What is the best tool ..... screwdriver, hammer or wrench ?
What is the best vehicle ...... 2 seater, sedan or SUV
The answer will greatly depend on what you want to do with it.
Both are great boards. The Sabertooth was a break out board and when it came out with the X58 and later P67 generation; it literally had no equal and shocked the market with it's high end MIL spec components; it's a great workstation and solid gaming platform tho lacking in common OC features related to OC'ing ..... the Hero is a more gaming oriented board, not quite up to the Sabertooth's component specs and warranty but better for gaming in many respects. The Hero however is way overpriced at $200.
So to answer ya question, between those two..... I'd lean Sabertooth for longevity and stability based upon the components and Hero if ya like to play in the BIOS a lot anxious to tweak that last little bit of performance.
However, if the logo on the MoBo is not that important to you, IMO the MSI GD-65 trumps both......by no means take my word for it.......read the reviews to see why, some of which are listed below
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/msi_z87_gd65_gaming/12.htm
MSI has been using components that meet or exceed MIL-STD-810G for some time as part of its Military Class build philosophy. Parts such as Super Ferrite Chokes that run at up to 35 degree Celsius lower temperatures, have a 30% higher current handling capacity, and a 20% improvement in power efficiency; Tantalum filled Hi-C Caps that are are up to 93% efficient; and "Dark Capacitors" that feature Lower ESR and a ten-year lifespan all tied into a PCB with improved temperature and humidity protections as part of the "Military Essentials" package......In the end MSI's Z87-GD65 is a board that comes with an expansive feature set that includes all your basics and the extras that set them apart such as the V-Check points, upper end audio, Dual BIOS ROMs, KIller Network package, Military Class IV package, and a three-year warranty. Couple that with good looks that carry the dragon theme through the board, and you have a winning combination at $189.
http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cpu_mainboard/msi_z87_gd65_gaming_review/15
Now and again a motherboard appears that is so obviously brilliant, and so affordable, that we wonder if anything will be able to top it. For a while that crown was held by the ASUS Sabertooth, both in X58 and then P67 variants. Then MSI stole the crown with the Z77 MPower. Looking at the Z87 GD65 Gaming we think it's going to take something extraordinary to top it, such is the perfect storm of price, performance, features and looks.
The switch to Military Class 4 has given us an extremely ready overclocker too. You're always thermally limited when overclocking and the i7-4770K is one of the most demanding around. Considering the amount of cooling we're using we think that although the GD65 is capable of bringing 5GHz from our i7-4770K you'd need a proper water loop to make the most of it.
Performance is outstanding. The stock results were a particular highlight. We know a lot of people still just like to put their CPU in and go, without overclocking it first. Despite how easy it is these days we know that the fear factor still exists. So you'll be glad to know that the MSI Z87 GD65 Gaming really rocks hard even at stock settings. Naturally the overclocking is blistering too, with some OC3D records broken.
MSI have laid the gauntlet down to all the other manufacturers. Gorgeous to look at, blistering performance and all at a very affordable price, the MSI Z87 GD65 Gaming is not only the new benchmark for Z87 motherboards, but probably for all motherboards.
It's not that I don't like the current Sabertooth ($250) and hero ($200), but for that kinda money......
I'd dig up another $40 over the Sabertooth and get the Maximus VI Formula the cost difference between it and the Sabertoothj disappears in this combo. This is a great board combining many beeifits of both with built in water cooling.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1625251
If that's outta budget range.... the GD-65 matches feature for feature with the Hero, has the MIL Spec components of the Sabertooth and is a helluva lot cheaper than both. I agree with the reviewers in that this is easily the best board in the Z87 generation at this price segment .... it is "the perfect storm of price, performance, features and looks".