SOLVED GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-UD5H Recommended or (something better)

Thanks in advance for reading and posting!

Just received a call from a family member who says that the was in Microcenter today and the sales person suggested the GA-Z87X-UD5H.

Have seen this review on HardOCP

Gigabyte looks to have some stellar hardware in the Z87X-UD5H motherboard. Gigabyte has shown us a true evolution in its hardware and its Easy Tune software. Gigabyte looks as if it is wanting to truly compete in the high end enthusiast motherboard market again, although there are some unpolished edges on the Z87X-UD5H. There are some issues that are most likely BIOS related that will have to be worked out, and none of these are truly deal breakers, but you would surely want to see these addressed quickly. Had UEFI cursor support not slipped back to being terrible, and we had not seen the intermittent flash drive compatibilities, the Gigabyte Z87X-UD5H would have been an award winner today. The Gigabyte Z87X-UD5H can be purchased for right at $225 with Free Prime shipping which we think is a solid value for the feature set and utilities provided.

Have looked for other reviews to get a better understanding of the O/C abilities, Installation (and issues - if any), Durability, etc.....

I know if might seem a little too good to be true - however said family member said with a processor the motherboard is $75. I don't want to tell him not to buy it - he says that it is retail. (I know lucky, very lucky).

My biggest concern is that he will have a million questions and you know who will be providing the answers!

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks again to reading and responding!

That board is $209.99 right now at Micro Center and their typical sale of processors with a motherboard is $40 off, so I don't see how it's possible he could get it for just $75.

That should be a great board tho.

Starrbuck said:

That board is $209.99 right now at Micro Center and their typical sale of processors with a motherboard is $40 off, so I don't see how it's possible he could get it for just $75.

That should be a great board tho.

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Thank you very much for posting Starrbuck.

I am hopeful that he doesn't have much (or) many problems with the build.

We find that $75 too good to be true? I am with you there fellow forum member! We have an normalized back up plan.(?) I am hope that he/we/she can and may find another solution.

For $75 us dollars I don't think we can miss..........

I dunno. Right now the UD4H is listed at $115 at my local Microcenter. With the $40 off, that's $75.

Microcenter has their entire inventory for all their stores online, just check.

Knufire said:

I dunno. Right now the UD4H is listed at $115 at my local Microcenter. With the $40 off, that's $75.

Microcenter has their entire inventory for all their stores online, just check.

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Thank you for you time and input.

He swears that it is the UD5H. If it is the UD4H for $75 that would work just as well!

I tried checking Microcenter Inventory on their website. It list's this:

GA-Z87X-UD4H for $115.

We're thinking that the UD4H would be a very good board as well. In some ways I am hoping that is the board. I don't know what kind of O/C he's hoping for but (and this is a big statement) - he/she/it won't be over clocked as hard! Figuring that a Hyper 212 EVO at $30.00 would be a good choice.

Don't know what kind of memory would be the "best" - As of yet no one has asked what brand/sku is the best. I have a QVL at the ready!

Thank you again for your time Knufire!!!

RAM is RAM. The QVL doesn't mean much. Just get the cheapest set with the specs you want. DDR3-1600 is typically what people get.

Even the UD4H is MORE than enough for anyone on ambient cooling. The motherboard plays a very small role in overclocking on modern Intel systems.

You're not going to get much of an overclock on a Hyper212, only to 4.1GHz or so.

Knufire said:

RAM is RAM. The QVL doesn't mean much. Just get the cheapest set with the specs you want. DDR3-1600 is typically what people get.

Even the UD4H is MORE than enough for anyone on ambient cooling. The motherboard plays a very small role in overclocking on modern Intel systems.

You're not going to get much of an overclock on a Hyper212, only to 4.1GHz or so.

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Yes and agreed - RAM is RAM. We are hopeful to find the most cost effective/compatible solution. Was thinking 8Gb DDR3-1600. Team Group possible.

Just was talking to the buyer/builder. Totally new to all this and they are on the way (as we speak), Asked about a h100/h100i - strongly recommended to stick to budget air at this point in time. Have requested that NO O/C be done unless they have an idea what it is they are doing and why they are doing it.

Have also remind that the end user start thinking about power supply, case, and a gpu solution.

Would have been more helpful if we had a budget to work with. Have made numerous requests - not getting a clearly defined answer.

Hopefully will receive more information and get a better understanding of what exactly is the end user requirements.

I am rather hopeful - we have talked about this for at least six weeks. Have already had the whole 4670K vs 4770k discussion. Said builder/buyer/designer has said that we want to build something to last. 2~3 years time frame. Have suggested that either CPU is a good solution.

This is an if statement - if the motherboard is $75 and a 4670K vs 4770k is only a $40 dollar price difference. Then why not get a 4770K Hyperthreading may be useful during and after college.

Thank you again for taking time and energy. Please let me know if you think of anything else.

Yes, the 4 is fine, depending on what features are important to you..

Thanks everyone for you help!

GA-Z87X-UD4H purchased today. Expecting great thing (Dickens - Great Expectations) anyone??? Purchased at $75.00

Thanks again!

dudleycpa said:

Thanks everyone for you help!

GA-Z87X-UD4H purchased today. Expecting great thing (Dickens - Great Expectations) anyone??? Purchased at $75.00

Thanks again!

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Good to know. I was actually hesitant on recommending it when I saw it because I thought it was a legitiment error in their price database...now I know it's correct.

Knufire said:

Good to know. I was actually hesitant on recommending it when I saw it because I thought it was a legitiment error in their price database...know I know it's correct.

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O brother - I am with you one that. I thought it was too good to be true as well!

We already factored in the cost part of the equation. The father and the son where one and always will be one.

Strange how we all think a like on here and are so helpful, kind and respectful!

Read a thread a the other day bashing the forums, the blues, and most of the members. Good to know that we are all different and yet, see through the same eyes.

Back on subject - any Ideas on Ram? Let's start there.

We have so much time and so little to do - Ooops Strike that and reverse it!

Generally, RAM is RAM.

The theory behind that advice is that, looking at modern computers, DDR3 is so fast that it would almost never, ever be the bottleneck in any given operation. Therefore, high speed RAM doesn't give much of a performance boost, and overclocking it is usually more trouble than its worth. Most say to just find the cheapest set of RAM with the specs you want. If it doesn't run at those specs, you're entitled to an RMA.

8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 CL9 1.5V is the way people usually go.