The launch of Intel's Core i7 980X new monster CPU sparked an interesting project over at GIGABYTE, namely X58A-UD9. This is going to be GIGABYTE's new top gun board. This board is really going to be something else. It performs and looks the part!Watch this space for some exclusive insights in near future :)
The USB-IF just certified two more GIGABYTE USB 3.0 motherboards brining the grand total to 5. The other 20 boards are being evaluated as we speak and should soon be listed there too. As far as I can tell there seems to only be 1 other USB 3.0 certified motherboard on the list…
Digitimes reports that GIGABYTE is considering introducing mid-range and entry level USB 3.0 motherboards in the near future. I wonder where they (and the Apple Daily newspaper) get that info from considering that we’ve been selling mid-range and entry level USB 3.0 mobos since January!
Mid-range GIGABYTE USB 3.0 motherboards: P55A-UD3, P55-USB3, P55-USB3L, H57M-USB3, H55M-USB3, H55-USB3, EP45T-USB3P, 770TA-UD3 and 770T-USB3.
Entry-level GIGABYTE USB 3.0 motherboards: EP43T-USB3 and 785GMT-USB3. Not to mention the soon to be released H55N-USB3 Mini-ITX mobo that we mentioned previously!
The full list of GIGABYTE USB 3.0 motherboards is available at www.usb3motherboard.com.
I tested 3 CPUs and found a couple to have similar clocks and one to be trailing a bit behind. I havent seen many people do 6GHz with CPU intensive test so it was really good to see pretty easy 6GHz benching with only small amount of testing. The board was behaving pefect!!!
Jump on Xtreme Systems for more pics, info and benchmark updates.
The competition is really heating up over at HWBOT during the final week of GIGABYTE H55/H57 IGP OC Challenge. We are finally starting to see a lot of subzero rigs and look at them go crazy with those pour little IGPs getting tortured left, right and centre. Intel GMA HD Clarkdale World records are getting smashed with every new entry. If you havent joined in the fun yet now is the time to do so to get a chance to win some prizes either by winning or just participating.
I have been using Nexstar ‘toaster drives’ at home for around 3 years now starting with a USB 2.0 version and then adding an eSATA/USB 2.0 combo. They are fast, easy to use and now also come in the USB 3.0 variety:
The Nexstar Hard Drive Dock SuperSpeed
This week two Nexstar USB 3.0 external hard drive devices passed GIGABYTE USB 3.0 motherboard compatibility testing; the first being the Nexstar Hard Drive Dock SuperSPeed above and the second being the Nexstar 3 SuperSpeed.
The Nexstar 3 SuperSpeed
Both devices can be found on the usb3motherboard.com website.
We have an exciting new addition to our family of motherboards in the form of a Mini-ITX based on the H55 chipset. Here’s a picture comparison next to the monstrous X58A-UD7. Isn’t it just adorable!
We haven’t announced the final specs but it is targeted at small form factor media centers so it is jam-packed with high definition audio and video features as well as unprecedented connectivity options for a Mini-ITX platform. In this case, dynamite does come in a small package!
If you’re into case modding or SFF (small form factor) systems then watch this space because this baby is coming soon!
NEC has the first USB-IF certified SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) controller chip and semiaccurate.com reports that they have just announced total shipments of 3 million parts over the past 6 months. The good news is that Gigabyte is on track to make our target of 1 million USB 3.0 mobos shipped by the end of Q1, 2010 – 1/3 of the USB platforms out there are based on Gigabyte mobos!
NEC’s press release can be found here.
With all of the above-noted features (plus dual eSATA, dual Gigabit Ethernet, support for up to 10 internal SATA drives, a massive 24-phase voltage regulator, and the builder’s choice of enormous air or liquid heat-pipe cooling), Gigabyte’s GA-X58A-UD7 appears to be the best choice for our particular needs.
You can read the complete Tom’s Hardware’s System Builder Marathon guide HERE
Team.HK's hitman, Mad222, recently showed off the power of AMD's latest C3 stepping based 955 CPU coupled with a Gigabyte GA-790FXTA-UD5 and cracked the new frequency W.R. for AMD. Going past the magic 7GHz mark is a special achievement. Congrats guys!!!I can't wait to see what he's going to do with the new 890GX based Gigabyte board. "Keep pushing it" is the famous line I believe heh. I hear they aren't too shabby in RAM OC department ;);)
SuperTalent is known for high-speed storage and memory products, and their USB 3.0 offerings are no different. The RAIDDrive USB 3.0 caused quite a stir at IDF 2009 and other events back when USB 3.0 was first being discussed. Well now it is the newest addition to the USB3motherboard.com website.
Here’s a picture taken during CeBIT 2010 that shows just how small it is.
However, the key feature is not it’s size, but rather read speeds in excess of 300MB/s. I witnessed this at their CeBIT booth two weeks ago and they have published some real performance figures here. More information is available from their website.
We just released our annual PC DIY Guidebook that shows novice PC enthusiasts how to build their own PC. It is written in simple, easy to understand style with loads of pictures and explanations. This year we decided to publish the usual print versions in multiple languages on top of an online version that can be used on a mobile phone or netbook/notebook PC.
This guide can be used by educational and social institutions without requiring permission from Gigabyte and we are happy to receive any constructive criticism and requests (via this blog) that will help improve future versions.
There is an interesting article on Digitimes that quotes industry watcher’s speculation about motherboard shipments from the top two mobo makers in the world: GIGABYTE and Asus. According to the article both brands achieved well over 3 million units shipped in the first two months of 2010 and are targeting 5 million units by the end of Q1, 2010.
The significance of this is that Gigabyte’s mobo shipments are seen to be growing and as a result, the author expects Asus to drop it’s prices and reshuffle staff in their mobo business unit. There is some speculation that this could result in a price war.
I wonder how this will affect the quality of motherboards produced by both brands and in particular regarding the onboard components used. Gigabyte of course uses the best quality chokes, capacitors, MOSFETs and 2 oz copper PCBs – more details are available here.
US overclocker chew*, Brian Mclachlan, recently put the latest Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H to the test and took all the world records for the new IGP from 3DMARK01 to Vantage.
GA-890GPA-UD3H is the latest AMD 890GX chipset based motherboard form Gigabyte with USB3.0, SATA3 and support for the new 6 core AMD CPUs. It's nice to see XS's AMD Guru having a great time overclocking the latest board.
Looks like he is having a ball :). If you would like to read more about this check out his thread on XS.
TheOverclocker issue 9 is out and is as entertaining as ever with an interview with Harshall Tank, India’s No. 1 overclocker, Deanzo, New Zealand’s No. 1 overclocker and a mammoth article about the efficiency of high-end motherboard CPU power circuitry.
What makes this mag unique is it’s print mag quality editorial combined with free online availability and an easy to use page turning and one click zoom function. A must read for any PC enthusiast.
Using an AMD PhenomII x2 555 & GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H, team HK-Centralfield are first to reach 7G, with 7000.14 mhz!
Validation:
The folks over at HWBOT are helping us to run an Intel H55/H57 IGP overclocking competition this month with the top prize a GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 motherboard.
The Challenge:
Using any GIGABYTE H55/H57 motherboard, submit to HWBOT your3DMark Vantage performance score in March and the highest posted scorer at the end of the competition will get to take home a shiny new GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD7 motherboard. There is a second prize category as well for anyone submitting a score with HWBOT with an included picture of their system. A single winner will be randomly selected from the submissions (only those with platform picture) at the end of the competition to win a GA-P55A-UD7. Good luck everyone, now get busy breaking some records!
To see the complete contest rules, head over to HWBOT and start submitting your scores!
GIGABYTE H55/H57 IGP OC Challenge.
Check it out here guys (page 12-33): THE OVERCLOCKER MAG
Some quotes from the article:
"Gigabyte puts “durable” in the name of the motherboard and has designed its systems for higher efficiency to keep temperatures down. At 24 phases, the Gigabyte EX58A-UD7 had the highest efficiency at overclocked current levels of 100A and above"
“The better performing boards, the Gigabyte EX58A-UD7, EVGA Classified 760 and ASUS II Rampage Extreme were more stable when overclocking, allowing for higher speeds.
The best overclocking board, the Gigabyte EX58A-UD5 turned out to be more stable with our processor at the highest speed measured, allowing for a 4.426GHz clock with air cooling. Overall, this board had a good showing in the transient testing, one of the highest efficiencies over the whole useful range, and gave the best overclocking results, so it is the clear winner of this test.”
Gigabyte has just announced that another top Japanese brand has a an external USB 3.0 drive that is certified to run on Gigabyte motherboards. The IO Data HDJ-UT is listed on the USB3motherboard.com website.
It’s the M1405 and as you can see it is connected to 3 +1 monitors. Here are some of the specs and features that impress:
1. All 4 screens extend your PC’s desktop or they can also display the same images if you set that option. This is cool if you’re doing research and want to cut and paste from various web pages into a power point document. It is also cool if you’re monitoring different facebook accounts (in different browsers) on various monitors.
Here’s the HDMI out port on the right side of the notebook.
Here’s the DSUB VGA out on the back of the docking station. You can also see the LAN and 4 USB 2.0 ports.
Here’s the DVI out port on the left side of the docking station.
2. ON the above picture you can also see that the DVD ROM can be replaced with an additional 4 cell battery. The system comes with a 6 cell battery, so together that provides around 10 hours of battery life. A very nice option indeed!
3. The docking station also has NVIDIA GT220 graphics so you can play games while it’s docked.
4. The built in screen is a 14 inch LCD (1366x768)
5. The rick click button illuminates the system LEDs when it is turned off so you can see how much battery life is left without having to start up the system.
6. GIGABYTE apparently provides a software option that allows you to overclock the CPU by up to 30%.
There will apparently be a version with USB 3.0 in Q3 some time.
I’m sure there’s more, but these are the options that sparked my interest.
Edit: Here's a picture of the spec card:
Wondering around the Gigabyte booth I found this interesting hand held electronic book reader.
It reminds me of an Amazon Kindle. Here are some close ups:
At every tradeshow we attend Gigabyte displays a motherboard wall that tells you a lot about what models and technologies are the focus at that specific time. Here are some pictures of our motherboard wall at CeBIT 2010.
If you haven’t guessed it by now, every motherboard on the wall has USB 3.0! Only Gigabyte can claim this at CeBIT 2010!
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AMD’s roadmap is heating up with the launch of their latest 6 core CPUs and their 800 Series platform, including the AMD 890GX North Bridge and all new SB850 South Bridge. In addition to the graphics boost of the new ATI Radeon™ HD 4290 integrated in the 890GX, the updated SB850 South Bridge is the industry’s first solution that offers native SATA 3.0 support with RAID 0,1,5 and 10 capabilities.
The GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H takes maximum advantage of this new platform, and has a quite a few unique features of its own.
"Giving users power over their high definition content is really at the heart of what the GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H is all about," commented Tim Handley, Deputy Director of Motherboard Marketing at GIGABYTE Technology Co. Ltd. "Not only does the GA-890GPA-UD3H deliver the industry's highest performing integrated graphics solution with flawless HD video playback, but enabling SATA 6 Gbps with RAID functionality, USB 3.0 support and GIGABYTE 3x Power Boost means that users are able to spend less time waiting for their content to transfer, and more time to actually enjoy it."
See the press release HERE
GIGABYTE has just added a new GIGABYTEMB twitter account. Follow to get all the latest GIGABYTE Motherboard information!The Tech Report just published their March 2010 system guide with GIGABYTE motherboards earning 4 of the coveted top recommendations.
Double Stuff Workstation – GA-X58A-UD3R
The Sweet Spot – GA-P55A-UD4P
The Utility Player – GA-P55A-UD3
Econobox – GA-770TA-UD3
The Sweeter Spot
Indulgence without excess
“Why not pick an Asus motherboard? In this price range, too, Asus has a more expensive offering with little going for it besides the brand name. The $190 P7P55D-E Pro has similar functionality to the Gigabyte board, but with just one eSATA port, one FireWire port, and one Gigabit Ethernet controller, we don't think the Asus is worth the extra scratch.”
To read the full March 2010 System Guide, please visit: TR's March 2010 system guide
