Gigabyte X58A-UD9: A Massive Board for a Massive Score

Author

Oik Yusuf Araya

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Features Motherboard

July 30, 2010

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Conclusions

High-end motherboards are always an interesting subject. Aside from their obvious ability to run your wallet dry, these motherboards usually come equipped with many useful extras and provide more tweaking options here and there. All of which would potentially aid you in your pursuit for higher benchmark scores. Wait. Benchmark scores? Of course, you don’t pay that much for nothing. In the case of the Gigabyte X58A-UD9, your 615 bucks will bring you one of the most expensive desktop motherboard to date that is specifically designed for the small crowd of enthusiast computer users a.k.a hard core overclockers. You can still buy this motherboard and run everything at their stock speeds, but then you will reap none of the benefits the X58A-UD9 so blatantly offers. Its complete array of overclocking options and remarkable overclockability are simply too tempting to be left unmodified.

Performance wise, this motherboard offers excellent performance, even in default condition. Overclocking the Core i7 930 to well beyond 4 GHz on this motherboard is relatively easy. It also stands ready for more extreme overclocking action, and we bet most of the people who buy this motherboard will be using it to score higher benchmark points by employing some serious overclock. They don’t have to worry about running short of overclocking headroom either, with it’s twin 8-pin 12V ATX connectors, you’ll always have enough power to spare… Well, most of the time, at least.

This motherboard also provides a lot of, and we really mean a lot of, extra features. One of the most interesting is the support for both Quad-SLI and CrossfireX, thanks to the seven PCI-e x16 slots and two NF200 chips that provide all the necessary requirement. You will not be able to use four graphics card simultaneously in any game though. As far as we know, 3D Mark Vantage is the only software that is able to take advantage of Quad/ 4-Way SLI. So, instead of getting extra frames in games, you’ll earn a higher benchmark score. Overclockers delight? Yes, that’s what this board has been all about.

All in all, this motherboard is best suited for hard-core overclockers who would practically do anything to get ahead of everyone else. Gamers with an unlimited budget can also employ this motherboard to build the ultimate gaming PC. Even as the 4-Way SLI option is pointless in games, you can still use fewer graphics card and run them in a more conventional 2-way or 3-way SLI configuration (or Crossfire, if you prefer Radeons over GeForces). At US$ 615, it’s perhaps one of the most expensive motherboards available in the market to date, but you’ll get what you pay for.

Pros:

High performance
Plenty of overclocking potentials, achievable using extreme cooling solution
Seven PCI-E x16 slots to accommodate 4-Way SLI or CrossfireX
24-phase power VRM

Cons:

Expensive price
Hybrid Silent Pipe module obstructs the 4-pin molex connector
Fits in only a few large casings
No PCI slot

Technical Specification

Processor: Intel LGA1366
Chipset: Intel X58 & ICH10R
Onboard Graphics: No
Multiplier: Auto
Form Factor: XL-ATX
# of PCI slot: 0
# of PCIe x16/x8 slot: 7/0
# of PCIe x1 slot: 0
# of USB 2.0 port: 8
# of USB 3.0/2.0 port: 2
# of Firewire port: 2
# of LAN port: 2
# of eSATA slot: 2
# of PATA slot: 1
# of SATA II slot: 8
# of SATA III slot: 2
# of DDR3 Slot: 6
Bundled Equipments:
User Manual, Quick Installation Guide, SMART6 Manual, Warranty Card, DVD Driver, 1x PATA Cable, 4x SATA Cable, 1x SATA Bracket, I/O Shield, Hybrid Silent Pipe module kit, 1x 2-way SLI Connector, 1x 3-way SLI Connector, 1x 4-way SLI Connector, 2x Crossfire Bridge, dan 2x Sticker.