GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

Pros: This is the same board as the GA-MA790GP-SD4H except Gigabyte changed the following: Moved 4 SATA ports, which would be covered by a 2nd video card, to the end of the motherboard and flipped 90 degrees. Updated bios to support all current CPUs and future AM3. Granted this doesn't guarantee that all future AM3 processors will work, it will eliminate a lot of the problems that people have been having with the SD4H board recognizing the new Phenon II chips. I had my last board for 5 years and hope to hang on to this one for 5 more. All the other great features of the SD4H were maintained. I won't relate them all here as they can easily be looked up.

Cons: Still a little pricy; not much more for a 790FX board.

Overall Review: I spent hours researching different Mobos with the 790GX. The GA-MA790GP-SD4H stuck out the most, however I wasn't too fond of the SATA connector placement as they became useless with a second video card. I was also concerned with the problems inherit with a new chipset and bios. This put it down at the bottom of my list behind the ASUS and MSI variations. However the UD4H removed my concerns by fixing the location of the SATA and providing an updated bios.

Pros: Being a long time Asus fan, I was a bit hesitant at first with this board. I'm so glad I did get it though, it's just been such a pleasure working with it. Everything was smooth as silk, from installation to updating the BIOS with @BIOS. I'm running x86 Win7 build 7068 with 0 problems so far. The boards construction is well, the cooling on the N and S bridges is great, and all in all it's left me very satisfied.

Cons: Needs a bit of BIOS tweaking to get it up to speed.

Overall Review: Don't forget to do the following on your first boot-up: 1-Make sure RAM is running at specified speed. If not, make sure EPP is on. Restart. RAM should now be working at the speed it's supposed to. 2-Turn on USB Keyboard and Mouse support. You'll be scratching your head for a while figuring out why your USB KB/M isn't working if you don't set this to on. 3-Disable On-Board Video. AMD Phenom II X4 940 3.0GHz BE Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-UD4H Corsair 4GB 1066 DDR2 BFG 8800GT OC WD 640GB HD Corsair 650W PSU

Pros: here is the real deal with 1066 versus 800 for this board, please READ carefully to understand: first off this board DOES in fact support 1066 RAM; for anyone that says otherwise is foolish and ridiculous. second off: the QVL for RAM for this mobo on Gigabyte's website states: "Note: Due to AMD AM2+ CPU limitation, memory module DDR2 1066 or above speed is only supported by 1 dimm per channel." Translation: one (1) 1066 stick is to be installed in Slot 1 (Channel 0) and one (1) 1066 stick is to be installed in Slot 2 (Channel 1). This board supports dual channel RAM with Channel 0 being Slots 1 and 3 and Channel 1 being Slots 2 and 4. By being in Slots 1 and 2, you are adhering to the "supported by 1 dimm per channel" part thus running at the 1066 speed with stock voltages in BIOS.

Cons: **Once again for 1066 in dual channel to work** 1 1066 RAM stick is to be installed in Slot 1 and another installed in Slot 2. This will run Channels 0 and 1 in dual channel configuration. The limitation of the AM2+ CPU, NOT the mobo, is that it can ONLY support 1066 speed with 1 stick per channel. >2 sticks (ex. all 4 slots) will still run in dual channel configuration but will NOT run at 1066 but rather 800. again, limitation of AM2+.

Overall Review: Keep in mind, everything I mentioned above is for STOCK settings only.; no overclocking within BIOS or other utilities. OCing may alter all these speeds but will affect your timings which can impact your system stability. g00gle is your friend when it comes to the 1066 vs. 800 argument/confusion.

Pros: Sleek design, Layout is what I was looking - nearly perfect, quiet, cool temperatures, great onboard sound.

Cons: None

Overall Review: Gigabyte is at the quality ASUS was at in 2005-2007. Gigabyte has great deals on amazing motherboards, I switched from ASUS to Gigabyte confidently because I knew that Gigabyte has taken the crown in motherboard quality at this current time in price, layout, and functionality. ASUS seemed to have gone the complete opposite direction with there motherboard prices, layout, and functionality. If your looking for a top quality motherboard and a great price, this is it.

Pros: i purchased Corsair XMS 1066 RAM to be used with this board for my setup. like others, i had issues with the RAM not being properly set to run at 1066 on Auto settings within the BIOS. ***to enable the proper running of 1066 RAM: within the BIOS be sure that EPP (Enhanced Performance Profile) is turned on (enabled); it is not enabled by default.*** once i did this i did not have to do any manual changes with timings/voltages/anything to have the RAM running at the full correct 1066. this was confirmed running CPUZ within Vista; all timings and speeds were reported as they were advertised. in addition, one reviewer spoke of using DIMM 1 & 3 for 1066 RAM. the issue i see with that is simply DIMM 1 & 3 are on the same channel. by using 1 & 3, you are not taking advantage of dual channel mode for your RAM. you may get the 1066 but it's not dual channel. i am using DIMM 1 & 2 and have confirmed my RAM is operating in dual channel mode as well, once again through CPUZ.

Cons: none

Overall Review: there is no reason to use single channel for 1066 RAM when simply turning on EPP in the BIOS will most likely solve your RAM issues. then you will get the most out of what you paid for.

Pros: This is a solid motherboard. Everything fit well. I like the heat pipe instead of the northbridge fan, as that was the noisiest component of my last system.

Cons: It didn't come with a cap on the 4-pin extension on the main power connector. So when it referred to taking the cap off in the instructions, I couldn't figure out what it was talking about. But after some fiddling around, I figured I had to plug in the 12v connector, and unplug the extra 4-pin plug on the main connector. Now my computer boots.

Overall Review: The color coordinating is nice, and there are a ton of BIOS options.

Pros: Maybe the fastest, most trouble-free build I've ever done. Slapped on a Phenom II 940 and 4GB GSkill 1066 and was up and running in no time. No frills. No Bios wrangling to make things work like with some other boards.

Cons: SATA connectors aren't ideally positioned IMO but it's a matter of taste. USB connectors could be closer to the bottom of the board so I don't have more clutter. Minor nitpicks.

Overall Review: The last Gigabyte board I owned was a Triton way back in the day. Since then I've gotten ASUS boards almost exclusively. I decided to take a chance on Gigabyte this time around. I'm so impressed with this board I may buy only Gigabyte in the future. The quality and stability are top notch. Get this board.

Pros: Used this for my first build. The build went great until I hit the power button and nothing happened. After a day of frustration and Google searches, I realized that I didn't put brass standoffs in between the motherboard and case. Neither of the two manuals that came with the motherboard instructed to do this. Nonetheless, motherboard powered up and recognized all my periphals. I installed Ubuntu 9.04 and have had zero problems.

Cons: None

Overall Review: My first build consisted of the following: AMD Phenom 9950 Aegna 2.6 GHZ 8 gb Corsair DDR2 800 MHZ ram Seagate 7200 rpm 1TB hard drive ASUS 21.5" HDMI Widescreen Display