Gigabyte X58A-UD3R Intel X58 LGA 1366 Motherboard Review

Specifications / Features

Model: Gigabyte X58A-UD3R
CPU Support: Intel Core i9, Core i7 975/960/950/920 LGA 1366 Processors

QPI: 4.8GT/s, 6.4GT/s

Chipset:
North Bridge: Intel® X58 Express
South Bridge: Intel® ICH10R

Memory Support: 6 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 24 GB of system memory
-Dual/Triple channel memory architecture
-DDR3 2200/1333/1066/800 MHz memory modules
-Non-ECC memory modules
-Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules

Audio: Realtek ALC889 codec High Definition Audio
-2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
-Dolby® Home Theater

LAN: 1 x Realtek RTL8111D chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)

PCI Expansion:
-2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1/PCIEX16_2)
-2 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8_1/PCIEX8_2)
-2 x PCI Express x1 slots
-1 x PCI slot
-2-Way/3-Way ATI CrossFireX™/NVIDIA SLI technology

Storage:
-South Bridge:
–6 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (SATA2_0, SATA2_1, SATA2_2, SATA2_3, SATA2_4, SATA2_5) supporting up to 6 SATA 3Gb/s devices
–Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10
-Marvell 9128 chip:
–2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (GSATA3_6, GSATA3_7) supporting up to 2 SATA 6Gb/s devices
–Support for SATA RAID 0, and RAID 1
-GIGABYTE SATA2 chip:
–1 x IDE connector supporting ATA-133/100/66/33 and up to 2 IDE devices
–2 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (GSATA2_8, GSATA2_9) supporting up to 2 SATA 3Gb/s devices
–Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, and JBOD
-JMicron JMB362 chip:
–2 x eSATA 3Gb/s connectors on the back panel supporting up to 2 SATA 3Gb/s devices
–Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, and JBOD

USB:
South Bridge
Up to 10 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (6 on the back panel, including 2 eSATA/USB Combo, 4 via the USB brackets connected to the internal USB headers)
NEC chip:
Up to 2 USB 3.0/2.0 ports on the back panel

IEEE 1394: Up to 3 IEEE 1394a ports (2 on the back panel, 1 via the IEEE 1394a bracket connected to the internal IEEE 1394a header)

Internal Connectors:

-1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector Connectors
-1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
-1 x floppy disk drive connector
-1 x IDE connector
-8 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors
-2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
-1 x CPU fan header
-3 x system fan headers
-1 x power fan header
-1 x North Bridge fan header
-1 x front panel header
-1 x front panel audio header
-1 x CD In connector
-1 x S/PDIF In header
-1 x S/PDIF Out header
-2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
-1 x IEEE 1394a header

I/O Panel:
-1 x PS/2 keyboard port
-1 x PS/2 mouse port
-1 x coaxial S/PDIF Out connector
-1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
-1 x clearing CMOS button
-2 x IEEE 1394a ports
-4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
-2 x USB 3.0 ports
-2 x eSATA/USB Combo connectors
-1 x RJ-45 port
-6 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out/Rear Speaker Out/ Side Speaker Out/Line In/Line Out/Microphone)

BIOS: Award BIOS
-2 x 16 Mbit flash
-Support for DualBIOS™
-PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 1.0b

Hardware Monitoring:
-System voltage detection
-CPU/North Bridge temperature detection
-CPU/System/Power fan speed detection
-CPU overheating warning
-CPU fan fail warning
-CPU/System fan speed control

Gigabyte Unique Features:
– @BIOS
– Q-Flash
– Xpress BIOS Rescue
– Download Center
– Xpress Install
– Xpress Recovery2
– EasyTune
– Dynamic Energy Saver™ 2
– Smart 6™
– Auto Green
– eXtreme Hard Drive
– Q-Share

Gigabyte Construction Features:
-GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3
–2 oz Copper PCB
–Japanese Solid Capacitors
–Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs
–Ferrite core chokes
-GIGABYTE Dynamic Energy Saver (DES)
-Dynamic 6-Gear Power Phase Switching

Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® 7/Vista/XP

Form Factor: ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm (12.0″ x 9.6″)

Features:
-Supports new generation Intel 32nm 6-core processors
-Ultra Durable 3 Technology with copper cooled quality for lower working temperature
-Supports newest NEC SuperSpeed USB 3.0 with superfast transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps
-3X USB power delivery for greater compatibility and extra power for USB devices
-Provides newest Marvell SE9128 high speed SATA3 storage interface with superfast 6Gbps link speed
– Supports the newest Intel Core i 7 processors in socket LGA1366 with QPI 6.4 GT/s
– Revolutionary energy saving design with DES 2 featuring hardware based Dynamic 6-Gear switching
– Supports triple channel DDR3 2100+ memory
– Scalable ability to both 3 way CrossFireX and 3 way SLI support for ultimate graphics performance
– Unique hardware control IC to provide more precision voltage control
– 100% 50,000 hour lifespan Japanese solid capacitors design
– Patented DualBIOS with dual hardware BIOS protection
– Supports Dolby Home Theater audio to create a stunning surround sound listening experience
– Blu-ray playback outputs supported by high quality 108dB SNR ALC889 HD audio
– Compatible with Window 7 to deliver the best operation experience
– Meets European Union EuP (Energy-using Products) requirements