Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Ultra Durable 3 Motherboard

Performance Summary: Gigabyte's EP45-UD3P performed well -- it placed right in line with other Intel and NVIDIA boards that we used for comparison -- but in general it was the best P45 board we've come across.  Frame rates were the fastest recorded, even beating out the "gamer" intended MSI P45 Platinum.  We were also able to get some large dividends from overclocking.  Possibly due to the effects of the Ultra Durable 3 components, we achieved the highest overclock we've seen with the particular CPU we've been using over the past year or so.

The EP45-UD3P is the first motherboard from Gigabyte utilizing the Ultra Durable 3 Technology, and overall we would have to say that we are pretty impressed withit.  The EP45-UD3P offers more secure computing with the TPM Security software, higher power efficiency, and cooler operation with the high quality component selection.  As we stated earlier, we can't exactly point at UD3 and say that it granted us the highest overclock we've achieved with our Core 2 Duo testing CPU, but we're sure that it had a big hand in it.  Either way, the whole overclocking experience was a bit of a delight for once, made even easier by simply using Easy Tune 6 from within Windows. 

Perhaps one of the biggest features of the EP45-UD3P is how Gigabyte managed to put it all together for a decent price; currently just under $150, and even lower with rebates found on some retail sites.  With support for bargain-price DDR2, it's a quick and cheap way to get yourself into a powerful system without spending a lot of hard-earned cash.  If you're in the market for a new motherboard, but don't necessarily want to upgrade your entire set of hardware, you might consider the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P.  It's got a complete list of components onboard and comes with a nice price tag, especially during the holiday season where everyone's looking to save a dollar or two.