Verdict and Conclusion

Gigabyte has come a long way since their P67 motherboards.  While the bios was not perfect with this board a quick bios update fixed all of the problems I was having with this board.

Overclocking on air with this platform is just about the same as Sandy Bridge, except temperatures run much warmer. If you are an extreme overclocking kind of person this platform is more suited for you. There is only a small bump in efficiency over the previous generation, but once you drop temperatures below zero these chips can hit crazy clocks. Previously the best Sandy Bridge chip in the world was right around 6ghz, but with Ivy bridge that is considered a "bad" chip. I cannot wait to fully test this platform.

The board itself is really nice, but there were a couple of things I wish that Gigabyte would have done differently. Swapping a couple of display options (and including adapters instead) for some more USB ports would have been awesome.

But on the whole this board is great if you need an entry level board that is loaded with features. Voltage read points and physical power,reset and bios reset buttons are welcome additions for all system builders.

Looking around the price on the Z77X-UD3H appears to be about $160USD. In my eyes that is a great deal for a board as strong as this one is. While you do miss out on a couple of extras like added USB or SATA ports, people that do not need those extra ports do not have to pay for them.

Pros:

• Voltage Read points
• Memory overclocking
• 3-way SLI/Crossfire
• LED Debug screen
• Low price tag
• No frills

Cons:

• Could use extra VRM heatsink
• Too many display options
• Bios needs a little work

Final Verdict:

If you are looking for a solid Z77 motherboard that does not break the bank this is a great choice. The bios needs a little work with stability but knowing Gigabyte that should be fixed any day now. You get great overclocking across the board and stable voltages. Efficiency is great to boot, overall I cannot help but recommend the Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H.

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