Computex 2012: Gigabyte unveils new Ultra Durable 5 technology for their mobos

Gigabyte have pulled the wraps off their latest Ultra Durable 5 technology at Computex 2012, which includes high current capable components for the CPU power zone, including the highest rated and awarded IR3550 PowIRstage ICs from International Rectifier, 2X Copper PCB and high current Ferrite Core Chokes rated up to 60A, which together are able to deliver up to 60 degrees celsius cooler temperatures than traditional motherboards. Featured on a range of new motherboards, based on the Intel X79 and Z77 Express Chipsets, Gigabyte Ultra Durable 5 technology is the next evolution in their suite of technologies.

“As the exclusive motherboard manufacturer to utilize the amazingly efficient IR3550 PowIRstage ICs from International Rectifier, Gigabyte has spent a considerable amount of engineering resources to ensure our Ultra Durable 5 motherboards are our best Ultra Durable motherboards yet,” commented Henry Kao, Vice President of Gigabyte Motherboard Business Unit. “GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 5 motherboards are especially optimized for water cooled systems and overclocked Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge “K” SKU CPUs due to their exceptionally low operating temperatures, and make the perfect match for anyone looking to push their system to limits,” he added.

New tech for high-end motherboards

The award winning IR3550 PowIRstage ICs feature greater power efficiency and are the highest rated Power Stage in the industry, that are able to provide up to 60A of power. This ensures the best power delivery to the CPU, for more stable operation and better overclocking performance. Gigabyte Ultra Durable 5 motherboards also use both IR digital PWM controllers and IR PowIRstage ICs, for a seamless power delivery system. The IR3550 PowIRstage ICs feature a specialized MOSFET driver IC, which is tuned perfectly for the MOSFET pair. Many Driver MOSFET companies use drivers from other companies, thus the drivers are not always optimized for the MOSFETs. With co-packaged Driver + MOSFETs, IR has designed this driver to optimize this module for greatest efficiency.

The new ICs remain cooler than other MOSFET designs, allowing users to overclock to greater levels of performance. Each power component has a maximum thermal operational temperature, and once it is reached, adding more voltage will only result in a failed overclock. Since IR3550 PowIRstages are able to operate at cooler temperatures and higher voltages than traditional designs, overclockers are able to have more headroom to increase voltages, resulting in higher potential overclocks. Gigabyte’s exclusive 2X Copper PCBs design provides sufficient power trace paths between components to handle greater than normal power loads and to remove heat from the critical CPU power delivery area. This is essential to ensure the motherboard is able to handle the increased power loading that is necessary when overclocking. Expect to see these new technologies in the their upcoming enthusiast-level motherboards.