Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 Z68 PCI-Express 3.0 LGA1155

[cadaveca]

Outfitted with a real X-Fi chipset and a KillerNIC E2100 to score maximum kills, Gigabyte's latest from the G1.Killer series, the G1.Sniper2, hits TechPowerUp's boot camp. Ready to jump into trenches and enter combat, we put the Intel Z68-equipped G1.Sniper2 in the front lines, target in sight.

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[TiN]

How come board got "recommended" with such cons

>Onboard audio and network solutions limit bus clocking.
>Changing memory divider forces a x38 multiplier on the CPU.

?

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

that would be because its a first series of BIOs when the BIOS gets updated most of those problems will 99% likely dissappear,

and if you read the PROs they out weight the cons

better audio
better NIC
PCIE Gen 3

among other things

and lets face it even with overclocking being limited he still hit 4500 on the 2600k and a 1 button press got him 4.2 stable on multiple cpus.

mobo + creative sound card + killer nic = $180 + 60 +70 or there about $310 your paying for convience of all those features on a single board, without addon cards etc.

 

[erocker]

that would be because its a first series of BIOs when the BIOS gets updated most of those problems will 99% likely dissappear,

and if you read the PROs they out weight the cons

better audio
better NIC
PCIE Gen 3

among other things

and lets face it even with overclocking being limited he still hit 4500 on the 2600k and a 1 button press got him 4.2 stable on multiple cpus.

mobo + creative sound card + killer nic = $180 + 60 +70 or there about $310 your paying for convience of all those features on a single board, without addon cards etc.

Those are pretty bad problems even for a 1st series of Bios.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

yet obviously they didnt truly impact max overclocks or performance did they the difference is so tiny you wouldnt notice it would be impossible to tell, lol

and hell in the 3D benchmarks it turned out to be above every board tested problems or not its performance is solid and with a creative sound card and killer nic its more focused on gamers, cost of those parts seperate factored in its essentially a $180 motherboard with nice addons that just happens to perform better then every other board in games go figure.

 

[SK-1]

Best board for gaming we've tested so far, hands down

 

[erocker]

yet obviously they didnt truly impact max overclocks or performance did they the difference is so tiny you wouldnt notice it would be impossible to tell, lol

and hell in the 3D benchmarks it turned out to be above every board tested problems or not its performance is solid and with a creative sound card and killer nic its more focused on gamers, cost of those parts seperate factored in its essentially a $180 motherboard with nice addons that just happens to perform better then every other board in games go figure.

You should buy one then? I don't need the addons, don't need the extra pizzaz and the cons would keep me from buying this board, especially for the price. I'm not asking for a retort.

 

[cadaveca]

Those are pretty bad problems even for a 1st series of Bios.

If you say so. Figuring out the BIOS took some time. Plenty of options on how to approach your overclock, with something for everyone mixed in.

I think very few CPUs will fail @ 3.8 GHz, if any, so it's like a free speed boost. You'll note that quite a few OEMs start implementing things like this(EXACTLY like this), as the fact of the matter is, anything over 1333 MHz on the memory is an OC anyway, so you're taking your chances regardless. It's just a matter of either knowing what to expect, or knowing how to figure out what's going on, and why.


That said, if teh JEDEC timings on the memory are something other than 1333 MHz, those settings will run without much issue.

How come board got "recommended" with such cons

>Onboard audio and network solutions limit bus clocking.
>Changing memory divider forces a x38 multiplier on the CPU.

?

I am in contact with the right people so that those that need to be aware of these problems so that they are addressed, are aware, and given the Gigabyte has proven with other products that they are capable of releasing updates that fix problems like this, I'm not concerned about the issue being one that lasts too long, as i mentioned in the conclusion. The board is near perfection for where it was targeted.

Even until then, the board is pretty good, using it right this second, actually. Lots of users in the freshly released "Dead Island" seem to have issues in multiplayer, and I do not. Could be hte KillerNIC.

 

[erocker]

If you say so. Figuring out the BIOS took some time. Plenty of options on how to approach your overclock, with something for everyone mixed in.

I think very few CPUs will fail @ 3.8 GHz, if any, so it's like a free speed boost. You'll note that quite a few OEMs start implementing things like this(EXACTLY like this), as the fact of the matter is, anything over 1333 MHz on the memory is an OC anyway, so you're taking your chances regardless. It's just a matter of either knowing what to expect, or knowing how to figure out what's going on, and why.


That said, if teh JEDEC timings on the memory are something other than 1333 MHz, those settings will run without much issue.

My wallet says so. Please see my 2nd post. Good review.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Just a quick question, which version of the Etron USB 3.0 drivers did you use? As the 1.05 drivers are a lot faster than the ones shipping with their boards and they contain a ton of bug fixes.

 

[cadaveca]

Just a quick question, which version of the Etron USB 3.0 drivers did you use? As the 1.05 drivers are a lot faster than the ones shipping with their boards and they contain a ton of bug fixes.

I used the latest provided on the Gigabyte Website. Standard practice to update to the latest BIOS and drivers provided by the manufacturer.

I'm not asking for a retort.

So? People will defend thier opinion. My opinion is that it's definitely worth the extra cost. Like I said, could simply be down to the board why I'm not having any issues in "Dead Island". I'm enjoying the game, NOW, while many others aren't with basically the same hardware, except the board. That alone, to me, makes it MORE than worth it. Your wallet may not agree, but maybe that's more saying something about your wallet, than the board.

 

[TheLostSwede]

I'm surprised it didn't perform better, I got very different numbers, but then again, you're using some kind of external hard drive with a SATA 3Gbps bridge so...

 

[cadaveca]

I'm surprised it didn't perform better, I got very different numbers, but then again, you're using some kind of external hard drive with a SATA 3Gbps bridge so...

Yes, it's subjective, for sure. Like I said in the review, numbers are a bit lower, but really, 0.4MB? Almost not even worth mentioning, but it is what it is.

 

[TheMailMan78]

Dave any reason you think the bios is still not "a full UEFI solution"? I personally think its because they stole my art concept but whats the real reason?

 

[erocker]

So? People will defend thier opinion. My opinion is that it's definitely worth the extra cost. Like I said, could simply be down to the board why I'm not having any issues in "Dead Island". I'm enjoying the game, NOW, while many others aren't with basically the same hardware, except the board. That alone, to me, makes it MORE than worth it. Your wallet may not agree, but maybe that's more saying something about your wallet, than the board.

Huh? I'm just "defending" my opinion. What does Dead Island have to do with it? I like your review, the board and the extra features are something that I don't need for the price the board is at. If you're in the motherboard selling business you make a very good argument.

 

[cadaveca]

Dave any reason you think the bios is still not "a full UEFI solution"? I personally think its because they stole my art concept but whats the real reason?

I dunno why. I'll say this though:

Count hte number of iamges on teh BIOS page form this review, adn any other review that uses UEFI, like say the M5A99X EVO, or the MSi GD65. Note how few images this review has? I kinda like the simplicity, but I really really really hate not being able to capture screenshots of the BIOS with just a button press...

I like your review, the board and the extra features are something that I don't need for the price the board is at. If you're in the motherboard selling business you make a very good argument.

I don't need to market products. They sell themselves. I'll also note that with your recent motherboard purchase, you went and bought an X-Fi add-on card, because your board's sounds was "crappy". This board has nearly the exact same audio, built right in. That says your wallet actualyl favors this board more than you want to admit.

 

[erocker]

I really really really hate not being able to capture screenshots of the BIOS with just a button press...

Whatever manufacturer that can make that happen deserves a cookie. That would be very useful.

**Where can I send Asus and MSI cookies?

 

[TheLostSwede]

Yes, it's subjective, for sure. Like I said in the review, numbers are a bit lower, but really, 0.4MB? Almost not even worth mentioning, but it is what it is.

Well, I'd suggest upgrading to a SATA 6Gbps bridge and an SSD, it'll give you a much bigger difference between the host controllers than 0.4MB/s

 

[cadaveca]

Whatever manufacturer that can make that happen deserves a cookie. That would be very useful.

ASUS and MSI already do. You should read more of my reviews.

Well, I'd suggest upgrading to a SATA 6Gbps bridge and an SSD, it'll give you a much bigger difference between the host controllers than 0.4MB/s

Working on it, actually. Unfortunately, I do not review HDD's, so don't have access to endless hardware to pool from, and OEMs DO NOT give me free hardware without a review(at least, not yet). Such is the story for many a reviewer.

Count the CPUs high-end for each platform, the ram, the HDD's, the PSUs the VGA; all that adds up to well over $5000 I've invested into testing already in the past year. SSD's, 4GB DIMMs, and new CPUs are on my list, in that order, for precisely the reason you mention.

Of course, if you'd like to donate said hardware to me, I'll gladly accept it. Believe me, you'd get a better review outta me if I had everything i needed, and that will happen, ASAP.


That said, it still wouldn't change my opinion about the board very much, either way. I'm using it daily, and really do like it alot.

 

[(FIH) The Don]

love the review as usually Dave

you're the reason for why i only read mb reviews from TPU atm

also, i WANT that board, i got a cookie? i can haz yes?