Review: gigabyte z97x

The first Z97 motherboards on the market are coming into our hands. On this occasion, we have had to pass our exhaustive tests on the Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H, which is located in the high-end of the Taiwanese manufacturer. In it we will find several new features: improved BIOS, the SATA Express connection, a more attractive design than in the previous generation, excellent overclocking power and system stability. Will you pass the Professional Review lab tests?

Product ceded by:

Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H technical specifications

GIGABYTE Z97X-UD5H FEATURES
CPU	Intel® 1150 Processors
Chipset	Intel® Z97
Memory	4 x DDR3 DIMM 32GB DDR3 to 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
Multi-GPU Compatible	1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16) * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8) * The PCIEX8 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16 slot. When the PCIEX8 slot is populated, the PCIEX16 slot will operate at up to x8 mode. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4) * The PCIEX4 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX8 and PCIEX16 slots. When the PCIEX4 slot is populated, the PCIEX16 slot will operate at up to x8 mode and the PCIEX8 will operate at up to x4 mode. * When installing a x8 or above card in the PCIEX4 slot, make sure to set PCIE Slot Configuration in BIOS Setup to x4. (Refer to Chapter 2, “BIOS Setup, ” “Peripherals, ” for more information.) (The PCIEX16, PCIEX8 and PCIEX4 slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard.) 2 x PCI Express x1 slots (The PCI Express x1 slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.) 2 x PCI slots Support for 3-Way / 2-Way AMD CrossFire ™ and 2-Way NVIDIA® SLI ™ Technology
Storage	Chipset: 1 x M.2 PCIe connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280 SATA & PCIe SSD support) 1 x SATA Express connector 6 x SATA 6Gb / s connectors (SATA3 0 ~ 5) (M.2, SATA Express, and SATA3 4/5 connectors can only be used one at a time. The SATA3 4/5 connectors will become unavailable when an M.2 SSD is installed.) Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 Marvell® 88SE9172 chip: 2 x SATA 6Gb / s connectors (GSATA3 6 ~ 7) Support for RAID 0 and RAID 1
USB	Chipset: 4 USB 3.0 / 2.0 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header) 6 USB 2.0 / 1.1 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers) Chipset + Renesas® uPD720210 USB 3.0 Hub: 4 USB 3.0 / 2.0 ports on the back panel
Net	1 x Qualcomm® Atheros Killer E2201 LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit) (LAN1) 1 x Intel® GbE LAN phy (10/100/1000 Mbit) (LAN2)
Bluetooth	Do not.
Audio	Realtek® ALC1150 codec High Definition Audio 2/4 / 5.1 / 7.1-channel Support for S / PDIF Out
WiFi connection	Do not.
Format.	ATX format: 30.5cm x 24.4cm
BIOS	Dual BIOS.

Main improvements of the Z97 chipset to its predecessor Z87

There are hardly any differences between the Z87 and Z97 chipset on paper. We have few such as the incorporation of the SATA Express block with 10 Gb / s of bandwidth (40% faster) compared to the 6Gb / s of the classic SATA 3. How is there so much improvement? It is because they have taken one or two of the PCI Express lanes, so be careful when doing dual configurations or with multiple graphics cards.

One of the most important improvements is the incorporation of the M.2 connection with NGFF support natively, thus replacing the well-received mSATA ports. This technology is the future of computing, since it will allow us to connect large, fast storage devices without occupying places in our box. During this year and 2015 we will see the increase in sales of this connection.

Finally, we see the possibility of overclocking RAM memories up to 3300 mh. Well, this reaches the limit of mhz that we can reach with DDR3 memories.

Frequently asked questions to consider

- My heatsink is compatible with socket 1155 and 1556. Is it compatible with socket 1150?

Yes, we have tested different motherboards and they all have the same holes as in socket 1155 and 1156.

- Is my power supply compatible with Intel Haswell or Intel Devil Canyon / Haswell Refresh ?

There are no Haswell certified power supplies. Most of the manufacturers have already released the list of compatible sources: Antec, Corsair, Enermax, Nox, Aerocool / Tacens and Thermaltake. Giving 98% absolute compatibility.

Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H

Gigabyte presents the motherboard in a glossy black base box, where we see a large shield with Ultra Durable technology and giant-sized letters with the name of the motherboard. Inside we have protected the plate with cardboard and an anti-static bag that prevents any discharge of electricity.

The bundle is made up of:

Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H Motherboard Instruction Manual and Quick Guide Installation CD SATA Wiring Back Hood

Cover of the GIgabyte Z97-UD5H

Perfectly protected with a special bag.

Complete Bundle.

Gigabyte has decided to renew the aesthetics of its motherboards and shows us a groundbreaking design with a black PCB and gold-colored heatsinks, giving an aesthetic very similar to the famous Chevrolet Camaro car:).

A view of the rear for the most curious.

The board has an excellent distribution of PCI ports. With a total of 3 PCI Express 3.0 expansion slots with x3 speed, it allows us to install up to 3 graphics cards with the following configuration.

1 Graphics Card: x162 Graphics Cards: x8 and x8 (Nvidia SLI and CrossfireX). 3 Graphics Cards x8 / x8 and x4. (CrossfireX only)

It has 2 PCI Express ports to x1 and two classic PCI. That is, we are talking about a great distribution and possibility, capable of taking advantage of any device from a previous computer to the most modern on the market.

We continue with a view of the heatsinks of the power phases, which consists of a total of 12, provided with Ultra Durable 5 PLUS technology. This means that it will allow us greater stability and overclocking. I have also left you a view of the socket, where it is compatible with fourth generation Haswell, Haswell Refresh and Devil Canyon.

We continue with an 8-pin EPS connection that allows us extra power on the motherboard.

We have 4 DDR3 memory banks supporting up to 32GB at 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. In the second image you can see the reference points to measure the actual hot voltage, they are already several generations that include these functions. Does it have an end for an average user? Its use is ideal for the most extreme overclockers, as there are graphics cards with LN2 profiles.

We have a total of 8 SATA ports and 4 of them convertible to SATA Express. The connector on the left is a SATA power supply that offers a plus of energy to the system, it is recommended to connect it.

Like good motherboards, it has Dual BIOS (they are marked in a square in the following image) in case one gets corrupted, the second is capable of making the computer work and thus repair the other chip.

Next to the M.2 connection we see the logos of the SLI, CrossFire and Atheros Killer E2200 network card screenprinted. Going back to M.2 technology, it is capable of reaching a bandwidth of 10 Gb / s. Another of its surprising improvements is the support of NGFF natively, thus replacing the good ones of the old mSATA.

In the image we can see that we have two holes to power an ultra small M.2 or one with a larger size.

I wanted to go a little further with the motherboard and I decided to strip it bare. As you can see, Gigabyte does not use thermal paste for dissipation but thermalpads which makes clean maintenance and above all more durable. The phases are very good and as we have previously commented, the motherboard consists of a total of 12 digital. Also, you can see an image of the Z97 chipset exposed.

Mosfets zone heatsink

South Bridge Heatsink

Feeding phases

Ultra Durable Technology 5+

Z97 chipset

Finally we have the rear connections of the motherboard:

2 x USB 2.0PS / 2VGADV HDMI digital output. 6 x USB 3.0.2 x LAN 10/100/1000. 5.1 audio connections.

UEFI BIOS

As we can see below except for the new Welcome screen, Gigabyte has not released any great news compared to previous BIOS. The advanced section we have many options and all of them are very intuitive. For our part we have been able to practice from a slight overclock as a strong one of up to 4500 mhz by air. The UEFI BIOS is fluid but not as fast as that of other rivals, if it improves that point we will be with the best bios on the market.

Test bench and tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i7 4770k
Base plate:	Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H
Memory:	G.Skills Trident X 2400mhz.
Heatsink	Noctua NH-U14S
HDD	Samsumg 840 250GB
Graphic card	GTX780
Power supply	Antec HCP 850

To check the stability of the processor and the motherboard, we have made an extreme OC of up to 4500 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:	P4 * 029
3dMark11	P15741 PTS
Crysis 3	45 FPS
CineBench 11.5	11.3 fps.
Resident Evil 6 Lost planet tomb Raider Meter	1340 PTS. 145 FPS. 70 FPS 65 FPS

Final words and conclusion

The Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H is a mid-range ATX (ATX: 30.5cm x 24.4cm) motherboard with Z97 chipset that supports fourth and fifth generation processors: Intel Haswell / Intel Haswell Refresh and Devil Canyon. Supports up to 32GB of DDR3 RAM on four 3300mhz DIMMs by overclocking. Due to its layout in the PCI express it is compatible with 2-Way Nvidia SLI / ATI 3 x CrossFireX multigpu systems. Regarding refrigeration, it is excellent, always keeping the power supply phases and the chipset in very cold temperatures.

We must highlight several the integration of two SATA Express connectors, M.2 connection and its DUAL BIOS. Without forgetting either of its two Gigabit network connections.

In our test bench it has behaved of 10. We have done a good overclocking to our i7- 4770k: 4600 mhz with 1.29 v. His performance in synthetic tests and games have been great. 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.

In short, if you are looking for a quality motherboard, with a daring design and with an excellent quality / price range, the Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H is the perfect candidate.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ BREAKING DESIGN.	- COULD ACCEPT 3 WAY SLI.
+ ULTRA DURABLE 5 PLUS.	-
+ SLI AND CROSSFIREX CONFIGURATION.
+ SATA AND SATA EXPRESS CONNECTIONS.
+ DEBUGGED AND VERY STABLE BIOS.
+ EXCELLENT PRICE.