Hi Ritwik,
it would probably be easier just to compare features and capabilities of the different models...but since you asked lol. here is what the string of numbers and letters that make up the model numbers mean.
from wikpedia:
GIGABYTE use a special system for naming their motherboards. For example the GA-P35-DS3R. The first segment, GA, simply denotes that it's manufactured by GIGABYTE. The second segment indicates what chipset it is using, in this case Intel's P35. The third part shows what features the motherboard has. This segment mostly contains a number of abbreviations.
Available 1st segment abbreviations:If "M" appears behind the chipset code, it is a mATX board. Available 1st segment abbreviations:If "M" appears in front of the chipset number it means it is for an AMD processor, but has a non-AMD chipset. If the abbreviation in front of the chipset is "MA", it is for an AMD processor and has an AMD chipset.
Available 2nd segment abbreviations:
* E - (Dynamic Energy Saver) - Energy saving features
* T - Only DDR3 SDRAM support
* C - Both DDR2 and DDR3 SDRAM support
* No T or C abbreviations mean that the motherboard only has DDR2 SDRAM support.
Available 3rd segment abbreviations:
* D (Durability) - Indicates that the motherboard uses only solid state capacitors.
* UD (Ultra Durable 3) - Introduces 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers.
* S2 (Smart, Safe) - Various features such as Q-Flash BIOS etc.
* S3 (Smart, Speed, Safe) - Same as above, but includes overclocking features.
* S4 (Silent Pipe, Smart, Speed, Safe) - Same as above, but uses heat pipe cooling.
* S5 (CrossFire, Silent Pipe, Smart, Speed, Safe) - Same as above, but with CrossFire support.
* Q6 (Quad BIOS, Quad Cooling, Quad E-SATA2, Quad Triple Phase, Quad-Core Optimized, Quad DDR2 Slots) - Indicates quad-core optimiziation.
Available 4th segment abbreviations:
* R - 2 extra SATAII ports and possibly RAID support. No FireWire ports. No ATI CrossFire support. (i.e GA-P35-DS3R)
* G - Solid capacitors for the CPU Volt Regulator Module.
* H - HDMI port.
* L - Probably "Lite". Fewer SATAII ports. No RAID support. No FireWire ports. No ATI CrossFire support. Heatsink cooling. (i.e GA-P35-DS3L). It could also indicate Gigabit LAN (as in GA-G31M-S2L, versus GA-G31M-S2C which has support for 10/100Mbps Ethernet).
* P - Silent Pipe, RAID, Extra PCI Express slots, extra SATAII ports. (i.e GA-EP45-DS3P)
and here are the differences in the AMD chipsets:
AMD 790FX Chipset for Desktop
* Designed for High-Performance Gamers and Professional Overclockers1
* Quad Graphics on a single motherboard (ATI CrossFireX™ Support)
* Superior Scalability
* Extreme Overclocking1
AMD 790X Chipset for Desktop
* Designed for Gamers and HD Enthusiasts
* Dual Graphics (ATI CrossFireX™ Support)
* System Monitoring and Control Options
* Upgrade flexibility
AMD 780G Chipset for Notebook and Desktop
* ATI Hybrid™ Graphics Technology Support2
* Designed for Casual Gamers and HD Enthusiasts
the FX is a great overclocking high performance board with 3 or 4 pcie slots, the FX is billed as a Professional Overclockers1 board
and the GX is billed as an enthusiast overclocking board with 2 pcie slots.
Im a big fan of the FX 790 chipset, DFI in particular
does that help?.....man your a tough one :haha:
let us know how its going for ya, sounds like building your own machine there is a much bigger challenge there.