Gigabyte EP45-DQ6 Motherboard Review :: Gigabyte EP45-DQ6 Features

Gigabyte GA-EP45-DQ6 Spec Sheet
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Part Number	GA-EP45-DQ6
Manufacturer	Gigabyte
Price Check	Find Best Price
Downloads	BIOS Drivers Manuals
Chipset	Intel P45
North Bridge	Intel P45
Socket	LGA775 Socket
Processor Types	Quad Core, Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Duo, Pentium 4, Pentium D
Number of CPUs	1
Front Side Bus	1600/1333/1066/800 mHz
Memory Type	DDR2
Memory Channels	Dual
Maximum Memory	16GB
External Graphics	PCI Express x16x2
IGP	None
South Bridge	Intel ICH10R
Audio	8-channel
IDE	133/100/66
SCSI	None
SATA	3.0 GB/s
RAID	0, 1, 0+1, 5, 10
LAN	10/100/1000 4 LAN Ports
Firewire	IEEE 1394a
USB	USB 2.0
Expansion Slots
BIOS	Phoenix
Form Factor	ATX

• Revolutionary energy saving design with DES Advanced featuring hardware based Dynamic 6-Gear switching
• Supports 45 nanometer Intel Core 2 multi-core processors with FSB 1600MHz
• Advanced power phase design with virtual 12 power phases to provide highly efficient operation for 45nm CPU
• Dual channel DDR2 1333+ for remarkable system performance
• Embedded 2 power phases for NB chipset and memory power to excel at power efficiency
• 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 graphic interfae plus 2 PCI-E x4 with CrossfireX support for ultimate graphics performance
• Built In TPM chip with 2048bits encryption to offer highest level digital data protection
• Smart Backup provides data backup solution with 4 serial ATA device attachment from two 2 hardware RAID chips
• Diagnostic LED and ACPI LEDs on board to display system and power status
• Supports Dolby Home Theater audio to create a stunning surround sound listening experience
• 4 Gigabit Ethernet LAN with Teaming functionality
• Quad BIOS solution gives multiple redundant BIOS security measures to the system
• Power/Reset/Clr CMOS onboard buttons for easy operation on the workbench
• Hardware Overvoltage Control IC Provides more voltage control options on CPU, Northbridge and memory
• Blu-ray playback outputs supported by high quality 106dB SNR ALC889 HD audio

The Gigabyte EP45-DQ6 is based upon Intel’s P45 chipset which means that the board supports all current Intel CPUs with a VRM of 11.1 or more. Note, that this will mean that the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 CPU is supported by the motherboard but the early Prescott CPUs are not. The earliest Intel CPU supported by the Gigabyte board is the Conroe CPUs. Of course if you’re buying a new motherboard today, the early Prescott CPUs would not be a good choice unless you’re intending on dropping the old CPU into the new motherboard.

The Green initiative has entered into every phase of the computing marketplace with Gigabyte leading the way on their energy saving DES technology that stands for Dynamic Energy Saving. DES features: One-click Power savings, Dynamic LED Display, Dynamic MultiGear Power Design, and unmatched energy efficiency. Powered mode shows the amount of energy saved in the current session. Total Power saving mode shows how much power overall has been saved since DES was enabled in the interface.

Ultra Durable 2 is Gigabyte’s trademark for their suite of new design features that are designed to offer higher power efficiency and improved power savings over the old designs. Ultra Durable 2 uses Lower RDS (on) MOSFETS, Ferrite Core Chokes and Lower ESR Solid Capacitors Gigabyte claims it provides up to 70 power savings and 20% improved power efficiency than older designs without these features. In operation, the DES and Ultra Durable 2 are two of the bright spots in the energy conscious computer industry.

While the Intel P45 chipset supports both DDR2 and DDR3 memory, the Gigabyte EP45-DQ6 supports DDR2 memory up to 1333MHz. DDR3 memory has nearly caught up with the pricing of DDR2 memory so that the most expensive DDR2-1066MHz on Pricewatch is 159.98 for 4GB. Good DDR3 memory on the other hand is ranging in price for $212 for DDR2-1600 4GB kits but the speed is much higher. Lower speed DDR3 memory is available for a lower price but I wouldn’t suggest buying the lowest speed memory.

The Intel P45 chipset supports ATI’s Crossfire multiple GPU solution to improve performance in games. The P45 has support for up to 22 PCI Express lanes through its ICH10R Southbridge. This means that the Gigabyte EP45-DQ6 supports up to two card Crossfire with the x16 lanes being split up into two x8 lanes when two video cards are installed on the motherboard. This differentiates the high-end X48 chipset from the more mainstream P45 chipset.

XMP memory is Intel’s trademark for their eXtreme Memory Profiles. XMP allows the memory manufacturers to use unused memory bits in their memory to offer more profiles that are higher performance than the standard memory settings. XMP works only with DDR3 memory and is not compatible with NVIDIA’s competing Enhanced Performance Profile memory standard.