Gigabyte X48-DS5 Motherboard Review

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

So, what do we think about the Gigabyte GA-X48-DS5? Since this is the conclusion page, it seems only fitting to conclude… so here we go.

The performance of the board is good. I cannot say great, but then again, I cannot say that any board really has great performance right now when compared to other boards. In all honesty, there is very little difference between anything new that is coming out. Maybe a feature here or there, or maybe having 20 USB ports instead of 16, but really, performance wise, any newer board that you purchase is going to do whatever you need it to do.

The layout of the board was just fine. There were no issues at all in the setup of the board. It is very cool to have the DDR2 slots on this board, which will likely make it a little more attractive to those who are looking for a new board, but do not want to spend the big bucks on new memory.

Setup of the board was easy. No issues at all, including flashing the BIOS. It just went smoothly and allowed us to get to testing and working right away.

The bundle that comes with the X48-DS5 is also adequate. Nothing puts it over the top or makes it stand out, but it also does not lack anything that you will need for using the board. I have always liked Gigabytes packaging and design.

Overclocking on this board was pretty good. Nothing off the cuff, but it was very respectable and will give you a big boost for your setup should you decide to dive into the overclocking arena.

The price of the board is one thing that will send chills down your spine. A quick look on Google gave us only one hit to a price for the board, and that was $355. That is pretty pricey in my book, especially considering it is a DDR2 board (which I consider a plus). This is as much as, if not more than, other DDR3 X48 boards as well as 790i Ultra boards. One will have to decide for themselves if this is a price they are comfortable with.

I do not want anyone to go away from this review thinking the board was not any good. It is a good board. A very good board, that has a solid build and performs well. It also overclocked pretty well. I really like the fact that it is a DDR2 based board, which will allow most users to get it and upgrade just the board without the additional expense of high-cost DDR3 ram. It is a very well-rounded board that, if you purchase it, will certainly do anything you can throw at it. The issue is this: there are a lot of boards out there that you can say the same thing about. In fact, there are a lot of boards that are a generation or two older that you can say that about. And they are certainly much cheaper.

Legit Bottom Line: This is a very good board among a lot of very good boards out there. If you are looking, this one should certainly be on your list to look at, if you can get a good deal on it.