Gigabyte, leader in the manufacture of motherboards and peripherals in the world, is gradually expanding its Gaming family: G1-Killer. On this occasion, it has added to the new Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87, an ATX format motherboard with high-end features but with the price of the mid-range. Fabulous!

To open mouths, I give you a little preview of its most important features: Killer E2201 network card, compatibility with 4th Generation Intel Core processors (Intel Haswell), 3000 mhz DDR3 RAM with OC, Sound Core 3D sound card, Nichicon capacitors and high performance.

Product ceded by:

Technical characteristics

Processor	Support for Intel® Core ™ i7 / Intel® Core ™ i5 / Intel® Core ™ i3 / Intel® Pentium® / Intel® Celeron® processors in LGA1150 packaging L3 cache varies by CPU Please refer to the "CPU Support List" for more information.
Chipset	Intel® Z87 Express Chipset
Memory	4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMMs supporting up to 32GB of system memory * Due to a 32-bit Windows operating system limitation, when more than 4GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed by the system Operating memory may be less than the size of the installed physical memory Dual Channel memory architecture Support for DDR3 3000 (OC) / 2933 (OC) / 2800 (OC) / 2666 (OC) / 2600 (OC) / 2500 (OC) / 2400 (OC) / 2200 (OC) / 2133 (OC) / 2000 (OC) / 1866 (OC) / 1800 (OC) / 1600/1333 MHz Support for non-ECC memory modules Support for memory modules Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) (Please refer to the "Memory Support List" for more information.)
Integrated Graphics	Integrated graphics processor: 1 x HDMI port, capable of maximum resolution of 4096 x 2160 at 24 Hz / 2560 x 1600 at 60 Hz * Supports HDMI version 1.4a. 1 x DisplayPort, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096 x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz * Support for DisplayPort 1.2 version. 1 GB maximum shared memory
Audio	High definition audio Support S / PDIF out Support Sound Blaster Recon3DiCanales 2 / 5.1 Creative® Sound Core 3D chip
LAN	1 x Qualcomm® Atheros Killer E2201 chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)
Expansion Sockets	1 x PCI Express x16 to x16 slot (PCIEX16) * If you are installing only one PCI Express graphics card, for performance Optimum, make sure it is placed in PCIEX16.1 slot x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8) * PCIEX8 slot shares bandwidth with slot PCIEX16. When the PCIEX8 slot fills up, the PCIEX16 slot starts working in x8 mode. (The PCI Express x16 slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard.) 3 x PCI Express x1 slots (2 PCI slot conforms to PCI Express 2.0 standard.) 2 x PCI slot
Multi Graphics Technology	Support for 2-Way AMD CrossFire ™ / 2-Way NVIDIA® SLI ™ technology
Storage interface	Chipset: 6 x SATA to 6Gb / s connectors (SATA3 0 ~ 5) Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10
USB	Chipset: 7 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 ports (3 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers) 6 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 port (4 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB connector)
Internal I / O connectors	1 x Serial Port Connector 2 x Audio Gain Control Switches 1 x ATX 12V 8-pin Power Connector 3 x System Fan Connector 1 x CPU Fan Connector 1 x Front Panel Connector 1 x Power Button 1 x Reset Button 1 x Power Connector Main 24-pin ATX 1 x front panel audio connector 1 x USB 3.0 / 2.02 x USB 2.0 / 1.11 connectors x Clear CMOS jumper 1 x button to clear CMOS 6 x SATA 6Gb / s2 connector x BIOS switches
Rear I / O Panel	3 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 ports, 1 x RJ-455 port, x audio jacks (Center / Subwoofer Speaker Out, Rear Speaker Out, Line In / Mic In, Line Out, Headphone / Speaker Out), 1 x S / PDIF Out optical connector, 1 x HDMI1 x Coaxial S / PDIF Out connector1 x DisplayPort1 x Keyboard / Mouse port PS / 24 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 port
I / O controller	ITE® I / O Controller Chip
Hardware monitoring	CPU / System Temperature Detection CPU / System Fan Speed Control CPU / System Fan Speed Detection CPU / System Fan Failure Warning System Voltage Detection CPU / System Overheat Warning * The fan speed control function is supported as long as the fan supports it.
BIOS	2 x 64 Mbit flashUse of AMI EFI BIOS with licensePnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.6, ACPI 2.0aSupports DualBIOS ™
Other features	Supports ON / OFF Charge Supports Xpress Install Support for Q-Flash Support for APP Center * The applications available in the APP Center may vary depending on the motherboard model. In turn, the functions supported in each application may vary depending on the specifications of the board. Supports Smart Recovery 2Smart TimeLock @ BIOS ™ Supports EZ SetupSupport for APP CenterEasyTuneUSB Blocker
Included Software	Intel® Smart Response Technology Intel® Rapid Start Technology Intel® Smart Connect Technology Norton® Internet Security (OEM version)
OS	Support for Windows 8.1 / 8/7
Format	ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 23.3cm

Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 in front of the camera

The presentation of the Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 can be defined as sublime. On the cover we have an image of the robust heatsinks and a large number of certifications. While at the rear are all the specifications and technologies explained in greater detail.

The Sniper series is the Gigabyte range for " gamers or gamers ". This time they have released a more committed motherboard that is positioned in the mid / high range at an incredible price. The bundle is the ideal:

Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 Motherboard. Instruction manuals Quick guide 2 sets of SATA cables SLI bridge Back plate

It is an ATX format motherboard (30.5cm x 23.3cm). Its most dominant colors are black and radioactive green, as always very pleasing to the eye.

The back has nothing new.

It supports 8x Nvidia's SLF CrossFireX and ATI technologies. All PCI Express ports are 3.0 and with a single graphics card installed it runs at x16. Contains:

PCI Express 1x port. PCI Express 16x port. (SLI - CrossFireX). PCI Express 1x port. PCI Express 1x port. PCI Express 16x port. (SLI - CrossFireX).PCI connection.PCI connection.

The Sniper Z87 board is compatible with all 4th generation Intel Haswell processors: Pentium / i3 / i5 and i7. Given its characteristics: Ultra Durable 4 Plus, 8 power phases, All Solid Caps condensers and RDS (on) down mosfets it is ideal for making strong overclocks. Always with maximum stability.

The dissipation is very efficient, it has two heatsinks in the area of the power supply phases and one very robust in the chipset. In high overclocks it heats up a bit, but it more than fulfills its mission: efficiency and dissipation.

It allows us to install up to 32 GB of RAM with speeds of up to 3000 mhz (OC). As supplements, we have: Start button, debug LED, BIOS selector and reset (blue).

Already at the bottom of the motherboard, we have the internal USB connections, connection for the COM port and the control panel.

One of the weakest points on the board is found in the SATA ports. Since it only includes 6… although they are all SATA III and it supports RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10.

The big difference with the rest of motherboards is the incorporation of its sound chip: Creative® Sound Core 3D gold plated, which will make us enjoy the best music and games of the moment.

What sets you apart from the rest? The main one is its quad-core multi-core processing and the latest technologies on the market: EAX Advanced HD 5.0, Alchemy, Voice FX and SBX Pro Studio. In short: the cream of the cream.

In the image we can see that it has a small LED strip that will give a very pleasant effect to the eye and its separation between layers.

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Dedicated sound cards will soon be forgotten. The Recon 3D has a 600 ohm headphone amplifier and an OP-AMP (operational amplifier) that adapts to our needs. This is possible if we purchase the GP-OP AMP kit (tweezers plus different chips). Obviously all capacitors are Nichicon ?

Finally, we want to highlight the network card with Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2201: excellent for gamers. Offering a low ping and the lowest possible latencies.

In the rear connections we have: USB 2.0, PS2 connector, DVI / HDMI digital outputs, USB 3.0, network card and sound card.

The vertical USB connection is the " USB DAC-UP ", which provides clean, noise-free power to a digital-to-analog converter.

BIOS

Test bench and tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i7 4770k
Base plate:	Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87
Memory:	G.Skills Trident X 2400mhz.
Heatsink	Liquid refrigeration.
HDD	Samsumg 840 250GB
Graphic card	Gigabyte GTX780 Rev 2.0
Power supply	Antec HCP 850

To check the stability of the processor and the motherboard, we have made an extreme OC of up to 4600 mhz with Prime 95 Custom by liquid cooling. The graphics we have used is a Gigabyte GTX780 Rev 2.0.

We go to the results:

TESTS
3dMark Vantage:	P48020
3dMark11	P14740 PTS
Crysis 3	39 FPS
CineBench 11.5	10.3 fps.
Resident Evil 6 Lost planet tomb Raider Meter	13601 PTS. 150 FPS. 60 FPS 65 FPS

Final words and conclusion

The Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 is a high-end ATX motherboard with Z87 chipset. It is compatible with the fourth generation processors: Intel Haswell. Supports up to 32GB of 3000mhz (OC) DDR3 RAM, support for 2-Way Nvidia SLI / ATI CrossFireX multigpu systems and one of the best UEFI BIOS in the world.

There are two characteristics that differentiate it from the rest of motherboards:

Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2201 Network Card . Professional Gamers need the best internet connection and the best bandwidth. But you must have a good network card with you. The Atheros Killer E2201 gives stability and especially low latencies. Essential! Recon 3D Sound Card: This is where this motherboard has conquered me. Sounds like a fable! Both playing and listening to music (including the FLAC format). It incorporates a sound amplifier of up to 600 ohm and an operational amplifier (OP-AMP).

In our test bench it has behaved of 10. We have done a good overclocking to our i7- 4770k: 4600 mhz with 1.35 v. Its performance in 3dMark11 has been great: P14740 PTS. We have also equipped it with a Gigabyte GTX780 Rev2.0 graphics card and the most demanding games have offered us an average of 60 fps, such as the Tomb Raider or Metro.

Regarding storage, we have 6 SATA III connections that seem fair to me. 8 connections seems the most correct.

The Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 is positioned on the best quality / price motherboard on the market. By having it ALL: 3D Recon sound card, gaming network card, great overclocking capabilities, ultra durable and rock stable components. Currently in online stores for € 139. Gigabyte has made it very difficult for other brands…

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ DESIGN	- 8 SATA CONNECTIONS.
+ FEEDING PHASES AND JAPANESE TRAINERS.
+ 3D RECON SOUND CARD WITH HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER.
+ RED KILLER CARD E2201.
+ OVERCLOCK CAPABILITY AND UEFI BIOS.
+ THE BEST PRICE.