Intel DZ77RE-75K

Intel DZ77RE-75K review

We've been here before, haven't we? Back in the days when we were used to having bespoke ports for every device, and plugging in something new involved powering down the entire PC and restarting before it would work, a brand new port with unassuming looks came along and changed everything. When USB first arrived, you had to upgrade your hardware to take advantage of it. Motherboards and PCs that came with the new port would only have one, and devices that used it were expensive and thin on the ground. Of course, that all changed over time, and USB ports and devices are now more plentiful, cheaper and a lot faster. This is why there's a hint of déjà-vu with Thunderbolt. It promises a hell of a lot, but the cost and shortage of compatible devices mean that early adopters might want to tread carefully. The new Intel DZ77RE-75K motherboard therefore can't rely on its Thunderbolt port alone to make it an attractive proposition. There are plenty of additional sweeteners to make it a more enticing upgrade, but are they enough? Rolling thunder Initially a joint collaboration between Intel and Apple, the Thunderbolt port combines PCI Express and DisplayPort functionality into serial data port.