Gigabyte GA-P35T-DQ6: DDR3 comes a knocking, again

First Thoughts

Looking at the initial results from the Gigabyte GA-P35T-DQ6, it is clear we can answer one important question about the board: it does offer performance on par with the ASUS P5K3 Deluxe. In memory bandwidth or latency sensitive applications, it is every bit equal to or better than the ASUS board and any differences are minor. However, when we utilize an application that is clearly CPU limited, we find the ASUS performing slightly better.

We found the feature set on the Gigabyte board to be very competitive with the ASUS board although we would give the edge to ASUS for including eSATA, an additional Gigabit Ethernet port, and we still consider the ADI 1988B HD codec to be superior to the Realtek ALC-889A in gaming, though under Vista they seem to be equals now in preliminary testing. The enthusiast level BIOS options included in the ASUS P5K3 offer a higher degree of fine tuning compared to the Gigabyte P35T-DQ6. However, we have to say that except for memory overclocking we were able to extract the same or better performance with the Gigabyte board.

That brings us to our main concern about this board. We just had a very difficult time getting the board to overclock our current, albeit small, supply of DDR3 memory. The board generated excellent memory performance at or near the stock 1333 memory speeds. However, any chance at overclocking our memory in the same fashion we have on the ASUS board was generally met with frustration or failure. We know Gigabyte is addressing this issue and we expect a new BIOS spin in the next day or so to try. This issue will be chalked up to an early BIOS design unless it lingers on in the final BIOS release before general public availability of the board. For now the ASUS P5K3 is generally more polished in its implementation of memory ratios and overclocking capability.


Besides the memory performance problem when overclocking we did have a couple of niggles with the board. Gigabyte utilizes ICH9 firmware for RAID that appears to be a couple of releases down from the current version and the board is slower than normal in our opinion to POST if AHCI or RAID is enabled. We still do not like the Crtl-F1 sequence for the expanding the BIOS options in the performance section. While we are at it, you cannot change out memory without first removing the video card, the CPU area cooling backplate will have to be removed or modifications made to most coolers that require backplate mounting, and the color scheme is getting a little old (though the pink memory slots will grab your attention). You will not, however, be disappointed in any other aspect of the Gigabyte's P35T-DQ6 performance or features.

With that said, BIOS tuning is paramount to extracting the best possible performance from this board - as it is with the other P35 offerings and most other chipsets. The P35T-DQ6 provides excellent performance and rock solid stability for a new system, performing better than just about any board we have tested to date. We are still learning a lot about the board, chipset straps, timings, DDR3 memory, and how they all interact with each other during overclocking. However, our initial glimpse of the board shows it be a winner right now if DDR3 support is your goal.

That brings us to the $64,000 question: is DDR3 worth the additional 2x cost premium over DDR2 in current market prices? Based on our performance results, the answer would be a qualified no for the time being. This very well could change in the near future as DDR3 pricing falls and performance further improves, but for now DDR3 is probably best suited for those who have a love for new technology. If this is you, then Gigabyte has a board that you just might want to take home today.