The GIGABYTE X79 UP4 is a very good motherboard. It not only looks the part but performs very well too. In our benchmarks it was near the top of the pile when running at stock speeds and while the overclocking performance wasn't the best we have seen in an X79 motherboard, 4.7GHz is nothing to be scoffed at on a 6 core CPU. With future BIOS revisions maybe this result could increase.
This average performance and the lack of on-board switches makes us believe that despite GIGABYTE's claims, this is not a motherboard designed for overclocking, at least not at the extreme end. Even those new to the game who just want a few more MHZ out of their CPU will be disappointed to learn there is neither a CMOS clear button in the I/O area or indeed on the main-board itself. GIGABYTE have only provided a jumper with which to clear the CMOS. Couple this with the fact that the batter is hidden below the primary GPU slot and matters do not get any better. An overclockers dream this motherboard is certainly not.

On the flipside, the X79-UP4 has more features than you can shake a stick at and thanks to the revised Ultra Durable 5 VRM, these features will last the test of time and stand up to a serious amount of abuse. 8 DIMMS, Quad SLI/Xfire, Dual BIOS, USB and SATA 3 along with USB power ports capable of charging peripherals are just some of the features normally only found on higher end motherboards.



The X79-UP4 is available for just under £200 and at that price, it represents good value for money, especially considering the features it has. The one thing that perhaps lets it down slightly is its mediocre overclocking abilities. If this doesn't bother you then we would have no reservations in recommending the X79 UP4, especially as a base for a modern gaming or indeed crunching machine because with 4 graphics cards and 8 memory slots available you are going to be future proofed for quite some time.

Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.