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P55 Roundup: Gigabyte P55-UD6 / P55-UD3 and MSI P55-GD80

Motherboards/Intel S1156 by massman @ 2009-09-20

Almost two weeks after the official release of the Core i5 platform, we review three LGA1156 motherboards. We put the Gigabyte P55-UD3 and UD6 through the same batch of tests as the MSI P55-GD80 and check who comes out on top. Next to that we have some surprising results for those who want to use Turbo mode and also have a look at the extreme overclocking capabilities of both high-end motherboards. Last but not least we publish our findings on the maximum voltages for the Core i5 platform.

MSI P55-GD80 - Pictures

Micro Star International was founded 22 years ago, back in 1986. From then on MSI grew to become one of the world largest mainboard manufacturer as well as being a market leader in the video card industry. But there is more, MSI is specialized in the server industry, notebooks, barebone systems, add-on cards, communication and many more consumer electronics. When you go visit your nearby computer retailer the chance that you stumble upon a MSI product is very real, not just because MSI offers a wide range of products but also because of their large availability in the entire world. Everyone who has done something with computers probable recognize these three letters in group.

Previous reviews containing MSI motherboards:

Intel Core i5 750 Review - Overclocking Phase-Change vs LN2

MSI X58M LGA 1366 Intel X58 Micro ATX Motherboard Review

AM3 motherboard shootout: DFI DK 790FXB-M3H5 vs MSI 790FX-GD70

7 Intel Core i7 X58 Motherboards Tested and Compared

MSI P45-8D Memory Lover Motherboard Review

P45 head-to-head: MSI P45 Platinum and Asus Maximus II Formula

MSI P7N SLI Platinum (750i) Motherboard Review

4-Way Intel P35 Motherboard Overclocking Roundup

MSI K9N SLI Platinum AM2 Motherboard Preview

MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum A64 S939 Review

MSI K7N2 Delta2 Platinum Athlon XP nForce2 Review

VIA KT400 Chipset Overclocking

BOX AND ACCESSOIRES

(Click for bigger version)

The GD80 is MSI's high-end solution for LGA1156 and that you notice when opening the box. The amount of extra's and added features is absolutely complete.

Underneath a list of the box' content:

8 x Manual (incl. user guide and reference files)

5 x M-connector

5 x Sata cable

4 x V-check cable

3 x SLI cable

2 x Drivers disc

2 x Molex-to-sata cable

1 x Crossfire cable

1 x E-sata bracket

1 x IDE cable

1 x I/O Shield

1 x Molex-to-two-sata cable

1 x USB bracket

Motherboard

(Click for bigger version)

As complete as the added peripherals are, the board itself might even be more complete. Without going too much into detail (we are not a marketing website), I can say that the touch-on power buttons really are a nifty feature. As for overclockers, the V-check and the V-switch tools will definitly come in handy! For more details on the motherboard's specs, please refer to the list underneath:

7 x USB 2.0 ports

6 x Flexible Audio ports

2 x Lan ports

1 x PS/2 keyboard port

1 x PS/2 mouse port

1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Out connector

1 x Optical S/PDIF Out connector

1 x Esata/usb combo port

3 x PCI Express x16 slot (x16/x0/x0 or x8/x8/x0 or x8/x8/x4)

2 x PCI Express x1 slots

2 x PCI slots

8 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors

4 x System fan headers

3 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers

2 x BCLK control buttons

1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector

1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector

1 x CD-In connector

1 x Chassis intrusion connector

1 x Clear cmos button

1 x CPU fan header

1 x CPU phase led panel

1 x D-Led2 panel connector

1 x Debug led panel

1 x Front panel audio header

1 x Green power button

1 x Green power genie connector

1 x IDE connector

1 x IEEE1394 header

1 x OC Genie button

1 x Over-voltage switch

1 x Power button

1 x Reset button

1 x S/PDIF Out header

1 x TPM module connector

1 x Voltage check point set

Comment from Massman @ 2009/09/21

Recent findings actually push me in the direction of the GD80 in terms of overclockability.

32M is both faster and higher clocked with same or a bit less voltage :-)

Comment from leeghoofd @ 2009/09/21

Great to see MSI reacting quickly ! any news for ya DFI arrival ?

Comment from Massman @ 2009/09/21

Via via I heard a board was sent. Let's hope for the best

Comment from leeghoofd @ 2009/09/21

bout time... hope the bios is already pretty mature !

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