Test System

Initial Setup

Initial setup with the Gigabyte F2A85X-UP4 was fairly easy, but I found that the SPD of my AMD Performance Edition memory was not properly recognized. This led to the Gigabyte F2A85X-UP4 setting 9-10-10-27 instead of the 9-10-9-27 my memory is rated for. Everything else went perfectly.


Even installing dual Gigabyte Windforce HD7950 3 GB VGAs was easy, with more than enough slots left for add-in audio or a RAID controller. Since this board claims to be built for watercooling, I installed my trusty Corsair H100 cooler to ensure that I had enough cooling headroom when overclocking. I'll actually make far more use of this Corsair H100 cooler in my testing since it was provided by Corsair for expressly that purpose. Using the Corsair H100 does result in a bare minimum of direct airflow over the board's VRM; other than that drawn by the rear case-fan of my Antec P280. Hey, Gigabyte claims that this board can handle it, and these coolers are now so common that the Corsair H100 is the new reference cooler for everyday overclocking at the Canadian TechPowerUp Test Facility known as my basement. :p

Power Consumption

We measure CPU power consumption since one of our first tasks is to truly verify system stability. I isolate 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 passed 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. I also measure total system power consumption, which allows you to get an idea of how much power the board and installed devices draw.


Idle power draw is pretty good. We see the ASUS Crosshair V Formula, which uses an FX-4100, pull less power, but that configuration also lacks an onboard GPU. Be that as it may, full power drawn from the wall at idle topped in at 35W, which is the same as the last-gen FM1 Gigabyte board.


A clearer picture emerged under load. Power drawn via the 8-pin EPS connector was within a few watts on all products. Power drawn was also very similar from the wall, although the FM1 Gigabyte board pulled a fair bit less. It also provided less functionality and less power, so everything seems to be in perfect alignment.