Gigabyte EP45-UD3R (Intel P45)
Author:
Date: 10.11.2008 |
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Performance tests
While determining the starting FSB speed, the board overstated it by 0.3 MHz.
In our test setup, we used the following hardware:
Besides the board in question, we used Gigabyte EP45-Extreme and MSI P45 Diamond (both based on the Intel P45 chipset).
Now on to the gaming benchmarks.
Tests of application software.
Video encoding (DivX, Xvid) was measured in seconds, i.e. the less the better.
Data compression (WinRAR) was measured in Kb/sec, i.e. the more, the better.
Final Words
Unfortunately, Gigabyte EP45-UD3R is still missing in the Russian retail. That makes it impossible to verify the price versus the package bundle. Besides, the lack of the price does not allow to judge how a motherboard of the Ultra Durable 3 series is more attractive to its analog that does not support this technology. The thing is, regular motherboards by Gigabyte offer a good kit of power-saving features and also support the respective Intel features. Therefore, to make up for the price difference, a motherboard that offers the Ultra Durable 3 technology should run trouble-free for at least half a year. All in all, we leave these matters for a roundup comparative overview of motherboards based on the P45/X48 chipsets and formulate conclusions regarding the EP45-UD3R itself.
From the technical viewpoint, we found nothing to complain about this board. We note the high level of stability and performance, as well as powerful expansion options. At the same time, the board supports numerous proprietary technologies by Gigabyte, offers an efficient system for cooling the chipset, and a power converter. The PWM itself is powerful enough, which is confirmed by the results of overclocking. By the way, overclocking - is one more merit of Gigabyte EP45-UD3R: it easily coped the FSB=550 MHz.
However, there is the only point which needs to be mentioned separately. The buyer of Gigabyte EP45-UD3R should be confident that he won't need the AMD CrossFire technology or installation of the second video card in the near future. The thing is, the board has no second PEG slot, since the board belongs to the middle-end class. In fact, those who wish to align the CrossFire(X) and the advantages of the Ultra Durable 3 may be interested by EP45(T)-UD3P (the version with the letter T in the name is able operating with the DDR3 memory).
Conclusion
Pros:
- high stability and good performance level;
- support for SerialATA II/RAID ( 8 links; ICH10R + JMB 363);
- support for one P-ATA link (JMB363);
- integrated 8-channel audio and Gigabit Ethernet LAN controller;
- support for USB2.0 (12 ports) and IEEE-1394 (Firewire; 3 ports);
- a rich selection of Gigabyte's proprietary technologies (C.I.A 2, EasyTune 6, FaceWizard, @BIOS, etc.);
- support for Ultra Durable 3, Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced, DualBIOS;
- functional rear panel.
Cons:
- delays in the BIOS interface;
The board's specific features:
- excellent overclocking results;
- Discuss the material in the conference
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