Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P - P45 at its Finest
by Gary Key on February 3, 2009 12:15 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Gaming Results
We debated on which direction to go with the gaming test results. Do we show 1024x768 at low quality settings to provide a more detailed look at differences between the boards or go with a popular resolution and settings that most gamers would utilize with our choice of video cards knowing that the GPU will start to become the handicap? We decided on a 1680x1050 resolution with 2xAA enabled and 8xAF where applicable. Our in-game settings were set to high quality.
As such, all of the P45 boards offer roughly the same performance. There are no real surprises here as each board finished within a percent of each in our final scores, although the GIGABYTE board was extremely consistent during benchmarking.
CrossFire Results
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73 Comments
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NimitzHarrington - Monday, February 9, 2009 - link
Hi Gary,Excellent review. I'm glad I chose this board when I built my new system a couple of months back.
However, I have not managed to get eSata fully working on this board. When I plug in an eSata HDD, Vista picks it up but it's listed as an internal disk. Therefore, I cannot remove it from "Safely remove hardware".
I tried the latest Intel Storage Manager, but that did not help. I have had to resort to using HotSwap.
Have you come across this during your testing (or has anyone else using this MB experienced and fixed this issue)?
Thanks.
Lazlo Panaflex - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
An 8600 @ 5Ghz+...very nice o/c! I reckon that setup would fetch a pretty penny on Fleabay (unless Gary's using it as his main gaming rig...hehe ;)vlado08 - Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - link
I expected core i7 architecture to use less power than core2 Quad in "idle" mode because it can switch off unused cores. So if I have a computer which is 24/7 in "on" state then the best power efficiency will be to use core 2 Duo. For example if it is used for downloading/uploading from internet.It seems I was wrong. Or may be it is a Vista problem failing to switch off unused cores of core i7?
jzodda - Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - link
Have had it since october running my E8400@ 4.2ghz and 525 FSB 24/7This board is really a pleasure to work with once you get the hang of the various bios settings. Took awhile back then. Now there is an 1800 post thread at X-treme so info is no longer lacking on any setting.
This board is a throw back to the good old Abit days of the BH6 and boards like it. Lots of fun.
SixOfSeven - Tuesday, February 3, 2009 - link
LoneWolf15, what 4GB DDR2's are you using? Any problems setting things up?LoneWolf15 - Thursday, February 5, 2009 - link
"LoneWolf15, what 4GB DDR2's are you using? Any problems setting things up? "I apologize here. I used two 2GB modules, not two 4GB ones, and couldn't go back and re-edit.
I'm using G.Skill Pi DDR2-800 modules which work at 1.8-1.9v with 4-4-4-12 timing. They're available at the `Egg for $45-50 a set with free shipping, and they're hassle free. Almost tempting to get a second set for Windows 7 x64 when it comes out.
7Enigma - Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - link
Just wanted to add (even though you didn't ask) I'm using the 2X2gig Reaper ram that has the heatpipe with a huge heatsink on top (making the ram 2-3" taller than it would normally be). There are no clearance issues at all.Matt Campbell - Tuesday, February 3, 2009 - link
Time to break out the LN2 and see how far it really goes ;)Freak Out - Tuesday, February 3, 2009 - link
I was wondering if you could post a picture of the test setup?Gary Key - Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - link
Let me get one before I tear it down today.