Conclusion:
No matter how you look at it, the Hi-Fi Z97WE seems to be a pretty good deal and offers a very affordable option for anybody trying to get their hands on Intel’s Z97 chipset. It also offers support for Intel’s future broadwell CPU’s as well as next generation storage devices. So for those of you who were worried about not being prepared for future generations of tech, fear not because Biostar loaded this board with all the latest hardware. When dealing with most motherboards in this price range, you usually see more basic specifications. This is not the case for the Hi-Fi Z97WE though, this board comes loaded with all the specs you see in most of the higher end boards and with the upgraded audio, this board will be hard to beat for it’s price.
Having all the latest specs is definitely a bonus, but when you get down to it, a motherboard is the central part for using and pushing all of your computer hardware to the highest potential possible, which makes firmware an essential part in doing so. Unfortunately, this seems to be where the Hi-Fi Z97WE has it’s shortcomings. For all the competitive hardware that is included with the Hi-Fi Z97WE, it’s being held down with the accompanying firmware. Which will likely cause frustration for less experienced users and disappointment for the more experienced PC enthusiasts. For those of you on a strict budget and can see past the firmware restrictions, it will be hard to find a board that can compete with the Hi-Fi Z97WE within it’s price range, which you can find on Newegg for $114.99.
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Techware Labs Rating:7 out of 10
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