In case something goes awry during overclocking, the onboard Port 80 card will throw up an error code, and in addition to that Gigabyte have built in custom overclocking controls care of Easy Tune 6 (adjust BCLK, CPU multiplier, voltages, etc). Overclocking profiles can bet set up and initialized with the tap of a key for certain applications.

CloudOC is a neat looking overclocking tool which allows you to manage the overclocking profiles of your computer from a networked device (ie iPhone, iPad), but I have to admit I'm not a fan of such techniques. It introduces extra overhead in the overclocking stack and frankly comes across as a bit of a gimmick. Never the less, if you've ever wanted to manage overclock settings during a benchmark run, or while in full screen game mode you can now overclock your PC via an iPad app.

Other overclocking revisions with the board include finer voltage controls (down to 0.00625V increments), hardware over voltage control, hardware and linear real time voltage control.

Removing the custom heatpipe heatsink for the CPU VRM reveals the special 3-in-1 board mounted MOSFETs that Gigabyte has selected for this motherboard for a variety of power quality, space conservation and temperature reasons. The system comes from the Gigabyte X58A-UD9 board originally and will deliver 24-phases of power to the Sandy Bridge processor. This can translate into more stable power during intense overclocking situations.

According to Gigabyte, while 24-phases are not really necessary (to be frank), it does help spread the electrical load and that dissipates heat buildup between the devices so operating temperatures can be decreased across the board. Pun not intended.

The 3-in-1 driver MOSFET combines the functions of a SOP-8 driver, LFPAK H-side MOS and LFPak L-side MOS into one compact board mounted IC package. According to Gigabyte PR reps, the benefits of this are lower power loss, higher power efficiency and reduced CPU VRM temperatures. Gigabyte claims that this component choice is more efficient with higher switching frequencies than previous circuit designs.

The Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD7 motherboard is also Intel VRD12 qualified.

Under normal power loading, about half of the 24 power phases are active on the GA-P67A-UD7 motherboard. The system will automatically shift to the full compliment of 24 phases under heavy loading situations to ensure the processor received consistent quality power, provided Gigabyte DES2 is active on the host PC.

As with all flagship motherboards from Gigabyte, the company has focused a lot of its efforts on incorporating better quality board components. The GA-P67A-UD7 makes use of the following: 50,000 hour Japanese solid state capacitors (in little metal tins above), the special Driver MOSFET we previously mentioned, Ferrite Core chokes and 2ounce copper PCB.

The Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD7 Motherboard

Stay tuned for the full review of the Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD7 motherboard on PCSTATS when the NDA officially drops in early 2011.

Find out about this and many other reviews by joining the Weekly PCstats.com Newsletter today! Catch all of PCSTATS latest reviews right here.

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