Conclusion

It turns out that despite mainboard makers’ desires, Intel X48 based solutions cannot be regarded as really new products. The chipset doesn’t boast any significant advantages over Intel X38. as for the 1600MHz bus support that has been formally introduced in the new Intel X48, it is a pure marketing trick, since even older mainboards on Intel X38 can work just fine with the only CPU supporting this bus – Core 2 Extreme QX9770.

Moreover, Intel X48 features the same memory controller as Intel X38. It means that mainboards based on these two chipsets will only differ due to settings in the BIOS Setup of particular mainboards. Don’t expect new boards to work any overclocking wonders. According to our tests, maximum FSB frequencies during overclocking depend on the PCB layout and processor overclocking potential and not on the chipset. The only arguable advantage of the new Intel X48 that we still need to investigate more in our upcoming articles is the more flexible Performance Level adjustment, which may potentially ensure better performance of mainboards based on this core logic set.

Nevertheless, Intel X48 Express based mainboards are worth your attention since in most cases they are better finalized and enhanced modifications of the previous generation boards on Intel X38. Although, you will have to pay the price, as these solutions cost considerably more than their predecessors.

Everything we have just said is true for the particular mainboard we discussed today – Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6. In fact, this solution is not very much different from Gigabyte Intel X38 based products that have been available in the market for a while. The main improvements include redesigned processor voltage regulator circuitry with DES technology and better BIOS optimization. And while the new “economical” voltage regulator may not be very the practical yet for computer enthusiasts, the BIOS of the new GA-X48T-DQ6 is definitely a significant step forward and Gigabyte engineers surely have to be given proper credit for that. The biggest advantage of the new mainboard’s BIOS is no performance drop during overclocking that was so frustrating for many overclocking fans who used to work with Gigabyte platforms in the past.

As a result, Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 can be considered a very good choice for a high-end system.