS part of Biostar B660GTA adopts the new Intel 12-generation architecture, solid capacitors, and a battery life of up to 10,000 hours. We can also see the same capacitance on the motherboard and the intermediate positioning board. There are also very high-quality materials. Compared with most mid-range motherboards that only use 5000 hours of variety, it can be seen that the materials used have exceeded those of the same level.
↑ Capacitive type, durability up to 10K hours
│Final words : CPU/ Memory liberation, mid-range motherboards can also provide high-quality performance
Intel this time on the LGA1700 chipset, the B-series B660 chipset, which is positioned in the mainstream, has lifted the memory frequency limit and made overclockable settings for the CPU. This can be said to be a good news for users. Buying high-end motherboards can still have decent hardware performance. At the same time, the design with 17-phase Dr.MOS power supply can also ensure sufficient and reliable power supply for the CPU itself. On the whole, it is a big upgrade compared to the previous generation. If you want to choose a motherboard with affordable positioning, high-quality materials and sufficient functionality, this time the B660GTA launched by BIOSTAR is definitely a good choice.
BIOSTAR, is a professional brand dedicated to the production of motherboards, gaming motherboards, SSD, graphics cards, industrial computing systems, IoT, crypto mining equipment, healthcare solutions and motor start battery. Since its establishment in 1986, BIOSTAR has become a major motherboard supplier in the IT industry. In order to pursue the best quality and aesthetic design, BIOSTAR has invested heavily in ID design, equipment, global marketing research as well as R&D. With a constant emphasis on quality, BIOSTAR always seeks to improve beyond better and race to the future.
INTEL has launched the 12th-generation Core processor code-named Alder Lake, and at the same time BIOSTAR announced the motherboard versions Z690 VALKYRIE, Z690A VALKYRIE and Z690GTA equipped with this processor, positioning the mainstream and high-end motherboards, and BIOSTAR motherboards have a clear product positioning. The Z690 VALKYRIE motherboard, named Valkyrie, is equipped with a 20-Phase power design and a 105A Dr. MOS design, which is supported by the VALKYRIE series of high-end products. It gives players powerful processor performance and supports DDR5 and PCIe 5.0. It is expected that its motherboard uses a PCB 8-layer board and a copper foil of up to 2Oz. It also uses an all-aluminum heat sink and an independent fan. The specifications are better than the previous generation Valkyrie. Both in terms of weight and sincerity, BIOSTAR Z690 VALKYRIE is this one. The price of the new generation of flagship motherboards will definitely give players another wave of popularity.。
Internal display output: 2x HDMI Port (2.0/1.4), 2x DP Port (1.4/1.2)
Expansion slots: 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16, x8 mode), 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4 mode)
Storage: 4x M.2 slot and 8x SATA (6Gb/s) port
Network: Realtek® RTL8125B 2.5GbE
Wireless: Intel Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v5.0
Audio: 7.1 Channels ALC1220, 1x SPDIF output
USB ports: 2x USB 3.2 (Gen2x2) Type-C (1 needs to be expanded), 9 x USB 3.2 Gen2 (2 needs to be expanded), 4 x USB 2.0 (4 needs to be expanded) Motherboard
Size: ATX (305 mm x 244 mm)
↑ The metallic LOGO on the front of the box highlights the VALKYRIE↑ It is marked Z690 VALKYRIE, which supports DDR5 and PCIe 5.0, on the back of the box
This time I will introduce BIOSTAR Z690 VALKYRIE first, let us unveil the new generation of Valkyrie:
Motherboards mainly use VALKYRIE as the high-end motherboard series of the INTEL platform. Therefore, as the flagship motherboard, Z690 has full sincerity and excellent cost performance. The Valkyrie Valkyrie flagship gives players a different experience in both performance and scalability.
↑ Z690 VALKYRIE front↑ Z690 VALKYRIE back
Z690 VALKYRIE is the highest-end board of Biostar. It is equipped with a 20-phase power designed and DIGITAL PWM to improve system efficiency and provide stable voltage Z690 VALKYRIE is the highest-end board of Biostar. It is equipped with a 20-phase power designed and DIGITAL PWM to improve system efficiency and provide stable voltage output. With 105A Dr. Mos and 20,000 hours of solid capacitors, it provides the most stable and reliable performance for INTEL ALDER LAKE SERIES CPUs. Durable power supply and efficiency.
↑ Z690 VALKYRIE 4DIMM DDR5↑ Z690 VALKYRIE Finned radiator combined with active heat dissipation and all-copper base
Z690 VALKYRIE supports DDR5 and can run up to 128GB of memory on 4DIMM. Its maximum speed can reach 6000+Mhz. With PCIe 5.0, Z690 VALKYRIE is superior to competitors in performance and technology. In addition, VALKYRIE series motherboards use fin type The radiator combines active heat dissipation and an all-copper base and metal backplane design to improve power efficiency, reduce overall temperature by 29.1%, and extend the service life of the motherboard.
↑ Z690 VALKYRIE has strong expandability
The Z690 VALKYRIE series is designed for players who pursue performance. In terms of storage, the VALKYRIE series adopts excellent PCIe M.2 4.0 technology, providing a maximum transmission efficiency of 64Gb/s and a maximum of 8 SATA 6Gb/s ports. Additional functions such as the CPU OPT connector, AI FAN and BIOS EZ mode provide flexibility and expandability to the VALKYRIE series motherboards, and the rear I/O provides 7 USB 3.2 (Gen 2×2) and 1 USB 3.2 (Gen2x2 ) Type-C and other ports, the network is also upgraded to a combination of 2.5GbE LAN + Wi-Fi 6E, audio effects provide 7.1 Channels ALC1220, 1x SPDIF optical fiber audio output for quick installation and system management. It allows players to easily create a perfect computer.
↑Z690 VALKYRIE 20-phase power designed and DIGITAL PWM
Z690 VALKYRIE has 20-phase power designed and DIGITAL PWM with CPU 8+8 pin power supply, and the same black and gold color motherboard as the previous generation, with finned heat dissipation and additional active fans, I/O shells and PCH heat sinks. In addition to the peach embellishment, it is also equipped with RGB color lighting. After the power is turned on, the golden light of the wings that symbolizes VALKYRIE makes the motherboard look more embarrassing; the back of the motherboard also maintains the previous generation design with a matrix-shaped heat sink. Make the motherboard more weight and texture.
In the upper right corner of the motherboard, in addition to the 4 DIMM DDR5 memory slots, there are ATX 24-pin power supply, USB 3.2 Gen 2 and USB 3.2 Gen 2X2 Type C docking stations; as well as ARGB, RGB pins and CPU FAN sockets.
The CPU LGA1700 pin is powered by the surrounding 20 phases, and the temperature is suppressed by fin-type heat dissipation and active fans. The I/O shell has VALKYRIE classic design and product model printing; the CPU power supply is 8+8 pin input.
At the bottom right corner of the motherboard, there are the basic 8 SATA 6Gb/s ports provided by the Z690 + CPU.
For PCIe expansion, the basic configuration is maintained, the first and second are PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16/x8 mode), and the third is PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4). The four M.2 slots have their own heat sinks, and the four M.2 supports PCIe 4.0 x4 and SATA SSD interfaces.
↑The bottom edge of the motherboard is Debug Code, front panel control pins, USB 2.0 and FAN in order from the right↑ Z690 VALKYRIE I/O
The back of the motherboard I/O also adopts an all-in-one design, giving 7 USB 3.2 (Gen2x2) and 1 USB 3.2 (Gen2x 2) Type-C, and the internal display is 2x DisplayPort 1.4/1.2 and 2x HDMI 2.1/1.4 output. There is also Wi-Fi 6E antenna and. The sound effect maintains 5 3.5mm output 7.1ch channels, and there is an SPDIF port
In addition to the above introduction of Z690 VALKYRIE’s general functions, specifications and appearance design, then the front shell and heat sink are removed to check what good materials are hidden on the motherboard.
↑LGA1700↑ 20-phase power designed↑105A Dr. MOS ↑DIGITAL PWM↑Z690 Chipset↑2.5GbE LAN↑PCIe5.0↑M.2 4. 0
After reading the above introduction, I think everyone must be looking forward to the official performance of the product, let us wait and see.
January 5, 2021, Taipei, Taiwan – BIOSTAR, an international manufacturer of high-end motherboards, gaming, and computer peripherals, officially released the B660 series motherboards. The new RACING B660 series motherboards support 12th Gen Intel processors and offer PCIe 5.0 support.
Among them are ATX motherboard B660GTA, Micore ATX motherboard B660GTQ and Mini ITX motherboard B660GTN, all of which are LGA1700 motherboards and equipped with B660 series chipsets. Today we will focus on the exciting features of B660GTN.
▲ Mini ITX B660GTN(Front/Back)
B660GTN Specifications
CPU： Intel Alder Lake processor (LGA1700) Chipset： Intel® B660 Chipset Memory： 2 x DIMM(MAX 64GB), Support DDR4 5000+(O.C) Expansion slots：1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Storage： 4 x SATA 6Gb/s 1 x M.2 PCI-E 4.0(64Gb/s) 1 x M.2 PCI-E 4.0(64Gb/s) & SATA(6Gb/s) (Back) Network： Realtek®RTL8125B (2.5 GbE LAN) Audio： Realtek® ALC1220 7.1ch Blu-ray Audio USB ports： USB 3.2 GEN2( 10Gb/s ) : 0+4 USB 3.2 GEN1( 5Gb/s ) : 2 + 0 USB 2.0 : 2+2 Internal display output : 1 x HDMI、1 x DP Size： Mini ITX (170 x 170mm)
▲ B660GTN & Z590I VALKYRIE
│Extreme Mini! B660GTN
B660GTN adopts Mini ITX design, this is not the first time that BIOSTAR has tried to design a motherboard on Mini ITX. On the flagship Z590 of the previous generation, BIOSTAR used Z590I VALKYRIE to create good results and won praise from many media at home and abroad. The experience is transplanted into the RACING series, and the B660GTN is launched to provide users with more special options in many motherboards.
▲ B660GTN Accessories
RACING B660GTN, the brand’s mid-level motherboard and belonging to the RACING series, uses Intel® B660 Chipset. The biggest change is that it supports PCIe 5.0 and can overclock the memory. With Intel 12th generation CPU, this Mini ITX is far better than before. Now, this generation would be stronger.
▲ Intel® B660 Chipset
The B660 platform is one of the best chipsets in the current mainstream platform. Many advanced designs are introduced mainly for the characteristics of Alder Lake processors. Among them, the PCIe 5.0 interface makes the design of small motherboards more difficult, because the performance of PCIe 5.0 is higher than the previous generation. High transfer speeds also mean that motherboards need to go through more design layers than ever to reduce interference. Secondly, the Alder Lake series achieves a maximum of 14 cores and 20 threads at a time, which is higher than the power requirements.
▲ Alder Lake的LGA1700 slot
Although the B660GTN is a mid-range motherboard, it is also a member of the RINCING series. It pursues the gamer’s desire for performance and execution speed. It is designed to accommodate the functions and materials of the ATX-class B660GTA motherboard in an ultra-small space, and finally achieve the more commonly used barebones specifications in the past. With the current quite powerful Alder Lake processor, as long as it is added as a graphics card, it can be easily meet the needs of most users, and because of its compact body, it can make more changes in space.
▲ Design of the B660GTN continues the style of the RACING series
The B660GTN is one of the few Mini ITX motherboards on the market today. It also features a B660 chipset with an 8+1 phase CPU VRM, which is more than enough for an Alder Lake processor, while enhancing durability and making the power supply relatively reliable.
17x17CM size with cover heatsink and integrated IO design, make the appearance and performance take into account. Even if you want to violently convert it into a water-cooled host, it is not a problem. Each slot has enough space without interfering with each other, allowing users to get good performance in a compact body.
▲ In response to INTEL Alder Lake, 10,000-hour solid-state capacitors are used
The design pattern of the B660GTN RACING is somewhat similar to the Z590I VALKYRIE, but in order to cope with Alder Lake, the power supply becomes extremely important, and for long-term use in a compact space, the B660GTN also provides a rugged high-endurance power supply, capacitance and heat dissipation. The chip is completely covered, and there will be no overheating during general use. For some extreme gamers, there is enough room for improvement and modification, allowing you to easily overclock in the future without the burden of heat dissipation.
▲M.2 Wrap-on design
The heat sink of the B660GTN is comparable to the flagship Z590I in terms of area and material, and it also takes into account the overall shape, and some details are still taken into account. For example, players can see that the heat sink on the M.2 is not only a The upper cover is only the upper cover, and the lower part is the covering design, so that the M.2 SSD is wrapped by the heat sink, which can also avoid interference with other parts and make the heat dissipation more stable.
▲ Laminar RH1 fan is awesome with B660GTN
We are using a Laminar RH1 fan, which is the tallest and largest of the three official models. With towering heatsinks and an all-copper base to support the Intel Core i9 CPU, cooling is definitely not sloppy. Yes, this also makes the location of the CPU quite conspicuous. The Laminar RH1 fan has a built-in RGB design, which emits a symbolic blue light (default) when in use, and is 100% compatible with RACING series motherboards.
▲ Use the original fan without worrying about interfering with the heatsink or memory
It can also be found that even if the original Laminar RH1 fan is installed, DDR and PCIe still retain a considerable amount of space, which will not cause too much burden on heat dissipation, and it is very convenient to install and will not be stuck.
▲ M.2 Heatsinks and Slots
For storage, B660GTN supports 2* M.2 SSD and 4* SATA. The installation position of the M.2 SSD is adjacent to the PCIe 5.0 X 16 position under the CPU mentioned in the introduction, and the other is on the back of the motherboard. Avoiding the location of the CPU fan also greatly reduces interference.
▲ The integrated I/O baffle is quite neat
As for the rest of the motherboard, it includes a CPU, a water cooling driver and a system for a total of three fan connectors. The rear panel includes one HDMI for APU video output, one DisplayPort, and four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ,two USB 2.0 Type-A and reserved network card slots supporting WiFi 6E with Realtek® RTL8125B (2.5 GbE LAN) Ethernet.
│Summarize
In most cases, DIYPC players mostly consider practicality and scalability when choosing a motherboard. After the advent of the new generation of INTEL600 series chips, these two requirements can be easily met, and support for PCIe 5.0 and DDR4 allows the performance to easily cope with various applications.
Mini ITX has a great advantage in size. The compact motherboard can accommodate 2*DDR, 1*PCIe, 2*M.2 SSD and a chassis of about 20 liters, which is more suitable for friends with tight space planning. suitable. For those players who are extremely modded, it can also provide maximum support, allowing modders to have a good space to play in terms of appearance and performance.
BIOSTAR B660GTN inherits the excellent design of Z590I VALKYRIE. While primarily geared towards moderate gamers, with Intel Alder Lake CPU bonus points, its performance is comparable to flagship models. If there is no workstation requirement, I believe that such a small host high-performance board is definitely suitable for you.
BIOSTAR, is a professional brand dedicated to the production of motherboards, gaming motherboards, SSD, graphics cards, industrial computing systems, IoT, crypto mining equipment, healthcare solutions and motor start battery. Since its establishment in 1986, BIOSTAR has become a major motherboard supplier in the IT industry. In order to pursue the best quality and aesthetic design, BIOSTAR has invested heavily in ID design, equipment, global marketing research as well as R&D. With a constant emphasis on quality, BIOSTAR always seeks to improve beyond better and race to the future.
CPU MOS 散熱片，整體上完整覆蓋 VCore 與 VCCGT 的部分，讓運作過程更加低溫穩定可靠B660GTN 雖為中階主機板但同為系列RACING系列的一員，追求的是玩家對於效能與執行速度的渴望，旨在超小尺寸的空間內容納ATX等級B660GTA主機板的機能與用料，最終達到過往較常用於準系統的規格，配合目前相當強勢的Alder Lake處理器，只要在加上一張顯示卡相信就能輕易滿足大多數的使用者，並且因為小巧的體機能在空間中做出更多的優化。
▲ B660GTN整體設計延續RACING系列風格
B660GTN是目前市場上為數不多的Mini ITX主機板，還搭載B660晶片組，擁有8+1 相 CPU VRM，對應Alder Lake處理器相當足夠，同時加強耐久度，讓電力供應也相對可靠。 覆蓋式的散熱片與整合的IO設計在緊湊的17x17CM尺寸下，讓外觀散熱與效能都能兼顧。 即便是想要暴力改裝成水冷主機也不成問題，各插槽皆有足夠的空間並不會互相干涉，讓使用者在小機身也能達到不俗的效能。
BIOSTAR, is a professional brand dedicated to the production of motherboards, gaming motherboards, SSD, graphics cards, industrial computing systems, IoT, crypto mining equipment, healthcare solutions and motor start battery. Since its establishment in 1986, BIOSTAR has become a major motherboard supplier in the IT industry. In order to pursue the best quality and aesthetic design, BIOSTAR has invested heavily in ID design, equipment, global marketing research as well as R&D. With a constant emphasis on quality, BIOSTAR always seeks to improve beyond better and race to the future.
Test results of the TZ590-BTC DUO mining, summarized as follows:
Configuration: MB :TZ590-BTC DUO BIOS: Z59AF929.BSS CPU: I5-10400 DDR: DDR4 16GBx2 (memory should not be less than 8GB) VGA: 3pcs_Nvidia 3060 + 6pcs_Nvidia 3070
(1) The virtual memory must be set under Win10 and Win11 (the setting method is the same)
※Attached is the setting method and location of virtual memory under Win11.
9pcs VGA card, you need to set up a virtual memory of 45GB or more, otherwise an error will appear when you run the mining software
※Therefore, the virtual memory is set to 45X1024=46080
win11 setting for memory
(2) 9 graphics cards need about 1800W, so use two 1200W power supply combinations, one power supply 1200W connected to 5 graphics cards, the other 1200W connected to 4 graphics cards.
(3) After booting into the HiveOS, the screen goes black (OS version: hiveos-0.6-208-stable-20210818). The external graphics card does not have this problem.
It is determined that it should be a Hive OS problem. Currently, Z590/Z690 chip VGA driver is not supported. After a period of time, let’s see if there are any improvements in the new version.
BIOSTAR 