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<div><span style="font-size: small; ">The motherboard scene contains around fifty shades of grey – whatever size, whatever feature set, if a user cannot get what they exactly want, something similar should be available. The only questions that follow are: does it work properly, and is it worth the money ? Today we are looking at the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H (or the Z77X-UD5H, depending on location), a motherboard with dual NIC, up to ten USB 3.0 ports, mSATA, three-way PCIe 3.0 GPU action without a $30 PCIe enhancing chip, TPM, extra SATA 6 Gbps and the full array of video outputs for only $180.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: small; "><a href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/6108/gigabyte-gaz77xud5h-review-functionality-meets-competitive-pricing" target="_blank">Read more...</a></span></div>
<p><span style="font-size: small; ">Biostar have always been on the radar for motherboard builders, occupying that niche of ‘bang-for-buck’ if your wallet is looking a little empty this month. In the grand scheme of things they usually do okay, perhaps a little imperfect in the design or not exactly the premium BIOS and software package we have come to expect from top-tier motherboard manufacturers, but today we look at one of their Z77 range, the Biostar TZ77XE4. Visually in orange, it provides something different, but is that true of the whole package ?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small; "><a href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/6097/biostar-tz77xe4-review-dichotomy-by-default" target="_blank">Read more...</a></span></p>
The functionality of this mainboard based on Intel Z77 Express chipset has been expanded with additional onboard controllers and is very contemporary. Moreover, this board belongs to the “TUF” series and therefore supports unique "TUF ENGINE!", "TUF Components", "TUF Thermal Armor", "TUF Thermal Radar" and "TUF Dust Defender" technologies.
Both these mainboards belong to the “Extreme” series. The major distinguishing feature of the top model is support of the Thunderbolt interface. Besides, both boards have new Intel Visual BIOS. They boast extensive functionality, work stably in nominal mode and even support overclocking. However, they are not completely issue-free, which may cast a shadow over the initial rosy impression from these boards.
<p><span style="font-size: small; ">ASRock are not afraid of the legacy connections. Not merely content on having both a floppy drive header and an IDE connector on the Fatal1ty Z77 Professional, they have also put a floppy header on the Z77 Extreme6. There is reason for this, given that industrial equipment can cost $millions and a shiny new PC to process the data costs a lot less, even if they can only communicate via Floppy. Today we are looking at the performance and package that comes with the Z77 Extreme6, and see if it holds up with its price tag against the vast array of Z77 motherboards currently on the market.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small; "><a href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/6089/asrock-z77-extreme6-review-legacy-bites-back" target="_blank">Read more...</a></span></p>
Today we are going to introduce to you one of the top MSI mainboards based on Intel Z77 Express chipset. As usual, we will talk about the packaging and accessories, PCB layout and features, BIOS functionality. We will also touch upon MSI’s proprietary software bundle, check out the mainboard’s performance and power consumption in nominal mode as well as during overclocking.
This mainboard boasts very numerous advantages: high-quality packaging, remarkably rich accessories bundle, smart components layout. The functionality of the Intel Z77 Express chipset used in this board has been significantly expanded. However, if you decide on this particular mainboard for your next gaming rig, there are a few peculiarities that you should keep in mind.
Both these high-quality mainboards have very well thought-through design, rich functionality and a very convenient BIOS with a complete set of overclocking and fine-tuning parameters. They have a lot in common, but each of them has its own unique peculiarities, too.
This system board boasts good accessories bundle, features smart design and supports all contemporary interfaces including wireless ones. Its BIOS is pretty easy to work with; it contains a lot of settings that can be adjusted within extensive ranges. An additional advantage is “Asus AI Suite II” software suite including numerous functional utilities.
Quad-core mobile Sandy Bridge, 2.5" SSDs and Thunderbolt together have allowed me to use a notebook as my primary work machine. I get all of the portability benefits of a notebook, but with almost none of the performance sacrifices. The only thing I'm really missing is a good, external discrete GPU solution but that's a problem being worked on either via Thunderbolt link aggregation or the second revision of the Thunderbolt spec.
Despite what it's done for me, Thunderbolt has to be one of the most strangely handled interface specs of recent history. Intel engineered the spec, but Apple helped with a lot of the connector and cable design and as a result received a year long exclusive on Thunderbolt. Since its introduction, Thunderbolt has received a reasonable amount of support on the Mac platform. Apple even builds a display designed exclusively for use with Thunderbolt equipped Macs. Companies like Promise, Seagate, Western Digital, LaCie and Elgato are all shipping Mac compatible Thunderbolt devices as well.
With the exclusivity agreement over, Intel's partners in the Windows PC space are allowed to ship Thunderbolt enabled motherboards and systems. Today we have two of the first officially certified Thunderbolt enabled desktop motherboards from ASUS and Intel.