Gigabyte’s Easy Tune6 utility reflects both the usefulness and cumbersomeness of its firmware. The first menus, for example, contain no settings, though they are far more detailed than those in the popular CPU-Z application.
One of the added details that we’d like to see adopted by CPU-Z is the ability to read more than three SPD, XMP, and/or EPP registers. Easy Tune6 provides ten, though it does not tell us that one of these is XMP.

Quick Boost quickly got us to 4.18, 4.44, and 4.69 GHz at 1.32 to 1.33 V. While we still think that’s a little too much to protect the longevity of our Ivy Bridge-based CPU, it’s far less voltage than many of its competitors use for similar speeds. Perhaps ironically, the Auto Tuning option achieved worse overclocking results (4.49 GHz at 1.32 V), and we never successfully reset the program. After successfully altering several settings only to have the system revert to old Auto Tuning levels at the next reboot, we gave up and removed Easy Tune6 before reinstalling it to continue our evaluation.
The only visible difference between the Easy and Advanced overclocking tabs is the presence of memory ratio control. Base clock can be changed on the fly, but memory ratio changes require a reboot. That’s probably why Gigabyte wasted two tabs to separate these; a few words of warning would have sufficed.

Ratio and Frequency tabs are only active in Advanced mode. Per-core and all-core changes can be set, but a reboot is required to make the change. Given that memory ratios also require a reboot, that’s one more tab Gigabyte could have consolidated.

Easy Tune6 has enough voltage options that they actually deserve their own menu. Like base clock, voltages can be changed without rebooting.

Gigabyte’s Graphics overclocker worked with all of the GeForce GTX 580s in our test lab, though firmware customization could prevent its use with some brands.
Separate menus provide temperature-based CPU and system fan speed control.
Two menus under the HW Monitor tab provide extremely limited voltage readouts and status alarm controls.
- Seven Affordable Z77 Express-Based Motherboards Get Dissected
- ASRock Z77 Extreme4
- Z77 Extreme4 Applications
- Overclocking With ASRock Extreme Tuning Utility
- Z77 Extreme4 UEFI
- Asus P8Z77-V LX
- P8Z77-V LX Applications
- Overclocking With Asus TurboV
- P8Z77-V LX UEFI
- Biostar TZ77XE3
- TZ77XE3 Applications
- Overclocking With Biostar Toverclocker
- TZ77XE3 UEFI
- ECS Z77H2-A2X Deluxe
- Z77H2-A2X Deluxe Applications
- Overclocking With ECS eOC
- Z77H2-A2X Deluxe UEFI
- Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H
- Z77X-D3H Applications
- Overclocking With Easy Tune6
- Z77X-D3H UEFI
- Intel DZ77SL-50K
- DZ77SL-50K Applications
- Overclocking With Intel Extreme Tuning Utility
- DZ77SL-50K UEFI
- MSI Z77A-G45
- Z77A-G45 Applications
- Overclocking With MSI Control Center
- Z77A-G45 UEFI
- Benchmark Settings And Peripheral Compatibility Testing
- Benchmark Results: 3DMark 11
- Benchmark Results: PCMark And Sandra
- Power, Heat, And Efficiency
- Overclocking
- Three Sub-$160 Motherboards Rise To The Top








The things that actually get screwed-up are typically related to the clock generator, multiplier control, memory timings and power options.
Nice review.
You're kidding - Biostar. I guess this article is not about the 'Best Sub-$160 Z77' MOBO's but about the best manufacturers sent you. The cheapest MOBO I recommend for the SB/IB (K) is the ASUS P8Z77-V which pops your 'unique' budget cap depending where you shop; found it here for $159.99 - http://www.gadgetneeds.net/asus-p8z77-v-atx-intel-motherboard/
Interesting you didn't get an ASUS P8Z77-V LK ~$120 which offers SLI. The ASRock Z77 Extreme4 and Gigabyte Z77X-D3H for the price aren't bad.
There's NO WAY I'm recommending Biostar in the forum, folks and myself would thing I've lost my mind.
Would really like to see how the UD3X Atheros Ethernet controller fares against the Intel and broadcom ones.
Thank you!
This is what differentiates them performance wise.
Also, I love the True Studio Pro software, if you are running digital audio it really makes any idea of a dedicated sound card a thing of the past. Every computer I build now either has True Studio Pro with the mobo, or I purchase the MB2 software suite, it makes such a difference if using headphones or quality speakers, and much less buggy that Creative's sound cards and driver issues that we all know and love.