As part of the Computex 2012 show, Gigabyte demonstrated to us their new version of Ultra Durable. This fifth iteration of their power delivery combines their previous features with a new phase from International Rectifier, which is marketed to offer up to a 60°C lower temperature than traditional MOSFET solutions. Initially this new design is being paired with six motherboards, all designated with UP rather than UD in the name. The first of these we have in is the X79S-UP5 WiFi, which combines Ultra Durable 5 with the C606 chipset. The C606 chipset is the server version of the X79 chipset, which enables up to eight SAS ports.

Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable branding is one of a myriad of features it likes to use in advertising its products. The Ultra Durable system allows Gigabyte to continually add new features to its power delivery, with the latest being the addition of new IR3550 PowIRstage ICs.

By combining many elements of the power delivery process into one device, we save real estate on the board – combine this with some IP from International Rectifier regarding packaging and internal structures, and Gigabyte states we have many of the following benefits