"More often than not, the staff at Legit Reviews get the chance to look at the 'high end' components for computers. The companies like to push the products with the most bells and whistles, while this is great for the guys with unlimited budgets to spend or who want the best of the best regardless of cost. Those of us who like to get the best bang for the buck are kind of left out, as there aren't many reviews out there for us. Unfortunately we don't always have the chance or the time to look at the more budget orientated products. So we took some time away from the high end products, got our hands on some 'budget' motherboards that we can put through the paces! Today we are going to look at a couple of the more budget friendly motherboards out there. Each of these boards can be picked up for right around $100 or so. While they may be aimed towards the budget minded, we are going to put them through the paces and see how they hold up in our usual tests and of course some overclocking!
We are going to be looking at three Intel Z77 motherboards that can all be purchased for under $100 before shipping. The three boards today will include the ASRock Z77 Pro3, BIOSTAR TZ77B, and the GIGABYTE Z77-DS3H. All three of the motherboards are considered full ATX though their dimensions are slightly under the full ATX measurement of 305mm x 244mm (12in x 9.6in). The ASRock Z77 Pro3 measures only 12in x 7.6in, the BIOSTAR TZ77B measures 12in x 8.6in, and the GIGABYTE Z77-DS3H measures 12in x 8.5in. By keeping the PCB smaller, the companies are able to save some money on the production costs of each of the boards and pass the savings along to the end user. They may be losing some precious real estate on the motherboard, but they aren't trying to pack as many 'extras' on to the board."
