Introduction

Intel has really pulled all of the stops out when it comes to its 4 series chipsets. So far we only have three players; the X48, P45 and P43 chipsets with P41 due for the entry level market sometime hopefully before the end of the year.

P45 has already proven itself to be a valuable chipset for the mid-range and enthusiast, but without its full speed Crossfire support it won't be used for quad GPU operations. P43 is Intel's mid-range chipset aimed at the mainstream and value end of the spectrum. It's almost identical in specifications to the P45, but it doesn't support the true Crossfire setup and is aimed at more budget conscious users.

Today we have been sent GIGABYTE's first P43 based motherboard supporting the older Ultra Durable 2 technology as well as DES Advanced; a perfect companion for HTPCs and workstations. Let's see how it fairs.