With the market for extreme PC cooling growing at a rapid rate over the past few years, we are seeing a much greater number of PC components and accessories geared to this end of the spectrum.  This goes back to the Foxconn “Quantum Force” line, which was kicked off with a killer mainboard, the BLACKOPS with features that had never been seen before.  Fast forward a few years, and now all the top manufacturers are mimicking elements from that board, and pushing forward with other innovations geared towards extreme cooling enthusiasts.

However, one area that has not seen any special attention is in the TIM (Thermal Interface Material) market, at least until now (the last time there was anything resembling this kind of enthusiast buzz over some cooling goo was when Arctic Silver hit the market). eVGA recently unleashed on the world their new TIM dubbed “Frostbite,” and for good reason.  eVGA claims this new compound is not only better for the extreme cooling crowd, but also superior for everyday users as well.  Not only that, but k|ngp|n himself is signing off on all these claims and endorsing the product for extreme cooling use.

The longtime standard-bearer for extreme cooling has been Arctic Silver’s Céramique, which k|ngp|n and many others have used it for years.  However, over the past year of so, many users have been testing alternatives.  Elmor (a top overclocker from Sweden) swears by OCZ Freeze, and there have been a number of positive reports with several other compounds as well.  Considering all the recent speculation, we needed to take a closer look at this new contender.

Next: eVGA Frostbite, a closer look…

A couple years ago, I put together a simple water cooling system that I dubbed FFF&FM.

• Form
• Follows
• Function
• and
• Fully
• Modular

And the name really tells you everything you need to know. It was not a pretty system, nor did it need to be….but it did work very well for cooling my HW while pretesting for more serious benching session with liquid nitrogen. Here is a link to the original forum post where I detailed the build.

FFF&FM Rev1.0 parts

The original system used two Swiftech triple 120 radiators sandwiching three 120×38mm San Ace fans. It used a single DDC style pump, and performance was excellent, especially in the winter when I could hang it out the window for some extra cool benching sessions.

FFF&FM Rev1.0

While the original system has served me well, I recently decided that I needed to correct a couple flaws with the design, and also push the performance to the limit….so with that in mind, I bring you the next generation….

Revision 2

The idea with revision 2 is to keep the original design goals, but enhance performance, and correct two flaws in the original design. What were those flaws?

1. First off, there was no reliable indication of flow, this is pretty important especially when disabling the safety mechanisms built into modern HW like we do with benching. When you tell the CPU not to throttle if it’s overheating, then if something goes wrong with the cooling system you’re liable to kill some HW. This almost occurred this past winter when I had a pump fail on the original FFF&FM and my CPU temps skyrocketed. Luckily I was running a Bloomfield CPU which has proved to be extremely durable.
2. The second flaw in the original design was the lack of pump redundancy, as I just described pump failure was a major concern in the new revision. So with the new design I knew I wanted to support two or more pumps in case one fails.
3. The last issue with the first desing was the use of thin walled tubing. I used 3/8″ ID and 1/2″ OD tubing which means the wall thickness was only 1/16″ thick. With the new system, I’ve upgraded the tubing to 3/8″ ID and 5/8″ OD which means the wall thickness is now twice the original, or 1/8″ thick. This new Primochill tubing is MUCH more kink resistant, and this is super important for a system thats continuously being reconfigured and played with.

All of the other design goals remain, and the most important ones are performance, and the “modular” design made possible with the Koolance quick disconnects. These have made this water cooling system as useful as it is.

The build

So, I wanted to take you through a quick step-by-step build log, showing how I put the system together. The biggest part of the new system is the new Watercool radiator, which is a monstrosity designed to use 18 140mm cooling fans, nine on each side. This is the “light” version, which only allows for mounting fans on one side.

Watercool MO-RA3 front

In the picture above, the radiator is resting on the box for a Swiftech MCR-320-QP quad 120 radiator….that should give you some scale, this thing is huge! There are actually 6 fill ports, two on the front, two on the rear, and two on the top which provides tons of flexibility for your desired configuration.

Watercool MO-RA3 rear

Based on this testing I wanted to put some shrouds on the fans, and I also wanted to use some good 120mm fans, due to the lack of decent 140mm fan options. So, I decided to use a 30mm thick piece of wood as a shroud for the entire bank of fans.

pum & res position

I started by getting the board cut to the correct size at the hardware store. Then I drilled holes to mount the radiator, and positioned the pumps and reservoir to ensure the board would accommodate the desired layout. The reservoir selected for this project is the Tecnofront Challenger X1 from Italy. It has an integrated flow meter, which will be a nice visual indicator for me. The two DDC based pumps (10W OEM versions) are linked with the EK Dual DDC Turbo Top.

fan hole placement

Next, I drew out the spacing for all the fans. My goal was to have each fan placed directly over the intended location for the standard 140mm fan, to get as even a distribution of air as possible.

cutting fan holes 1

Then I slowly began cutting the fan holes, going 1/2 way through on the first side, and then finishing the cut from the opposite side.

cutting fan holes 2

After cutting all the holes, I then routed the rear side (the side facing the radiator) to help airflow spread out from the fan to cover the gaps in-between the fans.

test fit

Then, I bolted the board up to the radiator for the first time to ensure a proper fit and alignment.

res & pump placement

With the radiator mounted, I was able to trace the edges of the reservoir and pump wires to plan for proper placement of each.

res & pump cuts

Next, I made some rough cuts for the reservoir and the pump wires, and I also routed the corners of the fans intake side.

weatherstrip

I took my Dremel sanding wheel to the corners and then some good ol’fashioned elbow grease and got them nice and smooth. Now the holes are proper square with rounded corners to match the fan’s frame. Then I placed weather strip around the edges to ensure a good seal on the radiator.

final fitting

Next, I mounted the radiator for the final time; the first tube was also connected with a compression fitting to the front side of the rad.

tube routing 1

You can see here the reservoir and pumps placed in their final locations. Both are secured to the top of the radiator with double sided sticky tape.

tube routing 2

You can see the basic tube routing here, the water comes in through the lower white tube on the left (into the front radiator port, not seen), exits the radiator into the black tube on the right and goes into the reservoir, the out of the reservoir into the pumps, and out of the pumps in the upper white tube and out to the system.

tube routing 3

Another angle.

tube routing 4

And another.

fans mounted

The next step was to mount my fans, nine San Ace 120×38mm 110+CFM gems. Been really happy with these fans over the last few years and they should be perfect for this project as well. You can also see the reservoir mounted at the top.

base 1

With everything mounted up, I also wanted to create a stable base for the system. I used the leftover wood from the original board.

base 2

I used some additional scrap to make some strengthening plates to put on each side.

base 3

Another shot from the front.

fan seals

No matter how hard you try, if you don’t have the proper tools to complete your cuts perfectly, you’re never going to have perfect alignment. That’s where silicon sealant comes in.

wired and running

The last step was to wire the fans and pumps together and fill and blead the system. I have to say this Tecnofront reservoir made that job easier than with any other reservoir I’ve ever used…99% of the air bubbles were bled within a couple minutes….very impressive!

system complete

After getting everything hooked up and running, I played with a few benchmarks. But first I wanted to give you a quick sound check, and made the video below. Also notice the flow meter showing you a good indication of flow.

Results

Well, this is not a review, but I still wanted to leave you with some results. I have not spent much time with the system yet. But I did have a chance to test out a new 990X and improve my previous best 5970 Vantage score.

3D Vantage with 5970

The CPU cores reached a max temp of 72C and the GPU cores hit 47C and 43C….not bad considering the 20C ambient temp in my room at the time.

I’ll have tons more testing with this system, and I still have a few more minor improvemtnes to make (fan grills and weather protection)…but the meat and potatoes are all here, I hope you liked it and it inspires some of you.

Large box at the door.

Unboxing

In the box was an Intel core i7-2600k processor, an Intel DP67BG Extreme Series motherboard and a 4GB (2×2GB) kit of Patriot Viper Xtreme Series, Division 2 Edition PC3-17066, and another box? Hmm…interesting box. Upon closer inspection, we realized it was not just a box, it was a computer case!

Inside box closed

Inside box open

All the goodies

Intel Core i7-2600k

Intel’s second generation Core i7 unlocked processors are a fusion of Intel’s 32-nm process technology and a second-generation high-k metal gate transistor-based micro-architecture creating a processor with Intel HD graphics 3000 built in. These chips offer top-of-the-line speed and Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, giving you a boost in performance when you need it the most.

Intel Core i7-2600k

Like it’s older brother, the second generation Core i7 k-series chips, k for unlocked, offers simple, flexible tuning and overclocking with unlocked multipliers. Need an adrenaline rush? Overclock and unleash the power of your Core i7-2600k! New to overclocking? No problem! Overclocking has never been this easy, just visit the BIOS on boot and adjust the multiplier.

Still not sure about overclocking? That is OK too; i7-2600k has 4 cores, Hyper Threading and stock, out of the box runs at 3.4Ghz, more than enough speed for the mainstream user.

Intel DP67BG

The Intel DP67BG is the newest addition to the Extreme Series line up boasting the P67 chipset. This board supports both SLI and Crossfire technologies to bring you the best graphics experience possible, as well as SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gb/s to access your data in a flash.

Intel DP67BG

The Case

This case is beautiful to say the least. It is a mid-tower built from bright white acrylic, with six 90mm fan cut outs, 3 5.25” drive bays and an optional drive cage, don’t worry, Intel has included some very Ikea like instructions on how to install the drive cage. It also sports an Intel design cut out, and Intel Core i7 logo on it’s side panel.

Board mounted in case

Hyper 212+ mounted

Everything mounted

Ready to be powered up

Powered up

Inside lit up

Next: System Configuration & 2D Benchmarks

The P8P67 PRO is one of the latest Cougar Point motherboards from ASUS for the LGA 1155 “Sandy Bridge” architecture. Targeted between the basic P8P67 and the Deluxe, the motherboard aims to bring nearly all of the power of the Deluxe, at a more modest price point.

For a more detailed breakdown of the Sandy Bridge Architecture with features like ASUS DIP2 and Digi+ VRM (covered in brief in this review), please check out the P8P67 Deluxe review.

The P8P67 Pro brings choices to the table. Without the added cost of a PCIE PLX chip, the Pro still brings 3 PCIE x16 slots and 2 PCIE x1 slots into play leaving the exact configuration up to the user, because not all slots can run at the same time.

The Pro version of the P8P67 series includes: integrated Bluetooth connectivity, DTS Ultra-PC audio license, and an Intel Network device to socket 1155 much like the Deluxe. It lacks the full bandwidth of the Deluxe model, and focuses on users that are not running multiple GPUs with bandwidth-hungry SATA3 (6GB/sec) and USB3 devices.

ASUS

ASUS comes from the last four letters of the word “Pegasus.” A mythical winged horse, it has been chosen for the company’s name because it represents Strength, Creative Spirit, and Purity. Winged (or even terrestrial) equine science is not something you will find in abundance here at TechREACTION, but rigorous testing and evaluation of manufacturers’ PC-related products is. Strength is definitely an attribute ASUS brings to the table, being the largest motherboard manufacturer in the world. Creative Spirit is epitomized both by being early to market with new technologies as well as the aesthetics they put into their product designs. Purity is exemplified by the total package experience. Products that go above and beyond what one expects, and a knowledgeable staff to help get you working or playing beyond your expectations.

Next: Specifications & Packaging

Some review samples from Xigmatek have arrived today, and the first that we will be looking at is the LOKI SD963. Xigmatek has been around for a little over 5 years and in that time the company made a name for itself rather quickly and impressed many with good quality and performance oriented products. Xigmatek’s “ICE” philosophy seems to be well applied and directly translates into the companies products.

“ICE” = Impressive / Creative / Essential

The LOKI is a 92mm H.D.T vertical airflow cooler. The implemented Heatpipe Direct Touch Design allows the copper heatpipes to make direct contact with the CPU’s heat-spreader, thus allowing for direct heat transfer. The specific design of this cooler employs 3 uncoated copper heatpipes with a 6mm diameter.

The cooler is outfitted with an exchangeable 92mm fan which is attached with rubber pins. The package includes a 2nd set of pins which can be used to attach a 2nd fan on the rear of the cooler to further enhance cooling. These features are a good combination and promise solid results.

Manufacturer Description:

Outstanding performance and quiet operation, LOKI SD963 outmatches other air coolers. 3pcs Φ6 mm heat-pipe design and light material fins, it provides outstanding heat dissipating efficiency and cooling performance. With anti-vibration rubber, it is much more quiet and reliable. A universal retention module for Intel and AMD makes it is easy to install.

Features:

- H.D.T. (Heat-pipe direct touch) technology
- Support for Intel LGA775/1156/1366; AMD Socket K8/AM2/AM2+/AM3
- Dual fan operation supported with anti-vibration rubber fan mount pins
- PWM fan to adjust the power of the fan efficiently
- Light weight
- High performance & easy installation
- 3pcs Φ6mm high performance heat-pipes

Supported Sockets:

Next: Unboxing, Packaging and Accessories

The performance memory market has continued to push the performance envelope over the last few generations of hardware, each new development ushering in more speed and better performance.  But beyond speed, memory has not yielded much material to the marketing departments.  We all know that the marketing departments are tasked with getting products on the market and into your hands. But other than performance, the only marketable aspects in the segment are fancy heat spreaders, cooling fans and the occasional LED strip. So with this we had to ask, has innovation hit a roadblock?  I thought so, but then I’ve never been a huge fan of gimmicky marketing. If you read my last memory review about the Corsair Dominator GTX3 DIMMs, you’ll see why.

However, this review has left me wondering if I was wrong.  Crucial has been kind enough to supply one of their latest and greatest Ballistix memory kits for our review today.  Are they bucking the trends and actually packing some real innovation into their latest products, or is it just a bunch of fluff?  We’ll soon find out, read on!

Crucial Ballistix – The Hardware:

The kit we have here today is based on three BL25664FN2139 2GB DIMMs for a total of 6GB of memory.  These DIMMs are rated at DDR3-2133 (PC3-17000) with 9-10-9-24 timings running at 1.65V.  The kit shipped in an unassuming brown cardboard box with a generic Crucial label sealing it shut.

Ballistix box

The box contained the three 2GB DIMMs  as seen here.

Ballistx back

The rear of the DIMMs have a small sticker attached with a serial number displayed.

Ballistx front

The front of the DIMMs are quite unique.  The heat spreaders are black anodized aluminum and attached to the memory ICs with thermal tape. The PCB does not make contact with the heat spreaders.

Ballistix PCB

Upon removal of said heat spreader we get a clear look at the PCB, which is average height and matte black in color.  I’m not personally very concerned about “bling” in my computer builds, but I am becoming a little more picky about color coordination and I’m a big fan of the black PCB here, which is visually a nice upgrade over standard green.

Ballistix IC

If you are not aware, Crucial is the direct retail arm of Micron, so the best of Micron technology goes directly into Crucial’s premium products: Ballistix & Ballistix Tracer being premium.  As you can see here, the IC’s used in these DIMMs are marked with the Ballistix name, which clearly illustrates this relationship.  Embedded somewhere in this PCB is a piece of temperature monitoring hardware, the only obvious extra logic on the PCB is shown in the upper left corner of the last image, but I cannot say for sure if this houses said hardware.

Next: Crucial Ballistix – The Software

Gigabyte has been on a role in the last few years with their mid-range lineup of motherboards, specifically the UD3 and UD4 series, have a huge following and are highly regarded within the community.  They have earned their spot for good reason too, and the value pricing combined with top notch overclocking capabilities have been a tough act to follow.  With the release of Intel’s latest platform, will the Gigabyte mid-range hold onto it’s competitive edge? 

The Gigabyte P67A-UD4

P67A-UD4 & box

The motherboard that we have for you today sits right in the middle of the P67 lineup at $189.99.  It carries the “Ultra Durable 4″ naming scheme of it’s predecessors, which indicates a balance between price and features, in comparison with the UD3 line and the higher end UD5 and UD7.  For example, the UD4 shares the Realtek ALC892 audio codec of the UD3 boards, but supports Crossfire and SLI technology like the UD5 and UD7 boards.  However, if you plan to run two graphics cards in your system, whether AMD or Nvidia based, this is the least expensive solution that will support a dual PCIe x8 configuration.  It also splits the difference with a 12 phase VRM design, compared to a 6 phase design on the UD3, and a 20 or 24 phase on the UD5 or UD7 respectively. 

A Closer Inspection

On paper that means the UD4 is the best choice for a serious gaming machine or workstation at a mid-range price.  The UD5 and UD7 do have compelling features, but the difference in price will make the UD4 the choice for most cost sensitive buyers.  The question is; does the UD4 have what it takes to convince buyers in this highly competitive market? 

P67A-UD4 layout

We are big fans of the new color scheme, it’s aesthetically pleasing while remaining unique.  This is the first time we’ve seen a matte black PCB on a mass production motherboard and looks great!  The UD4 only includes 4x fan headers, which is about average for a mid range board, however 5x or more would make it a bit more appealing. 

P67A-UD4 top

The board supports up to four 8GB DDR3 DIMMs and has a 12 phase VRM design cooled by a robust heatsink. 

P67A-UD4 onboard I/O

1. 1 x front panel audio header
2. 1 x S/PDIF Out header
3. 3 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
4. 1 x USB 3.0/2.0 header
5. 1 x serial port header

It’s also worth noting that the UD4 does not feature any on-board buttons. This makes using the board on a test bench a bit more tedious, but for most users, it will be a non-issue.  The CMOS jumper may be an issue for many users (more on that in a bit). 

P67A-UD4 storage

1. 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
2. 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors

The P67 chipset supports native control of up to 6 SATA hard disk drives, two of which can be SATA3 devices.  There aren’t any 3rd party controllers built-in, so no legacy IDE drives here.  In order to get more storage options, you’d have to step all the way up to the UD7, or simply add on a 3rd party PCI/PCIe controller.  The board does have Gigabyte’s DualBIOS™ technology for redundancy in case of BIOS corruption.  Gigabyte also claims 3GB+ boot compatibility, typically a limitation of this “old” BIOS technology.  Gigabyte is also promising compatibility with UEFI in the future. 

P67A-UD4 PCIe layout

The UD4 has a fairly straightforward layout with two physical PCIe x16 slots for dual graphics cards.  If only the top slot is occupied, it operates electrically at PCIe x16.  When both slots are in use, each one operates electrically at PCIe x8. 

P67A-UD4 CPU socket

The LGA1155 socket will accept all aftermarket cooling solutions developed for the LGA1156 socket as well.  Here you can see the 12 phase VRM design, which Gigabyte actually calls a 6+6 design allowing the board to run on only 6 phases to save power when the CPU isn’t fully loaded. 

P67A-UD4 back panel I/O

1. 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port
2. 1 x coaxial S/PDIF Out connector
3. 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
4. 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
5. 2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports
6. 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s ports
7. Gigabit ethernet jack
8. 6 standard analoug audio connectors

P67A-UD4 backside

Next: Overclocking on the UD4…

ASUS comes from the last four letters of the word Pegasus. A mythical winged horse that they have chosen for their company name; it represents Strength, Creative Spirit and Purity. Flying Horse Experience is not something you will find in droves here at TechREACTION, but rigorous testing and evaluation of manufacturers PC related products is. Strength is definitely an attribute ASUS brings to the table, being the largest motherboard manufacturer in the world. Creative Spirit is epitomized both by being early to market with new exciting technologies as well as the aesthetics that they put into their product designs. Purity is exemplified by the total package experience. Products that go above and beyond what one expects, and a knowledgeable staff to help get you working and playing beyond your expectations.

The P8P67 Deluxe is a LGA1155 Socket motherboard supporting Crossfire and SLI in a x8/x8 configuration, or a single GPU with up to 16 Lanes of PCIE 2.0 bandwidth at its disposal. 16+2 phase power supplies more than enough clean power to the CPU to max out the capabilities of the Sandy Bridge architecture, and 4 additional phases will handle the DRAM slots for pushing modern 2000+ MHz DDR3. The board features a UEFI BIOS, Bluetooth, Power Over E-SATA, and an Intel Network IC. Two integrated USB 3.0 ports with 2 more added through the included front panel expansion device, and 4 SATA 3 (6 Gbps) ports provided by the PCH and Marvell controller.

Digi+ Power Dual Processor enhancements allow the motherboard to both overclock, and enhance low power capabilities of the architecture, through use of the EPU and TPU processors. ASUS again institutes the Mem Ok! feature to enhance memory compatibility. Firewire is included on the IO panel, as well as up to 10 channel audio by mixing the 7.1 rear connections with concurrent 2 channel front panel audio.

LEDs abound with post indicators for Memory, CPU, VGA, Boot devices and RAM. (Dubbed the QLED Diagnostic system).Decorative LEDs, a 2 digit post code display and lit on-board power and reset buttons round out the illumination fixtures.

In an effort not to put the cart before the horse, the full feature portion of the P8P67 Deluxe review will follow an introduction to the new Sandy Bridge CPUs and Cougar Point based motherboards.

Sandy Bridge In Brief:

Sandy Bridge is the newest “tock” architecture from Intel. Based on the popular Westmere chips of 2010, the CPU has been redesigned with multiple new features. Ring bus topology has replaced QPI with bandwidth up to 96GB/s, new 256 bit AVX instructions for improved FP operations, an improved GPU with turbo feature, and 32nm design for lower power usage. The Sandy Bridge CPU is more efficient than previous generation CPUs. Sandy Bridge will also include a Video Transcoder on-die, as well as a new cache for micro-ops.

Sandy Bridge uses an LGA1155 socket for mounting, and is not compatible with the previous generation LGA1156; neither CPU or Motherboard. The heatsink mounting pattern, however, is 1156 compatible. So a new HSF will not need to be purchased if you are upgrading from a P55 platform. While certain features remain the same, (IOH and ICH have been replaced with a singular PCH, like LGA1156) other improvements have been made. In lieu of using an MCM design of CPU and NB on silicon, the LGA1155 is a true on-die chip with IMC and GPU included as a single unit.

The GPU shares L3 cache with the CPU and will come in one of two styles, single or dual core (referred to as GT1 or GT2), which will have 6 or 12 Execution Units respectively. The 12 unit GPU is reported to be equal to or better than a Radeon HD 5450 Discrete GPU, and slightly more than twice as powerful as the old LGA1156 GPUs. The GPUs will also feature Turbo mode, much like the CPUs do today. A special motherboard (dubbed H67, with H61 available at a future date) will be needed to use the integrated graphics core.

With the abolition of QPI and UnCore, the L3 Cache will now run at CPU speed. When CPU turbo is initiated, L3 Cache speed will also increase. However, CPU and GPU Turbos are mutually exclusive, and only one item can use the Turbo feature at a time. The L3 Cache being tied to CPU means that when the GPU cores increase in speed, the memory speed does not. This may not be an issue at all as the amount of memory is very small to begin with, however on memory deprived discrete GPUs, memory speed often has a very limiting effect on performance.

DMI 2.0 will provide x8 PCIE 2.0 lanes operating at 5GT/s (full speed PCIE 2.0). This doubles the bandwidth of the the LGA1156 DMI bus and is a much needed change, as USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbs drives are becoming more common, it will be easier to saturate the old standard. Providing 4GBs in one direction provides future scalability for multiple drives in RAID arrays, USB 3.0 Ready Boost devices and Gigabit Ethernet.

The Sandy Bridge platform will have minimal Bus Clock adjustment capability in an effort to reduce overclocking. However, to offset this, Intel has also lowered their prices on the “K series” CPUs, which are multiplier unlocked. Unfortunately, at this time even the unlocked multiplier CPUs have an upper limit. Theoretically 57x, in practice however this number is often much lower.

Sandy Bridge Motherboards:

Not all “chipsets” are created equally. At launch time, manufacturers released P67 and H67 motherboards. The main difference according to Intel specification is access to the integrated GPU via the Flexible Display Interface (FDI). H67 also does not natively support dual 8/8 PCIE 2.0 slots, but only a single x16 Lane slot. However, Manufacturers will be free to make changes to these specifications based on 3rd party hardware as will be commented on in the following review.

H61 will be a low cost motherboard solution. Removed features will be RAID support, 2 less PCIE lanes for the DMI Bus, and 4 less USB 2.0 ports. None of the chipsets feature USB 3.0 support, so manufacturers will include them using chips from VIA or NEC (now called Renesas Electronics Corporation).

Another important note is that H67 and H61 at this time feature locked memory multipliers. The P67 does support unlocked memory multipliers. Combined with the poor BUS speed adjustments available on the Sandy Bridge platform, this could result in a lack of high-end memory sales for the H series chipsets.

Overclocking Limitations:

As mentioned previously, Intel has decided to limit overclocking on the Sandy Bridge platform. However, with the 2500K and 2600K bringing unlocked multiplier goodness to the masses at a reasonable price, the limitation to manipulate the BUS speeds will effect those purchasing the lower tier CPUs more than anyone. The flexibility to control memory speeds will also be hindered without the ability to control the BCLK beyond a few points, unless manufacturers offer greater control over memory multipliers than what is present on current gen motherboards.

The limitation of the overclocking ability is tied to the fact that Intel has one clock generator for every bus on the CPU. Be it USB, SATA, PCIE or CPU. It remains to be seen if motherboard manufacturers will be able to implement a work around as they have done in the past with PCI/AGP locks, or more recently with PCIE.

ASUS has been great with Intel BUS speeds in the past, root for their R&D team to figure out this dilemma.

Next: First Look…

If you haven’t already seen our complete Asus Maximus IV Extreme (MIVE) motherboard review, Parts ONE and TWO, you’re missing out. Part 1 covered synthetic testing with the i7 2600K CPU at 5.1GHz to give an idea of the power that this platform contains. Part 2 was a full blown comparison between X58 and Sandy Bridge, with a helping of AMD Thuban for good measure. We also awarded the MIVE the TechREACTION.net Gold Silicon award for its outstanding performance.

Today, we’ll give you a look at another top P67 choice; the Gigabyte P67A-UD7. Currently it is the top choice for Sandy Bridge users looking for Gigabyte flavor in their builds. This will be a true head-to-head comparison between the two motherboards’ performance, overclocking, and ease of use factors. All of these things are important for enthusiasts in this market, so with luck, Gigabyte will meet and exceed our expectations in regards to these features with the UD7. Read on…

Gigabyte P67A-UD7

V.S.

Asus Maximus IV Extreme

Both of these boards represent each company’s premier P67 offering at this time. They each support numerous USB3.0 ports, dual NICs, triple SLI and top quality components. Each company has attempted to infuse a plethora of overclockinging features to keep all enthusiasts, from gamers to hardcore overclockers, happy and…well…enthused. Each claims to be the best, but there is only one problem with that; they both cannot be the best. This statement creates a conundrum, but never fear; TechREACTION is here!

Next: A Closer Look At The P67A-UD7

For years, I have always been most drawn to value and mid range components with good overclocking potential, in order to extract high end performance, for a fraction of the cost. Having strayed into the extreme end of the spectrum, this often is no longer a viable option for me, as the high end gear is required for top overclocking scores. But for systems I build intended for daily use, I always seek high value hardware.

First to come to mind is the AMD Opteron 165 CPU that I owned when I first really got hooked on overclocking. Not long afterward, the Intel Q6600 quad core was released. Both of these CPUs cost a third of the top of the line hardware of the era (the Athlon FX-60 and the Intel QX6850 respectively), but with a little time and effort they could easily exceed the performance levels of those high end parts.

Today in the competitive DDR3 market, there is a huge spread of prices, but in general only moderate gains in performance from low to high end memory modules. This gets complicated when you realize that memory overclocking is very hit or miss, and partially unstable memory can corrupt data, causing big headaches when used in a system with important data. At TechREACTION we generally don’t recommend overclocking your memory too high in system used daily, as the minimal performance gains are not worth the risk to your data.

There have been a few exceptions over the years, and sometimes great gains can be found in value priced memory. The reason for these vastly different examples comes down to “binning”. Most memory on the market today is “binned” (or sorted) based on the speed it’s actually capable of running at a given speed & voltage combination. That means when you buy memory, you generally won’t be able to push it too far past its rated limits. Luckily for us, some companies leave a little headroom to allow us enthusiasts to play…

Patriot G2 – DDR3-1600

The kit I’m showing you today is the 2×2GB DDR3 kit from Patriot dubbed “G2″.  It is rated to run at DDR3-1600 with 9-9-9-24 timings and 1.65V, and is currently selling at Newegg for only $69.  But Patriot knows how we like our memory, with overclocking headroom to spare, and this kit has it in spades.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, first the formal introduction. 

Patriot G2 package

A simple box with internal blister pack secures the DIMMs for transport. 

Patriot G2 - 2x2GB DDR3-1600 DIMMs

Aesthetically, this memory is simple and a bit understated. On the one hand I am pretty fond of simple design, however, I do like to color coordinate my components, and black PCBs would be a nice touch. If that could be accomplished with minimal price increase, many users would probably agree.

Gigabyte P67A-UD7 motherboard

Patriot G2 installed

These photos were taken with the Gigabyte P67A-UD7 motherboard (review coming soon), however all of our testing was completed on the Asus Maximus IV Extreme motherboard. 

horizontal installation - side angle

horizontal installation - top angle

This is an extreme example with the 38mm Delta fan installed, but the low profile DIMMs do not cause any problems for this configuration. 

vertical installation - wide shot

vertical installation - side angle

vertical installation - top angle

Turning the cooler 90 degrees, and we can see that tall DIMMs would still have issues, but these short Patriot sticks have no clearance issues whatsoever. 

Next: Overclocking and Testing