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Final Words and Conclusion
With the introduction of Sandy Bridge at the beginning of 2011, consumers who could not wait for Z68 had to make two choices in terms of their motherboard chipset: H67 for GPU functionality, or P67 for overclockability. Ironically, due to the mishaps of the Cougar Point chipset, the mass recall of H67 and P67 motherboards gave most people who could not wait to jump on the new Sandy Bridge architecture enough patience to either wait out the new refresh, or even bump up to the Z68 platform. Luckily, this notion worked in favour for the consumers rather than Intel, but for those who already had H67/P67 boards and were waiting for their fully functioning models to return, the P67 users definitely received the shorter end of the deal. Premium P67 motherboards are on par, if not more expensive than Z68 boards when compared to boards like the Z68X-UD3H-B3, which offers features from both H67 and P67 chipsets.
In essence, the Z68 chipset is nothing revolutionary. It utilizes the onboard GPU offered by the H67 chipset, while retaining the dynamic and massive overclockability via the P67s capability to adjust multipliers when paired with an unlocked K-series processor. What the Z68 brings to the table is Intels new Smart Response Technology (SRT), which allows better SSD caching when paired with another hard drive.
However, this is exactly what makes the Gigabyte Z68 lineup unique. When looking at the price:performance ratio, combined with all of the latest features (including those native to Gigabyte), the bang-for-the-buck value is absolutely out of this world.
These are exactly the reasons why manufacturers are hesitant to adopt the new revised chipset, as sales from H67 and P67 have taken a hit due to the aforementioned problems. Gigabyte on the other hand, has taken a different approach, and have released a myriad of Z68 boards in different flavours and prices, for the novice to the enthusiast. They have aggressively priced and saturated the market, encouraging consumers to buy the Z68 boards, instead of worrying about the H67/P67 losses, which in my opinion is an excellent response by Gigabyte.
Coupled with a good amount of accessories, beautiful black and white design, copious amounts of cutting-edge features like Virtu, with all at a great price, there is really no way you can go wrong with the Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3. It has exactly the right mix of components anyone would ever need, the design making many higher-end boards look pale in comparison. It is a truly magnificent enthusiast product, priced at a market value meant for lower-end models. With an amazing bang-for-the-buck value, the verdict for the Gigabytes Z68X-UD3H-B3 is a no-brainer: a must-buy motherboard for anyone who wants to fully experience the Z68 and Sandy Bridge era.
Overall, I give the Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3 a solid and well-deserved 10/10 perfect score, and would like to thank Gigabyte again for providing the motherboard for testing and reviewing.
PROS:
– Hybrid functionality of both H67 and P67 chipsets
– Multi-display ports
– Exceptional performance
– Excellent design and build quality
– Beautiful motherboard colours
– An extravagant number of features
– Three-year Gigabyte warranty
– Great pricing
– Availability
CONS:
– Aftermarket CPU heatsink may intrude into the space meant for DIMM modules due to cooler layout (trivial point, as this can effortlessly be avoided with prior research)
Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Specifications, Overview, and Features
Page 3: Closer Look, Specifications, and Benchmark Testing Platform
Page 4: CPU Benchmarks
Page 5: Computation and Productivity Benchmarks
Page 6: Storage and Peripheral Benchmarks
Page 7: Memory Benchmarks
Page 8: Gaming Benchmarks
Page 9: Overall System Benchmarks
Page 10: Z68 Chipset-Specific Benchmarks
Page 11: Temperature, Power, and Efficiency
Page 12: BIOS and Overclocking
Page 13: Final Words and Conclusion
Hello, I’m interested in one of these boards. Bit difficult to find a cooler that will not interfere with the RAM, though. Despite you saying “trivial point, as this can effortlessly be avoided with prior research”, the 3 CPU coolers I’ve looked at don’t specify the distance between the heatsink and the retention plate. I don’t plan to buy “esoteric” RAM, probably they will be Ripjaws CL9 (specified height: 40mm).
Any help would be welcome.
Regards,
Gianluca.
Hey sorry for the late reply.
Any cooler that doesn’t “stick†to the CPU should be fine. The stock Intel cooler, and low-profile HTPC coolers are examples of what I mean.
If you’re buying a board like this, chances are you won’t be using either of those. I use the Hyper 212+, but you basically want a cooler that has distance between the base and the actual heatsink. The Hyper 212+, Noctua NH-D14, and Thermaltake SpinQ are a few examples, although you may need to position the previous two in a top-down format instead of side-to-side.
As far as your RAM goes, the Ripjaws should clear fine.
I just finished a setup with gSkill Ripsaws (4GB) x4 and a Thermaltake Frio Cooler. If the Frio Fans are pointed North to South, the CPU cooler will interfere with Dimm slots 3 and 4 regardless if you use a 1 or 2 fan setup on the frio. However, when positioning the fans East to West, there is no interference if you use a 1 fan setup. With a 2 fan setup, only dimm slot 4 gets interfered with.
I really wanted to use all (4) dimms, so I simply took a hacksaw (I could not find my darn dremel) to the heatsink fins of the Ripsaw dimm that will be in slot 4. Problem solved. Check out the pic. It’s tight, but all right.
https://home.comcast.net/~purwin/frio.jpg
Hey Hujozo,
I wish I had more heatsinks to test, but I do agree that it would be a tight fit with larger coolers. I personally used the Hyper 212+ and G.SKILL Sniper RAM modules. The Sniper sticks have tiny fins, and the 212+ in a dual-fan configuration easily cleared.
I would say it depends on what kind of heatsink you get. My friend used a V10, and it cleared, but then again it has a lifted portion meant for memory cooling.
Anyway, thank you for the contribution and the picture! 😀