Gigabyte X58A-UD7

Considering that the UD7 is one of the top model motherboards in the Intel platform socket LGA1366, it makes sense for it to be priced at around $340. It is not the overall price that causes concern, but the price disparity between the UD7 and its predecessor, the UD5. The UD5, with an MSRP of $290, also comes with 16 Phase Power, 2x Gigabit LAN, and Unlocked Power features. The only big difference between the two is the cooling solution used in the UD7. The UD7 comes with the Silent-Pipe 2 cooling solution, which we will examine closely in the following pages. It includes not only an extra heatpipe cooler that attaches to North Bridge heatsink, but also an extra water cooling block that can replace the stock heatsink. Similarly, the UD3R, which is about $210, uses 12 Phase Power, no full heatpipe cooling solution, 1X Gigabit LAN, and no Unlocked Power features. From these differences in price, we can infer that the UD7 is specifically designed for gamers and overclocking enthusiasts, the UD5 is one step lower, and the UD3R provides plenty of performance for avid gamers but perhaps a bit less on the overclocking side.