EVGA Z270 FTW-K Initial Installation
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EVGA Z270 FTW-K Initial Installation

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EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277)
User Guide
EVGA Z270 FTW-K
Specs and Initial Installation
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Summary of Contents for EVGA Z270 FTW-K

  • Page 1 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) User Guide EVGA Z270 FTW-K Specs and Initial Installation - 1 -...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Motherboard Specifications ....................- 6 - Unpacking and Parts Descriptions ................- 9 - Intel Z270 FTW-K Motherboard LED reference ..............- 10 - Intel Z270 FTW-K Motherboard Component Legend ............- 14 - PCI-E Slot Breakdown ....................... - 26 - M.2 and U.2 Slot Breakdown .....................
  • Page 3 Have a question not covered above, or want some online resources? ......- 144 - POST Beep codes ......................- 145 - POST Port Debug LED ....................- 146 - POST Codes ......................- 147 - EVGA Glossary of Terms ....................- 152 - Compliance Information ..................- 155 - - 3 -...

  • Page 4: Before You Begin

    Killer E2400 NIC and an Intel i219, Dual M.2 Key-M, U.2, SATA Express and much more! Lastly, a motherboard is only as good as its BIOS, and the EVGA Z270 FTW- K features an updated UEFI\BIOS GUI with a focus on overclocking and functionality in a lean, straight-forward package.

  • Page 5: Parts Not In The Kit

     Monitor  (Optional) Optical Drive  EVGA assumes you have purchased all the necessary parts needed to allow for proper system functionality. For a full list of supported CPUs on this motherboard, please visit www.evga.com/support/motherboard Intentions of the Kit...

  • Page 6: Motherboard

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Motherboard Motherboard Specifications Size:  ATX form-factor of 12 inches x 9.6 inches (305x243.8mm) Microprocessor support:  Intel Socket 1151 Processor Operating Systems:  Supports Windows 10 / 8 / 7 Contains Intel Z270 chipset ...
  • Page 7 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) SATA Ports:  Intel Z270 PCH Controller 6x SATA 3/6G (600 MB/s) data transfer rate - Support for RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, AND RAID10 - Supports hot plug 2x SATA Express - SATA Express is shared with 2 SATA ports. SATA Express 0 uses SATA 1/0, and SATA Express 1 uses SATA 5/4.
  • Page 8 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Additional Expansion Slots:  2x M.2 Key-M 110mm slot (Shared with SATA 4/5 for top M.2 and 0/1 for bottom) 1x M.2 Key-E slot (Shared with PE3) 1x U.2 slot (Shared with PE1) Integrated Video Out: ...

  • Page 9: Unpacking And Parts Descriptions

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Unpacking and Parts Descriptions The following accessories are included with the EVGA Z270 FTW-K Motherboard: - 9 -...

  • Page 10: Intel Z270 Ftw-K Motherboard Led Reference

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Intel Z270 FTW-K Motherboard LED reference The EVGA Z270 FTW-K Motherboard has several LEDs indicating power, connectivity, and activity. Below is the location of the LEDs and their function. - 10 -...
  • Page 11 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Component Legend P o wer B utto n 5VSB 1 3. M .2 So cket 1 -WiFi 2. Reset B utto n 1 4. M .2 So cket 1 - B lueto o th 3.
  • Page 12 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 8. VCC a. RED: Voltage detected (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec, only that this specific voltage is detected) 9. VSM a. YELLOW: Voltage detected (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec, only that this specific voltage is detected) 10.
  • Page 13 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 16. POST Code indicator a. After bootup, this will display the CPU temp. b. During boot it will cycle many different hexadecimal post codes with a range of 00-FF and this indicates what aspect of the Power On Self Test (POST) is currently running.

  • Page 14: Intel Z270 Ftw-K Motherboard Component Legend

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Intel Z270 FTW-K Motherboard Component Legend The EVGA Z270 FTW-K Motherboard with the Intel Z270 and PCH Chipset. Figure 1 shows the motherboard and Figure 2 shows the back panel connectors FIGURE 1. Z270 FTW-K Motherboard Layout...
  • Page 15 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Component Legend CP U So cket 1 1 51 1 2. M .2 So cket 3 Key-M 1 1 0mm 23. USB 3.0 Headers Intel Z270 P CH (So uthbridge) 1 3. M .2 So cket 1 Key-E 24.
  • Page 16 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Figure 2. Chassis Rear Panel Connectors I/O Hub Legend 1. USB 3.0 5. Intel i219 NIC 9. Optical Out 2. USB 3.1 Type-A 6. Killer E2400 NIC 10. Analog Audio Jacks 3. USB 3.1 Type-C 7.
  • Page 17 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Component Legend Descriptions 1. CPU Socket 1151 This is the interface for the Central Processing Unit (CPU), and supports Pentium, Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 models compatible with the Intel 1151 Socket and Skylake or Kaby Lake-S architecture.
  • Page 18 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 3600MHz speeds; however, these speeds cannot be guaranteed as Intel only ® certifies the speed of the memory controller up to 2133MHz for Skylake and 2400MHz for Kaby Lake-S. 6. 24-pin ATX power connector The main power for the motherboard is located on the right side of the board and perpendicular to the PCB;...
  • Page 19 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 9. Intel SATA 6G/SATA Express (shared) Ports SATA Express is a newer and faster standard to improve the performance of SSDs, as SATA can sometimes be the bottleneck for newer and faster devices. The Intel Z270 PCH uses a 6-port SATA 3/6G controller. Each SATA Express device requires a cable that uses the SATA Express port, as well as two additional SATA ports (See Page 51 for specifics on the connectors).
  • Page 20 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) This socket will support Key-M devices of 110mm, 80mm, 60mm, and 42mm length. 13. M.2 Socket 1 Key-E 32mm M.2 Key-E is largely used for WiFi and Bluetooth cards. Key-E and Key-M connectors are different, meaning that devices are not interchangeable between sockets.
  • Page 21 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 17. PCI-E Slot x4 PCI-E x4 slot uses up to 4 lanes from the PCH. This slot is typically used for sound cards, WiFi, USB, or other peripheral cards. Because this slot uses PCH bandwidth, this will have *NO EFFECT* on the bandwidth or throughput of the x16 slots used for SLI.
  • Page 22 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) clear CMOS button will normally allow you and your system back into the default BIOS. 22. Debug LED / CPU Temp This is a two-digit POST code reader, displaying in hexadecimal, which means the characters available (when working as intended) are 0-9, A-F and has a cap of 255 characters.
  • Page 23 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 25. Backlit Audio Traces Isolating audio traces reduces or eliminates electrical noise from the onboard audio when running multiple devices at a very high frequency. The combination of CPU and graphics card frequencies and/or SLI can cause static, channel crosstalk, or other audio anomalies.
  • Page 24 BIOS failures, bad BIOS flashes, BIOS corruption, etc. This feature also allows EVGA to work with end-users if something happens to render the BIOS chip unusable or a BIOS update is needed for CPU compatibility; rather than...
  • Page 25 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Card Slots The Z270 FTW-K features three x16 PCI-E slots, one x4 PCI-E slot, one x1 PCI-E slot, two Socket 3 Key-M M.2 110mm (backwards compatible with Key-M 80mm, 60mm, and 42mm), and one Socket 1 Key-E M.2.

  • Page 26: Pci-E Slot Breakdown

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) PCI-E Slot Breakdown PCI-E Lane Distribution (All Socket 1151 processors are 16 lanes.) PE1 – x4 (Gen3, x4 lanes from PCH, shared with U.2)  PE2 – x16 (Gen3, x16 lanes from CPU, x8 shared with PE4) ...

  • Page 27: Preparing The Motherboard

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Preparing the Motherboard Installing the CPU Be very careful when handling the CPU. Hold the processor only by the edges and do not touch the bottom of the processor. Note: Use extreme caution when working with the...

  • Page 28: Installing The Cpu Cooling Device

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 5. Align the notches on the CPU to the notches in the socket. 6. Lower the processor straight down into the socket. Note: Make sure the CPU is fully seated and level in the socket.

  • Page 29: Installing System Memory (Dimms)

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Installing System Memory (DIMMs) Your Z270 FTW-K has (4) 288-pin slots for DDR4 memory. These slots support 4GB, 8GB and 16GB DDR4 DIMMs. There must be at least one memory slot populated for the board to boot and operate.

  • Page 30: Installing The I/O Shield

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Installing the I/O Shield The motherboard kit comes with an I/O shield that is used to block internal components from dust and foreign objects, while also promoting correct airflow within the chassis. Before installing the motherboard, install the I/O shield from the inside of the chassis.

  • Page 31: Securing The Motherboard Into A System Case

    Once all screws are properly threaded, remember to go back and tighten the rest of the screws. 6. See the picture below for a zoomed-in view of a hole to place over a standoff, as well as the locations of standoff holes for the Z270 FTW-K. - 31 -...
  • Page 32 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 1. All safe locations to secure the board to a standoff are circled above in red. 2. Keep in mind that when the screws are installed, but not fully tightened, the motherboard should have 1-2mm of movement; this can help with mounting cards or tight-fits with other components.

  • Page 33: Installing M.2 Devices

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Installing M.2 devices Securing a M.2 device to the motherboard requires a few extra steps compared to other current drive or slot-based connectors. M.2 devices used on this motherboard, Socket 3 (for SSDs) and Socket 1 (for WiFi/Bluetooth), will be installed and attached the same way.
  • Page 34 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 3. Gently push the M.2 device down on the raised end. There will be some tension - this is normal - then use the screw you removed in Step 2 to secure the device.
  • Page 35 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Incorrect installation Example: *NOTE* This is one of the most common examples of an incorrect installation of a M.2 device. Do not intentionally attempt this, or complete your installation with this example. Doing so could cause damage to the device or the M.2 port.

  • Page 36: Tested Cpu And Memory

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Tested CPU and Memory Core Count Frequency PCI-E Lanes KabyLake-S Core ™ i7 7700K 4 Cores + HT 4.20 GHz Core ™ i7 7700 4 Cores + HT 4.00 GHz Core ™ i5 7600K 4 Cores 3.80 GHz...
  • Page 37 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Vendor Part Number Size Frequency Slot Timing Voltage CORSAIR CMV8GX4M1A2133C15 2133 15-15-15-36 1.2V CORSAIR CMV8GX4M1A2133C15 2133 15-15-15-36 1.2V CORSAIR CMK32GX4M4A2133C13 2133 13-15-15-28 1.2V CORSAIR CMK32GX4M4A2133C13 2133 13-15-15-28 1.2V CORSAIR CMK16GX4M4A2133C13 2133 13-15-15-28 1.2V CORSAIR CMK16GX4M4A2133C13...
  • Page 38 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Vendor Part Number Size Frequency Slot Timing Voltage mushkin Blackline 997199F 2400 15-15-15-35 1.2V G.SKILL F4-2400C15D-8GRR 2400 15-15-15-35 1.2V G.SKILL F4-2666C15Q-16GRR 2666 15-15-15-35 1.2V G.SKILL F4-2666C15Q-16GRR 2666 15-15-15-35 1.2V G.SKILL F4-2666C15Q-32GRR 2666 15-15-15-35 1.2V G.SKILL...

  • Page 39: Tested U.2

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Vendor Part Number Size Frequency Slot Timing Voltage CORSAIR CMD16GX4M4B3000C15 3000 15-17-17-35 1.35V G.SKILL F4-3000C15Q-16GRR 3000 15-15-15-35 1.35V G.SKILL F4-3000C15Q-16GRR 3000 15-15-15-35 1.35V Kingston HX430C15PBK4/16 3000 15-16-16-39 1.35V Kingston HX430C15PBK4/16 3000 15-16-16-39 1.35V CORSAIR CMK16GX4M4B3000C15...

  • Page 40: Tested M.2 Key-M

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Tested M.2 Key-M M.2 Key M (SSD) : Brand Part Number Size Interface Samsung MZ-HPU128T/004 128G 128GB Samsung MZ-HPV1280 SM951 128GB Intel SSDSCKHW120A4 120GB Transcend TS128GMTS800 128GB Samsung MZ-HPU128T/004 128GB Kingston SHPM2280P2H/240 240GB M.2 + PCIE Adapter Card...

  • Page 41: Connecting Cables

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Connecting Cables Important caveat: the images below do *NOT* necessarily represent the physical orientation of the your specific header on motherboard. Rather, these are physical representations designed to give you a basic physical footprint of the component AND the cable pinouts for the ports.
  • Page 42 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 24pin ATX Power (ATX_PWR_24P) is the main power supply connector located along the lower- ATX_PWR_24p right edge of the board. Make sure that the power supply cable and pins are properly aligned with the connector on the motherboard. Firmly plug the power supply cable into the connector and make sure it is secure.
  • Page 43 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) EPS 8-pin 12V Power (PWR , the 8-pin ATX 12V power connection(s), is used to provide EPS PWR 8P power to the CPU. Align the pins to the connector and press firmly until seated. The secondary EPS, if present, is optional for improved overclocking.
  • Page 44 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Front Panel Header The front panel header on this motherboard is used to connect the following four cables: PWRLED  Attach the front panel power LED cable to these two pins of the connector.
  • Page 45 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Fan Header This motherboard line only has 4-pin fan headers, which are backwards compatible with 3-pin fan connectors. Fans may be controlled by PWM or DC controls. The headers have an absolute safe power limit of 1 Amp @ 12 Volts (12 Watts).
  • Page 46 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) USB Headers This motherboard contains USB 3.1 and 3.0 ports that are exposed on the rear panel of the chassis. The motherboard contains 2x 19-pin internal header connectors onboard that can be used to connect an optional external bracket containing up to four (4) USB 3.0 ports.
  • Page 47 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The motherboard contains 1x 9-pin internal header connectors onboard that can be used to connect an optional external bracket containing up to four (4) USB 2.0 ports. Secure the bracket to either the front or rear panel of your chassis (not ...
  • Page 48 Front panel audio connectors support different audio standards and can provide two kinds of audio output choices: HD Audio, or AC’97 to accommodate older cases that still use AC’97 rather than HD. The Z270 FTW-K only has a HD Audio front panel connector.
  • Page 49 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) S/PDIF Header The S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) is used for specific Audio- Out applications, typically for using an audio pass-through device. - 49 -...
  • Page 50 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 6-pin PCI-E The 6-pin PCI-E connector present on the motherboard provides additional power to the PCI-E slots, rather than pulling it all from the 24-pin main power. It is advised to plug in this connector when using SLI, especially with higher-end graphic cards.
  • Page 51 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Drive Headers (SATA/SATA Express/U.2) SATA3/6G is the current standard for HDD/SSD/Optical interface. These cables are the data interconnect for the motherboard. Your HDD/SSD/Optical interface will still require a separate power connection from your power supply.

  • Page 52: Onboard Buttons

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Onboard Buttons These onboard buttons include RESET, POWER and Clear CMOS. These functions allow you to easily reset the system, turn on/off the system, or clear the CMOS. Clear CMOS Button The motherboard uses CMOS RAM to store set parameters.

  • Page 53: First Boot

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) First Boot When you power the system on for the first time (or after a BIOS update/reset) it may take a little longer than expected, and follow with a pause and message on the screen reading “BIOS Checksum error, Press F2 to continue or F12 to enter the BIOS.”...
  • Page 54 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Next, click “Boot” from the menu list at the top. “Boot Option #1” should show the device that you intend to install your operating system. If the device does not show up in this menu, and is a standard SSD/HDD plugged into a SATA port, proceed down to “UEFI Hard Disk Drive BBS Priorities”...

  • Page 55: Ssd, Pci-E Ssd, And Nvme Ssd Installation Steps

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) M.2 SSD, PCI-E SSD, and NVMe SSD Installation steps M.2 is a card bus that can use multiple connecter types to connect many types of devices, such as WiFi or SSDs, in a very small and power efficient package that is also very fast.
  • Page 56 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) PLEASE FULLY READ THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH YOUR M.2 or PCI-E NVMe SSD BEFORE INSTALLATION. 2. After reviewing your SSD’s instructions and its respective Physical installation instructions above, power on the PC and enter the BIOS/UEFI by pressing the F2 key repeatedly.

  • Page 57: Internal Raid Controller

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Internal RAID Controller This section introduces RAID, RAID levels, and the basics of the controller integrated into the PCH. It covers the basics of what RAID does, how RAID works, and why you may or may not want to use RAID.
  • Page 58 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) its quality, and many other factors; but the number should give you a ballpark estimate on what to expect as a final capacity once formatted. Please see below for examples of what to expect when you build an array of each type.
  • Page 59 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) one drive fails, the array fails. It MAY be possible to recover the data but that usually requires a data recovery service, which is not guaranteed and is usually very expensive. RAID0 is typically only limited by the controller; however, you will get severely diminishing performance returns after 4 drives.
  • Page 60 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) RAID 0 (4 Drive) P-DRIVE1 P-DRIVE2 P-DRIVE3 P-DRIVE4 P-DRIVE1 P-DRIVE2 P-DRIVE3 P-DRIVE4 DATA-A DATA-B DATA-C DATA-D DATA-A DATA-B DATA-C DATA-D DATA-ABCD DATA-ABCD P-DRIVE1 P-DRIVE2 P-DRIVE3 P-DRIVE4 P-DRIVE1 P-DRIVE2 P-DRIVE3 P-DRIVE4 DATA-A DATA-B DATA-C DATA-D...
  • Page 61 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The Bad-  RAID1 is not a storage capacity-friendly array, because the capacity will be limited to 1 drive. o Due to the capacity available on modern drive solutions, this issue may not be as significant as it once was.
  • Page 62 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Similar to RAID1, or any other current type of array with fault tolerance, a RAID5 array is still usable even while it is experiencing a missing or failed drive resulting in the array functioning in a degraded state. Performance will suffer in a degraded state until the missing drive is replaced and the software rebuild process is completed.
  • Page 63 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) L-DRIVE = ≃ 3TB RAID 5 (4 Drive) P-DRIVE1 P-DRIVE2 P-DRIVE3 P-DRIVE4 P-DRIVE1 P-DRIVE2 P-DRIVE3 P-DRIVE4 P-DRIVE1 P-DRIVE2 P-DRIVE3 P-DRIVE4 DATA-A DATA-B DATA-C DATA-A DATA-A DATA-B DATA-C DATA-A DATA-A DATA-B DATA-C DATA-A DATA-B DATA-C...
  • Page 64 L-Drive = DATA-AB L-Drive = DATA-AB While the Z270 FTW-K controller will support a four or six drive RAID10 array, RAID10 can scale indefinitely provided the controller supports more drives. Every pair of drives adds an additional mirrored node, which increases the theoretical number of failures the array can suffer before a loss of data occurs.
  • Page 65 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) RAID 10 (6 Drive) L-DRIVE = ≃ 3TB In the case of a drive P-DRIVE1 P-DRIVE2 P-DRIVE3 P-DRIVE4 P-DRIVE5 P-DRIVE6 failure, the array P-DATA-A P-DATA-A P-DATA-B P-DATA-B P-DATA-C P-DATA-C controller will notify you. When you replace a...
  • Page 66 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) RAID0+1 : RAID0+1 is a form of nested RAID that was widely used on previous generation boards. Although the Z270 series motherboards do not use this type of array, it is listed here to show the improvements made by RAID10, and to clear up a common misperception that RAID0+1 and RAID10 are the same.
  • Page 67 L-Drive = DATA-AB L-Drive = DATA-AB Motherboard controllers that support RAID0+1 (such as on older generation EVGA motherboards) will generally support 4 or 6 drive arrays of this type; other controllers can allow this array type to scale indefinitely. Each pair of drives adds to the drive count for the stripes and increases the theoretical volume of failures the array can suffer before a loss of data occurs.
  • Page 68 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) L-DRIVE = ≃ 3TB RAID 0+1 (6 Drive) As you can see, the P-DRIVE1 P-DRIVE2 P-DRIVE3 P-DRIVE4 P-DRIVE5 P-DRIVE6 difference between RAID0+1 and RAID10 DATA-A DATA-B DATA-C DATA-A DATA-B DATA-C is significant when looking at how data is...
  • Page 69 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Which types of RAID can I use with my setup? 1 Drive – No RAID arrays are supported 2 Drives – RAID0 for speed (do regular backups) or RAID1 for data protection. 3 Drives – RAID0 for speed (do regular backups) or RAID5 for speed and protection.
  • Page 70 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) In the “SATA Mode Selection” at the top, the default will be AHCI. Click on the arrow to the right side of AHCI or navigate to it with your keyboard and press “Enter” to open the pulldown menu.
  • Page 71 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Once in the RAID controller, you will see a list of all detected drives and a “Create RAID Volume” button. To begin, click on “Create RAID Volume” or navigate to the button and hit “Enter.”...
  • Page 72 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Next, select your intended array type. This can be done by either clicking on the down arrow and clicking on the RAID level you want, or pressing the enter key and using the down arrow to select the RAID level and pressing Enter again. Please see the top half of Page 69 for a quick reference on different RAID levels and RAID types based on your total number of drives.
  • Page 73 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Strip size (also called “block size” in other controllers) can be selected manually at 16k, 32k, 64k, or 128k. The controller will determine the default strip size after looking at your drives and array type. Although there are some limited instances where this must be set manually, it is highly recommended to leave this at default.
  • Page 74 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) If your array will be your boot drive, the operating system will normally detect the array and see it as a single drive (this is expected), it *MAY* detect it as a RAID array; either way, the OS installation will show the size of the array, not a single drive, and allow you to install the OS to the array without any further steps.
  • Page 75 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Non-RAID Physical Disks list will display any remaining drives on the controller, whether it is a random storage drive, a boot drive, or a replacement drive installed to replace a failed unit. For this example, you will see a degraded array and a “Non-RAID Physical Disk,”...
  • Page 76 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Next, you will see a list of all attached HDD/SSDs that can be used to rebuild the array. Select the disk, then click on it or press enter. Once the process has started you will see the status change to “Rebuilding.”...
  • Page 77 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) IRST (Intel Rapid Storage Technology) The IRST is the software front-end for the Intel SATA controller. It is recommended to install the IRST drivers after installing the Intel Chipset Drivers – the main motherboard drivers. This guide walks you through not only the building, but also the repairing of an array from within Windows, since it may be more convenient to build new arrays within the OS rather than from within the UEFI.
  • Page 78 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) SATA will be selected by default. PCI-E primarily refers to PCI-E / M.2 based NVMe drives; the same basic steps do apply to both, however. Select SATA, and “Real-time protection (RAID1).” Then, click Next at the bottom of the window.
  • Page 79 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) - 79 -...
  • Page 80 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) In the Advanced tab, you can select the option to “Initialize Volume,” which will occur after the array is created. If the array is not initialized now, it can be initialized later in “Disk Management.” See Page 87 for Disk Management instructions.
  • Page 81 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Review the summary provided on the confirmation screen. If you are unsure about any selections made, click the “Back” key and make your corrections. When ready, click “Create Volume” at the bottom. This typically takes between a few seconds to a couple minutes depending on the size and complexity of the volume.
  • Page 82 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Once you click the OK button on the RAID creation window you will be brought back to the main window, “Status” tab. If the option to initialize was selected, the initialization status will be shown below, circled in red.
  • Page 83 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Repairing an array within IRST This section of the guide will illustrate how to repair a degraded array from within the IRST. For purposes of this guide, we are repairing a degraded RAID 1 array using a third drive plugged into the controller, but not currently in use.
  • Page 84 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The “Manage” tab shows the array specifically, and not just the controller as a whole. Next to “Status: Degraded,” left-click the hyperlink labeled “Rebuild to another disk.” This will bring a pop-up window over the IRST showing a list of attached drives that...
  • Page 85 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Select the drive you wish to use for the repair and click the “Rebuild” button. - 85 -...
  • Page 86 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The rebuild process will begin. As with any RAID array with Fault Tolerance, the rebuilding time depends on several factors, such as array size, array type, CPU, etc. You will then see the Rebuild % status in the Manage tab. Once repairs are complete, the array will update to “Status: Normal.”...
  • Page 87 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Partitioning and Formatting a drive Once you have created your array, either from UEFI or from IRST, you will not initially see your array in “This PC.” This is expected, because even though you have created the array, you have not yet prepared the array to be used.
  • Page 88 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) After “Disk Management” loads, you’ll see a pop-up to Initialize Disk if you’ve added a new drive or created a new array. Generally, it’s recommended to select “GPT,” unless you need backwards compatibility with an old OS or PC. When you’ve made your choice, click “OK.”...
  • Page 89 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Before you can assign a drive letter to a drive or array, the initialized disk must be partitioned. If you are following this guide and just initialized your drive or array, the New Simple Volume Wizard will automatically pop-up.
  • Page 90 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Leave the size at default to create a partition using the entire volume of disk space, then click “Next.” Select the drive letter you want to represent this drive, then click “Next.” Note: The drive letter does NOT have to be a consecutive letter with previous drive(s).
  • Page 91 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) After the quick format is completed, you will see the last Window of the wizard, a summary of the process, then click “Finish.” The drive is now usable. To confirm, go back to File Explorer in Windows. Click on “This PC” and check the drives section.

  • Page 92: Fan Header Dc And Pwm Setup

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Fan Header DC and PWM setup This motherboard supports both 4-pin PWM fans and 3-pin voltage-controlled fans. All of the fans can be set to a static voltage manually. The upper two (2) fan headers (see...
  • Page 93 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Once into the H/W Monitor section, you can see the temperature monitors across the top. Below the monitors are the two (2) PWM fans: CPU1_FAN, CPU2_FAN, and CHA_FAN. The PWM fans are set to “Smart,” which means the PWM controller is using a Smart curve for fan controls.
  • Page 94 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) First, choose the temperature monitor the PWM controller will use to monitor for its temp information. It’s recommended to tie the fan control to the CPU, which is predominantly the most important temperature in the system. The exception is when you are pushing memory overclocks HARD with 64GB of RAM installed, which may cause PWM temps to be a concern;...
  • Page 95 When monitoring temperatures vs. fan speed, you may notice a variance in ramp up/down temps; this is due to a function EVGA hardcodes into the BIOS called Hysteresis. Hysteresis builds in a buffer to control fan speed behavior. This feature prevents a constant ramp up/down from happening when your system sits exactly at the temp you set for SMART fan controls.

  • Page 96: Setting Up Sli And Physx

    1. Physically install your graphics cards, then install a SLI bridge; examples include a Flexible bridge (included with this motherboard), an EVGA Pro Bridge, or an EVGA HB Bridge. Current NVidia graphics drivers support 400 Series Fermi cards up through GTX 1080 and TitanX Pascal cards.
  • Page 97 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 2. After the cards are installed, have power connected, and the SLI bridge attached, boot into Windows. The graphics driver will normally identify the cards and automatically configure the driver. If not, then you may need to reinstall the driver.
  • Page 98 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 3. Once you have verified there are no detection/driver installation issues with the cards you can enable SLI. Right-click on the desktop and select “NVIDIA Control Panel” (“NCP”). Next, select “Configure SLI, Surround, PhysX” under the “3D Settings”...
  • Page 99 PhysX card serves no purpose. If “Yes,” then the next step is to see if your GPU has a high usage rate while playing normally. Use a program like EVGA Precision XOC to monitor the GPU usage of all current video cards. If the GPU is consistently over 75% usage, the GPU usage occasionally maxes out and the frame rate drops in moments of intense action, then dedicating a card may be beneficial.

  • Page 100: Realtek Hd Audio Manager

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Realtek HD Audio Manager The Z270 FTW-K and Stinger both use a 7.1 Realtek ALC1150 audio controller. This section will cover installation of the controller (in Windows 10) and the basic configuration options that are available in the software.
  • Page 101 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Once you have rebooted and re-entered Windows, there should be a new shortcut in the system tray with a red- orange speaker icon. When you mouse over it, the icon reads “Realtek HD Audio Manager.”...
  • Page 102 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) On the right margin, you can see the different ports labeled in the picture above. The top portion covers the five (5) analog ports on the I/O Hub. The two (2) labeled “Speaker Out” ports and “Line In” port all use a diffused color to show that a port is not currently connected;...
  • Page 103 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) number 9. The optical out contains all audio data the controller can provide; however, only 2.0/2.1 is pre-encoded form the controller. Audio with a higher channel count through optical S/PDIF must be connected to a receiver that supports live encoding, or an equivalent technology.
  • Page 104 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The icon of the file folder in the upper right is “Connector Settings.” This is the window for setting up port detection. The default setting in this Window allows the Manager to create a popup notification to let you know when you’ve plugged in a new device into a Realtek port(s) while Windows is running.
  • Page 105 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The “i” located at the bottom right of the Manager is an information button. Clicking on this will provide DirectX information, the CODEC and Language selection options. The main page defaults to the first audio device it detects;...
  • Page 106 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) If you switch over to the Sound Effects tab, you’ll notice the “Main Volume” controls near the top. The slider directly under Main Volume adjusts the Balance of your speakers. It is generally recommended to leave the slider centered, since most audio is meant to run with the audio output centered;...
  • Page 107 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) will drop down similar to the image above. For default devices, the box will be grayed- out if the device selected above (i.e. Speakers, Digital Output, etc.) is the default device. Below the Main Volume section is the “Sound Effects” and “Default Format” section.
  • Page 108 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The last section in Sound Effects is the Equalizer. Much like the environment section, there are visual references for presets, a pulldown with 14 options, and a more traditional equalizer setup with a 10-band EQ as part of the software suite.
  • Page 109 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The last section in Sound Effects is voice cancellation, also called Karaoke mode (this should not be confused with noise cancellation options in the Microphone menu). By left-clicking the icon, a red X will pop up, as shown in the image to the right.
  • Page 110 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The “Audio Test” button will be present for all speaker configurations, and serves the same function in all speaker iterations. Pressing the “Auto Test” button will play the same sound file out of each speaker that should be present, based on the configuration option you selected.
  • Page 111 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) • Assume your speakers are not full-range. Modern speaker design uses a subwoofer to handle the relatively small percentage of content you hear in an audio signal. Low frequency content, more commonly known as sub-bass, is greatly amplified by the subwoofer, which explains why the smallest percentage of your audio content can often be the loudest.
  • Page 112 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) When Full-range is enabled, the speaker icons are enlarged to represent the change. Finally, Virtual Sound is an option created to send a stereo signal with positioning data to a Matrix decoder to simulate surround over a stereo signal.
  • Page 113 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) reversed such that the voice channel is joined with the front pair on one channel and the subwoofer has a dedicated connector, which can lead to voice channels and subwoofer receiving the wrong signal. The "Swap Center / Subwoofer Output" can resolve this type of issue.
  • Page 114 Windows. Due to the advanced nature of editing the Windows registry, we do not provide instructions in this manual. However, if you would like to adjust the crossover frequency settings, please see our FAQ on the EVGA website to walk you through how to adjust this setting: http://www.evga.com/support/faq/?f=59663.
  • Page 115 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Room Correction menu without an error message. All speakers will initially show semi- transparently. To edit this menu, check the box for “Enable Room Correction” at the bottom-center. After you check the box to Enable Room Correction, you will need to select whether you want distances displayed in Feet or Meters.
  • Page 116 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The final Device section covers the microphone. This tab includes both a recording and a playback section. Both features have similar balance options as the other sections, but differ slightly in the Volume slider function.
  • Page 117 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) louder than others, and too much gain can ruin a recording. Likewise, if you use your microphone for VOIP applications, too much boost can be painfully loud for whomever is on the other side.

  • Page 118: Configuration Of The Killer Nic Software

    You can also deny bandwidth to applications altogether, as well. 1. Go to www.evga.com/support/drivers, click on the Motherboard tab, select Z270 – Killer NIC – Your OS (Windows 10 x64 was used in this manual), then the submit button at the bottom to download.
  • Page 119 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The Killer NIC installer follows a fairly common software install process. Select your language, click next, ensure that your anti-virus is disabled and click next. Click next on the Install Shield windows, read and agree to the End User License Agreement, and click next.
  • Page 120 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) After rebooting, the installation will be complete and you may start configuring the Killer Suite to fit your needs. If you’re ready to begin, skip down to Page 121. If something goes wrong during the...
  • Page 121 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Now that the Killer Performance Suite has been installed, you can begin configuring the Suite. You should have both a Desktop and Start Menu icon to launch the Killer Suite application. Double-click on the “K” icon to launch.
  • Page 122 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The Applications page will initially be blank the first time it is launched, similar to the above image. Mousing over the icon in the lower-center will identify which model of Killer NIC is present. If there is no image, then you likely have your CAT5/5e/6 cable plugged into the Intel NIC.
  • Page 123 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Once you have used your Killer NIC for some time, the Application screen will look something like the image to the right. There are 3 sections outlined in red: the checkbox, scroll bar and the bandwidth slider.
  • Page 124 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) bandwidth allocations. If you mouse over the “Priority” tab, you will see the path of the executable that is running. When you click on the pulldown box, you will see the six tiers of priority for the given application. By manually adjusting priorities, you allow the Killer Suite to auto-adjust which programs receive priority bandwidth.
  • Page 125 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Without the “Enable Bandwidth Control” option enabled, you cannot utilize the tuning options available in the Killer Suite, including the Applications section above. Once the option is checked, you will get the warning shown in the image above.
  • Page 126 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Although your ISP can offer some details, it is more accurate to provide the Killer Suite with data from an actual test. The more accurate the speed entered, the more effective the Killer Suite will be at controlling bandwidth to various applications and processes.
  • Page 127 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The two (2) usage tabs show a 2- minute window of network activity; all data is displayed in Megabits per second. This will not show what was using the bandwidth, just the total usage...
  • Page 128 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The final section is labeled Killer Ethernet. After clicking Killer Ethernet, this opens to a screen called Network Information if connected to the Killer NIC. If you see an image of a circle with a...
  • Page 129 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The Killer Suite also contains a comprehensive help menu. You can enter this help menu by clicking the “?” icon at the top of the any menu. If you click the “?” on the main menu, you will start at the top of the index, and can click any of the hotlinked topics to quickly scroll to the title.
  • Page 130 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Using the E-LEET Software Suite EVGA E-LEET is a monitoring and tuning software designed for EVGA motherboards, which is available on the driver DVD and the EVGA website at www.evga.com/E-LEET After installation, E-LEET will launch directly...
  • Page 131 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The next tab is “Monitoring,” which is an overview of temperatures and voltages in real- time. Please note that all readings on this page are pulled from motherboard sensors, and can change at any time. Temperatures...
  • Page 132 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The Options tab is for managing your E- LEET profiles. You can save overclock profiles made in the previous section, as well as selecting an option to load a profile at boot. Use care, however, when setting a profile to load on startup;...
  • Page 133 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The final section is “Voltages,” which provides a level of voltage control similar to what is available in the BIOS. Using the right image, you’ll notice that there are options for multiple voltages, and two options for your CPU Vcore: Adaptive and Override voltages.
  • Page 134 LEET will open the pulldown to the currently detected voltage. Please be careful when adjusting voltages, as there are risks to running electronics out of spec. Although EVGA warranties overclocking, other components are manufactured by different brands (i.e. RAM and CPU), which may have different policies towards overclocking.

  • Page 135: Installing Drivers And Software

    32bit and 64bit versions of Windows 10, 8, and 7. The kit comes with a CD that contains utilities, drivers, and additional software. The CD that has been shipped with the EVGA Z270 Motherboard contains the following software and drivers: Chipset Drivers ...

  • Page 136: Warranty And Overclocking

    Of course, there are some limitations to our warranties. If an EVGA motherboard or graphics card sustains physical (i.e. damage to the PCB or component due to slippage with a hand tool) or liquid damage, the warranty is void.

  • Page 137: Troubleshooting

    FOR ANY AND ALL INSTANCES WHERE YOU THINK YOU MAY NEED A REPLACEMENT BIOS CHIP, PLEASE CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPLACE THE BIOS CHIP WITH ONE **NOT** SUPPLIED BY EVGA, AS EVGA CANNOT OTHERWISE GUARANTEE COMPATIBILITY. CONTACT INFORMATION, HOURS, AND LOCATIONS FOR ALL EVGA CUSTOMER SUPPORT OFFICES CAN BE FOUND HERE: http://www.evga.com/about/contactus/...
  • Page 138 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) The steps for replacement below assume you have already contacted EVGA Customer Support and have received a pre-flashed replacement chip directly from EVGA. 1. Locate the housing for the chip on the motherboard. It should be located on the right side below the RAM, about halfway down the board.
  • Page 139 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) 3. Remove the BIOS chip by lifting it straight up. Set it aside and insert the replacement chip. Once installed, close the left door first and the right door second, making sure both latch into place;...

  • Page 140: Ssd / Hdd Is Not Detected

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) SSD / HDD is not detected It is important to note that, as with *ALL* storage devices, if there is a connectivity issue, make sure it is enabled in BIOS. Likewise, if there is a device that shares bandwidth with your SSD or HDD (Page 26), make sure that the desired device is enabled in BIOS, or all other troubleshooting that comes after this section is moot.
  • Page 141 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) If you’ve already done this, test a different device using the same cable and SATA port to see if the issue persists. If the issue is not resolved, test a different SATA cable, or a different SATA port.

  • Page 142: System Does Not Post, And Post Code Indicator Reads "C

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) System does not POST, and POST code indicator reads “C” When the system powers on, the POST code indicator should cycle through several different codes before booting. However, if the boot process does not complete, you should look at the LED indicator, as it will give you diagnostic information.

  • Page 143: System Does Not Post, And Post Code Indicator Reads "55

    (Page 36) or at www.evga.com/support/motherboard and click on “EVGA Z270 FTW-K.” If the memory is not on the list, it may still work because EVGA is unable to test every memory kit released. However, this motherboard will not support modules over 16GB or ECC/Registered RAM.

  • Page 144: Have A Question Not Covered Above, Or Want Some Online Resources

    YOUR system!  Still building your rig? Make a build log here: http://forums.evga.com/EVGA-MODS-RIGS-f33.aspx  Want to join the online EVGA Gaming Community? Sign up and play with like-minded gamers here: http://www.evga.com/TEAMEVGA/ - 144 -...

  • Page 145: Post Beep Codes

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) POST Beep codes POST beeps are used in conjunction with the POST Code indicator to help determine the root cause of the issue when your system is malfunctioning. However, with the advent of modern UEFI/BIOS, the USB detection can throw off the number of beeps making the POST code, while helpful, not as useful as it once was.

  • Page 146: Post Port Debug Led

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) POST Port Debug LED Provides two-digit diagnostic POST codes that shows system boot status and can also show why the system may be failing to boot. The LED is extremely useful during troubleshooting situations.

  • Page 147: Post Codes

    EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) POST Codes This section provides the AMI POST Codes for the EVGA Z270 FTW-K Motherboard during system boot up. The POST Codes are displayed on the Debug LED readout located directly on the Debug LED with CPU motherboard.
  • Page 148 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Microcode not loaded PEI Core is started 11-14 Pre-memory CPU initialization is started 15-18 Pre-memory North Bridge initialization is started 19-1C Pre-memory South Bridge initialization is started 1D-2A OEM pre-memory initialization codes Memory initialization. Serial Presence Detect (SPD) data reading Memory initialization.
  • Page 149 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) reset PPI is not available 5C-5F Reserved for future AMI error codes S3 Resume is stared (S3 Resume PPI is called by the DXE IPL) S3 Boot Script execution Video repost OS S3 wake vector call...
  • Page 150 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) CSM initialization 7A–7F Reserved for future AMI DXE codes 80–8F OEM DXE initialization codes Boot Device Selection (BDS) phase is started Driver connecting is started PCI Bus initialization is started PCI Bus Hot Plug Controller Initialization...
  • Page 151 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) Legacy Boot event Exit Boot Services event CPU Memory controller configuration Runtime Set Virtual Address MAP End iMC init Memory training Memory training Memory training / timing training Memory training Memory training B8-BF Memory training / DRAM final configuration C0–CF OEM BDS initialization codes...

  • Page 152: Evga Glossary Of Terms

    DMI – Direct Memory Interface DP – Display Port DRAM - Dynamic random access memory DVI – Digital Video Interface E-LEET/E-LEET X – EVGA motherboard monitoring and tuning software FIVR – Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator GHz – Gigahertz GPIO (Thunderbolt) – General Purpose Input/Output GPU –...
  • Page 153 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) I/O - Input/Output IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IGP - Integrated Graphics Processors IMC – Integrated memory controller IOH – Input/Output Hub IRQ - Interrupt Request JBOD - Just a Bunch of Disks...
  • Page 154 EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277) PLL – Phase Locked Loop POST – Power on Self-Test PWM – Pulse Width Modulation QDR - Quad Data Rate QOS – Quality of Service QPI – Quick Path Interconnect RAID - Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks RAM –...

  • Page 155: Compliance Information

    Original Purchaser. Upon termination, for any reason, all copies of Software and materials must be immediately returned to EVGA and the Original Purchaser shall be liable to EVGA.com CORP for any and all damages suffered as a result of the violation or default.

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