CONCLUSION
Continuing the legacy of GIGABYTE’s overclocking line, the Z87X-OC changes the game in more ways than one. First and foremost the board now features more overclocking utilities than ever before which a lot of overclockers will find useful. The inclusion of the OC brace addresses the most basic need to secure a GPU when benchmarking in an out-case environment or on top of the box for most of us. Finally there’s pricing which we’ll have a lot surprised. With GIGABYTE slashing a major chunk off the price compared to the previous overclocking board for the Z77 line, the board becomes more approachable.
[singlepic id=14016 w=550 h=600 float=center]Anyways let’s break down our scoring shall we:
Performance. I’ve seen people pick this board just for looks alone but when it comes to performance its no slouch either. The board comes in average in non-OC usage but stepping up that clock speed really shows how much this board can do. Benchmarks such as 3DMark11 and Fire Strike benefit greatly from the boards intense OC prowess. No points off for this one. Perfect.
Build Quality. As with all of GIGABYTE’s UD5+ boards, the Z87X-OC features a matte-black PCB with a good heft to it thanks to the extra copper treatment on the board itself. Aside from this, the layout is great and just begs to be used on a open bench. Inside a case, the looks is just stunning. Half-a-point off though for the 8-phase PWM, GIGABYTE could’ve squeezed in 10 or 12 there.
Functionality. This is an overclocking board. Looking at it as just a motherboard would be unfair. That said, as an OC board it has more than what you’d need for those record conquests. Skills not included though. Half-a-point as it doesn’t include that headphone amp that the UD boards have. Could’ve been a solid addition to round out what can be a sweet day-to-day gaming board with that amp.
Bundle. GIGABYTE bundles the OC Brace and some voltage checkpoints on the board. Barring what’s included in the package, we’re considering the OC buttons as extras themselves so an excellent bundle altogether here.
Value. Let’s forget for a moment that not all motherboards can overclock and they are reserved for these “overclocking” motherboards namely from GIGABYTE, ASROCK, MSI and ASUS. In this market we have the GA-Z87X-OC, the Mpower Z87, the Z87 OC  Formula and the Maximus VI Extreme. If this was the Z77 era, GIGABYTE would’ve ranked in second in terms of priciest overclocking board. That changes with the introduction of the Z87X-OC. GIGABYTE positions the Z87X-OC at mainstream pricing bringing the cost down to ₱11,200 making it the most affordable overclock-oriented motherboard right now.It’s still unclear if the higher-tier Z87X-OC Force would ever become available locally scratch that, they arrive next week. We’ll eventually get our hands on the other OC boards we mentioned but as of this writing, the GIGABYTE Z87X-OC sits nicely as the most budget-friendly of the bunch.
The GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-OC packs together a lot of features that would please an overclocker plus a whole lot more. GIGABYTE also did a great service by including an OC Brace, removing the need for a test bench case in ept most usage scenario. The OC Buttons make fiddling with multiplier ratio and BCLK rates a real-time process and lessens trips to the BIOS. All of these OC goodness served up at just ₱11,200. If you’re an overclocker looking for that easy step in the Z87 OC scene, the GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-OC is a solid step into the arena.
We award the GIGABYTE Z87X-OC with our Performance and Silver Award. The GIGABYTE Z87X-OC is backed by a 3-year warranty.
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