Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P and DS4 mobos

Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P and GA-EX58-DS4 mobos

Manufacturer: Gigabyte

Gigabyte GA-EX58-DS4

UK Price (as reviewed): £185.98 (inc. VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): $244.99 (ex. Tax)

Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P

UK Price (as reviewed): £203.42 (inc. VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): $259.99 (ex. Tax)

Some of us want a brand-spanking new Core i7 system, but nearly all of us don't want to pay over the odds for a motherboard - that's something which has become quite a barrier of entry into the world of Nehalem. At £200 and under, these Gigabyte boards reset the trend just a bit by making X58 motherboards close to affordable, but by no means cheap - they are at least more affordable than the majority of other X58 boards out there.

Today, we check out the GA-EX58-DS4 and more recent UD4P - complete with its extra thick copper layers and a few other tweaks - to see if an inexpensive Gigabyte board can hold its own against more costly competition. Can you head on over to Weight Watchers or is it still best to pile on the pounds and opt for a more expensive X58 option? Read on to find out...


There's a pretty huge difference compared to what Gigabyte packs in each box. At the budget end of the X58 spectrum we don't expect much, and the DS4 doesn't include much at all:

Gigabyte GA-EX58-DS4

• IDE and floppy cables
  
• Four SATA cables, two with 90 degree connectors
  
• Metal rear I/O shield
  
• Manual, Installation Guide, Driver DVD

On the other hand, the UD4P has quite a bit more included in the box, mostly because it supports SLI as well, but it also includes brackets for eSATA:

Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P

• IDE and floppy cables
  
• Four SATA cables, two with 90 degree connectors
  
• Metal rear I/O shield
  
• eSATA PCI bracket (two ports)
  
• SATA to eSATA cables (power and data)
  
• 3-way SLI and SLI bridges
  
• Manual, Installation Guide, Driver DVD

In both bundles we're missing half the SATA cables for the potential motherboard ports, but without an eSATA bracket in the box there is no eSATA on the DS4 (unless your case has it fitted).