Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P

There are certain products in every category that somehow manage to attain legendary, if not mythical stature. In the Intel socket based motherboard world that status is frequently obtained not by feature count, not by component selection, not by build quality, but by an ethereal capability to do one thing well: overclock the pins off the latest generation of Intel CPU. The fact that this capability is inextricably linked to the skill of the person tweaking the BIOS, and in many cases is difficult to repeat, only seems to add to the legend. Just as it is impossible to predict which aspiring new actor or actress will become the new darling of the Hollywood glitterati, there is an element of chance as to which motherboard among the many on offer will grab the brass ring. GIGABYTE Technologies Inc. offers 24 version of P45 based Socket 775 motherboards, yet one of them is a diva of the overclocking community. Benchmark Reviews is pleased to bring you our findings on the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P motherboard.

Gigabyte Technologies Inc. is well known to the PC enthusiast community. This is not the first of their products that achieved near cult status; their GA-P35-DS3L motherboard was equally heralded back in the days of 65nM dual-cores. The barrier to entry for the overclocking community was completely bowled over by the appearance of the P35 chipset and Intel's E21X0 series of CPUs. Suddenly, it was so cheap and simple to put a giant-killer PC together, everyone was doing it. This was my first experience with overclocking (absent the Turbo button on my ‘486...), and I have to say I was spoiled by how easy it was, at least with these three exceedingly robust bits of hardware at the core of my system. If you tried, and couldn't get a stable 50% overclock with that combo, just give it up and go home.

Just to give some perspective on how popular these motherboards are, one well known site devoted to overclocking has collected over 1000 posts and 50,000+ page views during the last two months in the Gigabyte EP45-UD3P Overclocking Guide topic. The GA-P35-DS3L thread has over 3500 posts and 300,000+ page views since 11/07. Clearly, Gigabyte has had a couple winners in this market segment. There are other stars in the universe, of course; Gigabyte does not have a monopoly in this or any other market segment. There is heavy of competition in the industry, and the combination of technology and a competitive marketplace has yielded unprecedented advances, that I think have eclipsed any other human endeavor in recorded history.

Let's take a good look at what Gigabyte Technologies has brought to the game with their GA-EP45-UD3P product.

About GIGABYTE Technologies Inc.

Gigabyte United Inc., established in December 2006, is assuming the GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd. Brand, which for the past 20 years has been a world-renowned leader in the motherboard industry. Continuing to focus on its core businesses of GIGABYTE branded motherboards and graphics cards, Gigabyte United Inc. is committed to providing our valued customers with the highest quality products and services featuring the industry's most innovative design.

In order to meet the challenges of today's intensely competitive channel market, Gigabyte United Inc. fully utilizes its key assets including its cutting-edge research and development team as well as its professional sales and marketing resources to continue to develop technologies to fit a complete range of digital life solutions. Now and for the future, Gigabyte United Inc. will continue to embody the unique spirit and culture, which has made Gigabyte one of the foremost brands in the industry.

More information about Gigabyte is available by visiting their website.

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