Expanded graphics card support, enhanced on-board features that include Thunderbolt on some models, and more-robust voltage control are all good reasons to consider paying a little extra for a higher-end motherboard. Today we examine five top choices.
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.
- Intel's Mainstream Z77 Express Goes High-End
- Panther Point's Thunderbolt Connection
- ASRock Z77 OC Formula
- Z77 OC Formula Software
- Z77 OC Formula Firmware
- Asus Sabertooth Z77
- Sabertooth Z77 Software
- Sabertooth Z77 Firmware
- ECS "Golden Board" Z77H2-AX
- Z77H2-AX Software
- Z77H2-AX Firmware
- Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP5 TH
- GA-Z77X-UP5 TH Software
- GA-Z77X-UP5 TH Firmware
- Intel DZ77RE-75K
- DZ77RE-75K Software And Firmware
- MSI Z77A-GD80
- Z77A-GD80 Software
- Z77A-GD80 Firmware
- Test Settings And Compatibility
- Benchmark Results: 3DMark 11
- Benchmark Results: PCMark And SiSoftware Sandra
- Power And Heat
- Overclocking
- Picking The Right High-End Z77 Board
"Six $220-280 Z77 Express-Based Motherboards, Reviewed"
Also, the time taken to show the windows loading screen/ BIOS page..
you really liked the black/grey dimms and PCI slots of the gigabyte better than the blue/black of the MSI!
Andrew Ku tests drive controllers. I'm trying to get him to "write the book" on controller performance, since dozens of boards use only a few different controllers. As for testing things like Z77 controller performance on board A vs Z77 controller performance on board B, it's a waste of time unless something is broken. So the article looked for "broken stuff". See the red bar on the first chart:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77x-up5-th-z77a-gd80-z77-oc-formula,3305-22.html
With nothing broken, there's no excuse to test the Z77 controller six times. Back to me begging Andrew Ku for a comprehensive comparison of every SATA controller currently available on mainstream-brand enthusiast boards.
This allows ocer's to achieve higher overclocks while still retaining the power saving functions, instead of being forced to either reduce the overclock, or be forced to run high voltage 24/7.
MSI doesn't have this key feature.
Overclocking the BLCK is very unlikely to cause any damage, it's just likely to not give much of a stable overclock.
And as much as I like ASRock, I realy wish they'd put more PWM headers on their boards.
On a side note, in a future I would love to see a comparison including boards like the Z77X-UP7 from Gigabyte, haven't got a chance to see that one in action
The problem isn't the review, the problem is that only two people didn't realize that the performance is supposed to be identical. Those two people are you, and the person who gave you the "thumbs up".