Package and Accessories

Top mainboard models are rarely shipped in standard sized boxes that could suit for any model in the series. The manufacturer normally designs a specific package for the top solution. The box for Gigabyte GA-EP45-DQ6 is also not an exception, but this time designers seem to have gone way too far:

In the center of the front panel of the decorative slip-box there is an embossed (!) logo of this season’s most popular mainboard technology – a set of power-saving technologies Gigabyte calls Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced. The back side of the box talks about numerous mainboard features, but you can get even more information if you open the top flip panel like a book:

However, glossy surface of the box glares in light and the light-reflecting dots on the box surface make things even worse. As a result, you can only read the manufacturer’s name and the mainboard model name that are written in large font. All the information in small print is absolutely unreadable. To be more exact, you have to find a special viewing angle for each part of the text, then you can actually read what’s written there.

The decorative box should first of all catch the customer’s eye, and then convince him or her to buy this particular product by telling about its numerous advantages. As for the eye-catching part, the box copes with it with an A+. However, since all this extensive information is barely readable, the box fails the second part of its task.

However, the main purpose of any package is to ensure reliable storage for its contents. And this is what the box of Gigabyte GA-EP45-DQ6 mainboard does very well. There is a very sturdy box of thick cardboard beneath the decorative slip-cover. The mainboard sits inside a clear plastic casing and all the accessories are stored in a separate two-sectional box.

Gigabyte GA-EP45-DQ6 comes bundled with the following accessories:

• User’s manual;
• Bracket with two IEEE1394 ports;
• Brief assembly brochure;
• Dolby Home Theater, Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced and Gigabyte logo stickers;
• Two sets of cables and brackets for external Serial ATA devices;
• Installation guide for a boxed Intel cooler;
• I/O Shield for the case rear panel;
• DVD disk with drivers and software;
• A pair of SATA cables with locks and L-shaped connectors and a pair of cables with straight connectors;
• FDD and IDE cables.