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Introduction Features and Specifications Photos and Pictures Installation and Contents Test Setup, Procedures and BIOS CPU-Z and System Properties Benchmarks: Sandra Pro XII SP2 Benchmarks: FutureMark Suite Benchmarks: FEAR and Science Mark 2 Benchmarks: Call of Juarez and Crysis Overclocking

Gigabyte's GA-EP45 DQ6 motherboard is every bit as good as the rest of them ... probably even better.

 

INTRODUCTION

Now who said that summer is always quiet? In fact, it's probably one of the busiest summers we've had for a long time. It's been fun over these summer months. Firstly, we had the Gigabyte Plug Fest during May, then there was the Asus-Gigabyte fiasco, and for the month of June ... the Computex 2008 exhibition, the launch of Intel's P45 chipset, Nvidia's Geforce GTX 280 and now AMD/ATI's Radeon HD4850.

During the Gigabyte Plug Fest, we already tested early pre-production samples of their motherboards based on Intel's P45 chipset ... ranging from the lower DS3R models, all the way upto the higher-end DQ6. The event proved to be very successful, allowing their R&D team to gather vital information and possible faults from tech journalists, enthusiasts and high-end users like ourselves. We knew that when Gigabyte finally release their P45 motherboards, the final retail products would not dispappoint us.

 

 

Intel's P45 chipset, codenamed "Eaglelake"  has already proven to be very capable chipset designed and aimed at the mainstream and performance market. You can read our other reviews of motherboards which used the P45 chipset, and you see for yourself. 

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The P45 chipset is paired with Intel's ICH10R southbridge, and supports all the latest Intel 45nm processors including Core 2 Duos, Quads and Extreme processors. Not only does it support the higher 1600 FSB, but also DDR2 ram upto 1200Mhz and DDR3 ram upto 1600Mhz. And for your information, we managed to overclock the CPU FSB frequency all the way upto 500Mhz and more, during the Gigabyte Plug Fest in May.

Gigabyte has serveral models in the P45 series, these include the higher-end GA-EP45T DQ6 (which use DDR3 ram), and then there are the GA-EP45 DS4, DS5 and DQ6 (all of which use DDR2 ram). In this review we'll be taking a look at the Gigabyte GA-EP45 DQ6 motherboard. This motherboard utilises Intel's latest P45 chipset along with their new ICH10R southbridge. It's aimed at the higher-end mainstream market suitable for users of all types including gamers and power users. Gigabyte also incorporated several innovative features with this motherboard, including their much talked about DES (dybamic energy saver) with 6-gears, for massive energy saving. There's the Ultra Durable 2 for excellent stability and longevity, by using 100% Japanese made solid capacitors, Low RDS(on) MOSFETs, Ferrite Core Chokes, and a 2-Power phases for northbridge and memory. 

 

 

Other new features include the Smart Backup for effortless RAID protection and backup, and the new onboard diagnostic LEDs for quick and easy problem solving. With all these features, the Gigabyte GA-EP45 DQ6 is one of the most attractive motherboards available for the mainstream user. The features don't just stop there. How about 4 Gigabit LAN for unrivaled data throughput, and their new built-in TPM for extra security ... this list goes on. To be honest, the GA-EP45 DQ6 is one of the most feature packed motherboards I've ever come across.

Overclocking is one of Gigabyte's forte. So, it's only natural for Gigabyte to add little extras to cater for these overclockers and extreme enthusiasts. Take for example the support DDR2-1200 ram (OC), there's also internal power-on, clear CMOS and reset switches which are very handy for failed overclock attempts.

 

               

 

We're expecting good results from this motherboard, and I can't wait to see what it can do during our overclocking tests. But what's more important is the overall performance, stability and usabilty of all these new innovative features. I'm sure Gigabyte won't disappoint ... let's find out and see.

We'll be testing the Gigabyte GA-EP45 DQ6 with our trusted old Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ default 2.4Ghz, OCZ DDR2-1066 SLI-Ready 2Gb Kit, a Radeon HD3870 512MB DDR4, PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 860W PSU and a 19" Dell Ultrascan P990 monitor. Windows Vista with native DX10 was used as our OS.

Ok, let's not waste any more time and take a closer look at the specifications of the Gigabyte GA-EP45 DQ6.

 

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Introduction Features and Specifications Photos and Pictures Installation and Contents Test Setup, Procedures and BIOS CPU-Z and System Properties Benchmarks: Sandra Pro XII SP2 Benchmarks: FutureMark Suite Benchmarks: FEAR and Science Mark 2 Benchmarks: Call of Juarez and Crysis Overclocking