gigabyte oc vs 4h 5h line?

[freeboy]

The testing seems to indicate the oc is slightly more Overclock capable, but I am at a lose as to why..
These boards are almost identical in the specs from GB, and the oc has some gold plating on the mem slots...
the retail pricing is close but hte 4h is almost 100 off now in a bundle at Micro center..


Can someone explain why the OC with the same caps blocks etc... per several reviews..referenced through the fine services here, gets a better ie faster with less juice cpu oc?
I am at a loss how gold plating the mem slots would change the cpu OC limit for a given volts...
thanks
It may be there is more to the OC than Gigabyte folks are telling us???

 

[cadaveca]

It may be there is more to the OC than Gigabyte folks are telling us???

OC boards get more attention to BIOS solving minor issues that affect clocking(memory clocking capability, etc). Other boards only get BIOS updates for stability as a priority.

And it's not just Gigabyte that does this. Nearly every brand has "OC" board now.


OC boards also have slightly different circuit design for power and memory, and PCIe.

 

[freeboy]

thanks, its tough on a budget see the pricing difference with sales... and in this case its a big difference... like 80.00.. ok.. thanks

 

[SonDa5]

That VRM is powered by IR 3553M which seems incredibly weak compared to the Force. From what I have researched online the IR 3553M is designed more for a server system not an over clocked gaming RIG and has max current rating of 40A which is way lower than the 60A rating that I have read a few reviews state it has. I think the reviewers got the amperage rating confused with the IR 3563B power unit which is rated for 60A from what I have researched.


With only 8 phases for cpu I think Gigabyte cut costs big time here. I got suckered into the "OC" hype of this MB and was sold on this IR power unit which from what I am learning is different than what many online reviews have stated. Considering the VRM is much weaker than the FORCE and only has half the numbers of phases for CPU.

The OC deserved at least 8 phases with top quality IR3563B.

I already bought the chipset blocks as well.

 

[freeboy]

im not sure which board you are looking at but all the x ud3, ud4 ud5 "H" line are 16 phase vrm...
not one reviewer, especially the more tech focused, made the refereences you did.. in fast Sin 0822 one of the premier tech bloggers and reviewers for detailed chip centric work, amazing really, lauded this line for their vrm...
so.. not really sure what your point was but the oc at $200 and the others are all great values.. I just picked up a MC steal typo ad price at $74.95 and this board is amazing... Im just a user but really not sure where you are coming from about these ... the oc and oc force both are tweeked to oc...
per "Dave" here at the tpu... good luck with your new build

 

[SonDa5]

Based on what I am seeing it looks like the Z87X-OC is not good design and will end up failing before the Force will. Force has double the number of higher amperage rated true "OC" (per IR manufacturer guidlines) 3550 part. With the low rated higher spec choke the power has better digital distribution of cleaner power for pushing cpu. The Force is a much more cleaner power design and the "OC" with 3553M is has a much higher potential to put out low quality power.

The Z87X-OC is marketed as being budget no thrill get to the point over clocking mother board yet uses the same CPU power IR3553M part found in the much cheaper priced Z87 being used in the UD3H. I could have spent less money and got a UD4H with double the amount of IR3553 power(16) for CPU. This IR3553M part is recommended to be used in server motherboard not over clocked gaming mother boards.

Sorry but I coudn't find some of the reviews that lead me to believe the CPU VRM IR were IR3550. Vortez still shows some nice art work for the "OC" series that show IR3550.

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/gigabyte_z87x_oc_review,5.html


I really thought the "OC" series featured this IR 3550 VRM for the CPU power.

No theory here. Just sharing what I have found. To me it seems Gigabyte was trying to offer a "OC" series MB with the Z87X-OC but cheapened out on parts to make the most money possible from hyping it up and marketing.


To the enthusiast it makes no sense to buy this MB because its obvious the main VRM power output desing was cheapened out. I know this now but when I ordered it I didn't realize the IR's being used were cheapened out.



I'm not seeing other results with high CPU over clocks for ambient temp cooling with the Z87X-OC either. My delidded bare die mounted 4770k requires 1.4v withis mother board to clear a pass of the pre configured tests of the new Linpack with AVX2 and temps are in the low to mid 90C so I really don't have much head room left.

In that VOrtez review link that I posted they had a much better quality 4770k that required much less voltage and wasn't delided and they could only get to 4.7GHZ.

If I had cleaner cooler power from VRM I think my CPU would do better.

Couldn't a bios update fix the power? It's all digital so I think there is room for BIOS improvement but right now things don't seem right for my over clocks on ambient temps and I am not seeing many people results with ambient temp cooling and most people seem more interested in RAM speed. I am more interested in MAX CPU over clocks.

 

[freeboy]

not sure how to test the power being "clean" but the gigabyte bios is super tweek-able as in you can make very small adjustments .. here is a link to a guide ;
http://www.overclock.net/t/1401976/the-gigabyte-z87-haswell-overclocking-oc-guide
not sure but hte chocks are all high rated..
Are you saying the z87 OC model is 8 3553? thats not right, should be 16?
good luck.. and
depending on who you bought from motherboards generaly can be returned for refund or exchange..
hope the guide helps .

 

[SonDa5]

not sure how to test the power being "clean" but the gigabyte bios is super tweek-able as in you can make very small adjustments .. here is a link to a guide ;
http://www.overclock.net/t/1401976/the-gigabyte-z87-haswell-overclocking-oc-guide
not sure but hte chocks are all high rated..
Are you saying the z87 OC model is 8 3553? thats not right, should be 16?
good luck.. and
depending on who you bought from motherboards generaly can be returned for refund or exchange..
hope the guide helps .

Z87X-OC has great BIOS for options but the VRMs are cheap, Same VRM part 3553M found in the UD3H with the same number phases for the CPU (8).

The Z87X-OC only has 8 phases for the CPU and they are the 3553M part found in cheaper mother boards like the UD3H. Understand?

 

[freeboy]

yes
sorry
the guide is a haswel oc guide

 

[kpoeticg]

Sorry but I coudn't find some of the reviews that lead me to believe the CPU VRM IR were IR3550. Vortez still shows some nice art work for the "OC" series that show IR3550.

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/gigabyte_z87x_oc_review,5.html


I really thought the "OC" series featured this IR 3550 VRM for the CPU power.

I'm guessing that the 3553M is part of the "3550" series and the 3563B would be part of the "3560" series. I am by no means any kind of expert when it comes to VRM and Power Stages (So if I'm dead wrong don't laugh at me too hard) but that's how most manufacturers market their products

not sure how to test the power being "clean" but the gigabyte bios is super tweek-able as in you can make very small adjustments .. here is a link to a guide ;
http://www.overclock.net/t/1401976/the-gigabyte-z87-haswell-overclocking-oc-guide
not sure but hte chocks are all high rated..
Are you saying the z87 OC model is 8 3553? thats not right, should be 16?
good luck.. and
depending on who you bought from motherboards generaly can be returned for refund or exchange..
hope the guide helps .

"Z87X-OC uses an 8-digital phase power design which takes advantage of a whopping 12-pin CPU EPS power allocation."

That's from the Vortez review

From everything I've read and watched the Z87X-OC is meant to be a Haswell entry-level priced OC board with really only the bare essentials of overclocking in mind. I don't think GIGABYTE "cheaped out" on the board. I think they made a reasonably priced board that's geared for overclocking on a budget with an optional top-end offering (OC-Force) that has all the bells and whistles with the pricetag to match.

 

[freeboy]

the big difference is the 8 vs 16 vrm between the two boards.. I thought the oc had 16, but it is 8..
Im glad I got the ud4h

 

[SonDa5]

the big difference is the 8 vs 16 vrm between the two boards.. I thought the oc had 16, but it is 8..
Im glad I got the ud4h

I thought the Z87X-oc had higher rated over clock vrm parts like the ones found on the force version. You did well with UD4H and I feel like I got duped by bogus marketing.

 

[freeboy]

I found an online typo and the folks honored my add because it was their own add.. online..
I had decided to pay 140$ for the board, so the 74.99$ was the clinher when I saw the add I went right in and asked for a manager.. great folks at MC..
I too would also have gotten the OC, it rates* well and I thought it was 16 like the other...
sorry about that, is there any way you can exchange?

*reviews

 

[kpoeticg]

Seems like most/all of the OC boards of the Haswell generation are also heavily geared towards LN2 and professional overclockers. I think the Z87X-OC is marketed for heavy overclockers that are looking for benchmarks/screenshots to win competitions rather than long-term stable overclocks (ie Gaming)

 

[freeboy]

well, those guys would be well off looking for a deal on a oc force.. local deal I saw was $275 open box
not a whole lot of benifit though.. some test bench funtionality... I honestly like GB but not sure whats up with 400$ plus boards... seems alot if your not doing multi gpu

 

[kpoeticg]

well, those guys would be well off looking for a deal on a oc force.. local deal I saw was $275 open box
not a whole lot of benifit though.. some test bench funtionality... I honestly like GB but not sure whats up with 400$ plus boards... seems alot if your not doing multi gpu

That's a pretty sweet deal. I'd take that in a second if there was no signs of wear from the Open Box. But you're absolutely right. The OC-Force is basically what you guys were expecting the Z87X-OC to be. An OC featured motherboard with all the top end features that non overclockers look for as well. Also don't forget about the Sniper 5.
I don't see much reason for some1 to buy the Z87X-OC if overclocking isn't a hobby or profession for them. It seems to be made for generating OC benchmarks for people that are passionate about that kinda thing. The OC-Force is a top of the line OC board with top of the line gaming features and the Sniper 5 is a top of the line Gaming board with excellent OC features

Any entry to mid-range priced board that's heavily focused in one area is gonna be sacrifing features in other areas. That's just how it is. There's a reason top of the line boards are all in the $400 range and the Z87X-OC is in the $200 range. If it had all the features you were looking for then it would be the OC-Force. It's like anything in life, if you put more in 1 pile then you're gonna have to take it from a different pile. If that makes sense.... =P

 

[freeboy]

again, no idea why I would want a sniper unless I was doing multi card.. even the sound upgrades are dwarfed by simple hdmi out... clean and I have a man cave with a large pwerful hdmi ready amp... so
again.. why would anyone, me or an other at any price want a sniper? or oc force.. unless its to do multiple 3 4 5 graphics?
I just think people get their heads ripped off in the marketplace and its too bad, but Im kinda nerdy in that I love to compare and research and shop... as long as its not shoes for my wife lol

 

[kpoeticg]

I agree about the sound upgrades. Seems like a marketing gimmick/testing the water kinda thing. Sorta like ROG's OC Key. But also, alot of people like using multiple GPU's. I myself am in the middle of a build/mod and i still haven't picked my motherboard yet. I've been waiting since the Haswell launch for the ROG Maximus VI Formula, and just found out a cpl days ago that there's no PLX Bridge for Multi-GPU configurations. Even though I'll only be building with 1 or 2 GPU's, I'd rather have the option to add more in the future if i feel the need (when my wallet recouperates from this build).

I do have an issue with all the top-end Haswell motherboards having alot of LN2 cooling features added into the price tag. I have no intentions of ever using LN2. Watercooling is perfect for my needs since i don't benchmark, and that's all LN2 cooling is really good for. So it kinda sucks that if i want a top of the line Haswell board i gotta pay a bunch of money for the ability to use Liquid Nitrogen. I'd love for one of the top of the line boards to offer EVERYTHING EXCEPT that...

And I'm pretty sure the Sniper 5 is a damn good motherboard. If it came bundled with 802.11ac capabilities instead of 802.11n like the asrock/rog boards, i probably would've already bought one. Except maybe for the included WC'ing barbs on the VRM's. I'd much rather have the threaded ports and choose my own fittings. But it seems like a top quality choice besides that. If I wasn't building from scratch and spending a bunch of money on watercooling/modding my HAF XB I'd probly grab the Sniper 5 and buy my own 802.11ac card. Same goes for the OC Force. I have the same 2 issues with both boards

 

[freeboy]

total gimmick to try to water cool those bad boys with crappy connector they give...
my 4h will do sli... and
what about giving us.. WIFI...
What I like
heavy heatsinks.
usb individually fused
16 channel vrm all digital..
oc very friendly to experienced oc through bios
test access points on board if benched...

I dont ever plan on using this for multi gpu, it will support 4 monitors now with my gb 660 ti card oc etc.... but I could see someone using a multi carded system doing video work or cad...

So, are you thinking Sniper?

 

[freeboy]

cross posted.. I may buy a decent wifi card.. Im also trying to find my old corsair memory cooler fan kit..
Im designing a simi open water build with a "punchbowl" fake waterfall, the waterfall will be real, just a seperate water loop... an illusion thats its part of the sys .. anyway good luck. I have mem in shipping... and after it arrives I can start tests..
mem on order g skill ddr3 2400 ripjaw X x x 4gig

 

[kpoeticg]

cross posted.. I may buy a decent wifi card.. Im also trying to find my old corsair memory cooler fan kit..
Im designing a simi open water build with a "punchbowl" fake waterfall, the waterfall will be real, just a seperate water loop... an illusion thats its part of the sys .. anyway good luck. I have mem in shipping... and after it arrives I can start tests..
mem on order g skill ddr3 2400 ripjaw X

WOW!! I'd love to see some pics of that. I have a UT60 280, UT60 120, and XT45 240 in the mail right now along with my Akasa Vipers and Gentle Typhoon AP-15's, acrylic panels, and a whole bunch of other stuff for setting up my build while i decide on a mobo. At this point I'm actually considering waiting on the 4820k or 4930k and maybe a Rampage VI* Extreme or EVGA X79 Classified Dark. By the time I'm finished modding my HAF XB i shouldn't have to wait long. Good luck with your build too brotha. And I REALLY would love to see some pics of that Punch Bowl thing you're talking about. You should make sure u post something in the Case Modding section =)

*Rampage IV Extreme i meant

The Asrock Extreme 9/ac is also really intriguing to me. But for the life of me I can't find a single review, preview, unboxing, or anything about it. All the reviews jump from the Extreme 6 to OC Formula....

 

[freeboy]

I am using a sic 360 radiator "shrouded", about 17 inches by 6 by 6.. after looking at cases I just said screw it and started designing a two level custom build... using an old heavy hardwood tv stand...
with rollers, swapping out my little reservoir for a 2 quart glass pre-cut sun tea .. yep and thinking about dropping it into a bath in a larger marine cooler... I have all the parts, including a 4 fan resister based adjustable power to quite the monster fans on the shroud on the radiator, in initial testing was tolerable at idle, and very loud at full out... one single pump for the single cpu water block... All hidden bellow the board on the bench.. originally designed for vcr placement so all cut and ready....
once I test on air.. de lid or no, add the water blocks test etc... then I will add a "fake" ie not the same loop, water system, no radiator etc as its only for decore... and it will be the bowl upside down being sprayed like a umbrella, add some lighing and it should look pretty... any way its a toy.. hoping to get under load cpu temps in the 70 c range.. right at oc 4.8 with a max out in the low 5's.. I know all thats theory but my supplies are trickling in ...

fyi the mem at 2400 is being blown out by Newegg at 69 shipped, I also had 7 off so Im pretty happy....
remaining questions are de lidding and what to seal it on with and ifI should try to run water off board or add other ps like I did in the past.. I like the separate ps or peace of mind...
stay in touch...

 

[kpoeticg]

If you wanna run the water off an external power source you should look at one of the Eheim water pumps or similar rebrands. I'm pretty sure that they run off AC power stock and usually need an inverter to run off a computers PSU. So you could probly just plug it into the wall. The only problem i foresee is how will that waterfall effect happen more than once? I understand about your reservoir but once it fills up there will be no more spraying, and if it doesn't fill up then won't that mean your pump will be constantly sucking air? Even though it's only aesthetic and running in its own loop, wouldn't that destroy your pump? Anyway, best of luck. And thanks for the tip on the Newegg sale. I might just have to jump on that myself!!!

If I'm wrong about the waterfall/pump/air sucking thing, forgive my ignorance. I'm still new to watercooling myself. This HAF XB build I'm doing will be my first WC'd build...

 

[freeboy]

no
two totaly seperate loops.. the waterfall is same color but diferent loop, I hae a good ps set aside just to run water....
current high power uses lang, sp? , 5 best I could get years ago .. the waterfall will look as though its part of the cooling, but it is its own loop and will not be exposed to outside .. or case air..

good luck, remember on mine the waterfall is only eye candy..

 

[SonDa5]

Seems like most/all of the OC boards of the Haswell generation are also heavily geared towards LN2 and professional overclockers. I think the Z87X-OC is marketed for heavy overclockers that are looking for benchmarks/screenshots to win competitions rather than long-term stable overclocks (ie Gaming)

Under cold it does well but in real world usage is over priced for its features and and cheap parts.

The Z87X-OC Force is much better for real world usage and has many nice features that don't really matter for competitive over clocking.

I would be happy with my Z87X-OC if it at least had the VRM digital power parts IR3550 that are found on the Force. It would only be 8 of them vs. the 16 found on the Force. Is that too much to ask?