The list of integrated peripherals includes; dual Gigabit LAN, Firewire, 8-Channel Audio DTS & Dolby, USB 2.0, Serial ATA RAID and eSATA (via supplied bracket). Of course there is also a great deal more packed into this board and we will cover all these features shortly. The board not only sports the new P45 chipset, but it also comes with the ICH10R Southbridge. First let’s look at the chipset features…
In order to support the latest DDR2 memory types, the Memory Controller Hub (MCH) features wider buses that support Dual-Channel DDR2 at 667/800/1066, for up to an incredible 16GB of memory. Gigabyte also supports native DDR2-1200 memory with the EP45-DS4R, though this is a feature that most P45 boards will offer. However, keep in mind the Intel P45 chipset also supports DDR3 memory, which is not supported by the EP45-DS4R motherboard.
Another chipset feature is the Intel High Definition Audio (Intel HD Audio). This technology features eight independent DMA audio engines that support multiple audio streams with audio codecs. This integrated audio solution should rival the performance of high-end sound cards. The onboard 8-channel HD audio (High Definition Audio, previously codenamed Azalia) codec enables high-quality 192KHz/24-bit audio output. Continue reading