Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6

Stability

After we set the BIOS to its default values, we installed a QX9650 quad-core CPU with a GeForce 9800 GTX and fired up Prime95 on all cores and we then loaded the graphics with 3DMark06 looping continually. The Gigabyte survived the full day of stress testing without a hitch – we can't really ask for more than that.

Value

Even though MSI's premium P35 Diamond board is DDR3-based and comes with an additional PCI-Express X-Fi card, it's now down to a very inexpensive £86.86 which would hardly break the bank. And while inexpensive is good, does the Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 have a £176.23 worth of features to make it worth the extra?

While the sound is better on the MSI, the Gigabyte has the latest X48 chipset with significantly better and easier memory adjustments, more ports all over and proper CrossFire support from dual PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots. We've also already looked at the XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI and the Gigabyte doesn't have the industry favoured SLI, but stacks up considerably better having undercut it by £50.

We feel the Gigabyte is sitting in a different league to the Asus Republic of Gamer boards with the X48T-DQ6, even though the Maximus Extreme (DDR3) and Rampage Formula (DDR2) are very similarly priced. Both the Asus boards sit on the enthusiast edge with respectively better BIOS implementations than the Gigabyte, which in comparison is more of a jack of all trades motherboard.

Compared to the MSI X48 Platinum (which is also DDR3), we feel the Gigabyte has a better set of features and a better layout. Yes, the MSI does offer four x16 lanes, but two are running at x4 maximum so you can't realistically use them for CrossFireX, meaning that they’re essentially glorified x1 slots. The MSI has fewer SATA ports and only a single phase power regulation on the memory and north bridge, not to mention a lack of discrete "energy saver" hardware. However, given the option of a very sexy HydroGen cooler, we might be swayed back the other way.

If you're after an all round board though, the Asus P5E3 Deluxe is based on X38, but it still has a serious all round feature-set, and for £172 it falls right in line next to the Gigabyte. The P5E3 Premium is more nForce 790i Ultra SLI range though as it's about £50 more expensive, although it does feature everything, including 802.11n WiFi and SplashTop Linux built in.

Conclusions

Intel has pushed the X48 chipset into a difficult position – the Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 doesn't have the visual appeal and presence that the Asus RoG boards now hold, yet on the general feature front it'll be hard to justify it over an X38 that is very similar. From what we understood at CeBIT, only the newest X48 chipsets are slightly different, but because it's stuck under an aluminium cap you can't easily tell the difference.

If you are really desperate for a DDR3 investment though, the X48 chipset does make good sense, that is, until we look at P45 in a few weeks. There's also the continuing nagging feeling that 4GB of DDR2 is still half the price of 2GB of decent DDR3, but then again, Intel is tailoring its 4-series chipsets to DDR3 not DDR2 as they're meant to last well into the life of baby Nehalem. Therefore, the decision to buy a board like this depends entirely on your upgrade cycle.

As long as you're hitting very tight timings and some good speeds, DDR3 works well, but it's still just not worth it over very inexpensive DDR2 memory. This Gigabyte board is very much an investment product, and considering how well featured and well working it is, you wouldn't be making a wrong decision to purchase this board if you can get over the DDR2/DDR3 price differences.

Final Thoughts

On price, we feel the Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 holds its own and but at the same time it’s not exceptional – that said, it is worth the asking price for a premium board that's fully featured and works really very well. The performance is very good, it's easy to work with and while we still don't get on too well with the DES software, the hardware looks good and it works efficiently with finesse in the background.

While it hits all the right notes for us (oodles of features, a great layout, a decent bundle and very good performance and ease of use), the Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 isn't a definitive choice, but it is certainly a good one if you're wanting to invest in DDR3 with some upgrade potential.

• Performance
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• 9/10

• Features
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• 9/10

• Value
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• 7/10

• Overall
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• 8/10

What do these scores mean?