As I said I’ve never had a Gigabyte motherboard before so wasn’t sure what to expect. The quality and build of this board has been a revelation:-
Features , Layout & Package
1) The copper heatpipes and mounting provide a benchmark that other manufacturers should follow.
2) Board layout is very good the only issues are minor :-
2-a) Reaching the Clear
Cmos jumper if using Crossfire it may be fiddly as it’s between both graphics slots which are quiet close together
Clr-Cmos Jumper
2-b) Access to memory sockets is tight when graphics card is in
PCI-EX1 position, but the same complaint applies to virtually every P35/X38 motherboard.
3) The included package is good with some excellent innovative features, the
E-Sata Connectios are to my knowledge unique & extremely useful. It also means you can save money by just plugging in the drive & save money on enclosures
10/10
Overclocking & Bios
Unlike other manufacturers (Abit) the board offers support for 1600 MHz
FSB. This strap 2.66 in Gigabyte speak, is particularly strong and gave me excellent memory stability.
Was good but not startling, in other words pretty much in line with P35 v X38 performance, no great lift. I must admit though that this board was more stable at the same higher clocks than my Asus P5k Deluxe, as an example I got 8x465 14Hr prime stable which I didn’t manage on the p5k.
The failed over clocking recovery feature is very smooth, I’ve only had to clear the
cmos twice, which I think is a record
Bios features are the disappointing feature on this board. Compared to other X38s the Maximus or the QuadGT there aren’t as many options, some of the features that are there aren’t particularly useful.
GTL Ref Are Hidden features only accessed by using the CTRL] + [F1] keys from the main menu. Unlike the boards mentioned above options are limited
CPU GTLRef1
CPU GTLRef2
I’ve not found any benefit of using either the
MCH or
DDR reference Voltages or the
DDR Termination voltage. They’ve been at normal throughout.
Bios support is rich with plenty of betas. Performance wise F4 seems the
bios of choice for best Dual core performance. F5G & F5H give best performance on Quad cores.
The biggest problem setting is with the Static tRead Value Trd The value is modified according to the value of the Performance Enhance Settimg ([Standard], [Turbo] & [Extreme]) and strap used. The value selected on auto is often too tight. If running >400
FSB it’s best to use a minimum value of 7. The other option is to run at a lower Performance setting, with the corresponding performance hit.
If overclocking isn’t a particular requirement then the more limited
bios will not be an issue, the board overclocks well enough but I’ve knocked about 2 points off for the lack of features here.
7/10
Overall this board reminds me of a luxury car, excellent package & features , with good solid performance.
Value wise: This board has come down in £ since its launch
Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 £150.86 which is excellent value being less than £10 more than the Abit Quad IX38 GT.
9/10
Features: 10/10
Overclocking & Bios: 7/10
Value: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
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Linear Mode
