Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 X58 Motherboard Review | ||
| by MAC | February 8, 2009 | ||
| Package & Accessories Package & AccessoriesNow that we have examined some of this motherboard’s abundant features, let’s take a quick peek at the package and accessories.     Click on image to enlarge Here we have the relatively simple, yet appealing Gigabyte EX58-UD5 box. It is not quite as eye-catching as past Gigabyte designs, but it gets the job done thanks to the large Ultra Durable 3 logo that dominates the front. We do like the novelty cutout in the lower right corner, simulating the 2 oz copper inner layer that is the distinguishing feature of the Ultra Durable 3 design. It hard to tell by the photos, but in terms of size this is by no means the largest motherboard packaging we have seen so far, coming in at a compact 13.5 inches tall, 10.75 inches wide, and a slim 3.5 inches thick. Does this mean it has a light accessories bundle? We will examine that shortly.   Click on image to enlarge Although quite difficult to see from afar, the white box is not only slightly glossy, but it has some neat pearlescent effect to it, very cool. It may not standout next to some more extravagant packaging, but it is just the little bit extra attention to detail which we appreciate.   Click on image to enlarge The motherboard itself is packed in a regular anti-static (ESD) bag, and under the bag is a layer of foam material. This is standard and quite acceptable, but as a high-end product we would have rather seen it shipped in a protective plastic enclosure, like was done with the EP45-DQ6. Next up, let's take a closer look at the accessories bundle, which as you will comes with everything that we would need and expect. Let’s break down the list of items:
   Click on image to enlarge As we have come to expect from Gigabyte, the bundled cables are of a high quality. In particular, we like the fact that two of the cables come with handy 90 degree connectors, and all the connectors have a clip that ensures that they remain securely fastened to your hardware. The eSATA bracket further enhances this motherboard's already impressive connectivity options, and comes with a very handy external molex connection, which could be used to power external radiator fans for a water cooling system or simply a hard drive.   Click on image to enlarge This mysterious little bracket has bewildered most reviewers, but we can tell you that it is a SLI bridge retention bracket, which is designed to hold the SLI bridge in place and prevent it loosening itself from the graphics cards. On the right, we have the two included SLI bridge connnectors, for both 2-way and 3-way SLI configurations. Functionality wise they are perfect, but we wouldn't mind if they were made of a flexible material instead of standard PCB.         | ||
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