A couple months ago, we got an in-person sneak preview of GIGABYTE’s P55 line up minus a few boards we’re sure to get our hands on soon. There were plenty of features and software offered that encompassed the entire P55 series. Overclocking capabilities are about the only thing that separates the various available models. Rest assured, exemplary stability and reliability are a standard feature on all of GIGABYTE’s boards.
The line up took care of users on a budget to those who must have the best. There’s no feasible reason to put an entire line up for review, so we’re starting off with a model anyone can appreciate. The GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD5 Motherboard is aimed at pleasing the bulk of enthusiasts. But does it please us? Let’s find out!
Features and Specifications
I found some of the the features like 2048-bit encryption and the Bluetooth device and USB Pen Drive security feature to be really interesting. One could walk away from their machine at a LAN Party or event and not have to worry that someone is going to get anything or anywhere with your system. Without the encrypted key on your cell phone or pen drive, it’s completely useless to them.
GIGABYTE also provides a very interactive Smart 6 program with features like QuickBoot, QuickBoost, Recovery, Dual Bios (which really works well for massive overclockers), Recorder, and TimeLock which helps remind your kids when they’ve had enough time on the Interwebs. It also includes the very welcome return of Dynamic Engergy Saver 2 which will improve power consumption over the long run.
Of course, we can’t forget XHD which is basically insta-RAID support. Any user, regardless of skill level, can quickly STRIPE two or more hard drives or Solid State Drives for really fast Read and Write speeds. The only thing you need to do is decide if it’s something you need to set up and if you need to order two new drives.
The P55 series continues its Ultra Durable 3 technology and 2 oz PCB design heritage to provide the most stable and reliable platforms possible. This is augmented by a 12 Phase power VRM design which delivers a reliable level of power to the CPU when needed. Overclocking comes to mind but you’ll find it gets better in it’s higher end sibling, the GA-P55-UD6 where 24 Phase power VRM takes overclocking to new heights.
Dolby Home Theater audio is supported thanks to the Realtek ALC889A Codec. This is a 7.1 channel High Definition Codec which has recently proven to be a better than average audio solution. Whether your using headphones, 2 channel, 5.1, or 7.1 channel audio, you can expect a decent audio experience. (Yes, we’re going to double check as well.)
What’s in the Box?
The motherboard bundle is pretty decent, though not quite as flashy as the MSI P55 motherboard that we just reviewed. There’s at least 4 yellow SATA cables, external SATA hardware and cabling, as well as the Crossfire/SLI bridge for when you really want to get your game on. Naturally, some simpler, antiquated ATA and FDD cabling is included. Not everyone seems to be ready to step in to the Lynnfield era without dragging along some of their nostalgic devices.
The Motherboard Disc includes some of the latest Vista and Windows 7 drivers to get the system up and online in no time. The same disc contains the many of the useful software features mentioned above. You have the choice of an automated full or manual installation method. Click and let the system go to town.
GA-P55-UD5 Up Close and Personal
GIGABYTE continues using blue PCB to build their motherboard. The major change to this platform, besides the P55 Chipset, is what’s on top of it. The Southbridge and PWM get new Heat Pipes and white racing strips that remind me of a Shelby GT500 Mustang: blue, bold, striped, and bad to the bone!
One of the hot features on the Intel P55 platform is the return of dual channel DDR3 memory and a controller built specifically into the Lynnfield LGA 1156 Processors. Because it’s dual channel, engineers can squeeze out much higher frequencies up to 2200 MHz. That’s 600 MHz more than Intel’s DP55KG, but only 66 MHz more than the MSI P55-GD65. It’s funny to think that not too long ago DDR at 400MHz was considered fast.
Gamers will appreciate the CrossfireX/SLI support offered by the top two PCI Express 2.0 slots. Each slot operates in x16 mode with a single card and x8 by x8 when two cards are used. Typically, you can see minimal differences between dual x16 and dual x8 slots using really high resolutions so the loss of dual x16 slots is not a biggie. You’ll also find several clearly labeled features like horizontal SATA ports and well placed USB, 1394, and Front Panel ports or headers. The two eSATA/USB Combo ports are an especially interesting new feature that allows a bit more connectivity without making more slots. Feel free to use eSATA on one port and USB on the other. It really works.
The board also gets a large clearly marked backlit power button whereas the reset button sits more modestly behind it. Not sure why the difference in quality, but perhaps engineers are confident you won’t be needing to use it much so why waste a fancy button. Let’s get this thing installed.
Installation Notes
If you were at PAX 2009 in Seattle this year, you may have noticed the liquid cooled Intel Core i7 870 game machine at Antec’s booth. With a little inter vendor cooperation with Futurelooks, Antec, Intel, and PugetSystems, we were able to assemble an exclusive sneak peak at the “Lynnfield” processor in action.
The Koolance Exos 2.5 with CPU-350AT Water Block was used on both the GIGABYTE and challenging MSI motherboard. You’ll be pleased to know that the cooling system kept processor temps well under control and didn’t reach 80 C during testing even during overclocking. That, as you will see, is mainly due to the motherboard limiting the highest result.
One thing I have to admit about the new LGA 1156 socket is that the locking mechanism is far easier, simpler, and seems more secure than the LGA 1366. If you’re not already familiar with it, after setting the CPU in place, the latch fastens in an all-in-one movement while guiding the plate beneath the screw head.
Here is the break down of components in the test bed:
- Intel Core i7 870 “Lynnfield” Processor
- GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD5 Motherboard
- MSI P55-GD65 Motherboard
- Patriot 4GB 2000 MHz Sector 5 Dual Channel Memory
- Zotac Geforce GTX295
- Kingston 64GB SSDNow V+ Solid State Drive
- 1000 Watt Power Supply
- Windows 7 (Final RC)
- Latest BIOS, motherboard, and video drivers.
Once the test system was ready, I had to check out the Smart TPM encryption feature. It’s really simple once you get the security key and as long as your phone supports Bluetooth. Basically, without my cell phone, no one is able to access or do anything to the system. This is would really benefit a demo rig at any LAN Party. Just keep your cell phone charged and you’ll be fine. And, it wouldn’t hurt to have a USB pen drive key back up.
Testing Methodology
We’ve simplified and stream lined our motherboard testing procedures even further as of late to make the reviews easier to read so you don’t doze off halfway through. We’ve also made some more practical choices in testing to give you a better overall feeling of how this board would fit into your usage.
We use industry standard tests like SANDRA CPU/Memory Bandwidth, Cinebench R10, PCMark Vantage, 3DMark Vantage, Crysis, and RightMark Audio. Most of these tests you can download and run yourself. This is important so that you can reproduce our testing and further evaluate what is tested here based on your own gear. We also test components like onboard audio and IO to give you a true feeling of the difference between boards that use similar chipsets, but can vary widely in the implementation of supporting components.
SANDRA CPU Benchmark
CPU performance is very important and this test gives us a quick look at just how well a board compares. During the first run, there was a big difference between each system by almost 10,000 points due to Turbo being disabled in the BIOS. As you can see here, once it was enabled, the systems acted like mirror images of each other. Remember to enable the turbo!
SANDRA Memory Bandwidth
This test is useful to assessing if any bottlenecks exist when it comes to memory performance. You really have to appreciate the Lynnfield’s integrated memory controller. All that bandwidth equates in to a great deal of productivity when you need it.
Cinebench R10
Cinebench R10 really pushes the cores and stresses the system. The Lynnfield processors sure do make for quick renders, especially with Core i7’s hyper threading that gives us the performance of up to four more virtual cores to it’s actual four. I can easily remember my Q9500 doing its best with Cinebench clocking in 5,000 less than either of these two test systems in the multi-core result.
PCMark Vantage
PCMark Vantage does a pretty decent job in giving us a snapshot of overall system performance. It runs through all the most important areas of performance that most consumers will be using their systems for. Here we see that the two systems are pretty much aligned right across the board. This is a good thing because if there were any statistically significant differences in performance, we’d need to find out why.
Now that we’ve gotten a fairly clear idea of memory, CPU and overall system performance of the GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD5, let’s jump into graphics performance including some of the more practical aspects of motherboard performance. Yes, we’ll be doing some overclocking as well.
Graphics Benchmarks
If we find that any of the test systems can handle 3DMark or Crysis and put them in their place, you obviously don’t need to see a ten graphs repeating the same results. You can easily make an informed decision with these two demanding benchmarks.
3DMark Vantage
She’s fast, powerful, and can produce some great 3D results. The Intel DP55KG was tossed in the mix so you can see how comparable each platform is when it comes to CPU/3D intensive tasks. The P55-UD5 keeps up with the pack just fine and compares favorably to Intel’s own measuring stick.
Crysis
Our testing shows only a couple frames difference here. It was actually something like 61.43 frames versus 62.56 frames so we’re not going to throw a crown on either as the ultimate gaming platform. In either case, you can’t go wrong with either board for games.
Motherboard Operations
Far too often, benchmarks miss the only things that differ between different motherboards: the connectivity options. Boards can use a different array of chipsets for any of these functions so we’ve decided to benchmark them including USB, SATA, and Audio. If there is anything different in terms of performance it would be because of the difference in these areas with boards cut from the same chipset.
While mostly uneventful, each platform swapped spots leading slightly over the other especially in regards to SATA and SSD performance. Usually, it comes down to the driver and some differences in how the operating system interacts with each device. Either way, we’re happy to report no major anomalies or issues here.
Audio Testing
We’ve recently decided to be more proactive in evaluating the audio quality we’ve come to accept these days. This is something that no synthetic gaming benchmark or timedemo can tell you so we need to use our ears and couple of audio measurements to verify those audible findings. While Realtek Codecs are the most popular integrated solution, it doesn’t mean we have to accept quasi-audio for our hard earned buck. Also, depending on how said solutions are implemented, they can be great or slightly on the uninspiring side.
Recalling our recent experiences with the MSI P55-GD65 board, we quickly found the limitations between the ALC889 used on the MSI and the ALC889A Codecs used on our Intel reference board. To the untrained ear, you may not notice the differences. However, if you’re an avid gamer or audio enthusiast, limited amplification and noise can put a damper on your listening pleasure.
Based on the results above, the GIGABYTE P55-UD5 on the right utilizes a the superior ALC889A which produced similar results to the reference Intel board. Compared to the MSI board on the left, it was clear that the GIGABYTE had it beat. In particular, the GIGABYTE solution had a wider frequency response, lower noise level and harmonic distortion.
While the MSI P55-GD65 wasn’t unbearable, the GIGABYTE P55-UD5 produced a better than average playback experience, our ears said that it really shined when playing video games. It’s quite decent in really large audio rich games like Crysis or World at War. Of course, the only way to improve performance is to possibly polish up the drivers a bit or move to a discrete audio solution like the ubiquitous Creative Labs solutions and of course other quality solutions from ASUS et al.
We Have NOS: Nice Overclocked System
The overclocking software included on the Smart 6 disc wasn’t difficult to figure out at all. The overclocking results observed here revealed the overclocking utility was stable at first use. However, it became a little unstable as the system’s software was changed, altered, and updated repeatedly. This shouldn’t be a surprise since the Windows registry can get a little hacked up over time. That’s why 4 out of 5 overclockers use the BIOS.
Between the two test boards, the MSI P55-GD65’s OC GENE was easily more useful than any other software overclocking utility that I’ve tried. A couple extra tweaks gave the MSI board some extra power reaching a 205 MHz Bus Clock (BCLK) with some moderate voltage and then maxing out at 210 MHz BCK. This isn’t too shabby and is a bit better than when last tested.
The GIGABYTE P55-UD5 proved to be a bit more aggressive all around. The system was eager to reach a 215 MHz BCLK without a whole lot of tweaking. The maximum overclock I could cook out of the BIOS was a 220 MHz BCLK. This seems to be this particular test board’s hardwired maximum. Otherwise, a 215 MHz BCLK is nothing to scoff at and perhaps some of you at home can cook up some even higher clocks with some more aggressive measures.
Final Thoughts
There’s really not a whole lot I can pick on with this board so I guess I can pick on the color. I’d like to see the use of darker, more solid colored sockets. Light blue color sockets might be a dime a dozen, but let’s see if we can’t get some aggressively matching sockets in there instead. And, do we really need a floppy and ATA port on these newer boards?
There are a few innovative features that should receive special mention especially if you’re a power user. The board provides top notch connectivity offering a few more SATA ports as well as the unique USB/eSATA Combo ports in the back. Also, the XHD feature was surprisingly simple in all its complexity. You don’t need anything beyond two matching hard drives for best results.
Overall, the GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD5 is a solid product in terms of performance and stability. Its very aggressive nature makes it a very solid platform worthy of the most avid gamer given the better option ALC889A HD Codec out of the box. When a shot is fired from some distance off, or bullets are ricocheting around you, a gamer wants to hear it! Audio enthusiasts will also appreciate the experience as well.
At a price of $219 US as of this writing, it definitely is no budget overclocker. However, one will find this to be a platform easily worthy of a 200 MHz Bus Clock. That means any Lynnfield processor is going to see a 4.2 GHz unless you happen to have a weak processor. Given Intel’s track record on this, the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor. Just don’t forget to order a very capable CPU cooler to go with that attempt.
Pros
- 12 Phase VRM power
- Best P55 overclocker thus far
- Innovative connectivity
- Bad-a$$ heat sinks
- Top notch stability
- Dual BIOS works great
- Decent quality audio solution onboard
Cons
- Cosmetics could still be tweaked
- Do we really need legacy ports on a new board?
Overall Rating: 9.25 / 10.0
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GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD5 LGA1156 ATX Motherboard Photo Gallery
