The Board - A Closer Look

True to its Ultra Durable moniker on one of the heatsinks, the cooling on the Gigabyte GA-Z87X-OC is conducted by huge lumps of metal that soak up all the heat given to them pretty effectively. Looking at the heatsink reminds me of a huge backhoe built to dig for clocks normal human hands cannot reach.


The onboard audio CODEC of the Z87X-OC, a normal Realtek ALC892, isn't anything too special, but it's one that has provided some pretty decent audio in the past through a decent circuit design, so it should not be overlooked. An Intel Gigabit controller, favored among many an enthusiast, gives the board its LAN connectivity. A pair of NXP Semiconductors TMDs are responsible for managing the dual HDMI ports.


All of the additional USB 3.0 ports on the Gigabyte GA-Z87X-OC, and there are many, are provided by Renesas controllers I found in various places on the board.


Seems simple, doesn't it? That's a big part of what makes the Gigabyte Z87X-OC so special--it really doesn't come with any connectivity frills but the necessities and a bunch of USB 3.0 ports, as that was the initial focus of this design, and everything else, well, is for overclocking; and serious overclocking at that.