Intel and their Core 2 processor line have made a startling comeback against AMD, taking back the performance crown, while maintaining a very competitive pricing structure. Power and heat requirements also dropped, and the Core 2 Duo and Extreme processors are certainly at the top of any gamer's shopping list. The choice of platform is still an open question, and Intel really needed a corresponding mainstream choice to go alongside the powerful i975X. Enter the 965 Express-based family of chipsets, including the Q965 and G965 (with onboard graphics) and the more powerful P965. In this review, we're looking at the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 motherboard, which features the Intel P965 chipset, and offers performance levels rivaling the i975X.
The Intel P965 chipset is one third of the 965 Express family of chipsets, and offers a nice transition between the high-end i975X and the more mainstream Q965/G965 chipsets with integrated graphics. In the product specifications, Intel even lists the P965 as a performance mainstream option, while the Q965 and G965 are purely mainstream chipsets. This is not just a naming or marketing difference, and the P965 does offer additional performance and feature enhancements over the standard 965 Express platform, while maintaining an attractive price-performance ratio.
The Intel P965 supports the 533, 800, and 1066 MHz system bus speeds, and can support all Core 2 Duo, Pentium D, Pentium 4/Extreme, and Celeron D LGA775 processors, along with headroom for upcoming Intel models. The P965 platform supports dual-channel DDR2 at up to 800 MHz, with 8 GB of memory addressability and 12.8 GB/s of available bandwidth. The chipset also supports Intel Fast Memory Access, which improves performance by lowering memory latencies and optimizing overall bandwidth, and Flex Memory Technology, a feature that allows differing sizes of memory modules to be installed, while maintaining the dual-channel DDR2 operating mode.
Other important features of the Intel P965 chipset is its support for PCI Express x16, PCI Express x1, and PCI interfaces, allowing a great deal of flexibility with system configurations. SATA 3.0 Gb/s is a standard option, as is support for Intel Viiv Technology, which enhances multimedia capabilities, and Intel Quiet System Technology, a feature that provides advanced cooling with optimized fan speeds and noise. Intel High Definition Audio is also a standard feature, and this upgrades standard AC'97 onboard audio solutions with support for up to eight channels at 192 kHz/32-bit quality. There are a few optional features of the P965 chipset, such as Matrix Storage Technology and Intel GbE LAN.
The only area that the Intel P965 chipset falls a bit short on, revolve around support for NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFire dual-video card technologies. The Intel 965 Express family only offers a single PCI Express x16 link, does not have inherent support for dual PCIe x16 or x8 graphics slots. Suffice it to say, the Intel P965 is not designed with dual graphics cards in mind. There has been some movement in getting ATI CrossFire working with a P965 motherboard with PCIe x16 and x4 slots, but this is still a far from optimal solution. There is also no native Firewire support in the Intel P965 chipset, so expect motherboard vendors to rely on 3rd-party chips to cover this functionality.
The Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 motherboard is powered by the Intel P965 Express Northbridge chipset, combined with an ICH8 Southbridge. This motherboard supports 1066/800/533 MHz CPU bus speeds and can handle all Core 2 Duo, Pentium D, Pentium 4/Extreme, and Celeron D LGA775 processors, as well as touting compatibility with upcoming Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core models (using the latest BIOS). This is a full-size ATX motherboard, checking in at 305mm x 210mm, and includes four DDR2 sockets capable of handling up to 8 GB of total memory. Its DS3 naming convention also deserves examination, as the "D" stands for Durability Enhanced, and the "S3" refers to Speed, Smart, and Safe.
System memory on the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 motherboard includes support for DDR2-533, -667, -800, and even overclocked -1066 speeds, all in a dual-channel DDR2 architecture. There is also a wide selection of peripheral slots, including 1 x PCI Express x16, 3 x PCI Express x1, and 3 x PCI slots. Storage options come in the form of 1 x floppy, 1 x IDE, and 6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s connectors, with 4 of the SATA ports coming through the ICH8 chipset, and the other 2 using an onboard RAID-enabled Gigabyte SATA2 chip. Other onboard options include four USB standard 2.0 ports + six expandable for a total of ten, Intel High Definition 8-channel audio, and Gigabit LAN. This is a very well rounded motherboard, and while many of the features are standard for the Intel P965, Gigabyte has added a few wrinkles of their own.
There are a few specialized features present on the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3, such as an all-solid capacitor design, which provides an extended system lifetime and enhanced stability. Overclocking is handled by a range of BIOS and software options, which offers both clock speed and voltage settings in the processor, memory, PCI-E, and chipset areas. Gigabyte supplies the usual BIOS options, as well as offering the EasyTune5 & M.I.T. (Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker) software/BIOS tweaks for those inclined.
Specialized Gigabyte features include Xpress Install (one-click driver install), Smart LAN (built-in diagnostics), Q-Flash BIOS (easy BIOS update), Boot Menu (dynamically select boot device), and Smart Fan (cool and quiet operation). There are also safety features like Virtual Dual BIOS (BIOS crash free protection), BIOS Settings Recovery (BIOS recovery), Corporate Online Manager (system admin utility), and Xpress Recovery 2 (image backup & restore). The motherboard is also 100% compliant with the RoHS (Restriction of use of certain Hazardous Substances) initiative.
The Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 retail box contains a adequate selection of bundled hardware, and has more than enough to get you up and running. In addition to the motherboard itself, Gigabyte includes one floppy cable, one ATA-66/100/133 cable, four SATA cables, one I/O Shield, a driver and utilities CD, and an extensive 88-page hardcopy user manual. Gigabyte also cranks up the enthusiast engine with a pair of blue case stickers and a fold-out Hardware Installation Guidebook.
The layout of the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 is very consistent with current LGA775 motherboards, and it makes good use of the available real estate. The four DDR2 sockets are mounted at the top-right of the board, a very standard position for an Intel motherboard, and these are color-coded in red and yellow. This design choice also translates into a standard location for the LGA775 CPU socket and Northbridge chipset, and Gigabyte has obviously not tried to reinvent the wheel with this motherboard design. The P965 Northbridge features a fanless gold heatsink, as does the ICH8 Southbridge.
The primary 24-pin ATX power connector is well positioned, directly on the top-right edge of the PCB, and the secondary 4-pin +12V connector has been placed above the CPU socket. This last point will be a positive for many, as there is no need to snake the +12V cable around the CPU or memory, but it can sit very close to the PSU in smaller case enclosures. The floppy cable is also on the right-edge of the board, while the single IDE connector is placed down at the bottom right corner. This last point can make the CD/DVD cable management more difficult with larger tower cases, but for hard drives, SATA is the de facto standard. The six SATA ports are directly above the IDE connector, and are easily accessible for hard drives. The front panel connectors both color-coded and silk-screened, so there should be no problems locating the Power On, Reset and HD LED pins.
The onboard peripheral options include a single PCI Express x16, three PCI Express x1, and three PCI slots, which is quite expansive, but lacks any multi-GPU configuration. These are arranged with a PCIe x1 at the top, followed by the PCIe x16 graphics slot, then two more PCIe x1, and finally the trio of PCI slots. This also makes it possible to add or remove DDR2 memory with a PCI Express graphics card installed. The PCI Express x16 graphics slot also features an innovative push-button retention mechanism, which is an improvement over the hard-lock ones found on most Intel boards. There are only two fan headers, one CPU and one System, which may disappoint some high-end buyers.
For the most part, the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 is a very well designed motherboard, with plenty of real estate, expansion slots and upgrade opportunities. Everything is nicely color-coded, well labeled and otherwise conducive to a seamless system install. The only issue we had is the decision to place the single IDE connector at the very bottom of the board. We are no fans of this design, as even though hard drives have gone Serial ATA, the vast majority of CD and DVD drives are still Parallel ATA, and tend to be mounted right at the top of the case. This can create an issue with IDE cable length in some larger cases, and we would prefer to see the IDE connector right next to the floppy on the top-right of the PCB. Otherwise, Gigabyte has done a super job with the GA-965P-DS3 design and layout.
The ATX backplate format is also standard for a P965 board, and includes connectors for PS/2 keyboard and mouse, Coaxial/Optical SPDIF-out, LPT and Serial ports, Gigabit LAN, USB 2.0 (four), and audio jacks for center/sub/rear/side speakers, line-in, line-out, and mic-in. Unfortunately, as the Intel P965 Express does not support Firewire, there is no IEEE 1394 port present on the backplate or through an external connector.
Installing the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 was extremely simple, and with the excellent layout coupled with a color-coded design scheme, it's very tough to go wrong. The CPU socket allows some freedom with heatsink-fan designs and sizes, while DDR2 memory can be loaded up or removed, even with a PCI Express graphics card installed. The power connectors are easy to attach and virtually every other component was a cinch to install. The only potential issue, as we stated earlier, is the location of the single IDE connector, which may be a bit low for those with larger cases. In terms of the software install, Windows XP Pro loaded up without issue, and the Gigabyte driver CD was very intuitive and easy to use. Even the manual is very nice, and included everything from diagrams and pictures, to BIOS and driver screenshots.
The System BIOS of the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 is certainly very high-end, and offers a wealth of tweaking and overclock settings. The basics are all there, and using the latest F7 Award BIOS, the standard boot options, enable/disable integrated peripherals, and power management screens are all in evidence. There is also a hardware monitoring section, which offers voltage, temperature, and fan speed readings, as well as all system warning/safety settings. The overall BIOS structure is very familiar, and par for the course when it comes to a performance motherboard.
When we move into the more detailed BIOS options, things start to open up a great deal. Gigabyte calls this section the Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker, or M.I.T. for short, and it includes the standard clock ratio and clock speed options that every enthusiast knows and loves. There are also options to change the PCI Express frequency, enable auto-overclocking, and adjust the memory multiplier up to 4X. These offer some very impressive overclocks, and we were able to take our Core 2 Duo processor over 3.6 GHz and our DDR2 memory to 1066 MHz. The latest BIOS revisions have cleared up a few potential overclocking issues, and the board took to the higher FSB speeds with relative ease.
The upper limits of these settings are very impressive, such as a 700 MHz CPU bus speed, a PCI Express clock of up to 150 MHz, and top DDR2 speed of 1066 MHz. There is also a full complement of voltage settings, which you can let the BIOS optimize for you, or change manually. These include voltage settings for CPU, DDR2, PCIe, FSB, and Northbridge components, some of which feature very wide ranges.
The only area that initially confused us was the total lack of memory timing settings. Most of our reference DDR2 initialized perfectly, and ran at the proper SPD settings, but the OCZ DDR2-800 locked up immediately and our first thought was the motherboard was misinterpreting the memory timings. Unfortunately, it appeared that options like CAS, TRCD and TRAS were either hidden or simply not available in this BIOS revision.
After a quick perusal of the user manual, we found a small notation of "hidden BIOS settings" which needed a quick Crtl-F1 in the BIOS screen, to make them appear. This worked perfectly, and suddenly all of the memory timing settings were available in the M.I.T. screen, and we were able to adjust the OCZ memory to standard 4-4-4-12 settings. This is a very strange decision, as Gigabyte will let you jack the FSB to 700 MHz and ramp up voltages to the moon, but chooses to hide basic options like memory timings.
Determining overall performance levels for motherboards is a bit more difficult compared to processors or video cards. Hardware and software consistency must be maintained, benchmarks should have some impact on overall system throughput, and the operating system and common driver revisions need to be kept standard. Our main hardware selection remains consistent, while switching only the motherboard component. Since the Core 2 Duo/Extreme is still relatively new, we can only offer Intel D975XBX (i975X) comparison scores, but this should give us a good idea where the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 falls in terms of system, memory and gaming performance.
The 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo E6700 is the default processor, while other components include 2 x 512-MB of DDR2 (various speeds), a GeForce 7900 GT 256MB PCI Express video card, and a Maxtor MaxLine III 250GB hard drive. Windows XP Pro SP2 is the operating system, with Intel INF Update 8.1.1.1001 and NVIDIA ForceWare 91.47 video drivers. The System BIOS is also an important area, and for all benchmarks, the settings have been standardized to a degree. All motherboards have been tested using the highest memory timings allowed by the DDR2, along with other performance settings equalized at the high-end.
The benchmark list includes a range of system, memory, and gaming tests. These include PCMark05, SiSoft SANDRA 2007, Everest Ultimate 2006, ScienceMark 2, F.E.A.R., DOOM 3, FarCry, and Unreal Tournament 2004. To spice things up a bit, we've provided platform benchmark scores using, where available, DDR2-1066, DDR2-800 and DDR2-667 memory speeds. Our default game benchmark setting is 1024x768x32, which is demanding enough for comparisons and more realistic as an actual gameplay resolution, but still allows the motherboard-CPU-memory subsystem to take control in somewhat low-resolution testing.
* Please note that unless otherwise stated, all performance graph results equate to the standard "higher is better" routine.
Memory bandwidth and subsystem benchmarking are the primary methods of differentiating the performance of various platforms. Our first benchmarking section stresses this area, and uses the SiSoft SANDRA 2007, PCMark05 Pro and ScienceMark 2 benchmarks.
SiSoft SANDRA 2007 is the latest revision of this popular system benchmark, but it sticks to its roots and supplies a wide range of individual benchmarks and system utilities. These include processor, system, network, hard drive benchmarks and many other performance tests. The memory bandwidth test is the most popular section of the SiSoft SANDRA benchmark suite, and it highlights the potential performance levels of the CPU-memory subsystem. As the Integer and FPU memory bandwidth scores are quite similar, we are only including the first one in our benchmark suite.
The SANDRA 2007 memory bandwidth scores show the basic performance levels of the various DDR2 clock speeds, with the most noticeable being the gap between DDR2-667 and DDR2-800. The overclocked DDR2-1066 speeds of the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 still lead the way, but due to the robust dual channel DDR2 architecture, it was only by the slimmest of margins. When comparing DDR2-800 results, the Intel 975X platform comes out on top, again by a very slim margin.
SiSoft SANDRA 2007 also includes a Cache and Memory benchmark, which measures the bandwidth of the processor cache and memory subsystem. In a bit of a surprise, the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 at DDR2-800 speeds posted the top score, followed closely by the Gigabyte board using DDR2-1066. Using similar memory speeds, the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 outpaced the Intel 975X motherboard, and by a noticeable margin.
PCMark05 Professional is the latest update to the popular PCMark system benchmarking series from FutureMark, and it has been revamped to highlight current hardware and features additional multithreaded and multi-tasking performance tests. There is the usual selection of individual System, CPU, Memory, Graphics, and Hard Drive benchmark suites, and these continue to bridge the gap between synthetic and application-based benchmarks. For our purposes, the Memory test will naturally be where we concentrate our platform benchmarking efforts.
PCMark05 Pro reverses the trend towards the Intel P965, and this benchmark shows the Intel 975X with the top score, outdistancing the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 at both DDR2-800 and DDR2-1066 memory speeds.
The ScienceMark 2 memory test is another important part of our benchmark selection, and more specifically, the MemBench portion of the program. This high-end test utilizes a series of memory bandwidth algorithms, and then offers a measure of the overall memory bandwidth of a given CPU/memory/platform combination. In many ways, it is similar to SiSoft SANDRA in terms of output and format, but depending on the platform and CPU, the actual tests can offer a slightly different result.
We again see the actual DDR2 memory speed paying the highest dividends, but only up to a point. The DDR2-667 vs. DDR2-800 comparison is obvious, but there is only a slight advantage to the higher DDR2-1066 speed offered by the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3. The dual channel DDR2-800 architecture is sufficient in most scenarios, and the higher 1066 MHz memory speed rarely gets an opportunity to pay off.
In order to give yet another view of platform performance and memory bandwidth, we include the latest Everest 2006 Ultimate Edition 3.1 in our benchmark mix. The Everest benchmarking suite offers several different memory performance modules, and has quickly become a standard for many hardware evaluations. For this review, we have used Everest Ultimate Edition version 3.1, which has been updated for valid Core 2 Duo/DDR2-800 testing. Our benchmark charts center on the Memory Read, Memory Write, Memory Copy, and Memory Latency tests, which should give us a good idea of how each of the motherboard-DDR2 combos stacked up.
The first Everest Ultimate Edition benchmark is the Memory Read test, and this one truly highlights the performance differences of the various DDR2 clock speeds. The usual gap between DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 is present, but we also see the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 at DDR2-1066 showing a noticeable performance jump. This is the first benchmark to display any significant advantage for the overclocked memory speed, and it will be interesting to see what kind of results the upcoming platform and gaming benchmarks show.
The Memory Write benchmarks show very little difference between the various Intel platforms and DDR2 memory speeds, leading one to believe that this function is not limited by platform or memory bandwidth, and is instead determined by the 1066 MHz CPU bus.
The Memory Copy benchmarking gets us back on track, and here the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 with DDR2-1066 memory has a noticeable performance advantage compared to the Intel 975X using DDR2-800. The only strange thing is, that the Gigabyte board with DDR2-800 provides the top score, and this particular benchmark seems to be influenced by both DDR2 clock speed and memory timings.
The Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 has placed extremely well in virtually all of the memory and subsystem benchmarking, but the memory latency scores definitely favor the Intel 975X motherboard. The results are also a function of both clock speeds and memory latency, and shows that the i975X still has some tricks up its sleeve.
The second part of our benchmarking suite moves into the game arena, using a set of four popular benchmarks (Unreal Tournament 2004, FarCry, DOOM 3, and F.E.A.R.). As high-end game performance more a function of the graphics card and CPU, isolating the platform component can be difficult, so keep an eye on even the smallest framerate differences.
Unreal Tournament 2004 is an upgraded version of the popular UT series, and includes support for Botmatch demos. This is the current iteration for Unreal Tournament graphics and performance, and is yet another nice test for current PC hardware. Botmatch performance is also more reflective of CPU power than Flyby, which should give platform and memory performance a bit more impact. For this benchmark, we've tested with the following options and settings: 3 Botmatch maps, 12 players and maximum detail graphics.
The Unreal Tournament 2004 test results fail to show a noticeable framerate difference, but we again see the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 eke out the victory with dual channel DDR2-800 memory. The Gigabyte board also takes second place, this time paired with DDR2-1066, while the Intel 975X drops to third. There is also a slight gap between the DDR2-667 and DDR2-800 scores, but as expected, there is not a lot of difference from top to bottom.
FarCry is a hot first-person shooter that takes in-game graphics to the next level, although in a different direction than DOOM 3. Instead of darkness and confined spaces, FarCry places you outdoors, on bright sandy beaches, jungles or even on the water itself. This game gives our high-end DDR2 a slightly different kind of a stress test, and rest assured that FarCry ranks up there with the very toughest 3D game benchmarks. For this test, we are using the full retail version, and the included in-game demo.
FarCry is one of the best games at highlighting overall platform, memory and subsystem performance, and the benchmark results do show an advantage for some of the motherboards. The Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3/DDR2-800 combo posts the fastest score, and takes second as well when outfitted with DDR2-1066.
DOOM 3 continues in a long line of id Software Quake and DOOM first-person shooters. This latest installment is one serious 3D game test, including potentially the highest-end graphics yet seen on the PC. This game benchmark has a serious reliance on the 3D video cards, which makes it less-than an optimum current memory performance test, but there is still some level of dependency.
DOOM 3 follows the same pattern, and again we see the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 and DDR2-800 platform in the lead, but with only a slim framerate advantage over the other competitors.
F.E.A.R. features jaw-dropping graphics and a physics engine that can bring any system to its knees. The game even includes a wide selection of System and Video settings, along with an in-game testing module to keep things 100% comparable. In this case, as we are dealing with memory performance, we have racked the system and physics settings to maximum, while lowering the graphics quotient to medium, in an attempt to defuse any GPU limitations, while working the CPU-memory subsystem to the max.
The F.E.A.R. performance results are also bunched very close together, but these still offer the same basic performance structure, with the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3/DDR2-800 combo in the lead, albeit only slightly.
Attempting to isolate the platform component in any benchmarking exercise can be a daunting challenge, and as we've shown here, some simply refuse to play along. But of those that did show some level of scalability, the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3, using either DDR2-800 or DDR2-1066, lead in the majority of benchmarks. Some of the memory testing was more even, but there were a few benchmarks that allowed the higher-bandwidth Gigabyte P965 platform to really take off. The gaming benchmarks were also very close, but the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 posted the highest scores in all of them, as nominal as the framerate advantages were.
The retail price of the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 motherboard is approximately $140-$145, which places it at the top-end of the Intel P965-based motherboard selection. Gigabyte does offer a standard GA-965P-S3 motherboard at around $115, but the higher quality of the GA-965P-DS3 does entail a price premium. When compared to other high-end brand names, we find the MSI P965 Platinum ($145), ASUS P5B ($145), ABIT AB9 Pro ($150), and ASUS P5B-E ($155), so the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 is well positioned against this competition.
* Please note that these prices were taken at the time of review and are not meant to reflect long-term trends.
The Intel P965 chipset is an interesting combination of performance and features, and offers a price point that will make mainstream buyers very happy. Gigabyte offers a range of P965-based motherboards, from the entry-level GA-965P-S3 to the ultra high-end GA-965P-DQ6, but the GA-965P-DS3 cuts a nice swath between these, and offers high-end features and performance, while maintaining a mainstream retail price. Sure, there are no SLI or CrossFire options, but for those looking for a hot Core 2 platform today, Gigabyte certainly delivers.
