GIGABYTE Z68AP-D3 MOTHER BOARD

             If the Best Value award were to be given to a motherboard without considering the layout, the Zotac Z68-ITX would have definitely won instead of the Gigabyte Z68AP-D3. The price difference is a marginal Rs 200 and the Zotac model's feature-set is way better, but it lost out simply because of its size, which slightly limits its expansion possibilities. A good look at the table of scores reveals that the Zotac entrant ranked second best in sheer performance and would have been close enough to bag the Best Value award if the Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 had not been present. Well, the Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 won this roundup’s value award, and it deserves to due to its low price. Except for an average quality (and poorly mounted) heatsink, the board's highlight is a very good layout. It also has a large number of expansion slots, which is beneficial for a multi-GPU rig and for installation of additional expansion cards. The rear panel shows a very small set of features, with just two USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports and single HDMI interface apart from the other standard ports. Also, unlike the rest of the contenders, this motherboard features 6-channel audio instead of 8-channel. The Z68AP-D3 unfortunately doesn't feature a modern UEFI BIOS or have any options to save overclocking profiles. The motherboard also does not feature an OC button. This boards seems good for building a simple home gaming rig or an HTPC. But on the other hand, its most unique feature is that its overall performance can be further enhanced by adding an SSD module to the mSATA connector. If you are looking for a motherboard on a budget and don’t plan on any extreme gaming, we would advise opting for the Zotac Z68-ITX instead of this one because of its better performance and richer feature-set. But if you are concerned about the board's layout and might ever consider upgrading to a mult-GPU setup, the Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 will prove to be a better choice in the long run.
VERDICT: A good motherboard for building a decent multi-GPU gaming rig at a budget price.
FOR: Good layout, mSATA connector.
AGAINST: No UEFI BIOS, 5.1-channel audio, only HDMI video output.

SPECIFICATIONS
Memory support: up to 32 GB; Video ports: 1 x HDMI; Expansion
slots: 2 x PCIe x16, 3 x PCIe x1, 2 x PCI; SATA: 4 x 3 GB/s, 2 x 6
GB/s; USB: 10 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0; Audio: 5.1-channel; mSATA
connector: yes.