Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H Review + BenchMarks

                                       We have talked much about the IvyBridge CPUs of Intel and now they had launched their new generation of CPU to make full domination in the market. The SandyBridge and the IvyBridge CPUs made great money for Intel and also users are much pleased with the performance of the last two generations. This new platform also open the door for the Z87 based motherboard in the market as these 4rh Gen CPUs are based on new socket and chipset so every brand is launching its z78 based motherboard and one most important thing to mention here is that these Z87 systems will support more USB 3.0 ports than previous Z77 based systems. Today we are gonna review a Z87 based from Gigabyte Z87 series and the motherboard on the review table is Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H.

                                                      The Gigabyte does not go further with performance or feature as they decided to stay balance between the feature of the board and its performance in case of Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H. The Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H has pretty much improvements than its predecessor. It has black, silver and red color scheme which looks pretty decent. The Gigabyte added 6x USB 3.0 ports at the rear and 8x SATA ports at front of the motherboard as well. The Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H has DVI-D and VGA as well as HDMI port for displays. The PS/2, Ethernet and digital and analog audio options are also available on the rear. The Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H has the same problem as ASUS Z87 PRO has about using multiple PCIe slots as they slow down a bit when all of them are in use. Gigabyte continues to do well with this technology. With dual BIOS system, when a missed boot would cause the old backup ROM to overwrite the new one, when the old firmware wasn’t compatible with a new CPU but its not a problem with Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H. The Z87X-UD4H gives hard time for overclocking with top-mounted power and reset buttons, a CLR_CMOS button, two BIOS switches, a POST code LED display, and a row of voltage rail detection points. The BIOS switches select single or dual BIOS mode, and which MOS is primary where as AsRock Z87 Extreme 6 was pretty much easy to overclock. Well lets go to benchmarks and they will tell you the truth…..

                                        The Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H is really a nice looking motherboard from Gigabyte and the features of this motherboard are really good and I am happy to see plenty of USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gbps ports in all the new Z87 based motherboard including this one. The Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H has PCIe slots problem, they slot down when all of them are in use, I mean 3 way SLI/CrossFire users will see the performance lack or you can say bandwidth lack. The Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H is not easy when its comes to overclocking compared to AsRock and Asus z87 based motherboard so Gigabyte Z87X-UD4H is not bad but not good as other two z87 motherboards we have tested so far.

• Nice looks and color scheme.
• Decent Performance.
• Feature and connectivity.
• Solid build quality.

• Overclocking is not easy as compared to others.
• PCIe slots have problem.

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Asus Z87 Pro Review + BenchMarks

                                                We have talked much about the IvyBridge CPUs of Intel and now they had launched their new generation of CPU to make full domination in the market. The SandyBridge and the IvyBridge CPUs made great money for Intel and also users are much pleased with the performance of the last two generations. This new platform also open the door for the Z87 based motherboard in the market as these 4rh Gen CPUs are based on new socket and chipset so every brand is launching its z78 based motherboard and one most important thing to mention here is that these Z87 systems will support more USB 3.0 ports than previous Z77 based systems. Today we are gonna review a Z87 based motherboard from one of the top brand in the motherboard market and especially gamers knows it, ASUS, and the motherboard on the review table is Asus Z87 Pro.

                                                       The Asus Z87 Pro has a royal looks of yellow, black and golden colors. The motherboard looks really professional in first sight. The Asus Z87 Pro supports 1150 socket so Intel 4th Gen Roswell CPU will run on this motherboard. The head sink/spreaders have golden color which give it perfect look. The black color is dominating. The Asus Z87 Pro standard 4 RAM slots, 3x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots and 3x PCIe x4 slots as well. There are 10x SATA and 6x USB 3.0 ports are available. The PCIe slots have a problem, using the lower slot in x4 mode requires that all the upper three PCIe X1 slots to be disable which is not a good thing to me and especially the gamers are not gonna like it. The Asus Z87 Pro has the latest UEFI BIOS which is usual these days and Asus also provide the overclocking/ optimization software with this motherboard as well. The Asus also provide BIOS Flash button accesses Asus’ USB BIOS Flashback ASIC to flash the firmware from a USB flash drive, even if other components (GPU, Processor etc.) are missing. So not talk too much and check out the benchmarks.

                                         The Asus Z87 Pro is really a nice motherboard which give a great value for money with nice looks and 6x USB 3.0 ports at the rear which is not usual. There are more to add with header and not to forget 10x SATA ports as well. The Asus Z87 Pro is just not have good looks but also it has great features and performance which is shown in benchmarks. The problem is with PCIe slot so 3 ways SLI/CrossFire user are not gonna pleased this board’s performance but single or 2 way SLI/CrossFire is not a problem for Asus Z87 Pro. Overall Asus Z87 Pro is a nice motherboard.

• Great looks.
• Solid build quality.
• Performance.
• Features and connectivity.
• Overclocking.
• Reasonable Price.

• 3 Way SLI/CrossFire performance is inconsistent.
• Using lower PCIe x4 will disable upper three PCIe slots.

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AsRock Z87 Extreme6 Review + BenchMarks

 

                                                       We have talked much about the IvyBridge CPUs of Intel and now they had launched their new generation of CPU to make full domination in the market. The SandyBridge and the IvyBridge CPUs made great money for Intel and also users are much pleased with the performance of the last two generations. This new platform also open the door for the Z87 based motherboard in the market as these 4rh Gen CPUs are based on new socket and chipset so every brand is launching its z78 based motherboard and one most important thing to mention here is that these Z87 systems will support more USB 3.0 ports than previous Z77 based systems. Today we are gonna review a Z87 based motherboard from one of the top brand in the motherboard market and especially gamers knows it, AsRock, and the motherboard on the review table is AsRock Z87 Extreme6.

                                                           The AsRock Z87 Extreme6 is a good looking motherboard with some improvements both technology and design wise. The AsRock Z87 Extreme6 has black and grey color scheme which dominates the overall design and looks. The heat sinks are bit more improved than its predecessor of Z77 based series. The AsRock Z87 Extreme6’s main features are its dual network controllers and dual HDMI ports which is great. The AsRock Z87 Extreme6 also has DVI port for display. The 4x USB 3.0 ports at the rear give great value and there are total 10 SATA ports at front and the great thing is that they all are 6Gbps so the 3 PCIe 3.0 x16 slot are available and support 4 way SLI/CrossFire as well. There are also power and reset buttons are available. The UEFI BIOS is really great and there plenty of options for the overclocker to overclock the CPU by just selecting the profiles and overclocking is pretty easy as you can easily achieve 4.5/4.6 Ghz. The AsRock A-tuning software also get new design and some new feature are also added so I am not going to talk too much and remain near to the facts so lets check some benchmarks…..

                                                 AsRock boards are solid performer and we know that, in case of AsRock Z87 Extreme 6  that thing is true, it does perform really well and having good looks with great features such as 4x USB 3.0 at rear and 10x SATA 6 Gbps at front and not to forget, it has dual network controller and dual HDMI ports as well, performance is great, easy and good overclocking make it best motherboard in this price range, i think it is one of the best board around in less than $230.

• Great design.
• Great and solid build quality.
• Plenty of options such as 4x USB 3.0 at rear and 10x SATA 6Gbps.
• Great performance.
• Nice and easy Overclocking.
• DTS connect.

• Price is a bit high, should be $200 maximum.
• Some inconsistency in sensors.

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