Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P Motherboard Review

Introduction:

These days, there are so many chipsets to choose from when it comes to purchasing a motherboard. For the AMD followers, motherboard chipsets have really advanced in the last few years, and it is just getting better. One of the top performing chipsets for AMD processors, such as the Phenom II, is the 790FX series. The 790FX was an enthusiasts dream for some time, and now with DDR3 memory support, the 790FX chipset is making another stand when paired with the SB750 Southbridge and it is becoming unstoppable. One manufacturer that is known for their motherboards is Gigabyte, and now they bring you the Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P motherboard. This board is based off of the 790FX/SB750 chipset, and offers a wealth of expansion and performance for your every need. Gigabyte also takes this board a step further, adding features such as Ultra Durable 3, Gigabyte SATA II, and more. The design of the MA790FXT-UD5P makes one drool with the amount of detail and abilities that went into it. Gigabyte made sure that you were not left needing things, like enough USB ports, enough SATA ports, and even legacy support for devices such as a COM port. This board was designed to appeal from everyone down to gamers, enthusiasts, and businessmen alike. With DDR2 starting to fall out and DDR3 making its stand in the computing world, the new MA790FXT-UD5P is here and ready to show what she has and then some. So, will it stand up to Gigabyte's history of rock solid products and wow us? There is only one way to find out, so let's dig in.
 

Closer Look:

The packaging is Gigabyte's signature design, showing off its technologies and designs. Displayed on the front are some of the features that the MA790FXT-UD5P offers to its users, as well as showing off the two ounce copper layers that help cool the board. On the back of the packaging are expanded views of the features, as well as the specifications for the board, such as CrossFire capabilities and RAID features. The biggest display you see on the front is the Ultra Durable 3 logo which Gigabyte has introduced, showing how well its products are made and stand up to the abuse of an enthusiast. Gigabyte has doubled the amount of copper they place in the PC board, which is designed to spread the heat through the board and increase the lifespan of the components. They also use solid Japanese capacitors, which are claimed to be good for 50,000 hours before failure.

Once the inner box is removed, you get your first glimpse of the accessories that are included with the MA790FXT-UD5P. The accessories are what Gigabyte generally includes with all of its mainstream boards. Included are the manual, installation guide, I/O shield, case badges, four SATA cables, one IDE cable, one floppy cable, and the eSATA kit which consists of the bracket, power cord, and eSATA cables.

Now that we have everything unpacked, let's move on over and take a better look at the board up close.

Closer Look:

At first glance, the Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P has a very pleasing appearance. Gigabyte chose to use a blue-ish colored PC board, with a white and blue color scheme for the slots and brackets. This gives the board a nice look when you're inside your case, especially if you have a side window on it. One feature that you cannot see on the nicely colored PC board is the two ounces of copper that Gigabyte incorporates into the design to aid in cooling the components more quickly. This also improves durability and efficiency of the motherboard, allowing for better overclocking. In addition to the copper, the Ultra Durable 3 design also uses solid Japanese manufactured capacitors, lower RDS(ON) MOSFETs, and Ferrite core chokes. All of these features are designed to help you get the most out of your system, with better stability and cooling.

Moving to the back panel, again Gigabyte gives you all that you need. Starting from the top, there are the two legacy PS/2 ports for your keyboards and mice, an optical S/PDIF connector, a coaxial S/PDIF connector, 4-pin and 8-pin FireWire ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, two LAN ports, and the audio ports - which are driven by the Realtek ALC889A codec. The LAN ports are the Realtek 8111C/DL chips, for speeds up to 1Gb/s, and also support teaming, which allow both to operate as a single connection providing increased bandwidth and fault tolerance.

Below the back panel connections are the expansion slots. There are more than enough slots for any use, from newer current PCI-Express cards to the legacy PCI interfaced cards that you still might have lying around your house. Included on the MA790FXT-UD5P are three PCI-Express x1 slots, two PCI-Express x16 slots, and two legacy PCI slots. The PCI-Express x16 slots support ATI CrossFireX for multi-GPU systems and run at x16 speeds each, whether using one card or two in CrossFireX mode.

The CPU area looks crowded; however, there is plenty of room to work around it and I had no issues installing aftermarket CPU coolers, such as the Thermaltake ISGC-300 and ISGC-400 coolers, as well as the stock AMD cooler. The only complaint I have is that it is hard to plug and unplug the 8-pin CPU power lead with big fingers like I have, and I actually nicked my finger on the heatsink near it. The socket supports only AM3 processors up to 140 watts, so your DDR2 CPUs will not work here. There are four DIMM slots which support up to 16GB of DDR3 memory up to 1666MHz overclocked. 

On the bottom are the headers which allow you to expand your system as needed. Starting from the left, there is a COM port header, a parallel port header, a FireWire header, two USB 2.0 headers, front panel headers, and two fan headers. Flipping up to the right side of the board, you will notice there are 10 SATA ports, four of them being white. The six blue SATA ports are controlled via the SB750 Southbridge, and support SATA 3.0Gb/s speeds with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, and JBOD. The two white ports are also SATA 3.0Gb/s, however these are controlled via the Gigabyte SATA II chipset, which includes the JMicron JM322 chips. The JM322 chips provide smart backup capabilities, as well as hardware based RAID 0, 1, and JBOD. Past the SATA ports, there is a Clear CMOS button with a protective cover. I recommend removing this cover because a long card, such as a GTX260, will block it partially - not allowing you to remove the card to press the button if needed. Above the Clear CMOS button are the floppy and IDE ports, as well as the Power and Reset buttons.

To keep the cool design of the board and add to the Ultra Durable 3 design, Gigabyte has used a heatsink and heatpipe combination designed to lower the temperatures for the critical parts of the board. There is a large heatsink that covers the voltage area of the board by the CPU, and it connects down to the heatsink over the Northbridge and Southbridge chips. The design uses aluminum for efficient cooling. You might have also noticed the fourth heatsink on the board below the Southbridge. This is for the SATA II chip which keeps it cool also during operation.

Now that we have had a good look at this baby, let's plug her in and start the computer up.

Closer Look:

To run this board and get the most out of it, Gigabyte has included a CD with a wealth of drivers and applications for you to use. To install the software, all you need to do is pop the CD into the drive and the Autorun feature will bring up a box for you to run the installer. Once the installer starts, you will be sent to the main installation screen. This screen has several tabs which will allow you to install drivers, software, view the manuals for the programs, contact Gigabyte support, check your system's specifications, and access the download center for updated drivers, BIOS, and software. For the drivers, there is a button for Xpress Install, which will install all of the drivers automatically, rebooting when necessary on its own.

@BIOS & Easy Energy Saver:

Two of the utilities included with the MA790FXT-UD5P are designed to keep you up to date and save you energy. The @BIOS program allows you to update your BIOS in Microsoft Windows from either a disk or from Gigabyte's online servers. This makes keeping your BIOS updated easier than ever. The Easy Energy Saver utility allows the user to set energy saving settings, such as CPU throttling and Dynamic Voltage, so that power is not wasted when the computer is not being used at its fullest potential.

Easy Tune 6:

The Easy Tune 6 utility allows you to seamlessly overclock and tweak your system without having to restart and enter the BIOS every time you want to make a change. There are several tabs on the top which allow you to change and monitor your system. The CPU tab gives you current specifications and information for your system. The Memory tab does the same as the CPU tab, but for your memory, showing you speed and latencies. The Tuner tab has two sub menus, for Frequency and Voltage. These sections let you adjust bus speed, multipliers, and system voltages for overclocking. The Graphics tab allows you to overclock your video card as well, if it is supported. The Smart tab allows you to control the smart fan settings and adjust the C.I.A. 2 settings for instant overclocking based on system loads. Lastly we have the Hardware monitor tab, which gives you the ability to view incoming power currents and set warning limits.

Now we have the software set, let's look at the options available to us in the BIOS.

Closer Look:

When it comes to the overclocking magic, all of it is done in a little known part of the computer called the BIOS. The BIOS, which stands for Basic Input/Output System, is a small chip on your board that tells your hardware how to act on startup, such as clock speeds, voltages, and more. Gigabyte chose to go with the Award BIOS for the MA790FXT-UD5P board. The Award BIOS has many features that allow you to tune and tweak your system, with easy navigation and quick save/load profiles. This BIOS also features an advanced overclocking section called the Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker, or M.I.T. for short. We will look at the M.I.T. closer in the next page of the review. To give you a look of the options available, I will break the BIOS down in sections and explain a little of what each one has to offer.

Main Screen, Standard CMOS, & Advanced BIOS:

When you first boot into the BIOS, you are presented with the main screen, which is designed to help you easily navigate the BIOS without wasting time searching for the areas you need to change. This screen also gives you quick access to saving profiles and entering Q-Flash, which I will touch on below. The Standard CMOS Features section is basically where you set the drive parameters and the BIOS time. Underneath the Standard CMOS Features is the Advanced BIOS Features section, where you have control over advanced features such as C1E Support, Cool 'n' Quiet, Boot Priority, and Display Priorities for the graphics cards.

Integrated Peripherals & Power Management:

The Integrated Peripherals Section is where you change settings for the IDE and SATA ports, such as running in RAID, or ACHI mode - which is a hot swap setting for your drives. You can also make changes to the onboard devices such as the FireWire port, USB controllers, legacy devices, and LAN ports. I mention the LAN ports as well because the two jacks on the MA790FXT-UD5P support teaming, which allows them to share bandwidth as a single connection adding to redundancy and increased performance. In this section is Smart Backup as well, which is controlled by the SATA II feature from Gigabyte, and allows you to setup the hardware RAID and backup settings for each channel.

PC Health Status, Profiles, & Q-Flash:

Next up is the PC Health Status screen, which displays the current system voltages coming into the motherboard from the power supply, as well as the CPU VCore and DDR3 voltage. It will also show you the CPU and system temperatures, as well as the fan speeds. You can set warning levels for the temperatures and fans, which will alert you to an error or shut the system down. When you set up your BIOS you do not want to have to redo it for a bad overclock each time, so you can save profiles to load later. There are eight slots that you can save to and name whatever you desire. Last up here is Q-Flash, which is a BIOS based utility that allows you to flash your BIOS to a newer version. When you press F8 and enter the Q-Flash utility, a menu will come up letting you update or save the BIOS from CDs or even thumb drives.

Now we move on to the second part of the BIOS, which is where the overclocking takes place.

Closer Look:

Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker:

Now we get to the overclocking section of the BIOS. This section is called the M.I.T., or Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker. This section is where all of the voltage changes, clock speeds, and latencies get set to push your system to the limits. The top part of the M.I.T. is where you set the CPU specs, such as the clock speed, CPU multiplier, and the Northbridge frequency. The CPU multiplier can be set in x0.5 increments, and the HT link can be changed in x1 increments. There is also a selection for ACC, or Advanced Clock Calibration. ACC allows you to simply overclock the CPU, either one core or all cores, to a percentage which is 12% of the stock clock speeds. Near the bottom is where you change the voltages for the components such as the CPU, Northbridge, and memory to achieve stability and greater performance.

The memory portion of the BIOS for the MA790FXT-UD5P has many features as well. The memory speed can be changed using preset straps based on the CPU speed. The options are x4, x5.33, x6.66, and x8. At the default CPU speed of 200MHz, the x6.66 setting will yield a memory speed of 1333MHz, which is native for most Phenom II processors using DDR3 memory. The DRAM Configuration sub-menu is where you can set the latencies and memory settings to achieve tighter timings and stable overclocks. You can choose to run the memory Ganged or Unganged with the CPU, as well as change just about every option possible allowing for maximum memory bandwidth.

Now that we have the BIOS configured, we can move on to the testing.

Specifications:

Features:

• Supports next generation of 45nm AMD Socket AM3 processors This motherboard supports the upcoming 45nm AMD AM3 Phenom™II series processors, delivering the great performance enchantment to system and ultimate scalability hardware expending.
        

• EC AOD-ACC Support
  EC AOD-ACC is described as Embedded Controller for AMD OverDrive- Advanced Clock Calibration, which is the newest feature comes from AMD SB750 southbridge chip, destined for use AMD 790FX chipset, is set to allow AMD Black Edition CPUs to be overclocked through AMD OverDrive™ utility further than was previously possible.
  * Please be noticed that GIGABYTE’s product warranty does not cover damages caused by overclocking.


• AMD OverDrive Support
  The AMD OverDrive™ utility is provided by AMD, offering high-end users the ability to maximize the capability, flexibility, and adjustability of the platforms utilizing AMD processors, sockets, and chipsets.
  * For enabling EC AOD-ACC technology, AMD OverDrive™ utility must be the version of 2.1.1 or later.
  * Regarding AMD OverDrive™ utility, please visit AMD official website for details: http://game.amd.com/us-en/drivers_overdrive.aspx or click here for downloading beta version.


• ATI CrossFireX™ support
  With support for latest ATI CrossFireX™ technology, GIGABYTE pushes the envelope once again by delivering highly optimized performance and flexibility demanded for power users and extreme gaming enthusiasts. Designed to provide unmatched multi-GPU support with dual PCI-E connectivity, the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P allows users to take advantage of the ultra smooth 3D rendering, blazing-fast frame rates and enhanced visual quality possible.


• Ultra Durable 3
  GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 design, featuring 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers which dramatically lowers system temperature by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. GIGABYTE’s Ultra Durable 3 also lowers the PCB impedance by 50%, which helps to reduce electrical waste and further lowers component temperatures. A 2oz Copper layer design also provides improved signal quality and lower EMI (Electromagnetic Interference), providing better system stability and allowing for greater margins for overclocking.


• Benefits of 2 oz Copper PCB
      * Cooler than traditional motherboards
      * Enhanced durability
      * Improved energy efficiency
      * Greater margins for overclocking


• 2X Lower Impedance
  Doubling the amount of copper lowers the PCB impedance by 50%. Impedance is a measure of how much the circuit impedes the flow of current. The less the flow of current is impeded, the less amount of energy is wasted. For GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 motherboards, this means total PCB electrical waste is reduced by 50%, which also means less heat is generated. 2 ounces of copper also provides improved signal quality, providing better system stability and allowing for greater margins for overclocking.


• Dual Channel DDR3 1666+ MHz
  Delivering native support for DDR3 memory up to 1666MHz, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 motherboards allow users to easily reach higher memory frequencies at lower voltages; achieving higher memory performance with lower power consumption to run even the most memory intensive applications such as high-definition video and 3D games with ease.
      * DDR3 1666+ is supported with combination of AM3 processors and qualified memory modules, please refer "Memory Support List" for detail memory support information.


• 50,000 Hours Japanese Solid Capacitors
  GIGABYTE Ultra Durable motherboards are equipped with solid capacitors developed by leading Japanese manufacturers. With an average lifespan of 50,000 hours, these solid capacitors provide the stability, reliability and longevity essential to meet the power needs of high-end processors and other components running today's most demanding applications and games.
      * 50000 hours of work time is calculated at 85℃ ambient temperature.


• High Velocity 2X Bandwidth Boost
  The dual Gigabit LAN with Teaming functionality enabled allows 2 single connections to act as 1 single connection for double bandwidth, improving overall throughput.
      * Fault Tollerance - Prevents network downtime by transferring the workload from a failed port to a working port.
      * RSS - Receive Side Scaling balances the network traffic load evenly between 2 CPU cores in order to improve performance.
      * Green Ethernet - Adjusts power consumption automatically according to your LAN cable lengths, up to 10% power savings.
  (Note) To enable Teaming or Bonding (IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation) feature, it is required the connected network switch or router device supports the IEEE 802.3ad LACP standard. Please refer to your network switch or router device manual for further details.


• GIGABYTE innovative technology- Easy Energy Saver
  Featuring an advanced proprietary software design, GIGABYTE Easy Energy Saver is able to dynamically adjust CPU power depending on workload, delivering just the right amount of power needed for the task. Coupled with AMD’s highly efficient 45nm AM3 CPU, the Easy Energy Saver is able to provide exceptional levels of power savings and enhanced power efficiency without sacrificing computing performance.


• EasyTune6
  GIGABYTE has completely redesigned EasyTune6 from the ground up to make it easier than ever to manage and monitor your hardware resources as well as tweak your system settings in order to achieve maximum system performance. Whether you are an overclocking enthusiast, or a computer novice, EasyTune6 provides the tools you need to quickly and effortlessly fine tune your system.


• Smart Backup- Plug & Play Hardware RAID
  GIGABYTE's Smart Backup allows users to connect up to 4 Serial ATA devices for effortless RAID data protection. Dual onboard RAID controller chips automatically configure RAID setup without user intervention, making it easier than ever for users to enjoy enhanced data transfer performance, low CPU utilization, real-time backup on-the-fly and protection against HDD failure.


• DualBIOS™ - Patented Dual Hardware BIOS Protection
  DualBIOS™ is a GIGABYTE patented technology that automatically recovers BIOS data when main BIOS has crashed or failed. Featuring 2 physical BIOS ROMs integrated onboard, GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ allows quick and seamless recovery from BIOS damage or failure due to viruses or improper BIOS updating.


• Onboard Quick Switches
  Onboard Power, Clear CMOS and Reset buttons allow for quick and easy tweaking for power users working in an in chassis environment.


• Dolby Home Theater - Enjoy a Rich Home Theater Surround Sound Experience
  Dolby Home Theater places listeners in the middle of the action, giving their PCs a powerful set of tools to deliver a cinema-style experience in vivid surround sound.
      * Delivers vivid surround sound for music, movies, and games, using two to eight speakers or any set of headphones
      * Designed to automatically deliver the best possible listening experience.


• Windows Vista Premium Logo Certified
  Windows Vista Premium promises to deliver a streamlined computing experience designed to fundamentally change how users view, find and organize their digital information. With Vista Premium support, GIGABYTE AMD motherboards offer a fresh and unique desktop experience that will be more informative, intuitive and completely new experiance.

All information gathered via the Gigabyte website at: http://www.gigabyte.us/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard&ProductID=3007&ProductName=GA-MA790FXT-UD5P

Testing:

Now we get to what we have all been waiting for, the testing phase of the review. To test the Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P motherboard, I will be running it through a series of benchmarks designed to stress the scientific and video capabilities of the system. Pushing it to the limits will give us a good idea of the quality and overall performance of the board. I will also be comparing it to another 790FX/SB750 based motherboard, to see how it stacks up against other boards in its league. All hardware, unless otherwise noted, will be run at its stock speeds, timing, and voltages to eliminate any variables from interfering with the scores and throwing off a side by side comparison.

Testing Setup:

• Processor(s): AMD Phenom II X4 955
• Motherboard: Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P
• Memory: OCZ Spec Ops Urban Elite DDR3 2 x 2GB 1600MHz @ 1333MHz 7-7-7-20
• Video Card : NVIDIA GTX 260 (216)
• Power Supply: Mushkin 800w Modular Power Supply
• Hard Drive: 1 x Seagate 7200.11 750GB SATA w/32MB Cache
• Optical Drive: Lite-On 8x DVD+/-RW
• OS: Windows Vista Ultimate Edition

Comparison Motherboard:

• ASUS M4A79T Deluxe

Overclocking:

Overclocked settings:

• Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955 @ 3.858GHz (208x18.5) 1.50v
• System Memory: OCZ Spec Ops Urban Elite DDR3 @ 1390MHz (7-7-7-20-1T)

When it came to overclocking, the Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P was a breeze. Because of the options available and the tweaking control, I was able to push every ounce that I could get out of it - which was pretty decent. By just playing with the multiplier and bus speed, I was able to push the Phenom II X4 955 processor to just under 3.9GHz at the maximum voltage of 1.5 volts. I started by pushing the multiplier to the maximum I could get stable, which was x18.5 and then started upping the Bus speed 1MHz at a time until I became unstable. Ultimately I ended up with a 650MHz increase with little effort at all. I was also able to get the memory to just under 1400MHz with low timings of 7-7-7-20-1T and everything was benchmark stable. So the overclocked tests will be run at 3.858GHz.

Benchmarks:

• Scientific & Data:

1. Apophysis
2. WinRAR
3. SPECviewperf 10
4. PCMark Vantage Professional
5. Sandra XII
6. ScienceMark 2.02
7. CineBench 10
8. HD Tune 2.55

• Video:

1. Far Cry 2
2. Crysis Warhead
3. BioShock
4. Call of Duty: World at War
5. Dead Space 
6. Fallout 3 
7. Left 4 Dead
8. 3DMark 06 Professional
9. 3DMark Vantage

Testing:

The first part of our testing will be the system specific benchmarks.

Let's get started with Apophysis. This program is used primarily to render and generate fractal flame images. We will run this benchmark with the following settings:

• Resolution: 2750x2048
• Quality: 500
• Limit Memory Use: 512MB

The measurement used is time to render, in minutes, to complete.

Lower is Better

WinRAR is a tool to archive and compress large files to a manageable size. We will use 10MB, 100MB and 500MB files and test the time needed to compress these files. Time will be measured in seconds.

ZIP:

RAR:

In Apophysis, which is mainly based on CPU speed, both boards were evenly matched. However, in the WinRAR tests, the results were mixed for each board.

Testing:

SPECviewperf 10 is a benchmark designed to test OpenGL performance. I will be using the multi-threaded tests to measure the performance when run in this mode. The tests used for comparison are listed below. The default multi-threaded tests were chosen to be able to compare across platforms. In these tests, higher scores equate to better performance.

• Catia
• MAYA
• PROE

Higher is Better

PCMark Vantage is used to measure complete system performance. We will be running a series of tests to gauge performance of each individual motherboard to see which board, if any, rises above the others.

In SPECviewperf, the Gigabyte board was a little behind, but bounced back and both boards were dead on in PCMark Vantage.

Testing:

SiSoft Sandra is a diagnostic utility and synthetic benchmarking program. Sandra allows you to view your hardware at a higher level to be more helpful. For this benchmark, I will be running a broad spectrum of tests to gauge the performance of key functions of each system.

Processor Arithmetic

Multi-Core Efficiency

Memory Bandwidth

Memory Latency

Cache and Memory

File System

Physical Disks

Power Management Efficiency

Again, both boards were pretty well matched, however the MA790FXT-UD5P did have the edge in a few of the runs.

Testing:

ScienceMark tests real world performance instead of using synthetic benchmarks. For this test, we ran the benchmark suite and will use the overall score for comparison.

Higher is Better

CineBench is useful for testing your system, CPU and OpenGL capabilities using the software program CINEMA 4D. We will be using the default tests for this benchmark.

Higher is Better

HD Tune measures disk performance to make comparisons between drives or disk controllers.

Higher is Better

Lower is Better

In ScienceMark and CineBench, the Gigabyte board was a hair behind the ASUS offering, but made up in HD Tune, where overall it was better - especially killing in the Burst speed test.

Testing:

Far Cry 2:

Featuring a new game engine named Dunia, this game looks to be another one to stress your video card. Built especially for Far Cry 2, this engine allows for real time effects and damage. This next generation First Person Shooter comes to us from Ubisoft surprisingly - not from Crytek. The game is set in a war-torn region of Africa where there is a non-existent central government and the chaos that surrounds this type of social environment. If you have seen the movie Blood Diamond, you know the setting. Ubisoft puts the main storyline of the game into focus with these statements: "Caught between two rival factions in war-torn Africa, you are sent to take out "The Jackal," a mysterious character who has rekindled the conflict between the warlords, jeopardizing thousands of lives. In order to fulfill your mission you will have to play the factions against each other, identify and exploit their weaknesses, and neutralize their superior numbers and firepower with surprise, subversion, cunning and, of course, brute force." In this version of the game, you don't have the beautiful water, but instead the beauty and harshness of the African continent to contend with. Most games give you a set area that can be played through, while Ubisoft has given the gamer the equivalent of 50km squared of the vast African continent to explore while in pursuit of your goals. The settings used are just a few steps below the maximum in-game settings and offer a good blend of performance vs. visual quality.

Settings:

• DX 10
• Anti-Aliasing: x2
• Game Settings: Very High
• Vsync: Off

Both boards were just about dead on.

Testing:

Crysis Warhead is a standalone expansion pack situated in time with the story line of the original Crysis. As Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes, you have a secret mission to accomplish on the far side of the island. Along the way, there are EMP blasts and aliens to contend with, as you hunt down the KPA chief. This game uses an enhanced version of the CryEngine 2.

• Anti-Aliasing: x2
• Game Settings: Enthusiast
• Ambush
• DX10

Again, close with the Gigabyte board - a frame quicker at the max resolution.

Testing:

BioShock is one of the creepier games you can play. The building of a perfect Utopian society undersea gone horribly wrong. Its inhabitants driven mad with the introduction of tonics and genetic modifications. Now Rapture is just a shadow of its former glory with little girls looting the dead of what little they have left while being shadowed by guardians known as "Big Daddies." It is a demanding game that will make your hardware scream for mercy. This First Person Shooter allows for an infinite number of weapons and modifications to provide a unique experience each time it is played. The environment, as well as the story line, will wrap you up for hours on end.

Video Settings:

• Game Settings: Maximum
• Vsync: Off
   

In BioShock, the Gigabyte 790FX was faster in every resolution.

Testing:

Activision's Call of Duty: World at War goes right back to the bread and butter of the franchise - WWII FPS action. In this rendition, you start off in the South Pacific and move through a series of missions that flip back and forth between the Russian front and the island hopping advance toward the Imperial Japanese homeland. Included is a mission on Peliliu Island, arguably one of the more difficult and costly battles in the Pacific theater. The gameplay in the single player mode is rather short, but the game makes up for this shortcoming in online gameplay. If you thought COD4 looked nice, this game is amazing with the graphics maxed out playing at a high resolution. This game just may be my reason to move to a 30 inch monitor. I will use Fraps to measure a section of gameplay in the Semper Fi map on Makin Island to compare performance of these motherboards.

Settings:

• Game Settings: Maximum
• FPS Measured Via Fraps

Here again, faster in just about every resolution.

Testing:

In Dead Space, as part of the crew of the USG Kellion, you are headed on a repair mission to repair a ship in distress. Things go from bad to worse, starting with the crash landing and seemingly silent and "Dead" ship, the USG Ishimuru. Offering a non-traditional over the shoulder viewing angle, the game gets right into the action as soon as the ventilation systems are activated. From there things get worse with the appearance of the Necromorphs. Survival now becomes a primary concern for the primary character Isaac Clarke. Survive and you may find the loved one that was aboard the Ishimuru.

Settings:

• Game Settings: Maximum

The ASUS board started in the lead for Dead Space, but was overtaken as the resolution grew.

Testing:

Fallout 3 takes place after the nuclear holocaust that nearly wipes out civilization and leaves the world an irradiated mess. The vault, or fallout shelter, you are born in is Vault 101, situated in the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia area. The premise of the game is that the vault has been sealed for 200 years and now your father has opened the vault and escaped without a trace. The Overseer believes you are involved, so you must escape as well into the wasteland that was once our nation's capital. I find myself looking for landmarks, since I am familiar with the streets of Washington DC.

Settings:

• Anti-Aliasing: x4
• Anisotropic Filtering: x15
• Game Settings: Maximum

Fallout 3 was mixed, with the Gigabyte board falling behind half of the time.

Testing:

Left 4 Dead is a new release from Valve that leaves you as part of a group of survivors in a world where an infection has rapidly turned the populace into a zombie horde. Your goal is to make it to a rescue point, all the while fighting what seems like overwhelming odds. Along the way there are safe houses where you can replenish your weapons and health. The movie 'I Am Legend' comes to mind to set the stage for this game. But unlike the movie, there are four characters, and not just a lone gun and his faithful companion. The horde is not at all like the typical slow walking, foot shuffling zombie. These zombies are quick and work with the pack mentality. Your job: survival!

Settings:

• Game Settings: Maximum

At the lower resolutions, the Gigabyte board dominated. However, the spread was short lived as the resolution grew.

Testing:

3DMark06 is one of the benchmarks that always comes up when a bragging contest is started. 3DMark06 presents a severe test for many of today's hardware components. Let's see how this setup fares. The settings we will use are listed below.

Settings:

• SM2.0 Graphics Tests: GT1- Return to Proxycon, GT2- Firefly Forest
• CPU Tests: Cpu1- Red Valley, CPU2- Red Valley
• HDR/SM3.0 Graphics Tests: HDR1- Canyon Flight, HDR2- Deep Freeze

Here the ASUS board has a slight lead over the Gigabyte 790FX.

Testing:

Featuring all-new game tests, this benchmark is for use with Vista based systems. "There are two all-new CPU tests that have been designed around a new 'Physics and Artificial Intelligence-related computation.' CPU test two offers support for physics related hardware." There are four preset levels that correspond to specific resolutions. 'Entry' is 1024x768 progressing to 'Extreme' at 1920x1200. Of course, each preset can be modified to arrange any number of user designed testing. For our testing, I will use the four presets at all default settings.

 Settings:

• Settings (each preset): Default
• Entry: 1024x768
• Performance: 1280x1024
• High: 1680x1050
• Extreme: 1920x1200

Again in this 3DMark install, the Gigabyte board was slightly behind.

Conclusion:

The Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P was a joy to test. This board offers plenty of options and advancements to push my system to the maximum, and give me that speed that my inner enthusiast desires. I love to tinker with my hardware and see how much I can get out of it, and with the options available here, I have the ability to tweak and push every ounce from my components. Not only does it have a lot to offer, but it also makes it as easy as possible with the utilities and hardware shortcuts that the MA790FXT-UD5P has. The Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P performed quite well, matching or leading in over 65% of the benchmarks - making it a top contender for the 790FX/SB750 chipset series boards. Compared to the ASUS M4A78T, which is a bit more expensive than the Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P, the performance was just about on par or better for the price. When it came to overclocking, the Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker section of the BIOS made it easy. With the vast amount of settings I was able to control, my overclock became stable as could be.

Gigabyte has done it well with a rock solid board that offers a lot of features for your hard earned cash. If you are a gamer, the LAN teaming feature will let you have an edge over your online opponents, and if you are an enthusiast, you can beat the life out of your system knowing it will remain cool and intact with the Ultra Durable 3 design. Whether you are designing a new system or looking for a nice board to upgrade your AM3 CPU to DDR3, you will not go home with a sour face from the Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P motherboard. I recommend it, and for the price it will make you smile.

Pros:

• Ultra Durable 3 design.
• Onboard Power, Reset, and Clear CMOS buttons
• CrossFireX support
• Hardware RAID via SATA II chipset
• Energy saving design

Cons:

• Clear CMOS button partially covered by large video cards