Gigabyte GA-965G-DS3 (Intel G965)

Testbed Configuration
Processor	Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800
Mainboard	Gigabyte GA-965G-DS3
Memory	2 x 1GB Kingston HyperX DDR2-800
Graphics Card	MSI GeForce 7900 GT 256MB
Harddisk	Seagate 7200.7 80GB SATA (NTFS)
Operating System	Windows XP Professional w/SP2

Final Words

The Gigabyte GA-965G-DS3 is still not in its final stages and not yet fit for retail with under-performing onboard graphics (no thank to Intel's beta drivers) and broken overclocking. The good thing of course is that the GA-965G-DS3 is matured enough as a standalone motherboard that its general performance (with a discreet graphics card), stability and compatibility are very competitive against retail Core 2 boards such as the GA-965P-DS3 and ASUS' 975X Express based P5W DH Deluxe. This much, we've expected out of the board. However, rarely there is a case where one would think of purchasing an IGP motherboard to run discreet graphics, especially since there is the GA-965P-DS3 for that purpose.

Theoretical benefits of the GMA X3000's hybrid and programmable architecture are pretty high for an onboard GPU, but as you can see from the benchmarks, it will still be a while yet till we actually see tangible results in its favor. Both graphics drivers and performance are still very raw and un-optimized as current benchmark numbers show that it is only within the same ballpark as the older generation GMA 950. OpenGL performance however, has a long way to catch up.

The basic foundation of the board is complete, but overclocking and onboard graphics are still quite raw.

However, Intel has designed the GMA X3000 to take advantage of the next generation of programmable graphics capabilities such as DirectX 10. As such, it isn't only the maturity of its drivers that will eventually make a difference, but software that will actually be able to utilize its programmable pipeline architecture. Since the underlying architecture is catered towards DirectX 10, and that itself won't be out till Windows Vista debuts, there are of course no games or software available today that can harness the GMA X3000 for its full capabilities. As such, it's pretty much safe to say that the GMA X3000's potential will be very much muted till Windows Vista and the next lineup of DirectX 10 software have been rolled out. However first and foremost, Intel has to work on their driver set to make the GMA X3000 operate in full form in both DirectX 9 and 10 environments as well us speed up OpenGL performance. A tall order indeed for a non-graphics inclined company, but with Intel's mighty resources, we hope to see these issues ironed out soon as Intel G965 Express based motherboards are slated for mass retail really soon.

Intel has also been promoting their new Clear Video technology and HDCP compliance for the GMA X3000, but the GA-965G-DS3 is a full ATX board and not really designed for entertainment purposes. Without any other video output ports except one VGA, the board will probably not be of interest to those looking for a new digital entertainment PC setup. Then again, we're still excited to see what the retail ready performance of the Gigabyte GA-965G-DS3 and GMA X3000 will be like, so stay tuned for a full update once we are able to get our hands on one along with Intel's new graphics drivers.