As far as failure goes, RMA is far from unknown for any board fabricator. I don't know why certain people at the marketing show came up with that reasoning: People offer their own peculiar prejudices and beliefs--many won't touch AMD at all and would refer you to Intel and nVidia, exclusively, for all of your self-build proc needs--they may practically insist, even.
One thing I know is that, generally, AMD/ATi provides more "bang for the buck" mojo--currently, though, Intel and nVidia offer the very best products in CPUs and VPUs--those products certainly will lighten one's wallet, though--crucifying it, really! (AMD has made many stupid mistakes in the past (letting brilliant talent leave, for one thing): That hurts them badly, now.)
I'd say that Gigabyte has improved markedly over the last few years--their marketing indicates the use of solid Japanese capacitors and a good amount of copper. I'm using a "value" Gigabyte board for an AM3 sys with Win XP now and got a free dual-core from a single-core $25+ Sargas--thanks to the particular chipset, a BIOS option, and Gigabyte. (Other fabricator's boards with the same chipset likely could have done that, too)--that kind of thing is a huge favor for self-builders. In the last few decades, people have gravitated wisely to results--less to those with credentials and to what such"experts" may say! The web will continue to level many playing fields by offering knowledge and the often-wise "crucible" of consensus!
If anything, users may note that Gigabyte's boards may prove somewhat spartan (lacking some features found in some others).
This board you mention is considerably cheaper than the ASUS Sabertooth--a favorite at this time. It seems to me that the Sabertooth offers more in the way of passive board heatsinks....
Given your interest in gaming, aren't MSI and DFI close to the top of that heap (as far as gaming heritage and anecdotes go)--if not on the top? Certainly, though, ASUS, Gigabyte, and most other fabricators, cater heavily to gamers, too--they may perform very well in that arena, too! I like many fabricators--for the most part, I've had very good fortune.
ASUS and MSI (and, Gigabyte) have branched out into other products besides PCBs--this offers more marketing opportunities--more opportunities for wealth--more resources thus prove available for R&D and efficiency savings. More money-making "pillars" hold such enterprises up! Such facts aren't lost on other fabricators!
As for what people tell you--you must consider their motivations: Gigabyte may prove cheaper than other makes--such a fact thus offers less place for a company to hide profits. Simply that such people may be hawking other fabricators' offerings certainly is another motivation to criticize, too. Really, these days many shrewd merchants take the opposite tack--they wisely may say nothing about competing makes or may even "tip their hats" to offer respect and praise!
Concerning belief, if one has actual experience and knowledge, belief proves unneccessary--do these people have the current, actual valid experience and knowledge to impart this belief to you, after all? Maybe their bad experiences occurred in the past. I had some difficulties with an AGP Gigabyte board, years ago--I tended to avoid the company's products afterwards. The thing is that now is not then--I find that that old belief no longer "holds water!"
