Installation & Testing:

Many people don't know that there is a process in building a new computer system. It remains true today as it did back when the first x86 computers arrived. If you have any issues, connect only the minimum necessary components for the system to function and install the operating system software. Once the system proves stable, you can begin installing the rest of the components. This way you can narrow it down to which piece of hardware is causing issues.

CPU Socket

Copper CPU Back Plate

One thing I thought you should have a look at is the CPU area both from the top and bottom. If you're installing an aftermarket cooler or water block, you might find the copper plate a little tricky working around. The copper plate is pretty low profile and may or may not work with your new CPU cooler. There just happened to be a SunbeamTech Core-Contact Freezer cooler on hand that uses a unique mounting bracket exactly like the one found with the SilenX ICX-120 that doesn't require removing the motherboard.

Cooler Just Clears

Once again, an Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 processor was used to test the motherboard. It's not the fastest CPU in terms of multi-core function, but that won't be an issue till we start seeing a lot more programs and games that can make use of the extra cores. Also, the X48-DQ6 supports 1600 MHz natively as well as 1200 MHz memory frequencies. It should also be capable of higher which is where the main problem lies.

Unfortunately, getting Quad Cores higher than 1700 MHz can be the luck of the draw. Average Quad Cores can't scale where P35, X38, and X48 chipsets can go. I suspect this motherboard will easily reach 1800 to 2000 MHz FSB and I don't want to see the board's top overclock fall short because of the processor. (Hey! I didn't say the Quad Cores suck or anything. They still rock!)

The System Assembled

As expect, yet again, the system was a great pleasure to set up. I've grown accustomed to trouble free installation from Gigabyte motherboards. Not one issue presented itself during the OS or hardware installation. Browsing the BIOS, you can see the layout is pretty simple and based mainly on component function. That usually helps the not so advanced users understand and learn which component will be effected with each changed setting. A few minutes navigating the BIOS, you realize the board offers some pretty powerful overclocking features.

Now, I did not test the GA-X48-DQ6 against any DDR3 motherboards for the simple reason that they are different beasts doing the same task. Obviously, DDR3 memory can scale and overclock much higher than DDR2 which is why I don't consider that an apple to apple comparison. For that reason, the ASUS Blitz Formula was used instead since it's a proven DDR2 based motherboard capable of achieving very similar specs.

CPUZ	Mainboard	SPD	Memory (Default)
6-QUAD Intro	Main Page	CPU Cooled	MIT (Tweakers)

Before any testing ensues, it only makes sense to see what kind of memory support the board offers. This also provides us with a little insight on how well it can handle memory overclocking. Entering the BIOS, the memory divider was raised to push the memory to 1200 MHz even though it's only rated to 1150 MHz. The system didn't have any problems maintaining stability with both Patriot Extreme PC2-9200 and OCZ Flex XLC PC2-9200. That calculates in to a nice performance jump across the entire spectrum. This answers the question whether or not the motherboard can support its specs.

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1200 MHz Overclock

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