The X79-UD5 has all the new features of the X79 chipset as you would expect, quad channel support, PCIe Gen3, SATA 6GB/s along with USB 3.0. Much like the MSI X79 GD65 motherboard we are comparing it to today, it too has 8 DIMMS capable of hosting 128GB. It boasts on-board switches, Ultra Durable power components and SLI/Crossfire support. So on the face of it these two boards are pretty evenly matched and appear to be perfect solutions for those looking for a mid-high end foundation of Intel's Sandy Bridge-E
processor range. Which is best? Well, you'll have to carry on reading but I would advise you not to skip straight to the conclusion and there are many small differences between the two combatants in today's review.