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GIGABYTE 990FXA-UD7 Motherboard |
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Software, Benchmarks, Conclusions
GIGABYTE Software:
GIGABYTE include their own software tools allowing you to make the most of your motherboard's capabilities. EasyTune 6 gives Windows access to tweaking and overclocking with the touch of a few buttons, as well as information about key components on your motherboard.
Main CPU and memory information screens:
 
Easy Boost Tuner and Core Boot menu:
 
GIGABYTE graphics overclocking and SMART fan control menu:
 
Hardware monitor and fan/temp warning management menus:
 
Other GIGABYTE packages and technologies include Xpress BIOS Rescue, Download Center, Q-Flash, Xpress Install, Xpress Recovery2, eXtreme Hard Drive (X.H.D), Q-Share and Cloud OC support. More details of these can be found on GIGABYTE's website.
 
Benchmarks:
Today's test system consists of the hardware listed below, and as with all good testing, a clean install is used and the latest Windows Updates and manufacturer drivers are applied. The applications used in today's tests are the latest of what was available at the time of this analysis.
We would like to thank the following companies for supplying and supporting us with our test system hardware and equipment: AMD, Noctua and OCZ.
CPU-Z CPU and Motherboard screenshot:
Software: wPrime Version 2.04
Score: Time based - Lower is Better.
Product Page: here.
Software: CrystalMark 2004R3
Score: Point based - Higher is Better.
Product Page: here.
Software: AIDA64 Extreme Edition
Score: Varies - Higher is Better.
Product Page: here.
Conclusions:
Overall we are quite impressed with what GIGABYTE were able to include in a single ATX package, from a multitude of PCI-Express slots, SATA and I/O connectivity, all the way to the black and gold PCB design and heatsink tying everything together. While AMD's new 900-series chipset is lacking any obvious changes since the previous 800-series, GIGABYTE made sure to include plenty of their own unique and popular features to emphasize the differences between this UD7 and the previous 800-series variant. Unsurprisingly, its performance was in-line with the previous generation with minor increases across the board. One surprise however was the increase in memory performance in our set of benchmarks.
On the overclocking side of things, we can't say we had any trouble matching any previous overclocking results at similar voltages and tweaks. And the 8+2 phase power design had no trouble coping with stability testing performed prior to collecting our results. The familiar BIOS interface was easy to navigate and only took at matter seconds to achieve our desired overclock settings and memory timings, with no fancy UEFI menus required.
The GIGABYTE 990FXA-UD7 is currently available to purchase in Australia, and includes a 3-year warranty. As for AMD's latest Bulldozer based processors - full details are yet to be announced.
Feel free to comment on this review in this thread.
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