GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-Gaming G1 WIFI-BK Motherboard Review: The Art of Combining. Review and testing of the motherboard GIGABYTE GA-Z97-D3H UEFI BIOS and overclocking capabilities

Over the past months, we have tested many motherboards based on Intel X99 and Z97 chipsets, including those designed for overclockers. But one model was missing on our list: the GA-Z97X-SOC Force from Gigabyte. The Taiwanese manufacturer offers overclocking motherboards for both platforms. In this article, we will test the GA-Z97X-SOC Force for modern processors Haswell and Broadwell-H on the Z97 chipset.

Gigabyte offers two Socket LGA1150 motherboards for overclockers. Both are powered by the Z97 Platform Controller Hub chipset. We tested the "GA-Z97X-SOC Force" motherboard, the second "GA-Z97X-SOC" motherboard does not have the "Force" add-on. The Taiwanese manufacturer orients the model "GA-Z97X-SOC Force" for those users who want to get the most out of processors /, / and new processors. In our review, we'll take a closer look at the differences between the two motherboards.

The "Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SOC Force" Full ATX form factor delivers a decent array of features, including three mechanical PCIe 3.0 slots, two PCI slots, and one PCIe 2.0 x1 slot. As additional options, Gigabyte added a mechanical PCIe 2.0 x16 slot, four SATA 6 Gb / s ports, one SATA Express interface, six USB 3.0 ports and eight USB 2.0 ports to the GA Z97X-SOC Force. But the main bonus of the board is the extended OC-panel on the PCB, which we will dwell on in detail a little later.

Gigabyte motherboards for overclockers are usually not based on black PCB with orange elements - in this case, four mechanical PCIe x16 slots, two of the four DDR3 memory slots and two heatsinks. For the GA-Z97X-SOC Force, Gigabyte chose the ATX form factor.

Specifications (edit)

Below are the technical specifications Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SOC Force:

Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SOC Force motherboard review

Northbridge / CPU functions
Motherboard format	ATX
Manufacturer and model	Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SOC Force
CPU socket	LGA1150
Power connection	1x 24-pin ATX 1x 8-pin EPS12V 1x 4-pin ATX + 12V 1x 6-pin PCIe
Retail price	from 10.0 thousand rubles in Russia from 195 euros
Products webpage	http://www.gigabyte.ru/
Chipset	Intel Z97 Express
Memory and type	4x DDR3 (four channels)
Memory subsystem	Max. 32 GB (in 8 GB planks)
SLI / CrossFire	SLI (2-Way), CrossFireX (3-Way)
Built-in functions
PCI Express	3x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 / - / -, x8 / x8 / -, x8 / x4 / x4) via Haswell / Broadwell processor 1x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4) via Intel Z97 1x PCIe 2.0 x1 via Intel Z97
PCI	2x PCI
Serial-ATA, SAS and ATA controller	4x SATA 6G with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 support via Intel Z97 1x SATA Express 10Gb / s via Intel Z97
USB	6x USB 3.0 (4x on I / O, 2x via pigtail) via Intel Z97 8x USB 2.0 (4x on I / O, 2x through pigtail, 2x Type A on board) via Intel Z97
Video outputs	1x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DVI-D, 1x VGA
WLAN / Bluetooth	-
Thunderbolt	-
LAN	1x Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2201 Gigabit-LAN
Audio codec and interfaces	8-Channel Realtek ALC1150 audio codec 6x 3.5mm audio ports 1x TOSLink
FAN connectors	6x 4-pin 2x 3-pin

The design of the box matches the motherboard. On the front side there is a Formula 1 car, which is quite consistent with the theme of overclocking. The Gigabyte logo is located on the upper left, to the right of it - the inscription "Ultra Durable". Below, the model of the motherboard is printed in large print.

Accessories included

In addition to the motherboard, you will receive the following accessories:

I / O stub
Motherboard manual, driver DVD and software
Installation guide in multiple languages
Four SATA cables
OC Brace
Bridge 2-Way CrossFireX
2-Way SLI Bridge
Direct Voltage Cables

You shouldn't count on a very rich delivery set. Buyer will receive a standard I / O blank, motherboard manual with support DVD, multilingual installation guide, four SATA cables, multiple cables for voltage points and a multi-GPU bridge for two AMD graphics cards and NVIDIA. A special feature can be called OC Brace for supporting video cards, for example, in an open system.

As part of the reviews of motherboards for Intel Haswell processors, we managed to look at many interesting specimens from Gigabyte, including inexpensive ones. The GA-Z97M-D3H model has earned flattering reviews, but its not too rich possibilities for expanding the system configuration may alienate some buyers who rely on a rich set of connectors, where, among other things, the option of using several video cards should be provided, and a convincing sound the product subsystem has recently attracted increased interest.

To meet such requirements, the manufacturer can offer GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 or GA-Z97X-UD3H (not to mention more expensive products), but we could not ignore the presence of an interesting GA-Z97X-SLI on the market. Its main distinguishing feature from the ones just announced is the simplified circuit of the CPU power regulator. It seems to be directly inherited from the GA-Z97M-D3H, with the only difference that the number of coolers has been increased to two.

The presence of the LPT interface only confirms its belonging to the lower segment of the market, but at the same time there are also the most modern SATA-E and M.2. The full set of characteristics is in the pivot table:

Model	Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI (rev. 1.1)
Chipset	Intel Z97
CPU socket	Socket 1150
Processors	Xeon, Core i7, Core i5, Core i3, Pentium, Celeron (Haswell)
Memory	4 DIMM DDR3 SDRAM 1333/1600/1800 * / 1866 * / 2000 * / 2133 * / 2200 * / 2400 * / 2500 * / 2600 * / 2666 * / 2800 * / 2933 * / 3000 * (OC), max 32 GB
PCI-E slots	2 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 (x16 + x0, x8 + x8) 3 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
M.2	1 x PCI Express 2.0 x2
PCI slots	2 (ITE IT8892E)
Integrated video core (in the processor)	Intel HD Graphics / 4400/4600 / P4600 / P4700
Video Connections	HDMI 1.4a, DVI-D, D-Sub
Number of connected fans	5x 4pin
PS / 2 ports	1 (keyboard / mouse)
USB ports	6 x 3.0 (4 rear connectors, Z97) 8 x 2.0 (2 rear connectors, Z97)
SATA Express	1 (Z97)
Serial ATA	6 x SATA 6Gb / s (Z97)
RAID	0, 1, 5, 10 (Z97)
Built-in sound	Realtek ALC1150 (7.1, HDA) Texas Instruments NE5532
S / PDIF	On-board connector (output)
Networking capabilities	Intel I217V (Gigabit Ethernet)
Firewire	-
LPT	1 (internal)
COM	1 (internal)
BIOS / UEFI	AMI UEFI
Form Factor	ATX
Dimensions, mm	305 x 214
Additional features	Supports AMD 2-Way CrossFireX and NVIDIA 2-Way SLI

The pricing policy deserves a separate mention. Foreign trading platforms refer the instance in question to affordable solutions, setting a price tag near the $ 110 border, which brings it closer to simple models like the same GA-Z97M-D3H. In domestic retail, everything is a little different, the set price of $ 145 makes it a little cheaper than the GA-Z97X-Gaming 3. One of the most interesting questions is the overclocking potential of the device, but first let's study its design in more detail.

Packaging and equipment

The device comes in a box of regular sizes, on the front side it is declared belonging to the Ultra Durable series. The model itself and the type of system logic used are also indicated, nothing more.

On the reverse side, the manufacturer reveals the essence of its main slogan. There is also a photo of the board, an image of the rear panel, a small table with characteristics and a small corner where you can find the SLI, CrossFireX and cFos logos.

Delivery set itself entry level:

User's Guide, which details UEFI sub-items (in English) are illustrated and described;
multilingual quick installation instructions;
CD with drivers and proprietary software;
Ultra Durable logo sticker;
plug for the case, standard design - with embossed symbols and icons for nest designations;
two SATA 6Gb / s cables, one of which has an L-shaped connector at one end.

I would like to note that there is no bridge for organizing SLI in the bundle, while more expensive models do.

Appearance

The surface of the PCB is glossy, brown. The dimensions differ from the usual ATX format, since the width is only 214 mm, that is, a whole three centimeters is missing. There are only seven attachment points, but not every modern case can support the bonus hole.

On the back of the board from electronic components you can find only fourteen LEDs with a red tint. It is easy to refuse their services through UEFI, and they are located near an insulating gap in the PCB layers, designed to improve the performance of the sound subsystem. All coolers are secured with spring-loaded plastic clips.

The PCH heatsink has rich fins, so there were no problems with the temperature regime here, the maximum recorded mark was 41 ° C.

The model is equipped with advanced types of connectors for connecting high-speed drives - SATA-E and M.2, of course, they cannot be used at the same time, like on other motherboards.

All SATA sockets have a longitudinal type of execution relative to the surface of the board, obviously, this implies the use of modern cases, where it is possible to correctly organize the cable management. There are no auxiliary elements for working with the device - buttons, switches, indicators.

Placing the top high-speed PCI-E slot will allow you to easily use the largest CPU coolers and video adapters. Four ASM1480 switches are used to distribute sixteen lines to two slots. The operation of two legacy PCIs is organized by the ITE IT8892E controller. Other pads for organizing the expansion of the number of system interfaces are located along the bottom edge of the product.

The network subsystem is based on the Intel I217V gigabit controller. To organize the work of the audio part, the senior codec from Realtek is used - ALC1150. In addition, an operational amplifier from Texas Instruments NE5532 is involved. Shielding solutions are not used, this is the fate of "game" models.

There is quite enough space in the area of the power supply stabilizer, the radiators used have familiar silhouettes; they are low and at the same time well ventilated.

The weight of the cooling products is small, and the contact with the power elements by means of a thermal pad turned out to be full.

There is a relationship between all the models indicated in the introduction, expressed in the type of PWM controller used. He is performing a four-channel ISL95820 from Intersil Corporation. The power elements are also identical, these are SiRA12DP from Vishay Intertechnology. There are twelve of them, that is, three for each of the channels, as it was in the stabilizer circuit of the simplest GA-Z97M-D3H.

The set of jacks on the rear panel can hardly be called all-encompassing, especially considering the fact that there are empty spaces, but everything you need is here. S / PDIF is absent, digital video outputs are supplemented by signal level converters PTN3360D and ASM1442.

After a direct acquaintance with the product, it is difficult to immediately point out any shortcomings, you can only mention the incomplete overall dimensions, which does not affect the functioning of the system in any way. The next step is to examine the software capabilities. UEFI capabilities

While updating the microcode to the most current version, I ran into this operation twice. First, the main ROM-microcircuit was updated, and then the backup one, independently of each other. On the official product page on the Web, it was reported that it was impossible to return to previous versions. I would venture to suggest with newest version The UEFI board has gained the ability to support new Broadwell processors, but so far this has not been advertised. Anyway, everything went smoothly.

First, you need to go through the Startup Guide setup procedure: select the interface display language, check the date and time, set the priority among boot devices, and decide on the UEFI display option.

The first and main section in UEFI is defined by M.I.T. The whole set of fine-tuning the system and overclocking of individual components is concentrated here. Ready-made profiles for overclocking the CPU and RAM are available, with manual setting CPU VRIN Loadline Calibration comes in handy. Together with many of the items that can be changed, one cannot but say about the lack of the possibility of hardware monitoring of operating voltages, and in UEFI itself, only the most basic values are prepared for monitoring and control.

The most significant parameters and the limits of their variation are included in the table:

Parameter	Adjustment range	Step
CPU Base Clock (MHz)	80-333,32	0,01
CPU PLL Selection	Auto / LCPLL / SBPLL
Filter PLL Level	Auto / Low / High
CPU Clock Ratio (Multiplier)	8-80	1
CPU Vcore (V)	0,5-1,8	0,001
CPU Vcore Offset (V)	-0,3…+0,4	0,001
CPU VRIN External Override (B)	1,0-2,4	0,01
CPU VRIN Loadline Calibration	Auto / Normal / Standard / High / Turbo
Uncore Ratio (Multiplier)	8-80	1
CPU RING Voltage (V)	0,8-1,8	0,001
CPU RING Voltage Offset (V)	-0,3…+0,4	0,001
System Memory Multiplier	14-28, 8-29,33	2, 2,66
DRAM Voltage (V)	1,16-2,10	0,02
CPU System Agent Voltage (V)	-0,3…+0,4	0,001
CPU I / O Analog Voltage (V)	-0,3…+0,4	0,001
CPU I / O Digital Voltage (V)	-0,3…+0,4	0,001
PCH Core (B)	0,65-1,3	0,005
PCH IO (V)	1,05-1,9	0,005
Processor Graphics Clock (MHz)	400-4000	50
CPU Graphics Voltage (VAXG) (V)	0,5-1,7	0,001
CPU Graphics Voltage Offset (V)	-0,3…+0,4	0,001

There are five slots for connecting fans. They are all four-pin. It is important to note that the white block designed for the CPU cooler implies the use of only those models where the rotation speed is controlled using PWM, and the other four black blocks implement this task differently - by changing the supply voltage, therefore the corresponding products can also be three-pin. There are four ready-made profiles in UEFI, among them one (Manual) implies user intervention in the operation of the cooler control algorithm. It is much more interesting and expedient to use proprietary software for these purposes.

The remaining pages contain settings for other peripheral equipment or controllers that have little to do with system performance. I would like to note the possibility of turning off the backlight, as well as the item responsible for deactivating the built-in video adapter from Intel, which, according to experts from Gigabyte, should remain in operation even if a discrete video card is used.

The last section contains useful tool, allowing you to save the current settings in one of eight profiles.

UEFI also has a different, more colorful version of the interface display, where you can use the mouse much more actively. However, there are still some problems with the correct display of elements when the setting enters a truly active mode, namely, hiding, partial displaying of elements, overlaying one on top of another, which interferes when working with an unfamiliar menu. From the internal settings, I note the absence of ready-made additional themes or backgrounds, such features are available only in more expensive products.

In general, the functionality of UEFI did not bring any surprises, the set of features wanders from one model to another, which means that there are no visible restrictions for the implementation of major overclocking events. Another question is important - how the voltage stabilizer will manifest itself in business, but before answering this question, I propose to look at the accompanying software.

Complete software

The CD contains a large number of drivers and utilities, everything you need to get started with the system is here. From the bonus software, I would like to note cFosSpeed - a software solution for working with a network adapter.

Both the drivers and the set of utilities have installation wizards. The latter does not include a number of specific solutions that will have to be installed by running the installers once. The set of drivers is all-embracing, going beyond the required number for this board, which means that everything you really need was found here. A whole range of proprietary utilities from Gigabyte are included in the App Center.

Its version is frequently updated; this process was also proposed when testing the board, when the complex was first launched.

In the future, there is a search on the Web for new versions of drivers and software, which can be corrected later in the settings.
All this is managed by the Live Update element, which is installed in the complex with any of the marked products. Here you can track the release of new versions of both already installed utilities and drivers, and others that are not included in the system. It is pleasant to note that the issue of access to the servers was successfully solved by the company's specialists, and now the download and installation takes place not only without problems, but also quickly.

The solution from cFos is not included in the set of installers, you need to find it yourself among other programs and install it.

It was renamed Gigabyte Speed, and it is based on the well-known cFosSpeed, which has been on the market for several years. This tool is the accompanying software for the network adapter from Intel.

The capabilities of this complex have already been examined several times within the framework of our reviews; in this particular case, only the shell prepared specially for Gigabyte is unique.

The sound subsystem of specialized accompaniment is deprived. You will only have to be content with the proprietary Realtek HD configurator. Despite the existing op-amp, there are no tools for its activation and deactivation, it turns out that it is used constantly. There are also no options for selecting the playback source for the green output jack - the "Desktop Stereo Speakers" profile works on an ongoing basis. Only environment virtualization can be activated. The loudness level turned out to be atypically high, therefore, the assumption of the use of op amps on a permanent basis has every reason.

For gaming computers, a proprietary tool from the manufacturer called Game Controller can also come in handy. This solution allows you to experiment with writing macros for mouse and keyboard.

Another, more traditional module from the App Center is SIV, that is, System Information Viewer. The system component data was correct. An important part of it is the component for interaction with cooling devices. First of all, there are four ready-made profiles available, but the more interesting one is Smart Fan Advanced. There you can calibrate specific models fans, having received a separate passport for each, and on its basis then form an algorithm for controlling the rotation speed.

In total, there are two options available - a variable speed depending on the current CPU temperature, or the rpm fixed at a single mark, which, after overcoming the 70 ° C mark, will be the maximum. I repeat, a total of five coolers can be connected.

On the System Alerts page, you can activate notifications that will appear when the temperature limits or the speed of coolers are exceeded.

The hardware monitoring tool is lonely hidden here, where there is no way to influence the course of the recorded values.

On the last Record tab, they tried to fix this moment, because here you can set the parameters necessary for fixing, as well as the time period for this operation.

An important skill of this solution is the ability to minimize the window into a more compact one in order to independently observe the current values of a number of elements, but again - nothing can be configured.

The traditional overclocking investment tool is EasyTune. Here you can use a number of ready-made scenarios, as well as control the progress of their implementation.

The implementation of the Russian-language localization still leaves much to be desired, but in full-screen mode now everything began to fit into the established framework.

From the point of view of software support, everything turned out to be predictable. It became known about the utility from cFos even when inspecting the package, but nothing more interesting was found. The sound subsystem is based on the ALC1150, but the full range of interaction with the environment is not provided. The proprietary developments were all in place, the study of the overclocking potential, including with their involvement, is the goal of the next section of the review. Overclocking potential

The Core i5-4670K used in the test bench has a non-standard, replaced thermal interface, commonly known as "liquid metal". Thus, the full impact of both it and the tested motherboard is achieved, without regard to high operating temperatures.

First, let's test the operation of the ready-made profile available in EasyTune under the name Extreme 4.4 GHz. Turbo technology Boost is not involved, that is, the indicated frequency must be fixed for any type of load. The largest voltage increase of 0.3 V is provided for the ring bus, for the CPU the value is 0.2 V, and for the PCH the increase is quite insignificant - up to 1.09 V.

As such, I observed the increase in frequency only in the CPU, and the RAM and the ring bus functioned normally. The voltage on the computing cores was 1.28 V for simple operations and 1.41 V for heavy loads. Energy saving functioned properly.

Another way to use EasyTune is Auto Tuning mode. Here it is promised to reach an indicator of 4.6 GHz.

At the same time, Turbo Boost is actively used, which means that the 4.6 GHz frequency will be relevant only in selected cases. Interestingly, the increase in voltage for the CPU was again at 0.2 V, and DRAM was not overclocked again.

In this operating mode, the processor voltage rose to a life-threatening 1.56 V. And the actual frequency was rarely higher than 4.4 GHz. Therefore, the advisability of using such a mode of operation is very doubtful.

Another in a simple way improving performance is the activation of the ready profile in the UEFI environment. I have tested the maximum available "100% Upgrade" mark. This time, the RAM finally functioned according to the existing XMP profile - the frequency increased to 2133 MHz with an increase in voltage to 1.66 V. The Core i5-4670K accelerated to an impressive 4.7 GHz at a voltage of 1.43 V.

In practice, it turned out that delays for random access memory did not correspond to XMP, their configuration took the form 11-14-14-36-1T. The system worked stably under light load, but LinX 0.6.5 scripts brought it to BSOD.

In general, the subject showed herself a little worse than the same GA-Z97X-Gaming 3, but you can still find a workable one among the ready-made profiles.

I started my own tests with the traditional increase in the base frequency. The system turned out to be stable at 173.5 MHz, this level is typical of many motherboards from Gigabyte.

The behavior of the device was completely adequate, and in case of setting inoperable parameters, the system started with safe settings, which made it possible to make changes without setting all values from the very beginning.

We also managed to overclock the Core i5-4670K without any problems, while maintaining the work of energy-saving technologies. To operate at a frequency of 4.7 GHz, a supply voltage of 1.9 V is required, the computational cores require 1.35 V, and a ring bus operating at 4.4 GHz requires 1.3 V.

The latter parameter is overestimated by almost all motherboards based on Intel Z97, so here I blindly set 1.25 V. The VRIN level strongly depends on the LLC profile. Only the most extreme, Turbo, can prevent the voltage drop, but in this case it rises considerably with increasing load intensity. Therefore, for the desired 1.9 V, 1.86 V was set. This nature of work also influenced the voltage of the computing unit, so it turned out to be enough to force 1.33 V. In addition to all this, I manually deactivated the integrated graphics subsystem.

The temperature regime in the area of the power supply stabilizer was acceptable. The hottest area warmed up to 81 ° C, while the radiators only up to 60 ° C. At the same time, the consumption was adequate, the level was 81-296 W, which is even less than in more formidable devices, where voltage stabilization works much better.

The maximum overclocking of the RAM went smoothly. The modules started working at a frequency of 2666 MHz with a voltage rise to 1.76 V with a delay configuration of 11-13-12-30-1T.

As a conclusion, it is possible to confirm the device's ability to overclock the processor and RAM, even if the process is not facilitated by an intelligible monitoring of the operating voltages, and some hardware capabilities cannot be used to help - for lack of them. At its core, the GA-Z97X-SLI is indeed the successor to the good GA-Z97M-D3H. It remains to be seen how good its performance level is relative to other boards.

Test stand

The stand includes:

processor: Intel Core i5-4670K (3.4 GHz);
cooler: Cryorig R1 Ultimate;
thermal interface: Noctua NT-H1;
memory: G.Skill F3-17000CL9D-8GBXM (2x4 GB, 2133 MHz, 9-11-10-28-2T, 1.65 V);
video card: Gigabyte GV-N580SO-15I (GeForce GTX 580);
drive: ADATA Premier Pro SP900 (128 GB, SATA 6 Gb / s, AHCI mode);
power supply: XFX XPS-850W-BES (850 W);

operating system: Windows 8.1 Pro x64;
drivers: Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility (10.0.14), Intel Management Engine Interface (10.0.0.1204), GeForce 335.23 (9.18.13.3523), PhysX 9.13.1220.

All OS updates available for download through Windows Update have been installed. Third-party antivirus products have not been installed, fine tuning systems were not produced, the paging file size was determined by the system itself.

The following applications were used as tests:

AIDA64 5.20 (Cache & Memory benchmark);
Futuremark PCMark 8 (bundled with Microsoft Office 2013 SP1 Standard);
Futuremark 3DMark 13;
Batman: Arkham City;
F1 2012;
Hitman: Absolution.

During the testing of representatives of the Intel LGA1150 platform, the versions of software products are regularly updated. For a possible correlation of the results, they are summarized in a comparative table:

At low quality settings, the performance was not very outstanding, and when they were raised, all the difference disappeared, GA-Z97X-SLI stood in one tight row with other products.

System power consumption

The measurements were carried out after passing all other tests in the "established" computer mode using a device of our own design. The methodology consisted in fixing the weighted average consumption of the test bench "from the socket" during the Prime95 test using the In-place large FFTs profile and also when the computer was idle after the test was completed.

Energy efficiency as well as performance motherboard turned out to be at a good level, albeit not the most outstanding, but average, based on the general picture of the many tested models. The traditional step towards lowering these numbers is to disable the enabled Intel integrated graphics in Gigabyte's UEFI. As a result, the corridor of numbers turned out to be equal to 81-177 W, that is, you can win back about five watts. You can also turn off the backlight, but this will not affect the final figures too much, because the savings will not amount to even a whole unit of watt.

Output

The result of the compromise decisions made by Gigabyte specialists turned out to be quite good. The GA-Z97X-SLI will provide a modern PC with a variety of interfaces, and not just their basic set, but both the latest and several outdated types of connectors. The audio component is based on the ALC1150 codec, but there is no bonus software for working with audio, and even the Realtek standard configurator turned out to be a little cut down. The Intel network adapter is accompanied by a software solution from cFos. And also, as the name suggests, here you can assemble a configuration from a pair of video adapters.

This board differs from older solutions in a simplified power supply regulator. However, as the test results showed, it is quite capable of unleashing the potential of the scalped Core i5-4670K, and there were no difficulties with overclocking the RAM. Remarks can be put forward to the quality of voltage stabilization, and the lack of monitoring (both hardware and software) turns part of the system setup operations into intrigue without the ability to control the development of events. However, a couple of the most important parameters is still controlled even by third-party software.

The savings also affected the delivery set and the overall dimensions of the device, but all this has little effect on the functioning of the system. The consumption level was found to be adequate. Complementing the positive overall picture of the GA-Z97X-SLI is the ability to connect five coolers to it.

As a result, it is impossible not to note this board as a loyal contender for the purchase, especially for those who do not want to overpay for unnecessary functionality that will never be in demand, and at the same time knows for sure that he needs a device that is not the simplest on the market for Intel based Z97.

Product	Microcode version	AIDA64	BenchDLL	PCMark 8	3DMark 13
	F8	5.20.3435	4.1.633-x64	2.3.293	1.5.893
ASUS Z97M-Plus	2801	5.20.3423	4.1.633-x64	2.3.293	1.5.893
MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition	V10.3	5.20.3417	4.1.633-x64	2.2.282	1.5.884
ASUS Sabertooth Z97 Mark S	2205	5.00.3354	4.1.627-x64	2.2.282	1.4.828
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5	F6e	5.00.3341	4.1.627-x64	2.2.282	1.4.828
ASUS Z97-P	2601	5.00.3335	4.1.627-x64	2.2.282	1.4.828
Gigabyte GA-B85N Phoenix	F6	5.00.3323	4.1.627-x64	2.2.282	1.4.828
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 3	F5	5.00.3308	4.1.627-x64	2.2.282	1.4.828
ASUS B85-Pro Gamer	2103	4.70.3248	4.1.627-x64	2.2.282	1.4.778
Gigabyte GA-Z97M-D3H	F5	4.70.3237	4.1.627-x64	2.2.282	1.4.778
ASUS Gryphon Z97 Armor Edition	2012	4.70.3219	4.1.627-x64	2.2.282	1.4.778
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK	F6	4.70.3206	4.1.622-x64	2.0.228	1.3.708
ASUS Z97-PRO (Wi-Fi ac)	1304	4.70.3203	4.1.622-x64	2.0.228	1.3.708
ASRock Z97 Anniversary	P1.10	4.60.3149	4.1.622-x64	2.0.228	1.3.708
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H	F7	4.60.3129	4.1.620-x64	2.0.228	1.3.708
ASUS Z97I-Plus	2105	4.60.3124	4.1.620-x64	2.0.228	1.3.708
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 7	F6	4.60.3110	4.1.611-x64	2.0.228	1.3.708
ASUS Maximus VII Gene	1002	4.50.3040	4.1.611-x64	2.0.228	1.3.708
Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5	F4	4.50.3034	4.1.611-x64	2.0.228	1.3.708
MSI Z97 MPOWER	V1.3	4.50.3019	4.1.611-x64	2.0.228	1.3.708
ASUS Z97-A	0902	4.30.2954	4.1.611-x64	2.0.228

The heroine of our review, the motherboard GIGABYTE GA-Z97-D3H is a relatively affordable mid-range solution based on the Intel Z97 chipset. It can hardly be called a flagship device, but it has an affordable cost, excellent capabilities for organizing a disk subsystem (with support for new SATA Express and M.2 interfaces), a top-end audio codec from Realtek, a gigabit network controller from Intel, as well as traditionally high quality performance ... Of course, to reduce its cost, the manufacturing company had to make some simplifications, which we will talk about below.

By tradition, let's start the review with the technical characteristics.

GIGABYTE GA-Z97-D3H motherboard specification:

Manufacturer
	GA-Z97-D3H (rev 1.0)

CPU socket
Supported processors	4th and 5th Generation Intel Core i7 / Core i5 / Core i3 / Pentium / Celeron: Intel Haswell, Intel Haswell Refresh, Intel Devil`s Canyon, Intel Broadwell
Memory frequency	1333/1600/1800 * / 1866 * / 2000 * / 2133 * / 2200 * / 2400 * / 2500 * / 2600 * / 2666 * / 2800 * / 2933 * / 3000 * / 3100 * MHz
Memory support	4 x DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 32GB memory
Expansion slots	1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 (CPU) 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 (PCH)
	2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1
Disk subsystem	Intel Z97 Chipset Supports: 1 x M.2 (M.2 2242, M.2 2260, M.2 2280) 4 x SATA 6Gb / s 1 x SATA Express (compatible with 2 x SATA 6Gb / s) RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10
	1 x Intel WGI217V (10/100/1000 Mb / s)
Sound subsystem	Realtek ALC1150 Codec 8-channel audio
	24-pin ATX power connector 8-pin ATX12V power connector
Fans	2 x CPU fan connectors (4-pin) 3 x connection connectors system fans(4-pin)
Cooling	Aluminum radiators on the elements of the processor power subsystem Chipset aluminum heatsink
External I / O ports	1 x DVI-D 1 x PS / 2 (for connecting a mouse or keyboard) 6 x audio ports
Internal I / O ports	1 x USB 3.0 with support for two USB 3.0 connections (19-pin) 3 x USB 2.0, each supporting two USB 2.0 connections 4 x SATA 6Gb / s 1 x SATA Express 1 x front panel audio connector 1 x Front Panel Connector Block 1 x CMOS Clear Jumper 1 x COM port 1 x TPM port
	PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.7, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0, WfM 2.0
Equipment	user guide warranty brochure CD with drivers and utilities 2 x SATA cables 1 x interface panel cover
Form factor,
Products webpage

Packaging and equipment

The box in which the motherboard GIGABYTE GA-Z97-D3H is supplied is made of thick cardboard, decorated with printing in dark yellow tones. Most of the front side is occupied by the logo of the Ultra Durable corporate concept, which includes the following features:

Cool- high-efficiency field-effect transistors with low heat dissipation are used in the power circuits, as well as radiators with an efficient design.
Performance- the novelty has support AMD technology CrossFireX, SATA Express and M.2 connectors, as well as a high-quality audio subsystem and a gigabit network controller from Intel.
Durable- implies the use of durable solid capacitors and gold-plated CPU connector pins.
Safe- this model is equipped with two microcircuits with BIOS firmware(main and backup), which will allow you to avoid a visit to service center in case of damage to the main chip, for example, in an unsuccessful attempt BIOS updates... Separately, the presence of additional protection of USB and LAN ports from electrostatic discharges was noted. Each LAN and USB port is paired with a dedicated surge protector that can withstand severe electrostatic discharge to protect your system from power surges even during a thunderstorm. It would not be superfluous to mention the presence of protective microcircuits that protect the internal components from overvoltage, and the improved laying of fiberglass in the base of the PCB, which reduces the negative effects of moisture.

Traditionally, on the reverse side there is a schematic representation of the motherboard itself and its interface panel, as well as the description of the above key advantages continues.

In the box with the tested model, in addition to the disk with the software and the interface panel cover, we found only two SATA cables.

Board design and features

The novelty is made on an ATX PCB with slightly non-standard dimensions (305 x 214 mm), which is why there are no mounting holes on the edges of its right side. With this in mind, and the perpendicularly positioned SATA ports, some care must be taken when assembling the system to avoid excessive force. As for the rest, the layout of the on-board elements raises no objections: convenient access is provided to all system nodes.

As for the design, the brown color of the PCB and the dark color of the ports and expansion slots go well with the yellow heatsinks, which prevent the new product from looking too strict.

In addition to the traditional base plate of the processor socket, on the reverse side you can note that all three radiators of the cooling system are fixed with plastic clips.

The following connectors are located at the bottom: a front panel audio connector, S / PDIF Out, COM and TPM ports, two of the three connectors for system fans, a connector front panel(color coded to simplify wiring) and a jumper to clear CMOS. Additionally, we note three pads for activating USB 2.0 ports. In total, the chipset supports eight USB 2.0 ports: six internal and two on the interface panel.

The possibilities of organizing the disk subsystem are represented by the M.2 connector (SSD-drives of the M.2 2242, 2260 and 2280 formats are supported), four SATA 6 Gb / s ports, as well as one SATA Express, which is compatible with two SATA 6 Gb / s. There is support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10. All interfaces are supported by the Intel Z97 chipset.

Separately, we note that there are certain restrictions on the simultaneous use of the ports sounded above. So, the user can use either SATA Express, or M.2 (NGFF), or two SATA 6 Gb / s ports (SATA3 4/5 in the diagram), which is due to the lack of free chipset lines.

The tested novelty is equipped with four DIMM-slots for installing DDR3 memory modules, which can work in dual-channel mode. To implement it, the bars must be installed either in the first and third, or in the second and fourth slots. Modules operating at frequencies up to 1600 MHz in nominal mode and up to 3100 MHz in overclocked mode are supported. The maximum memory capacity can be up to 32 GB, which will be enough for almost any task.

Block for connecting a remote panel with USB ports 3.0 is traditionally also located on the right side of the PCB. In total, the GIGABYTE GA-Z97-D3H boasts six USB 3.0 ports: two internal and four on the interface panel. All of them function thanks to a set of system logic.

The cooling system of the motherboard in question consists of three aluminum radiators: one removes heat from the Intel Z97 chipset, while the other two cover the elements of the processor power subsystem. During testing, the following temperature indicators were recorded:

chipset cooling heatsink - 42.8 ° C;
heatsinks for cooling elements of the processor power subsystem - 39.5 ° C.

As you can see, despite the use of plastic clips for attaching radiators, they provide good cooling of important components.

The processor is powered according to a 4-phase scheme for computing cores and additional nodes. The element base of the motherboard is recruited using high quality components. It includes solid capacitors, low on-resistance MOSFETs and ferrite core chokes. The main 24-pin and additional 8-pin connectors are provided for supply voltage.

To expand the functionality of the GIGABYTE GA-Z97-D3H solution, the user has seven slots at their disposal:

PCI Express 2.0 x1;
PCI Express 3.0 x16 (in x16 mode);
PCI Express 2.0 x16 (in x4 mode);
PCI Express 2.0 x1.

As you can see, of the two PCI Express x16 slots, only one is connected to the processor, so all 16 PCI Express 3.0 lanes are available to it, while the second connector is connected to the chipset and uses a maximum of 4 PCI Express 2.0 lanes. Thanks to support for AMD CrossFireX technology, you can install two video cards in x16 + x4 mode, but this scheme is not optimal for unlocking the potential of a bundle of a pair of graphics accelerators.

Due to the lack of free chipset lanes, the PCI Express 2.0 x16 (x4) slot divides throughput with two PCI Express 2.0 x1, therefore, if a card is installed in it that requires all 4 lanes for full operation, PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots will be unavailable.

Since the Intel Z97 system logic set does not support the PCI bus, the functioning of the corresponding slots is implemented using a PCIe-PCI bridge based on the ITE IT8892E controller.

If you decide to use the capabilities of the graphics core integrated into the CPU, then you have three video outputs at your disposal: HDMI, DVI-D and D-Sub, switching between which is carried out by two microcircuits: PTN3360DBS and ASMedia ASM1442K.

The Multi I / O capabilities are based on the ITE IT8620E controller, which controls the system fans, COM and PS / 2 ports, and provides monitoring.

The Intel WGI217V Gigabit LAN controller is used to support network connections, and the distribution network resources will help to implement the cFosSpeed utility, which also guarantees a decrease in delays in the transmission of network information.

The audio subsystem of the GIGABYTE GA-Z97-D3H model is based on the 8-channel Realtek ALC1150 codec, which provides audio playback with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 115 dB and recording at 104 dB. In addition, it supports Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC), Beam Forming (BF) and Noise Suppression (NS) technologies. The TI N5532 audio amplifier is used in the codec binding, which ensures the operation of even studio headphones with an impedance of up to 600 ohms. And the left and right audio channels are implemented on different layers of the printed circuit board to reduce their interpenetration and improve the overall sound quality.

Additionally, we recall that the audio path is shielded from interference from other components of the motherboard using a protective strip with LED backlighting.

The following ports are displayed on the interface panel of the tested model:

1 x LAN (RJ45);
4 x USB 3.0;
2 x USB 2.0;
1 x HDMI;
1 x DVI-D;
1 x D-Sub;
1 x PS / 2 for connecting a mouse or keyboard;
6 x audio ports.

This configuration is very successful, especially for the affordable model, as it offers a sufficient number of USB ports, three actual video outputs, convenient connection of multichannel acoustics, as well as the ability to connect peripherals with a PS / 2 interface. Additionally, let us remind you that with the help of a suitable block on the surface of the printed circuit board, you can bring the COM port to the rear panel of the case.

The GIGABYTE GA-Z97-D3H has very good cooling capabilities inside the system case. There are five 4-pin fan headers, two of which are for CPU cooling, while the other three are for system turntables.

The tested novelty is equipped with modern UEFI firmware based on AMI microcode with the ability to work in four modes: "Smart Tweak HD" (resolution 1280), "Smart Tweak" (resolution 1024, without constant display on the sides of the state of the processor, memory and system sensors), " Classic "(classic BIOS version) and" StartUp "(mode initial settings BIOS).

As you may have noticed, while working in Smart Tweak HD mode, there is no separate section responsible for monitoring voltages and temperatures on the main components, since all the necessary data is displayed directly on the side panels. Here you can monitor the temperature of the processor and the rotational speed of the installed fans, monitor the voltage on the RAM modules, the processor and on the + 12V, + 5V and + 3.3V power lines, as well as a number of other important parameters. Additionally, note that not all items present in Classic mode are available in Smart Tweak HD.

All settings related to key elements of the system are conveniently grouped in the appropriate tabs.

In the "Frequency" tab, you can choose one of six types of automatic optimization of system parameters.

The memory frequency multiplier allows you to set the speed of the connected modules in the range from 800 to 2933 MHz. Memory frequencies over 2933 MHz can only be triggered using the appropriate memory profile.

If necessary, the Voltage subsection provides access to voltage adjustments on all key system components.

The settings required to optimize the system are summarized in the table:

Parameter	Menu name	Range
CPU multiplier

	Processor Base Clock
RAM frequency	System Memory Multiplier
CPU voltage
Auto Overclocking Profiles	Performance upgrade	Auto, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%
Auto Overclocking Profiles		Auto; 4.3; 4.4; 4.5; 4.6; 4.7 GHz
RAM voltage
Chipset voltage
Graphics core frequency	Processor Graphics Clock
	Turbo power limit
	Core current limit
	CPU VRIN External Override
Graphics core voltage	CPU Graphics Voltage
	CPU RING Voltage
System agent voltage	CPU System Agent Voltage
	CPU I / O Analog Voltage
	CPU I / O Digital Voltage

The amount of memory allocated for the needs of the graphics processor core	Intel Processor Graphics Memory	32, 64, 96, 128, 192, 224, 256, 320, 384, 448, 512, 1024
RAM timings		CAS, tRCD, tRP, tRAS, tRRD, tWTR, tWR, tWTP, tWL, tRFC, tRTP, tFAW

Overclocking capabilities

Traditionally, the automatic overclocking capabilities of GIGABYTE motherboards are presented in the BIOS as preset "Performance Upgrade" profiles, which, when activated, increase the speed of the RAM along with the processor frequency. Using them, we got the following results.

(40% upgrade)

(6 0% upgrade)

(100% upgrade)

As a result, they made it possible to increase the maximum frequency of the Intel Core i7-4770K processor to 4698 MHz at a voltage of 1.419 V. The speed of the RAM modules also increased: from DDR3-1600 MHz to DDR3-2133 MHz.

Together with motherboard Proprietary software EasyTune is supplied, which, in addition to its other capabilities, allows you to operate with several modes of system operation, depending on the current tasks of the user.

(automatic setting)

(Medium)

(Extreme)

These modes offer capabilities similar to those in the BIOS (CPU Upgrade). The maximum result we got after activating the "Extreme" mode was 4500 MHz at a voltage of 1.288 V.

As a result of manual overclocking, by increasing the multiplier to x46 and the voltage to 1.210 V, the stable operating frequency of the Intel Core i7-4770K processor was 4600 MHz.

The increase in the system bus frequency also passed without any particular difficulties. We managed to fix this parameter at around 183.99 MHz.

Test memory modules with a nominal operating frequency of DDR3-2400 MHz were successfully overclocked to a speed of DDR3-2933 MHz.

Testing

The following hardware was used to test the capabilities of the GIGABYTE GA-Z97-D3H motherboard:

CPU	Intel Core i7-4770K (LGA1150, 3.5 GHz, L3 8MB) Turbo Boost: enable C1E: enable
	Scythe Kama Angle Rev.B
RAM	2 x 4 GB DDR3-2400 TwinMOS TwiSTER 9DHCGN4B-HAWP
Video card		AMD Radeon HD 6970 2GB GDDR5
Video capture device		AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable
HDD	Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB SATA-300 NCQ
Optical drive	ASUS DRW-1814BLT SATA
Power Supply	Seasonic X-560 Gold (SS-560KM Active PFC)
	CODEGEN M603 MidiTower (2 x 120mm blower / blower fans)

Test results

During GIGABYTE testing GA-Z97-D3H showed performance on par with competitors, which tells us about the high-quality performance of the board, selection of a reliable and efficient element base, as well as good optimization of BIOS settings.

Testing the audio path based on the Realtek ALC1150 codec

RightMark Audio Analyzer Test Report

Operating mode 16-bit, 44.1 kHz


Noise level, dB (A)		Very good
Dynamic range, dB (A)		Very good
Harmonic distortion,%

		Very good

Intermodulation at 10 kHz,%		Very good
Overall score		Very good

Operating mode 24-bit, 192 kHz

Frequency response (in the range 40 Hz - 15 kHz), dB		Very good
Noise level, dB (A)
Dynamic range, dB (A)
Harmonic distortion,%
Harmonic distortion + noise, dB (A)
Intermodulation distortion + noise,%		Very good
Interpenetration of channels, dB
Intermodulation at 10 kHz,%		Very good
Overall score		Very good

The capabilities of the pre-installed sound subsystem will be more than enough for everyday use. For true connoisseurs quality sound it is always possible to install a discrete sound card with PCI interface or PCI Express.

conclusions

Summing up the results of testing the motherboard GIGABYTE GA-Z97-D3H, we can say that our preliminary conclusions have been fully confirmed. The novelty really has a very good combination of features and cost, which allows us to safely recommend it for purchase for assembling mid-range home systems with one video card.

Among its key advantages are the flagship chipset, high-quality sound subsystem, Intel's gigabit LAN controller, an extended set of ports for connecting drives, as well as a good layout of the interface panel and a pleasant design.

We also highlight traditionally good opportunities to realize the overclocking potential of processors with an unlocked multiplier and RAM, which overclockers will appreciate.

As for the features, most of them are directly related to the manufacturer's desire to equip this model with a wide range of ports and interfaces. So, there are restrictions on the simultaneous use of the PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot and two PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots, and it is also impossible to simultaneously use the SATA Express, M.2 (NGFF) port and two SATA 6 Gb / s (on the SATA3 4/5 scheme) ...

As a result, GIGABYTE GA-Z97-D3H will be a very successful purchase in its price segment.

Advantages:

the Ultra Durable concept, which includes a high-quality element base and an increased level of protection for internal components;
support a large number USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb / s ports;
availability of SATA Express and M.2 interfaces;
good layout of the interface panel;
the presence of two microcircuits with BIOS firmware;
high quality audio subsystem;
use of a high-speed network controller from Intel;
the ability to install overclocking RAM modules;
convenient and multifunctional BIOS;
support for a number of proprietary technologies and utilities.

Peculiarities:

PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot divides chipset lanes with two PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots;
restrictions on the simultaneous use of SATA Express, M.2 and two SATA 6 Gb / s connectors;
lack of mounting holes along the edges of the right side of the PCB.

We express our gratitude to the company MTI, the official distributor of products GIGABYTE, for the motherboard provided for testing.

We express our gratitude to the companiesAMD , AVerMedia , Intel , SeaSonic and TwinMOS Technologies for the equipment provided for the test bench.

All prices for Gigabyte + GA-Z97-D3H

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We have already reviewed several motherboards from Gigabyte based on the Intel Z97 chipset. In this article, we'll take a look at another inexpensive motherboard based on the Intel Z97 chipset: the Gigabyte Z97P-D3 model. In the line of boards based on the Intel Z97 chipset, this board can be classified as an entry-level board. There is almost nothing superfluous in it - only the basic functionality of the chipset is implemented (and even then not in full).

Completion and packaging

Gigabyte Z97P-D3 motherboards are shipped in a standard (for Gigabyte) compact black cardboard box with all its advantages and even a brief specification. The scope of delivery is minimal: besides the board itself, there is only a user manual, a DVD with software and drivers, two SATA cables (all connectors are latched, one cable has an angled connector on one side) and a cover for the rear panel of the board.

Configuration and features of the board

A summary table of the characteristics of the Gigabyte Z97P-D3 motherboard is given below, and further in the text we will consider all its features and functionalities.

Supported processors	Haswell, Haswell Refresh, Broadwell
CPU socket
Chipset
Memory	4 × DDR3 (up to 32GB)
Audio subsystem
Network Controller	Realtek RTL8111F
Expansion slots	1 × PCI Express 3.0 x16 1 × PCI Express 2.0 x4 (PCI Express x16 form factor) 2 × PCI Express 2.0 x1 2 × PCI
SATA connectors	6 × SATA 6Gb / s
USB connectors	4 × USB 3.0 10 × USB 2.0
Rear panel connectors	1 × HDMI 2 × USB 3.0 4 × USB 2.0 2 × RJ-45 1 × COM port 3 × audio minijack 2 × PS / 2
Internal connectors	24-pin ATX power connector 8 pin ATX 12V power connector 6 × SATA 6Gb / s 3 × connectors for 4-pin fans 1 × 3-pin fan connector 1 × connector for USB 3.0 ports 3 × connectors for connecting USB 2.0 ports 1 × COM port connector 1 × connector for connecting LPT port
Form Factor	ATX (305 × 200mm)

Form Factor

The Gigabyte Z97P-D3 board is made in the ATX form factor (305 × 200 mm), and six holes are provided for mounting it into the case. Due to the fact that the size of the board is rather unusual (200 mm on the short side), it looks too elongated. In addition, due to the fastening at only six points (in conventional ATX boards (305 × 244 mm), nine holes are used) the front edge of the board sags a little, which becomes noticeable when installing memory modules in the outer slots and when connecting cables to the connectors on this parts of the PCB.

Chipset and processor socket

Gigabyte Z97P-D3 is based on the new top-end Intel Z97 chipset and will support 4th Gen Intel Core processors (codenamed Haswell), updated 4th Gen Intel Core processors (codenamed Haswell Refresh) and will support 5th Gen Intel Core processors (codenamed Broadwell) ...

Memory

The board provides four DIMM slots for installing memory modules, which allows installing two DDR3 modules for each of the two channels with a maximum capacity of up to 32 GB (when using 8 GB modules). Memory slots assigned to different memory channels are color coded for easy installation. Note also that the board supports memory with XMP profiles.

Expansion slots

The Z97P-D3 motherboard has two PCI Express x16 slots, two PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots and two PCI slots for installing video cards or expansion cards.

The first slot (closest to the processor socket) with a PCI Express x16 form factor is made using 16 PCI Express 3.0 lanes of the Haswell processor. This slot always operates in x16 (PCI Express 3.0 x16) mode, and is optimal for installing a discrete graphics card.

The second slot with the form factor PCI Express x16 is implemented using 4 PCI Express 2.0 lanes of the Intel Z97 chipset. In fact, this is a PCI Express 2.0 x4 slot in the PCI Express x16 form factor.

PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots are also implemented using two PCI Express 2.0 ports on the Intel Z97 chipset.

Since the Intel Z97 chipset itself does not have native support for the PCI bus, a PICe-PCI bridge (ITE IT8892E) is used to implement PCI slots, which uses one PCI Express 2.0 chipset port.

Video connectors

Since Haswell processors have an integrated graphics core, and the Intel Z97 chipset supports the ability to use processor graphics, there is an HDMI 1.4 connector for connecting a monitor on the back of the board (maximum resolution 4096 × [email protected] Hz). No more video connectors are provided on the board

SATA ports

To connect storage devices or optical drives the board provides six SATA 6 Gb / s ports, which are based on the controller integrated into the chipset. All six SATA 6Gb / s ports support RAID 0, 1, 5, 10.

USB connectors

The Gigabyte Z97P-D3 has four USB 3.0 ports and ten USB 2.0 ports to connect all kinds of peripheral devices. Moreover, four USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports are brought out to the rear panel of the board, and the board has corresponding connectors for connecting the remaining ports (one connector for connecting USB 3.0 ports and three connectors for connecting USB 2.0 ports).

All USB ports are based on the Intel Z97 chipset (in total, the Intel Z97 chipset supports up to 14 USB ports, of which up to 6 can be USB 3.0 ports).

Network interface

To connect to a local network segment on the Z97P-D3 board, a gigabit interface is implemented based on the Realtek RTL8111F network controller.

How it works

If we count the number of controllers, connectors and slots using PCI Express 2.0 lanes of the Intel Z97 chipset, we get the following picture. A PCI Express 2.0 x4 slot and two PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots require a total of six PCI Express 2.0 lanes. Another PCI Express 2.0 line is used by the ITE IT8892E bridge. In addition, the network controller is another PCI Express 2.0 line. As a result, we find that a total of 8 PCI Express 2.0 lanes are required, that is, exactly as much as the Intel Z97 chipset has.

Now let's look at how the high-speed I / O port rule 18 is implemented. Recall that the Intel Z97 chipset can be implemented in total no more than 18 high-speed I / O ports (PCI Express 2.0, SATA, USB 3.0), and Flexible IO technology allows you to redistribute some of them.

If you count the number of high-speed I / O ports on the Z97P-D3, you get exactly 18: 4 USB 3.0 ports, 6 SATA 6 Gb / s ports and 8 PCI Express 2.0 ports. As you can see, this is the simplest way to implement high-speed ports, which does not require reconfiguring them.

The diagram for connecting all controllers of slots and connectors to the Intel Z97 chipset is shown in the figure.

Extra features

Among the additional features of the Gigabyte Z97P-D3 motherboard, one can only note the presence of two UEFI BIOS chips. However, for Gigabyte motherboards this is not a feature, but a rule.

In addition, the board has as many as two PS / 2 connectors for connecting a mouse and keyboard, and a COM port that has already become a rarity is placed on the rear panel of the board, and the board itself has one more connector for connecting a COM port and even a connector for connecting LPT port.

Of course, such a variety of rare ports on Gigabyte Z97P-D3 will delight only a very specific audience.

Supply system

The 24-pin and 8-pin connectors are used to connect the power supply on the Gigabyte Z97P-D3 board.

The processor voltage regulator is a 4-channel and is based on a 4-phase PWM controller. As you can see, there are no bells and whistles, everything is at a minimum. In short, the board is clearly not for overclocking.

Cooling system

To cool the MOSFETs of the processor supply voltage regulator, the board has only one miniature heatsink. There is also a separate heatsink installed on the chipset.

In addition, to create an efficient heat dissipation system, the board provides three four-pin (with PWM-speed control) and one three-pin fan connectors.

The high-speed operating mode of the four-pin fans can be configured in the UEFI BIOS.

Audio subsystem

The audio subsystem of the Gigabyte Z97P-D3 motherboard is pretty simple. There is no separate zone isolated at the PCB level for the elements of the audio path, there is no separate operational amplifier, and the components of the audio path itself (HDA audio codec binding) are the simplest and cheapest.

The board uses the Realtek ALC887 HDA audio codec; the back panel of the board has three audio mini-jacks (3.5 mm).

To test the audio output path intended for connecting headphones or external acoustics, we used an external Creative E-MU 0204 USB sound card in combination with the Right Mark Audio Analyzer 6.3.0 utility. Tested in stereo, 24-bit / 44.1 kHz. According to the test results, the audio section on the Gigabyte Z97P-D3 board was rated “Good”. However, it should be noted that the test results are not impressive. In short, the audio section is rather mediocre, and its quality corresponds to the level of budget solutions.

The full report with the test results in the RMAA 6.3.0 program is placed on a separate page, followed by a short report.

Frequency response (in the range 40 Hz - 15 kHz), dB
Noise level, dB (A)		Mediocre
Dynamic range, dB (A)		Mediocre
Harmonic distortion,%		Mediocre
Harmonic distortion + noise, dB (A)
Intermodulation distortion + noise,%		Mediocre
Interpenetration of channels, dB
Intermodulation at 10 kHz,%		Mediocre
Overall score	Good

UEFI BIOS and overclocking capabilities

As regards the UEFI BIOS on the Gigabyte Z97P-D3, in terms of interface and functionality, it is almost exactly the same as on other motherboards with the Intel Z97 chipset. That is why we will not repeat ourselves and describe its standard features, referring instead to the review of Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H.

It would seem that this could be done, but if the UEFI BIOS of the Gigabyte Z97P-D3 board allows overclocking the processor, I would like to see the results (despite the fact that the overclocking capabilities in this case are exactly the same as in other motherboards Gigabyte - Z97X-UD3H, Z97X-UD5H).

We overclocked an unlocked Intel Core i7-4770K processor on a Gigabyte Z97P-D3 board. First of all, note that if the processor is overclocked only by changing the multiplier (all other parameters are in Auto mode), the same problem appears as on other Gigabyte motherboards. This problem lies in the fact that the voltage of the processor cores (Core Voltage), which in this case is set automatically, turns out to be greatly overestimated. So, if you set the multiplication factor to 48, then the voltage of the processor cores will be 1.499 V, which is actually a bit too much. Naturally, at such a frequency and such a supply voltage, the processor heats up a lot under load, and its power consumption increases greatly. In particular, when the processor is loaded with the Stress CPU test (AIDA64 package), the temperature of the processor cores is about 95 ° C (when cooled by our standard test bench cooler), and the processor's power consumption is 152 W. And this despite the fact that the Stress CPU test cannot be called a very heavy processor load. Note that on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H motherboard under the same overclocking conditions the power consumption was 114 W.

In the Stress FPU test, which heats up the processor to a greater extent, the core temperature reaches a critical value and throttling is observed. The power consumption of the processor in this mode is already 175 watts. By the way, it is interesting to note that we were not able to run the Stress FPU test at all on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H (the system immediately crashed).

Of course, this board can be used to overclock the processor, but with the proviso that you need to control the voltage of the processor cores. However, this remark applies not only to this motherboard, but also to all Gigabyte models based on the Intel Z97 chipset. In general, Gigabyte Z97P-D3 is not overclocked.

conclusions

So, after getting acquainted with the Gigabyte Z97P-D3 board, we can draw the following conclusions. Among motherboards based on the Intel Z97 chipset, it is a budget solution (its cost is less than 4 thousand rubles). This board has a minimum of functionality and uses the simplest components. The audio path is mediocre, the voltage regulator is the simplest - and so on. Based on the set of rare ports (connector for LPT port, connector for COM port, COM port on the rear panel of the board, two PS / 2 connectors, two PCI slots), we can conclude that the board is aimed at a very specific market segment where solutions for connecting specialized equipment that still use such outdated ports. It hardly makes sense to purchase this board for a home user.

On the other hand, it is not very clear why such a motherboard had to be produced on the top-end Intel Z97 chipset, especially considering that no advantages of this chipset were implemented on the board. Indeed, there is no M.2 slot, and there is only one PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot (Intel Z97 chipset allows grouping 16 PCI Express 3.0 lanes of the Haswell processor in various combinations). A solution with the same functionality could have been made on the Intel 8-series chipset - in fact, the Gigabyte Z87P-D3 board on the Intel Z87 chipset is not much different from the Gigabyte Z97P-D3. True, the cost of these models is almost the same.

So, concluding our review, let us emphasize once again that Gigabyte Z97P-D3 is targeted at a specific market segment and is not intended for home users.

Despite the fact that Gigabyte's activity on Russian market is close to zero, its products can still be found in the retail network. Therefore, we decided to test several new motherboards from this company based on Intel 9 series chipsets. And we will start with the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H model based on the Intel Z97 chipset.

Completion and packaging

Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H motherboards are shipped in a compact black cardboard box with all its advantages and even a brief specification. The scope of delivery is minimal: besides the board itself, there is only a user manual, a DVD with software and drivers, four SATA cables (all connectors are latched, and two cables have an angled connector on one side), an SLI bridge and a rear panel cover.

Configuration and features of the board

A summary table of the characteristics of the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H is given below, and further in the text we will consider all its features and functionalities.

Supported processors	Haswell, Haswell Refresh, Broadwell
CPU socket
Chipset
Memory	4 × DDR3 (up to 32GB)
Audio subsystem
Network Controller
Expansion slots	1 × PCI Express 3.0 x16 / x8 1 × PCI Express 3.0 x8 (PCI Express x16 form factor) 1 × PCI Express 2.0 x4 (PCI Express x16 form factor) 3 × PCI Express 2.0 x1 1 × PCI 1 × M.2 (PCIe 2242/2260/2280)
SATA connectors	6 × SATA 6Gb / s (chipset) 1 × SATA Express
USB connectors	6 × USB 3.0 8 × USB 2.0
Rear panel connectors	1 × HDMI 1 × DVI-D 1 × VGA (D-Sub) 1 × S / PDIF (optical, output) 4 × USB 3.0 4 × USB 2.0 1 × RJ-45 5 × audio minijack 2 × PS / 2
Internal connectors	24-pin ATX power connector 8 pin ATX 12V power connector 6 × SATA 6Gb / s 1 × SATA Express 5 × connectors for 4-pin fans 1 × connector for USB 3.0 ports 2 × connectors for connecting USB 2.0 ports
Form Factor	ATX (305 × 225 mm)

Form Factor

The Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H board is made in the ATX form factor (305 × 225 mm); seven holes are provided for mounting it into the case.

Chipset and processor socket

Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H is based on the new top-end Intel Z97 chipset and will support 4th Gen Intel Core processors (codenamed Haswell), updated 4th Gen Intel Core processors (codenamed Haswell Refresh) and will support 5th Gen Intel Core processors (codenamed Broadwell) ...

Memory

The board provides four DIMM slots for installing memory modules, which allows installing two DDR3 modules for each of the two memory channels with a maximum capacity of up to 32 GB (when using 8 GB modules). Slots belonging to different channels are marked with different colors, which is convenient when installing memory modules. Note also that the board supports memory with XMP profiles.

Expansion slots

For installing video cards or expansion cards on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H motherboard, there are three slots with a PCI Express x16 form factor, three PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots and one PCI slot.

2 slots with form factor PCI Express x16 are made using 16 PCI Express 3.0 lanes of Haswell processor. The first slot closest to the processor can operate in x16 and x8 modes, while the second slot can only operate in x8 mode. To switch the operating modes of the first slot, ASMedia ASM1480 multiplexers / demultiplexers are used. If only the first slot is used, then it will work at x16 speed, and if both slots are used at the same time, then they will operate at x8 speed.

When installing two discrete graphics cards, Nvidia SLI and AMD CrossFire technologies are supported.

The third slot with the PCI Express x16 form factor always operates at x4 speed and is implemented using four PCI Express 2.0 lanes of the Intel Z97 chipset (in fact, this is a PCI Express 2.0 x4 slot in the PCI Express x16 form factor). Three PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots are also implemented using three PCI Express 2.0 lanes of the Intel Z97 chipset.

Since the Intel Z97 chipset does not natively support the PCI bus, the PICe-PCI bridge ITE IT8892E is used to implement the PCI slot, which uses one PCI Express 2.0 chipset port.

Video connectors

Since Haswell processors have an integrated graphics core, and the Intel Z97 chipset supports the ability to use processor graphics, there is an HDMI 1.4 connector for connecting a monitor on the back of the board (maximum resolution 4096 × [email protected] Hz), DVI-D connector (maximum resolution 1920 × [email protected] Hz) and VGA (D-Sub, maximum resolution 1920 × [email protected] Hz).

SATA Ports, SATA Express Connectors and M.2 Connector

To connect storage devices or optical drives, the board provides six SATA 6 Gb / s ports, which are implemented on the basis of a controller integrated into the chipset. Moreover, of these six ports, two SATA 6 Gb / s ports are included in the SATA Express connector (of course, they can be used not only in the SATA Express connector, but also separately). All six SATA 6Gb / s ports based on the chipset support the ability to create RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 5, 10.

Note that the SATA Express connector, in addition to two SATA 6 Gb / s ports, also uses two PCI Express 2.0 ports.

The Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H also has an M.2 slot (PCIe x2), which is supported at the level of the Intel Z97 chipset. This connector has an M (Socket 3) key and only supports PCIe 2242/2260/2280 drives. To implement the M.2 connector, two PCI Express 2.0 ports are used.

USB connectors

The Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H board provides six USB 3.0 ports and eight USB 2.0 ports to connect all kinds of peripheral devices. Moreover, four USB 2.0 ports and four USB 3.0 ports are brought out to the rear panel of the board, and the board has corresponding connectors for connecting the remaining ports (one connector for connecting USB 3.0 ports and two connectors for connecting USB 2.0 ports).

All USB ports are based on Intel Z97 chipset. Recall that the Intel Z97 chipset supports up to 14 USB ports, of which up to 6 ports can be USB 3.0 ports.

Network interface

To connect to a local network segment on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H board, a gigabit interface based on the PHY controller (physical layer controller) Intel i217-V is implemented (a MAC-level controller integrated into the chipset is used).

How it works

If we count the number of controllers, connectors and slots using PCI Express 2.0 ports of the Intel Z97 chipset, we get the following picture. A PCI Express 2.0 x4 slot and three PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots require a total of seven PCI Express 2.0 lanes. Another PCI Express 2.0 port uses a network controller. In addition, the ITE IT8892E bridge also employs one PCI Express 2.0 port. Well, two lines are required for M.2 and a SATA Express connector.

As a result, we find that in order for all this to work at the same time, 13 PCI Express 2.0 lanes are required. However, in the Intel Z97 chipset, the total number of PCI Express 2.0 lanes cannot exceed eight (from six to eight, taking into account Flexible IO technology). Well, since there are no PCI Express 2.0 port switches on the board, it is clear that something should be shared with something.

The lack of PCI Express 2.0 lanes on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H is solved as follows. Firstly, the PCI Express 2.0 x4 slot and three PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots are shared with each other, and only four PCI Express 2.0 lanes are used for all these slots. That is, if a PCI Express 2.0 x4 slot is used, then all three PCI Express 2.0 x1 slots will be unavailable. Well, if at least one PCI Express 2.0 x1 slot is used, then the PCI Express 2.0 x4 slot will not be available (even in x2 mode).

Secondly, the M.2 connector, the SATA Express connector and the two SATA 6Gb / s ports (included in the SATA Express connector) are also made separable from each other. That is, either an M.2 connector, a SATA Express connector, or two SATA 6Gb / s ports can be used. Thus, the M.2 connector and the SATA Express connector together require only two PCI Express 2.0 lanes.

Taking into account the above, we find that eight PCI Express 2.0 lanes are enough to implement all connectors and controllers on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H board.

However, while the number of PCI Express 2.0 ports is clear, the number of high-speed I / O ports is still not clear.

Recall that the Intel Z97 chipset can have a total of only 18 high-speed I / O ports (PCI Express 2.0, SATA, USB 3.0), and Flexible IO technology allows some of them to be redesigned. Moreover, 14 high-speed I / O ports (four USB 3.0 ports, six PCI Express 2.0 ports and four SATA 6 Gb / s ports) are strictly fixed, and four more ports can be reconfigured: two of them can work as either USB 3.0 or PCI Express 2.0 and the other two are like PCI Express 2.0 or SATA 6Gb / s. At the same time, the total number of PCI Express 2.0 ports cannot exceed eight.

If we count the number of high-speed I / O ports on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H, then, at first glance, there will be 20. These are 6 USB 3.0 ports, 6 SATA 6 Gb / s ports and 8 PCI Express 2.0 ports. And just in order to fulfill the 18 high-speed I / O port rule, the two SATA 6Gb / s ports included in the SATA Express connector are shared with the M.2 slot. That is, if the M.2 slot is used, then the number of available SATA 6 Gb / s ports will be only four, and the total number of high-speed I / O ports will be 18 (8 PCI Express 2.0 ports, 6 USB 3.0 ports and 4 SATA 6 Gb / s ports). with). Well, if you use SATA 6 Gb / s ports included in the SATA Express connector, then the M.2 slot will be unavailable and only 6 PCI Express 2.0 ports will be used, and the total number of high-speed I / O ports will again be 18 (6 PCI Express ports 2.0, 6 USB 3.0 ports and 6 SATA 6Gb / s ports). Well, if the SATA Express connector is involved, then the M.2 connector is blocked and two SATA 6 Gb / s ports will not be available. And in this case, it all depends on what kind of device (PCIe or SATA) is connected to the SATA Express connector, but it is important that either two PCI Express 2.0 ports or two SATA 6 Gb / s ports will be used in this connector, but the total number of high-speed I / O ports will again be exactly 18.

The diagram for connecting all controllers of slots and connectors to the Intel Z97 chipset is shown in the figure.

Extra features

Among the additional features of the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H board, one can only note the presence of two UEFI BIOS chips (as on all Gigabyte boards), as well as the presence of two outdated PS / 2 connectors for connecting a mouse and keyboard. There is a CLRTC jumper, which is designed to reset the UEFI BIOS settings (Clear CMOS). Another feature of the board is that it has a connector for connecting an outdated COM port.

There is nothing more to note about the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H. There are no power and reset buttons, no POST indicator and so on. That is, this board assumes a standard installation in a PC case, and experiments with a board on a table, for which various buttons and indicators are relevant, are, of course, possible, but this is not very convenient.

Supply system

The 24-pin and 8-pin connectors are used to connect the power supply on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H board. The processor voltage regulator is an 8-channel and is based on the Intersil ISL9582 4-phase PWM controller.

The power channels themselves are built using discrete MOSFET transistors.

Cooling system

There are two separate heatsinks on the board to cool the MOSFETs of the processor voltage regulator. There is also a heatsink installed on the chipset.

In addition, to create an efficient heat dissipation system, the board provides two four-pin (with PWM-speed control) connectors for connecting the processor cooler fans and three more four-pin connectors for connecting additional case fans.

The high-speed operating mode of all connected fans can be configured in the UEFI BIOS or in the supplied proprietary utility.

Audio subsystem

The audio subsystem of the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H motherboard is based on the popular Realtek ALC1150 8-channel (7.1) HDA audio codec. The rear panel of the board provides five audio mini-jacks (3.5 mm) and one optical S / PDIF (output) connector. All elements of the audio path are allocated in a separate zone and isolated at the PCB level from other elements of the motherboard.

To test the audio output path intended for connecting headphones or external acoustics, we used an external Creative E-MU 0204 USB sound card in combination with the Right Mark Audio Analyzer 6.3.0 utility. Tested in stereo, 24-bit / 44.1 kHz. According to the test results, the audio section on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H was rated “Good”. It should be noted that this is a rather mediocre result for the Realtek ALC1150 codec.

The full report with the test results in the RMAA 6.3.0 program is placed on a separate page, followed by a short report.

Frequency response (in the range 40 Hz - 15 kHz), dB		Very good
Noise level, dB (A)		Mediocre
Dynamic range, dB (A)		Mediocre
Harmonic distortion,%
Harmonic distortion + noise, dB (A)		Mediocre
Intermodulation distortion + noise,%
Interpenetration of channels, dB		Very good
Intermodulation at 10 kHz,%
Overall score	Good

UEFI BIOS and overclocking capabilities

The Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H uses a very convenient version of the UEFI BIOS, which, moreover, allows the interface to be changed. Moreover, switching between interfaces is done by pressing the F2 key.

If we talk about the possibilities for configuring the system through the UEFI BIOS, then they are quite standard.

To begin with, the UEFI BIOS has the ability to adjust the speed mode of the connected fans.

In addition to choosing one of the three possible speed modes (Normal, Silent and Full Speed), you can also make self-configuration high-speed mode. V manual mode setting the fan speed is pretty nontrivial. In fact, it is proposed to set the tilt angle of the straight line, which reflects the dependence of the fan speed on the processor temperature, but this tilt angle is set in incomprehensible units of PWM value / ° C in the range from 0.75 to 2.5.

This is not the best way to adjust the speed mode, especially when you consider that other manufacturers provide the ability to adjust the speed mode by editing the fan speed versus processor temperature graph at several points.

Well, now let's take a look at the UEFI BIOS features designed for overclocking using the example of an unlocked Intel Core i7-4770K processor. Let's make a reservation right away that in our case we are talking about UEFI BIOS version F7 (the latest version at the time of testing). Moreover, we flashed this version using the Q-Flash utility, and the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H board comes on sale with more old version UEFI BIOS.

If the classic UEFI BIOS interface is selected, then the processor is overclocked on the M.I.T./Advanсed Frequency Settings tab.

This tab allows you to change the reference frequency of the BCLK clock in 0.01 MHz steps. To change the reference frequency, use the CPU Base Clock parameter, the value of which determines the reference frequency for the processor cores (Host Clock Value). That is, the clock frequency of the processor cores (CPU Frequency) is obtained by multiplying the CPU Base Clock by the multiplication factor (Gear Ratio).

For the parameter CPU Base Clock, you can select a specific frequency value or set the value to Auto. When Auto is selected (this is the default), the CPU Base Clock is 100 MHz.

Note that the Advanced Frequency Settings tab also displays such parameters as Host / PCIe Clock Frequency, Processor Base Clock (Gear Ratio) and Host Clock Value. These parameters cannot be changed directly and their value depends on the values of the CPU Base Clock parameter.

The Processor Base Clock (Gear Ratio) is a frequency multiplier for the BCLK frequency, which can be 1.00, 1.25, 1.66 and 2.50. The Host / PCIe Clock Frequency parameter sets the reference frequency for the Uncore Logic elements (PEG and DMI controllers). The Host Clock Value is obtained by simply multiplying the Host / PCIe Clock Frequency by the Processor Base Clock (Gear Ratio).

If you set the value of the CPU Base Clock manually, then simultaneously with changing the CPU Base Clock, both the Host Clock Value and the Host / PCIe Clock Frequency will change. However, changing the CPU Base Clock in this way will also trigger the frequency multiplier. For example, if you set the CPU Base Clock to 125 MHz, the Processor Base Clock (Gear Ratio) will automatically set to 1.25. In this case, the Host Clock Value will be 125 MHz, and the Host / PCIe Clock Frequency will be 100 MHz.

In addition to the described overclocking capabilities, the Advanced Frequency Settings tab has two more parameters: Performance Upgrade and CPU Upgrade, which allow you to quickly overclock the system. The Performance Upgrade parameter assumes a five-stage overclocking of the processor and memory (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%), and the CPU Upgrade parameter assumes a five-stage overclocking of the processor only.

Also in the UEFI BIOS of the board, it is possible to configure the Intel Turbo Boost mode (the Advanced CPU Core Settings tab). You can set the multiplication factor for each case of the number of loaded processor cores in the range from 8 to 80.

It is also possible to tune Intel Turbo Boost modes for maximum power consumption and current. And set the multiplication factor Uncore Ratio (multiplication factor of the ring bus and L3 cache).

As for memory, in the UEFI BIOS you can either set the XMP profile to be activated, or set the memory frequency (by setting the multiplication factor) up to 2933 MHz (with a reference frequency of 100 MHz).

And of course, in the UEFI BIOS, you can change the frequency of the graphics core integrated into the processor, adjust the operating mode of the integrated voltage regulator (IVR), adjust the operating mode of the external voltage regulator, and set the memory and chipset supply voltages.

When we overclocked our copy of the Intel Core i7-4770K processor on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H board, the following features were revealed. If overclocked by changing the multiplier, the processor can be overclocked to 4.8 GHz (a typical result for our sample). However, the voltage of the processor cores supply (Core Voltage), which in this case is set automatically, turns out to be greatly overestimated. In particular, at a frequency of 4.8 GHz, the supply voltage is 1.499 V, although at this frequency the processor can operate at a supply voltage of 1.2 V. Note that on other motherboards at this frequency, a lower supply voltage value is set.

As a result of such an overestimated supply voltage, the processor gets very hot. For example, when the processor is loaded with the Stress CPU test (AIDA64 package), the temperature of the processor cores exceeds 90 ° C in the case of a decent Thermaltake Contac 30 air cooler. And this despite the fact that the Stress CPU test does not create a really serious load on the processor.

Well, if you use the Stress FPU test, which gives a more intensive load on the processor, then the throttling mode begins and the real processor frequency drops to 2.6 GHz.

In principle, if we repeat this experiment on other motherboards, then throttling will also occur when the processor is loaded with the Stress FPU test (it is assumed that the same particular cooler is used everywhere). However, the real processor frequency will not drop so much in other cases. So, excessively high voltage for processor cores during overclocking has its negative consequences. Therefore, we recommend setting the processor core voltage manually on this board.

conclusions

So let's summarize. In our opinion, Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H is a normal motherboard without any frills and bells and whistles. She, of course, also has minor flaws. For example, as already noted, when overclocking the processor, the power supply voltage of the processor cores is overestimated. However, this is a trifle.

The only thing that is not very clear is the positioning of this board: what target audience is it aimed at? The fact is that the board has a rather strange set of ports and connectors. On the one hand, there are two PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots and new M.2 and SATA Express connectors. On the other hand, there is a whole arsenal of outdated connectors such as a PCI slot, two PS / 2 connectors, a COM port, and an outdated VGA connector. With such an arsenal of connectors and slots, it is quite difficult to position this board. On the one hand, the board is aimed at advanced home users who need a productive, functional PC. But in this case, the presence of outdated connectors is bewildering. If you focus on outdated connectors and position this board for the corporate sector, where these connectors are still in demand, then it is not very clear why it was necessary to produce such a board on the expensive Intel Z97 chipset. And the presence of new connectors in this case is not relevant. In a word, there is a complete zoo with connectors.