4 - Key Features of the GA-EX58-UD5P

Key Features of the GA-EX58-UD5P

Gigabyte's release of the X58 mainboard series will all feature an Ultra Durable 3 design with Gigabytes new 2oz copper layer in the PCB, Dynamic Energy Saver advanced, solid Japanese capacitors and Dolby Home Theatre audio with the premium Realtek AL889a sound codec.

The most distinctive feature is obviously that this is a high-end Core i7 compatible mainboard and thus comes with triple channel memory functionally and the aforementioned SLI & Crossfire features. The board features a blue PCB, I do hope one day they'll go black on their high-end PCBs, and eye catching passively heatpipe based cooling design.

Very notable include is dual Gigabit LAN, 4-pin and 6-pin Firewire connectors on the rear I/O as well as eight USB 2.0 ports. Something I very much love is the sheer number SATA ports (10!), dual BIOS and an Ultra TPM module. Very minor yet cool items are at an at the back panel located CMOS CLEAR button, and located elsewhere (we'll show you in the photo-shoot) a Power Button and POST Diagnostic LED. BIOS wise we see some pretty nice overclocking features as well with wide ranges for settings, multipliers and voltages.

Besides the new X58 chipset, there is one significant addition to the mainboard, Gigabyte's Dynamic Energy Saver (DES) technology. DES adds another level to Gigabyte's escalating list of features on its Ultra Durable 2 and 6-Quad motherboard series. Gigabyte claims to deliver up to 70% more power savings and 20% better power efficiency than boards without this technology, activating DES allows the board to switch off unused power phases and thus increase the operating efficiency of the reaming active power phases. How many power phases are active or deactivate is obviously dependant on the system's load level which you can check with the help of a software application, and actually LED lights located on the motherboard. We'll show you in the photo-shoot.

Here's an overview of the Gigabyte X58 series features courtesy of Gigabyte

GIGABYTE Dynamic Energy Saver AdvancedGIGABYTE's Dynamic Energy Saver (DES) has once again proven itself as the industry leading energy saving technology with newly introduced Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced. Featuring improved algorithms that provide a more accurate power saving calculation, GIGABYTE Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced provides better energy saving capabilities and enhanced system performance. GIGABYTE Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced is the worlds only motherboard energy saving technology with hardware-based Dynamic 6-Gear Switching. With support for VRD 11.1, GIGABYTEs DES Advanced allows the motherboard to switch to 1 Gear phase switching during idle, allowing for a dramatic increase in power savings.

Advanced Multi-Phase VRM
GIGABYTE X58 Series motherboards are equipped with 2-Phase power for the North Bridge and memory, allowing users to reach higher memory frequencies and enjoy better performance. Compared with only one phase solutions, this ensures longer power component lifespan and higher overclockability due to cooler working temperatures and better efficiency.

Visible Overvoltage Reminder
4 sets of OV-Alert LEDs indicate the overvoltage level of the CPU, Memory, North Bridge and South Bridge to prevent component damage.

Visible Overclocking Reminder
OC-Alert LED indicates the level of CPU overclock from low to high.

Visible Temperature Reminder
Two sets of Temperature Alert LEDs indicate the current temperature level of the CPU and North Bridge

DualBIOS - Patented Dual Hardware BIOS Protection
DualBIOS is a GIGABYTE patented technology that automatically recovers BIOS data when main BIOS has crashed or failed. Featuring 2 physical BIOS ROMs integrated onboard, GIGABYTE DualBIOS allows quick and seamless recovery from BIOS damage or failure due to viruses or improper BIOS updating.

EasyTune6
GIGABYTE has completely redesigned EasyTune6 from the ground up to make it easier than ever to manage and monitor your hardware resources as well as tweak your system settings in order to achieve maximum system performance. Whether you are an overclocking enthusiast, or a computer novice, EasyTune6 provides the tools you need to quickly and effortlessly fine tune your system.

Precision OV - Hardware Overvoltage Control ICs
GIGABYTE X58 Series motherboards also include Hardware Overvoltage Control ICs which provide more voltage control options than before for the CPU North Bridge and memory. The overvoltage controllers also provide hardware linear real-time voltage control, which means there is no delay compared to the GPIO controller in past implementations. In addition, GIGABYTEs Hardware Overvoltage Controller ICs also allow for much finer voltage control, allowing power users to adjust voltage in as little increments as 20mV for better overclocking performance.

Dolby Home Theater
GIGABYTE has also included the powerful Dolby Home Theater® suite of audio technologies, which deliver a vivid surround sound listening experience for music, movies, and games, using two to eight speakers or any set of headphones. Designed to automatically deliver the best possible listening experience, Dolby Home Theater® includes Dolby Pro Logic IIx for maximum surround sound expansion, Dolby Headphone and Sound Space Expander for a virtualized audio experience, and Natural Bass enhancement for the richest quality sound.

Let's take a look at the product with the help of a photo-shoot.