Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6

Motherboards are at the heart of every computer, and their importance is central to stable system operation. No matter if you are a low-demand office worker who plugs away on letters or spreadsheets or if you are a high-performance hardware enthusiast who demands extreme frame rates from your video games, one component alone will determine your ability: the motherboard.

Because so much, nay, everything rides on the system mainboard, you must make certain that your livelihood is based on a solid and dependable foundation. Gigabyte isn't a new name to the industry, and for years now they have offered some of the most reliable and stable motherboard sold. In fact, over the past year there really only seemed to be two realistic options for motherboard manufacturer's when you shopped for new hardware; and Gigabyte was one of them. In this article Benchmark Reviews challenges our reigning champion against the Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 Ultra Durable 2 DES motherboard.

Intel has been busy with one chipset release right on the heels of another. Since June 2007 when Intel first introduced the P35 chipset, it would take less than three months before it was succeeded by the X38 chipset for enthusiasts. Both shared the same Bearlake codename, as well as the same ICH9 Southbridge chipset, and on most accounts they were practically the same motherboard. The incentive to experience the X38 chipset was based on a 1600MHz front side bus added to the new compatibility with PCI-Express 2.0, which increases video bandwidth to 5 GBps. Then, just barely a month later, Intel announced specifications for their X48 chipset.

At the time of this writing (February 2008), Intel has still not officially lifted the embargo of their X48 chipset. In fact, despite the release of motherboards such as Gigabyte's GA-X48T-DQ6, they have postponed the launch because of unsold X38 quantities. It seems almost by design that Intel has done to motherboard manufacturers exactly that they did when they pushed DDR3 onto memory makers; they have systematically weakened the manufacturer's position in the market my consuming unnecessary product development resources. This could almost rival the effect Windows Vista has had on top-tier OEM's by Microsoft's forceful deployment. But this is a whole other discussion for another article.

If there's one thing my experience has taught me, it's that Gigabyte knows how to deliver product longevity and system stability. Unlike Tyan, which briefly made it's way to the desktop sector before pulling back to the more familiar server back-plane foundation, Gigabyte has been successful on both front. At the Super Computing 2007 event last year, Gigabyte was already on top of the industry with several cutting-edge server platforms. Now they are back with the bleeding-edge GA-X48T-DQ6 Ultra Durable 2 DES motherboard in this performance review.

About the company: Gigabyte United Inc. (G.B.T. Inc. USA)

Gigabyte United Inc., established in December 2006, is assuming the GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd. Brand, which for the past 20 years has been a world-renowned leader in the motherboard industry. Continuing to focus on its core businesses of GIGABYTE branded motherboards and graphics cards, Gigabyte United Inc. is committed to providing our valued customers with the highest quality products and services featuring the industry's most innovative design.

In order to meet the challenges of today's intensely competitive channel market, Gigabyte United Inc. fully utilizes its key assets including its cutting-edge research and development team as well as its professional sales and marketing resources to continue to develop technologies to fit a complete range of digital life solutions. Now and for the future, Gigabyte United Inc. will continue to embody the unique spirit and culture, which has made Gigabyte one of the foremost brands in the industry.

More information about Gigabyte is available by visiting their website.

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