| BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for Overclocking) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Z77 Extreme6 | Asus P8Z77-V Pro | Biostar TZ77XE4 | |
| CPU Base Clock | 95-150 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 80-300 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 95-300 MHz (0.01 MHz) |
| CPU Multiplier | Up to 63x | Up to 63x | Up to 63x |
| DRAM Data Rates | 1066-3000 (200, 266.6 MHz) | 800-3200 (200, 266.6 MHz) | 1066-3000 (200, 266.6 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 0.60-2.20 V (5 mV) | 0.80-1.92 V (5 mV) | 1.00-1.79 V (10 mV) |
| VTT Voltage | 0.77-1.63 V (10 mV) | 1.05-1.16 V (12.5 mV) | |
| VCCSA Voltage | 0.93, 1.02, 1.11, 1.20 V | 0.80-1.70 V (6.25 mV) | 0.90-1.70 V (12.5 mV) |
| PCH Voltage | 0.78-1.65 V (9.3 mV) | 0.80-1.70 V (10 mV) | 1.05 V +0 to +15% (5%) |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.17-1.80 V (5 mV) | 1.20-1.92 V (5 mV) | 1.30-2.11 V (12 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) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ECS Golden Z77H2-A2X | Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H | MSI Z77A-GD65 | |
| CPU Base Clock | 99-150 MHz (1 MHz) | 80-300 MHz (0.01 MHz) | 0-655 MHz (0.1 MHz) |
| CPU Multiplier | Up to 59x | Up to 63x | Up to 63x |
| DRAM Data Rates | 1066-2800(200, 266.6 MHz) | 800-3200 (200, 266.6 MHz) | 800-2933 (266.6 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 1.00-1.50 V (15 mV) | 0.80-1.90 V (5 mV) | 0.80-2.155 V (5 mV) |
| VTT Voltage | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) | 0.80-1.70 V (5 mV) | 0.95-1.55 V (10 mV) |
| VCCSA Voltage | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) | 0.72-1.40 V (5 mV) | 0.93-1.59 V (10 mV) |
| PCH Voltage | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) | Not Adjustable | 0.78-1.72 V (5 mV) |
| DRAM Voltage | +0 to +0.63 V (10 mV) | 1.10-2.10 V (5 mV) | 1.11-2.46 V (7.25 mV) |
| CAS Latency | 4-15 Cycles | 5-15 Cycles | 5-15 Cycles |
| tRCD | 3-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles |
| tRP | 3-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles |
| tRAS | 9-63 Cycles | 5-63 Cycles | 10-40 Cycles |
Saving the best for last, all six of today’s motherboards yielded phenomenal air-cooled overclocking results from this specific Core i7-3770K processor. This is the first time in around two years that this editor received am above-average CPU sample on his first try, and history indicates that we’ll most likely see a greater percentage of acceptable overclocks as new steppings address minor hot spots.

MSI’s Z77A-GD65 edges out the competition for maximum CPU clock, while the second- through fourth-place overclockers are essentially tied. Biostar falls only slightly behind the median, while ECS drops a little behind Biostar.

ASRock has the highest base clock, while the top five boards prove the superiority of this specific CPU sample. Most users should expect an extra 6 MHz or so from their 100 MHz base clock, and even the bottom board gets that far.

A 2612 MT/s data rate is extremely remarkable compared to processors of old, and the fact that ASRock holds four modules stable at that setting with a $165 motherboard is similarly striking. So striking, in fact, that Asus called us out for not checking ASRock's XMP voltage more thoroughly. A retest at 1.650 V resulted in a maximum four-DIMM stable data rate of DDR3-2559 in Prime95. Two-DIMM results remained at DDR3-2700. We should also note that Asus isn't completely blameless here, as its P8Z77-V Pro showed 1.659 V in its own UEFI at the memory's XMP value of 1.650 V.
ECS sets a new standard for itself by winning the two-DIMM overclock tests, while any overclocking deficits for Biostar’s offset DIMMs appears significant only when four modules are installed.
- Z77 Express: The Perfect Replacement For Older Machines
- ASRock Z77 Extreme6
- Z77 Extreme6 Firmware
- Asus P8Z77-V Pro
- P8Z77-V Pro Firmware
- Biostar TZ77XE4
- TZ77XE4 Firmware
- ECS Golden Z77H2-A2X
- Z77H2-A2X Firmware
- Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
- Z77X-UD3H Firmware
- MSI Z77A-GD65
- Z77A-GD65 Firmware
- Test Settings And Benchmarks
- Benchmark Results: Battlefield 3
- Benchmark Results: DiRT 3
- Benchmark Results: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Benchmark Results: Audio And Video Encoding
- Benchmark Results: Productivity
- Power, Heat, And Efficiency
- Overclocking
- Which Mid-Range Z77 Board Should You Buy?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131820
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131820
Something's gotta be pooched with the ASUS P8Z77-V Pro BIOS (UEFI) -- hopefully. In the past the ASUS Pro line has been the meat & potatoes for my recommendations, and this is not the only review with similar performance numbers.
Voltages, I am going to have a hard time recommending a vCore >1.2Xv, VCCSA and CPU VTT of 1.20v on the IB. I still need to see otherwise. From what I've seen the IB is more 'girlish' with voltages than the SB or SB-E, and there's little point having the fans spinning 'through' the case and creating high dBA with a high vCore. RAM (voltage), it goes back to my feelings that 1.50v DIMM was a bunch of Urban Myths especially since the SB-E and seemingly the IB can handle 1.65v DIMM RAM.
Yeah, I noticed the XMP tried to set 1.25v VCCSA, or at least the set is encoded that way. Further, I don't wan to debate the OC until I get my hands on an IB, it should be any day now.
Further, either the Engineers were dead wrong on the SB (1.50) or IB (1.65) they're wrong in both instances. I 'get' ultra fast kits (today) >DDR3-2133 e.g. DDR-2400 or faster are 1.65v kits, but only a few months ago IF 'I' recommended SB + 1.65v I'd have 20+ negative comments in the Forum. Seems counter intuitive step in DRAM voltage.
Also, I am assuming you're testing the IB ES and I wonder how much of an impact that has in that the CPUID are geared towards the Retail. I remember all of the E5 (ES) problems and drops in performance compared to the Retail sisters.
OC observation only, you seemed 'wimpish' with the SB-E compared to the IB - interesting?!
A chose this board as it has a better Audio Chipset then the Competitors. This board comes with ALC898, while the other ones come with ALC892. Apparently ALC898 is far better than ALC892.
So far i am quite happy with the board.
Just 1 note, if overclocking do not disable "Power technologies", it will prevent overclocking. If i disabled the power saving features 1 by 1 i had no problems.
I have always loved ECS for cheap 'value' builds (in fact I am using a 6 year old ECS board in a little htpc I am throwing together, it doesn't do much, but it has never let me down either), it is wierd seeing them in the 'high end' market like this, and (unlike previous boards they have produced) it looks stunning!
The first time I saw the gold on black look was with my ex3 gen3 board, which looked odd in pictures, but great in real life, and this new ECS board looks absolutely gorgeous in pics, so I am sure it looks great in real life as well.
Still, at the end of the day I am not sure that I would go for ECS on a high end build, but it is good to see that they are getting somewhere.
Also, it is good to see that ASRock is still doing OK now that they are no longer under the ASUS umbrella.
As for the review: Why even do the program benchmarks? We all know that the mobo is merely for the feature set, parts cooling, and power management quality for OCing (and truth be told aesthetics as well), and has next to no bearing on how fast things get processed at any specific frequency. All that I personally care about is the feature set, OC ability, and subjective ease of use for the UEFI and keeping it updated, vs the overall cost of the board.