GA-990FXA-UD5 / UD7 - Does vdroop still exist with an FX cpu

[nexus-5]

Hi,

I would like to buy a GA-990FXA-UD5 or UD7. The design and finish of these boards (and also the Z68 boards) are simply stellar and a great accomplishment by Gigabyte. There are only a few things that hold me back. One of them is that a lot of local resellers still sell the 1.0 revision of the UD5 and UD7. Is it true that there’s a 1.2 revision of the UD5/7? What is the latest official revision? The other thing is far more important and related to massive vdroop that a lot of folks complain about when overclocking AM3 cpu’s.

It’s not my intention to start an endless discussion if things are working as designed or not on the 990FX platform. I’m far more interested in the fact if vdroop still occurs when OC’ing a new FX cpu. Are there any OC guru’s out here that OC’ed a new FX cpu on the UD5 or UD7. If so is the vdroop still present with a FX cpu?

I’m very interested in real world OC results (temps, volts and speed) as I would love to get myself a UD5 or 7 with a FX-8150. I just want to make sure that I’m not going to encounter the same vdroop problems that a lot of folks complain about when using AM3 cpu’s. Theories and designs are nice but in the end it are the facts that count.

Thanks in advance and happy OC’ing!

[DarkFoss]

Late answer but I just finished oc'ing my 8120 on the 990FXA-UD5 and sadly Vdroop is still pretty bad..I'll be posting my thoughts and results soon..
The UD7 however does have LLC (Line Load Calibration) as of the F5 bios from what I read in Zardon's reviewhttp://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/zardon/amd-fx-8150-black-edition-8-core-review-with-gigabyte-990fxa-ud7/
Gigabyte really needs to add LLC to the UD5's bios..especially since for a few dollars more you can by the Asus Sabertooth

[nexus-5]

Hi,

Thanks a lot for the nfo. Makes me sad to hear that the vdroop is still present with a bull dozer cpu. GB stated that the UD5 / 7 was designed with the bull dozer architecture in mind and that it was the primary reason why this horrible vdroop occurred with older “phenom 2” cpu’s. I seriously doubt this statement now that I’ve read your feedback. I’m glad I’ve asked this question because it looks like it affects the bull dozer cpu’s as well. 

I based my intel i7 2600k rig on a GB GA-Z68-UD5-B3. Amazing vrm section and rock solid electrical stability but too much vdroop without using LLC. I’m convinced that the GA-990FX-UD5 / 7 will show similar behavior and be equally stable. Spartan like quality when it comes down to the design of the hardware but it lacks those finishing touches when compared with other vendors, that’s my personal opinion about the new UD series with the black pcb. Especially the bios/software needs attention. Other than that these boards rock, the stability is simply amazing.

LLC is definitely the way to go to level out your cpu and obtain the highest possible OC with the lowest possible vcore and temps. I totally agree with you that it’s a shame that GB doesn’t include LLC in a bios update for the UD5 since this product should be considered as an entry level enthusiast motherboard. I’m probably getting one myself to test how much this board can take, time to roast 

I would think twice before buying a sabertooth. I rather spend a little more money and get the crosshair, the vcore stability is a lot better. But hey, taste is personal thing and I’m not an asus guy, had too many bad experiences,  so no crosshair for me.

I’m looking forward to read about your OC results.

Thx!