The Board - A Closer Look

I found this Marvell controller between the upper two PCIe x16 slots, almost exactly between the internal SATA and eSATA ports it connects to. With ten USB 3.0 ports, six ports are provided by Intel's Z87 PCH. A Renesas D720210 controller takes care of the remaining four.


There are dual TMDS chips on the Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H, one from ASMedia and another from NXP.


A Realtek ALC898 CODEC provides HD audio over 7.1 channels. LAN duties are covered by an Intel controller since many enthusiasts seem to favor Intel LAN controllers.


The coolers on the Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H are large chunks of metal, more than enough to provide sufficient cooling in harsh environments. But all of this is only part of what makes the board "ULTRA DURABLE".