Difference between UD3P and UD3R?

[eryx24]

Hey, I dunno which one to get for my new PC, I heard the UD3R has a confusing BIOS for someone that is not so good with computers, is this true? Also, I'm not planning on SLI or anything like that.

 

[GhislainG]

Then go with the UD3R. Initially the BIOS is confusing a bit if you're only familiar with Asus, but it's relatively easy to figure out. Both the UD3P and UD3R (assuming that you are referring to the EP45-UD3R) use a very similar BIOS.

 

[eryx24]

Well the only thing I'm used to is Dell and HP, I've never had a custom built computer. Basically I'm wondering if it's worth spending the extra $15 or so just for the BIOS.

 

[GhislainG]

You got it wrong - the BIOS is basically the same. The EP45-UD3P has an additional Gigabit Ethernet port, Crossfire support, better cooling, etc. Read this article and other reviews before making your decision, http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3508, but I honestly believe that it's worth more than the $15 difference.

 

[eryx24]

I looked at the benchmarks for the different games but I was confused about one thing, is the UD3P really that much better than the UD3R or they weren't comparing it to the UD3R, cuz I didn't even see it on any of the charts.

 

[GhislainG]

They usually don't use the UD3R because it doesn't support Crossfire, a requirement when testing games with 2 ATI GPUs. Other than that, the EP45-UD3R is as fast as the EP45-UD3P. This test shows how fast the UD3R is http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2008/11/21/gigabyte-ga-ep45-ud3r/11. You can't go wrong with either one.

 

[qhorque]

Also, don't forget that you could also get the UD3R and use an X2 card (essentially two cards in one in simplest terms though not 100% accurate to purists) and still have an extra PCI slot if needed.

That's what I did - got the UD3R instead of the P as they are essentially the same board with slightly different "extras".

Decide what you want to do with the computer, what all your requirements in terms of hardware are for now and over the next couple of years, and check off the board features that match and pick the one that fits best.

 

[GhislainG]

For the $15 difference, why not get the better one? I mean it's only $15, not $150. Nobody bulding a new PC can't afford to spend an extra $15.

 

[eryx24]

Well it seems like the UD3P is only more expensive because it lets you SLI am I right?

 

[GhislainG]

Since it's based on the Intel P45 chipset, it lets you Crossfire (ATI video cards), not SLI (nVidia video cards). Unlike the UD3R, it has two Ethernet ports.

Even if you don't plan on installing 2 video cards, the second PCIe x16 slot could eventually become handy for a RAID controller.

 

[bilbat]

Be aware, though, of known problems with x2 GPUs and RAID cards...