GA-Z68XP-UD3 got Tom's Hardware Recommended Buy Award

[runn3R]

GA-Z68XP-UD3 with EZ Smart Response & mSATA connector onboard has received Recommended Buy Award from Tom's Hardware



“We’ve been told that at least one physical graphics connection must be present for a Z68-based motherboard to support Quick Sync hardware accelerated video transcoding through the CPU’s integrated graphics engine, and Gigabyte addresses this need by adding a single HDMI connection. The firm also adds a legacy FireWire port, separating the -UD3 from previous upper-range parts only in its lack of secondary network and outdated digital coaxial audio outputs”
 
“Up against the limits of our intended budget, the Z68XP-UD3 is one of only two motherboards in today’s roundup to include a front-panel USB 3.0 header. The entirety of features would have made this a $160 board even if it had used the P67 chipset, so we’re not entirely clear how Gigabyte managed to retain this price with a Z68 product that includes Lucidlogix's Virtu license.”

“And yet Gigabyte wouldn’t let us get away without mentioning its mSATA socket, a feature used in its more expensive Z68XP-UD3-iSSD to add a bundled 20 GB SLC-based SSD for caching. Buyers of the model viewed today are also able to add their own mSATA drive; just bear in mind that doing so with either board disables one of its SATA 3Gb/s ports.”



“The Z68XP-UD3 includes four SATA cables and an SLI bridge, which are our minimum standards for a mid-priced SLI motherboard. Cheaper boards can get away with fewer cables, since the lower price often appeals to budget builders with fewer drives.”

“The Z68XP-UD3 firmly targets performance fanatics with a layout that eschews the use of integrated graphics as a primary output, instead favoring SLI and CrossFire.”

“Up against the limits of our intended budget, the Z68XP-UD3 is one of only two motherboards in today’s roundup to include a front-panel USB 3.0 header. The entirety of features would have made this a $160 board even if it had used the P67 chipset, so we’re not entirely clear how Gigabyte managed to retain this price with a Z68 product that includes Lucidlogix's Virtu license.”

“…After careful deliberation, Gigabyte’s Z68XP-UD3 gets our Recommended Buy award”.

The article is “From $100 To $160: Five Z68-Based Boards, Compared“
GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3 review at http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z68xp-ud3-dz68db,2980-6.html
Conclusion and Award at http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z68xp-ud3-dz68db,2980-19.html

[Dark Mantis]

Another well deserved accolade for Gigabyte! From a well respected source as well.

[Badbonji]

Nice! I read the review. The results were mostly luck in the benchmarks with only slight variations. Good to see that the board with the most features win though!