Test System

Initial Setup

The initial install was pretty easy. I simply stuck my Corsair memory in, and it booted right up. I noticed a rather relaxed Turbo profile, which I expect to affect stock results a little bit, but this board wasn't meant to run stock, so I'd be happy as a clam if it did well on the overclocking test, even if it places dead last with stock speeds.


Board expansion spacing is pretty good. With two VGAs installed, there's a free PCIe x1 slot for you to fit the WLAN card in between the VGAs while still leaving a full slot of space between the WLAN card and the VGA above it. DIMMs aren't too close to the socket, but some taller DIMMs may interfere with the fan if you are planning on using a tower cooler like the CoolerMaster TPC-812 I have installed in the pictures above. I like to use the Corsair AirFlow Pro Parametric display with my Dominator Platinum sticks, so I always install the fan on the "wrong" side, and there is a huge amount of clearance around the fan with nearly a half of an inch between the fan's edge and the VRM cooler.

Power Consumption

We measure CPU power consumption since one of our first tasks is to truly verify system stability. I 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. I also measure total system power consumption, which allows you to get an idea of how much power the board and all installed devices draw.





Stock power consumption is pretty darn good. You need to keep in mind that there's the addition of the PLX PEX 8747 to add to power consumed, yet the Gigabyte Z77X-UP7 posted results that are better than most, and in every category. Its fancy VRM design seems to pay off in spades.