X58 for the Masses: Gigabyte's EX58-UD3R & EX58-UD4P

Performance Summary: We have to commend Gigabyte for creating these two relatively affordable X58-based boards. Because virtually all of the performance-related BIOS options which are inherent in all of Gigabyte's X58 boards from the Extreme all the way down to the UD3R are left intact, both boards are able to hange with boards from ASUS and MSI that cost nearly double the price.

GIGABYTE EX58-UD3R & EX58-UD4P
Gigabyte's EX58-UD3R and EX58-UD4P offer users a good number of features, without the exorbitant prices that higher-end boards usually demand.  For most folks, running three sticks of DDR3 in Triple Channel mode for either a 3GB or 6GB setup will suffice, and we would be hard pressed to name too many of our friends who are running 3-Way SLI or CrossFireX combinations.  If 3-Way SLI is your thing, however, you will need to steer away from the UD3R and invest in the UD4P instead.  The on-board cooling solutions aren't as expansive as competing offerings, but with the money saved you could go out and buy an extra fan or two and mount them in your case for the same effect. 

We do appreciate that Gigabyte has taken all prospective Core i7 upgrade users into account with their full line of X58-based offerings.  Their boards run from the simple to the sublime, with a few stops in between.  Those looking for a simple and less expensive path to Core i7 performance would do right to choose the Gigabyte EX58-UD3R, as it is one of the cheapest X58 boards we could find (currently just over $200).  If high-end gaming is more your style, then check out the EX58-UD4P, which allows you to go with either ATI or NVIDIA 3-way multi-GPU configurations, depending on which way the prevailing winds are blowing.  Either way, Gigabyte has got you covered.