Review: Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H

Conclusion

Enthusiasts waiting for major upgrades from an Intel platform have plenty to look forward to. The future has in store DDR4 memory and octo-core Haswell-E processors, but such niceties are some way away and, right now, we have a new Z97 chipset that's tasked with reinvigorating the high-end market.

This iterative release is ultimately a minor refresh of the incumbent Z87, but one that holds a few key incentives for any premium Haswell build. These include support for the emerging M.2 and SATA Express storage standards, and perhaps more importantly, full support for upcoming multiplier-unlocked Haswell Refresh processors. Said chips are presumed to be overclocker-friendly and recent murmurings have suggested retail availability as soon as next month.

As one of Intel's key partners, Gigabyte is at hand with a smorgasbord of Z97 solutions encompassing any manner of build. Truth be told it's the Z97N-Gaming 5 Mini ITX board that's quietly caught our eye, but for high-end builders seeking ATX flexibility, the reviewed Z97X-UD5H more than fits the bill. Not a great deal has changed between the Z87 and Z97 generations, but Gigabyte has dotted the i's and crossed the t's with a well-rounded board, a solid BIOS and a feature-set that will be well-received by overclockers and enthusiasts alike.

We see no obvious reason for Z87 owners to rush out an upgrade, however anyone looking to put together a high-end Intel Haswell build should now be focussed exclusively on Z97. Only overclockers ought to apply, but if that sounds like you and your budget stretches to £150, Gigabyte's Z97X-UD5H is a very safe bet.

The Good

Good-looking board
Clean, logical layout
Debug LED and on-board OC tools
SATA Express and M.2 support
Half-a-dozen fan headers
Dual Gigabit Ethernet
CrossFire and SLI capabilities
Flexible BIOS and Windows apps

The Bad

Cheaper boards offer similar stock performance
Lacks DisplayPort output

HEXUS.awards

Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H

HEXUS.where2buy

The Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H motherboard will be available to purchase from Scan Computers* starting May 11, 2014.

HEXUS.right2reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.