Power-Consumption:
As expected, the board does very well. Even with an quite standard VRM, the power-consumption stays quite low. Overclocking the board in more extreme regions the VRM goes more inefficient in idle mode. Under load the VRM keeps efficient and is quite comparable with the MSI P35 four-phase VRM.
Please note that other configurations may yield other results.
Conclusion
Gigabyte did a good job. While overclocking and power-consumption yields good results; the layout is another story. If you get a full ATX board they would have plenty of space to use them for good. There are no issues with the performance as well, it's quite on the same level as others.
This board is not a budget board and it's not a high-end board, either. For about €95,- you get a fine board and if you can live with the weak layout, we can't speak against it. The DDR2 only board is not cheaper, but may yield better results with memory overclocking. We prefer full ATX boards compared to 2/3 ATX board due to better mounting inside the case.
We look forward to more Gigabyte boards in our labs in the future.
Sunday, 09 March 2008 20:29
Gigabyte GA-EP35C-DS3R Review - 6 Power and Conclusion
Written by Eliot Kucharik
Review: Affordable board with good overclock
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