ASRock Extreme4 z68 vs. Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3

[rootaxs]

Good day, folks,

I've narrowed my upgrade path to these two boards, which would be considered the most reliable for under $200?

Looking at Newegg reviews and random forums posts, it seems they're about equal. Feature-wise, they both cover what i need (4-6 SATA, Firewire, eSata, USB2/3.)

It'll be paired with a 2600k with very slight OC. This is strictly a graphics design workstation doing a lot of PS, layouts and video. No gaming will be done.

The main thing going for the ASRock is it's ability to run with as little as a 400w Corsair PSU. The Gigabyte seems to have documented issues with certain PSU's. Then again, the ASRock also costs a little more. Gigabyte seems to have a better reputation and customer service.

This will be my first foray outside of the MSI & Asus board world.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[darckhart]

i am sure they are both good and will perform equally awesome for your needs.

since i have the asrock, i'll give it my vote. it's been a real pleasure to work on, OCs the 2600k like a champ, and the uefi is simple to use and stores 4 profiles.

 

[rootaxs]

Thank you! Have you noticed any of the supposed issues with the ASRock in your testing? (i.e. sound not working, or LAN not working when front USB is used.)

 

[MacLeod1592]

I have an ASRock board as well (A780G) and its been flawless these passed few years and worked perfectly since I first fired it up. Ive cranked on it very hard and currently running a Phenom X6 with a 3.8 overclock which is pretty good considering 6 core procs didnt even exist when this board was made.

That being said, the current crop of ASRock boards seem to be getting middle of the road reviews. Toms had one in a roundup of 990FX boards and the ASRock came up on the bottom for overclocking. WAY behind the Asus and Gigabyte boards. HardOCP just did a review of an ASRock Z68 board and just crapped all over it.

It seems like ASRock quality is hit or miss now judging by these reviews and posts Ive read on various other forums.

So to wrap this up, I think Id lean towards the Gigabyte board.

 

[rootaxs]

Thank you for the feedback as well!

I went ahead and got the Gigabyte. So far so good, i like how it looks and works so far. My only gripe is the location of the SATA ports, it's on the edge of the board pointing sideways so it's not the most accessible of ports once the drives and video card goes in. For reference, the case is a P182.