So far this year we have had the privilege of reviewing the entry-level GIGABYTE Z170-HD3, the gaming-oriented Z170X-Gaming 3, and the still gamer-focused but slightly higher-end Z170X-Gaming 5.

All of these proved to be very good motherboards in their respective niches, so it shouldn't come as any surprise that we have been looking forward to reviewing another one of GIGABYTE's offerings. With this in mind, we are happy to present you with the Z170X-UD5 TH, which retails for about $200 USD / $265 CAD. While this model shares a lot of DNA with its Z170X-UD5 sibling, it is the cutting-edge connectivity options that really make it special.

As you may have figured out, the "TH" in this motherboard's model name stands for Thunderbolt. What you may not know is that the Z170X-UD5 TH was actually world's first Intel Thunderbolt 3 certified motherboard. This was accomplished by using the well-known Intel Alpine Ridge controller. While many motherboards use this chip for its USB 3.1 capabilities, very few use it to add Thunderbolt support since it requires two more PCI-E lanes and some hefty power regulation components. The new Thunderbolt 3.0 standard provides 40Gbps per port, uses the future-proof USB Type-C connector, and has versatile capabilities like video output, external storage, daisy-chaining, and high wattage power delivery. Even if you don't need it now, with this level of flexibility it is a good investment for the future.