Test Set Up
We have put together what we would consider a good mid range gaming specification. We had the opportunity to set up RAID with two fantastic Samsung 840 Pro’s, so you could consider the storage results a little higher end.
- Operating System – Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1
- CPU – Intel Core i5 4670K
- RAM – Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB DDR3
- Graphics – PNY GeForce GTX 770 2Gb XLR Edition
- Storage – 2x 256Gb Samsung 840 Pro SSD’s in RAID 0
- Audio – On-board Realtek High Definition
- PSU: Corsair HX1000i
Synthetic Tests
- PCMark 08
- AIDA64 Extreme
- Resident Evil 6 Benchmark Tool
- CrystalDiskMark
Real World Tests
- Battlefield 4
- Titanfall
Test Results
First up we have PCMark08 and decent scores across the board. For a mid-range mATX motherboard with no real frills, it is holding it’s own just fine. PCMark is a combination of the entire build so the RAID SSDs are helping a lot here, as is the XMP DDR3, though it all needs to bus through the motherboard.
Now on to CrystalDiskMark in RAID and the scores again are good. With a dip in the 50Mb read test the only anomaly, the rest of the results are excellent. Demonstrating the maturity of the Intel’s Rapid Storage Technology, the Z97 RAID performance is expectedly strong.
Nothing of note except good performances with older benchmarks.
Next, AIDA64 results
Gigabyte Z97M-DS3H Motherboard Review
Package - 7.5
Performance - 8.8
Price - 8.8
Consumer Experience - 9
8.5
If you have an AMD R9 270 or even an older GTX770, you will get on the gaming ladder with this motherboard in a very respectable position. Also, it has a nice and neutral colour scheme, making it a perfect match for most builds, it is not going to clash with your colours schemes!