GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

by Gigabyte

• Storage Interface: 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors. Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID5, RAID 10 and JBOD
• Expansion Slots: 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4. 3 x PCI Express x1 slots. 2 x PCI slots
• Memory: 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory. Dual channel memory architecture.
• CPU: Support for AMD AM3+ FX/AM3 Phenom II/Athlon II processor. Chipset: North Bridge: AMD 970, South Bridge: AMD SB950
• Audio: Realtek ALC889 codec. High Definition Audio. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel. Support for S/PDIF Out. LAN: 1 x Realtek RTL8111E chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 13 x 11 x 3 inches ; 2.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0055Q88EO
• Item model number: GA-970A-UD3
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #30 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Components > Motherboards
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 11, 2011

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The 970A-UD3 motherboard is designed to offer a stable, high-speed platform for delivering amazingly fast data transfer via the GIGABYTE 333 onboard acceleration technologies. Featuring the USB3.0 controller, AMD 900 series motherboards allow users to take advantage of super fast USB transfer rates of up to 5Gbps, delivering 10x faster data transfer compared to USB 2.0. Utilizing the industry's first Serial ATA Revision 3.0 solution via AMD SB950 chipset, GIGABYTE AMD 900 series motherboards offer native 6 ports of next generation high speed data storage devices support with data transfer speeds of up to 6 Gbps with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10. The AMD 900 series motherboards introduce a unique hardware design with lower resistance fuses for ensuring lower voltage drops and providing more stable and plentiful power delivery. All USB ports also benefit from a 3x power boost for better power delivery to power hungry USB devices

Key Feature

• Supports newest AMD AM3+ FX/AM3 Phenom II series processors
• Advanced 8+2 phase CPU VRM power design for AMD high-TDP CPU support
• 2 PCI-E 2.0 x16 interfaces for ultimate graphics performance
• AMD SB950 provides 6 native SATA3 ports with superfast 6Gbps link speed and RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 support
• Supports USB 3.0 with superfast transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps
• GIGABYTE 3x USB Power with On/Off Charge USB ports
• Ultra Durable 3 Classic Technology with copper cooled quality for lower working temperature
• Turbo XHD technology accelerating hard drive performance with ease
• Revolution energy saving design with Easy Energy Saver technology
• Hi-def 108dB Signal-to-noise ratio Blu-ray DVD audio playbackt
• Patented DualBIOS with Hybrid EFI technology for 3TB HDD support

Overview

Get Ready for New Generation of 32nm AMD AM3+ CPU

Get Ready for New Generation of 32nm AMD AM3+ CPU GIGABYTE's AMD motherboards are ready to support new generation of 32nm AMD AM3+ multi-core processors, delivering the very best platform for multitasking, multimedia and high performance gaming.

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Ultra Durable 3 – Classic

GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Classic motherboards once again lead the motherboard industry for the highest quality and most innovative motherboard design. Featuring the industry’s first consumer desktop motherboard design to introduce 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers, delivering a dramatically lower system temperature, improved energy efficiency and enhanced stability for overclocking.

GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Classic motherboards are equipped with the GIGABYTE Ultra Durable signature features including Japanese Solid Capacitors boasting an operational life time of more than 50,000 hours, and GIGABYTE patented DualBIOS^TM technology (providing dual hardware BIOS protection). GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Classic motherboards promise to provide the stability, reliability and longevity essential to meet the power needs of high-end processors and other components running today's most demanding applications and games.

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DualBIOS^TM 3TB+ HDD Support (Hybrid EFI Technology)

Hybrid EFI Technology combines the benefits of GIGABYTE's mature BIOS platform including stability and compatibility with 3rd party products with 3TB+ HDD support from EFI technology, allowing GIGABYTE to offer the best of both worlds through a quick and easy BIOS update using GIGABYTE's @BIOS utility that is freely available from the GIGABYTE website.

GIGABYTE DualBIOS^TM is a patented technology that automatically recovers BIOS data when the main BIOS has crashed or failed. Featuring 2 physical BIOS ROMs integrated onboard, GIGABYTE DualBIOS^TM allows quick and seamless recovery from BIOS damage or failure due to viruses or improper BIOS updating. In addition, GIGABYTE DualBIOS? now supports 3TB+ (terabyte) hard drive booting without the need for partitioning, and enables more data storage on a single hard drive.

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Specifications

Model:	GA-970A-UD3
CPU Support	AMD AM3+ FX/AM3 Phenom II CPU
CPU Socket	AMD Socket AM3+
FSB	5200MT/s(HT3.0)
Chipset	AMD970+SB950
Graphics Interface	2*PCI-E 2.0x16(x16,x4)
Memory Type	Dual Channel DDR3 2000+/1866/1333/1066 MHz
Memory DIMM	4*DDR3(Max 16GB)
Expansion Slots	3*PCI-E 2.0x1+2*PCI
ATA connector	6*SATA 6Gb/s
SATA RAID	0,1,5,10(SB950)
USB	4*USB3.0+14*USB2.0
Audio	8-channel HD
1394 / LAN	2*1394a / 1*GbE LAN
Features & Software	USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s, 3x USB power,8+2 phase, Ultra Durable 3- Classic, On/Off Charge, DualBIOS 3TB+ HDD Support, 108dB SNR Blu-ray, Dolby, EES, ET6
Form Factor	ATX (305x244)

*The specification and pictures are subject to change without notice.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I like it, it's nice... you can't have it back! October 16, 2011

By Adam Henry

Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this motherboard for my recent build. I chose it mostly because it's a fairly new release (2011) and boasts compatibility with AMD's AM3+ CPUs. I noticed it has an AMD 970 and SB950 chipset, for Northbridge and Southbridge respectively. These are fairly new chips I believe and make for a more up-to-date profile on my system build overall.

CPU: I paired it with a Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition AM3 CPU and it works fine. Again, AM3+ support for future expandability. Check Gigabyte's website for a full list of supported CPUs on this particular motherboard.

RAM Support: It is capable of 32GB RAM, although I only used 8GB of Corsair DDR3 1600MHz memory modules (x2 4GB set). This is probably fine since my Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit OS only has support for up to 16 GB of RAM (you can get more with Professional and Ultimate). Also, to get memory clock speeds of 1866 MHz and above you would need to install an AM3+ socket-type CPU (at least that is what the manual suggests).

Graphics Cards: This motherboard has both a X16 and X4 PCI-e 2.0 slot. The X16 full speed version is the one closest to the Northbridge heatsink you see in the stock photo. I put an EVGA GeForce GT440 1GB GDDR3 video card in there and it runs nice and quiet. It is rather annoying though, since I happen to have an aftermarket cooler installed (Cooler Master Hyper 212) that would be to close for comfort if I had a monster video card in place.

SATA: There are no IDE plug-in ports on this thing. Although the BIOS sets up IDE native mode for the SATA controller by default. I switched mine to use ACHI mode since I only have one harddrive installed and I don't want to bother with a RAID set-up. My hard drive is a Western Digital 7200 RPM 1TB 32MB cache type. It is probably the loudest/most startling thing in my computer (made me paranoid at first).

Interfacing: I like the fact it has USB 3.0 support: two ports on the rear I/O panel and an internal header with support for 2 more. It also features a 1394a firewire port in the rear and a header for one more. USB 3.0 devices are becoming more commonly available and firewire is still a cool way to transfer data fast. It has a Realtek ALC889 codec with HD audio support (backwards compatible with AC'97) and up to 7.1 channel support as well. Another Realtek chip is included for up to 1Gbps network speeds as well. This is useful if you happen to acquire a fancy new gigabit router. The Realtek onboard chipsets also free up PCI and PCI-e X1 slots for use other than network and sound card adapters.

Feel: It seems pretty decent and durable for the price. I am going to use it for web and graphics design applications. If I install a card reader on my computer case, I'll be in business for camera use as well. I think I made a pretty good choice by choosing this motherboard for a first time build. I find I like it far better than upgrading older systems. Time to start living life violently. (lol lol :D)

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Motherboard at Great price! October 11, 2011

By Mike Jones

Amazon Verified Purchase

After doing some research on what motherboard would best suit me, i ran across this particular model. In my price range, with a lot to offer. I recently built my system, with the amd PII,x4 955. And i can say it runs very well along with the PNY 8gb ram, no compatibility issues with those either.

I know there are not a lot of reviews out there about this model, so i felt compelled to chip in. So don't hesitate on this board, it is actually quite good for what it offers.

pros:
-am3+ (and able to accept that new amd cpu, bulldozer i think is what the kids say it is these days:))
-6 sata ports
-plethora of usb's all over, even some 3.0
-1 fan port for CPU, and 4 additional fan inputs.
-price!
-booted up first try!
-up to 32gigs of RAM!

cons
-price??
-second pci-e slot is x4, so not really a contender for sli or crossfire...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Mid-Range AMD Mobo December 16, 2011

By Swaminathan Bhaskar

Amazon Verified Purchase

Purchased this mobo after doing a good amount of research to go with AMD Phenom II X4 960T and 16GB Corsair DDR3 1333 RAM inside a NZXT Elite Source 210 case and have to say that I am very pleased so far.