CPU Cooler Fit and Included Accessories
CPU Cooler Fit
To test the amount of space surrounding the CPU socket, we mounted the Noctua NH-D14 cooler to the CPU socket. This behemoth CPU air cooler sports a dual fan construction and two huge vertical cooling towers.
When running the unit blowing air towards the rear panel, there is sufficient room along the front, back, and left sides of the cooler to accommodate any installed peripherals. The primary PCI-Express x16 slot remains usable with the cooler seated, but you may have issues removing the card from the system when using such a large cooler. Also, notice how close some of the cooler fan clips are to the back surface of the video card.
While the front of the cooler and front fan are close in proximity to the memory modules, there is sufficient room to accommodate memory modules with larger heat spreaders installed. However, you may want to use memory modules with small heat spreaders if you choose to populate all slots.
The Noctua hold down mounts provide a good measure of how much space is located in between the physical CPU socket and the VRM heat sinks. While the mounts do appear to get close in proximity to the chokes and VRM heat sinks, there is more then enough room to accommodate the mounting cage.
Since there are no components placed on the underside of the board, there is no issue with the cooler back plate mounting.
Included Accessories
GIGABYTE includes all the board accessories you need to get the G1.Sniper 5 up and running out of the box.
Bundled in with the G1.Sniper 5 are multiple manuals and install discs containing information for the motherboard and included 802.11n Wi-Fi card. The motherboard manual contains sufficient information to get the board up and running, but is not as detailed on the more esoteric areas of the board and BIOS. With such a feature-rich high-end board, you expect the motherboard manual to detail out everything.
The rear panel shield is a flat black color with port holes for the PS/2, USB 3.0, and analog audio ports labeled in white lettering for easy identification.
GIGABYTE included a total of six 6Gb/s rated SATA cables for use with the integrated port. The cables have integrated port locks and a mix of straight and 90 degree connectors.
For multi-GPU use, GIGABYTE includes two-way, three-way, and four-way NVIDIA SLI cables as well as a single two-way AMD CrossFire cable.
To take advantage of the on board USB 3.0 headers integrated into the board, GIGABYTE packages in a 3.5 inch front panel bracket with mounting screws containing additional USB 3.0 ports.
For customizing the audio experience through the rear panel audio ports, GIGABYTE includes two OP-AMP chips and a chip puller tool. By default, GIGABYTE includes the Burr-Brown OPA2134PA OP-AMP chip mounted to the board with the LM4562 OP-AMP chip included in the external packaging along with the extractor tool.
For attaching to wireless and Bluetooth-based networks, GIGABYTE included a PCI-Express x1 card with an Atheros-based PCIe module and dual antenna ports and their dual-plug antennae. The included cable is used to attach to the one of the on board USB 2.0 headers to help power the module and to provide additional monitoring capabilities. The antenna screws directly into the provided ports on the PCIe card and can be swiveled in a 180 degree arc for optimal signal reception.
Hey guys, thanks for the
Hey guys, thanks for the great reviews. They are really helpful, much appreciated.
I’m relatively new to pc gaming but I am addicted. It is vastly superior to consoles and I will never go back. I started with a gaming laptop in 2011 and I am ready to upgrade to a monster Desktop.
I have been researching all year and I know CES is around the corner and I will wait until after for some news BUT I’m tired of waiting. I am planning on placing an order month.
I want to build a MONEY IS NO OBJECT gaming rig based on the Z87 platform with the Nvidia 780 Ti classified card. I was hopeing for a 6GB card but again I’m tired of waiting.
The trouble I’m having is deciding on the motherboard.
What is the BEST motherboard out there for gaming.
Features I would like:
Good on board audio
Upgraded NIC on board for low latency (I’m a BF4 fenatic)
Good overclocking
Maximus extreme, Formula, Gigabyte Sniper or Msi Gaming???
Thank you.
The Sniper may offer you the
The Sniper may offer you the best mix of features since it has the upgradable OP-AMP so you can customize the audio experience and the integrated Killer NIC allowing for network traffic tweaking. However, any of the board's mentioned would give you a good gaming experience.
Make sure to pair the board with a good CPU and a strong PSU as well.
Good luck…
Morry,
This is a fantastic
Morry,
This is a fantastic review Morry! Objective and extraordinarily detailed. As with Ryan, Josh and and Allyn, I have an immense amount of respect for your journalistic integrity, professionalism and the top-tier reviews you publish. You’re handwork does not go unnoticed. I just wanted to articulate my appreciate for your devotion to PCper and it’s audience. not only you but the top-tier reviews you publish.
Question:
I’ve been eyeing parts and so far I’m rather interested in the feature set of the ROG Hero motherboard. What do you think of Asus’s “entry-level” ROG board? Would you suggest anything else at the ~$200 price level? So far I haven’t found anything with such a rich feature set and great software suite.
– Stewart Graham