The divide between Intel's mainstream and high-end platforms continues to confound enthusiasts. If you go with Intel's latest and greatest architecture, you're limited to four cores and 16 lanes of PCI Express 3.0 connectivity. Those specs seem pretty meager compared to Sandy Bridge-E's six cores and 40 lanes of 8 GT/s PCI Express. But, of course, Sandy Bridge-E centers on an older core design. So, in some apps, the Ivy Bridge-based Core chips are faster. In others, Sandy Bridge-E comes out ahead. How's that for a conundrum?
Gamers simply want their favorite titles to run better. And the Ivy Bridge architecture's better per-clock performance helps make that happen (not to mention dramatically lower prices). The 22 nm process Intel uses to manufacture those chips also helps cut power consumption. And while on-die HD Graphics engine is all but useless for 3D, its Quick Sync functionality facilitates great video transcoding acceleration. Ivy Bridge-based chips seem to hit similar overclocks, but with far more conservative cooling requirements. And the architecture's biggest limitation, a scarcity of PCI Express connectivity, is hardly a problem for power users building systems with one or two graphics cards.
The PCI Express on one of the boards we're reviewing today even has a repeater function that helps overcome the tiniest of Z77 Express' weaknesses in SLI or CrossFire configurations.
This platform's battle for enthusiast market share doesn’t end with basic specifications, however. Motherboard vendors must also convince their customers that Z77 Express-equipped platforms have the features and stability to match high-end X79 Express-based offerings. We received six motherboards that attempt to prove this point (though one of the products no longer qualifies for our final analysis).

| Motherboard Features | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Z77 OC Formula | Asus Sabertooth Z77 | ECS Z77H2-AX | |
| PCB Revision | 1.03 | 1.02 | 1.0 |
| Chipset | Intel Z77 Express | Intel Z77 Express | Intel Z77 Express |
| Voltage Regulator | 14 Phases | Twelve Phases | 15 Phases |
| BIOS | P1.00 (07/30/2012) | 1504 (08/03/2012) | 120424 (04/24/2012) |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 100.0 (+0.00%) | 100.30 (+0.03%) | 99.78 (-0.22%) |
| I/O Panel Connectors | |||
| P/S 2 | 1 | None | None |
| USB 3.0 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| USB 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None |
| Network | Single | Single | Single |
| eSATA | None | 2 | 2 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Yes | No (flash button only) | Yes |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical Only | Optical Only | Optical Only |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Video Out | HDMI | HDMI, DisplayPort | VGA, HDMI |
| Other Devices | None | None | Bluetooth, WiFi |
| Internal Interfaces | |||
| PCIe 3.0 x16 | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) | 3 (x16/x16/x0, x16/x8/x8) |
| PCIe 2.0 x16 | 1 (4-lanes from PCH) | 1 (4-lanes from PCH) | None |
| PCIe x1/x4 | 2/0 | 3/0 | 2/0 |
| Mini PCIe | None | None | 1 |
| USB 2.0 | 3 (6-ports) | 3 (6-ports) | 1 (2-ports) |
| USB 3.0 | 1 (2-ports) | 1 (2-ports) | 1 (2-ports) |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 4 | 4 | 3 (includes 1x mSATA) |
| 4-Pin Fan | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| FP-Audio | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| S/PDIF I/O | Output Only | Output Only | Output Only |
| Power Button | Yes | No | Yes |
| Reset Button | Yes | No | Yes |
| CLR_CMOS Button | No | No | No |
| Diagnostics Panel | Numeric | Pass/Fail LEDs | Numeric |
| Legacy Interfaces | Serial Port | None | Serial, 2x PCI |
| Mass Storage Controllers | |||
| Chipset SATA | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 2 x SATA 3Gb/s 1 x mSATA 3Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | 2 x 88SE9172 PCIe 4 x SATA 6Gb/s RAID 0/1 | 2 x ASM1061 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s | 2 x ASM1061 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s |
| USB 3.0 | EJ188H PCIe Intel Z77 Integrated | ASM1042 PCIe Intel Z77 Integrated | TUSB7320 PCIe Intel Z77 Integrated |
| IEEE-1394 | None | None | None |
| Gigabit Ethernet | |||
| Primary LAN | BCM57781 PCIe | WG82579V PHY | RTL8111E PCIe |
| Secondary LAN | None | None | None |
| Audio | |||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC898 | ALC892 | ALC892 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | Not Specified | Not Specified | Not Specified |
| Warranty | Three Years | Five Years | 3-yr Parts, 2-yr Labor |
The one motherboard in today’s line-up with a 48-lane PCIe 3.0 bridge is ECS’ Golden Z77H2-AX. Unfortunately, this platform climbed $40 beyond the budget limit of today’s round-up in the time we've been reviewing it. We're tired of seeing board vendors playing pricing games based on our review schedule (this isn't the first time we're seeing a curiously-timed price move). So, since we put the work in to review ECS' submission, we're including our already-gathered data and simply withholding the board from any award candidacy.
The only other $220-280 board with PLX's 48-lane PCIe swtich is also out of contention because its manufacturer chose to focus on a different high-end feature. But what other $40 feature could be worth its cost to the end user? Here's a hint: Zeus.

| Motherboard Features | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH | Intel DZ77RE-75K | MSI Z77A-GD80 | |
| PCB Revision | 1.0 | 01 | 1.0 |
| Chipset | Intel Z77 Express | Intel Z77 Express | Intel Z77 Express |
| Voltage Regulator | Twelve Phases | Ten Phases | 14 Phases |
| BIOS | F9 (08/23/2012) | 0049 (07/13/2012) | V1.1 (06/12/2012) |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 100.10 (+0.10%) | 99.78 (-0.22%) | 100.0 (+0.0%) |
| I/O Panel Connectors | |||
| P/S 2 | None | 1 | 1 |
| USB 3.0 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| IEEE-1394 | None | 1 | None |
| Network | Single | Dual | Single |
| eSATA | 1 | 1 | None |
| CLR_CMOS Button | No | Back To BIOS | Yes |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical Only | Optical Only | Optical+Coaxial |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Video Out | VGA, DVI-D, HDMI | HDMI | HDMI, VGA |
| Other Devices | Dual Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt |
| Internal Interfaces | |||
| PCIe 3.0 x16 | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) |
| PCIe 2.0 x16 | None | None | None |
| PCIe x1/x4 | 3/0 | 3/0 | 4 (two shared)/0 |
| Mini PCIe | None | None | None |
| USB 2.0 | 2 (4-ports) | 3 (6-ports) | 3 (6-ports) |
| USB 3.0 | 3 (6-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 1 (2-ports) |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 4 (1 shared w/mSATA) | 4 | 4 |
| 4-Pin Fan | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| 3-Pin Fan | None | None | 2 |
| FP-Audio | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| S/PDIF I/O | Input and Output | Output Only | None |
| Power Button | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reset Button | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Yes | No | No |
| Diagnostics Panel | Numeric | Numeric | Numeric |
| Legacy Interfaces | 1 x PCI | 2 x PCI | Serial Port |
| Mass Storage Controllers | |||
| Chipset SATA | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 3 x SATA 3Gb/s 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | 88SE9172 PCIe 1 x SATA 6Gb/s 1 x eSATA 6Gb/s | 2 x 88SE9172 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 1 x eSATA 6Gb/s | ASM1061 PCIe (Shared w/FireWire) 2 x SATA 6Gb/s |
| USB 3.0 | Intel Z77 Integrated 2x VL-810 4-port Hub | Intel Z77 Integrated 2x GL3520M 4-port Hub | Z77 Integrated Only |
| IEEE-1394 | None | TSB43AB22A PCI | VT6315N PCIe (Shared w/SATA) |
| Gigabit Ethernet | |||
| Primary LAN | WG82579V PHY | WG82579V PHY | WG82579V PHY |
| Secondary LAN | None | WG82574L PCIe | None |
| Audio | |||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC898 | ALC898 | ALC898 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | Not Specified | Not Specified | Not Specified |
| Warranty | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years |
Three of the motherboards in today’s line-up include Thunderbolt technology, and one even has Intel’s $40 DSL3510 dual-channel controller. Choosing between its three-way SLI-capable and dual-port Thunderbolt-equipped products must have been difficult for Gigabyte, but we’re sure storage geeks like our own Andrew Ku will applaud its decision.
Our Z77 launch article stated that the chipset's integrated USB 3.0 controller was nothing to get excited about, though it did free up a couple of the PCH’s eight PCIe 2.0 lanes. The one thing we didn’t discuss was the platform’s ability to support three graphics cards, because the block diagram shown below is actually an update from Intel.

Intel had good reason not to discuss x8/x4/x4 capability when Z77 Express launched, because it required a new CPU that would only be introduced weeks later. Instead we got a future-looking block diagram that merely hinted towards that upcoming CPU’s triple-device support.

In an almost fickle move, Intel followed its Ivy Bridge architecture launch by stepping back from its original Thunderbolt-naming block diagram to a more generic triple-card diagram. The company was thus able to make many of us forget that the PC market was getting the short end of the Thunderbolt stick until properly-equipped motherboards were ready. But, in the time between the Z77 Express and Thunderbolt debuts, board vendors decided that they really didn’t want to give up PCIe 3.0 lanes for a second-gen controller.
You see, the desktop chips Intel manufactures for its LGA 1155 interface only have sixteen PCI Express lanes (the workstation-oriented Xeons get 20, curiously enough), and that number corresponds exactly to the number of lanes monopolized by gaming graphics cards. The benchmark data tells us that eight lanes adequately feed even dual-GPU flagship boards. However, dual-card SLI and CrossFire support is a mandatory minimum feature of enthusiast-grade motherboards. If it's going to work in the same high-end configurations, Thunderbolt needs to follow an alternative path.

Even the board engineers at Intel appear to have conceded the need to prioritize PCI Express bandwidth for discrete graphics, as indicated by this snippet of its DZ77RE-75K block diagram:

On Intel's board, four of the Platform Controller Hub's measly eight PCIe 2.0 lanes go directly to its Thunderbolt controller, leaving only four lanes behind to feed its three PCIe x1 slots, two third-party SATA controllers, secondary gigabit Ethernet controller, and a PCIe to PCI hub. The math doesn’t even work out until we consider the x1 device cropped from the bottom of the above image, a PCIe to x4 hub that is forced to cram the bandwidth of all FireWire, PCI, and PCI Express-based add-in cards into a single 5 Gb/s lane. Phew!
The bandwidth squeeze might get even tighter for the dual-port Thunderbolt controller on Gigabyte’s Z77X-UP5 TH, since the high-speed component is theoretically capable of matching all of the bandwidth allowed by Intel's Direct Media Interface 2.0, which joins the Z77 Express PCH to an LGA 1155 processor. In other words, in theory, Thunderbolt devices could consume all of the chipset’s bandwidth, with not a single bit left for Ethernet, internal drives, or even a keyboard and mouse. Doh!
Granted, we think it'll be a very long time before enthusiasts buy any combination of devices that fully tax a dual-port Thunderbolt controller, but the theoretical problem still brings us back to the processor interface's biggest weakness: its scarcity of PCIe 3.0 lanes.
Like Intel, MSI’s Z77A-GD80 offers but a single Thunderbolt port. Unlike Intel, MSI doesn’t force a bunch of devices to share a single PCIe lane. MSI instead eliminates the PCIe hub, along with half of the board’s PCIe-based features. PCIe x1 slots one and three are connected to the same lanes as slots two and four, and cannot be used simultaneously. Moreover, you have to similarly choose between the board’s third-party SATA or IEEE-1394 controllers.
ASRock brightens the look of its Z77 OC Formula with gold-colored caps and highlights on a black PCB and matching heat sinks. An included 40 mm active cooling fan is superfluous for most applications. But at least it's thermally controlled, operating almost silently unless its automatic fan control is disabled.
Four of the six back panel-based USB 3.0 ports are fed by a third-party single-lane controller, while the other two are connected directly to the chipset. ASRock fits in four more USB ports (of the 2.0 variety) by limiting graphics output to a single HDMI connector. An I/O panel CLR_CMOS button helps overclockers get themselves out of a bind, while also giving troublemakers an opportunity to mess with you.
A pair of Marvell SATA 6Gb/s controllers add four high-speed ports to the two provided by the chipset, bringing the total number of internal drive connectors to ten (including 3 Gb/s connectivity). Port placement is simplified a bit by a front edge that extends down about an inch beyond the ATX specification, though the added width is rarely an issue for enthusiast-class cases.
Features that favor overclocking enthusiasts include an extra four-pin CPU power connector (probably superfluous), a heat pipe that runs the length of the Z77 OC Formula’s voltage regulator cooler, a Port 80-style diagnostics display, two rows of line voltage detection points, and on-board power/reset buttons. Those last three features are really only useful on an open bench.
The Z77 OC Formula’s layout is fairly convenient, with the difficult-to-place USB 3.0 header located above the board’s centerline. ASRock also put three slot spaces between it primary and secondary graphics card slots. A third double-slot graphics card would require you to mount the board in an eight-slot case. But the third slot's second-gen PCIe x4 connection makes it less than ideal in a CrossFire configuration. SLI isn't even an option, since the third slot's lanes come from the Z77 PCH, and Nvidia doesn’t allow SLI through secondary PCIe controllers.
If you own an older case, the front-panel audio connector might be a little less convenient, since its extreme bottom-rear-corner location falls around an inch beyond the reach of some front-panel cables. We haven't had this issue in the lab for a couple of years, though.

The Z77 OC Formula includes six SATA cables, ASRock’s exceptional 3.5” USB 3.0 bay adapter (able to hold an SSD), a tube of thermal paste, and an SLI bridge.
We’re trying to not redundantly cover software in this month’s round-up, but instead focus on changes. For example, ASRock’s “Formula Drive” adds an alternative GUI to its already-familiar Extreme Tuning Utility.
Overclocking still works within the limits of hardware, users can still save settings and have them applied when Windows starts up, and Intelligent Energy Saver is still just as ineffective at reducing power consumption as previously noted.






A thermal sensor map makes it easy to find anomalies; this is the one new feature we found in ASRock's "Formula Drive" software.

ASRock’s bundled RAM drive is still found within its overclocking software suite. In addition to traditional applications, such as adding swap space, the company's implementation lets users of 32-bit operating systems access memory above and beyond the 4 GB limit as if it were available drive capacity.
ASRock’s other bonus applications are also found on the Z77 OC Formula’s installation disc, including Norton Internet Security nag-ware and Smartview with its horribly-persistent Zynga links.
The Z77 OC Formula employs ASRock’s familiar overclocking presets. However, the firm hired a reputable overclocking guru to develop this board’s settings beyond those of previously-reviewed models. The top overclock, Stage 11, uses a 50x CPU multiplier and 1.45 V. Each step down drops around 1x from the multiplier and 0.05 V from the CPU core.

Generic overclocking profiles are designed to support a broad range of CPU samples, but some cores are inherently better than average. We were able to reach 4.70 GHz at 1.25 V, though the actual setting needed to get us that voltage was 1.240 V.



Most disconcerting was that we needed to set our DRAM to 1.61 V in order to reach its rated 1.65V setting. We’ve noticed that motherboards have been getting better at memory overclocking, and that voltage creep appears to be part of this trend. Even at the lower voltage setting, we were able to slightly exceed our memory’s DDR3-2666 rating.


A full set of primary and secondary memory timings are available for tweaking, along with clock skew controls.

The most unusual setting we found in the Z77 OC Formula UEFI was ASRock Dehumidifier. This feature simply wakes the computer from S3/S4 states periodically to warm the hardware up and prevent the collection of moisture, with user-defined waking and sleeping times.

The Z77 OC Formula provides ten storage registers for custom BIOS configurations, allowing users to experiment with various overclocking techniques and return to previous versions. Though its competitors offer similar functionality, we’ve never seen (nor needed) this many user profiles.
Asus gives its Sabertooth Z77 the stealth treatment with a plastic cover that hides most of its on-board components. Users who don’t even want their empty slots to show will find even more covers inside the box.
The Sabertooth Z77’s I/O-panel looks surprisingly sparse in light of its specifications list, but that’s simply because Asus gets rid of large and often-unused connectors like PS/2 and DVI. We still find two eSATA connectors back there, in addition to four USB 3.0 and four USB 2.0 ports, DisplayPort, HDMI, and Asus' support-simplifying USB BIOS Flashback button.

Anyone worried about heat getting trapped under those covers can remove two sections and install a pair of bundled 40 mm fans. The coolers operate almost silently in automatic mode, though manually configuring them to spin at full speed generate moderate noise.
All eight internal SATA ports face forward, along with the internal USB 3.0 header, making room for up to three graphics card of any length. Though forward-facing ports were occasionally blocked by the lower drive cage of older cases, that problem rarely affects new builds. Asus addresses the more recent deficiency of some case designs unable to reach front-panel audio headers by moving the Sabertooth Z77’s own connector forward from its traditional bottom-rear-corner by about an inch.
The large cover blanketing Asus' board probably limited fan header placement to the motherboard’s edges. We see four connectors up top, one on the front, and two at the bottom. Two additional headers under the cover connect the optional 40 mm intake and exhaust fans.
Asus’ Sabertooth boards are designed to be shown off, but that doesn’t necessarily make them part of the company's gamer/enthusiast marketing push. None of its Sabertooth products show up on the Republic of Gamers site, and the board doesn’t have the expensive PLX switch that would have enabled three-way SLI. Instead, the top two slots share sixteen PCIe 3.0 lanes, with auto-switching setting x16/x0 and x8/x8 modes. The third slot gets a maximum of four PCIe 2.0 lanes from the PCH. Three of those lanes must be taken from the x1 slots manually, as Asus' firmware defaults the third graphics slot to x1 mode.

Because it's a two-way SLI design, Asus’ Sabertooth Z77 includes a single SLI bridge, along with four SATA cables, two optional cooling fans, and several slot covers.
Minor cosmetic changes barely separate the Sabertooth Z77’s TurboV EVO overclocking suite from the version we detailed in July. Voltage limits are also specific to this board, and likely based on its unique hardware and firmware combination.



All of the voltage settings available in the Sabertooth Z77’s UEFI are also available in Windows via TurboV, along with most of its clock controls. We were again able to replicate our UEFI-based CPU overclock using TurboV software, though DRAM tuning still requires a trip to UEFI.



Asus’ Thermal Radar is more mature than ASRock’s competing solution, and Asus provide extra maps for fan header and voltage check locations. Thermal Radar Fan Overtime controls how long the fans spin after the system has been shut down, though we’ve never had to worry about "coked bearings" in a computer.



Asus Digi+ allows users to set a desired CPU power level via dynamic underclocking. The 45 W setting dropped our maximum CPU clock to 2.3 GHz, and the 35 W setting dropped it to 1.9 GHz. Custom configurations allow users to further tune their systems based on desired power consumption, rather than desired performance level.
Asus' AI Tweaker menu hasn’t changed much in the past few years, providing both fully-manual and XMP-based manual overclocking capabilities. The difference between those two options is that XMP starts the process with higher DRAM timings, voltage levels, and data rates.

Our combination of XMP and power controls also locked out CPU ratio selection from the main menu, though synchronized ratios can still be selected from the CPU Power Control submenu.

A 1.245 V CPU core setting got us an actual 1.25 V, providing CPU overclocking stability up to 4.67 GHz.

Manufacturers have been quietly pushing higher DRAM voltage, apparently in an effort to boost DRAM overclocking, but that really wasn’t necessary for the Sabertooth Z77. A 1.625 V setting produced 1.65 V at the DIMM slot in spite of the false 1.630 V firmware reading, and the board was able to push G.Skill’s DDR3-2666 to DDR3-2800 in spite of our compensation efforts.



Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are all accessible for memory tuning.

Depending on other settings, the CPU ratio may be accessible only from the CPU Power Management submenu. Asus also provides over-current protection adjustments here, but told us that Auto is the best choice for all but the most extreme (high-voltage) overclocks.

The Sabertooth Z77’s Ultra High Load-Line Calibration setting is supposed to reduce voltage droop by 75%, but it actually caused our voltage to go up by a few millivolts at full load. The effectiveness of each load-line level varies with changes in baseline core voltage and overclock amount.
ECS' flagship Z77H2-AX is the only board in today’s comparison to include the 48-lane PCIe 3.0 bridge needed to enable three-way SLI. At the time it was delivered, it was also one of only two sub-$280 Z77 Express-based boards equipped with this extremely exclusive features.
Naming issues still plague ECS though, as each step up in model number brings with it a reduction in price and features. Heck, the firm even replaces the word Budget with Deluxe in several models, adding the word Black to the packaging of boards that aren’t part of its Black Edition high-end line. The Golden Board label still represents its top-end parts, but those words only show up on the company's box, and not in the model number.
And so, the least-impressive name denotes the firm's most expensive products, from gold-plated connector shells and pins to the previously-mentioned PCIe bridge, integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and dual eSATA ports.
ECS adds a CLR_CMOS button to the Z77H2-AX's rear I/O panel, but does not give it a second gigabit network controller. Stranger still, the company puts VGA output on a board purchased by enthusiasts who'd much rather see DVI or DisplayPort.
Note that the 48-lane PEX 8747 chip is divided up into 16 lanes on the controller side and 32 lanes on the device side. A row of four two-lane switches above the platform's second 16-lane slot allows the third 16-lane slot to borrow eight lanes whenever a card is installed there, taking the board from x16/x16/x0 to x16/x8/x8 mode. Moreover, not wasting any of the chipset’s eight PCIe 2.0 lanes on a x16 slot gives ECS the opportunity to design its Z77H2-AX without the need to switch off certain devices to enable others. We count seven slots or devices connected to the Z77 chipset's eight PCIe 2.0 lanes.
Most of ECS' boards have an empty spot where the Port 80-style diagnostics display should have gone, but the Z77H2-AX actually has the real thing for reporting system status. That’s especially handy for troubleshooting an open test bench, as are the on-board power and reset buttons, and voltage detection points along the motherboard’s top edge.
Four of the Z77H2-AX’s internal SATA connectors are rated for 6 Gb/s data rates, since two of them employ a third-party controller. One of the Z77’s missing SATA 3Gb/s ports is re-assigned to an mSATA slot, while the other remains missing in action.
The Z77H2-AX’s layout is almost as good as its features, with three spaces separating the first and second graphics card slots. But USB 3.0 header placement is the elephant in ECS' design room. Because it's so close to the third graphics slot, front-panel USB 3.0 and three-way SLI or CrossFire are mutually-exclusive features.

The Z77H2-AX includes four black and two red SATA cables, a USB 3.0-to-3.5” bay adapter, three SLI bridges, and a front-panel Wi-Fi antenna.
ECS hasn’t altered its bonus software suite since our previous round-up, so we'll save you the trouble of rehashing it all here. We did, however, take another run with its unchanged eOC suite.




ECS eOC is more useful than we previously thought, even though it’s only capable of modifying BCLK and a few voltage levels.
Like many of the ECS motherboards we’ve tested in the past, this one has a bad habit of getting stuck when its BCLK is set too high in the UEFI. Several hours of effort to reset the firmware, including the use of the CLR_CMOS button, battery removal, and battery terminal shorting, could not revive the board. We even tried to force an error by starting the PC with missing components (memory, graphics, CPU), hoping that's restore the BIOS defaults. No dice.
Sometimes, an ECS motherboard that’s stuck will start working again after being disconnected for a few days. That didn’t work either, even with the battery removed. The one thing that did get the system to finally boot was when, out of desperation, we put a jumper on a pair of pins that the manual says are for chassis intrusion detection. We just happened to notice that those pins were next to the system ROM.
From that point forward, all of our attempts to push higher BCLK settings on ECS' Z77H2-AX were performed using its eOC utility. Since eOC-based BCLK modifications don't alter the firmware, choosing a bad setting in software didn’t cause the UEFI to lock up. Thus, we never had to repeat our no-boot ordeal.
We discussed our firmware problem on the software page, if only to say that recovering from bad overclocking settings is easier to do from software. But part of the problem was that we are testing this board with old firmware.
The firmware shipping with current Z77H2-AX samples was developed way back in June. But that’s not the version we used. Our motherboard round-up invitation specifically states that, in order to keep things fair, we use the most recent firmware version published on each vendor's support page. This is to avoid special optimizations for review sites. This stuff does happen, folks. ECS didn’t publish its June firmware, though, and the only version found on its support page is from March. This is particularly problematic for an ECS board, because the company's infamous stuck-BIOS issues are often solved in its later firmware updates.
Giving ECS the opportunity to update its site after our deadline wouldn't have been fair to the vendors who submitted their products with official firmware versions right out of the gate.

A CPU Voltage setting of 1.150 V got us to a little over 1.2 V at idle, and changing the CPU Vdroop setting to Disable allowed voltage to climb to 1.25 V under load. This was the only way we could get to our target load voltage without running an excessively-high idle voltage.

In spite of our relatively low idle voltage, the board was still able to run our CPU at its 47 x 100 MHz setting. That’s not quite 4.7 GHz however, since the board’s actual base clock is 99.78 MHz.

We had to leave Intel's Turbo Boost technology enabled to reach a higher multiplier. But setting the ratio to 47x caused the CPU to jump from 1.6 GHz at idle to 4.7 GHz under load.


The Z77H2-AX doesn’t let you fine-tune memory from XMP mode, but the board retains previously-set timings when entering manual mode. Entering Manual mode from Auto mode makes SPD values your baseline, while entering Manual mode from XMP mode makes those timings stick as well. Because of that, we were able to start our DRAM overclocking effort without configuring primary, secondary, and tertiary controls by hand.
Gigabyte’s exclusive feature for today’s round-up is a dual-port Thunderbolt controller, which also supports two monitors as long as the DVI-D connector is empty. Of course, it also supports two chains of storage devices or whatever else affluent enthusiasts connect to the PCI Express-based external interface. Anyone who would rather hold off on $40 cables might be just as happy with the Z77X-UP5 TH’s selection of four back-panel USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, DVI, and VGA outputs.
We’re still trying to wrap our heads around the presence of VGA output on high-end boards. It's a little easier to explain the lack of two gigabit Ethernet controllers by the fact that Intel's Thunderbolt controller eats half of the Z77 Platform Controller Hub's PCIe 2.0 lanes. In the face of a lot less PCI Express connectivity, Gigabyte's engineers were forced to put all three PCIe x1 slots on a four-lane PLX bridge.
Gigabyte certainly didn’t want to give up any bandwidth for discrete graphics cards, though we probably would have tolerated an 8732 bridge in exchange for more PCIe performance elsewhere. As it is, anyone who wants to populate the bottom x16 slot will find that doing so knocks the board into x8/x4/x4 mode. Don't even bother if you're trying to upgrade a machine with a Sandy Bridge-based CPU; you need an Ivy Bridge-based chip to support that kind of lane division.
With those limitations in mind, PLX Technology's 8732 PCI Express switch looks like it would have been a better move for Gigabyte. And using it would have given the company's designers a lot more flexibility in choosing PCIe x1-based features.
The Z77X-UP5 TH’s layout is good overall, with one of its two USB 3.0 internal headers found above the top graphics card slot where it won’t block anything. The top and middle PCIe x16 slots are also separated by three spaces to assist GPU cooling, and the Port 80 diagnostics display is located by the memory slots where it can’t get blocked by a processor or graphics card heat sink.
On the other hand, the second USB 3.0 internal header is found below the bottom graphics slot, and using it would prevent the insertion of most performance-oriented graphics cards. A SATA 6Gb/s connector placed along the bottom edge seems even more wasteful in light of the fact that mSATA is shared with one of the more conveniently-located forward-facing ports.

Most builders don’t use the top PCIe x1 slot, but Gigabyte gives them a good reason to with its Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card. The Wi-Fi side is PCIe, while the Bluetooth radio unfortunately requires connecting an internal cable to one of the Z77X-UP5 TH’s front-panel USB 2.0 headers.

The Z77X-UP5 TH includes a very nice-looking USB 3.0-to-3.5” external bay adapter, six SATA cables, the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card with dual antennas, a USB 2.0 link cable for the Bluetooth controller, and a single Nvidia SLI bridge.
Gigabyte’s software package has changed little since our most recent round-up. Those changes that were made focus on the use of Realtek's hardware, rather than VIA's, for audio functionality. The ALC898 is supported by Creative’s X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity software.

Gigabyte’s Auto Green utility allows users to awaken their PC whenever a Bluetooth device is within range of its sensor.

Gigabyte EasyTune 6 also remains unchanged, with Quick Boost Level 3 pushing 4.68 GHz at a reasonable 1.30 V CPU core.

A few easy settings help the Z77X-UP5 TH push a stable 4.69 GHz from our Ivy Bridge-based CPU. We got there using a 102 MHz base clock, 46x multiplier, and a 1.25 V target core voltage.



The Z77X-UP5 TH gets close to achieving DDR3-2800 data rates with our G.Skill DDR3-2666 samples. Choosing Quick tuning let you configure both channels simultaneously, while Expert mode allows per-channel settings.



Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are adjustable, and individual settings can be left to the motherboard’s Auto adjustment. Changing the memory multiplier allows the board to deviate from SPD or XMP values, so we locked-in our memory’s 11-13-13-35 rating during our overclocking tests.



Keeping our CPU close to its 1.25 V target under both light and heavy loads required us to set Vcore Loadline Calibration to Turbo with a 1.24 V baseline CPU core. The memory similarly required a 1.625 V setting to produce a meter-checked 1.65 V at the DIMM slots.
Intel sent two versions of its high-end Z77 Express-based motherboard, with and without Thunderbolt technology. Unfortunately, we were only giving each vendor one slot each in today's story. After looking at the features its competitors offered, we decided to go with the Thunderbolt-equipped version.
In addition to a single Thunderbolt port, the rear I/O panel offers four USB 3.0, four USB 2.0, and FireWire ports, along with HDMI output and two interfaces to gigabit Ethernet controllers. On the other hand, all three of this board's x1 slots, both of its PCI slots, and its FireWire controller fight for the bandwidth of a single PCIe lane through a single-lane to multi-lane switch.
If overclocking causes the system to stop booting, pressing the Back to BIOS button will force the board to start up with factory settings without losing your custom configuration. The motherboard simply ignores the custom settings until the button is disengaged, allowing users to make minor corrections before trying again.
The reason that so many devices share so little bandwidth is that Intel dedicates most of the Z77 PCH's connectivity to its Thunderbolt controller. And, like Gigabyte, it reserves the CPU's PCI Express lanes for discrete graphics. You don't get a triple-card option. Instead, the x16/x0 lane configuration changes to x8/x8 when an add-in board drops into the second PCIe x16 slot.
Because the bottom PCI Express slot doesn't support a graphics card, we're less bothered by Intel's placement of the USB 3.0 header. On the board's bottom edge, both headers are horribly located. But most PCIe x1 cards are thin enough to prevent spatial conflicts.
Intel moves the DZ77RE-75K's front-panel audio connector up the board’s rear edge by three slot spaces, making it easier for short cables to reach, while simultaneously making finished builds look more cluttered (there’s no way to get the cable to the header without running it over the motherboard’s top).
Two Marvell SATA 6Gb/s controllers add one external and two internal ports to the six controlled by the chipset. All eight of the board’s internal SATA ports face forward to avoid conflicts with long cards, though some older case designs block access to forward-facing ports. Reading chassis reviews help avoid those kinds of problems, though.
A Port 80 diagnostics display and internal power/reset buttons help overclockers bench-test the DZ77RE-75K, but those features are far less valuable once you get the board installed inside an enclosure.

The DZ77RE-75K includes a mouse pad, four SATA cables, a USB 3.0-to-3.5” external bay adapter, an SLI bridge, and a USB 2.0-based Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module. The module is designed to adhere to the back of a solid plastic 5.25” bay cover.
Intel’s software bundle is unchanged from our previous review, and even its hard-to-find Extreme Tuning Utility remains without update. We took a few screenshots to be certain, but, with nothing new to discuss, we can instead refer you to our last round-up for more information about Intel's bundled software.

The DZ77RE-75K’s firmware-based overclocking menu also appears unchanged from less expensive board we reviewed previously, though a change in hardware does trigger different overclocking results. A 101 MHz base clock and 46x multiplier give us 4.64 GHz at 1.25 V.

It appears that everyone is fudging the numbers when it comes to voltage these days, displaying lower voltages in the firmware than our meters show at the pins, and Intel's DZ77RE-75K sets a particularly egregious example for the CPU core. To begin with, High V-droop mode is supposed to allow voltage to sag under CPU load, but this board caused the CPU’s voltage to climb under load. Setting Low V-droop caused the CPU voltage to climb even more under load. The only way we could get the CPU to 1.25 V was to choose 1.19 V as the baseline and watch the voltage climb.

The DZ77RE-75K doesn’t let you fine-tune memory from XMP mode, but the board does retain previously-set timings when entering manual mode. Entering Manual mode from Auto makes SPD values your baseline, while entering Manual from XMP mode makes those timings stick as well. Because of that, we were able to start our DRAM overclocking effort without manually configuring primary, secondary, and tertiary controls.

The big difference between memory overclocking on the Intel and ECS boards was the set voltage. While ECS reported 1.632 V for our 1.65 V reading, we had to set the DZ77RE-75K to 1.687 V to reach an actual 1.65 V on our meter. That makes Intel the only company in today’s comparison that isn’t under-reporting DIMM voltage.
With a single Thunderbolt port and no PCIe bridge to facilitate lane sharing, the best way for MSI to beat Intel is on price. It’s no wonder, then, that the Z77A-GD80 is $35 cheaper than Intel's DZ77RE-75K.
Anyone interested in the Z77A-GD80 gets two fewer back-panel USB 3.0 ports, but more audio connectivity compared to MSI’s most closely-matched rival, Intel. We also find a third PCIe graphics slot, which could be the deciding factor for many buyers.
A quick look at the PCIe switches tells us that the Z77A-GD80 goes from x16/x0/x0 mode to x8/x8/x0 when a card is installed in the second x16-length slot, and then to x8/x4/x4 mode when a third graphics card is added. A quick check of the motherboard manual confirms our observation. Though this is the only way to natively support three graphics cards from the Ivy Bridge processor’s on-die PCI Express controller, the same configuration is not available if you have a Sandy Bridge-based processor installed. The newer CPU supports three devices, while the older CPU supported only two.
MSI uses a forward-facing USB 3.0 internal header to fit that big and inflexible cable underneath any long expansion cards. Most cases that support forward-facing SATA cables will have no problem with the forward-facing USB 3.0 ports.
The Z77A-GD80 also includes two added-in SATA 6Gb/s ports via a third-party PCIe-based controller. That controller sits on the same PCIe 2.0 lane as FireWire, however, and you have to pick the device you want enabled through MSI's firmware.
You're faced with the same conundrum if you have multiple PCI Express x1 cards, since the four slots sit on only two lanes. Choosing between slots one and two should be easy since the second x1 slot is usually blocked by the graphics card anyway, and an SLI configuration would make the same choice between x1 slots three and four just as easy. MSI could have simply left out x1 slots two and four to save a few cents, except that enthusiasts are more likely to notice blank spaces on the motherboard before they realize two of those slots won't work at any given time, disingenuous as that may be.
Overclocking exhibitionists will like the Z77A-GD80’s on-board Port 80 diagnostics display, enough though its location could be covered by a second graphics card. A row of voltage detection points, power, and reset buttons are similarly valuable, and fortunately less likely to get covered up.

The Z77A-GD80 includes four SATA cables, a set of voltage check-point adapter wires, a USB 3.0 slot panel adapter, and a single SLI bridge.
As with today’s other samples, we spent around an hour with MSI’s various software applications to see what’s new compared to our previous review, and found only a few changes.

Though the board still includes THX TruStudio Pro, we wanted to see what Realtek’s control panel looked like before installing that software. We found a variety of synthesized environments and a manually-adjustable equalizer with its own group of presets.


The multiplier and voltage settings for MSI Control Center work on this motherboard, but DRAM timings do not. We were able to set our CPU to 46 x 100 MHz and 1.25 V, but any memory adjustments caused the program to crash. More details about the program that aren’t specific to this motherboard can be found in the program’s original review.
Our Z77A-GD80 overclocking efforts were a little more successful in firmware than in software, reaching 4.7 GHz CPU and a hair more than DDR3-2800 at 1.25 V core and 1.65 V memory.


The actual CPU core and DRAM voltage settings needed to reach those targets were 1.235 V and 1.633 V. We also had to set Vdroop Offset Control to 100% to keep the CPU voltage from sagging below 1.25 V under load.


XMP profiles got our memory overclocking started, but the Z77A-GD80 loosened the timings from 11-13-13-35 to 11-14-14-37 when we picked the higher 28x multiplier. Fortunately, we were able to set just those few timings back to XMP defaults without reconfiguring secondary and tertiary controls.
| Test System Configuration | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-3770K (Ivy Bridge): 3.50 GHz, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, LGA 1155 |
| CPU Cooler | Thermalright MUX-120 w/Zalman ZM-STG1 Paste |
| RAM | G.Skill F3-17600CL9Q-16GBXLD (16 GB), DDR3-2200 at DDR3-1600 CAS 9, 1.60 V |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 580 1.5 GB 772 MHz GPU, GDDR5-4008 |
| Hard Drive | Samsung 470 Series 256 GB, SATA 3Gb/s SSD |
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking |
| Power | Seasonic X760 SS-760KM, ATX12V v2.3, EPS12V, 80 PLUS Gold |
| Software | |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64 |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce 296.10 WHQL |
| Virtu MVP | Version 2.1.114, GPU Virtualization, HyperFormance, No Virtual Vsync, where applicable |
| Chipset | Intel INF 9.3.0.1019 |
While G.Skill’s F3-17600CL9Q-16GBXLD provides the default DDR3-1600 CAS 9 settings we want for benchmarks, it’s no longer fast enough to push the limits of today’s best memory controllers. The firm provided a set of its F3-2666C11Q-16GTXD Trident X DDR3-2666 specifically to extend our overclocking capabilities.

We’re watching the gradual resolution of all of our previous peripheral woes as manufacturers continue to move their UEFI developments forward. Keyboards and mice from Microsoft and Logitech, plus a Saitek keyboard and Razer mouse, were all compatible with every board in both Windows and UEFI modes.

The question lingers about whether our previous purchase of these components was a waste of money. Some companies wait until a problem is exposed before they fix it, and this is especially true of minor issues such as UEFI mouse compatibility.
| Benchmark Configuration | |
|---|---|
| 3DMark 11 | Version 1.0.1.0, Benchmark Test Only, Virtu MVP Enabled Entry, Performance, and Extreme Presets |
| PCMark 7 | Version 1.0.4, PCMark, Productivity, Storage Suites Intel SATA Driver, Intel RST Monitor Installed |
| SiSoftware Sandra | Version 2012.10.18.74 CPU Arithmetic, Multi-Media, Memory Bandwidth benchmarks |
When testing products from different vendors based on dissimilar technologies, a real-world benchmark set helps us determine real-world performance differences. Yet, today’s boards center on the same chipset, and synthetics are more useful for finding the cause of performance deficits. Performance parity between all properly-designed Z77 motherboards has forced us to look for problems rather than solutions.
Ideal test results would show no performance differences between motherboards that have identical chipsets, yet small differences in clock rate and default memory timings affect that concept. We’ll instead focus on big leads (cheating) or big deficits (configuration problems).


ASRock takes a big lead in 3DMark’s Overall and Graphics subtests, but is the company cheating? We double-checked the clock speed and didn’t find anything suspect, but we’ll also check memory performance on the next page. A small BCLK deficit puts ECS slightly behind the pack.


The competition gets far tighter in PCMark, reflecting the minimal performance differences we should expect when nobody cheats and nothing is broken.

What’s wrong with Asus' motherboard in Sandra Arithmetic? Several retests did not reveal a problem, just consistent results.


Asus' performance deficit in Sandra Arithmetic doesn’t show up in Sandra Multimedia. These two metrics test different parts of the CPU, so we still can’t rule out an errant firmware setting.

ECS runs the same DDR3-1600 default multiplier and same CAS 9 default timings as everyone else. The board’s memory bandwidth is down a notch, but not by enough to indicate broken dual-channel mode or a faulty frequency.

Memory timings naturally have an impact on Sandra's Memory Bandwidth module, so we’re not surprised to see ECS falling trivially behind the pack in its latency bench. A combination of slightly worse secondary timings and a slightly lower-than-standard base clock could explain the Z77H2-AX’s loss in Sandra Bandwidth. Differences this small show up on charts, but go unnoticed in daily use.
MSI registers the lowest power consumption, which typically indicates that all of Intel’s power-savings features are enabled, that few third-party controllers are active during the test, and that power control circuitry is fully optimized.
Gigabyte, Intel, and Asus are close enough to MSI that all three appear optimized, while ECS' Z77H2-AX looks like it could use a little more development. ECS also has the oldest firmware, and that could help explain its higher power consumption.


Asus and ASRock enjoy the benefit of fans, yet they also have the highest voltage regulator temperatures. Intel, MSI, and Gigabyte all look cool using nothing more than waste air from the CPU cooler to carry away the heat.
| BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Z77 OC Formula | Asus Sabertooth Z77 | ECS Z77H2-AX | |
| CPU Base Clock | 95-150 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 80-300 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 99-150 MHz (1 MHz) |
| CPU Multiplier | Up to 63x | Up to 63x | Up to 59x |
| DRAM Data Rates | 1066-3000 (200, 266.6 MHz) | 800-3200 (200, 266.6 MHz) | 1066-2800 (200, 266.6 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 0.60-1.70 V (5 mV) | 0.80-1.92 V (5 mV) | 1.00-1.50 V (25 mV) |
| VTT Voltage | 0.77-1.63 V (10 mV) | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) | |
| VCCSA Voltage | 0.93-1.57 V (5 mV) | 0.80-1.70 V (5 mV) | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) |
| PCH Voltage | 0.78-1.65 V (9.3 mV) | 0.80-1.70 V (10 mV) | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.17-2.10 V (5 mV) | 1.20-1.92 V (5 mV) | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) |
| CAS Latency | 4-15 Cycles | 1-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles |
| tRCD | 3-15 Cycles | 1-15 Cycles | 3-15 Cycles |
| tRP | 3-15 Cycles | 1-15 Cycles | 3-15 Cycles |
| tRAS | 9-63 Cycles | 1-255 Cycles | 9-63 Cycles |
| BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH | Intel DZ77RE-75K | MSI Z77A-GD80 | |
| CPU Base Clock | 80-133.33 MHz (0.01 MHz) | 100-120 MHz (1 MHz) | 0-655 MHz (0.1 MHz) |
| CPU Multiplier | Up to 63x | Up to 255x | Up to 63x |
| DRAM Data Rates | 1066-3200 (200, 266.6 MHz) | 1066-2666 (266.6 MHz) | 800-3200 (200, 266.6 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 0.80-1.85 V (5 mV) | 1.00-1.80 V (5 mV) | 0.81-2.16 V (5 mV) |
| VTT Voltage | 0.80-1.70 V (5 mV) | 1.00-1.80 V (5 mV) | 0.95-1.55 V (10 mV) |
| VCCSA Voltage | 0.72-1.40 V (5 mV) | 0.85-1.80 V (12.5 mV) | 0.87-1.51 V (10mV) |
| PCH Voltage | Not Adjustable | 0.60-2.19 V (12.5 mV) | 0.78-1.73 V (5.5 mV) |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.10-2.10 V (5 mV) | 1.20-2.00 V (12.45 mV) | 1.11-2.47 V (7.5 mV) |
| CAS Latency | 5-15 Cycles | 5-16 Cycles | 5-15 Cycles |
| tRCD | 4-15 Cycles | 4-16 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles |
| tRP | 4-15 Cycles | 4-16 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles |
| tRAS | 5-63 Cycles | 15-75 Cycles | 10-40 Cycles |
Only two companies, MSI and ASRock, manage to break our CPU past 4.70 GHz at 1.25 V core. Gigabyte, ECS, and Asus are marginally behind in CPU overclocking, while Intel’s DZ77RE-75K trails noticeably.

Gigabyte’s Z77X-UP5 TH is the only board in this batch to reach a 111 MHz BCLK. This enhanced capability is usually only desired when overclocking locked processors.

Increasing the Z77H2-AX's base clock through the UEFI lead to what seemed like endless hours of POST failures, so we recommend users not even attempt that with ECS' board.

Asus has historically produced the best memory stability, and its Sabertooth Z77 tops the charts on average. MSI edges out Asus when only two modules are installed, while ASRock edges out MSI when four are needed.
Today’s motherboard comparison has two distinct groups of platforms: those with and those without Thunderbolt technology. Of the boards without Thunderbolt, ECS had the best features.

Unfortunately, ECS' Z77H2-AX falls completely outside of today’s budget range. The company simply wasn’t able to maintain its temporarily-deflated price until after our review got published. Asus and ASRock are our remaining non-Thunderbolt choices, and both are fairly well matched for features and stability, yet Asus's five year warranty trumps the three years of ASRock.
All of the Thundebolt boards are heavily compromised due to the scarcity of PCIe lanes inherent to Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture. The worst-compromised board lacks the PCIe switch needed to activate all of its interfaces at once, but comes in cheaper than even the non-Thunderbolt-equipped boards. If your needs are almost completely addressed by Intel's Ivy Bridge processor design, third-gen PCIe x16 graphics, and a single Thunderbolt port, MSI’s Z77A-GD80 looks like a good value.
Gigabyte beats Intel in Thunderbolt support by offering two connectors, but lacks Intel’s secondary gigabit Ethernet controller. The Z77X-UP5 TH is also $30 cheaper than the DZ77RE-75K, and few of use would pay $30 for the extra network controller. Both boards also include Wi-Fi/Bluetooth combo modules. From a pure value perspective that doesn’t account for any specific user’s specific needs, Gigabyte’s dual-Thunderbolt-equipped Z77X-UP5 TH appears to offer more features per dollar.
In fact, the difference in price between Gigabyte and MSI solutions is only $5, and Gigabyte’s solution also includes the PCIe switch needed to activate all of its features simultaneously. That switch is worth more than the $5 price difference. MSI also lacks any Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities, which we think are worth about four times the price difference. Add in the fact that the Z77X-UP5 TH has twice as many Thunderbolt connectors, and Gigabyte takes the value lead away from MSI in spite of the $5 price difference.

While Asus relied on an extended warranty to put its Sabertooth Z77's ahead of ASRock's Z77 OC Formula in value, hardware differences made it easier to pick a leader between various Thunderbolt solutions. Gigabyte leads that features-per-price battle without making any serious concessions in performance or overclocking, so the Z77X-UP5 TH earns its value award.

Our attempt to work out the value award mathematically assumes that Thunderbolt technology is worth as much as it costs, something that should be a safe assumption for anyone who thinks they might use this new technology within the next few years. But anyone who doesn't use that technology during the life of their next build will find no value in it, and anyone who's prone to motherboard failure will find exceptional value in Asus' extended warranty. Because both of these exceptions will likely apply to a large number of buyers, the Sabertooth Z77 also gets our stamp of approval.












