Gigabyte EX58-UD4P X58 Motherboard
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Introduction
It’s been a while now since we reviewed Gigabyte’s first X58 motherboard and one which I was very impressed with, the EX58 UD5. Since then we have reviewed a number of motherboards from the ever popular Asus P6T to the High Performing DFI T3eH8. None of those boards however, could match the all round abilities of the UD5, especially for the price. So then, what can the UD4P, Gigabytes latest offering bring to the table? Well, for a start it is cheaper than the UD5, it’s still a feature packed board and as we will see, it has only forsaken a few features of the UD5 which you may or may not miss.
Priced between the UD5 Extreme and the budget DS3R, the UD4P is the latest performance X58 motherboard based on Intel’s Skt1366 configuration and one of seven motherboards hailing from the Taiwanese company. All of the boards from Gigabyte are cut down versions of the range topping UD5 Extreme. The UD4P has a slightly different PCIe configuration, sporting 2×16 PCIe ports which drop down to 1xPCI16 and 1×8 when the third (orange) 8 speed PCIe port is used. The UD5 however retains the full 16 lanes of PCIe 2.0 goodness when the third slot is used. In contrast the UD3R has 2 full size PCIe ports so does not allow 3-way SLI/CrossfireX. The UD4P also has less SATA ports than the UD5 but as it already has 8 SATA ports only the storage hoarders should be concerned.
The UD4P does however have a feature which the UD5 does not and that’s the Ultra TPM encryption capability. The TPM (Trusted Module Platform) allows users to secure their files, preventing any unauthorised access without the keys stored on the USB stick. Being much more secure than software based encryption, TPM is perfect for users who might have what some might say ‘sensitive information’ on their PC. These keys can also be backed up in the BIOS should you be the forgetful type. Once the key’s are stored on the USB stick they are then erased from the PC preventing anyone from accessing your protected files without the key. Simply unplugging your USB key locks up the files and renders them unusable until the USB key (and therefore the keys) are re-inserted. Thankfully Gigabyte include full instructions for this procedure with a separate manual.
Being part of the Ultra Durable range, the UD4P features quality components which provide better cooling, greater efficiency and enhanced signal quality. This, along with lower EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) provides greater stability allowing for higher overclocks.
Here’s What Gigabyte have to say about the EX58-UD4P:
Specifications
(Go to CPU Support List for the latest CPU support )
2. L3 cache varies with CPU
2. South Bridge: Intel® ICH10R
2. Dual/3 channel memory architecture
3. Support for DDR3 2100+/1333/1066/800 MHz memory modules
2. High Definition Audio
3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
4. Support for Dolby® Home Theater
5. Support for S/PDIF In/Out
6. Support for CD In
2. 1 x PCI Express x8 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8_1) (Note 3)
(The PCIEX16_1, PCIE16_2 and PCIEX8_1 slots support 2-Way/3-Way NVIDIA SLI/ATI CrossFireX technology and conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)
3. 1 x PCI Express x4 slot
4. 1 x PCI Express x1 slot
5. 2 x PCI slots
2. Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10
2. 2x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (GSATA2_0, GSATA2_1) supporting up to 2 SATA 3Gb/s devices
3. Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1 and JBOD
2. Up to 3 IEEE 1394a ports (1 on the back panel, 2 via the IEEE 1394a brackets connected to the internal IEEE 1394a headers)
2. Up to 12 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (8 on the back panel, 4 via the USB brackets connected to the internal USB headers)
2. 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
3. 1 x floppy disk drive connector
4. 1 x IDE connector
5. 8 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors
6. 1 x CPU fan header
7. 3 x system fan headers
8. 1 x power fan header
9. 1 x North Bridge fan header
10. 1 x front panel header
11. 1 x front panel audio header
12. 1 x CD In connector
13. 1 x S/PDIF In header
14. 1 x S/PDIF Out header
15. 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
16. 2 x IEEE 1394a headers
17. 1 x power LED header
18. 1 x chassis intrusion header
19. 1 x power switch
20. 1 x reset switch
2. 1 x PS/2 mouse port
3. 1 x coaxial S/PDIF Out connector
4. 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
5. 1 x IEEE 1394a port
6. 1 x clearing CMOS switch
7. 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
8. 1 x RJ-45 ports
9. 6 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out/Rear Speaker Out/Side Speaker Out/Line In/Line Out/Microphone)
2. CPU/System/North Bridge temperature detection
3. CPU/System/Power fan speed detection
4. CPU overheating warning
5. CPU/System/Power fan fail warning
6. CPU/System fan speed control (Note 4)
2. Use of licensed AWARD BIOS
3. Support for DualBIOSâ„¢
4. PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 1.0b
2. Support for Q-Flash
3. Support for Virtual Dual BIOS
4. Support for Download Center
5. Support for Xpress Install
6. Support for Xpress Recovery2
7. Support for EasyTune (Note 5)
8. Support for Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced
9. Support for Time Repair
10. Support for Q-Share
An Impressive specification to say the least. Raid RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 is available on the Intel controller and Gigabyte have also managed to cram a floppy port on the board for good measure which is a rarity these days. This, along with dual PS/2 ports should ease the monetary burden of upgrade for those clinging to yesterdays hardware.
Let’s take a look at the aesthetics of the Gigabyte EX58-UD4P…
