Gigabyte P55-UD6 LGA1156 Motherboard Review‏

Package & Accessories

Now that we have taken a quick look at some the P55-UD6's unique features, it is time to take a look at the packaging and the included accessories. At $250CDN+ this is not cheap motherboard, so we expect to be impressed by the presentation and included goodies. Let's check it out:


Here we have the unmistakably Gigabyte packaging. Although the Ultra Durable 3 logo has dominated all recent Gigabyte motherboard boxes, the P55-UD6's main marketing point is its new 24-phase power design, and this is quite evident on the box. Nevertheless, we are glad that they kept 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 is hard to tell by the photos, but this is a sizeable package, measuring a full 11.5 inches tall, 13.5 inches wide, and a 5 inches thick.


Once you open the packaging you are greeted with an inner box with a handle, which itself contains two seperate section. The top half contains the motherboard which is battle-clad in a protective plastic enclosure, so you definitely don’t have to worry about this motherboard getting damaged while in transit.


The bottom box contains the accessories, the numerous instruction manuals, and the installation CD. Here is a break down of the included items:

• 1 x Floppy Cable
• 1 x IDE Cable
• 4 x SATA Cables
• 1 x 2-port eSATA PCI Expansion Bracket (with accompanying eSATA cables)
• 2-Way SLI bridge connector
• I/O Panel
• Manuals & Installation guides
• Installation CD

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. We do think that it is time for Gigabyte to ditch the yellow though, it's time to adopt blue cables! 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. The 2-way SLI connector is just a standard flexible one.