Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P P45 Motherboard Review

Voltage Regulation

Our voltage regulation testing will focus on the various voltages and the differences encountered between what is selected in the BIOS, what is reported by EasyTune6 (when available), and what is reported by a digital multi-meter (DMM). We have found five voltage read points on the motherboard so the vCORE, PLL, CPU Termination/VTT, vNB, and vDIMM will be recorded with our DMM. Both vCORE and vNB will be read from the underside of the motherboard at the output side of the corresponding inductor for each voltage supply. PLL and VTT voltages will be read from points on the top of the motherboard. vDIMM will be read directly from a DIMM slot's VDD pin. The ground point used for all readings will be a screw hole. Here are a few photos showing the various read points used.


Now that we have established where the read points are, let’s have a look at the results. These measurements were taken at 9x400Mhz, the highest officially supported FSB, and the setting that will most likely be used by those seeking mild overclocks. Everything else in the BIOS is set to auto. Just to clarify, the vCore (LLC) section is the vCore results with Load-Line Calibration enabled. Here are our extensive findings:


As a whole, the EP45-UD3P has terrific voltage output. There is very little variance between what you select in the BIOS and what the board actually outputs. The DIMM, NB, PLL, and VTT voltages are very accurate and stable, showing no variances between idle and load states. There is some line droop (vDroop) on the vCORE when going from idle to load, but it is not substantial enough to negatively affect stability nor overclocking. Also, once Load-Line Calibration is enabled, the vDroop is totally eliminated. Since it is such a crucial setting, let's take a closer look at the vCORE's characteristics with a two hour OCCT stress test.


The vCore dips when the stress test actually kicks-in, but otherwise the vCore line is very solid and there were only miniscule spikes, none of which were worrisome. Evidently, GIGABYTE's engineers have done an excellent job with this model's six-phase power design.


With Loadline Calibration enabled the vCore line is straight as an arrow displaying zero variance even during load changes. This is very, very impressive and we are extremely pleased that GIGABYTE have finally implemented this worthwhile feature.

Temperature Testing

Now it's time to see if the EP45-UD3P's new cooling system is as good as it looks. Since this is a mainstream model motherboard it does not come with temperature sensors for the northbridge and southbridge. Therefore, we relied on our trusty digital thermometer for all temperature measurements. We set the system to its overclocked configuration, and then OCCT was run for two hours. The temperatures were recorded at twenty minute intervals throughout the two hour test and the results averaged out. The ambient temperature was 21°C/71.6°F.


As you can see, the northbridge cooler reached 43°C/109.4°F and the southbridge cooler measured 37°C/98.6°F. Both of these temperatures are quite good considering the 500Mhz FSB. The MOSFET coolers hovered around the 33°C/91.4°F mark, which is surprisingly cool. Could this be a result of Ultra Durable 3's claimed cooling advantages? It is quite possible. Remember, none of the above components benefited from any direct cooling, so all these figures essentially represent a worst-case scenario. In a regular case with one or two 120MM fans, temperatures should be even lower. As a result, we can definitely state that the EP45-UD3P's cooling system is excellent and should prove to be adequate for all but the most extreme overclocking efforts.