Gigabyte EP45-UD3P Motherboard Review :: Gigabyte EP45-UD3P Features

• Ultra Durable 3 technology with 2 oz copper PCB for up to 50C cooler working temperatures
• Revolution energy saving design with DES Advanced featuring hardware based Dynamic 6-Gear switching
• Supports Intel 45nm Intel Core 2 multi-core processors with FSB 1600 MHz
• Natively support to dual channel DDR2-1366+ for remarkable system performance
• 2 PCI-E 2.0 X16 graphics interface with CrossFireX support for ultimate graphics performance
• Built in TPM chip with 2048-bits encryption to highest level digital data protection
• 2 Gigabit Ethernet LAN with Teaming functionality
• 100% 50,000 hour lifespan Japanese solid capacitors design
• DualBIOS solution gives a multiple security to the system
• Hardware Overvoltage Control IC Provides more voltage control options on CPU, NB AND MEMORY
• Supports Dolby Home Theater audio to create a stunning surround sound listening experience
• Blu-ray playback outputs supported by high quality 106dB SNR ALC889A HD audio

Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Spec Sheet
Powered by MOBOT
Part Number	GA-EP45-UD3P
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 x16
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

Gigabyte’s board is based upon the Intel P45 Express chipset that they’ve used in many a board including the EP45-DS4R, the EP45-DQ6 and others Doc and I have reviewed in the last few months. The P45 Express chipset does not natively support FSB 1600MHz, but the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P supports all LGA-775 CPUs including the QX9770 CPU on the FSB 1600.

Gigabyte is really pushing the fact that this board supports their third generation of Ultra Durable technology. The PCB is 2 oz of copper per square foot of motherboard space which should provide lower operating temperatures for the motherboard than a traditional design. Gigabyte claims up to 50 degrees Celsius lower temperatures over traditional designs. Lower RDS (on) MOSFETs are also part of the UD3 design. These offer lower temperatures, lower power consumption during the switching process smaller size and better thermal characteristics.

The Gigabyte EP45-UD3P is the first Gigabyte board I’ve seen to fully support DD2-1366MHz memory which is the fastest available DDR2 memory on the market. They say the motherboard has been tested up to 1500MHz memory speed. Other motherboards fail SuperPi at 1200MHz, while this board passes the test according to Gigabyte.

All Intel based P45 motherboards support CrossfireX mode which is the pairing of two ATI video cards in multiple graphics mode to improve performance. Up to four ATI video cards such as the HD 4870 can be installed in a motherboard assuming the motherboard supports four PCI Express x16 graphics card slots and has the room for the video card cooling.

The Trusted Platform Module is a specification for generating secure cryptographic keys. There is a TPM Module on the EP45-UD3P board that provides 2048-bit encryption to provide the highest level of digital data encryption. Gigabyte has included two Gigabit LAN ports allowing the end-user to have up to 2 Gigabit Ethernet with teaming which allows the two ports to work together.

There have been occasions where I’ve had a BIOS Flash go wrong. At those times I usually had to replace the board or get a new BIOS chip to replace the one on the board. GIGABYTE includes second BIOS that kick in if the first one goes under. DUALBIOS is a great feature to save the heartache of updating the BIOS without worry.