Test System

Initial Setup

When we first set up the board, we did not encounter many issues, and stock testing was completed without any major problems noticed at all. Our memory booted in at JEDEC timings, although we did have some issues getting our Mushkin sticks working right at 2133 MHz, so we had to employ our Corsair sticks when it came to testing. We did receive our board prior to the retail release, so we do expect better memory compatibility with updated BIOSes not available at the time of testing.

PWM Power Consumption

Since one of our first tasks was to truly verify system stability, while doing so, we measure CPU power consumption. We isolate the power coming through the 8-pin ATX connector using an in-line meter that provides voltage and current readings, as well as total wattage passed through it. While this may not prove to isolate the CPU power draw in all instances, it does serve as a good indicator of board efficiency and effective VRM design.


For idle power consumption, the Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 performed exceptionally well, pulling just four watts total, a full 33% less than the last Z68-based product we tested from MSI. Load wattage figures were even more impressive, with the Gigabyte G1.Sniper2 near matching the tiny ZOTAC Z68 board, while packing a whole lot more stuff onboard.