Fresh on the heels of the 3rd Generation of Intel's i series processor is the z77 chipset. The z77 chipset is compatible with both the Sandy Bridge line of processors and the Ivy Bridge series. The major features that this new chipset brings to the table is native USB 3.0, PCI Express 3.0 and official support for DDR3 1600MHz. Today we are taking a look at one of the z77 as well as one of their "Ultra Durable" offerings from Gigabyte: The Z77X-UD3H.

Overview

The following information was provided by the Gigabyte web site and used for general specifications.

GIGABYTE Z77 series motherboards take advantage of an exclusive All Digital PWM controller array, to deliver power to the board's 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor. Using entirely digital controllers means that more precise power delivery to the motherboard's most power hungry and energy sensitive components is possible. These components include the CPU, VTT, processor graphics and memory, without doubt the most important components on your motherboard. This All Digital Power system, with Precise Auto Voltage Compensation, provides you with exceptional control over the component power delivery on your GIGABYTE 7 series motherboard.

GIGABYTE 3D Power: Digital Voltage, Frequency and Phase Control
Utilizing an exclusive All Digital controller array, GIGABYTE's 3D Power features precise Auto Voltage Compensation to deliver a steady flow of power to the system, no matter the loading. With digital controllers for the CPU (Vcore), VTT, processor graphics and memory (DDR), users can make real-time adjustments with the exclusive GIGABYTE 3D Power Utility, that include settings such as OVP (Over Voltage Protection), Load-line Calibration and on-the-fly PWM frequency adjustment.

	Users can enjoy a fully interactive 3D utility that facilitates adjustment of the 3 dimensions that control the power delivery to your CPU and Memory: Voltage, Phase and Frequency. These parameters are crucial to how the digital PWM supplies power to critical areas of the motherboard and can help users quickly obtain the highest, most stable overclock.
	3D Power: Voltage Control Voltage parameters can be modified within 3D Power, including load line calibration of the CPU. By adjusting load line calibration, Vdroop can be avoided, maintaining optimal voltages levels despite increasing current levels. OVP (over voltage protection) can also be adjusted to change default protection range of the CPU, IGP, VTT and system memory.
	3D Power: Phase Control Users can calibrate OCP (Over Current Protection) for the CPU, integrated memory controller and system memory power levels. This allows the Phase control to deliver even more power to the system when needed.
	3D Power: Frequency Control GIGABYTE's all digital PWM allows for adjustable frequency control via the International Rectifier PWM controller. 3D Power frequency control allows users to change the PWM controller frequency so that the CPU VRM can adjust power delivery speeds more quickly. Users can also adjust the PWM spectrum or maximum and minimum overall frequencies.

GIGABYTE 3D BIOS (patent pending)

The revolutionary GIGABYTE 3D BIOS application is based on GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS™ technology and is available to consumers in two exclusive modes of interaction, providing enthusiast and mainstream users with a choice of unique and powerful graphical interfaces.

UEFI DualBIOS™ Technology
At the heart of this exciting 3D BIOS technology is a pair of physical BIOS ROMs containing GIGABYTE's exclusive in-house designed UEFI BIOS technology. With a superior graphical interface capable of 32-bit color imaging and fluid user-friendly mouse navigation, UEFI DualBIOS™ makes BIOS configuration a new and exciting experience for novice and experienced users alike. UEFI BIOS also brings native support for large hard drives on 64-bit operating systems.

3D Mode
Designed to provide an extremely streamlined and user-friendly BIOS environment, GIGABYTE's exclusive 3D mode offers a fully interactive and illustrative GUI that allows users to easily and intuitively make key adjustments to the UEFI BIOS settings for optimum performance. 3D Mode allows novice or casual users to more clearly understand the areas of the motherboard that are being affected through the BIOS settings, gaining a clearer understanding of the BIOS functionality.

Advanced Mode
Advanced mode provides a more comprehensive UEFI BIOS environment that is designed specifically for overclockers and power users who want maximum control over their PC's hardware. GIGABTYE's signature M.I.T. tuning technology can be found alongside fully configurable parameters for GIGABTE's all new digital 3D Power engine. In short, advanced mode combines the signature GIGABYTE BIOS expertise you've come to expect, wrapped a slick, new and optimized graphical UEFI interface.

Designed for PCI Express Gen.3 Support

GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards take advantage of the latest connectivity and expansion bus technologies available on the Intel platform. The 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor platform debuts the new PCI Express gen. 3.0 expansion bus, allowing users to take advantage of the next generation, high-bandwidth discrete graphics card solutions.
* PCIE Gen.3 is dependent on CPU and expansion card compatibility.

Intel® Rapid Start Technology™ gets your device up and running faster from even the deepest sleep. This means users will be able to experience almost zero power draw from their PC, but be able to resume Windows® 7 is a few seconds without having the PC go through a full system boot. With Intel® Rapid Start Technology the previous session resumes to the exact as it was, so that applications are still in the same state and no application data is lost.

Intel® Smart Connect Technology

Intel® Smart Connect Technology means that your email, favorite apps, and social networks are continually and automatically updated even when the system is asleep. No more waiting for the latest world news or friends' updates to be delivered—just press the 'on' button and you're up-to-date and ready to go.

Auto Sync with Cloud
No manual interaction required to synchronize with cloud services.

Data Ready
Email, social media, and cloud apps always updated and available at power on.

GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 – Insist on an Ultra Durable Motherboard

GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 motherboards embrace a range of exclusive technologies that guarantee DIY PC builders the absolute best protection for their PC, with built-in features that prevent common malfunction threats...more

This board fully supports all the features of Ultra Durable™ 4. A PCB printing error occurred and it was labeled incorrectly as Ultra Durable™ 3.

GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards support Lucid Virtu GPU virtualization technologies - optimized virtualization software that improves your PC's visuals, with faster response times, improved video processing and smoother media playback, all within a low power environment.
Lucid Universal MVP also features Hyperformance, which eliminates redundant rendering tasks and predicts potential synchronization issues in the graphics delivery pipeline, producing faster frame rates, sharper visuals and reduced tearing.

Free Upgrade for your Graphics

Test equip : 3rd generation Intel Core processor 3.2G/GA-Z77X-UD3H/DDR3 1333/Win7 64Bit. Prices are for reference only. Individual prices may vary by region.

Switchable Graphics

Allows users to dynamically switch between built-in graphics and high-end, 3D discrete graphics cards.

GIGABYTE EZ Setup is an exclusive application that allows GIGABYTE 7 series users to more easily configure and setup three important Intel Technologies on their new system; Intel® Smart Response, Intel® Rapid Start and Intel® Smart Connect. GIGABYTE EZ Setup makes it far easier to enjoy these technologies by greatly reducing the number of steps involved to install setup and configure your system.


* EZ Setup utility is available for download from the official GIGABYTE website.

Onboard mSATA Support

GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards feature an onboard mSATA slot allowing users to easily take advantage of advanced SSD-based technologies like Intel® Smart Response and Intel® Rapid Start. Mounting an affordable, low capacity mSATA SSD directly onto your motherboard can enhance your PC's performance with better overall desktop responsiveness, faster boot times and faster system resume from 'Suspend to Disk' and 'Standby' modes.

Download : Intel Smart Response SSD Available Vender List

GIGABYTE 333 Onboard Acceleration

GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards feature GIGABYTE 333 Onboard Acceleration , a range of the latest technologies that are designed help speed up data transfer, including SuperSpeed USB 3.0 technology, SATA Revision 3.0 (6Gbps) technology and an unprecedented 3x USB power boost on all USB ports for more power hungry USB devices.

GIGABYTE On/Off Charge

GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards feature ON/OFF Charge, a unique GIGAYTE technology which allows you not only to charge your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, but also allows you to Quick Charge it. As an added bonus, it can even be charged when your PC is turned off, so even if you forget to plug it into your charger after you've synced up your music, it will be fully charged when you need it.

* Due to certain mobile phone limitations, users may need to connect the mobile phone to their PC before the PC enters S4/S5 mode to enable a quick charge from non ON/OFF Charge USB ports.
Charging results may vary by model.

Ultra Durable 4

Ultra Durable™ 4 - Insist on an Ultra Durable Motherboard GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 motherboards embrace a range of exclusive technologies that guarantee DIY PC builders the absolute best protection for their PC, with built-in features that prevent common malfunction threats.

PCB (Printed Circuit Board) 2x copper PCB = 2 oz copper PCB = weight of copper layer 30.48 cm x 30.48 cm (1 square foot) PCB is 56.7 g (2 oz) Copper Layer Thickness 2x copper 0.070mm (70 µm) 1x copper 0.035mm (35 µm)

Benefits of 2x Copper PCB
• Cooler than traditional motherboards
• Enhanced durability
• Improved energy efficiency
• Greater margins for overclocking

Lower Temperature Better Overclocking Better Power Effciency 2x Lower Impedance Lower EMI Better ESD Protection

GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 motherboards also feature special anti-surge ICs that protect your motherboard, and your PC, from any surge in power delivery that may occur, helping to ensure that your PC is equipped to deal with any kind of irregular and inconsistent power delivery.

Anti-Surge IC Without Anti-Surge IC * Anti-Surge ICs may vary by model

Specifications

Now that we got basic information out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H.

BIOS and Overclocking Expectations

Although Gigabyte was slow to adapt to the UEFI BIOS their implementation is quite good. A 3D BIOS eliminates the old style blue/black screen and is a graphical representation of the BIOS settings. The 3D BIOS features all the same overclocking and tweaking options of the BIOS of yesteryear. The changes made sync up between the 3D BIOS and the UEFI and are applied once the changes have been saved.

3D BIOS		Easy Tweaking

The information provided in the 3D BIOS could cover an entire review alone, so I've decided to give a high level over view of each of the screens. There are two ways to do most things in the BIOS. The first is to click the graphical representation of the item that you want to work with, for example, if you want to tweak the processor, you would click on the CPU socket and the options for that item would pop up in a separate overlaid window. The same is said for memory, hard drives, I/O panel, etc.

MIT		System

The second way is to click on the advanced icon at the bottom. This takes you to a little more traditional looking BIOS. The first screen that you are presented with is M.I.T. or motherboard intelligent tweaker. Here's where a lot of adjustments can be made to the CPU, memory, voltage as well as the temperature and fan controls. The second tab is the system tab. This is basically an information tab. You can set the system language as well as the date and time. The information you can gather is the model of the motherboard and the BIOS information.

BIOS Features		Peripherals

The next tab sets the BIOS Features, such as boot order, Bootup NumLock state, full screen logo, etc. You can also set the administrator and user password if you so desire. The peripherals tab contains the optional onboard features, such as RAID, USB 2.0 and Audio controllers. The final tab that we will be discussing is power management, there isn't a whole lot to explain here as it is exactly that, power management for the motherboard and processor, if you'd like to wake your computer up by a key press, you would set it here.

Overclocking / Expectations

Overclocking the Z77X-UD3H was extremely easy. To test out how easy it was on the first BIOS screen I clicked ont he CPU and bumped the CPU up to 4.5GHz and gave the core a little bump to 2.48v. The board booted into Windows without issue and I started throwing heat at it. I did not use Gigabyte's Easy Tune 6 to overclock the processor. I'm still of the old(er) school of thinking where you use the BIOS to overclock and not an application that runs within the system. Both options are fine, however I chose to use the BIOS.

I booted into Windows and start to do a burn in with OCCT. Initially I set up a 1 hour test and once the CPU and motherboard passed the test I set it for a 24 hour run. During the 24 hour test the processor temperature never exceeded 62°C.

Visual Inspection and Details

Front Shot		Rear Shot

The packaging for the Z77x-UD3H leaves nothing to be desired. The box details all the features and specifications for the potential consumer. Gigabyte has made the ultra durable and the 3D power and 3D BIOS features stand out. On the rear of the box we find more details about the board and more information on the ultra durable features of this board. Overall Gigabyte nailed the information that needs to be presented on the box.

Packaging		The Z77X-UD3H

Opening up the box there are two layers. The first layer contains the SLI Bridge, SATA Cables I/O shield and the manual. Under there sits the motherboard all wrapped up in an anti-static bag. One thing to be wary of is electrostatic shock kills components. Now this motherboard claims to have a higher resistance to static shock, but I wouldn't want to risk destroying a board to test that theory. The motherboard features a fairly standard layout with lots of room between the upper two PCIE Slots.

Socket 1155		mSATA

Taking a quick look around the CPU socket you can see the solid caps as well as the heatsinks on the VRMs. One thing to note, as will most if not all motherboards of this class, if you use tall memory modules and a large CPU cooler they will hit. Just south of the CPU socket there is an mSATA port. Basically mSATA is a smaller form factor SSD that interfaces directly with the mother board. However it's a good thing to note that if a mSATA drive is installed it will disable a SATA II port 5.

PCIE Slots		LED Panel and Dual BIOS Switch

If you will be running a multi-GPU set up with this board the spacing of the PCIE x16 slots should accommodate the set up. However, you will lose access to the PCIE x1 slots. This board is capable of running SLI or Crossfire X. On the opposite corner we have a diagnostic LED panel. This can come in handy when an overclock goes bad or memory timings aren't exactly right and the board refuses to boot. Another handy tool is the BIOS switch. If you happen to hose the BIOS and can't post, just flip the switch and move on.

Rear I/O		SATA Ports

The rear I/O panel has a plethora of connections. For video there is DVI, VGA, HDMI and display port. There are also 4 USB 2.0 ports, 2 USB 3.0 Ports, 2 eSATA ports, 1 PS/2 port, 1 optical SPDIF port, 6 Audio ports and sadly only 1 RJ-45 port. I would have liked to have had an additional NIC on the back panel but one will suffice. Moving to the SATA connectors we have 4 SATA 3Gbs connections and 2 SATA 6Gbs connections.

System Benchmarks

I've shown what the board looks like, but how does it perform. Let's take a look at some benchmarks and we'll see. I've ran a few benchmarks so let's see how it did.

SSD

I used the OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G for this system build. Being a solid state drive I expected nothing but pure speed and the board and the drive together pretty well delivered.

	Passmark Total		Performance Test 7.0 Summary
	Performance Test 7.0 CPU Mark		Performance Test 7.0 2D Graphics Mark
	Performance Test 7.0 3D Graphics Mark		Performance Test 7.0 Memory Mark
	Performance Test 7.0 Disk Mark

I decided that I would use PassMark's performance test 7.0. I have used this test battery in the past and I think it give a decent indication of system performance. As well you can upload your results and compare with others that may have a similar system. The scores should be close to one another, however if not, then something can be way off. I didn't run into any issues here. After comparing online to other users with a similar setup I am satisfied with the results.

Haven Dx 9c		Haven Dx 11

Here I thought I'd test out the Intel HD 4000 Graphics. On board graphics have never been good for gaming and that still stands true today. Average frames per second for DirectX 9 was 11.8 and marginally faster for DirectX 11 at 13.0. For non-gaming systems the Intel HD 4000 would perform well.

Network Speed Test		PCMark

The final two tests that I ran were PassMarks network test that was included in the Performance Test 7.0 suite and PCMark Vantage. For the networking test I set up a second i7 system connected to a Cisco 2960 8 port gigabit desktop switch with both systems using CAT 6 patch cables. The secondary system was set up as the server. Average data transfer rate was 642248.9 KBps or 642.2 MBps with the initial burst rate touching the 740 MBps range. All in all not too bad. Granted this isn't an in-depth networking test but it gives a good indication of expected performance. We scored 18252 PCMarks in the PCMark Vantage test. Looking online this puts this system right in the middle of similarly configured systems.

Conclusion

The Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H performed admirably in our testing. For a mid level board you get some advance features. This board is extremely easy to achieve a stable overclock, within minutes I had the 3770K to 4.5GHz and completely stable. The performance of the board puts it right on par with other Z77 boards with negligible performance differences between them, this of course is based on the online results of Performance Test 7.0 and PCMark Vantage.
The feature set on the Z77-UD3H is pretty lavish considering the board comes in at around the $169.00 range. Multiple USB 3.0 ports and native SATA 6g come to mind. mSATA is another nice feature for quick boot times and super fast caching. This board does support SLI and Crossfire X configurations as well as the ability to switch from discrete GPUs to the build in Intel HD 4000. All in all this board performed as expected. I feel this motherboard is priced perfectly for this market segment and am looking forward to seeing what's next from the z77 chipsets. The only complaint that I have is the lack of a second NIC.

Some pros we found:
Easy Overclocking
Multiple Video out options
DDR3 1600 support

Some cons we found:
Lack of 2nd NIC