Introduction
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DQ6 Motherboard Review
Enthusiasts have experienced a rash of motherboard chipset releases as of late, with no shortage of such releases coming from the Intel camp alone. The new introductions have ranged from the X38, X48 and the P45. Compound that with the fact that both DDR2 and DDR3 flavors generally exist for each, and you have a large number of models making their way to the market. The P45 can be considered the spiritual successor to the P35, while playing host to a slew of new features. Intel's P45 chipset, codenamed "Eaglelake" is designed and aimed at the mainstream and performance market. The P45 chipset also brings Intel's ICH10R Southbridge to the table, and supports the latest Intel 45nm processors. Rounding out the P45 feature list is support for 1600 FSB, and DDR2 ram up to 1200Mhz, and DDR3 ram up to 1600Mhz.
GIGABYTE produces several models with the P45 chipset, among these are the GA-EP45T DQ6 (DDR3) and GA-EP45 DQ6 (DDR2). For this particular review, we will be taking a look at the GIGABYTE GA-EP45 DQ6 (DDR2) version. This is one of GIGABYTE’s higher end P45 variants. The board is stuffed full of hardware and software features, including their DES (dynamic energy saver) with 6-gears. There's the standard “Ultra Durable 2” moniker, which according to GIGABYTE stands for excellent stability and longevity, by utilizing 100% Japanese made solid capacitors, Low RDS(on) MOSFETs and Ferrite Core Chokes. GIGABYTE also goes a step beyond this, and outfits the board with two additional power phases for Northbridge and memory circuits.
The feature list expands even further with the included Smart Backup for effortless RAID protection and data redundancy. Also, they present us with a new and unique feature, consisting of onboard diagnostic LED’s placed all over that board, that light up if an installed component is functioning incorrectly.
GIGABYTE pulls another rabbit out of its hat, by providing four Gigabit LAN’s that can be combined and act as one network connection. If your one of those insecure types, that worries about drive data theft, GIGABYTE added a built-in TPM feature for extra security. Believe it or not, the feature list continues on from here even further.
- Revolution energy saving design with DES Advanced featuring hardware based Dynamic 6-Gear switching
- Supports 45nm Intel® Core™ 2 multi-core processors with FSB 1600 MHz
- Advanced power phase design with virtual 12 power phases to provides highly efficient operation for 45nm CPU
- Dual channel DDR2 1200 for remarkable system performance
- Embedded 2 power phases for NB chipset and memory power to excel at power efficiency
- 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 graphic interface plus 2 PCI-E x4 with CrossFireX™ support for ultimate graphics performance
- Built-in TPM chip with 2048bits encryption to highest level digital data protection
- Smart Backup provides data backup solution with 4 serial ATA device attachment from 2 hardware RAID chip
- Diagnostic LED and ACPI LEDs on board to display system and power status
- 4 Gigabit Ethernet LAN with Teaming functionality
- Supports Dolby Home Theater® audio to create a stunning surround sound listening experience.
- Quad BIOS solution gives a multiple security to the system
- Power/reset/Clr CMOS onboard button for easily operation on the workbench
- Hardware Overvoltage Control IC Provides more voltage control options on CPU, North bridge and memory
- Blu-ray playback outputs supported by high quality 106dB SNR ALC889A HD audio
(Note) This motherboard is designed with VRD11.1 power phase, and cannot be compatible with VRD10 designed CPU. Please refer to "CPU Support List" for details.
Specifications
CPU
(Note) This motherboard is designed with VRD11.1 power phase, and cannot be compatible with VRD10 designed CPU. Please refer to "CPU Support List" for details. Front Side Bus Chipset Memory
(Refer to Memory support list for more information) Audio LAN Expansion Slots
(The PCIEx16 and PCIEx8 slots support ATI CrossFireX technology and conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.) Storage Interface South Bridge:
GIGABYTE SATA2 chip:
iTE IT8720 chip: IEEE 1394a
(via the IEEE 1394a brackets connected to the internal IEEE 1394a headers) USB
(8 on the back panel, 4 via the USB brackets connected to the internal USB headers) Internal I/O Connectors Back Panel Connectors I/O Controller H/W Monitoring BIOS Unique Features Bundle Software Operating System Form Factor Note
(Note)If you want to uninstall the Ultra TPM utility, be sure to insert the USB flash drive containing the TPM key into your computer before the uninstallation.
Remark
 Based on the new Intel P45 chipset, GA-EP45-DQ6 delivers a record setting 1600MHz Front Side Bus for the latest Intel® Core 2™ multi-core processors, including 45nm CPUs. With supporting dual channel DDR2 up to 1200MHz, GA-EP45-DQ6 motherboard provides the highest levels of performance and maximum overclocking potential. In additional, GA-EP45-DQ6 is further equipped to support ATI CrossFireX™ Technology with dual PCI Express 2.0 x8 interfaces, delivering double the PCI Express bandwidth of 5 Gbit/s for the ultimate in extreme gaming performance. GA-EP45-DQ6 delivers several advanced GIGABYTE innovations including the DES Advanced, Ultra Durable 2, Ultra TPM design which provide optimized power savings, ultra cooling and ultra secure data protection. | ||||
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 | | Smaller, Faster and More Efficient GA-EP45-DQ6 motherboards paired with Intel 45nm CPUs deliver the very best platform for multitasking, multimedia and high performance gaming. Not only do GIGABYTE's latest motherboards based on Intel Eaglelake chipsets all support Intel's new generation, 45nm multi-core processors. | ||
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 | | Dual Channel DDR2 1200 Experience the advanced technology of DDR2 1200 memory, featuring faster speeds and higher data bandwidth, which delivers superior performance for the most demanding applications. * Please refer "Memory Support List" for memory support information | ||
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 | | PCI-E 2.0 Graphic Interface PCI-E 2.0 doubles the bus standard's bandwidth from 2.5 Gbit/s to 5 Gbit/s, meaning a x32 connector can transfer data at up to 16 GB/s in each direction. PCIe 2.0 also features improvements to the point-to-point data transfer protocol and its software architecture. | ||
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 | | ATI CrossFireX With support for ATI CrossFireX, GIGABYTE pushes the envelope once again by delivering highly optimized performance and flexibility demanded by power users and extreme gaming enthusiasts. Designed to provide unmatched multi-GPU support with dual PCI Express connectivity, the GA-EP45-DQ6 allows users to take advantage of the ultra smooth 3D rendering, blazing-fast frame rates and enhanced visual quality possible with a dual graphics card solution. Attention: When attempting to enable ATI CrossfireX Technology on this board. In case of unable to get Crossfire Technology working normally, please make sure to use ATI graphic cards that have hardware Crossfire bridge. (Please refer to ATI official website for more Crossfire Technology supporting details: ( http://ati.amd.com/technology/crossfire/charts.html) | ||
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 | | Dolby Home Theater® - Enjoy a Rich Home Theater Surround Sound Experience Dolby Home Theater places listeners in the middle of the action, giving their PCs a powerful set of tools to deliver a cinema-style experience in vivid surround sound.
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 | |  Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced GIGABYTE Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced provides better energy saving capabilities and enhanced system performance. GIGABYTE Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced is the world’s only motherboard energy saving technology with hardware-based Dynamic 6-Gear* Switching. With support for VRD 11.1, GIGABYTE’s DES Advanced allows the motherboard to switch to 1 Gear phase switching during idle, allowing for a dramatic increase in power savings. GIGABYTE has also retooled Dynamic Energy Saver to allow overclockers to experience the benefits of multi-gear power phase switching while overclocking, providing ultra stable, ultra smooth overclocking performance. * The 6-Gear feature may vary by model. Gear 1 phase switching requires 45nm processors with PSI signal enabled. | ||
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 | | Ultra Durable 2 -Designed with Top Quality Highly Efficient Components Ultra Cooling - Low RDS(on) MOSFET Design  Low RDS(on) MOSFETs specially designed to produce lower switching resistance for faster electric current charging and discharging. .. more Low Power Loss - Ferrite Core Choke Design  Ferrite core chokes comprised of a compound of iron oxide and other metal elements whose properties hold energy much longer than common iron core at high frequency... moreLonger Life - All-Solid Capacitor Design  Solid capacitors contain a solid organic polymer, while electrolytic capacitors use a common liquid electrolyte, hence, the terms solid capacitor versus electrolytic capacitors... more | ||
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 | | 2 Power Phases for Both North Bridge and Memory GIGABYTE P45 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. | ||
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 | |  Ultra TPM - Industry’s highest level of data Security via onboard TPM
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 | |  High Velocity 4X Bandwidth Boost The Quad LAN with Teaming functionality enabled allows 4 single connections to act as 1 single connection for Quad Bandwidth, improving overall throughput.  Prevents network downtime by transferring the workload from a failed port to a working port.  Receive Side Scaling balances the network traffic load evenly between 2 CPU cores in order to improve performance.  Adjusts power consumption automatically according to your LAN cable lengths, up to 10% power savings. (Note) To enable Teaming or Bonding (IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation) feature, it is required the connected network switch or router device supports the IEEE 802.3ad LACP standard. Please refer to your network switch or router device manual for further details. | ||
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 | | Hardware Overvoltage Control ICs 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. In addition, 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. | ||
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 | | 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 | ||
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 | |  Smart Backup- Plug & Play Hardware RAID GIGABYTE's Smart Backup allows users to connect up to 4 Serial ATA devices for effortless RAID data protection. Dual onboard RAID controller chips automatically configure RAID setup without user intervention, making it easier than ever for users to enjoy enhanced data transfer performance, low CPU utilization, real-time backup on-the-fly and protection against HDD failure. | ||
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 | | 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. | ||
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 | | Onboard Diagnostic LEDs - Hardware Troubleshoot at a Glance | ||
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 | | Onboard ACPI LEDs - Power Status Indicators to avoid improper hardware removal The Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) gives the operating system direct control over the power management. There are 4 embedded LEDs onboard to indicate system power status to prevent potential H/W damage due to improper plug/unplug actions.  | ||
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 | | Onboard Quick Switches Onboard Power, Clear CMOS and Reset buttons allow for quick and easy tweaking for power users working in an in chassis environment. Package and AccessoriesThe EP45-DQ6 arrives in a sturdy box with a shiny metallic theme, that extends from the front to the rear of the box.  GIGABYTE lists their features on the front...  Inside the false cover...  And also on the back of the box. Its hard to miss any of the documented features under these circumstances.  Once you slip off the top cover, you will fine a thick sturdy cardboard box.  That box breaks down further into two more subdivisions, a clear plastic one for the motherboard, and a cardboard one for the accessory bundle. Overall the packaging is sturdy, and should insure the product arrives to you in good shape.  The EP45-DQ6 comes locked and loaded in the accessory department. Along with the standard I/O shield, floppy & IDE cables. GIGABYTE also packs in four SATA cables, three case badges (for a little GIGA bling), manuals, and driver disk.  The bundle also goes all out in the expansion bracket department in the form of an IEEE 1394 expansion bracket supporting firewire 400 and firewire 800, two eSATA brackets each with two eSATA connectors and a Molex power outlet, two Molex/SATA power adapters, and a pair of eSATA cables.  GIGABYTE packs in the utility software with this board as well. Since the board is one of the designated “E” series, GIGABYTE’S energy conservation software dubbed ”Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced” comes packaged with the board. The software utility even has a power saving meter, to gauge how much energy your saving by utilizing the software. Animated gears are displayed as a means of indicating how much the software is toning down the system for greater energy conservation. Since undervolting and underclocking the CPU are its main means of energy conservation, as soon as you overvolt and overclock the CPU the software becomes somewhat counterproductive, although it still can be used in that scenario.  Beyond the DES utility GIGABYTE includes their latest tweaking utility, designed to run under the windows environment. Easy Tune 6 features a clean layout, and proved effective in configuring the system. Looking at the picture you will notice the tabbed sections consisting of CPU, memory, tuner, graphics, smart fan and hardware monitoring. The CPU and memory screens read out just like a CPU-Z menu, and the tuner section even allows for CPU ratio changes. All things considered, its one of the most polished windows overclocking utilities I have encountered. Board LayoutThe color scheme is very reminiscent of other GIGABYTE boards. Sky blue PCB with multicolored slots and ports. While sometimes, you might think your staring at a two year olds Lego block set, the varying color scheme does aid in identifying different ports during the hardware install process.  Click to Enlarge This board sports some serious chipset cooling, with seven copper heatsinks and five heatpipes in all. Throughout the board Gigabyte uses low RDS(on) MOSFETs, even for the additional two phase north bridge and memory circuits. Also placed throughout the board is sealed ferrite iron chokes in keeping with the “Ultra Durable 2” branding.  A quick look at the backside of the board, reveals that Gigabyte placed a couple voltage regulators on the back of the board.  The CPU socket area is pretty clean and should not inhibit the installation of most large coolers. Located around the CPU socket area, is a large number of ferrite chokes, and lots of MOSFETs. This close proximity allows the components to grab some extra cooling air, if you happen to use a down draft style CPU cooler. GIGABYTE also incorporates the VRD11.1 feature set into the board. VRD11.1 allows for increased energy savings while running the latest 45nm processors. This falls in line with GIGABYTE's commitment to producing energy efficient motherboards as of late.  The board should fully support all of your SATA needs, as it offers ten internal SATA connections overall. The orange ports are directly linked to the ICH10R south bridge, while the purple ones are controlled by the Sil5723 SATA chip. For the best performance configuration, your boot and OS drives should most likely be connected to the ports directly linked to the Southbridge controller. The ports orientated at a 90 degree angle are placed accordingly, so that they will not interfere with any long graphics cards, as they are in line with the GPU expansion slots. There are two USB expansion ports and three IEEE1394 ports, and they differentiate in color as well. The IDE connector is placed at the bottom of the board, and the front panel connector is located just below that.  The EP45-DQ6 supports 4 x DDR2 memory modules, and a memory capacity up to 16 gigs. The 24-pin power connection is also located on this top right corner. I find this placement works well, as it makes it easy to route the power cable away from other board components. If you still using a floppy drive, a board connection is provided for you next to the power receptacle.  GIGABYTE uses twelve phase CPU power regulation with two MOSFETs per choke. The 8-pin CPU power connector is placed behind the socket, and somewhat close to the copper heatsink.  In the peripheral expansion department, the board sports one PCI-E X16 slot, one x PCI-E X8 slot, three PCI-E x 1 slots and two PCI slots. In the only real limitation of the P45 chipset, if you utilize ATI’s dual GPU Crossfire solution, the bandwidth will drop to X8 vs. the dual X16 some chipsets offer. However, this shouldn’t be to much of a detrimental factor, as most current cards most likely do not over saturate a X8 PCI-E bus. The ports are clearly labeled, and in some cases even labeled inside the actual port itself. This can be seen on the com port one the bottom corner of the board. I/O back panel connectors include: PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports, coaxial and optical S/PDIF, 4 x LAN and 8 x USB 2.0 and HD Audio ports. In regards to the four Realtek Gigabit Ethernet ports, GIGABYTE’s specifications claim that they can be used as a switch and router, or they can all be used together to provide a 4Gbps connection. GIGABYTE also includes rear eSATA and IEEE1394 support by expansion brackets.  Along the bottom of the board is three blue LED switches consisting of power, reset and clear CMOS.
GIGABYTE also provides extra phase power regulation for the north bridge...
by http://www.pcper.com/ | ||
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