entranceFull description of ga z77 d3h rev 1.1. Review and testing of the motherboard GIGABYTE GA-Z77MX-D3H
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н | Introduction
In the assortment of Gigabyte on the Russian market today there are no less than 13 different models of motherboards based on the Z77 chipset - from very simple budget models to the gaming G1.Sniper 3. From all this variety, we decided to get acquainted with the model a little higher middle - Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H, which today can be bought in Russia at a price of 4,700 to 5,800 rubles.
Gigabyte also offers customers Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H several of its proprietary technologies, such as On / Off Charge, which allows charging via USB devices when the PC is off, EZ Smart Response to configure the disk subsystem, the LAN Optimizer utility to help prioritize network traffic, DualBIOS with 3D mode, etc.
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н | Specifications
Here are the main specifications Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H:
| Specifications motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H | |
| Form factor | ATX |
| Board version | 1.0 |
| BIOS version | F5 (09.03.2012) |
| Processor Socket Type | Socket 1155 |
| Processor support | Intel Core i7, i5, i3, Pentium LGA 1155, Celeron LGA 1155 |
| Chipset version | Z77 Express |
| RAM support | DDR3 2400 (OC) / 1600/1333/1066 |
| Audio | 7.1-channel audio, VIA VT2021 |
| Wired network | Atheros Gigabit LAN (10/100/1000) |
| Slots PCI Express | 1 x PCI, 3 x PCI Express x16, 3 x PCI Express x1 |
| SerialATA | 4 x SATA 3 Gb / s, 4 x SATA 6 Gb / s |
| Ports and connectors on the board | 1 x Clear CMOS jumper 1 x COM 2 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 connector 4 x SATA 3Gb / s port 1 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 4 x SATA 6Gb / s 1 x front panel audio connector 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector 1 x Front Panel Connector Block 1 x CPU fan connector 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1 x SPDIF Out 4-pin ATX 12V 1 x mSATA |
| Rear Panel Ports and Connectors | 1 x RJ-45 port 5 x audio jacks (Center / Subwoofer Speaker Out, Rear Speaker Out, Side Speaker Out, Line In / Mic In, Line Out) 1 x DVI-D 1 x D-Sub connector 1 x PS / 2 (keyboard / mouse) 6 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 1 x HDMI S / PDIF out (optical) 2 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 |
| SATA RAID support | 0,1, 5, 10 |
| NVIDIA SLI support | There is |
| AMD CrossFire Support | CrossFire X |
| Additionally | DualBIOS technology support |
| useful links | Description of GA-Z77X-D3H on the manufacturer's website Prices for GA-Z77X-D3H on Yandex.Market |
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н | Contents of delivery
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: Package Contents
In a box, besides Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H, you might find the following:
- user manual on English language and a short installation guide;
- DVD with software and drivers;
- two SATA Revision 3.0 cables (up to 6 Gb / s) and two SATA Revision 2.0 cables (up to 3 Gb / s), black and blue, respectively;
- plug on back panel hulls;
- jumper SLI.
The installation DVD contains a complete set of drivers for Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H and even a trial version of Norton antivirus Internet Security 2012, but proprietary utilities Gigabyte, which is so painted on the packaging, are not there - they will have to be downloaded from the official site. All software from the disk can be installed immediately, in one package, but after such an installation, several additional "bonuses" were discovered: a free little-known browser and an analogue of STEAM offering to buy games.
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н | Components and wiring
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: right side view
As usual, you need to install the driver for the Marvell chip, which is on the standard DVD.
Next to the processor socket there is a 4-pin CPU_FAN connector for a processor cooler. Besides him, on Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н there are three 4-pin connectors (SYS_FAN1-4). As a rule, this amount is quite enough for a system of any level.
The board has sound based on VIA VT2021 with support for 7.1-channel sound.
Sound chip on the motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H
Rear panel Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н equipped with eight USB (six of them are USB 3.0), D-Sub, DVI, HDMI, Ethernet, PS / 2 (keyboard / mouse), five-pin audio output. Unfortunately, there is no Display Port.
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Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H motherboard: rear panel connectors
From additional functions it is worth noting the support of DualBIOS technology (on Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н two BIOS chips are installed - the main and the backup, each with 64 MB of ROM). Used EFI BIOS licensed from AMI. In the lower right corner there is a jumper for clearing the CMOS. There are no buttons on the board, and there is no POST indicator either.
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Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H motherboard: BIOS chips
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H motherboard: BIOS switch
Bottom edge Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н located from left to right are F_AUDIO, TPM (for crypto-chip), COMA (COM), F_USB1 (USB 2.0 / 1.1), F_USB2 (USB 2.0 / 1.1), F_PANEL and FAN_1 connectors. When using the F_AUDIO connector, it is possible to use Intel High Definition audio (HD) or AC "97, the first option will be used by default.
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H motherboard: bottom right edge
During installation Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н only two heatsinks were used: a high-profile, but narrow one on the power converter and a full-fledged low-profile one on the Z77 chip. In addition to their main function, they also bring the board design to life, both in color and shape.
The design is similar to the GA-Z77X-UD3H, which featured in our recent comparative review... The difference in the letter U in the name indicates that the motherboard does not have "double-thick copper layers". Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н It also lacks such overclocking pleasant additions as voltage measurement points, POST-codes indicator, power on / reboot and CMOS reset buttons.
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н | BIOS
Gigabyte equips its motherboards with firmwares with good opportunities for overclocking, and Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н not an exception. Moreover, in addition to the usual two-dimensional BIOS, a "three-dimensional" one has also been added.
Interestingly, Gigabyte calls the two-dimensional BIOS "advanced". Yes, indeed, there are much more settings in the BIOS we are used to, but the "three-dimensional" one is visual and more understandable. It is especially pleasant that both BIOSes are multilingual, with support for the Russian language. Unfortunately, the translation is not complete - some submenus and indicators are not translated from English, and there are many of them.
The "F12" key has the Print Screen function, but you can save images from the BIOS only to external media; file names are assigned automatically and consist of the current date and time.
There are not so many comments to the BIOS, but they are, mainly it concerns a large number of submenus, along which various parameters and settings are scattered.
M.I.T. Main Menu (MB Intelligent Tweaker) shows status, basic system parameters and a list of submenus most frequently used for overclocking.
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: Main menu M.I.T.
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: Advanced Frequency Settings
Basically, for overclocking Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н then you don't have to go anywhere: the main parameters can be set in this menu.
The bus frequency is set in 0.1 MHz steps starting from 80 MHz. Changes are controlled by the "+" and "-" keys, and the numbers change very slowly. As a result, to set the frequency to 101 MHz, you need to spend at least a minute. Although, manual input of values from the keyboard is also available, which is not mentioned anywhere.
Switching on and off Turbo Boost hidden in the "Advanced CPU Core Settings" tab.
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: Turbo Boost
The memory settings are quite extensive, however, and there is a "simplified" mode, namely "Performance Boost", which has several modes, and you can also use XMP profiles.
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: Advanced Memory Settings
From this tab, you can go to the timing settings, separately for each channel.
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: RAM timings
The voltage control on the memory modules is overly detailed.
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: RAM voltage control
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: CPU voltage monitoring
The "PC state status" tab shows the status of 11 main parameters, there are also "levers" for controlling the fans and signaling their performance.
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: PC Status Status
The "System" section is one of the most unloaded. Here you can change the date and time and switch the interface language.
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: System Information
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: ATA Ports Information
The BIOS Settings section is concise. Here it is proposed to select the order of access to boot devices.
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: BIOS Setup
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: Device Configuration
The sections "Power Management" and "Peripherals" are also fairly standard.
BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: Power Management
Under the "Save and Exit" section, you can find the management of BIOS profiles. The user can save up to four independent setting profiles. After checking their BIOS settings stability and writing them in a profile, you can afford to experiment; as a last resort, there is also a backup BIOS in the second microcircuit.
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н | 3D BIOS
It would be more correct to call this BIOS graphic, there is only one picture of three-dimensionality - a schematic image of the motherboard, and the menu options and sliders control rather only hint at three-dimensionality. Probably, marketers insisted on this name. In any case, done with high quality, it looks neat. The translation is much more complete, if about the usual BIOS we can say that 60-70% of the text is translated there, then here - 80-90%.
3D motherboard BIOS Gigabyte boards GA-Z77X-D3H
In the center is a motherboard layout, similar enough to our Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н, where you can select areas and components of interest with the mouse.
Let's start with the section "Processor and RAM". It is clear, accessible, clear - three tabs, on each tab there are from five to nine parameters. The only question is the absence of restrictions corresponding to the installed hardware, for example, the processor multiplier can be unscrewed to 70, and so on almost everywhere.
The "Rear Panel" section allows you to control USB controllers, audio and LAN.
The "Power supply" section is quite rich in parameters.
When you click on the chipset itself, a simple menu appears with the name BIOS. It's hard to say why they called it that and why these particular items were placed there ...
Directly pointing with the mouse, you can set the parameters for SATA and PCIe connectors:
There are seven icons at the bottom in the 3D BIOS: Advanced will switch to a regular BIOS, Boot will allow you to select boot disk, Language - select the language, Fan Control - control the fans, Time - set the time and date, Load Defaults - no trick here, and the only translated icon is "Save and exit".
Recently, there have been so many motherboards based on the Intel Z77 chipset that our eyes just run wild. With such a huge selection, how to find what you need? After all, to be honest, I would like to get such a board so that the overclocking is good, and all modern interfaces are available, and the warranty is bigger, and even inexpensive.
The reason for this lies in human nature. Any user wants to get as much benefit as possible without overpaying for various excesses. And what about the manufacturers? They will solder all sorts of little things, light bulbs, hang huge radiators on the mosfets (and you have to puzzle over the compatibility of the motherboard and the processor cooler), stuff all kinds of waste paper into the box, piles of excess trash that will remain inside, and buyers pay for all this. And for overclocking, sometimes it is not at all necessary to have 24 power phases, tantalum or multilayer polymer capacitors.
advertising
Yes, the new Intel Z77 chipset is still the leading edge for LGA 1155 processors, but that's not a very good reason to buy. system board on its base for 6,000 rubles. Therefore, it is worth checking what they offer us different manufacturers in the region of 4000-5000 rubles. Take, for example, Gigabyte and see several models at once.So, the Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H motherboard looks very attractive in terms of the price / functionality ratio, and all thanks to the diverse set of interfaces and its average price (~ 4300 rubles in Moscow retail). Let's see how good it is for overclocking Intel Core i7-2700K and Core i7-3770K processors.
Throughout the development of the IT industry, the purpose of Micro-ATX form factor motherboards has practically not changed. They are mainly used for assembly inexpensive computers with basic functionality... It was the cost reduction that caused the size reduction of relatively full-sized ATX boards. Then, in the mid-2000s, the situation changed somewhat - a fashion for compact systems (barebones) appeared, which added popularity to Micro-ATX motherboards. But soon this fashion passed - the manufacturers switched to the release of even more compact Mini-ITX-systems. As a result, Micro-ATX motherboards are perceived as before: these products are intended mostly for budget-conscious corporate users. However, there are exceptions: for example, one large manufacturer released an exclusive and rather expensive series of compact motherboards for PC enthusiasts, distinguished by a combination of powerful overclocking functions, expansion options adequate to the size, and support for multi-core SLI and CrossFire graphics arrays. Gigabyte also did not forget about Micro-ATX boards and presented its vision of a compact base for a gaming computer in the person of the Z77MX-D3H on the Intel Z77 chipset.
⇡ Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H Specification
| Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Socket LGA1155 (Ivy Bridge support) Supports Intel Turbo Boost Technology |
| Chipset | Intel Z77 (PCH) Processor connection: DMI 20 Gb / s |
| System memory | Four 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM DIMM slots Maximum memory 32 GB Supports DDR3 1066/1333/1600 + memory Dual channel memory access possible Intel XMP Technology Support |
| Graphics | Three PCI Express x16 slots Support AMD technology CrossFireX, NVIDIA SLI Intel HD Graphics Support |
| Expansion options | One PCI Express x1 slot Ten USB 2.0 ports (six built-in, four optional) Four USB 3.0 ports (two built-in, two additional) High Definition Audio 7.1 Gigabit Ethernet Network Controller |
| Overclocking capabilities | Changing the Bclk frequency from 80 to 133.33 MHz in 0.01 MHz steps; multiplier change GPU frequency change from 400 to 3200 MHz Changing the voltage on the processor, memory, IGD Gigabyte EasyTune 6, 3D Power utilities |
| Disk subsystem | SerialATA 6 Gb / s protocol support (two channels - Z77, supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, 0 + 1 and JBOD) SerialATA 3Gb / s protocol support (four channels - Z77, with support for RAID 0, 1, 5, 0 + 1 and JBOD) |
| Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) | 2 x 64 Mbit Flash ROM AMI BIOS with Enhanced ACPI, DMI, Green, PnP Features Gigabyte Xpress Install Utility Gigabyte Q-Flash Technology Gigabyte @BIOS Support UEFI support DualBIOS BIOS profile support |
| Miscellaneous | One port for PS / 2 keyboard or mouse On / Off Charge support Intel Rapid Start Technology Support Supports Intel Smart Connect Technology STR (Suspend to RAM) S / P-DIF Out |
| Power management | Wake up from modem, mouse, keyboard, network, timer and USB Main 24-pin ATX power connector Additional 4-pin power connector Gigabyte Auto Green support |
| Monitoring | Tracking the temperature of the processor, chipset and system, voltages, rotational speed of all fans (3) SmartFan technology |
| The size | Micro-ATX Form Factor, 245 x 245 mm (9.6 x 9.6 in) |
⇡ Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H Board
Gone are the days when Micro-ATX boards had a single PCI Express x16 slot. Constant competition forced manufacturers to increase this number, first to two, and now, as you can see, to three!
From a technical point of view, such a solution does not require significant engineering efforts. In particular, it is necessary to add a bridge to symmetrically divide the 16 base lines of the PCI Express v3.0 bus between the two main slots, and connect the third PEG slot to the chipset. As a result, only four PCI Express v2.0 lanes are allocated to the last slot. Thus, the following configurations are available to the user: 16 + 0 + 4 and 8 + 8 + 4. We also note that the board has one more PCI Express x1 slot, which is also connected to the chipset.
As for the power connectors, the main, 24-pin connector is located on the bottom edge of the board, and the additional, 4-pin connector is on the right:
Next to the processor socket there is a 4-pin CPU_FAN connector for the processor cooler. Besides it, the board has two 4-pin connectors (SYS_FAN1 and SYS_FAN2). The number of 240-pin DIMM slots for DDR3 memory modules is standard for the Z77 chipset: there are four of them. They are divided into two groups of two slots with alternating colors. To enable dual channel mode, you need to install modules in slots of the same color.
The board supports DDR3-1066 / 1333/1600 memory, and the maximum memory capacity is 32GB. We also note that the DDR3-1600 frequency is nominal only when using the Ivy Bridge processor, and for Sandy Bridge it is achieved during overclocking.
⇡ Expansion options
Thanks to the Z77 chipset, Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H supports four SerialATA 3Gb / s and two SerialATA 6 Gb / s links. All ports are located near the chipset, oriented parallel to the board plane and colored differently: the 3 Gb / s ports are blue, and the 6 Gb / s ports are white.
Also, the Z77MX-D3H has ten USB 2.0 ports, six of which are located on the rear panel, and four more are connected via brackets. Due to the Z77 chipset, the board supports four USB 3.0 ports: half of the ports are located on the rear panel, and half are implemented through external brackets.
The Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H board supports eight-channel audio, and the VIA VT2021 chip is used as the codec. During testing, we did not find any shortcomings in the audio subsystem, however, some users complain on the Internet about this particular VIA controller.
The board is equipped with an Atheros AR8151-B gigabit network controller. It is connected to a separate PCI Express bus line (x1), and the corresponding RJ-45 connector is brought out to the rear panel,
which as a result looks like this:
The developers have placed on the panel three of four possible video outputs: VGA, DVI, HDMI - only DisplayPort is missing. Also on the panel you can find a large number of USB ports, one PS / 2 port and an optical S / P-DIF output.
Traditional component diagram:
Of the additional functions, we note the support for the DualBIOS technology, which consists in installing two BIOS chips on the board: the main one and the backup one.
Switching between microcircuits is software only
⇡ UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)
The Z77MX-D3H motherboard supports UEFI with Gigabyte's proprietary 3D BIOS. The name was chosen for a reason, since the user interface is styled like a three-dimensional desktop.
The BIOS code is based on the AMI (American Megatrends Inc.) version, so the user has the option to switch to the traditional BIOS. The Z77MX-D3H's main sections and set of settings are arranged in the same way as other Gigabyte motherboards. This greatly facilitates parameter management and saves the user time.
All memory settings are located in the M.I.T. overclocking functions:
The choice of memory frequency is organized somewhat inconveniently: there is no menu, so the user is forced to enter multiplier value from the keyboard.
Another subsection contains all the functions for managing Intel processors:
Consider the section on system monitoring.
The board monitors the current temperature of the processor and system, voltages on the main components, and the speed of all three fans. In addition, the user can control the speed of the coolers using the Smart Fan function.
Please note that Russian is present in the list of supported languages:
For a novice user, Russian-language parameters are not an optimal solution, since detailed descriptionin Russian not in the user manual or on the official Gigabyte website.
Finally, we note the ability to save and load a BIOS settings profile (eight profiles are available in total),
and a built-in Q-Flash utility for updating the firmware.
As far as Windows utilities go, it should be noted following programs: On / Off Charge to control the charging of USB gadgets, @BIOS to update the BIOS firmware from Windows,
FaceWizard for updating POST image (deprecated for several years) and EasyTune6. The latter is intended for overclocking the system, for its diagnostics and system monitoring. In particular, this program displays the readings of all available sensors.
and allows the user to control the speed of the fans:
⇡ Overclocking and stability
Before moving on to overclocking, let's take a look at the power converter. It has a 6-phase circuit with four 270 μF capacitors and 10 560 μF capacitors.
Overclocking functions are few, so they could be collected in one section. However, Gigabyte programmers used ready-made code (the main feature of a "real" programmer) of older motherboards, and the result obtained is inconvenient for the user.
Overclocking function list:
| Pay | Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H |
|---|---|
| Changing the CPU multiplier | + |
| Bclk change | 80 to 133.33 MHz (0.01 MHz) |
| GPUclk change | 400 to 3200 MHz (50) |
| Vcore change | 0.8 V to 1.9 V (0.005 V) |
| Vigd change | +0.0 V to +0.2 V (0.005 V) |
| Vmem change | 1.2 V to 2.0 V (0.02 V) |
Practical overclocking tests have shown the following results: stable operation at 4.4 GHz, which is pretty good.
You can also overclock the system using the EasyTune6 utility, in which only all basic functions are available, and changing the multiplier requires a system reboot. This program is intended for a wider range of users and is more friendly to the latter.
However, the most user-friendly is the 3D Power utility, in which you can change only a few minor parameters. However, all the special effects used and the low speed of their playback get bored after a couple of minutes.
⇡ Performance
The slight speed advantage of our board over the more expensive Z77X-UD5H can be explained by the more elaborate version of the firmware.
⇡ Conclusions
Gigabyte managed to combine two completely opposite concepts in the Z77MX-D3H board. So, the board is compact, and its expansion options correspond to the minimum level: the ports from the chipset plus the network and sound controller are separated. And that's all. The board does not have additional functions (buttons, indicators, light and music) or any exclusive technologies. If we add here the budget package (and we suspect that it will be just that), then the result is an inexpensive product (in July 2012 the average price was 4,000 rubles).
On the other hand, the board has three PEG slots onboard and supports NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX multi-core graphics arrays. This means that the Z77MX-D3H can be used to build a powerful and compact gaming computer. Moreover, for a pair of graphics cards to work at full capacity, you can overclock CPU... Of course, the set of overclocking functions is not rich, but it is quite enough to overclock the CPU almost to the limit of its potential.
So we end up with a somewhat controversial but very interesting board. Of course, the desire to save two or three thousand rubles is in no way combined with the purchase of two top-end video cards. But anyway technical performance The Z77MX-D3H board is at a high level, the product does not have any noticeable flaws, and the very existence of this board with a rather unique set of characteristics is a plus for everyone interested in the IT industry.
High-End motherboards are the pride of any manufacturer. It is in these products that all the technological achievements of the companies are concentrated. Admiring, discussing the advantages and features of such models, of course, is pleasant, and you can do it for an infinitely long time, but in cases where there are no extra requirements for the board, the choice is often made in favor of noticeably less expensive devices. Because now it came into our field of vision Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H... This is one of the most affordable chipset-based models on the market. Intel Z77 Express... Despite the fact that it works with the top-end system logic for the LGA1155 platform, the cost of the board is a little over $ 100. And here it is really interesting how this motherboard will show itself in practice and how the manufacturer managed to establish such an attractive price tag.
Regarding the color scheme of their devices Gigabyte preserves originality. The GA-Z77-DS3H PCB has a blue finish, while the plastic connectors and slots are white and blue.
The board has an ATX form factor, but its width is slightly reduced - 215 mm instead of the classic 244 mm. Due to this, the PCB layout is quite dense. At the same time, the ergonomics of the assembly will not be affected in this case. The four memory slots for up to 32GB of RAM are located a reasonable distance from the nearest PCI Express slot, so installed video card- not a hindrance for manipulating modules.
The processor power subsystem is made according to a five-phase scheme. At the same time, the VRM elements are not covered with radiators to improve cooling. Obviously, in such a configuration, the motherboard's capabilities when forcing processors will be somewhat limited in comparison with those for top-end solutions. The 4-pin auxiliary power connector is further evidence that the GA-Z77-DS3H is not designed for extreme overclocking. However, judging by the information from the manufacturer's website, the company has already presented an updated revision of the board (rev. 1.1), which is equipped with an eight-pin connector.
The board is made according to the concept Ultra Durable 4 Classic... The PCB has a tighter weave of PCB fibers, Low RDS (on) MOSFETs and solid-state capacitors are used in the power circuits, the device is equipped with anti-static protection.
The set of expansion slots is quite justified for a mid-range device: two full-size PCI Express x16, a pair of PCI-Express x1 and the same number of PCI. The board allows you to create CrossFireX configurations with two video cards. Note that one of the slots always operates in x16 mode, and the other has a bandwidth of x4. For this reason, SLI bundles are not officially supported by the board. When using Ivy Bridge processors and modern video cards, you can count on full support for PCI Express 3.0.
The interface connectors are located on the board in such a sequence that even when using a pair graphics adapters with dual-slot cooling systems, one PCI x1 and one PCI connector remain available.
Despite the fact that the full-format connector is the first in this case, the distance from the processor socket to the PCI-E x16 slot turned out to be sufficient even to accommodate a connector for mSATA devices on this site. Therefore, you don't have to worry about installing oversized coolers. So, it was possible to hoist on the board without any difficulties, the width of which is 155 mm. Considering that there are no heatsinks for VRM elements on the board, you can choose virtually any of the currently available CPU coolers. Another advantage of this solution is the convenience of mounting a cooler of any configuration.
Gigabyte believes in the success of mSATA solid state drives by equipping almost all new motherboard models with the appropriate connector. Such a solution in the conditions of limited space in the case or seats for drives may well come in handy. Price 30 GB drives already start at $ 45, and for $ 70 you can get a 60–64 GB model. A very interesting option for using Intel Smart Response caching. Unfortunately, this connection has a dedicated SATA 3 Gb / s channel, which means that the fastest SSDs may be limited in terms of bandwidth by the interface itself. But here it is hard to blame Gigabyte. Considering that the chipset provides only 2 SATA 6 Gb / s ports, it would be irrational to use one of them for the needs of mSATA.
The model has a standard set of controls, there is no sophisticated equipment for overclocking needs on the board. However, it is worth noting the presence of two BIOS chips. Technology DualBIOS with a couple of chips for duplicating firmware can help out great in some cases.
The location of the connector for the CPU cooler fan in the central part of the board is rather unusual than inconvenient. There are three four-pin connectors for connecting case fans.
The gigabit Ethernet adapter is based on the Atheros AR8151 chip, and the Realtek ALC887 is chosen as the HDA codec.
For the disk subsystem, the capabilities of the Intel Z77 are used. The PCB has 5 SATA connectors. Two of them (white) have SATA 6 Gb / s bandwidth, the remaining three have SATA 3 Gb / s bandwidth. One more channel is dedicated to the needs of mSATA. SATA connectors are vertically oriented relative to the plane of the PCB. The connectors themselves are located exactly opposite the bottom PCI-E x16 slot, therefore, when established second the video card has free access to only two SATA ports, for the rest you will need to use interface cables with L-shaped connectors.
With regard to USB 3.0, the resource of the chipset is also used, which allows you to connect up to 4 devices. At the same time, two connectors are located on the rear panel, and an internal connector is used for two more.
The interface panel is pretty well equipped. First of all, we note the presence of three video outputs: DVI, HDMI and analog D-Sub.
There is also a combo PS / 2 connector, four USB 2.0 ports, a pair of high-speed USB 3.0 and an Ethernet socket. A panel with three connectors is intended for connecting acoustics. The digital audio output is only present as an internal connector on the PCB.
Equipment
The package bundle of the device is spartanly modest - a user manual, a disk with drivers and proprietary applications, two SATA cables and a plug for the back of the case. In general, this is a completely familiar set for devices of a similar price category.
In work
After switching to UEFI, Gigabyte is developing graphical shell 3D BIOS with two main modes. 3D Mode will surely be interesting for beginners. A rendered interactive model of the board and the ability to change a whole set of basic parameters are what you need for those who have just picked up a mouse.
Advanced mode Advanced Mode provides access to a wider range of parameters. The overclocking functions that interest us primarily are concentrated in the section M.I.T. After studying the composition of the parameters available for adjustment, it turned out that among them there is no possibility to independently set the supply voltage of the processor core. There are auxiliary Vtt and PLL, but no VCore.
Obviously, in this case, you should not count on serious performance during CPU overclocking. However, this is not a verdict. In practice, the test processor Core i7-3770K worked stably after increasing the multiplier to 44. Final clock speed 4400 MHz- not such a bad result without increasing the voltage on the chip. The processor started successfully at 4500 MHz, but was unstable during serious loads.
The board coped surprisingly well with raising the system bus frequency, providing stable operation at 108.5 MHz.
By not providing the ability to regulate the CPU supply voltage, the manufacturer ruled out a situation in which the user would require the device to operate in extreme modes. Serious overclocking experiments require significantly more expensive motherboards that are better technically equipped.
While exploring the overclocking capabilities of the board, it was also interesting to know how much VRM elements get hot, which in this case do not have additional heatsinks to accelerate heat dissipation. As practice has shown, under a serious load (OCCT, Prime95) of a processor forced to the limit, the temperature of the MOSFETs increased to 68 ° C... The mode is quite working, although it would not be superfluous to organize the minimum airflow in such a case. In our case, the tower-type processor cooler does not provide it, therefore the power switches were cooled only due to natural convection.
Outcomes
Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H Is an inexpensive workhorse for those who, having seriously invested in the purchase of a quad-core processor with the index "K", wants to feel the benefits of an unlocked multiplier, but are not ready to seriously spend money on a motherboard. Obviously, the GA-Z77-DS3H is not intended for serious overclocking experiments, for this you need “bigger guns”. However, given the price, this is a worthy option in order to spend your hundred labor to buy a new platform with second or third generation Intel Core processors.
Liked
Price / equipment ratio
MSATA connector
Good range of video outputs (DVI, HDMI and D-Sub)
Overclocking capabilities
Did not like
- Lack of radiators on VRM elements
- There is no way to adjust the voltage on the CPU
Test device provided by MTI, www.distri.mti.ua
Test bench configuration
 | — | |
| Cooling the south bridge | Radiator | |
| Cooling VRM | — | |
| Embedded video | Intel HD Graphics 2500/4000 (integrated into the processor) | |
| PCI | 2 | |
| PCI Express x4 | — | |
| PCI Express x1 | 2 | |
| Graphic. interface | 1xPCI-E x16 3.0 (x16) + 1xPCI-E x16 2.0 (x4) | |
| DIMM | 4xDDR3 | |
| IDE (Parallel ATA) (chipset / additional controller) | — | |
| Serial ATA (chipset / additional controller) | 3/- | |
| SATA Revision 3.0 (chipset / additional controller) | 2/- | |
| Main power connectors | 24+4 | |
| Additional food | — | |
| FAN | 4 | |
| S / PDIF | + (exit) | |
| Audio codec | Realtek ALC887 (7.1) | |
| Ethernet | Atheros (GbE) | |
| SATA | — | |
| SATA Revision 3.0 | — | |
| PATA | — | |
| IEEE 1394 (FireWire) | — | |
| USB 3.0 | — | |
| LAN | 1 | |
| eSATA Rev. 2.0 | — | |
| eSATA Rev. 3.0 | — | |
| Audio | 3 | |
| S / PDIF-Out (Coaxial / Optical) | — | |
| Thunderbolt | — | |
| Monitor outputs | 1xDVI-D, 1xD-Sub and 1xHDMI | |
| USB 1.1 / 2.0 | 4/2 (4 ports) / - | |
| USB 3.0 | 2/1 (2 ports) / - | |
| IEEE 1394 (FireWire) | — | |
| COM | -/1/- | |
| Game / MIDI | — | |
| LPT | — | |
| IDE | — | |
| SATA interface / power supply, devices | 2/- | |
| Form factor | ATX, 305 × 215 mm | |
| Support for two or more video cards | AMD 2-way CrossFireX | |
| RAID support | 0, 1, 5 and 10 | |
| Wi-Fi adapter | — | |
| UEFI support | Yes | |
| Miscellaneous | Ultra Durable 4 Classic, Japanese Conducted Polymer Solid Capacitors; 1x mSATA connector on board; Trusted Platform Module (TPM) connector one PS / 2 connector for keyboard or mouse |