Lots of Gigabyte p45 boards, whats the diff?

[TheGuitarist]

I'm about to pull the trigger on one of these badboys. More than likely the UD3P since everyone here and on newegg recommends it. I was wondering, however, if there is a BETTER P45 board in the Gigabyte (or any other brand) brand and why?

Thanks.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The different models each have different onboard components and options. The UD3P is an excellent motherboard. It's a second-generation board that has more copper to allow it to run cooler and overclock higher than first generation boards. The UD3P also offers crossfire and dual Gigabit LAN, which the very similiar UD3R does not. Go to Gigabyte's website to compare the different models, but the UD3P is the cream of the crop when it comes to P45 motherboards. You will not be disappointed with it.

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3508

http://www.gigabyte.us/Products/Motherboard/Products_ComparisonSheet.aspx

 

[TheGuitarist]

Thanks, shortstuff. Good info.

 

[jsc]

Not so much better, but different specifications.

Memory choice - DDR2 or DDR3. I pretty much think that if you don't have and i7, DDR3 memory is a waste of money.

DQ or DS (UD now) - DQ boards are at the upper end of the P45 family. DS boards represent better value.

3L, 3P, and 3R boards - differ in number of SATA ports and PCI-e lanes. L's are the base model; P's are the upper end. When I was looking for a motherboard a couple of years ago, I decided on an EP35-DS3P. The L didn't have enough SATA ports, and where I live (Saudi Arabia), no one had an R in stock.