Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P

There are certain products in every category that somehow manage to attain legendary, if not mythical stature. In the Intel socket based motherboard world that status is frequently obtained not by feature count, not by component selection, not by build quality, but by an ethereal capability to do one thing well: overclock the pins off the latest generation of Intel CPU. The fact that this capability is inextricably linked to the skill of the person tweaking the BIOS, and in many cases is difficult to repeat, only seems to add to the legend. Just as it is impossible to predict which aspiring new actor or actress will become the new darling of the Hollywood glitterati, there is an element of chance as to which motherboard among the many on offer will grab the brass ring. GIGABYTE Technologies Inc. offers 24 version of P45 based Socket 775 motherboards, yet one of them is a diva of the overclocking community. Benchmark Reviews is pleased to bring you our findings on the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P motherboard.

Gigabyte Technologies Inc. is well known to the PC enthusiast community. This is not the first of their products that achieved near cult status; their GA-P35-DS3L motherboard was equally heralded back in the days of 65nM dual-cores. The barrier to entry for the overclocking community was completely bowled over by the appearance of the P35 chipset and Intel's E21X0 series of CPUs. Suddenly, it was so cheap and simple to put a giant-killer PC together, everyone was doing it. This was my first experience with overclocking (absent the Turbo button on my ‘486...), and I have to say I was spoiled by how easy it was, at least with these three exceedingly robust bits of hardware at the core of my system. If you tried, and couldn't get a stable 50% overclock with that combo, just give it up and go home.

Just to give some perspective on how popular these motherboards are, one well known site devoted to overclocking has collected over 1000 posts and 50,000+ page views during the last two months in the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P Overclocking Guide topic. The GA-P35-DS3L thread has over 3500 posts and 300,000+ page views since 11/07. Clearly, Gigabyte has had a couple winners in this market segment. There are other stars in the universe, of course; Gigabyte does not have a monopoly in this or any other market segment. There is heavy of competition in the industry, and the combination of technology and a competitive marketplace has yielded unprecedented advances, that I think have eclipsed any other human endeavor in recorded history.

Let's take a good look at what Gigabyte Technologies has brought to the game with their GA-EP45-UD3P product.

About GIGABYTE Technologies Inc.

Gigabyte United Inc., established in December 2006, is assuming the GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd. Brand, which for the past 20 years has been a world-renowned leader in the motherboard industry. Continuing to focus on its core businesses of GIGABYTE branded motherboards and graphics cards, Gigabyte United Inc. is committed to providing our valued customers with the highest quality products and services featuring the industry's most innovative design.

In order to meet the challenges of today's intensely competitive channel market, Gigabyte United Inc. fully utilizes its key assets including its cutting-edge research and development team as well as its professional sales and marketing resources to continue to develop technologies to fit a complete range of digital life solutions. Now and for the future, Gigabyte United Inc. will continue to embody the unique spirit and culture, which has made Gigabyte one of the foremost brands in the industry.

More information about Gigabyte is available by visiting their website.

Gigabyte P45 Features

I mentioned earlier the high level of competition in the PC component industry. No first tier, or even second tier company would dare to introduce a product into this marketplace without some differentiating features to set their product apart. Many times, the marketing hype outshines the real features and benefits provided, but at the level that the GA-EP45-UD3P plays in, you can't get away with that. The type of enthusiast that buys this level of product, does their research on sites like Benchmark Reviews and knows exactly what they are buying and why. Gigabyte includes a generous variety of real and significant features in the GA-EP45-UD3P motherboard:

1. Ultra Durable 3 technology with 2 oz copper PCB for 50°C cooler working temperature
2. Dynamic Energy Saver (Advanced) featuring hardware based Dynamic 6-Gear switching
3. Dynamic Energy Saver LED display on the motherboard. Allows users to see dynamic gear shifting in real-time. As each of the six gears is activated, a color-coded LED lights up.
4. Supports 45nm Intel Core 2TM multi-core processors with FSB 1600 MHz
5. Native support for dual channel to DDR2 1366+
6. PCI-Express (2.0) x16 graphic interface with CrossFireX support (2x8)
7. 6X SATA 3.0 on ICH10R with RAID Function (RAID 0, 1, 5, 10)
8. 2X SATA 3.0 on GIGABYTE SATA2 with RAID Function (RAID 0, 1, JBOD)
9. Built-in TPM chip with 2048bits encryption
10. 2x Gigabit Ethernet LAN (Realtek 8111C Controller)
11. 50,000 hour lifespan Japanese solid capacitors
12. Lower rDS(on) MOSFETs; Lower temperature, smaller size, better thermal characteristics
13. Ferrite Core Choke; Reduced core energy loss, Lower EMI
14. DualBIOS solution gives multiple security
15. Hardware Overvoltage Control provides voltage control options on CPU, Northbridge and RAM
16. Supports Dolby Home Theater audio
17. Blu-ray playback supported by high quality 106dB SNR ALC889A HD audio

The basic architecture of the Intel P45 chipset provides a full set of capabilities, including compatibility with the new Intel ICH10R I/O controller.

GA-EP45-UD3P Specifications

Time to give your eyes a break from all these specs and take a closer look at the actual product: the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P in all it's unmasked glory.

Closer Look: GA-EP45-UD3P

True Confessions: "I'm a sucker for anything blue anodized." Take this new case from Lian Li, for example; one look and I was a goner. So far 80% of the people who see it hate it, with a similar level of passion. But me, all I see is BLUE.... So, notice anything about the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P? Those heat sinks look like a perfect match for that nice new case, eh? Even the printed circuit board is a nice pleasing shade of blue.

There are a variety of colors used for the various electrical connectors, I count ten different hues. It's reasonably tame, compared to some Gigabyte boards in the past and others from their competitors. The bright colors help me, when I'm lying on the floor in the dark, trying to hook up another HDD to the system and I forgot to grab my (blue anodized) Maglite. To me, the color coding looks functional and well thought out. Here's an example of why I think that; all the non-descript beige connectors are for things that I rarely have to change, or won't use at all, once the motherboard is installed: COM, FDD, PCI, PCI-E x1, ATX-2X12, and ATX-12V-2X4. All the bright colors are used to highlight connections that I will probably need to access on a more regular basis.

One of the primary selling points to the Gigabyte P45 boards is that they officially support Intel's Core 2 Multi-Core and 45nM processors with 1600 MHz front side bus (FSB) speeds. Only the most expensive Intel processors advertise (and certify) this high of a Front Side Bus, but most will support 1600 MHz and higher via overclocking. Indeed, the P45 chipset, and this board in particular, are known for being able to run FSBs over 2400 MHz. These thermal imaging shots show one benefit of the Ultra Durable 3 feature set, a cooler running motherboard, which is one of the reasons it's such an overclocking monster.

The GA-EP45-UD3P offers two PCI-Express (2.0) slots with CrossFireX support. The first PCI Express slot offers 16 lanes of bandwidth, and the second offers 8 lanes. Used together for multiple video cards, the first one throttles back to 8x, to accommodate the 16 lane limit of the P45 Northbridge. While not the most powerful solution out there, it will work well with all mid-level ATI CrossFireX configurations. Hardcore gamers will wish for 16x out of each slot for their dual 4870X2 cards, but I dare say they will not be looking too closely at a mid-level board like this, anyway. There are three PCI Express 1x slot, at least two of them are usable if your video card is of the single slot variety.

The UD3P features the third generation of Gigabyte's Ultra Durable feature set. The combination of premium brand solid capacitors, ferrite core chokes, low rDS (ON) power MOSFETs, and the exclusive use of 2oz copper traces in the power and ground layers of the PCB add up to a cool running, low noise platform for the primary components.

The Silent-Pipe thermal cooling solution covers the P45 Northbridge and one bank of CPU power MOSFETs. The second bank has to make do with a passive heatsink (blue, of course), and the ICH10R Southbridge has a similar, but smaller, passive heatsink mounted on it. Two pairs of DDR2 DIMM sockets are available, color-coded red and orange, and they are located a good distance away from the CPU socket. I was pleased to see this, as my GA-P35-DS3L board had the DIMM sockets too close to the CPU and I always had to squeak the second set of DIMMs in tight up against t he CPU cooler. On this board there is tons of room for even the most over-the-top RAM and CPU cooling schemes.

The back of the GA-EP45-UD3P has nothing more than a single support brace for the Silent-Pipe heatsink mounted on the Northbridge. Early versions of the board came with plastic push-pins for the Northbridge mount, but the heatsink is now more securely fastened with machine screws. Cooling of the Northbridge is an important aspect of this boards reputation; it is known for pushing very high FSB speeds, which is very helpful in extracting the last drop of performance from the cheaper Quad Cores that have lower FSB multipliers.

Now let's take a look at some of the features on the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P in more detail.

EP45-UD3P Detailed Features

The Intel P45 Express chipset may not get top billing in the press kits but it is a capable performer that supports the main components with a very solid foundation. P45 chipsets are manufactured by a 65-nM fabrication process, an improvement over the 90nM process used for the P35 chips. This has improved the thermal performance of the chips, which is one reason they are such willing overclockers. The transistor count has increased, but the thermal dissipation hasn't grown much: P45 TDP = 22 W (9 W idle) versus P35 TDP = 16 W (~6 W idle).

When you add the Intel ICH10R Southbridge chipset, with its support for SATA II RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 configurations and the Advanced Host Controller Interface (ACHI) for HDDs that support this function, you have a pretty modern and robust environment for the latest 45nM CPUs and 1200+ MHz RAM Modules. You also have a versatile chipset that can get the absolute maximum performance from any legacy components that you may want to use.

The Ultra Durable 3 components and Silent Pipe heat sinking add reliability to this Gigabyte product, by keeping the support components cooler. The Dynamic Energy Saver (DES) Advanced feature allows you reduce heat generation and power consumption automatically, by cutting back power phases at the main board level. This has the side benefit of saving electricity, particularly if you have temperature sensing fan controllers for your CPU and case fans. Let's continue our closer look at some of the functionality Gigabyte has implemented in the GA-EP45-UD3P motherboard.

Surrounding the processor socket there are high quality power supply components which, used together, offer a highly reliable, high performance power system for all the major subsystems on the board. For the chokes, GIGABYTE uses ferrite chokes, which are comprised of a compound of iron-oxide and other metal elements, and whose properties hold energy much longer than common iron-core chokes at high frequency. This means there is reduced core energy loss and lower EMI for extended system reliability.

State of the art, low rDS (ON) MOSFETs provide the switching for the six-phase power supply circuit, which is the heart of Gigabytes DES feature. These power semiconductors, which are hidden below the heatsinks, have a lower resistance from Drain to Source in the ON state, which is abbreviated rDS (ON) in industry specs. This means they dissipate less power as waste heat, while passing electrical current to the load. They are used throughout the board, for the CPU, the memory modules, the North and Southbridge, and anywhere there is a significant current requirement.

Japanese manufactured SMD solid state capacitors are used throughout this board, at every location. They contain a solid organic polymer, have a low equivalent series resistance (ESR), and their 50,000 hour service life rating means they will likely outlast the useful life of the GA-EP45-UD3P.

Going from left to right on the I/O panel, there is not an overabundance of connections available, but a generous set, at least. PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports are still made available, which is handy when starting up a new system, if the MB has trouble connecting to a USB KB and mouse. A total of eight High-Speed USB 2.0 ports populate the I/O panel, with another four available on two motherboard headers.

There are two IEEE-1394 Firewire ports on the I/O panel; a 4-pin and a 6-pin version. The 6-Pin is the larger of the two, and is commonly used on larger, stationary devices, such as 3.5" external HDDs. The smaller, 4-Pin connection is used more often on smaller, portable devices, such as HD video recorders and some high end digital cameras. There is also an additional motherboard header available to connect to an IEEE-1394 port on your computer case I/O panel, if one is supported.

Dual Realtek 8111C Gigabit Ethernet LAN connections with Teaming functionality are supplied, with activity and link speed indicators at the corner of each RJ-45 port. With teaming functionality enabled, the two single connections can operate as one for twice the bandwidth, which improves the overall throughput with lower CPU utilization and adds network fault tolerance to prevent downtime by transferring the workload from a failed port to a working port.

Gigabyte includes the high-definition Realtek ALC889A audio controller on the GA-EP45-UD3P with support for Dolby Home Theater. This audio chipset may be integrated, but with a featured 106 dB Signal to Noise ratio over eight channels it is anything but low-end. Digital audio is output in two varieties: optical and coaxial S/PDIF connectors. Realtek's ALC889A offers support for both Blu-ray and HD DVD playback. Additional S/PDIF connections for digital audio IN and digital audio OUT are available on the motherboard, and can be used for internal connections to a video card for full HDMI compatibility, or Gigabyte has an external bracket with coaxial connectors for input and output available.

External SATA connectors are not part of the I/O panel; however Gigabyte has included an eSATA brackets with the GA-EP45-UD3P accessories. On each bracket, there are two eSATA ports available with a 4-pin Molex power connector between them.

In the next section, component layout is examined, an area that is all too often an unexpected weakness for some motherboards.

EP45-UD3P Components

Gigabyte has stuck with a pretty traditional layout on the GA-EP45-UD3P motherboard. The basic ATX format doesn't allow for too much variation, and to be honest I've seen more of the "creative" solutions turn out poorly than not. Traditional doesn't have to mean mediocre, however; careful attention to detail makes all the difference when it comes to the design of such a complex system.

The first reality check on component layout is how well the thermal package has been integrated, and I give Gigabyte high marks for the GA-EP45-UD3P. The heatsinks and heat pipe are modest in scope and do not intrude on either the CPU space or the DIMM space.

The DIMM slots are well clear of the CPU space and I had no problems filling all four slots with high profile RAM like Corsair Dominator of OCZ Reaper HPC modules. I used a CoolerMaster Hyper 212 CPU cooler on this build and it is fairly wide, at 73mm between the two 120mm x 25mm fans I have mounted in push-pull. By comparison, the XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 is only 50mm wide, so most any CPU HSF cooling option you choose should fit on the GA-EP45-UD3P.

The "CLR CMOS" button, which allows the user to clear the custom settings of the BIOS and start over from scratch, is not a button at all, but an old fashioned two pin header near the obligatory front panel header. This is one example where tradition could be improved. The front panel header is half way to class leading convenience. All the header pins are contained in a rectangular box, that is color coded, with nice, big + signs identifying the positive pin. I'm thinking of adding some thin colored stickers to the mating sleeves from my case wiring, and I'll never have to look at the product manual for this chore again.

Gigabyte uses bright Canary-yellow plastics to identify the six Intel ICH10R SATA II ports. All six SATA connections are mounted in a traditional upright position. They are well positioned, just to the north of the PCI-E 8X slot and didn't interfere with my ASUS EAH4850 TOP video card when I mounted it in that slot.

The two purple SATA II ports are connected to the GIGABYTE SATA2 chip, provided by JMicron. They are also mounted in a traditional upright position and are located just north of the PCI-E 16X slot. Again, they didn't interfere with my ASUS EAH4850 TOP video card when I mounted it in that slot. This chip also manages the PATA interface controller for up to two ATA-66/100/133 devices.

I used several combinations of storage and optical drives throughout this test, using sometimes four SATA connections and an IDE connection on one occasion. I never had a circumstance where I couldn't use any one of the ports. This seems like it would be a given, I mean why put them there if they can't be used. In this day and age though, there are still products being sold that can't meet this standard.

Last but not least, an iTE IT8718 chip manages the floppy drive interface. It seems like a waste of real estate to me, but I know there are still situations with RAID drivers and such, where a floppy drive makes the installation/update process a bit simpler. The layout of all the remaining headers is along the bottom edge of the board, where it is generally easy to route cables and wires to. From left to right we have: CD_IN, S/PDIF_IN, COM_A, LPT, FDD, 1394, F_USB_2, F_USB_1, and the previously described front panel header box.

In the next section, Benchmark Reviews takes a look at the BIOS included with the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P, and we come away mightily impressed.

GA-EP45-UD3P BIOS

If you're an overclocking enthusiast, then you need to be aware about capabilities of the motherboard BIOS. The BIOS never makes it onto the front page of the news release, it never gets a mention on the slick product packaging, it never gets displayed at CES, but it has a big influence on how well you are going to get along with your new system. All of the heatsinks and heat-pipes will not have the impact over the ability to achieve a decent overclock, to the same degree as a well designed BIOS will. And you get a bonus with this Gigabyte motherboard; not just one BIOS, but two, a main and a back-up BIOS.

The first thing that any hardware enthusiast or overclocker should to do is investigate the latest BIOS available from the manufacturer. In some instances, the latest BIOS will only be found on special support forums, and you won't see any mention of it in the official product documentation on the manufacturer's website. That's just downright cruel, IMHO.

The board I received had the latest officially released BIOS installed, F6. The latest BIOS that was released into the wild, so-to-speak was F7c, a Beta version. I did some research and found universal agreement that it was (seemingly) stable; the first rule of driver and BIOS updates is "Do No Harm". Then I did some benchmarks with the F6 BIOS, updated to F7c, and repeated the benchmarks and did some stability testing. Guess what....no change. Like many firmware updates, the changes are related to bug fixes, where the device reacts badly in one or two limited scenarios. (Video card driver updates are another matter, altogether!) In my case, I did not have any of the problems associated with the F6 BIOS, so I saw no difference.

Gigabyte puts all of its system tuning parameters on the Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker (MIT) section of the Award BIOS. This is the main page of that section; there are several sub-pages, especially with regard to memory timings and voltage control. There is no question that this BIOS, in either version, is a tweaker's paradise. I freely admit that there are people who know 10-100 times more than I do about BIOS tweaking, yet within an hour or so of muddling around, I was able to get the E7300 and the memory performing better than I could with the GA-EP35-DS3L that I've known and loved for about a year. I mean, some things are so easy; for instance the "Fine CPU Clock Ratio" allows you to dial in an extra 0.5 into the CPU multiplier, as long as you don't exceed the maximum multiplier for the chip. BAM, an extra 200MHz, bringing the 7300 up to a stable 3.8GHz overclock with a bog-standard FSB to work with when adjusting memory ratios and timings.

We last saw this level of control in the Gigabyte GA-EP45T-EXTREME motherboard review here on Benchmark Reviews. Even though that board supports DDR3 memory, as befits its EXTREME status, Gigabyte did not hold back on memory support in the BIOS for this DDR2 board. They get top marks for this BIOS, and for the fact that they don't make you buy a high end board, just to get this high level of functionality.

In the next section, Benchmark Reviews begins testing the GA-EP45-UD3P, and we compare it against a prior darling of the overclocking society, which used the Intel P35 chipset. Please continue on to find out how this P45 motherboard compares to its spiritual kin, the GA-P35-DS3L.

Testing Methodology

At the start of all tests, the HDD (or SSD) is loaded with a fesh image of the OS, with standard VGA drivers. Then chipset drivers are loaded and any other drivers needed for the support hardware. Then a known good version of the video card drivers is installed, and all necessary security updates are installed. Finally, all the benchmarking applications are installed, and that's it. This is not your Father's PC, it doen't need Word, Excel and Powerpoint... Once the hardware is prepared and checked for stability, we begin our testing. With higher-end products we conduct tests at the following resolutions: 1280x1024 (19" Standard LCD), 1680x1050 (22-24" Widescreen LCD), and 1920x1200 (24-28" Widescreen LCD). In the high resolution tests we utilized widescreen monitor resolutions, since more users are beginning to feature these products for their own computing.

Each benchmark test program begins after a system restart, and the very first result for every test will be ignored since it often only caches the test. This process is extremely important in the Crysis benchmarks, as the first run serves to cache maps, allowing subsequent tests to perform much better than the first. Each test is completed five times, with the average results displayed in our article.

Our site polls and statistics indicate that the over 90% of our visitors use their PC for playing video games, and practically every one of you are using a screen resolutions mentioned above. Since all of the benchmarks we use for testing represent different game engine technology and graphic rendering processes, I feel that this battery of tests will provide a diverse range of results for you to gauge performance on your own computer system. Since most gamers and enthusiasts are still using Windows XP, it was decided that DirectX 9 would be used for all tests until demand and software support improve for Windows Vista.

Test System

• Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Rev 1.1
• System Memory: 4X 1GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 800MHz (4-4-4-12)
• Processor: Intel E7300 Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz (Overclocked to 3.6+ GHz)
• CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 RR-CCH-LB12-GP
• Audio: On-Board Realtek ALC889A Audio
• Video: ASUS EAH4850 TOP 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E 2.0
• Drive 1: OCZ Core v2 SSD, 30GB (OS and Programs)
• Drive 2: Seagate ST3750330AS 750GB 7200.11 (Cache and Data)
• Optical Drive: Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7190A-OB 20X IDE DVD Burner
• Enclosure: SiverStone Fortress FT01BW ATX Case
• PSU: Corsair CMPSU-750TX ATX12V V2.2 750Watt
• Monitor: SOYO 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor (DYLM24E6) 1920X1200
• Operating System: Windows XP SP3

Note: I did all benchmark testing with the Intel ICH10R controller pushing the SSD and HDD around. I did some drive benchmarking between the Intel and JMicron controller, but that's for another article. Suffice it to say; if you are using an SSD, load the OS and programs on it, and hook it up to the ICH10R.

Benchmark Applications

• 3DMark06 v1.1.0 (8x Anti Aliasing & 16x Anisotropic Filtering)
• PCMark05 v1.2.0 System Test Suite for Windows XP
• Crysis v1.21 Benchmark (High Settings, 4X and No Anti Aliasing)
• Devil May Cry 4 Benchmark Demo (Ultra Quality, 8x MSAA)
• Lightsmark 2008 v2.0
• CINEBENCH Release 10
• EVEREST Ultimate Edition v4.60.1594 Beta
  

Support Equipment

• P3 International Kill A Watt EZ (model P4460)
• Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Rev 2.0
• 2X 1GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 800MHz (3-4-3-9)
• 2X 1GB OCZ Reaper HPC DDR2 1150MHz (5-5-5-15)

3DMark06 Benchmark Results

3DMark is a computer benchmark by Futuremark (formerly named Mad Onion) to determine the DirectX 9 performance of 3D game performance with graphics cards. 3DMark06 uses advanced real-time 3D game workloads to measure PC performance using a suite of DirectX 9 3D graphics tests, CPU tests, and 3D feature tests.

3DMark06 tests include HDR / Shader Model 3.0 graphics tests and Shader Model 2.0 graphics tests. These are both GPU-bound tests, and we may not see significant differences in this test, but it's worthwhile to note that these are the tests that most accurately reflect the needs of our readers. It would be easy to include the CPU-bound tests included in 3DMark06, but they would give a false sense of accomplishment that wouldn't be realized by most of our readers in their real world usage.

More visitors to Benchmark Reviews operate at 1280x1024 resolution than any other, as it represents the native resolution of 19" LCD monitors. Using this resolution as a starting point, the maximum settings were applied to 3dMark06 which for these tests include 8x Anti-Aliasing and 16x Anisotropic Filtering. Low-resolution testing allows the graphics processor to plateau maximum output performance, which thereby shifts demand onto the system components to keep up. At the lower resolutions 3DMark will reflect the GPU's top-end speed in the composite score, indicating full-throttle performance with little load. This makes for a less GPU-dependant test environment, and is helpful in measuring the maximum output performance in the test results.

The 3DMark05 results are very consistent across the test systems. All of the motherboard products tested produced nearly identical results. If you want to see variation for this benchmark, I suggest you go look at the video card articles here on Benchmark Reviews. It looks like the only time you will definitely see significant differences between motherboards with this test is if you compare apples to oranges, e.g. X48 to X58, or Intel to AMD.

Let's look at how the systems stack up on a more broad-based system test suite - PCMark05.

PCMark05 Benchmark Results

Using synthetic benchmarks to compare one product to another has some distinct advantages when testing similar hardware, yet I have never found myself completely satisfied by the process. I have come to understand that they're important for comparing "apples to apples", and that the results are usually very consistent. But as with any synthetic benchmark, the numbers can often mean very little more than just numbers. We don't take a high score on a synthetic benchmark to mean that a product will/should perform well, and neither should you. The difference between projected performance and actual performance is the difference between fire and the fire-fly.

PCMark is a series of computer benchmark tools developed by Futuremark. The tools are designed to test the performance of the user's CPU, read/write speeds of RAM and hard drives. We have used these tests to simulate a battery of applications and tasks, which will produce results we can compare to other systems using similar hardware.

After a series of five looped tests, the averages of the results are charted below. Keep in mind that the GA-EP45-UD3P as well as the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L shared the same hardware (specified in the Test Methodology section) and operated at the same exact CPU and RAM speed. The idea here was to isolate the motherboard to determine if one product performed better than the other. In cases where the P45 motherboard allowed me to extract more performance from the same hardware, I have also reported that.

The PCMark05 results are pretty consistent across the test systems. Each hardware improvement brought about less than 2% of improvement in the test results. Even the ability of the GA-EP45-UD3P to drive the CPU and RAM to higher speeds did not materially affect the results for this benchmark. The chipsets are different, but the system memory and processors are all identical, and there's very little difference in performance between motherboards when the same hardware is used with the same settings. Obviously each has its own strength (overclocking, SLI, CrossFireX), but this suite of synthetic benchmarks aren't going to illuminate them.

Just between you and me, the easiest way to improve your scores in this benchmark is to switch over from a HDD to a SSD. Just like in real life, where system responsiveness is greatly dependant on drive performance, this test shows the huge advantage that SSDs bring to the table in real world performance. I got a 22% improvement (10,057/8229) with a $50 investment in a 30GB OCZ Core v2 SSD. Now, that's the cost after rebate on Black Friday, but SSD prices are continuing to fall as new, improved models are introduced, so go ahead and get one now.

CINEBENCH Release 10 Tests

MAXON CINEBENCH is based on MAXON's award-winning animation software, CINEMA 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. The test procedure consists of two main components: The first two test sequences are dedicated to the computer's main processor and memory, using a 3D scene file to render a photo-realistic image. The scene makes use of various CPU-intensive features such as reflection, ambient occlusion, area lights and procedural shaders. The predefined benchmark included with the software reports the rendering scores for both a single core (1 CPU) and for all cores (X CPUs).

The third test measures graphics card performance and is run inside the 3D editor window. The project file used can test all graphics cards that support the OpenGL standard. In this scene, only the camera was animated. This scene places medium to low demands on graphics cards and tests the maximum speed with which the scene can be properly displayed.

Here we start to see some gaps open up between the systems. For the rendering portion of the tests, the two 3.6GHz configurations are neck and neck; actually the P35 system pulls ahead by the narrowest of margins. I averaged the results of 5 runs in each case, because there was some variation from run to run. Honestly, the difference between them is probably within the range of experimental error. The ability to run the Intel E7300 easily at 3.8GHz with the GA-EP45-UD3P did show up clearly with all of the tests within this suite.

In the OpenGL test, the GA-EP45-UD3P finally gained a measurable advantage in an apples-to-apples comparison at 3.6GHz processor speed. A 2% improvement may not be enough to convince anyone to pay extra for a P45, but it is a real and consistent improvement. Of course, the 3.8GHz test gives a nearly 10% improvement, and that's why you buy the latest board, with the latest BIOS, that allows you to get the most from your other components.

Let's look now at one of the most demanding benchmark application, a program that stresses all elements of the system: Crysis.

Crysis Benchmark Results

Crysis uses a new graphics engine: the CryENGINE2, which is the successor to Far Cry's CryENGINE. CryENGINE2 is among the first engines to use the Direct3D 10 (DirectX10) framework of Windows Vista, but can also run using DirectX9, both on Vista and Windows XP.

Roy Taylor, Vice President of Content Relations at NVIDIA, has spoken on the subject of the engine's complexity, stating that Crysis has over a million lines of code, 1GB of texture data, and 85,000 shaders. To get the most out of modern multicore processor architectures, CPU intensive subsystems of CryENGINE 2 such as physics, networking and sound, have been re-written to support multi-threading.

Crysis offers an in-game benchmark tool, which is similar to World in Conflict. This short test does place some high amounts of stress on a graphics card, since there are so many landscape features rendered. For benchmarking purposes, Crysis can mean trouble as it places a high demand on both GPU and CPU resources. Benchmark Reviews uses the Crysis Benchmark Tool by Mad Boris to test frame rates in batches, which allows the results of many tests to be averaged easily.

Low-resolution testing allows the graphics processor to plateau its maximum output performance, which thereby shifts demand onto the other system components. At the lower resolutions Crysis will reflect the GPU's top-end speed in the composite score, indicating full-throttle performance with little load. This makes for a less GPU-dependant test environment, and is helpful in creating a baseline for measuring maximum output performance in the next few test results. At the 1280x1024 resolution used by some newer 17" and most 19" monitors, our testing should highlight some differences in performance if they exist.

With no Anti-Aliasing dialed up, the bulk of the load goes onto the GPU, and we see little difference between the three configurations.

With 4X Anti-Aliasing enabled, we start to see some influence on the frame rates by the supporting cast in this play; the chipset, CPU, PCI-E interface, and memory sub-systems. Finally, there is some hint that Intel was on the right track when they released the P45 chipset and bundled it with the ICH10R I/O controller hub. The gains are not huge, 10-11% at these resolutions, but they are meaningful. With a more powerful video card in the 16X PCI-E slot, or two 4850s in CrossfireX, these frame rates, with Anti-Aliasing enabled, could easily get bumped up above 30FPS.

Lightsmark 2008 Benchmarks

Stepan Hrbek is the mastermind behind Lightsmark 2008, a program that allows you to benchmark real-time global illumination. Natural lighting makes artificial graphics life-like and real. Computers get faster, but rendering more polygons doesn't add value if lighting still looks faked, so insiders know that the next big thing is proper lighting; aka Real-time Global Illumination.

Before Lightsmark, real-time global illumination was limited to small scenes, small resolutions, small speeds, specially crafted scenes with handmade optimizations. Lightsmark breaks all limits at once, running in reasonably sized scene (220000 triangles) in high resolutions at excellent speed. Lightsmark is comparable to lower-demand OpenGL video games, such as: Call of Duty 4, Prey, Quake 4, and Doom 3.

This scene places medium to low demands on a graphics card processor and tests the maximum speed with which the scene can be properly displayed at each resolution. At the lower resolution, the large frame buffer does not offer the same benefits as it would at a higher resolution. Additionally, the larger video memory means a longer round-trip for information, and when the resolution is low that trip doesn't last very long and needs to be completed very quickly.

At this, relatively low resolution, there is more emphasis placed on memory bandwidth than raw GPU processing power. Even so, there is little to choose from the three results. The lowest frame rate is still close to 600 FPS! Once again, heavy duty graphics users are best served by optimizing their video sub-system to the programs they need to run. Benchmark Reviews has run extensive testing on which video cards work best with this particular scene rendering software. Take a look here on Benchmark Reviews for a good sample of modern cards and how they perform with this unique rendering challenge. FWIW, this may also be the only test where the extra bandwidth of the PCI-E 2.0 interface makes a difference.

We're finished with the application performance benchmarking, now let's look at measuring the power consumtion of the GA-EP45-UD3P, both in some normal operating states and some special conditions to highlight and isolate specific components.

Power Consumption

Life is not as affordable as it used to be, and items such as fuel and electrical energy top the list of resources that have exploded in price over the past few years. Add to this the limit of non-renewable resources compared to demand and you can see that the prices are only going to get worse. Planet Earth is needs our help, and needs it badly. With forests becoming barren of vegetation and snow capped poles quickly turning brown, the technology industry has a new attitude towards suddenly becoming "green".

Power Consumption Results

During the test period, four different conditions were examined. For the first, the power supply was plugged in and switched on (the actual ON/OFF switch on the PSU itself). The system doesn't "turn on" at this point, but the PSU is always supplying 5VDC to pin 9 of the ATX 24 pin power connection, so that the front panel power switch can function. This is known in energy circles as an energy "Vampire", and the U.S. Department of Energy has estimated that this class of devices and operating modes (Instant On Anything, Wall Warts, Docking Stations, and device displays) can suck up 5-10% of an average home's electricity use. Each test was repeated three times, and the averages are displayed (although each test result was identical to the previous).

The second test was to start the system without the video card installed. This gets the motherboard into Power On Self Test (POST) mode, where it stops and does not continue to boot, due to the VGA error. This motherboard has no integrated Video capability, so I didn't have to modify the BIOS to get it to error out. This condition is really the minimum possible load for an operating system, which include a HDD, a DVD drive, keyboard, and mouse. I unplugged all the extra case fans for these tests, the only fans running were the CPU cooler fan(s) and the GPU cooler for the third and fourth tests.

The third test is a normal boot into Windows. I looked at the power consumption at the login screen and after login, once the OS was finished loading all the programs, processes and services. It turned out to be the same power draw in this case, once the OS settled down to. The fourth test was a synthetic 100% load, created by the System Stability Test in EVEREST Ultimate Edition, with all loads enabled.

There are some caveats that I should mention. Gigabyte offers the Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced utility with the P45 (and X48 series with BIOS update) motherboards, which further reduces power consumption on a non-overclocked computer system. Since all systems were tested in an overclocked state, we did not test using the DES software. If you're interested, you can see how the software performed in our Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 review.

The results are well within expectations, and are actually some of the lowest values I've seen on Benchmark Reviews. Results are not completely standardized across our testing platforms, because different supporting hardware (PSU, HDD, SSD, CPU Cooler, Video card, etc.) is used in many of the reviews. The results in this test are at least typical of what a mid-level system will require in terms of power consumption, and very consistent with results that others at Benchmark Reviews have obtained with similar hardware.

P45 Final Thoughts

I already own another Gigabyte motherboard, with a P35 chipset, so I'm a perfect test case as to the value proposition of replacing an older board with a newer P45-based model. It's a complicated decision; complicated by the fact that the E2180 CPU that I bought with the P35 board probably wouldn't benefit as much from this MB as one of the newer 45nM CPUs, complicated by the fact that the Dominator DDR2 memory I bought with the P35 board will benefit from the additional settings available in the new BIOS, and also complicated by the fact that the biggest bang for the buck, a SSD drive for the OS and Programs wasn't available when I bought the P35 board, but the 640GB HDD I still have will serve admirably as a data drive.

If I had $135 burning a hole in my pocket, I'd buy a 64GB SSD if I wanted to upgrade my current system. If I wanted to start building a platform for my next system, I'd start saving my money for an i7 chip AND a new motherboard for it. If I needed to accomplish both at the same time, which is the situation many people find themselves in, I'd buy the GA-EP45-UD3P. There's still some mileage left in the Core 2 Duo lineup and high speed DDR2 RAM is dirt cheap. Windows 7 is straining at the leash, and there's little doubt that it's time to move on up to a 64-bit OS and 8GB of RAM. So, if I'm constrained to an upgrade path that doesn't allow replacing my MB, CPU, and RAM all at the same time, this is the smart bet.

Those who enjoy system tweaking will reap the overclocking potential of this motherboard, especially with all the options available in the comprehensive BIOS package Gigabyte is supplying with their P45 boards. Gamers may have a mixed opinion on this motherboard; some will recognize the solid foundation it offers to the latest 45nM CPUs and enthusiast-class memory, then gladly take the money they save by NOT buying the top dog motherboard and put it towards a monster video card. Others will sniff their noses in the air at the CrossFireX configuration crippled by (2) 8x lanes for video data. They're both right, it all depends on your perspective. There is no monolithic gaming community; it's as diverse as the general population.

This motherboard offers a lot for a little, and succeeds wildly at it, to boot. That's what makes it such an attractive option for those who are sticking with Core 2, 45nM technology for a little while longer.

GA-EP45-UD3P Conclusion

The packaging of the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P is completely in tune with its mid-level standing in the universe of motherboards. It's bright, catchy, covered in diagrams and text describing its major differentiating features. It does not attempt to seduce on any level with guns, girls, or layers of opulence. It's marketed like a Toyota, not a Lexus, all right?

Once the retail package is opened, you are faced with the neatly packaged accessory kit. It's generous, with four SATA cables, two straight and two 90 degrees, an eSATA bundle that includes all the internal and external cable required for two eSATA hookups, a color coded I/O panel, the requisite stickers, and a decent quality manual to boot. There is an extra manual on the Trusted Platform Module, which is good, because there looks to be lots of different ways of messing it up.

Like other Gigabyte motherboards, bright colored plastics paired with brilliant metals do the trick for maximizing appearances. I've already shared my undying affection for all things anodized and dipped in blue die, so it's no surprise that I'm impressed by the overall visual appeal of the board.

The Ultra Durable 3 package offers a comprehensive set of enhancements to make sure this Gigabyte product exceeds all expectations for reliability. High-quality CPU power components with ferrite core chokes, low rDS MOSFETs, low ESR solid capacitors, and those impressive double-thick layers of copper for the power and ground planes all support the claim that this is one of the best constructed motherboard Benchmark Reviews has seen to date.

There are a few sacrifices made, based on the capabilities of the P45 Express chipset. It only accommodates one full 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 graphics port; once you go to CrossFireX it reduces the bandwidth down to 8x for each card. This isn't going to be very impressive to a hard core gamer with dual 4870X2 video cards that need a high performance PCI-E slot. You do get one full-speed lane, so single card graphics are unaffected, but CrossFireX is not would it could have been. Still, you can't blame the board for NOT being something it wasn't designed to be. That's 3 ½ negatives of bad English just to say, "It's better than it's meant to be, don't complain."

Motherboards, while getting much better at offering everything a person could ever want, have also gradually gotten to be more expensive as well. Long gone are the days of high-end mainboards costing less than $100. At the time of this writing, NewEgg lists the GA-EP45-UD3P motherboard for $134.99, with a $20 manufacturer's rebate reducing the cost even further. If the EP45-UD3P isn't available at NewEgg, use our price comparison tool to shop against other merchants. This is a bargain price for a mid-level motherboard, especially one that is as well-specified as this. Good quality motherboards are not going to be cheap, and I hope Gigabyte is reaping the financial fruits from raising their product lines well above the bargain bin.

I think the market has already spoken on this particular piece of hardware: it's pretty much a legend in its own time. Can I put my finger on one or more features or performance characteristics that have made it such a rousing success in the overclocking set? No, not really; any more than I can tell you why Kate Winslet is a Hollywood star, and Angelina Jolie is, well....Angelina Jolie. That one eclipses the other is patently obvious, but there is no repeatable set of measurements that can tell you why. There are no reasons why the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P should not stand out in the crowd like it does, but that's not the same sort of analysis, is it? Someone famous once said: "Success is its own reward." I think this product is as clear cut an example of that adage as any. It's a winner!

Pros:

+ Outstanding BIOS - designed for overclockers!
+ Silent-Pipe design improves P45 Northbridge thermal stability
+ Value priced for the features and capability
+ DDR2 1366+ memory support (via OC)
+ Supports 45nm processors with standard 1600MHz FSB
+ Ultra Durable 3 package w/ high-quality power components
+ Double-thick layers of copper for the power and ground planes
+ Advanced Dynamic Energy Saver offers VRD 11.1 ultra-low power state

Cons:

- Only one PCI Express 16-lane (16 GBps) interface
- CMOS Reset Header should be a switch
- Complicated BIOS for novice overclockers
- Lacks SLI support

Ratings:

• Presentation: 8.50
• Appearance: 9.50
• Construction: 9.50
• Functionality: 9.00
• Value: 9.50

Final Score: 9.2 out of 10.

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

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