Five Z87 Motherboards Under $220, Reviewed

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Intel’s Haswell architecture displaces Ivy Bridge in its desktop line-up, bringing with it yet another new CPU interface. We tested six motherboards that claimed to be ready for your overclocking efforts, and included the five survivors in today’s review.

Z87H3-A2X Extreme Applications

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ECS eBLU and eDLU provide Internet-based BIOS and driver updates.

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ECS Smart Fan controls speed in three groups based on temperature readings, using one of four profiles or user-defined settings.

The Z87H3-A2X Extreme also includes several freeware titles, such as Intel TurboBoost Monitor and THX TruStudio basic (with an upgrade nag), plus trial applications like Muzee, Cyberlink media suites, and Norton Internet Security. Hardware-specific suites include ECS EZCharger, Realtek Teaming software for the dual-network controllers, and Intel SmartConnect.

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Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.