The Gigabyte motherboard uses an AWARD BIOS. Having only previously used AMI BIOS, this was a change but everything is neatly laid out. The main setup options are on the left hand side column under six different sub menus. Being an enthusiast grade motherboard, the first sub menu is one dedicated to overclocking, which Gigabyte have dubbed MB Intelligent Tweaker (M.I.T for short).


Going into the M.I.T menu, a number of sub menus are listed to tweak different components and aspects of the motherboard. This is an excellent way of categorizing the vast range of options that often plague overclocking oriented motherboards, especially for new users. At the bottom are listed some of the settings and key information such as CPU and DRAM voltage, and CPU temperature. The first option on the page leads to the status screen which displays all the system settings in greater depths. No further settings can be configured there. One complaint I have is that navigating the page is sluggish at times.


The second page leads to the Advanced Frequency screen where users can alter a range of options dedicated to the CPU such as the multiplier, BCLK, QPI and uncore clocks. On the right hand side, the screen displays the number of sub menus the user has currently entered thanks to the arrow indicators. Settings can be changed simply by using the +/- keys or by manually typing the desired number.


From the frequency screen, users can go deeper into the Advanced CPU Core Features menu where Intel power and thermal saving features can be enabled or disabled. I personally leave everything enabled to save power apart from Turbo mode which often renders my system unstable.


Going back to the M.I.T page, we can select the Advanced Memory Settings page where users can set the RAM speed and timings. To be able to change the timings, the appropriate DRAM Timing option has to be set to Expert and consequently each module can be independently tweaked.


Below the memory settings page, there is one reserved for the voltages and it's immediately clear that there is a plethora of options here. Most people should only be concerned with the CPU Vcore, QPI/VTT voltage and the DRAM voltage to achieve a successful overclock. Load-line calibration takes into account VDroop and tries to minimise voltage fluctuations between idle and load operation.