Gigabyte ga-x99

Gigabyte leader in motherboards, graphics cards and peripherals Gaming has sent us to test its entry-level motherboard in socket 2011-3. This is the Gigabyte X99-UD4 with Ultra Durable components, 4 Way SLI capacity and one of the best power phases on the market. Want to know more about her? In this analysis we will show you all its secrets.

We appreciate the trust placed by the Gigabyte Spain team:

Technical characteristics

GIGABYTE X99 UD4 FEATURES
CPU	Support for Intel® Core ™ i7 processors in the LGA2011-3 socket. L3 cache varies by CPU.
Chipset	Intel® X99 Express Chipset
Memory	8 x DDR4 DIMM connections. Architecture for 4 memory channels compatible with 2800 (OC) / 2666 (OC) / 2400 (OC) / 2133 MHz memories Support for non-ECC memory modules Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules
Multi-GPU Compatible	2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIE_1, PCIE_2) * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIE_1 slot; if you are installing two PCI Express graphics cards, it is recommended that you install them in the PCIE_1 and PCIE_2 slots. 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x8 (PCIE_3, PCIE_4) * The PCIE_4 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIE_1 slot. When the PCIE_4 slot is populated, the PCIE_1 slot will operate at up to x8 mode. * When an i7-5820K CPU is installed, the PCIE_2 slot operates at up to x8 mode and the PCIE_3 operates at up to x4 mode. (All PCI Express x16 slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard.) 3 x PCI Express x1 slots Supports 4-Way / 3-Way / 2-Way AMD CrossFire ™ / NVIDIA® SLI technologies.
Storage	1 x M.2 PCIe connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280 SATA & PCIe x2 / x1 SSD support) 1 x SATA Express connector 6 x SATA to 6Gb / s connectors (SATA3 0 ~ 5) Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 * AHCI mode Only supported when installing a PCIe M.2 SSD or SATA Express device. (M2_10G, SATA Express and SATA3 4/5 connector can only be used one at a time. The SATA3 4/5 connector will stay disconnected when an M.2 SSD is connected to the M2_10G connector.) 4 x SATA 6Gb / s connectors SSATA3 0 ~ 3), support in IDE and AHCI mode (If the operating system is installed on SATA3 0 ~ 5, the sSATA3 0 ~ 3 connectors cannot be used.)
USB and ports.	Chipset: 4 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 port (2 ports on back panel, 2 ports available through internal USB connector) 8 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 ports (4 ports on the rear panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB connectors) Renesas® uPD720210 Chipset + USB 3.0 Hub: 4 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 rear connectors
LAN	Intel® GbE LAN chips (10/100/1000 Mbit)
Rear connections	4 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 ports 1 x S / PDIF Out Optical Connector 2 x hole for Wi-Fi antenna connector 1 x RJ-45 port 1 x PS / 2 mouse port 1 x PS / 2 Keyboard port 5 x audio jack connector (output to center / subwoofer speaker, output to rear speaker, line input, line output, microphone input) 6 x USB 3.0 / 2.0 port
Audio	High definition audio 2/4 / 5.1 / 7.1-channel Support for S / PDIF out Realtek® ALC1150 Codec
WiFi connection	Not available in this serial version.
Format.	ATX form factor, 30.5cm x 24.4cm
BIOS	DualBIOS ™ Support 2 x 128 Mbit flash License for the use of UEFI BIOS by AMI PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0 Q-Flash Plus support

Gigabyte X99 UD4

Gigabyte presents its Gigabyte X99 UD4 motherboard in a double-store cardboard box. On the back we have in large letters the name of the motherboard and all the certifications acquired. While inside it houses both the motherboard and all its accessories, the bundle is made up of:

• Gigabyte X99 UD4 motherboard. Back plate for I / O connectors. Instruction manual, quick guide and CD with drivers. SLI / Crossfire cables. SATA cables. Molex / SATA thieves.

The quality of the board is palpable at first glance with its ATX 30.5 x 24.4 cm format and a high weight since it incorporates a double PCB, which we will talk about later. As expected, it allows us to install any of the three processors available for the X99 chipset and LGA 2011-3 22nm socket, such as the two six-core 5820K, 5930K and the top-of-range eight-core 5960X 16-wire execution and 64 GB of 3000 Mhz DDR4 RAM with OCI integrates the latest Ultra Durable technology consisting of 6 + 4 pure power phases for the processor and for each channel of RAM a PWM Digital IR3580 controller, Mosfet IR Stage IR3556 50 A, 76A Cooper Bussmann inductors and solid state uF Black Metallic capacitors.

Even if you have the best components in the world, they need a good cooling system and Gigabyte has it. Both the phase area and the X99 chipset include two robust heatsinks in a gold / black design. In addition, the one located in the lower area is backlit.

The layout of the PCI Express ports is very good since it allows us to mount up to four graphics cards of the Nvidia (SLI) or AMD (CrossFireX) brand. We detail how we can connect the cards and their speeds with a 40 LAN processor:

• 1 Graphics card: x16.2 Graphics cards: x16 - x16.3 Graphics cards: x16 - x16 - x8.4 Graphics cards: x16 - x8 - x8 - x8.

The sound section I like a lot since it comes equipped with a Realtek ALC1150 chipset but very vitaminized with a headphone amplifier and with 115dB SNR. The experience becomes exceptional for hearing systems such as active monitors or high-end headphones on our computer. As expected, it allows us to install a 7.1 speaker system, two integrated ADC converters, Beam Forming and noise suppression. What a joy!

On the storage we have 10 SATA 6 Gbp / s connections, one of which is shared through SATA Express. This connection has hardly appeared devices to use its bandwidth, but we do find a dual M.2 system. It is ideal to free up space in the internal bays of our box and take advantage of the rest of SATA connections for slow disks or to store in them. If you don't know, Gigabyte is the only brand that has equipped two M.2 connections. on the same motherboard. To finish and as you can see in the last image we have a large number of rear connections:

• 4 x USB 2.0 PS / 2.5 x USB 3.0 LAN connection Intel 7.1 sound output.

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Test bench and tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i7 5820k
Base plate:	Gigabyte X99 UD4
Memory:	16GB DDR4 @ 3000 MHZ
Heatsink	Raijintek Triton
HDD	Crucial M500 250GB
Graphic card	Nvidia GTX 780
Power supply	EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2

To check the stability of the processor and motherboard, we've overclocked up to 4, 200mhz with Prime 95 Custom and air-cooled. The graphics that we have used is an Nvidia GTX780, without further distractions let us see the results obtained in our tests with a 1920 × 1080 monitor:

At the end of January Gigabyte released its new BIOS that fixed all the current bugs in the entire X99 range. With this new update we have a rock solid motherboard, both at the overclocking level and at default values. I would also like to highlight your new Easy Tune software. What is it? It allows us to overclock with a single click from the Windows operating system. For example it allows us to choose the advanced option in memory, processor, fast OC by default or manage the power phases of the equipment.

Final words and conclusion

The impressions of the Gigabyte X99 UD4 motherboard with ATX format have been outstanding, both in terms of material of construction and technical characteristics. It allows us to install any of the available i7 processors for LGA 2011-3 with six and eight cores, 64GB of RAM up to 3000 Mhz, four graphics cards, Dual M.2 slot, 10 SATA hard drives (2 for SATA Express) and its Ultra Durable technology with high-end power phases.

Gigabyte nods to those in love with sound with the Realtek ALC1150 Sound Card with 115GB SNR and a professional headphone amp. The experience goes up significantly at the level of games and video and sound editing. I would also like to highlight the Dual Bios that offers us great support against the corruption of the main chip. Without forgetting the Q-Flash PLUS technology that allows us to update the BIOS without having to have the processor and / or RAM memory punctured.

At the overclock level, we have not wanted to go above 4200 mhz since the processors that we currently have are not very zero. The results at the synthetic and gaming levels are as expected, since we have taken 100% performance from our test team. For example, games as demanding as Sleeping Dogs and Battlefield with a 3GB GTX 780 graphics card have skimmed the 100 FPS that is said soon… Good job!

It is currently in physical stores and online for an approximate price of € 230, which makes it a great solution for users who cannot afford a € 400 motherboard. It is the perfect candidate to mount a six core 5820K and 16GB DDR4 on a tight budget.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ ULTRA DURABLE COMPONENTS.	- WITH WIFI + BLUETOOTH IT WOULD BE THE PERFECT PLATE.
+ LEDS SYSTEM.
+ SUPPORTS 4 WAY SLI / CROSSFIRE.
+ OVERCLOCK.
+ DUAL BIOS.
+ PRICE.

The Professional Review team awards him the gold medal:

Gigabyte GA-X99 UD4

Component quality

Overclocking ability

MultiGPU system

BIOS

Additional features

Price

9.0 / 10

Board with excellent quality / price ratio with X99 chipset.