Gigabyte Z170X-UD5 TH (LGA 1151) Motherboard Review

John Williamson / 9 years ago

Final Thoughts

Pricing

The Gigabyte Z170X-UD5 TH is available in the UK for £149.98 and costs $219.99 from US retailer, Newegg.com. It’s almost impossible to compare the motherboard’s pricing to other models as it’s the first unit to market with Thunderbolt 3 certification. Nevertheless, at just under £150, the motherboard is great value considering the overclocking features and Thunderbolt 3 connectivity.

Overview

During the last couple of months, we’ve taken a look at various Z170 motherboards and analyzed their unique selling points. As a result, it’s wonderful to receive a motherboard which natively supports Thunderbolt 3 and improves the flexibility of the Z170 chipset. The Gigabyte Z170X-UD5 is an overclockers dream and features voltage readout points, an 8+3 phase power regulation and premium components. When combined, this ensures the end-user will maximize the potential of their CPU and maintain stability under extreme stress. The motherboard’s UEFI BIOS adopts a logical layout and opts for simple keyboard navigation over ostentatious menus. I honestly believe this is a positive step and makes navigating around the BIOS a quick and seamless process.

From an aesthetics standpoint, the Z170X-UD5 TH is sublime and I love the understated colour scheme. Furthermore, the white textured design on the dedicated audio path contrasts extremely well with the motherboard’s main theme. Gigabyte also did a splendid job with the heatsinks in terms of thermal efficiency and visual design. It’s quite refreshing to see a motherboard which utilizes a unique style and implements gold accents in a sophisticated manner.

Throughout our rigorous testing procedure, the motherboard attained impressive results, especially in 3D tasks. The Realtek ALC1150 chipset coped exceedingly well with various bitrate tests as the EMI shielding helped to reduce electrical interference. In terms of audio quality, the motherboard’s integrated 5-channel sound is excellent across various music genres and easily copes with bass-heavy first-person-shooters without becoming distorted.

On another note, the Z170X-UD5 TH is an absolute marvel when it comes to connectivity options and support for high-bandwidth devices. The integrated Thunderbolt 3 functionality is capable of driving a single 5K display, or dual 4K monitors at 60Hz. Furthermore, Thunderbolt 3 over USB 3.1 Type-C can daisy chain up to 12, yes 12 devices which almost defies belief! The Intel USB 3.1 controller utilizes four PCIe Gen3 lanes offering transfer speeds up to 10 Gb/s per USB 3.1 port. Other connectors include SATA Express, M.2 and traditional 6 Gb/s SATA 3 ports. There is also HDMI 2.0 which supports 4K video at 60Hz and might come in handy if you stream videos on a 4K display. In conclusion, the Z170X-UD5 TH is an absolutely fantastic motherboard which provides impeccable stability, an intuitive BIOS and widespread support for the fastest data speeds available today.

Pros

2X Copper PCB design
8+3 phase CPU power delivery
10K rated premium black capacitors
Classy aesthetic design
Dual BIOS functionality
Easy to navigate BIOS prioritizes functionality over style
Excellent software package
Fantastic 3D results
First Thunderbolt 3 motherboard provides bandwidth up to 40 Gb/s
Huge array of hard disk options from M.2 to SATA Express
Integrated HDMI 2.0 capable of outputting 4K video at 60Hz
Premium 10K capacitors
Superb audio clarity up to 115dB SNR
World’s first USB-IF certified controller offers a maximum of 32 Gb/s

Cons

Front USB 3.0 header placement not ideal

“The Gigabyte Z170X-UD5 TH is the first Thunderbolt 3 certified motherboard to market and provides a stunning array of connectivity options at the fastest possible speeds.“

Extreme-Performance