PC enthusiasts like myself expect a lot more from our systems than the industry's standard for basic computing. We want performance and an attractive price. Often, our expectations include overclocking as well, since dropping $1000 on Intel's fastest desktop processors simply isn't an option for most of us.
To that point, this passion of ours got a little more complicated when Intel decided to lock the ratio multipliers on its CPUs, and fundamentally remove BCLK frequency as a variable, and charge a premium for the handful of processors that can still be overclocked at all. The starting price on those is $220, by the way.
Fans of AMD's hardware have plenty of reasons to feel as though they've taken the high ground. It's only a shame that the company's best efforts fall so short of where Intel has been sitting for two years. Sadder still is when you take a look at AMD's roadmap and see a distinct lack of FX-series parts beyond Vishera.
Along the way, enthusiast-oriented motherboards crept up in price as we learned to push performance beyond what even those thousand-dollar CPUs can do, at the same time sucking down power and generating more taxing thermal loads. We tend to make up for that fact by expecting the other components to cost less. Graphics cards, SSDs, and memory all just get cheaper over time, right? It's no longer necessary to spend big bucks on a feature-complete motherboard to get the most out of CPUs. Nowadays, it's pretty normal to spend more on your processor than the platform that supports it.
And so we have five motherboards under $160 that support Intel's LGA 1150-based chips built on the Haswell architecture.

| ASRock Z87 Extreme4 | Asus Z87-Plus | Biostar Hi-Fi Z87X 3D | Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H | MSI Z87-G45 Gaming | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCB Revision | 1.06 | 1.02 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| Chipset | Intel Z87 Express | Intel Z87 Express | Intel Z87 Express | Intel Z87 Express | Intel Z87 Express |
| Voltage Regulator | 12 Phases | Eight Phases | 12 Phases | Eight Phases | Eight Phases |
| BIOS | P1.90 (06/24/2013) | 1204 (06/21/2013) | Z87CF523.BST (5/23/2013) | F5 (05/16/2013) | V1.3 (06/19/2013) |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 100.60 (+0.60%) | 99.94 (-0.06%) | 100.00 (-0.00%) | 99.77 (-0.23%) | 100.13 (+0.13%) |
| I/O Panel Connectors | |||||
| P/S 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| USB 3.0 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| USB 2.0 | 2 | None | 4 | None | 2 |
| Network | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| eSATA | 1 (Shared w/SATA) | None | None | 2 (Shared w/SATA) | None |
| CLR_CMOS Button | None | None | None | None | Yes |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical | Optical | None (HDMI-only) | Optical | Optical + Coaxial |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Video Out | VGA, DVI-D, DisplayPort, HDMI | Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, DVI-D | VGA, DVI-D, HDMI | VGA, DVI-D, HDMI, DisplayPort | VGA, DVI-D, HDMI |
| Other Devices | HDMI-In (Pass-through) | None | None | None | None |
| Internal Interfaces | |||||
| PCIe 3.0 x16 | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) | 2 (x16/x0, x8/x8) | 2 (x16/x0, x8/x8) | 2 (x16/x0, x8/x8) | 3 (x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, x8/x4/x4) |
| PCIe 2.0 x16 | None | 1 (x2 transfers) | 1 (x4 transfers) | 1 (x4, shared w/2 x1) | None |
| PCIe 2.0 x1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 (2 shared w/x4) | 4 |
| USB 3.0 | 2 (4-ports) +1 Port | 1 (2-ports) | 1 (2-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 1 (2-ports) |
| USB 2.0 | 3 (6-ports) | 4 (8-ports) | 2 (4-ports) | 3 (6-ports) | 3 (6-ports) |
| SATA 6Gb/s | 8 (1-shared w/eSATA) | 8 | 6 | 8 (2-shared w/eSATA) | 6 (1-shared w/mSATA) |
| 4-Pin Fan | 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 4 | None | 4 | 1 | None |
| FP-Audio | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| S/PDIF I/O | None | Output Only | Output Only | Input And Output | None |
| Internal Buttons | Power, Reset, CLR_CMOS | Power, DirectKey, MemOK, BIOS Flashback, TPU, EPU | Power, Reset | Power, Reset, CLR_CMOS, CMOS IC/Mode selectors | None |
| Diagnostics Panel | Numeric | None | Numeric | Numeric | None |
| Other Devices | Dual PCI, Serial, CIR | TPM, Serial | Serial, CIR | TPM, Serial, PCI | mSATA, TPM, Serial |
| Mass Storage Controllers | |||||
| Chipset SATA | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s |
| 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 | ASM1061 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 1 x eSATA 6Gb/s | ASM1061 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s | None | 88SE9172 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s or 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s | None |
| USB 3.0 | ASM1074 Hub (4-ports) | ASM1074 Hub (4-ports) | None | 2 x PD720210 Hub (8-ports) | None |
| Networking | |||||
| Primary LAN | WGI217V PHY | WGI217V PHY | 8111F PCIe | WGI217V PHY | Killer E2205 PCIe |
| Secondary LAN | None | None | None | None | None |
| Wi-Fi | None | None | None | None | None |
| Bluetooth | None | None | None | None | None |
| Audio | |||||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC1150 | ALC892 | ALC898 | ALC898 | ALC1150 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | DTS Connect | DTS Connect | None | None | None |
| Warranty | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years |
Intel might charge a premium for the privilege of owning an overclockable processor, but the company at least deserves credit for exposing enthusiast-class features on mainstream motherboards. With the introduction of its Z87 Express Platform Controller Hub, you get SATA 6Gb/s transfer rates on all six ports, a full battery of six USB 3.0 ports without a bunch of motherboard-down controllers, and an integrated PCI Express controller that supports three links without the need for expensive switches.
All of that saves you, oh, somewhere around $20 in cost, we're estimating. So, this round-up's $160 price cap should be comparable to the $180 boards from the previous generation. So, let's see if mainstream Haswell offers us anything more attractive than the higher-end segment.
ASRock hopes to demolish its competition in the enthusiast-value segment by providing a full set of features for less than $160 (sometimes even less than $150, depending on the deal of the day; ASRock's prices tend to move a lot more than we're used to). That full set includes three-way CrossFire using PCI Express 3.0 slots, four front-panel USB 3.0 ports, an extra eSATA 6Gb/s controller, HDMI monitor pass-through for external devices like game consoles, Intel's own network controller hardware, and DTS Connect-enabled ALC1150 audio.
The combination of five analog outputs and DTS Connect over optical S/PDIF gives users a wide range of options to connect multi-channel speaker systems, though the four nearby USB 3.0 ports seem sparse on a board that hosts an extra four-port hub.
Those missing USB 3.0 ports are instead found on a second front-panel header, yielding a total of four USB 3.0 and six USB 2.0 front-panel connections. The USB 3.0 hub consumes one of the Z87 Express PCH's native ports, so ASRock exposes the left-over interface as an external connector mounted internally, where it can be used to attach USB-based Wi-Fi, flash, or Bluetooth.
Three PCIe x16 slots connect the CPU’s 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes in x16/x0/x0, x8/x8/x0, or x8/x4/x4 modes. We’re typically not fans of four-lane connections for graphics, but the use of PCI Express 3.0 should alleviate any bottleneck that would have earned our ire in the past. Unfortunately, three-way SLI is officially unsupported, though Nvidia fans can still use the three slots for two-way SLI plus a third card.
ASRock moves the front-panel audio connector three slots up from the traditional bottom-rear corner to shorten the distance to its audio solution, which itself is moved closer to the I/O panel. This design, along with a TI NE5532 600 Ω-compatible headphone amplifier and enhanced EMI shielding, make up its Purity Sound solution.
The relocated front-panel connector benefits builders using cases with audio cables that can't quite reach the bottom-rear corner. On the other hand, if you prefer wrapping that cable around the bottom of your motherboard tray, you might now have to go over the board's top, which looks a little messier. These board vendors can't please everyone, it seems.
Less controversial are the power, reset, and CLR_CMOS buttons next to a two-digit diagnostics display. While most mainstream folks rarely need those features, they often come in handy when we're testing hardware outside the confines of a case. ASRock even sockets its two firmware ICs in case you somehow manage to corrupt them both.

The Z87 Extreme4 supports up to eight SATA drives, but includes only four cables (that’s a total of eight drives, since the eSATA connector is shared with one of the added internal ports).
ASRock changed little in the firmware transition from Z87 Extreme6 to Z87 Extreme4, keeping all of its pre-defined overclocks in place. That made it easy for us to start with its Turbo 4.4 GHz setting and manipulate other settings from there.

A top clock rate of 4.7 GHz at our old 1.3 V setting was impressive, though we’ve since found that AVX-heavy tests push our CPU to its thermal limits at that voltage. Retesting at 1.25 V was successful at 4.6 GHz.

Our DDR3-3000 kit from G.Skill failed to operate at its specified values on this board, though we increased the BCLK setting enough to push a 2666 MT/s data rate to 2746 MT/s.

ASRock compensates high memory ratios with beyond-spec voltage, which we'd prefer not to see. Dropping to the DDR3-2666 memory setting allowed us to reach an actual 1.65 V at a fairly reasonable 1.635 V setting.
Primary, secondary, and tertiary memory timings can be individually changed from automatic to manual mode, allowing users to configure familiar values.
ASRock applications include XFast Lan (by CFOS), Xfast USB (by FNet), XFast RAM (a RAM drive utility), and App Charger. The DTS-enabled version of Realtek Audio Manager is par for the purchase, and the Z87 Extreme4 even includes the same trial software previously discussed in our ASRock’s Z87 Extreme6 review.
ASRock A-Tuning still works, but this production version now has an actual image of the motherboard to show where devices are connected. Nice improvement there.

After several unsuccessful attempts to enter the firmware during a super-fast Windows 8 reboot, I resorted to ASRock’s “Reboot to UEFI” utility, rather than the operating system's Advanced startup procedure.
Equipped with the same high-end Intel network controller, the same ASMedia add-in SATA 6Gb/s controller, the same USB 3.0 hub, and a slightly cheaper audio codec, Asus’ Z87-Plus needs to do something extremely well in order to overcome its price premium compared to ASRock’s competing Z87 Extreme4. Asus has a long list of features that it says add more value than any other vendor, and the USB BIOS Flashback feature is one strong example.
The BIOS Flashback IC resembles an SoC (system on a chip) for its specific function, allowing users to update the firmware with nothing more than a USB flash drive and power supply. Incompatible parts play no role here, since you don't even need to have a processor installed. This is particularly brilliant when a customer purchases an older motherboard that was sitting on a store shelf for months and an unsupported CPU at the same time. Of course, Haswell just came out, so you wouldn't actually need this value-add until later, when Intel refreshes its platform.
Asus skips the I/O panel-based eSATA connector that ASRock shares with an internal port, and instead routes that interface to a connection accessible internally. The Z87-Plus also skips over the Z87 Extreme4's second internal USB 3.0 connector in favor of exposing six ports on the rear I/O panel. Your own preferences should dictate the configuration that works best.
Your needs will also determine the best slot arrangement. Asus splits the CPU’s 16 PCI Express 3.0-capable lanes across two slots, wiring its third slot to slower second-gen pathways from the PCH. While that means the third slot has far less bandwidth, it also won’t steal lanes away from the two graphics cards you might also install. Frankly, Asus' implementation makes more sense for most enthusiasts. But it incurs another drawback: the bottom slot is only wired up to two of those slower PCI Express 2.0 lanes. That means the third physical x16 is almost as ill-suited to a high-end RAID card as it is to three-way CrossFire. Being better for most users is an admission that most folks (particularly in the mainstream space) aren't using intricate storage arrays or three-card graphics setups.
The Z87-Plus doesn't have a POST code display or a bunch of motherboard-based buttons. But it does come equipped with switches. Among them are EPU and TPU mode selectors for automatic under- and overclocking, depending on your power or performance needs. The buttons you do see on-board correspond to power, BIOS Flashback, DirectKey for direct-to-UEFI booting (particularly useful in Windows 8), and MemOK for DRAM-underclocking to assist diagnostics.
We didn’t find any serious layout concerns on the Z87-Plus. Asus moves its front-panel audio connector around an inch forward from its typical location to help builders using cases with slightly short cables, and instead puts a special header for its ThunderboltEX card in the bottom-rear corner.

The Z87-Plus installation kit includes only four SATA cables, though a single SLI bridge and cable-bunching front-panel header extenders are also useful.
While Asus spent a lot of time on its user-configurable UEFI start page, the most interesting settings are still found in the firmware’s Advanced menus. The company prepared a video walk-through that outlines its efforts.
The Asus Ai Tweaker menu offers separate manual and XMP modes, which are virtually identical, except that XMP overclocking mode starts with an XMP-based memory overclock. You can still change memory multiplier and timings, even after enabling an XMP profile.

The Z87-Plus eagerly pushed our CPU to 4.7 GHz at 1.3 V, though we recently discovered that tests heavily optimized for AVX cause thermal throttling at that voltage. Dropping to 1.25 V, the processor was stable at 4.6 GHz.

Because Intel's fourth-gen Core processors don't support 30 x 100 MHz memory ratios, the Z87-Plus configures our XMP-3000 profile using an increased base clock rate paired with a DDR3-2933 ratio (22 x 133 MHz). We eventually topped the memory’s maximum data rate at 1.65 V by reaching DDR3-3021. In the words of Jim Carrey in The Mask, smokin'!

The Z87-Plus adds slightly more than 25 mV to whatever memory voltage setting you specify, so we dropped to 1.625 V. Our meter showed between 1.651 to 1.654 volts after making that change.
Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings can be individually switched between automatic and manual configuration. We lock in our memory’s primary timings during overclocking tests.

The Haswell architecture's fully integrated voltage regulator makes it impossible to apply traditional CPU load-line calibration. Asus compensates somewhat by adjusting VCCIN. We achieved stability there by choosing the board’s "Level 2" Load-line Calibration setting.
Other overclocking options include Auto OC By Ratio and Auto OC By BCLK. The first method raised our CPU multipliers to 41-42-43-43x (4.1 to 4.3 GHz, depending on utilization) at stock voltage, and picked a data rate of DDR3-2400 at 1.65 V. The second method used a fixed CPU multiplier of 34x and a DRAM multiplier of 20x, with a 125 MHz base clock pushing the CPU core to 4.25 MHz at stock-voltage and DRAM to DDR3-2500 at 1.65 V.
Rather than copy whole sections from our Z87-Pro review or re-create those previous descriptions using identical screen shots, I spent a couple hours with the Z87-Plus software suite looking for differences and verifying that its bundled software works properly.
Application menus remain, but some are reduced to reflect the Z87-Plus’ lower-cost feature set. For example, references to the Z87-Pro’s Wi-Fi controller are missing from the Z87-Plus, which doesn't include wireless networking.
The TPU menu remains fully capable of altering CPU and DRAM clocks and voltage levels. I took the above screen shot after dropping the multiplier from 46x to 45x, increasing the core voltage from 1.25 to 1.277 V, and increasing the base clock to 101 MHz.
Also present (but not detailed in the previous software overview), Asus Boot Setting offers a DirectBIOS toggle for rebooting to UEFI mode, in addition to Fast Boot settings. Similar in function to the DirectKey on-board button, the software applet is particularly handy in a closed-up build running Windows 8.
Asus also gets its own skin for Realtek HD Audio Manager.
Other programs include Asus WebStorage Agent, Asus Disk Unlocker for large-capacity drives on older operating systems, a customized version of CPU-Z that doesn’t read core voltage correctly, Daemon Tools virtual optical drive, Intel’s network and RAID utilities, and various other freeware/shareware/trial-ware.
The name of Biostar’s latest $150 motherboard is much more than a bunch of SEO (search-engine optimized) terms smashed together. The firm promises technology to back its Hi-Fi Z87X 3D’s title. For instance, a group of transistors for its high-current "3D" headphone amplifier (we know, we know...) are plainly visible between the audio codec’s EMI shield and analog audio jacks. The company promises over 100 dB through a pair of high-impedance 600 Ω headphones and a signal-to-noise ratio exceeding 110 dB.
Biostar continues pushing this "Hi-Fi" theme into power circuitry and even the board’s ground layers, claiming less signal interference. I might not have the audio gear to test the company's claims on that subsystem, but I can at least test the value of its low-noise power claims through overclocking.
The "3D" part of the title also refers to simulated 3D through headphones, a technology that’s been around for at least 15 years. Noticing that most of today’s users entered the scene after Aureal disappeared, Biostar states that “It's fantastically, especially if you've never experienced this kind of acoustic phenomenon before," typos and all.
Typically, Biostar leans heavily on a chipset’s integrated features to save cost, so we were a little surprised to only find two of the chipset’s six USB 3.0 ports on the I/O panel. We’d prefer four USB 3.0 ports and a pair of USB 2.0, rather than what the company ended up implementing.
A pair of USB 3.0 ports also connect to a forward-facing front-panel header, leaving two ports wasted in a market where many competitors add hubs just to push beyond Intel's Z87 Express specs.
A single PCIe lane feeds Realtek’s 8111F network controller, and the Hi-Fi Z87X 3D doesn’t even have a PCIe to PCI bridge. That leaves Biostar with seven PCH-based lanes to feed slots, including a x16 interface at the bottom electrically wired to four second-gen lanes. Although three-way CrossFire might be more appealing if Biostar had borrowed PCI Express 3.0 connectivity from the CPU, anyone not running a three-way array will be glad that the bottom slot doesn't tap into the middle-slot's lanes. Besides, consider the market we're addressing with these boards. Is it probable that anyone shopping for a $150 motherboard is going to have three quick Radeon cards or a CPU fast enough to feed them? Not likely. Instead, links originating from the CPU switch from x16-x0 to x8-x8 when that middle slot is populated. The bottom slot can still serve less bandwidth-hungry RAID controllers or video capture cards.
Sticking with Biostar’s previous high-value overclocking theme, we find a substantial 12-phase CPU voltage regulator at the top of the board and an integrated Port 80 display at the bottom. Catering to showmanship, power and reset switches simplify those functions when the board is on an open test bench.
The easiest way to reduce front-panel audio noise is to place its header near the controller. Biostar places its corresponding header directly in front of the I/O panel header so that both connectors can be easily fed by the same amplifier circuit. Cases with short front-panel cables are also easier to wire, but builders who insist upon hiding this cable behind the motherboard tray will probably be disappointed.

Like most of today’s competitors, Biostar includes four SATA cables in its Hi-Fi Z87X 3D installation kit. Unlike those competitors, Biostar also adds a nice microphone.
Biostar’s O.N.E. menu is now nothing more than a launching point for menus that host actual settings, with one exception: the “Start” page for consecutive UEFI entry can now be set here.

A trend emerges as we continue to migrate our CPU overclock testing from 1.3 V to 1.25 V. Like the two previously-detailed competitors, we reached 4.7 GHz at 1.3 V and 4.6 GHz at 1.25 V.

The Hi-Fi Z87X 3D automatically configures our DDR3-3000 to 30 x 100 MHz, even though Biostar knows that the Haswell-based processor’s integrated memory controller doesn’t support this ratio. When we changed to a 133 MHz base clock, the board automatically switched to a 22x multiplier for a data rate of DDR3-2933. Our XMP-based timings remained.

We were even able to push the memory to 3021 MT/s by increasing the base clock, and without altering the automatically-chosen values for primary, secondary, or tertiary timings.

We’ve been hearing companies bragging about their memory overclocking triumphs at extra-high voltage levels. But we don’t accept marketing as a reason to prematurely kill our hardware. Each board in today’s comparison is manually configured to 1.65 V, and that's a voltage we verify using a volt meter. The Hi-Fi Z87X 3D reached that real voltage at a voltage setting of 1.611 V.
Biostar’s TOverclocker utility changes slightly from our previous description in response to the Z87 platform’s alterations.
We were able to verify CPU core voltage, multiplier, and base clock functions. Other settings appeared to work, but were difficult to verify.
Besides showing system status, the H/W Monitor menu also contains a CPU fan speed override from firmware-based control.
Biostar Smart Ear 3D controls the motherboard’s 3D audio virtualization.
Bio-Remote 2 allows users to control their PC from a smart phone, and use that same device as a mouse or PowerPoint presenter.
Other Biostar programs such as its BIOS Update and Green Power utilities remain unchanged from our previous round-up.
Packed with four extra USB 3.0 ports and two eSATA connectors, Gigabyte put great effort into locking the Z87X-UD3H at its current $160 price point. The board's I/O panel is similarly packed with four full-sized video connectors, though the CPU’s integrated controller only supports three simultaneous outputs.
The six I/O panel-based USB 3.0 ports are easily accessed, but the same convenience doesn’t always apply to the Z87X-UD3H’s four front-panel connectors. That’s because one of the dual-port headers is located beneath the bottom PCIe x16 slot, where it can be blocked by a graphics card.
Not that most of us would put a graphics card in the third slot. The top two x16 slots share the processor’s sixteen PCIe 3.0 pathways, switching from x16/x0 to x8/x8 whenever the second slot is filled. Meanwhile, the bottom slot gets its four lanes from the Platform Controller Hub. Furthermore, placing a x4 (or longer) card in the bottom slot causes the Z87X-UD3H to disable two of its x1 slots.
The x1 slots that get disabled are located between the first and second x16 slots. This makes sense, since the first slot under a graphics card is often blocked by a graphics cooler anyway. At least Gigabyte was thoughtful enough to make the top x1 slot always active.
The Z87X-UD3H encourages overclocking exhibitions with its placement of power, reset, and CLR_CMOS buttons in the board’s upper-front corner. A pair of CMOS selector switches next to those buttons lets you jump from one IC to the other, and disable dual-BIOS technology to prevent improper error recovery. The exhibition theme continues, bolstered by a row of voltage detection points along the front edge. Gigabyte even adds a Port 80 code display next to the main power connector to tell overly-aggressive overclockers what they did wrong.
Traditionally, front-panel audio connectors show up in the bottom-rear corner, and Gigabyte lets history repeat itself on its Z87X-UD3H. Unfortunately, the front-panel cables on some cases are just a little too short to reach. Builders who like to wrap their auxiliary +12 V power cable over the top of the motherboard tray will also find the eight-pin connector's upward-facing latch difficult to disengage once the cable is wrapped tightly over it.
Apart from those minor differences, the Z87X-UD3H layout resembles the first three motherboards that we've already outlined in this round-up. Three slots worth of spacing between x16 interfaces improves airflow in systems with multiple graphics cards, and forward-facing SATA connectors work with all but the most outdated case designs.

The Z87X-UD3H includes only four SATA cables to connect its eight internal ports. Of course, you could instead pretend that the board only has six internal ports, since two must remain unpopulated in order to enable eSATA.
Gigabyte began teasing its user-configurable UEFI even before the Z87 launch, but hasn't yet produced a firmware-specific video walk-through like Asus' to show off the changes. Z87X-UD3H does allow screenshots though, so I grabbed this one to show its default start page:
All of the basic overclocking controls are accessible from the default home page, and a button at the bottom of that page allows users to add items from other menus and subtract items from the default menu. Users who prefer large fonts can also use the Resolution Toggle key (F7) to expand the center settings menu to full screen.

Unwilling to settle for basic controls, we jumped straight to the Performance menu and toggled in for a tighter screen shot. The Frequency menu provides base clock and multiplier controls for the CPU core, integrated graphics, and DRAM. XMP mode is supported here, as well as from the DRAM menu. We reached 4.7 GHz at 1.3 V and 4.6 GHz at 1.25 V.
Gigabyte still uses the term “Uncore Ratio” for portions of the CPU that ASRock/Asus now call “Cache Ratio” and Biostar calls “Ring Bus Frequency”. Because this ratio affects many of the same items formerly referred to as the uncore, I’m satisfied with Gigabyte’s response.

Because memory clock and XMP mode can both be set from the frequency menu, the DRAM menu is really only needed to access timings. Switching from Auto to Quick timing mode allows both channels to be set simultaneously.
Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are individually switchable between automatic and manual configuration. After selecting XMP Profile 1, the Z87X-UD3H set our DDR3-3000 to its rated timings at DDR3-2933. We weren’t able to bump it any higher at its rated voltage.
Gigabyte still spreads voltage settings across an unwieldy number of menus, with a main Voltage menu that serves no other function than to link submenus.
Remember that we just said we couldn’t overclock past DDR3-2933 at the memory’s rated voltage? The Z87X-UD3H covertly adds 20 mV, so its 1.630 V setting provided an actual 1.65 V.
As with competing products, the Z87X-UD3H also includes a pile of freeware, shareware, and trial applications (nag-ware). Unlike competitors, the cFosSpeed packet-prioritization suite hasn’t been re-branded.
Gigabyte App Center links to the same applications as our previous review, including the @BIOS firmware update utility for Windows, USB Locker to control port access for USB drives, the EasyTune utility, On/Off Charge 2 for fast and/or silent (system off) charging of USB-connected devices, and EZ Setup for Intel’s new integrated applications.

Colin Brix explains the idea behind EZ-Setup in the following video:
Gigabyte EasyTune hasn’t changed noticeably from our previous description, though that description didn’t include a screenshot of its advanced menu. Here we find controls for base clock, integrated GPU ratio, CPU multiplier, and various voltage levels. I was able to confirm CPU settings functional through CPU-Z.
There’s a lot more to EasyTune, including overclocking profiles and fan maps, and anyone unfamiliar with these features might want to check them out.
Even the $155 version of MSI’s Gaming series includes an E2205 network controller from Killer Gaming. So, we weren’t surprised to see little else added on top of the Z87 chipset's integrated capabilities. We found, for example, four of the chipset’s six USB 3.0 ports on the I/O panel, supplementing the two accessible from a front-panel header. There’s no eSATA, and internal SATA is limited to six drives.
We did find Realtek’s upgraded ALC1150 eight-channel audio codec, tied to both coaxial and optical digital outputs, but no DTS Connect license to convert live multi-channel audio (such as game sound) into a 5.1 stream. The Z87-G45 Gaming does include Creative Sound Blaster Cinema software for those who would like to modify output, and an increased-capacity amplifier for those who prefer high-impedance headphones.
MSI’s efforts to maximize the platform's ability to accommodate gaming hardware includes a trio of PCIe x16 slots that switch from x16-x0-x0 to x8-x8-x0 and x8-x4-x4 as cards are added. Intel's integrated PCIe 3.0 controller helps address our concern about four-lane slots for multi-card arrays, though Nvidia deliberately disables three-way SLI support on all of the boards in today's round-up. In x4 mode, you're only able to turn on CrossFire.
The lack of third-party controller hardware means that the remaining four PCIe x1 slots are always on, saving MSI from the stinging commentary we reserve for platforms that trade on-board functionality for connectivity when you add an upgrade. That same scarcity of controllers also means that the mSATA slot steals one of the six forward-facing SATA ports if you populate it. We're alright with this. A nice big 256 GB mSATA-based SSD would definitely cut back on cable clutter.
Other features include an I/O panel CLR_CMOS button and a row of voltage detection points along the motherboard’s front edge. Many competing products carry the overclocking theme outside of a case with on-board power and reset buttons, but we recognize that those features aren't very useful once your system is buttoned up. The only capability we really longed for during our overclocking tests was a Port 80 diagnostics display. Only three of the five submissions in today's piece include that luxury.
A well-developed layout leaves us with no major concerns or complaints. MSI moves the front-panel audio cable forward from the bottom-rear corner by about an inch, which is particularly helpful to builders who might otherwise find their cables half an inch too short. I’ve always wondered why so many case manufactures make the same mistake....

Cutting back in one place to pay for added features in another can be a good strategy, but we find it difficult to justify the inclusion of only two SATA cables. That’s the minimum needed in almost every build, and we always prefer room to upgrade. Users can buy more cables or re-use old ones, of course, but they probably won't looks like MSI's. Windowed case users beware!
MSI keeps the large-font clock and small-font settings theme for its Z87-G45 Gaming motherboard, and users can still jump quickly to its OC menu for clock and voltage configuration.

Accustomed to hitting 4.7 GHz at 1.3 V and 4.6 GHz at 1.25 V using four competing boards, were we very disappointed to see both of those limits drop by 100 MHz on the Z87-G45 Gaming. DRAM overclocking was similarly disappointing, with a maximum data rate of 2800 MT/s using G.Skill’s DDR3-3000 kit.
Everyone cheats a little with DRAM voltage these days, which is why I now adjust this setting using a voltage meter. The Z87-G45 Gaming gets to 1.65 V after picking the 1.635 V setting, and that’s far less egregious than some competing products. Thank you, MSI.
Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are individually selectable between automatic and manual modes. The Z87-G45 Gaming maintains our memory’s XMP settings throughout overclock testing.
Our volt meter didn’t show any voltage issues using the Z87-G45 Gaming’s automatic settings, so we left those as-configured.
MSI still uses a customized version of Intel XTU for tuning, and its Live Update 5 hasn’t needed an overhaul in a couple motherboard generations. The Killer NIC optimization software and Creative Sound Blaster Cinema are also consistent from our previous review. With no major changes to discuss, we began looking for things that weren’t covered in previous round-ups.
MSI loads its installation disk up with freeware, shareware, and trial software in addition to its own applications and motherboard-specific software. Unfortunately, some of that nag-ware is automatically selected when you go to install the platform's drivers.
Remember Gigabyte’s EZ Setup? MSI has been doing the same thing for a while, but calls its application “Super RAID”.

Reboots are super fast, even without added optimizations. After missing a couple of attempts to enter the UEFI, we were happy to find a “Go To BIOS” button in MSI’s Fast Boot applet.

| Test System Configuration | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-4770K (Haswell): 3.5-3.9 GHz, 8 MB L3 Cache, LGA 1150 |
| CPU Cooler | Thermalright MUX-120 w/Zalman ZM-STG1 Paste |
| RAM | G.Skill F3-17600CL9D-8GBXLD (8 GB) at DDR3-1600 C9 Defaults G.Skill F3-3000C12D-8GTXDG (8 GB) at XMP-3000 C12 Timings |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon HD 7970 3 GB: 925 MHz GPU, GDDR5-5500 |
| Hard Drive | Samsung 840 Series 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 13.4 |
| Chipset | Intel INF 9.4.0.1017 |
We were almost surprised to find Thermalright’s classic MUX-120 competitive with our recent review of high-end heat sinks, even when using its original clip-on mounting system. It’s the ease of that mounting system that wins this tester over in motherboard round-ups, and the good performance points to a good design.

Alternatively, we can point to problems with the Core i7's heat spreader interface as a reason why much larger coolers couldn’t provide much better temperatures in that review.

G.Skill’s F3-17600CL9D-8GBXLD is the only memory in this lab that defaults to our DDR3-1600 CAS 9 test standard. Faster RAM always uses slower defaults, and slower RAM requires XMP to get there. The problem is that some boards automatically enable other overclocking features when XMP is enabled. Consistency rules these tests.

We replaced the slower memory with G.Skill’s DDR3-3000 kit for our overclocking stability tests.

Corsair sent its 80 PLUS Plantinum-rated AX860i for our benchmark needs, citing enhanced support of C7 suspend mode.
| Benchmark Settings | |
|---|---|
| Adobe Creative Suite | |
| Adobe After Effects CS6 | Version 11.0.0.378 x64: Create Video which includes Three Streams, 210 Frames, Render Multiple Frames Simultaneosly |
| Adobe Photoshop CS6 | Version 13 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates |
| Adobe Premeire Pro CS6 | Version 6.0.0.0, 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 2012 | Version 14.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
| Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 | Version 15.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
| Blender | Version: 2.67b, 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 17.0 Pro: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to ZIP, command line switches "-a -ez -p -r" |
| WinRAR | Version 4.2: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3" |
| 7-Zip | Version 9.28: THG-Workload (1.3 GB) to .7z, command line switches "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5" |
| Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
| 3DMark 11 | Version: 1.0.1.0, Benchmark Only |
| PCMark 8 | Version: 1.0.0 x64, Full Test |
| SiSoftware Sandra | Version Version 2013.01.19.11, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / Cryptography, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark |
Intel’s steady shift favoring integration leaves fewer and fewer motherboard-down components able to affect performance. We do still find board vendors trying to sneak in multiplier enhancements (via Turbo Boost), but we're determined to root out those issues and make every review a fair fight. After all, it’s not like you can count on a vendor's sneaky multiplier adjustment to help improve your maxed-out overclocking results.

3DMark looks pretty close to even, with ASRock’s half-percent default overclock giving it a slight lead in the Physics test.

PCMark favors ASRock slightly, again likely due to a tiny BCLK overclock. We’re most interested in the storage score from this test however, and it’s very consistent across all boards.
Sandra's Arithmetic and Cryptography modules are fairly consistent across all boards, despite tiny base clock differences.


Gigabyte drops slightly behind in Sandra's Memory Bandwidth test, though only by a few percent.

Lower is better for our audio and video tests. Biostar takes first place by a tiny margin in only one benchmark. Asus' Z87-Plus falls one second behind in two tests.




The Z87-G45 Gaming falls slightly behind in both After Effects and our OpenCL-accelerated Photoshop test. Retesting proved those deficits repeatable, but did not expose any flaw in the board that could cause them. MSI did have a major BIOS update right after we started testing, and we’re beginning to wonder if it might have changed these results. Unfortunately, we deliberately set a cut-off date for BIOS submissions to maintain fairness.




Though it’s packaged with Adobe’s Creative Suite, Acrobat is an office application. It gets bundled with productivity benchmarks in our overall performance charts.
Biostar and Gigabyte both fall a couple seconds behind the pack in 3ds Max, but the benchmark takes so long that two seconds isn’t significant.




The Z87-G45 Gaming takes a couple more small losses in WinRAR and WinZip, though results this close appear almost identical when we average them into overall performance.



We manually enable power-saving settings on each board before starting the benchmarks. Although the performance numbers came in very close, we tend to look for the power results to match.
In fact, the power consumption differences appear much larger than the benchmark result deltas.

We expect the most miserly motherboards to also have the lowest temperatures, but this isn't true either. ASRock’s Z87 Extreme4 demonstrates the lowest power consumption and the highest temperatures.

Again, performance differences are minor. MSI’s barely-noticeable losses in a handful of benchmarks nudge its benchmark score to just 1% under average. ASRock’s miniscule overclock likely helps it go 1% over average. Meanwhile, Biostar’s similar 1%-over-average result takes us by surprise.

The reason we show performance on an efficiency page is that it’s an easy way to compare work to energy. In this case, the comparison is work over time, so factoring out the time gives the best-performing boards a slightly larger lead. With a difference in computing time of less than 1% over average for each board, the easiest calculations are probably sufficient.

This chart shows that ASRock’s actual performance lead is roughly equal to its overclock. Still, an average power consumption nearly 11% below the average of all five boards allows its Z87 Extreme4 to take top efficiency honors.
Due largely to the fully integrated voltage regulator inherent to Intel’s Haswell architecture, four out of five motherboards tested today achieved the same overclocking results. We find no winner here…

Once used as a way to overclock multiplier-locked processors, base clock adjustments lost their significance when Intel adopted an integrated clock generator. The company could have given enthusiasts some flexibility back through the same multiplier straps you see on Sandy Bridge-E platforms, but only its Haswell-based K-series parts get this functionality. If you buy a locked four-gen Core processor, expect that word to mean locked out of clock multiplier and strap selection.

DRAM data rates over 2133 MT/s have an insignificant impact on most of our performance benchmarks. More bandwidth is mostly useful for gaming through the on-die HD Graphics 4600 engine. Asus and Biostar take top honors here.

Four out of five motherboards in today’s review were top CPU overclockers. Though it means less to overall system performance, two of those boards were also top DRAM overclockers. That tie goes to Asus' Z87-Plus and Biostar's Hi-Fi Z87X 3D.

In this day in age, performance differences directly attributable to the motherboard are tiny. Often, we see vendors juicing their BCLK frequencies by a touch here in there for the slightest advantage. We've called this cheating in the past. However, when we compared relative performance to relative price on August 5th, the above chart is what we end up with.
Biostar's Hi-Fi Z87X 3D is at the top. On the 5th, it was also the cheapest board in our round-up. And yet it hung in there with the rest of the pack in terms of overclocking. This platform is light on value-added extras; however, it handles the basics well. As such, it rose to the surface as the original pick for our Smart Buy award. This is a Tom's Hardware recognition that explicitly calls out bang for your buck, and it's well-deserved.

Comparison shoppers might point out that for $5 more, MSI’s Z87-G45 Gaming offers an improved audio codec, a high-end network controller, and an mSATA slot. We did see a few very tiny performance deficits, though. More important, the board came up a little short in overclocking, where we expected it to stretch 100 MHz higher. In a story where several platforms win something, coming up short in overclocking is what stopped us short from adding the Z87-G45 to our list. Instead, we had to consider what another $5 might buy.
Back on the 5th, three motherboards were in the $160 range, all equipped with high-end features, adding a third-party controller for additional SATA connectivity and hubs for USB 3.0 ports. Of the trio, ASRock's Z87 Extreme4 has the best audio implementation, while Asus' Z87-Plus achieves top honors in DRAM overclocking. ASRock also has the ability to split three PCI Express x16 slots into x8-x4-x4 if you really want to run a trio of Radeon cards in CrossFire. Just be aware that any other card you drop into the third slot will take bandwidth away from the graphics subsystem.
The Asus and Gigabyte boards also have third x16 slots, but they take their lanes from Intel's Z87 Express Platform Controller Hub. The Z87-Plus only wires up two second-gen lanes to its third slot, while Gigabyte connects four. To get there, Gigabyte disables two of its x1 slots. Both sacrifices are a little tough for me to accept, but we can only look to Intel for designing yet another PCH with eight PCI Express 2.0-capable lanes for expansion. Asus adds USB BIOS Flashback, a feature that proves most valuable on long-life platforms like Socket AM3. Gigabyte adds a Port 80 diagnostics display that comes in useful when you're setting up an overclock (though it might also help diagnose a failed component). The two companies have exceptional reputations in the industry, and they've spent many years developing compelling supporting software.
Those considerations opened us up to a three-way tie at the top of this round-up's price range. However, as it tends to do, ASRock cut a $20 discount with Newegg, dropping the price of its Z87 Extreme4 to $140. Whereas we were hesitant to recognize all three boards selling at $160, the Z87 Extreme4's discount was the tie breaker. Here's how our value chart appears today:

We don't like giving out awards based on temporary discounts since our logo shows up on packaging long after prices go back up, and moving forward, we're taking steps that should prevent any vendor from playing pricing games. Until the next round-up, though, it'd be impossible for us to deny that ASRock's Z87 Extreme4 is an impressive buy for the amount of hardware you get at $140. In this case, you, the reader, win. ASRock earns recognition parallel to Biostar as a result.

This isn't to take away anything from the two boards still selling around $160: Asus' Z87-Plus and Gigabyte's Z87X-UD3H. We suspect both are truly worth more than the price at which they're selling, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend either to an enthusiast able to put their feature sets to good use. So, in an unprecedented move for us, we're acknowledging both platforms with Tom's Hardware Approved recognition.


One thing we will add: ASRock's Z87 Extreme4 is worth its more prestigious award as long as it's notably cheaper than the Z87-Plus and Z87X-UD3H. We're holding ASRock responsible for maintaining the lower price it just set into place, and we're asking you to help. The free market is dynamic, and prices do fluctuate. But if you can't find the Z87 Extreme4 in stock within 10% of $140, let us know before our next round-up. We're here to be your advocates, after all.























































