Gigabyte usually has their motherboards pretty feature filled throughout their product range, and while very high-end boards do pack exceptional hardware, when it comes to their budget line, they certainly don’t skimp.

Today I’ll be looking at the GA-Z77X-UD3H motherboard that comes in as one of Gigabyte’s entry level boards for Intel’s Ivy (and Sandy) Bridge processors. From the name you must have obviously derived that this model comes with the Z77 chipset, so all the bells & whistles like native USB 3.0 & SATA III support, plus Lucid Virtu MVP as well as Intel Rapid Start Technology.

Of course, there’s also an mSATA port that allows you to connect an mSATA SSD giving you access to a hybrid system whereby data is cached on the SSD from your primary (mechanical) hard drive, using Intel’s Smart Response Technology.