Full description of ga z77 d3h rev 1.1. Review and testing of the motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H. Packaging and equipment

2 years ago

Decent m \\ b for reasonable money until the dollar goes up. decent usb 3.0 connectors for peripherals, and also a Russian-language BIOS (there is a choice of language).

3 years ago

It has been working for over 7 years. No problems and complaints

5 years ago

Price, quality, set of hardware features.

5 years ago

while I use 2 months .. although 1+ is. it is a memory. there are 4 slats 2g. of them 2 - 2x. channel. 2 regular. there is no conflict. I was in MSI)

6 years ago

For beginners, probably a graphical bios, although I don't use it. Again, the Russian language is present. Configuration: Processor Intel Core i5-3570 Case Miditower ATX ZALMAN Z9 PSU Aerocool VP-650 DIMM DDR3 4096MB PC12800 1600Mhz Hynix orig. x 2 PCI-E video card GigaByte GeForce GTX 760 2048MB 256bit GDDR5 Board Gigabyte LGA1155 GA-Z77-D3H Z77 Solid state drive SSD 2.5 "SATA-3 120Gb SiliconPower S55 Cooler Zalman CNPS10X Optima On 01/25/14 Total amount: 33 590r

6 years ago

Not a bad motherboard for the money

6 years ago

usb 3 the ability to install 2 video cards pci 3 good cooling for overclocking the most current pack that chip

7 years ago

Great motherboard!

7 years ago

i don't see any pronounced advantages. motherboard as motherboard

7 years ago

2 years ago

few PCI-e connectors, since after installing a video card there are 2 of them (needed for discrete sound and wi-fi)

3 years ago

5 years ago

Cmos bios as a contact.

5 years ago

1., found disadvantages) this is the promised express charging. 60% of the battery phone charges 3h .. (heh). free charging when off. computer is charging but! and other firms too. and if you turn off the power supply, some condensers will not save. (it will stop charging. 2., instructions., a short description in Russian. 3., a paid antivirus program when the computer is turned on gives a link to the site., removing the antivirus program does not help !!. who does not want buy antivirusnik. do not put it. until everything. I will find add))

6 years ago

For three months of service did not reveal.

6 years ago

The frame above the processor kills the socket (at least for me)

6 years ago

i didn't notice because I immediately updated the BIOS with the utility

7 years ago

In my opinion, no!

7 years ago

sound firm via, they have some kind of clumsy firewood. after installing the system and all the firewood, be sure to download the latest version of firewood to the sound system from the manufacturer's website, otherwise you will not end up with problems with the microphone, because the firewood that is on the disk in the kit for sound is not at all in the cashier yet (for me personally) the south bridge is very hot, the temperature not critical but worries me. It is technically impossible to replace the radiator on it, because when the vidyuha is inserted into the slot, the radiator rests on or against the vidyuhe.

7 years ago

Everything about USB works crookedly.

Throughout the development of the IT industry, the purpose of Micro-ATX form factor motherboards has practically not changed. They are used primarily to build low-cost computers with basic functionality. It was the cost reduction that led to the reduction in size of relatively full-sized ATX boards. Then, in the mid-2000s, the situation changed somewhat - there appeared a fashion for compact systems (barebones), which added popularity to Micro-ATX motherboards. But soon this fashion passed - manufacturers switched to the production 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 Board

Gone are the days when Micro-ATX motherboards 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, while 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, are oriented parallel to the board plane and are colored differently: 3 Gb / s ports are blue, and 6 Gb / s ports are white.

The Z77MX-D3H also 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 flaws 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 routed 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 and the backup.

Switching between chips 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 can still switch to the traditional BIOS. The Z77MX-D3H's main sections and set of settings are arranged exactly like 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 valuefrom 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 a detailed description in Russian not in the user manual or on the official Gigabyte website.

Finally, 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 for Windows utilities, the following programs should be noted: On / Off Charge to control the charging of USB gadgets, @BIOS to update 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 fan speed:

⇡ 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 uF capacitors and 10 560 uF capacitors.

There are not many overclocking functions, 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:

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 the main 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 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 firmware version.

⇡ Conclusions

Gigabyte has 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: ports from the chipset plus a network and sound controller are separated. And that's all. The board has no 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 on board and supports NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX multi-core graphics arrays. This means that you can build a powerful and compact gaming computer based on the Z77MX-D3H. Moreover, the CPU can be overclocked to keep a couple of graphics cards running at full capacity. 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 in any case, the technical performance of the Z77MX-D3H board is at a high level, the product does not have any noticeable drawbacks, and the very existence of this board with a rather unique set of characteristics is a plus for everyone who is 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 is, of course, 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 significantly less expensive devices. Because now I 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 version of the 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 manifest itself in practice and how the manufacturer managed to establish such an attractive price tag.

With regard to the color scheme of its devices, Gigabyte maintains 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 suffer in this case. Four memory slots with up to 32 GB of RAM are located at a sufficient distance from the nearest PCI Express slot, so the installed video card is not an obstacle for manipulating the 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 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, and the device is equipped with anti-static protection.

The set of expansion slots is quite justified for a mid-range device: two full-format 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 second 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 of 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. The cost 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, for this connection, a SATA 3 Gb / s channel is allocated, which means that the fastest SSDs may be limited in terms of bandwidth by the interface itself. But it's hard to blame Gigabyte here. Considering the fact 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 connecting a 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. Another 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, with the second video card installed, only two SATA ports remain free, 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, for two more, an internal connector is used.

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 present only as an internal connector on the PCB.

Equipment

The package bundle of the device is spartanly modest - a user manual, a CD 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 a 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 opens 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. At 4500 MHz, the processor started successfully, but was unstable during severe loads.

The motherboard 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.

Outcome

Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H - an inexpensive workhorse for those who, having seriously invested in the purchase of a quad-core processor with the index "K", want 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, considering 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

Testing 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
miscellanea	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

Flagship motherboard models can surprise and arouse genuine interest among users planning to build a desktop platform. But when it comes time to spend your money, the choice is often made in favor of more affordable devices that respect the principle of reasonable sufficiency. MicroATX form factor model based on top chipset Intel Z77, which allows easy tuning of the system, with a full set of video outputs, USB 3.0 ports, SATA 6 Gb / s, as well as two BIOS chips. And all this for a price $100 ... It is at this amount that Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3Hwith the listed set of characteristics. Let's see if there is any catch here?

Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H has a MicroATX form factor and is made on a blue PCB. Slots and connectors are blue and white. The dimensions of the device allow you to place the board in a fairly compact case.

The power subsystem is built according to a five-phase scheme. There are no additional coolers on the MOSFET chips, however, we note that in this case, microcircuits with low on-resistance LowRDS (on) are used, so there should be no heating problems at moderate loads. However, this is one of the conditions of the concept Ultra Durable 4 Classic, which corresponds to Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H. According to the manufacturer, the PCB board is more resistant to high humidity conditions, and the circuits use Japanese solid-state capacitors.

There are four slots for connecting expansion cards. One full-speed PCI Express x16, another full-speed but with x4 throughput, compact PCI Express x1 and classic PCI. Since the latter interface is not supported by the chipset, it is implemented using an additional controller. Curiously, the microcircuit itself is located in a niche under the second PCI Express x16 slot, which is three-quarters "hollow".

The board allows you to create a configuration with two video cards. If necessary, you can use a pair of adapters with AMD chips in CrossFireX mode, while Californians consider PCI-E x4 an insufficiently high-speed interface for creating SLI assemblies.

The distance from the processor socket to the first PCI-Express x16 slot is not very great. During the tests, the Thermalright Archon Rev.A was installed almost flush with the video card (in a case, this trick would probably not work). However, this cooler model is one of the widest on the market, so it shouldn't be difficult to install other coolers.

The very sequence of the location of the slots in this case is optimal. A video card with a dual-slot CO (most of them) installed in the first slot will block access to PCI-E x1, but in this case, heterogeneous PCI and PCI-E x4 will remain available, which can be used, among other things, for cards that require less bandwidth.

There are three connectors for connecting fans on the board - one for the processor cooler and a couple for the case fans. Moreover, all three connectors are four-pin with the ability to monitor and separate speed control using PWM.

Despite the compact dimensions of the board, the manufacturer has placed some connectors on the PCB, which, although they are not very popular anymore, in rare cases can still be useful for specific tasks. It's about COM and LPT. There is also a connector for connecting a TPM module. The board also has three internal USB 2.0 connectors, allowing you to get up to six corresponding ports using additional interface braids.

Traditionally, Gigabyte uses two chips for firmware redundancy, because UEFI DualBIOS on a motherboard of this level is quite expected. To clear CMOS memory, a two-pin connector is used, which will need to be short-circuited to reset the system settings.

Intel Z77 supports six SATA lanes. This is the number of interface ports available on the Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H. Two high-speed ones (SATA 6 Gb / s) are located exactly opposite PCI Express x1, and so that the oversized video card with a two-slot cooling system does not block access to the SATA connectors, they are packaged with the connector horizontally positioned relative to the PCB plane.

Four SATA 3 Gb / s connectors are located opposite the PCI slot, so there will be no problems with access to them in any case. Recall that Intel Z77 makes it possible to organize arrays of RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10. In addition, the chipset supporting the technology Intel Smart Response, allows you to deploy a hybrid disk subsystem using a hard drive and SSD for these purposes. In the case of Gigabyte motherboards, you can use the proprietary utility EZ Smart Responseto simplify the process of setting up such a configuration.

The interface panel is not overloaded with ports, but all the most popular external connectors are present. Combo PS / 2, four USB 2.0 ports, a pair of USB 3.0, an Ethernet outlet, and three audio connectors. The board is equipped with three video outputs: DVI, HDMI and D-Sub. The platform allows you to connect two display devices at the same time. Note that the digital outputs in this case support resolutions up to 1920 × 1200.

Equipment

The kit does not differ in any delicacy. The package includes a manual, a quick installation brochure, a driver disc, a back cover and two SATA cables.

UEFI

Graphical shell 3D BIOS has already become the hallmark of Gigabyte devices. Isometric projection of the board with active functional zones and the ability to control parameters using the mouse make novice users feel more confident when they first need to "enter BIOS".

In Advanced mode, the number of parameters available for configuration is incomparably greater, but this version of UEFI still does not indulge in variety, especially with regard to overclocking functions.

The Advanced Voltage Settings section is spartanly modest. There is only one option here, which allows you to change the voltage supply of memory modules in the range of 1.2-2.0 V in 0.02 V steps.

At the same time, UEFI allows monitoring and adjusting the speed of all three fans.

For basic system setup from the operating system, you can use the proprietary utility Easy tune 6... In particular, the Tuner section allows you to set the required BCLK and memory frequency, as well as the processor multiplier.

The Smart tab opens access to setting the fan algorithms, which, at the user's request, can depend on the temperature of the CPU / board or provide stable set speeds.

HW Monitor allows you to monitor voltages, temperature and fan speed, and, if necessary, report situations when the parameters are outside the specified limits.

CPU overclocking

Taking into account the fact that the board does not allow regulating the processor voltage, the overclocking boundary will depend on the ability of a particular CPU to work at higher frequencies with its nominal voltage. In the case of a test instance Core i7-3770K, original ~ 1.1V turned out to be enough for the processor clock speed to be increased from the base 3.5 GHz to 4.4 GHz.

On the one hand, this value is lower than what we manage to achieve on expensive motherboards (~ 4.8 GHz), on the other hand, for the processor to operate at 4.5+ GHz, it is imperative to increase the supply voltage, after which the power consumption also increases significantly systems. It also increases CPU heating, requiring an efficient cooling system. Therefore, as a rule, more lenient conditions are used on an ongoing basis.

Recall that the Intel Z77 chipset, which provides the ability to arbitrarily adjust the processor multiplier, can be useful not only for CPUs with the “K” index. Chips that support Turbo Boost technology, and all the Core i5 and Core i7 models have a certain operating range of multipliers that are used when dynamically accelerating the processor under load. It is this loophole that can be used to increase the CPU clock speed. However, the upper limit here will depend on the starting multiplier of the processor and the Turbo Boost algorithm allowed for it.

For owners of processors without Turbo Boost, who still want to slightly increase CPU performance, information about increasing the system bus frequency will be more useful. In this case, the board remained stable when it was increased to 108.5 MHz... Note that this indicator is partly related to the capabilities of a particular CPU instance.

The DDR3-2133 memory test kit ran smoothly at 2200 MHz - a typical result for the kit used.

Heat

During the tests, the temperature of the power elements of the power regulator under load increased to 57 C, while the heatsink on the chipset's microcircuit warmed up to 52 C. After overclocking the processor, the temperature of the MOSFETs increased to 62 degrees - quite an acceptable result, especially taking into account the use of a processor cooler tower type that does not blow around the processor socket.

Outcome

Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H Is one of the most affordable motherboards on the market based on Intel Z77. In this case, there is no feeling that for the main device you are strongly offered to load something that you will definitely not use, but you must pay for it upon purchase. A sufficient set of interfaces for most situations, good layout, basic overclocking capabilities. Collectively - a normal "workhorse" at a reasonable price. The board will be a suitable option for those who are not ready for serious overclocking experiments, but at the same time are not averse to getting a little extra performance from Intel Core i5 / i7 processors, without overpaying for such an opportunity.

Liked

One of the most affordable models on Intel Z77

Rational layout

The ability to change the processor multiplier

Fan speed control

Did not like

- Modest overclocking capabilities

Testing device provided by MTI, www.distri.mti.ua

Test bench configuration

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 you to charge devices via USB when the PC is turned off, EZ Smart Response for configuring the disk subsystem, the LAN Optimizer utility that helps to prioritize network traffic, DualBIOS with 3D mode, etc.

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н | Specifications

Here are the main specifications Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H:

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н | Contents of delivery

In a box besides Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H, you might find the following:

• english user manual and short installation instructions;
• 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;
• cover for the rear panel of the case;
• jumper SLI.

The installation DVD contains a complete set of drivers for Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H and even a trial version of the antivirus Norton Internet Security 2012, but the proprietary utilities of Gigabyte, which are so described on the packaging, are not there - they will have to be downloaded from the official website. 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

As usual, you need to install the driver for the Marvell chip, which is on the standard DVD.

Next to the processor socket is a 4-pin CPU_FAN connector for a processor cooler. Besides him, on Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H there are three 4-pin connectors (SYS_FAN1-4). As a rule, this amount is sufficient for a system of any level.

The board has sound based on VIA VT2021 with support for 7.1-channel sound.

Sound chip on Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H motherboard

Back panel Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H 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.

Of the additional functions, it is worth noting support for DualBIOS technology (on Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H 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.

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H motherboard: BIOS switch

Bottom edge Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H 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.

During installation Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H 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. Apart from 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-D3H It also lacks such overclocking pleasant additions as voltage measurement points, POST indicator, power on / reboot and CMOS reset buttons.

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3Н | BIOS

Gigabyte equips its motherboards with good overclocking firmware, and Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H 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", that is, advanced. Yes, indeed, there are much more settings in the BIOS we are used to, but the "three-dimensional" one is clear 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, where 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-D3H 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 \u200b\u200bfrom the keyboard is also available, which is not mentioned anywhere.

Enabling and disabling Turbo Boost is hidden in the Advanced CPU Core Settings tab.

BIOS Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H: Turbo Boost

Memory settings are quite extensive, however, and here 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 Management

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 your BIOS settings for stability and writing them into 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 BIOS of motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H

In the center is a motherboard layout, similar enough to our Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H , where you can select areas and components of interest with the mouse.

Let's start with the "Processor and RAM" section. 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 the USB, audio and LAN controllers.

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 way and why exactly these items were placed there ...

By directly pointing the mouse, you can set the parameters for SATA and PCIe connectors:

Below in the 3D BIOS there are seven icons: Advanced will translate into a regular BIOS, Boot will allow you to select a boot disk, Language - select a language, Fan Control - control fans, Time - set time and date, Load Defaults - no trick here, and the only translated icon - "Save and Exit".