GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P (rev. 1.0) Pro Reviews

A mid-range board with top-end features, but it can’t justify its high price

Gigabyte's commitment to the Intel Z68 chipset is evidenced by having no fewer than 22 distinct boards in its worldwide line-up. Ensconced in the middle of the pack is the Z68XP-UD3P, priced at £130. Packed with Z68 goodies such as Smart Response Technology and able to run both integrated and discrete graphics, Gigabyte includes USB 3.0, FireWire, SATA 6Gbps, SLI and CrossFire, and video-mixing Virtu support, and these features are on top of what Intel provides with the underlying chipset. Board layout is good for one with a bevy of manufacturer-provided features, and the BIOS, while not presented as a modern UEFI, has all the bells and whistles an enthusiast could want.But £130 is still a significant chunk of change for a motherboard, especially when quality H67 boards sell for under £100 and the non-IGP-supporting P67 can be purchased for £30 less on a roughly-matching feature-set. By reading this far you'll know if the Z68 chipset is right for you. If that happens to be the case, the Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P is a quality motherboard from start to finish. Recommended.