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We measured the power consumption with the system resting at the Windows 7 desktop, representing idle values.
The power consumption of our entire test system is measured at the wall while loading only the CPU using Prime95′s Small FFTs setting. The rest of the system’s components were operating in their idle states, hence the increased power consumption values (in comparison to the idle figures) are largely related to the load on the CPU and motherboard power delivery components.
Idle power consumption numbers for the G1.Sniper Z87 are up by a small amount compared to MSI's and ASRock's options. When loaded at stock clocks Gigabyte's board manages to undercut the power usage of ASRock's Z87 Killer, thanks in large to the G1.Sniper Z87's lower CPU VCore level of 1.2V when multi-core turbo is enabled.
When overclocked to 4.5GHz the Gigabyte board consumes more power than both competing products from ASRock and MSI. The 6W difference could be related to varied fan speeds between each board or they could be indicative of a (slightly) less efficient power delivery system.
Whatever the reason for the increased numbers, a 6W higher power consumption for an overclocked system at load is unlikely to cause concern for even the most environmentally-friendly of gamers.
Just ordered it from OCUK – using it for a new build in the new year. good price.
nice colour scheme, nothing I have would match it, so would be quite a change over from my asus board. Gigabyte boards t his year look the best though, no doubt about it.
Its about time these companies put more effort into the onboard audio, so good move gb.
I always really like how they put power and reset switches up close to the memory, they are a godsend when testing things.
I bought this board and its been great – rock solid at 4.4ghz, as I dont like pushing my CPU too high – they run hot. not like ivybridge.
Very well written review, looks like a winner for its price point.
Is anybody intending to buy this board in hope of connecting it to a non galvanic usb dac in order to minimize noise transfer?
Of all the reviews I’ve seen so far, I’ve not seen one that goes into depth regarding the usb dac-up feature yet seem to be concentrating on the performance of onboard sound only.
Hi guys, between this Gigabyte and the Asus Hero, which one is better choice for a gaming rig?