Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H Motherboard

 
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H

 
Overview
 

Hardware: ,
 
Performance
00


 
Build Quality
00


 
Functionality
00


 
Bundle
00


 
Value
00


 
Total Score
00
0/ 10


User Rating
no ratings yet

 


The Lowdown

Continuing the Z77 review round-up we have for this week, we got another motherboard from Gigabyte in their lower mid-range offering: the GA-Z77X-UD3H. Serving as the budget option in the UD product line, this motherboard gives us the bare necessities whilst still brandishing Gigabyte features and quality. We’ll see if this board can pack a [...]
0
Posted September 3, 2012 by
Powered by:

Powered by Kingston
Powered by Gigabyte


 
Full Review
 
 

Continuing the Z77 review round-up we have for this week, we got another motherboard from Gigabyte in their lower mid-range offering: the GA-Z77X-UD3H. Serving as the budget option in the UD product line, this motherboard gives us the bare necessities whilst still brandishing Gigabyte features and quality. We’ll see if this board can pack a punch and we’ll make it showy!


gigabyte_logo

Gigabyte is part of what has come to be known as the “Big 3″ motherboard makers in the world and serves an integral part in the progression of technology in the motherboard market. Gigabyte also boasts an extensive product line featuring graphics cards, chassis, notebooks and peripherals as well as very memorable endeavors in the cooling market. As a company, their motherboard division is their core business and today we’ll be looking at one such product. As most will know, Intel earlier this year released the Ivy Bridge 3rd generation Core i-series processors along with its accompanying 7 series chipset. Without AMD in the picture, Intel is enjoying itself but motherboard makers are constantly duking it out to make themselves shine and sway possible consumers and as we all know, the motherboard segment is all about three things: feature, performance and price. Let’s see some specs and images and let’s get testing.

[toggle title="Specifications"]

This list is quite long. If you want a clearer view and more information on Gigabyte features, see the product page here.

CPU
  1. Support for Intel® Core™ i7 processors/Intel® Core™ i5 processors/ Intel® Core™ i3 processors/Intel® Pentium® processors/Intel® Celeron® processors in the LGA1155 package
  2. L3 cache varies with CPU

(Some Intel® Core™ processors require a graphic card, please refer “CPU support List” for more information.)
Chipset
  1. Intel® Z77 Express Chipset
Memory
  1. 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory
    * Due to Windows 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than 4 GB.
  2. Dual channel memory architecture
  3. Support for DDR3 2666(OC)/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules
  4. Support for non-ECC memory modules
  5. Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules

(Please refer “Memory Support List” for more information.)
Onboard Graphics Integrated Graphics Processor:

  1. 1 x D-Sub port
  2. 1 x DVI-D port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920×1200
    * The DVI-D port does not support D-Sub connection by adapter.
  3. 1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920×1200
  4. 1 x DisplayPort, supporting a maximum resolution of 2560×1600
Audio
  1. VIA VT2021 codec
  2. High Definition Audio
  3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
  4. Support for S/PDIF Out
LAN
  1. Atheros GbE LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)
Expansion Slots
  1. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16)
    * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.
  1. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8)
    (The PCIEX16 and PCIEX8 slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard.)
    * The PCIEX8 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16 slot. When the PCIEX8 slot is populated, the PCIEX16 slot will operate at up to x8 mode.
    * PCIE Gen.3 is dependent on CPU and expansion card compatibility.
  1. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4)
    * The PCIEX4 slot shares bandwidth with all PCI Express x1 slots. All PCI Express x1 slots will become unavailable when a PCIe x4 expansion card is installed.
  1. 3 x PCI Express x1 slots
    (The PCIEX4 and PCI Express x1 slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)
  1. 1 x PCI slot
Multi-Graphics Technology
  1. Support for 2-Way AMD CrossFireX™/NVIDIA SLI technology (PCIEX16 and PCIEX8)
Storage Interface Chipset:

  1. 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (SATA3 0/SATA3 1) supporting up to 2 SATA 6Gb/s devices
  2. 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (SATA2 2~5) supporting up to 4 SATA 3Gb/s devices
  3. 1 x mSATA connector
    * The SATA2 5 connector will become unavailable when the mSATA connector is installed with a solid state drive.
  4. Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10
    * When a RAID set is built across the SATA 6Gb/s and SATA 3Gb/s channels, the system performance of the RAID set may vary depending on the devices being connected.

Marvell 88SE9172 chip:

  1. 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s connectors on the back panel supporting up to 2 SATA 6Gb/s devices
  2. Support for RAID 0 and RAID 1
USB Chipset:

  1. Up to 4 USB 3.0/2.0 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header)
    * In Windows XP, the Intel USB 3.0 ports can support up to USB 2.0 transfer speed.
  2. Up to 6 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (available through the internal USB headers)

VIA VL800 chip:

  1. Up to 4 USB 3.0/2.0 ports on the back panel
    * Due to a Windows 7 limitation, please connect your USB device(s) to the Intel controlled USB port(s) (located below the RJ-45 LAN port) before the VIA USB 3.0 controller driver is installed.
Internal I/O Connectors
  1. 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
  2. 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
  3. 1 x PCIe power connector
  4. 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
  5. 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors
  6. 1 x mSATA connector
  7. 1 x CPU fan header
  8. 4 x fan headers
  9. 1 x front panel header
  10. 1 x front panel audio header
  11. 1 x S/PDIF Out header
  12. 3 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
  13. 1 x USB 3.0/2.0 header
  14. 1 x Clear CMOS jumper
  15. 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header
  16. 1 x power button
  17. 1 x reset button
  18. 1 x Clear CMOS button
  19. 1 x Voltage Measurement Points
  20. 1 x BIOS Switch
Back Panel Connectors
  1. 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port
  2. 1 x D-Sub port
  3. 1 x DVI-D port
  4. 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
  5. 1 x HDMI port
  6. 1 x DisplayPort
  7. 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s connectors
  8. 6 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports
  9. 1 x RJ-45 port
  10. 6 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out, Rear Speaker Out, Side Speaker Out, Line In/Mic In, Line Out)
I/O Controller
  1. iTE I/O Controller Chip
H/W Monitoring
  1. System voltage detection
  2. CPU/System temperature detection
  3. CPU/System fan speed detection
  4. CPU overheating warning
  5. CPU/System fan fail warning
  6. CPU/System fan speed control
    * Whether the CPU/system fan speed control function is supported will depend on the CPU/system cooler you install.
BIOS
  1. 2 x 64 Mbit flash
  2. Use of licensed AMI EFI BIOS
  3. Support for DualBIOS™
  4. PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.6, ACPI 2.0a
Unique Features
  1. Support for @BIOS
  2. Support for Q-Flash
  3. Support for Xpress Install
  4. Support for Xpress Recovery2
  5. Support for EasyTune
    * Available functions in EasyTune may differ by motherboard model.
  6. Support for eXtreme Hard Drive (X.H.D)
  7. Support for Auto Green
  8. Support for ON/OFF Charge
  9. Support for Q-Share
  10. Support for 3D Power
  11. Support for LAN Optimizer (Intelligent optimization network management tool)
Bundle Software
  1. Norton Internet Security (OEM version)
  2. Intel® Rapid Start Technology
  3. Intel® Smart Connect Technology
  4. Intel® Smart Response Technology
  5. LucidLogix Virtu MVP
    * Make sure the monitor cable has been connected to the integrated graphics port on the back panel.
Operating System
  1. Support for Microsoft® Windows 8/7/XP
Form Factor
  1. ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm
Remark
  1. Due to different Linux support condition provided by chipset vendors, please download Linux driver from chipset vendors’ website or 3rd party website.
  2. Most hardware/software vendors may no longer offer drivers to support Win9X/ME/2000/XP SP1/SP2. If drivers are available from the vendors, we will update them on the GIGABYTE website.

[/toggle]

[tabs tab1="Closer Look" tab2="BIOS Walkthrough" tab3="Packaging"]

[/tabs]

TEST SETUP

Processor Intel Ivy Bridge Core i7 3770K 3.5Ghz (Turbo up to 3.9Ghz)
Motherboards Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H, Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB, ECS Z77H2-A2X Golden Board
Cooling Corsair H80 (Maximum Fan Speed)
Power Supply Silverstone Strider Plus ST65F-P 650W
Memory Kingston HyperX T1 DDR3-2400
Video Cards ASUS HD7870 DirectCUII
Hard Drive Kingston HyperX SSD 120GB
Operating System Windows 7 64-bit SP1

*Sandy Bridge-E results for comparative purposes only. 

PERFORMANCE

[tabs tab1="SANDRA 2011" tab2="wPrime" tab3="CineBench" tab4="SuperPI" tab5="3DMark 06" tab6="3DMark Vantage"]

[/tabs]

WORKLOAD TESTS

[tabs tab1="Video Conversion" tab2="Compression" tab3="Image Resize" tab4="x264 HD Benchmark"]

[/tabs]

GAME TESTS

[tabs tab1="Unigine Heaven 3.0" tab2="3DMark 11" tab3="Civilization V" tab4="Battlefield 3"]

[/tabs]

OVERCLOCKING

Our 3770K sample is an average overclocker and has yet to show us any record-breaking figures but still, it can do respectable overclocks with ease.

Overclocking with Gigabyte’s 3D BIOS is fairly easy. All the necessary options are laid out immediately for users to fiddle around. We feed 1.3v Vcore to our processor and try and find our most stable clocks.

[tabs tab1="Maximum CPU Clock" tab2="Maximum Base Block" tab3="Maximum Memory Clock"]

[/tabs]

TEMPERATURE and POWER CONSUMPTION

We check to see how motherboard maker tune their default BIOS settings and see how it impacts temperatures and power consumption. The system is left to idle for 30 minutes before readings are taken and load data is taken 30 minutes while Prime95 blend test is running. Power readings are taken for the entire system from the socket.


powerconsumption

Gigabyte’s GA-Z77X-UD3H manages to get the lowest idle wattage during our testing possibly due to the absence of extra features. All in all the board’s consumption is well-within our expected figures.


temperature

Even temps across the board for this one.

CONCLUSION

We’ll make this quick and go right down to business, the entry-level Z77 arena is a tough and crowded market where it’s hard to stand out especially when your target consumers are budget-conscious. With a local price of Php7,800 it goes up against ASUS and ASRock’s offerings that feature the same specs. Gigabyte however assures the potential consumers 3 things: 1) you’re getting a rock-stable motherboard, 2) it’s got 3 years of warranty backing it, and lastly you get more USB3.0 connections. Simple as that. You also get mSATA.


Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H Motherboard Review

Although the benefits are not all tangible for the Gigabyte product, we feel that the board still deserves some love. We’ve seen this board used in some extreme overclocking runs and that should be enough testament to the build quality of this board. Unfortunately though not all it’s users are going to get vats of LN2 and will be OC’ing so we’ll just stick to the stability part which is a signature of Gigabyte and their dedication to product development.

In closing, if you’re looking for a solid Z77 motherboard ready for Intel Smart Response technology, some room for expansion and a pedigree of overclocking potential, the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H is for your consideration. I personally like it and give it my Editor’s Choice.

HOT

  • Good performance
  • 3 year warranty
  • Onboard voltage check points and buttons
  • Matte finish board
  • Lot of USB3.0 connections
  • Triple PCI-e slot

NOT

[badlist]

  • Not as stylish as competing board in price segment
  • Bare package bundle

[/badlist]


b2g_editors_choice


gigabyte intel ivy bridge motherboard overclocking review Z77

Boss Mac

 
My favorite animal is the scapegoat.


More articles by »