Final Thoughts
The Gigabyte EX58-UD4P is a well priced, well equipped Intel X58 motherboard capable of delivering top notch performance. With a current retail price of $270 we feel that the EX58-UD4P is one of the best value Core i7 motherboards on the market.
Gigabyte's willingness to be on the forefront of Core i7 sales is evidenced by the range of motherboards they are already offering. Their X58 boards range from basic examples, such as the EX58-UD3R, to the outright crazy.
The EX58-UD4P provides users with all the essential features without going overboard. For example, most users will only require a single Gigabit LAN controller, while eight SATA ports will usually cover it. The cooling setup is more than adequate and really X58 boards need nothing more than what is found on the EX58-UD4P, even when overclocking.
Performance-wise we have nothing to complain about, and although the results did tend to fluctuate, the EX58-UD4P was able to outperform the Asus P6T Deluxe on more than one occasion. The overclocking result matched the 4.0GHz Core i7 965 EE we had achieved with the P6T Deluxe.
Our complaints are undeserving of the otherwise great hardware. For some reason the BIOS navigation was very laggy, which we found extremely annoying. Also, there was no option to save our overclocking profiles, making the whole process tedious. Both these issues can probably be solved with a simple BIOS update, so we will be keeping an eye on that.
As for the board's design and layout, we believe it was spot on. The baby blue color scheme was intriguing, definitely nowhere near the Asus' X58 bad ass looks, but we are just nitpicking at this point.
If you are after a quick Intel X58 motherboard for your Core i7 upgrade, it is safe to say that Gigabyte has you covered. Those looking for the most sensible solution should certainly check out the EX58-UD4P, as it offers the perfect blend of performance, features, and value.