Gigabyte GA-X79-UD7 Motherboard Review

Overclockers.com · 12-12-11, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Tick...tock, tick...tock goes the Intel clock. With another 'tock' comes another CPU chipset that everyone wants to get their hands on. In that light, Gigabyte has provided us with their high-end motherboard for their enthusiast class chipset to put through its paces, the GA-X79-UD7. In past incarnations, this board had a good reputation for overclocking well. Let us take a look and see if this board can keep on pushing CPU's to their limits!

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bmwbaxter · 12-12-11, 05:37 PM

Nice review and it looks like a great board.

You said you used the on board buttons to overclock, was it easier than software overclocking?

Tspek · 12-12-11, 07:46 PM

The buttons are pretty neat if it works well.

EarthDog · 12-13-11, 08:41 AM

As far as the buttons go, It was easier than software, yes....and they work quite well.

After going sort of cold (terrible SS that barely kept it sub zero at idle) I was able to push through that 5Ghz wall and sit at 5.2Ghz. It needs more cold!!

hokiealumnus · 12-13-11, 08:50 AM

Excellent review ED!

bmwbaxter · 12-13-11, 09:11 AM

I am glad to see that these chips do scale somewhat with cold.

EarthDog · 12-13-11, 09:19 AM

Well... somewhat cold is more accurate

. I will know what these do under DI 12/21.

Tspek · 12-13-11, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EarthDog

As far as the buttons go, It was easier than software, yes....and they work quite well.

After going sort of cold (terrible SS that barely kept it sub zero at idle) I was able to push through that 5Ghz wall and sit at 5.2Ghz. It needs more cold!!

I haven't had a chance to read the review fully but can you utilize those buttons with the OS booted?

EarthDog · 12-13-11, 09:33 AM

Yep. That is the point of those buttons. They do not work in the bios I wouldnt imagine (havent tried).

Tspek · 12-13-11, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EarthDog

Yep. That is the point of those buttons. They do not work in the bios I wouldnt imagine (havent tried).

That is very cool indeed.

mxthunder · 12-13-11, 10:25 AM

My favorite X79 mobo by far. Too bad they are all already sold. These were made in extremely limited numbers from what I understand.

The LLC / vdroop is perfect on this board from what I have found. setting 1.45 in bios nets a 1.45 v load under load and idle

eduncan911 · 12-29-11, 07:20 PM

Could someone confirm if this board does x16-x8-x16 in 3-way SLI? Their own manual has conflicting information about this:

http://www.overclockers.com/forums/s...d.php?t=695763

^- details of the conflicts.

hokiealumnus · 12-29-11, 08:45 PM

It will definitely do 2 x 16x & 1 x 8x (that equals the available 40 lanes), but in what configuration I'm not sure.

12-12-11, 05:37 PM	#2
bmwbaxter Premium Member #5 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: London, Ontario, Canada	Nice review and it looks like a great board. You said you used the on board buttons to overclock, was it easier than software overclocking? __________________ SSD > PCMark 05 freeagent - Torture is watching all these 2600k's kicking my rig in the mosfets HeatWare News Team Profile Monthly Benching Competition
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12-12-11, 07:46 PM	#3
Tspek Member Join Date: Oct 2009	The buttons are pretty neat if it works well.
	QUOTE Thanks

12-13-11, 08:41 AM	#4
EarthDog Senior PITA Member Overclockers.com Editor Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Stuck in Maryland...	As far as the buttons go, It was easier than software, yes....and they work quite well. After going sort of cold (terrible SS that barely kept it sub zero at idle) I was able to push through that 5Ghz wall and sit at 5.2Ghz. It needs more cold!! __________________ C2D/C2Q Overclocking Guide / i3/i5/i7 (s1366/1156) Overclocking Guide/Info / SandyBridge/ Ivybridge Overclocking Guide / AMD Overclocking Guide / Power Supply Guide SSD Reliability/Write Endurance / JOIN THE BENCHING TEAM! / Bulldozer Overclocking Guide / Forum Etiquette Want to see your writing featured on the overclockers.com Front Page? PM me, I can help! "We have more information and more ways of accessing it than ever, yet seem increasingly less inclined to do so."- Michael Wilbon
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12-13-11, 08:50 AM	#5
hokiealumnus Water Cooled Moderator Overclockers.com Lead Editor Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Raleigh, NC	Excellent review ED! __________________ Enjoy benchmarks? Join the benching team! \| New to water cooling? Read the Beginner's Guide to Water Cooling Your PC. xsuperbgx - "As a wise man once said: "Less talky. More clocky."" \| cyberfish - "When overclocked, it's undefined behavior." I.M.O.G. - "Vaseline on Ivy Bridge is a bad idea. But not so bad of an idea that it can't be fixed with a torpedo heater, a dishwasher, an oven, and a few hours. " \m/ OverClockers mATX L33T Club \m/ - Join Now! - My mITX Build
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12-13-11, 09:11 AM	#6
bmwbaxter Premium Member #5 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: London, Ontario, Canada	I am glad to see that these chips do scale somewhat with cold.
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12-13-11, 09:19 AM	#7
EarthDog Senior PITA Member Overclockers.com Editor Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Stuck in Maryland...	Well... somewhat cold is more accurate . I will know what these do under DI 12/21. __________________ C2D/C2Q Overclocking Guide / i3/i5/i7 (s1366/1156) Overclocking Guide/Info / SandyBridge/ Ivybridge Overclocking Guide / AMD Overclocking Guide / Power Supply Guide SSD Reliability/Write Endurance / JOIN THE BENCHING TEAM! / Bulldozer Overclocking Guide / Forum Etiquette Want to see your writing featured on the overclockers.com Front Page? PM me, I can help! "We have more information and more ways of accessing it than ever, yet seem increasingly less inclined to do so."- Michael Wilbon
	QUOTE Thanks

12-13-11, 09:33 AM	#9
EarthDog Senior PITA Member Overclockers.com Editor Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Stuck in Maryland...	Yep. That is the point of those buttons. They do not work in the bios I wouldnt imagine (havent tried). __________________ C2D/C2Q Overclocking Guide / i3/i5/i7 (s1366/1156) Overclocking Guide/Info / SandyBridge/ Ivybridge Overclocking Guide / AMD Overclocking Guide / Power Supply Guide SSD Reliability/Write Endurance / JOIN THE BENCHING TEAM! / Bulldozer Overclocking Guide / Forum Etiquette Want to see your writing featured on the overclockers.com Front Page? PM me, I can help! "We have more information and more ways of accessing it than ever, yet seem increasingly less inclined to do so."- Michael Wilbon
	QUOTE Thanks

12-13-11, 10:25 AM	#11
mxthunder Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Northeast Ohio	My favorite X79 mobo by far. Too bad they are all already sold. These were made in extremely limited numbers from what I understand. The LLC / vdroop is perfect on this board from what I have found. setting 1.45 in bios nets a 1.45 v load under load and idle __________________ i5 2500K @ 4.8GHz Asrock Z68 Extreme 7 Gen3 2x4GB Ripjaws @ 1600 7-8-7-24-34 - 1T XSPC res + D5, RS360 + EK 120mm rad GeForce GTX580 SLI @ 900 HC2 blocks Corsair TX950 WD Velociraptor 450GB/Hitachi 7k1000/Intel 330 SSD cache drive Dell 2209WA @ 75hz Corsair Obsidian 700D Last edited by mxthunder; 12-13-11 at 10:33 AM.
	QUOTE Thanks

12-29-11, 07:20 PM	#12
eduncan911 Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Upstate NY and NYC	Could someone confirm if this board does x16-x8-x16 in 3-way SLI? Their own manual has conflicting information about this: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/s...d.php?t=695763 ^- details of the conflicts. __________________ [system base] :: Dell XPS 730X Modified H2C TEC Hybrid Chassis :: ASRock Fatal1ty X79 w/3930k C2, Mushkin 16 GB 2133 Mhz, 2x OCZ Vertex 3 240 GB in RAID 0 :: 3x EVGA GTX 670 4GB SC + EVGA GTX 460 EE 1GB PhysX :: 3x Planar SA2311W 120 Hz 3D Vision w/Ergotech Tri-Monitor Stand (6000x1080 bezel corrected) :: Previous build: Shotgun Watercooling Theory v2 Build - Dead silent
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12-29-11, 08:45 PM	#13
hokiealumnus Water Cooled Moderator Overclockers.com Lead Editor Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Raleigh, NC	It will definitely do 2 x 16x & 1 x 8x (that equals the available 40 lanes), but in what configuration I'm not sure.
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