Gigabyte UDH5 BK or ASRock Z97 OC Formula

[MrProOreo]

Hi, I need help deciding between the Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UDH5-BK and the ASRock Z97 OC Formula. I really don't know which one is better and any help would be appreciated. Also, any other Z97 motherboard recommendations around the same price point ( ~ $200 ) would be nice too.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Unless you're doing some serious overclocking or looking for a specific feature set not found on less expensive boards, I wouldn't recommend paying that much for a Z97 board. What country are you in and are you planning to overclock, SLI, Crossfire, or any other specialized intentions?

 

[MrProOreo]

Unless you're doing some serious overclocking or looking for a specific feature set not found on less expensive boards, I wouldn't recommend paying that much for a Z97 board. What country are you in and are you planning to overclock, SLI, Crossfire, or any other specialized intentions?

I live in the US. I am planning to do some overclocking and maybe SLI later. Sadly, I also like the black and yellow color scheme on these motherboards, and I couldn't find any other ones that had a yellow/black color scheme. I looked at MSI's line up of MPOWER and XPOWER motherboards, but they didn't have the best reviews on Newegg.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I wouldn't trust the reviews of a bunch of 14yr olds with little actual hardware experience. Of course, that doesn't mean those boards are not with their own issues either, just that I'd look to professional reviews done by sites like Tom's, Hardware Secrets, Guru3D and other tech sites that actually know what to look and test for.

Considering the quality, and the color scheme you desire, the UD5H and UD5H BK would be pretty darn good choices. That ASRock model is similarly tiered as the UD5H, so it's up to you. There are no boards of similar quality with that color scheme, for less, that I am aware of.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Gigabyte UDH5 BK great board , I own it.

 

[MrProOreo]

I wouldn't trust the reviews of a bunch of 14yr olds with little actual hardware experience. Of course, that doesn't mean those boards are not with their own issues either, just that I'd look to professional reviews done by sites like Tom's, Hardware Secrets, Guru3D and other tech sites that actually know what to look and test for.

Considering the quality, and the color scheme you desire, the UD5H and UD5H BK would be pretty darn good choices. That ASRock model is similarly tiered as the UD5H, so it's up to you. There are no boards of similar quality with that color scheme, for less, that I am aware of.

Thanks for the help, it's very much appreciated.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Our pleasure, as always.

 

[aschin]

I own the UD5H BK as well. It's my first PC build after being a hardcore Mac Pro user for a decade. Two months in so far, so good. The board feels rigid and durable. It has a ton of features (m.2, dual ethernet) and an extended 5yr warranty (make sure to take a photo or copy your UPC info before sending it off for any rebates - the extended warranty site requires this info). There's interesting legacy support in the form of USB 2.0, PS2 connector and straight-up PCI slots. I would have preferred more x1 slots and wifi. The bundled software is functional, a little slow and lacks refinement. The BIOS layout is confusing yet solvable over time. Recommended.

One of the things I'm up against is the way in which the board staggers PCIe lanes. You get a x1 slot at the top (perfect for a high speed wifi card) and then right below you have a x16, followed by another x1, then a x8, then an old school PCI, then a x4. If you plug anything into the x8 or x4 PCIe slots, the board automatically reverts the top x16 slot to x8. As a relative noob, I'm not sure if this is universal or unique to Gigabyte. It may not even matter that much in the grand scheme of things (SLI reduces both to x8 anyways). I have a 960 4GB version and plan on running some benchmarks soon.

Love Tom's Hardware btw. Such a vital site for PC builders of all experience levels.