14 DAY TRIAL // Though some may say that motherboard makers are taking BIOS and BIOS-related features a bit too far, Gigabyte saw no reason not to invent the 3D Power technology.
Really more of an app, this software is an UEFI setup program that all Gigabyte X79 motherboards will have.
Since all the company's X79 platforms will have a PWM (pulse width modulation) CPU power design, lots of tweaks will be possible.
Normally, any changes to voltages, PWM frequency, and phase control can be done from the BIOS, and enthusiasts that bother doing things of the sort commonly know what they are doing.
Gigabyte still figured the procedures could use a new user interface, so it created this 3D Power program.
Starting up as a cube, it has one icon for each of these three elements and lets users go on from there.
The “voltage” section accesses three main pages that handle active over-voltage protection, load line calibration (active V-droop control) and turbo voltage response.
The Phase Control side of the cube opens into a page where CPU phases can be programmed from “Lite power” to “Extreme Performance” (six presets are available, each with a different efficiency and power delivery balance).
Thirdly, the frequency side of the cube accesses CPU, VTG, IMC and DRAM PWM frequency settings.
Most settings will require system restarts. This can be problematic and, perhaps, tedious, considering how 3D Power is, essentially, a Windows-based application, not something that can be summoned at startup with the DEL key.
As such, it is unclear how much 3D Power will catch on, especially now that 3D Bios exists as well (read about it, and / or watch its video demo, here).
Speaking of videos, Gigabyte also has one for the 3D Power, so prospective buyers of LGA 2011 motherboards will at least know what they get as part of the package.
