As enthusiasts, when we pay more, we want to get more. That's not too much to ask, right? That principle certainly applies to the high-end motherboards in today’s round-up. For example, we find a second Ethernet controller on four of the five solutions. They all sport add-on storage controllers. And all but one also include expanded USB 3.0 capabilities beyond the Z97’s paltry six ports.

Three of today’s contenders even spread PCIe 3.0 connectivity across three slots for improved triple-card CrossFire performance (even if none of the board's in our story are quite pricey enough to include the extra bridge logic needed to make them three-way SLI-compatible).
Well, that’s something at least.
We also expect the best possible overclocking performance in this price range, so we’ll test that out using Intel’s new “Devil’s Canyon” Core i7-4790K. Which board can take home the prize?
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| Z97 Mainstream Motherboard Features | |||||
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| ASRock Z97 Extreme6 | Asus Z97-Pro(Wi-Fi ac) | Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H | MSI Z97 MPower | Supermicro C7Z97-OCE | |
| PCB Revision | 1.02 | 1.01 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.01A |
| Chipset | Intel Z97 Express | Intel Z97 Express | Intel Z97 Express | Intel Z97 Express | Intel Z97 Express |
| Voltage Regulator | 12 Phases | 10 Phases | 12 Phases | 12 Phases | Six Phases |
| BIOS | P1.33 (06/12/2014) | 1204 (06/17/2014) | F8 (06/17/2014) | V1.3 (06/18/2014) | 1.0b (06/27/2014) |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 99.94 (-0.06%) | 99.98 (-0.02%) | 99.98 (-0.02%) | 100.01 (+0.01%) | 99.84 (-0.16%) |
| I/O Panel Connectors | |||||
| P/S 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| USB 3.0 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| USB 2.0 | None | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Network | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | 1 | None | None | 1 | None |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical | Optical | Optical | Optical | Optical |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Video Out | DVI-I, DisplayPort, HDMI | HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, DVI-I | VGA, DVI-D, HDMI | HDMI, DisplayPort | VGA, DVI-D, DisplayPort, HDMI |
| Other Devices | eSATA | Wi-Fi antenna connectors | None | None | None |
| Internal Interfaces | |||||
| PCIe 3.0 x16 | 2 (x16/x0, x8/x8, x8/x4/M.2) | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) |
| PCIe 2.0 x16 | 1 (2-pathways) | 1 (4-lanes, shared below) | None | 1 (4-lanes, shared below) | |
| PCIe 2.0 x1 | 2 (sharing 1x mini PCIe) | 4 (2 shared w/slot above) | 2 | 3 (All shared w/x4 above) | 3 (x4-length open-ended) |
| USB 3.0 | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports, shared PCIe) | 1 (2-ports) | 1 (2-ports) | 1 (2-ports) |
| USB 2.0 | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 2 (4-ports) |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 10 (Shares M.2, SATA-E) | 8 (Shares M.2/SATA-E) | 8 (Shares M.2/SATA-E) | 8 (Shares M.2) | 6 |
| SATA Express | 1 (Uses 2x SATA) | 1 (Uses 2x SATA) | 1 (Uses 2x SATA) | 1x M.2 Adapter | None |
| 4-Pin Fan | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 4 | None | 1 | None | None |
| FP-Audio | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| S/PDIF I/O | None | Output Only | Output Only | None | Output Only |
| Internal Buttons | Power, Reset | MemOK, Power, BIOS_FLBK | Power, Reset, CLR_CMOS | Power, Reset, OC-Genie, BCLK+, BCLK-, Go2Bios | OC mode (5), CLR_CMOS, BIOS Restore, Power |
| Internal Switch | BIOS IC Selector | EPU, TPU, EZ XMP | Dual BIOS Mode, BIOS IC selector | OC-Mode, Slow-Mode, BIOS Selector | BIOS Recovery |
| Diagnostics Panel | Numeric | Numeric | Numeric | Numeric | Numeric |
| Other Devices | M.2 (Shares SATA-E), Ultra M.2 (Uses 4x PCIe 3.0), USB Port, Serial COM port | M.2 (Shares SATA-E), TB_Header | M.2 (Shares SATA-E), 2x PCI, Serial COM port | M.2 (Sub 2x SATA) | Serial COM port |
| Mass Storage Controllers | |||||
| Chipset SATA | 6x SATA 6Gb/s (Includes M.2) | 6x SATA 6Gb/s (Includes M.2/SATA-E) | 6x SATA 6Gb/s (Includes M.2, SATA-E) | 6x SATA 6Gb/s (Includes M.2) | 4x SATA 6Gb/s 1x M.2 |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | 2x ASM1061 PCIe 4x SATA 6Gb/s 1x eSATA (Shared) | ASM1061 PCIe 2x SATA 6Gb/s | 88SE9172 PCIe 2x SATA 6Gb/s | ASM1061 PCIe 2x SATA 6Gb/s | ASM1061 PCIe 2x SATA 6Gb/s |
| USB 3.0 | ASM1042AE PCIe ASM1074 hub | ASM1042AE PCIe | uPD720210 PCIe | ASM1074 Hub | Z97 Integrated Only |
| Networking | |||||
| Primary LAN | WGI218V PHY | WGI218V PHY | Killer E2201 PCIe | WGI218V PHY | WGI217V PHY |
| Secondary LAN | RTL8111GR PCIe | None | WGI217V PHY | None | WGI210AT PCIe |
| Wi-Fi | None | BCM4352 PCIe BT-combo 802.11ac 2-band 867 Mb/s | None | None | None |
| Bluetooth | None | BCM4352 combo, above | None | None | None |
| Audio | |||||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC1150 | ALC1150 | ALC1150 | ALC1150 | ALC1150 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | DTS Connect | DTS Connect | None | None | None |
| Warranty | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years |
ASRock exposes a bunch of traditional high-end features to the I/O panel of its Z97 Extreme6, yet doesn’t skimp on the modern stuff either. Getting rid of the VGA connector, for example, gives the board room for eSATA and a CLR_CMOS button. If you really need VGA output from the integrated GPU, it's accessible through a DVI-I adapter block (not included).
Packing the I/O panel with six USB 3.0 ports doesn't leave much space for legacy USB 2.0, though two of the newer ports are connected directly to the chipset’s controller for the best possible legacy compatibility. We also find a pair of gigabit Ethernet ports, and we certainly wouldn’t give away any of those in exchange for slower USB.
The Z97 Extreme6 has a nice bundle of internal features as well, beginning with its ten SATA 6Gb/s ports, two M.2 slots, SATA Express, and mini-PCIe. Yet, there is a little bit of visual cunning here, as the super-fast PCIe x4-based Ultra M.2 doesn’t interface with any of the chipset's SATA connections. Moreover, the mini-PCIe slot merely resembles mSATA, and the one extra connector that does have SATA ports—the second M.2 connector—uses the same ports as SATA Express. Even eSATA on the I/O panel functions only to the exclusion of one of the internal ports.
A total of ten SATA ports is still fairly generous for an LGA 1150-based platform though, and ASRock gets to that number by adding two PCIe-based controllers. Other PCIe-attached subsystems, such as the secondary USB 3.0 and gigabit Ethernet controllers, along with PCIe x1 slots and one of the two M.2 slots, all share the limited wealth of the Z97’s eight PCIe 2.0 lanes. ASMedia’s ASM1184e PCIe 2.0 four-lane switch keeps most of the Z97 Extreme6’s pathways active, excluding just one of the PCIe x1 slots when the mini-PCIe slot is used.
The primary “Ultra M.2” slot might not have SATA, but its four PCIe lanes are all third-gen-capable. That means they come from the CPU’s 16-lane controller. And that, in turn, means that builders must choose between having one graphics card fed by sixteen lanes, two cards fed by eight lanes, or two graphics cards and an M.2 SSD in a x8/x4/x4 configuration. Should you install a graphics card and drop a drive in the Ultra M.2 slot, you'll simply waste the four lanes that feed the second graphics slot, unless another add-in is used there.
All of those factors help explain why this isn’t a three-way SLI-capable board. In fact, we're hesitant to call it a platform you'd drop three cards into at all. The Z97 Extreme6’s third x16-length slot is fed by only two PCIe lanes, and both are stuck sharing bandwidth on the PCH’s bandwidth-constrained second-gen controller.
A pair of internal USB 3.0 front-panel headers serves up to four front-panel ports, which appear perfect for certain high-end cases like the custom-configured Merlin SM08 we tested. You might say that the Z97 Extreme6’s second header is useless whenever it’s concealed by a third graphics card, but let’s be frank: again, that bottom slot isn’t suitable for the type of high-performance card you'd want to put there.
The Z97 Extreme6 likewise has dual firmware ROMs with a selector switch that lets you flip from one to the other if you completely mess the first up. And ASRock even socket-mounts both ROMs, just in case you need to perform a replacement.

Four SATA cables seem a little scant on a board that has ten ports, but it’s still enough to finish most of our high-end builds.
ASRock’s A-Tuning software is unchanged for the Z97 Extreme6, though our use of a different processor does change a few of its configuration menus. “Advanced Turbo” configurations for our Core i7-4790K include a 4.5 GHz clock at 1.21 V core, and a 4.60 GHz clock at 1.26 V core. Both crashed almost instantly at full load when we tried to use them.

“Optimized CPU OC Settings” likewise included 4.5 to 4.7 GHz overclock at 1.2 to 1.34 volts. All crashed under eight threads of AVX-optimized Prime95, but at least the 4.7 GHz at 1.34 V configuration held up for 20 minutes.
The OC Tweaker menu still provides the full range of settings found within motherboard firmware, and we confirmed that voltage/frequency/CPU multiplier settings functioned normally.
A-Tuning also has a nicely detailed system monitoring page that beats most of its competitors in the number of readings. Some items, such as DRAM voltage, weren’t as accurate however.
I mentioned having a new CPU to use for this round-up, and that processor is Intel’s Core i7-4790K. Intel made a lot of noise in March’s pre-launch briefing, but the clamor was muffled by its Computex launch. It turns out that the improved thermal material was no magic bullet; the die in our sample has worse voltage handling characteristics than the Core i7-4770K I was using previously.

Our general recommendation to stay under 1.3 V over the long term is based on reports from readers, motherboard manufacturers, and professional overclockers, and that remains. In the past, however, we were thermally limited by our CPU at 1.25 V. That constraint shifts to 1.28 V with the -4790K we're using today. Unfortunately, this sample requires that extra voltage to reach the same 4.6 GHz clock rate. For shame Intel, for shame.

Level 1 CPU load-line calibration keeps our core voltage stable, though the Z97 Extreme6’s 12-phase voltage regulator is certainly part of that stability equation. ASRock is up to its old DRAM overclocking tricks by under-reporting voltage, though we did reach DDR3-2883 at the corrected, 1.625 V setting.

Z97 Extreme6 firmware includes a menu for ASRock’s Thunderbolt add-in card, plus a range of “Tool” menu items, such as its spin-up utility for rarely-accessed hard drives.

Another firmware item facilitates direct UEFI access to ASRock’s email-based tech support.

“Easy Driver Installer” lets you grab the newest drivers directly from ASRock’s server prior to loading the operating system.
The (Wi-Fi ac) suffix adds Broadcom’s dual-band 802.11ac controller to the already-likeable features of Asus' Z97 Pro. That controller also features integrated Bluetooth connectivity, and stands in contrast to the secondary wired controller offered by competing products in today’s round-up. We'd certainly call this board's networking suite most-practical.
The wired controller, Intel’s WGI218V, leverages PCH features over a custom link to save a PCIe lane. That means the only “waste” we see on the I/O panel is a VGA port, which we saw ASRock smartly do away with.
Other I/O panel features include four USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, and DisplayPort. A bit legacy for most enthusiasts, those “slow” USB 2.0 ports are still fast enough for a keyboard and mouse. And, users of ancient keyboards or mice will also find a PS/2 port that can serve either purpose.
Asus TPU (auto overclocking), EPU (lower-energy mode), and EZ XMP switches stand in stark contrast to a black PCB. That last switch lets you invoke an Intel XMP memory profile without forcing you into the firmware; it could be useful for boutique builders who worry about enthusiastic customers getting lost after resetting the UEFI.
Three buttons make this platform easier for overclockers to use. The Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac)'s power button lets you test the board outside of a case without shorting the power pins manually. MemOK allows users of poorly-programmed memory to boot once at lower clock rates and/or higher latencies. At that point, you can enter the UEFI and manually dial-in voltage. And USB BIOS Flashback employs its own logic controller to re-flash firmware, even if you don’t have a CPU or memory installed.
Barely cheaper than more purpose-built three-way SLI boards, the Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac) can deliver 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes to the primary slot or split them between the first and second x16 slots in x8/x8 mode. The third x16-length slot gets a maximum of four lanes from the Z97’s eight-lane PCIe 2.0 controller, though two of those lanes are also wired to x1 slots and one more is wired to the ASM1042AE USB 3.0 controller. An ASM1184e PCIe x1 to x4 switch gives the Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac) enough connectivity to feed other on-board devices, but still doesn’t have enough lanes to fix that specific pathway sharing issue. If you want to use any of those aforementioned features, the bottom slot shifts into x1 mode. Visual tricks like this might attract customers, but I would have settled for an open-ended x1 (or x4) slot in that location instead.
Two of the Z97 PCH’s six SATA ports are found within a SATA Express connector, so they can be used either way. Those same ports are, however, also connected to the M.2 interface, forcing some builders to choose between connector technologies. Asus retains six traditional SATA-only ports by adding a two-port ASM1061 SATA 6Gb/s controller (though both ports share a single 5 Gb/s PCIe 2.0 link).
The Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac) front-panel audio jack is found about an inch forward from the traditional rear corner location. The significance of this layout change depends on case selection, since some cases still have FP-Audio cables around half-an-inch too short to reach that corner. It’s hard to believe that certain case manufacturers still haven’t addressed the issue (a carryover from AC'97 days), but Asus has.
Four SATA cables in the Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac) installation kit appear a little basic, especially given the unit's $212 price. Then again, Asus appears to be targeting a gaming and overclocking market that often isn’t very reliant on complex drive configurations.
Asus Ai Suite hasn’t changed noticeably from our previous discussion, though the combination of wireless controller and a new test processor give us a few things to discuss in this Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac) review.

The firm’s five-way optimization protocols brought our processor to 4.6 GHz at 1.33 to 1.35 V, which slightly exceeds both our recommended 1.30 V limit for continuous operation of fully-loaded Haswell-based cores, and our CPU cooler’s capability. Your processor and use scenario may make these settings more agreeable.

Ai Suite still offers fan speed and voltage regulator controls to save noise and/or energy as the user desires.

Software controls are available within firmware limits for base clock, CPU ratios, and most of the Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac)’s voltage levels. Better still, all of the adjustments we made (within our CPU’s capabilities) worked.
EZ Update links AI Suite directly to Asus’ driver servers. EZ Update’s “USB BIOS Flashback” tab to puts the latest Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac) firmware onto your USB thumb drive.
Asus Wi-Fi Engine let you turn your 802.11n Wi-Fi transceiver into an AP, using gigabit Ethernet to reach the Web.
Asus continues to provide a quick-charging USB port option for BC1.1-compliant portable devices, turbo mode for USB 2.0, UASP performance enhancements for USB 3.0, and traditional quick-charge mode for non-BC1.1 devices.

A Web extension for Ai Suite system monitoring, Asus Push Notice is accessible through downloadable iPhone and Android apps.
More than just a basic status report, Asus System Information also provides the most comprehensive memory programming information we’ve seen. Ai Suite’s software version tab is similarly complete.
Though we find XMP and EZ O/C settings on the firmware's starting page, we’d rather jump into its finer features at the touch of an F7 key.

Though the screen shot shows a 46x multiplier, we were truthfully able to reach 4.59 GHz at 45x 102 MHz. Unfortunately, the DRAM only allowed us to reach a 101 MHz BCLK at 28x, so the displayed settings are closer to the actual results.

We measured a 1.28 V CPU core at the motherboard’s actual 1.28 V setting. That kind of accuracy is appreciated. On the contrary, our DRAM reached 1.65 V at the Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac)’s 1.625 V setting, and firmware showed only 1.646 V.

Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are all adjustable. The Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac) even used our DRAM’s XMP settings as the baseline (when set to XMP mode).

Also known as droop compensation, the Z97 Pro(Wi-Fi ac) features CPU Load-Line Calibration to reduce voltage sag under full load. Default settings worked for us, though we did increase the power menu’s CPU current threshold by 20%.
Asus Easy Tuning Wizard appears to be a firmware-based overclocking utility designed for people who don’t want to overclock. As confusing as that sounds, we were more confused when the system wouldn’t boot after using it. That’s because the company's software-based automatic-overclocking worked well.
Gigabyte packs its Z97X-UD5H with the dual networking controllers and six USB 3.0 ports of ASRock’s competing sample, plus the two USB 2.0 ports and VGA output of Asus’ board. How?
Though it probably has most of the features I'd personally use, the Z97X-UD5H is missing ASRock’s eSATA and I/O panel-based CLR_CMOS buttons, as well as the DiplayPort output both competitors expose. Gigabyte still manages to fill more space compared to Asus, though that company's second network connector is wireless. Keeping the balance of features in mind, Gigabyte also prices its Z97X-UD5H between the aforementioned competition.
The Z97X-UD5H is a completely different kind of product internally though, primarily because of its triple-graphics-optimized PCIe x16 slot configuration. Enthusiasts can switch between one card with 16-lane transfers, two with eight-lane links, or three cards in a x8-x4-x4 mode, all driven by the CPU's 16-lane controller at third-gen signaling rates. Though Nvidia precludes this configuration from three-way SLI compatibility, it works well in three-way CrossFire. AMD on Intel for the win?
Optimizing slots for CrossFire does have one disadvantage, though: any card placed into the third x16 interface kicks the middle slot into x4 mode. That’s something to keep in mind if you want to put something other than a graphics card there, especially since Nvidia dictates that you can't use x4 slots for SLI. Anyone with two GeForce cards will want to pretend that the Z97X-UD5H’s bottom slot isn’t even there. This is the same problem anyone buying ASRock's board faces if they decide to use the exclusive “Ultra M.2” feature, which borrows four PCIe 3.0 lanes. So, the debate between more graphics cards or faster storage begins here.
Keeping CrossFire in mind for the third slot, Gigabyte wisely omits bottom-edge USB 3.0 headers. We instead find a single two-port header near the middle of the front edge—right behind the diagnostics code display—where accessibility remains uncompromised.
SATA Express cables use two of the Z97X-UD5H’s eight SATA 6Gb/s ports. As with the previous competitors in today’s round-up, those two ports are lost whenever an M.2-based drive is installed. Unlike the other two companies, though, Gigabyte saves a PCIe 2.0 pathway by putting two legacy PCI slots on a single-lane PCIe-to-PCI bridge.
A closer look at the controllers shows that Gigabyte saves one more PCIe lane by putting the second gigabit Ethernet port on Intel’s proprietary-interface network controller. Getting some of its resources from the Z97 PCH, this WGI217V PHY would normally be called a primary controller, except that Gigabyte reserves the honor for Qualcomm’s PCIe-based Killer E2201. Enthusiasts who utilize the firm’s packet prioritization technology will hail the move, while those who don’t are left wondering why Gigabyte chose a combination of dissimilar parts that doesn’t support teaming.
The corner in front of the DIMM slots is crowded with a bunch of tuner-friendly features, including a row of component voltage detection points, a power button for use without a case, a reset button for the freeze-ups caused by overzealous overclocking, a CLR_CMOS button to rid firmware of settings that won’t let it POST, a firmware ROM selector switch the helps power users get around corruptions, and a dual-BIOS mode selector that, from my experience, doesn’t. I leave that last capability turned off.

Gigabyte serves up the third motherboard in this round-up that includes only four SATA cables in spite of its large port count. That cost-saving move pushes value towards gaming enthusiasts by taking it away from storage enthusiasts, but perhaps the majority of storage enthusiasts have plenty of spare cables already?
Gigabyte EasyTune hasn’t changed much in the past year or two, but the company does help us include more readable screenshots by reducing the size of its GUI. Default overclocking profiles for the tested Core i7-4970K include 4.60 GHz at 1.35 V CPU core, 4.80 GHz at 1.50 V, and a 5.00 GHz setting that we didn’t even try for fear of frying our CPU.

An automatic tuning algorithm nudged our processor up to 5.10 GHz. Like the other “Smart Quick Boost” settings, the software wasn't as smart as it purported, and the only quick thing about it was the speed with which our system crashed upon the application of a heavy software load. Each CPU is unique though, so perhaps you’ll have better luck.

EasyTune’s advanced settings mostly work, we were able to measure voltage changes at the Z97X-UD5H’s voltage detection points, and CPU-Z was able to detect set changes in base clock and CPU multiplier. DRAM multiplier changes still require a reboot, and DRAM timings are still locked out.

One of the ways Gigabyte shrank its EasyTune menus was placing its hardware monitor on the right edge of the screen, at full height. I cropped this image before shrinking it.

Unlike most system information pages, the one in Gigabyte EasyTune adds fan controls. You can choose between automatic and manual methods, including setting your own temperature-to-RPM slope.
Gigabyte still prefers to spread its firmware-based overclocking settings over far more pages than we believe are necessary (or even convenient), with an M.I.T. menu that opens to nothing more than a list of submenus and a simple status report.

Though the Z97X-UD5H needed more than our chosen 1.28 V to reach 4.6 GHz, it reached 4.54 GHz at that target voltage by choosing a 45x multiplier and 101 MHz BCLK.

Changing “Memory Timing Mode” to “manual” allows tweakers to set the primary, secondary, and tertiary timings of both channels simultaneously. “Advanced Manual” mode supposedly allows users to set per-channel timings, but we fail to see the point of doing this on a dual-channel motherboard. Fortunately, current values are shown next to manual settings so you won’t forget the baseline.

Voltage controls that could easily have fit in a single page are instead broken up across four sub-submenus found within the “Advanced Voltage Settings” submenu. We reached 1.28 V CPU core at the 1.25 V setting, and 1.65 V at the 1.63 V DIMM setting.
MSI cleans up the I/O panel of its Z97 MPower by removing both DVI and VGA, instead focusing on outputs like HDMI and DisplayPort without sacrificing its six USB 3.0 ports and four USB 2.0 ports. Even the analog audio section features six stereo jacks, and the clear-settings button is clearly visible. Yet, there’s still a hole in the port arrangement. What’s missing?
The Z97 MPower is the only board in today’s comparison featuring a single networking controller. Even Asus covers secondary networking via a wireless controller, and I have to imagine that most enthusiasts will find the combination of GbE and 802.11ac superior to the implementations of MSI's other competitors. Even though a second gigabit Ethernet port wouldn’t have been a high-priced add-in, we were still a little surprised that the Z97 MPower costs slightly more than most competing products. So, we began looking for other value-boosting features.
There is, for example a SATA Express adapter card in the M.2 slot, a value add that MSI also sells separately. MSI even said a month ago that it would begin shipping the Z97 MPower with that adapter bundled. However, Newegg still shows the original adapter-free package.
The Z97 MPower also offers a row of voltage detection points, eight SATA ports, and several buttons and switches to ease overclocking from an open bench. While most of those features are also offered by Gigabyte, MSI’s O/C Genie and base clock control buttons stand apart. Some tuners might even like that MSI’s voltage detection points have pins rather than solder dots, and that the installation kit includes a set of cables for connecting those pins to an external voltmeter.
Comparisons to Gigabyte’s sample don’t end there. MSI is the second company in this round-up to offer x8/x4/x4 pathway configurations to host three PCIe 3.0 graphics cards in CrossFire. Nvidia’s resistance to enabling SLI on four-lane links isn’t brand-specific, so it affects both competitors equally. The same caveat also applies: enthusiasts who want the second PCIe 3.0 slot to retain eight lanes (and SLI capability) must leave the bottom slot empty.
MSI adds a fourth x16-length slot at the center of the Z97 MPower, which shares three of its four PCIe 2.0 lanes with the three x1 slots. Using any x1 slot means treating this one equally, as a x1 slot. And if you actually need to install an extra graphics card along with some x1 cards, at any bandwidth cost, MSI uses an open-ended connector in the bottom x1 slot.
Like most competitors, M.2 and SATA Express early adopters are forced to give up two of the chipset’s SATA 6Gb/s ports in order to keep their preferred interface active. Likewise, MSI relies on a PCIe 2.0 single-lane controller to serve up the board’s seventh and eights SATA 6Gb/s ports at a combined 5 Gb/s.
MSI tackles the problem of stiff USB 3.0 front-panel cable ends getting in the way by using a right-angle header, conveniently placed above the top-most SATA ports, where the cable can snake behind the lower drive cage of most enthusiast-class ATX cases. It also moves the front-panel audio header around ½” forward from the bottom-rear corner, as it happens that many cases have a cable that’s ½” too-short to reach there. Many builders will still need to perform stretching exercises to get that cable over its header, however.

The Z97 MPower costs only $5 more than its closest competitor, yet has a similar feature set. Fortunately, it also includes two extra SATA cables for a total of six. An extra $2.50 per cable isn’t bad.
MSI Command Center shows minor updates nearly every time we install it, and usually needs to be updated after a board launches in order to support its newest features. Fortunately, Z97 is mature enough that Command Center updates have caught up.

CPU ratio and BCLK adjustments work, but altering them can take a while (these values cannot be keyed in). CPU fan controls, including both fixed mode and custom slopes, are also found on Command Center’s opening page.

CPU voltage adjustments are available on the second page of MSI Command Center’s opening menu. Adjusted values can be confirmed through both software and hardware, since the Z97 MPower has voltage detection points. DRAM settings in the adjacent box can’t even be selected, let alone changed.

The Command Center suite includes MSI RAMDisk, which we also confirmed working.
Command Center’s “Advanced” tab provides access to a voltage menu that’s roughly equal to the settings available from the Z97 MPower’s firmware. We were able to confirm the functionality of several settings via voltage detection points, including input, core, and DRAM voltage.
Another “Advanced” submenu provides system fan controls in both temperature-based and fixed modes.

An advanced DRAM timings menu makes firmware adjustments from software, requiring a reboot.
MSI Command Center also has a logging utility for several of its monitoring functions.

Mobile Control allows users to access several Command Center features, including monitoring and some overclocking controls, using a smartphone. I was able to get the associated app running on my ZTE Android phone and take control of my PC in minutes.
MSI continues using oddly-scaled fonts and buttons in its firmware. But at least this configuration has become familiar to most of its enthusiast customers. MSI also spreads its settings across far fewer menus, for far quicker access, compared to Gigabyte.

A 1.28 V CPU core was measured at the Z97 MPower’s 1.24 V setting, and was reported by the BIOS as 1.256 detected volts. DRAM similarly required a 1.62 V setting to reach 1.65 V. Those voltage levels allowed our CPU to reach 4.5 GHz, but no more.
DRAM reached approximately 2828 MT/s by adding 1 MHz base clock to the DDR3-2800 XMP profile.

The Z97 MPower’s CPU Features menu helps overclockers disable any capabilities that get in the way of a stable overclock.

Setting “Link” mode for DRAM allows both channels to be configured simultaneously, rather than separately. Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are all configurable, with previous values shown in grey next to the new setting you’ve made.
After a couple of attempts to break into the enthusiast space with Intel's previous chipsets, a more seasoned Supermicro is back with its well-developed C7Z97-OCE. Will the sever/workstation company finally be able to translate its legendary durability into a language overclockers can understand?
The C7Z97-OCE’s I/O panel includes the two network controllers expected on a high-end board, but comes up a little short in USB connectivity (you get four USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports). Perhaps that was due to a shortage of space, caused in part by the VGA connector that could have either been left out altogether or wired through DVI-I.
Intel supplies both GbE controllers, with one using the chipset’s proprietary interface to save a PCIe lane. Supermicro still adds a PEX8605 four-lane PCIe 2.0 bridge, but that’s to maintain PCIe x1 slot availability concurrent to other devices, such as the WGI210AT secondary network controller, an AMS1061 SATA controller, and a two-lane M.2 slot.
The C7Z97-OCE’s slot configuration appears a little extreme by mainstream chipset standards. Those x4 slots are wired as x1, though. And all three x4 connectors are open-ended to support PCIe x8 and x16 cards at reduced PCIe 2.0 x1 bandwidth. That’s in addition to the PCIe 3.0 slots designed for PCIe x16 graphics cards.
Like competing boards from MSI and Gigabyte, the C7Z97-OCE’s three x16-length slots share the CPU’s 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes at 16-0-0, 8-8-0, or 8-4-4 pathways. Unlike MSI, Gigabyte, and the two other rivals in today’s comparison, the C7Z97-OCE does not have a third space between the top two PCIe x16 slots to enable the use of triple-slot graphics coolers. Supermicro instead moves the second and third slot up by one space, making it possible to build a CrossFire configuration using three double-slot cards in a standard (seven-slot) ATX case. I'm a little surprised nobody else thought about that.
Moving the bottom slot up by one space also allows Supermicro to put the front-panel USB 3.0 header along the C7Z97-OCE’s bottom edge, without worrying about it getting in the way of graphics card coolers. That might not be our preferred placement, but at least Supermicro works out an issue that I've criticized on a number of previous products.
Also along the bottom edge is a row of overclocking buttons that support booting with five different profiles labeled for DRAM overclocking; CPU profiles 3, 2, and 1; and “Home”. That last button would ideally be suited to getting your system back up and running after an unstable O/C, but we were still able to get a few settings (such as XMP profiles) saved under the “Home” profile.
Levels 1-3 include factory-programmed overclocks, though all of these appear written for a slower CPU. OC1, for example, dropped our CPU multiplier to a fixed 4.0 GHz, which might have been a nice entry point for the Core i7-4770K (rather than the tested Core i7-4790K).
Getting an overclock started requires a reboot, and you won’t see your tuned settings in the firmware’s GUI until you restart. Fortunately, you can press the button while in that GUI to initiate the reboot and re-enter the GUI to see your settings.

The C7Z97-OCE has six SATA ports. The C7Z97-OCE includes six SATA cables. Bravo. Users need not worry about having left-over cables and useless ports after installing an M.2 drive either, since this is the only board in today’s round-up to have dedicated ports for that connector.
Supermicro relies solely on Intel's XTU (Extreme Tuning Utility) for overclocking within Windows, and includes the standard version on its driver and application disc.

Coming from the server and workstation world, the company's own software looks like it was lifted from a professional management suite. SuperDoctor III client monitors the important input voltage levels and several thermal diodes, but does not monitor the CPU’s internal core voltage.
SuperDoctor III also includes remote management, but I wasn’t able to get past the VeriSign security warning in Windows 8. The “Yes, No, Always” buttons weren’t clickable, and the tab key only switched between the warning pop-up and actual Web page.
Supermicro’s basic firmware GUI contains an Overclocking button. But the real excitement starts after engaging Expert mode (to reveal additional settings).

The CPU overclocking menu begins with several overclocking profiles, including 4.6 GHz at 1.30 V. That sounds like a nice limit for long-term use, and it’s even stable. CPU-Z reports a 1.298 V result and, strangely, this relatively high voltage pushed our CPU to only 92° C. That’s a full 6° lower than we expected from the lab's Core i7-4790K at that voltage, given our specific heat sink and fan.

We eventually found a 1.28 V core reading at the C7Z97-OCE’s 1285 mV setting.

Intel XMP mode pushed a pair of our modules to its rated DDR3-2800, but we needed to drop to DDR3-2666 to keep the system stable with four DIMMs installed. Perhaps a little extra voltage might have helped, but our meter insisted that the C7Z97-OCE’s 1.60 V setting yielded 1.65 volts.
Primary and secondary timings are available, and adjusting them from baseline should be easy for anyone with adequate short-term memory to remember what the box said before modification. Dropping from DDR3-2800 to -2666 without re-entering XMP timings was as easy as setting XMP mode first, before switching to manual mode to change the memory multiplier.

Though some documentation showed that the OC3 button should provide customized settings, each field was factory-programmed and re-configurable in firmware. As for the “Home” button, it’s able to keep any settings that were assigned to the base configuration (not assigned to an overclocking profile).
| Test System Configuration | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-4790K (Haswell): 4.0-4.4 GHz, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, LGA 1150 |
| CPU Cooler | Thermalright MUX-120 w/Zalman ZM-STG1 Paste |
| RAM | Patriot Viper 3 PV316G240C1K (16 GB) at DDR3-1600 C9 Defaults Corsair CMY32GX3M4A2800C12R (32 GB) at XMP-2800 C12 Timings |
| Graphics | PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 290X 4GBD5-PPDHE: 1050 MHz GPU, 4 GB GDDR5-5400 |
| Hard Drive | Samsung 840 Pro MZ-7PD256, 256 GB SSD |
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking |
| Power | Corsair AX860i: ATX12V v2.3, EPS12V, 80 PLUS Platinum |
| Software | |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 8 Professional RTM x64 |
| Graphics | AMD Catalyst 14.4 |
| Chipset | Intel INF 10.0.13 |
A motherboard manufacturer provided our new Core i7-4790K test CPU in hopes that it would really push the overclocking envelope of its motherboard. Unfortunately, that processor's die required more voltage to achieve similar frequencies compared to its -4770K predecessor, killing any chance of us increasing clock rate at safe and sane voltage levels.
Corsair’s Vengeance DDR3-2800 lets us test the DRAM overclocking capabilities of each motherboard with all four slots filled. It unfortunately defaults to DDR3-1333, and default mode lets us disable Turbo Boost cheats that many firms employ when XMP is enabled.
Patriot supplied a different set of 8 GB modules for a former review that defaults to a more performance-friendly DDR3-1600 CAS 9. The 32 GB kit magically transforms into Patriot’s 16 GB dual-channel part number PV316G240C1K by simply removing two of its modules.
PowerColor’s overclocked PCS+ AXR9 290X provides all the performance we need to extract maximum performance from the rest of the platform.
| Benchmark Settings | |
|---|---|
| 3D Games | |
| Battlefield 4 | Version 1.0.0.1, DirectX 11, 100-sec. Fraps "Tashgar" Test Set 1: Medium Quality Preset, No AA, 4X AF, SSAO Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Preset, 4X MSAA, 16X AF, HBAO |
| Grid 2 | Version 1.0.85.8679, Direct X 11, Built-in Benchmark Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA Test Set 2: Ultra Quality, 8x MSAA |
| Arma 3 | Version 1.08.113494, 30-Sec. Fraps "Infantry Showcase" Test Set 1: Standard Preset, No AA, Standard AF Test Set 2: Ultra Preset, 8x FSAA, Ultra AF |
| Far Cry 3 | V. 1.04, DirectX 11, 50-sec. Fraps "Amanaki Outpost" Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA, Standard ATC, SSAO Test Set 2: Ultra Quality, 4x MSAA, Enhanced ATC, HDAO |
| Adobe Creative Suite | |
| Adobe After Effects CC | Version 12.0.0.404: Create Video which includes 3 Streams, 210 Frames, Render Multiple Frames Simultaneously |
| Adobe Photoshop CC | Version 14.0 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates |
| Adobe Premeire Pro CC | Version 7.0.0 (342), 6.61 GB MXF Project to H.264 to H.264 Blu-ray, Output 1920x1080, Maximum Quality |
| Audio/Video Encoding | |
| iTunes | Version 11.0.4.4 x64: Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 minutes, default AAC format |
| LAME MP3 | Version 3.98.3: Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min, convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kb/s) |
| HandBrake CLI | Version: 0.99: Video from Canon Eos 7D (1920x1080, 25 FPS) 1 Minutes 22 Seconds Audio: PCM-S16, 48,000 Hz, Two-Channel, to Video: AVC1 Audio: AAC (High Profile) |
| TotalCode Studio 2.5 | Version: 2.5.0.10677: MPEG-2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, Two-Channel, 16-Bit, 224 Kb/s), Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV |
| Productivity | |
| ABBYY FineReader | Version 10.0.102.95: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages |
| Adobe Acrobat 11 | Version 11.0.0.379: Print PDF from 115 Page PowerPoint, 128-bit RC4 Encryption |
| Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 | Version 15.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
| Blender | Version: 2.68A, Cycles Engine, Syntax blender -b thg.blend -f 1, 1920x1080, 8x Anti-Aliasing, Render THG.blend frame 1 |
| Visual Studio 2010 | Version 10.0, Compile Google Chrome, Scripted |
| File Compression | |
| WinZip | Version 18.0 Pro: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to ZIP, command line switches "-a -ez -p -r" |
| WinRAR | Version 5.0: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3" |
| 7-Zip | Version 9.30 alpha (64-bit): THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to .7z, command line switches "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5" |
| Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
| 3DMark 11 | Version: 1.0.5.0, Benchmark Only |
| 3DMark Professional | Version: 1.2.250.0 (64-bit), Fire Strike Benchmark |
| PCMark 8 | Version: 1.0.0 x64, Full Test |
| SiSoftware Sandra | Version 2014.02.20.10, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / Multimedia / Cryptography, Memory Bandwidth Benchmarks |
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Because Intel’s integrated controllers and closely-regulated firmware removes variability between platforms, any sizable difference in the benchmarks should be attributed to either broken settings (like bad memory timings) or unintended overclocking (cheating). Smaller difference can be caused by acceptable differences in base clock (99.8 to 100.2 MHz, for example) or by chance, since differences up to 1% can occur between consecutive runs on the same hardware.


We started to notice a performance advantage favoring Gigabyte’s Z97X-UD5H in 3DMark 11, but the issue really stood out in 3DMark Professional. A quick run through the firmware settings proved there was no way to disable firmware "enhancement" of Intel's Turbo Boost ratios. In this case, the "enhanced" mode forces the CPU's maximum-specified ratio, regardless of the number of cores utilized in the benchmark.

Gigabyte retains a lead through PCMark, though the amount of gain is questionable since this metric is very dependent on storage performance.
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Gigabyte’s deliberately-forced Turbo Boost ratios are behind those over-the-top scores in Sandra's Arithmetic and Multimedia CPU tests. Remember that this very same overclock is available on most boards, that it is often tied to XMP memory mode, and that we specifically chose not to use XMP mode in order to make this contest fair.



The Z97X-UD5H falls behind in Sandra’s bandwidth-hungry Encoding/Decoding test, and the Memory Bandwidth module shows why: Gigabyte triggers slightly less attractive memory settings, probably in an effort to improve stability with marginal kits.

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Asus establishes a slight lead in Battlefield 4, but Gigabyte catches up in Grid 2. Differences this large can still occur by chance in games, so we need to examine the other two titles before drawing any conclusions.


Arma 3 demonstrates high variability, but Gigabyte’s score still stands out as likely being beyond that normal range. As we look a little further towards Far Cry 3, we see that Gigabyte’s default overclock breaks new ground in the game’s most CPU-limited lower setting.


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Gigabyte also places first in our Apple iTunes workload with the shortest completion time, even though this is a single-core task (and thus already encourages processors with Turbo Boost to run as fast as possible). A look at CPU-Z showed that while most of its competitors bounced frequently between 4.3 and 4.4 GHz, the Z97X-UD5H stayed up more often.


The Z97X-UD5H’s Turbo Boost "enhancement" comes into play more in a well-threaded test like HandBrake, which should allow the CPU to spin down to the frequency corresponding to four cores under load. Instead, Gigabyte imposes its own policy on the -4790K, taking it upon itself to overclock the chip, regardless of whether you want that to happen.


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Setting aside Gigabyte’s overclocked test scores, we see that Asus takes a small stumble in our Adobe Premiere Pro content creation test. On the other hand, we’ve probably seen enough slight leads from The Z97-Pro(Wi-Fi ac) to offset a single loss.




The first three Adobe benchmarks count towards our Creativity suite, but Acrobat is actually a productivity-oriented test. It goes on this page only because it’s found on the same installation disc as the rest of Adobe’s Creative Suite.
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Autodesk 3ds Max could probably fall into the creativity category as well. But some would argue that, because of the way these frames are calculated in the industry, it’s still productivity. Again, setting aside Gigabyte's forced overclock, we see that ASRock and Supermicro achieve solid completion times.


The Z97 Extreme6 bests all competitors (even the overclocked Gigabyte board) in Visual Studio 2010. Completion times for this benchmark are affected by multiple variables, and Gigabyte’s lower memory bandwidth might be the thing that keeps its tuned configuration away from the winner’s circle.


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MSI’s Z97 MPower performed unremarkably until now. We see it stumble slightly in 7-Zip and one of our WinZip tests. Gigabyte’s default overclock barely helps it top these benchmarks.



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We manually enable all of Intel’s C-states before running our performance benchmarks and power tests. However, Gigabyte’s Z97X-UD5H imposes this CPU's top Turbo Boost ratio whenever any load is applied. We see the platform jump from a reasonable 46 W with its cores mostly idle (power settings working) to a more extreme 192 W fully loaded with eight threads of AVX-optimized Prime95.

The above result from Gigabyte's Z97X-UD5H is a perfect example of what happens when a motherboard forces the top Turbo Boost ratio with all cores utilized, and it’s also the perfect example of why this CPU is supposed to drop from 4.4 GHz to 4.0 GHz at that load level. Intel calls this an 88 W processor!

Anyone who wants to argue against my suggestion that forced Turbo Boost ratios represent overclocking need only look at the temperature results from Gigabyte’s Z97X-UD5H, above. Thanks for making my point guys!

Now, let's play devil's advocate. What did Gigabyte’s overclock yield? Per our measurements, a 2% gain in performance with a 12% loss in efficiency. That loss in efficiency boosts Asus' Z97-Pro(Wi-Fi ac) to the top of this chart.
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| BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Z97 Extreme6 | Asus Z97-Pro(Wi-Fi ac) | Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H | MSI Z97 MPower | Supermicro C7Z97-OCE | |
| Base Clock | 90-300 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 80-300 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 80-333 MHz (0.01 MHz) | 90-300 MHz (0.05 MHz) | 0-655.34 MHz (0.01 MHz) |
| CPU Multiplier | 8x-120x (1x) | 8x-80x (1x) | 8-80x (1x) | 8-80x (1x) | 1-65534x (1x) |
| DRAM Data Rates | 800-4000 (200/266.6 MHz) | 800-3400 (200/266.6 MHz) | 800-2933 (200/266.6 MHz) | 800-3200 (200/266.6 MHz) | 800-4000 (200/266.6 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 0.80-2.00V (1 mV) | 0.01-1.92V (1 mV) | 0.50-1.80V (1mV) | 0.80-2.10V (1 mV) | 0-2.00V (1 mV) |
| VCCIN | 1.20-2.30V (10 mV) | 0.80-2.70V (10 mV) | 1.00-2.40V (10 mV) | 1.20-3.04V (1 mV) | 1.85-2.40V (5 mV) |
| PCH Voltage | 0.98-1.32V (5 mV) | 0.70-1.40V (12.5 mV) | 0.65-1.30V (5 mV) | 0.70-2.32V (10 mV) | 0.96-1.36V (5 mV) |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.17-1.80V (5 mV) | 1.20-1.92V (10 mV) | 1.15-2.10V (20 mV) | 0.24-2.77V (10 mV) | 1.35-1.95V (5 mV) |
| CAS Latency | 4-15 Cycles | 1-31Cycles | 5-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles | 3-15 Cycles |
| tRCD | 3-20 Cycles | 1-31Cycles | 4-31 Cycles | 4-31 Cycles | 3-15 Cycles |
| tRP | 4-15 Cycles | 1-31Cycles | 4-31 Cycles | 4-31 Cycles | 3-15 Cycles |
| tRAS | 9-63 Cycles | 1-63 Cycles | 5-63 Cycles | 9-63 Cycles | 9-63 Cycles |
Our original Core i7-4770K was nearly perfect; we could push 4.7 GHz at something less than 1.30 V when we topped it with similarly strong cooling. After extensive tests, we eventually settled on 4.6 GHz at 1.25 V with a mid-sized thermal solution.
Intel’s Haswell cores haven’t changed much in spite of the new models, with a purportedly more advanced thermal material between the heat spreader and die serving as the most notable “Devil’s Canyon” advancement. Our new Core i7-4790K gets that improved TIM, but isn't one of the lucky few CPUs able to reach previously-unseen clock rates. Rather, it needs 1.28 V to hit 4.6 GHz. The only improvement, then, is that we don’t need perfect cooling to run at 1.28 volts.

ASRock and Supermicro sent in the highest-overclocking boards this time, with Supermicro achieving the same 46 x 100 MHz setting at noticeably lower temperatures. We’d like to credit its voltage regulator, but haven’t figured out a great way to test that part separately.
Asus didn’t reach 46 x 100 MHz without eventually crashing, but did push 4.59 GHz at 45 x 102 MHz.

Asus turned in the highest base clock at the top strap setting. Gigabyte’s Z97X-UD5H wouldn’t boot with the 1.66x strap enabled, though a few advanced settings might have helped. Our primary focus on BCLK rests with the 1.00x strap, since that’s where non-K CPUs are stuck, and the Z97S-UD5H leads there, followed by MSI’s second-place Z97 MPower.

ASRock’s Z97 Extreme6 leads the memory overclocking race, followed by Asus’s Z97-Pro(Wi-Fi ac).
In one of our memory reviews, we noticed that some of Asus’ top-overclocking boards suffer worse memory bandwidth at DDR3-2800 than at DDR3-2400 and decided that a DDR3-2800 memory bandwidth comparison might be a good idea. After all, what good is a top overclock if it ruins your performance?

Gigabyte has been kicked around in the past for not producing a top memory overclock (and for not having top bandwidth at ordinary data rates). But it would probably be more accurate to say that Asus starts out with optimized settings and applies heavier stability compensation as clocks are increased. Gigabyte’s Z97X-UD5H is the clear leader when DDR3-2800 performance is your priority.
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At $160, ASRock’s recently-reduced Z97 Extreme6 clearly leads the performance-per-dollar chart. And, with a full load of dual GbE networking, twin third-party SATA controllers, and four added-in USB 3.0 ports, the Z97 Extreme6 makes few concessions in features.

Gigabyte’s Z97X-UD5H takes second place in the chart, and would have even secured second place if we tossed out the 2% performance advantage it got from forcing an overclock (we like to control our equipment, rather than the other way around). That factory-imposed overclock came with a huge penalty in energy use and efficiency. Still, at $170, this looks like a great value to anyone who places performance above all else. I say that because even if you apply the same clock rates to the other boards, you still wouldn't get the kind of DDR3-2800 bandwidth from them that we saw from the Z97X-UD5H. And then there’s the slot arrangement that gives you a solid basis for three-way CrossFire at PCIe 3.0 x8-x4-x4 mode. But if you’re not interested in spending-up on DDR3-2800 or three-way CrosssFire, ASRock’s Z97 Extreme6 still looks like a bargain.
Third in the value charts, MSI’s Z97 MPower needed a big feature or two to justify its mid-sized $175 price. I like the design, the layout, and the M.2-to-SATA Express adapter card that MSI says is now shipping with this board. Unfortunately, it simply doesn’t have that extra feature to justify a higher price, and it even comes one network controller short of the first- and second-place contenders.
Fourth place in the above chart, Supermicro’s $195 C7Z97-OCE stands out as the board that can support up to six graphics cards (three at ultra-low bandwidth) and fit three double-slot graphics cards in CrossFire at PCIe 3.0 mode x8-x4-x4 using a standard seven-slot case. It also posts the lowest CPU temperature when overclocking, which must mean something important. It’s arduous to overclock, but the results are great for anyone willing to take the time. Unfortunately, we don’t think enthusiasts will be inclined to jump at its few advantages in light of overclocking difficulties and a higher price.
The most expensive board in today’s round-up, Asus’ $210 Z97-Pro(Wi-Fi ac) leans on the company's reputation for quality and reliability, in addition to a great wireless controller and software package, to justify its higher price. And, if you need a high-end wireless controller, Asus will probably win you over. The problem is that we can’t quantify a reputation, and if we did, we’d need to put Gigabyte in the same league. Paying $40 for a Wi-Fi controller while giving up a $10 on-board network chip doesn’t work out mathematically in Asus’ favor, especially when the board we’re comparing was already running for second-place.

ASRock’s Z97-Extreme6 wins the value award, but Gigabyte’s Z97X-UD5H is still a strong contender for a mere $5 more. There are many things to like about the Z97X-UD5H, including its ability to support three-way CrossFire with PCIe 3.0 transfers. And if that’s still a contender, Asus’ high-end Wi-Fi card and lack of forced overclocking keep it in the running too!
With the realization that $5 isn’t going to change many peoples' minds, and that $40 isn’t a bad price for a high-end Wi-Fi card, Gigabyte’s Z97X-UD5H and Asus’s Z97-Pro(Wi-Fi ac) both earn our stamp of approval, too.











































































































