GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H
The GA-Z77X-UD3H is one of eleven models in GIGABYTE’s Z77 series which include the G1.Killer Sniper 3 and it’s little brother, the Sniper M3. It’s considered one of the more cost effective solutions for Ivy Bridge users while a more feature rich GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB WIFI tops off the series.
Given that it’s an entry level board, you’ll find the basic Z77 features as well as their software which includes the USB On/Off Charge driver for phone sized device charging, EZ Smart Response SSD caching setup and myriad of software utilities (check out this article for more detail). The UD3H also has a mini-PCIE slot for mini WiFi, Tuner or m-SATA storage cards. LN2 overclockers will find onboard Voltage Read Points, OC-PEG external SATA power connectors for stable PCIE, onboard BIOS Switcher to switch between the dual UEFI BIOS ROMs, and of course the usual power, reset and clear CMOS buttons.
CPU stability rides on GIGABYTE’s new 3D Digital VRM with a similar GUI also used on their X79 boards. Users have the 3D Power Utility that controls voltages, PWM frequencies and Phase control for improving system efficiency. EasyTune 6 is GIGABYTE’s answer up to 4.6GHz preset and manual overclocking. If OS based utilities don’t do it for you, the UEFI DualBIOS is your final option. The design of the UD3H is quite clean. The buttons, data ports, fan headers, power connectors, USB and other panel headers are all situated on the outside edge.
The Z77X-UD3H accessories include documentation, drivers/software disc, some GIGABYTE case stickers, two black SATA cables, two blue SATA cables, flexible SLI/CFX VGA bridge and color coded black IO shield. At $159.99 US, it is the least expensive board in our round up with a very competitive 3 year parts and labour warranty. Keep in mind though, GIGABYTE’s warranty is currently from “Date of Manufacture” not from “Date of Purchase”. We certainly hope this changes in the future.
Intel DX77GA-70K Extreme
Here, we have Intel’s DZ77GA-70K Extreme series motherboard. All the Extreme boards sport the alien like skull. There are a total of six Z77 friendly platforms for enthusiasts, media users and office professionals. The 70K is the only board to support overclocking K SKU processors. There isn’t much information that indicates Intel’s own VRM/PWM implementation but 8 Phase is common on the Z77 designs.
The features on the 70K include all the Z77 chipset basics. One feature not visible is the new Intel UEFI BIOS which engineers put in lot of time and thought to make sure it was something different. The new drivers/software disc gets a revised installation program to speed things along. Intel increases the retail bundle with a much needed dual band Wi-Fi PCIEx1 card for better signal connectivity. The antennae use ring-nuts to secure to the card which ensures the best connection and range.
Keeping its tradition with design and layout, the 70K has a pretty simple theme with any connectable data, USB, fan and power connectors are pretty much situated to the outside edge of the board. A red fan header can be found above the top PCIE x1 slot and yellow front panel audio header next to the second PCIEx8 slot which isn’t the end of the world but could get a little tight. I wish the alien skull was still back lit or at least had red LED eyes to make it stand out more.
Intel’s bundle includes black Bluetooth receiver with gray USB cable, Azurewave Wi-Fi PCI (m-PCIE) module with two white antennae, four blue UV SATA cables, 3.5″ bay USB 3.0 unit, blue flexible SLI/CFX VGA bridge, users manuals and software/drivers disc. The asking price is $229.99 US with a 3 year parts and labour warranty.
MSI Z77A-GD65 Military Class III
Here is another board we already had the privilege of using to test Sandy Bridge. The board is more efficient than P67 and showed similar performance to the Z68A-GD65. However, overclocking was a lot easier thanks to new DrMOS II and UEFI BIOS. While not specified, the board most likely has very similar VRM to the Z68A-GD65 which had basically 8 Phase.
Since we already covered the Z77A-GD65 in detail here, let’s do a quick-quick recap. It has all the Z77 features (SSD caching, Lucid Virtu MVP, Intel USB 3.0 Turbo and 2-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX) including a clean Click BIOS II Windows based utility, Gaming Optimized ports which support high polling gaming peripherals, Super Charger for charging mobile devices through the USB port, Winki 3 when you want a quick no-fuss boot to check email, M-Flash that acts as a BIOS backup on a USB flash drive, Live Update 5 for automated BIOS/program/driver updates and MSI Control Center for overclocking. Or, users use the OC Genie II button for an automated overclock without touching the BIOS.
This time around, the Z77A-GD65 has a really nice blue on black theme with a really clean, conservative appearance which is normal for MSI product developers. Following reference designs, all board’s connections are implemented around the edges. The buttons are also logically located up top.
Inside your MSI Z77A-GD65 retail box you should find an overclocking manual, user manual, certificate of stability (which was validated), four black SATA cables, header leads for voltage measuring, front panel connectors, flexible SLI/CFX VGA bridge and black IO shield. At $169.99 US, it’s the second least expensive board in our round up and has a 3 year parts and labour warranty.
So that’s the last of the players. Let’s get on with the testing shall we?