Test System

Initial Setup

Setting up the Gigabyte B75M-D3H went by without any issues, no different than any other motherboard, with the JEDEC 1333 MHz 9-9-9-24 1.5 V profile of our G.Skill DIMMs booting right up. The OS install went perfectly, and no issues were noticed at any point during our testing period.

PWM Power Consumption

Since one of our first tasks was to truly verify system stability, while doing so we measured CPU power consumption. We isolated the power coming through the 8-pin ATX connector using an in-line meter that provides voltage and current readings, as well as total wattage passing through it. While this may not prove to isolate the CPU power draw in all instances, it does serve as a good indicator of board efficiency and effective VRM design.


Power consumption numbers really shocked me considering the low numbers of phases provided. I saw just 4 W drawn at idle and 54 W at load, very respectable results for a product with such a simple VRM and no MOSFET cooling!