TCI K² - Trinity Control Interface done by The Stilt

AMD Trinity is on our doorsteps and there will no doubt be plenty of people looking around for the best tuning software around. Well your prayers have been answered already and the man to thank is The Stilt from Finland. Lovely chap and very knowledgeable when it comes to AMD in general.

Interface is in a fairly rudimentary form but functionality is pretty sweet. Here is what it looks like and supports a bunch of boards already including the usual suspects...

- GIGABYTE GA-F2A85X-D3H
- GIGABYTE GA-F2A85X-UP4
- ASUS F2A85-M Pro
- ASUS F2A85-V Pro
- MSI A85X-GD65

Btw that F2A85X-UP4 has Ultra Durable 5. Pretty cool board.

This thread at HWBOT contains more information.

sofos1990 retakes single card world record after switching to GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5

We reported about a new world record SniperOz from TeamAU took for the single GPU in 3DMARK11. He was beaten by a handful of points by sofos1990 from Greece to up the stakes from an intense weekend of benching with the new driver. Sofos1990 writes that he switched from an Asus mainboard (17406 score link) to GIGABYTE (17886 score link) to be able to achieve the score saying GIGABYTE was faster in 3DMARK11.

Next time you’re benching 3D, give GIGABYTE Z77 boards a try. The “UP Series” of boards, like UP5 used in this score, sport a 60Amp MOSFET/CHOKE combination (called a power stage), capable of delivering the highest current (rated at 60A)and staying stable at big clocks. The Physics score is a multithreaded CPU test in 3DMARK11 in case you were not aware, so it relies heavily on CPU overclocking and performance. UP stands for Ultra Durable 5, you can read more about it over here!

Something tells me this battle between SniperOz of TeamAU and sofos1990 from HWBox Hellas OC Team isn't over yet! We’ll keep an eye on it.

Congrats Sofos!

Sofos1990 and his team mates also took the Unigine Heaven single card world record as well. Well done guys!

Gyrock-San from Japan is ranked second highest with the same board, GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH, great scores all round!

GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 claims prestigious ‘Diamond Award’ on Hardware Heaven

In the last few weeks, the GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 motherboard has started collecting accolades of the highest order. It’s been  Editors Choice and it’s been awarded Gold. Today however, it has arguably gone one step further, claiming the highly sought after and prestigious Diamond award from UK reviewers at HardwareHeaven.

Reviewer Stuart Davidson took a good hard look at our flagship Z77 board, and basically could not find a place where it skipped a beat. Here’s a sample of what Stu had to say:

“…overclocking was also impressive on the UP7 allowing us to exceed our previous maximum overclock for our i7-3770K on liquid cooling. Dual GPU scaling also worked well and the various voltage read points and onboard switches/buttons will make life easier for the enthusiast.

A class leading Z77 board from Gigabyte which offers a great level of performance in all areas backed by impressive build quality and features. One of only a handful of products to win our Diamond Award.”

Check out the full review at HardwareHeaven.com

You can find more info about the GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 here.

Images courtesy of HardwareHeaven.com.

SniperOZ from TeamAU smashes the new single card 3DMARK11 W.R. with Z77X-UP7

ATI released a new video card driver that has an insane performance in games and overclocking benchmarks as well. TeamAU’s hard hitting SniperOZ just posted a bombshell 3DMARK11 world record for single card, surpassing GTX680 but a whopping 800 points. It seems AMD is determined to keep the performance crown.

Congrats Carl and TeamAU, well done!

Oh and his favourite weapon of choice, yup you guessed it, is GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 . Hell yeah!

VR-Zone reckon Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH motherboard is ‘Excellent Stuff’

Singaporean techies VR-Zone have just posted their review of our Z77X-UP5 TH board, one of our top end Z77 models that sports dual Thunderbolt ports and our new Ultra Durable 5 technology that uses high-end digital controllers for the CPU delivery and other high current capable components that can handle up to 60A.

It’s clear that reviewer Lennard Seah really took a shine to the board, awarding a score of 9/10 and their ‘Excellent Stuff’ award.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a taste of what Lennard had to say:

“The Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH is one of top drawer Z77 offerings out there if you are an enthusiast builder. We especially like its use of IR3550 Powerstages and the forward-looking inclusion of two Thunderbolt ports…Overclocking doesn't disappoint too, with the board able to deliver an all-rounded platform, hardware and software wise, to break records.”

Catch the full review here on VR-Zone.

Full specs and details about the Z77X-UP5 TH can be found on our website here.

The Stig overclocks his GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 to the max!

GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 is making some extreme OC waves all the way from south island of New Zealand. New Zealand is probably better known as land of “Lord of the Rings” and all things sheep but there is one crazy tech scientist dude out there who is not afraid of earth quakes and braves it out in his dungeon with liquid nitrogen and some crazy computer hardware.

Some say his choice of drink is Jim Beam, sheep milk and LN2! TeamAU boys know him as deanzo but all we know is that his real name is The Stig. Yes, that’s right, The Stig is from Christchurch New Zealand and he’s a massive tech geek by night. BBBBBCCC will not be happy with this news but there I’ve said it!

I had a look at HWBOT’s front page today and found some crazy scores from Deanzo lighting up all the top scores of the day. HWBOT for those of you that are not in the know is world’s best and biggest geekfest overclocking database and centre of nerd fight OC battles for the last few years. The Stig otherwise known as Deanzo lit up the front page with some tremendous benching using his favourite new weapon, GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7.

Yeah baby!

Congrats deanzo and keep smashing those results with the UP7, love your work!

 

check out how iced up his PC was after the benching session was over!!!! WOW

Overclock 3D GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 Video Review: Awards Gold

Tiny Tom Logan on Overclock3D.net has just posted typically epic (32 mins plus!) and comprehensive video review of our new flagship Z77 board, the GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7. And it’s fair to say that Tom is fan. Throughout the entire video he has a lot of great things to say about the board – from heatsink design, to OC performance, it’s all thumbs up. So much so that Tom and the team have deemed the board worthy of their Gold award.

Tom’s colleague and board reviewer Brian Waters has also written a full review which you can find here. Here’s a taste of what Brian had to say:

“the only conclusion we can draw from our testing of the Gigabyte Z77X-UP7 is "Phew, what a scorcher"…

“…A 4.9GHz overclock from our retail CPU was stunning, and it was certainly the easiest board we've yet tested to give us the 5GHz CPUz. It wasn't a case of an overclock that was big on numbers and short on performance either. Nearly every test saw the UP7 give us the highest result we've seen on a Z77 motherboard.”

“…in case you haven't been paying attention this is the fastest motherboard we've tested. I personally would be perfectly happy to have it at the heart of my PC at home, and I can't think of a more ringing endorsement than that. So you're getting everything you could possibly desire with zero downside. A stunning performer, utterly worth of the OC3D Gold Award.”

The Z77X-UP7 uses an astonishing 32 phase power design, the latest Ultra Durable 5 technology and a host of great OC features that are designed specifically with record breaking LN2 sessions in mind. Find more details about the GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 here and here.

Futurelooks impressed with GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 5 thermal efficiency

Eric Garay over on Futurelooks.com has just published his review of the GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH board, paying particular attention to the thermal improvements of our new Ultra Durable 5 technology. It’s a great article which has plenty of positive things to say about our top end Thunderbolt board, but perhaps what’s most interesting, is the image below which compares the thermals a of high-end board from one of our competitors with the new Ultra Durable 5 design on  the Z77X-UP5.

The thermal imaging clearly shows that our new high current capable parts, including the IR3550 IC, Powerstages 60A chokes are offering the best thermal efficiency possible – a clear advantage when overclocking, and great for overall system stability. Eric had this to say on the matter:

“When I first looked at GIGABYTE’s new Ultra Durable 5 technology, it was hard to know exactly how or if it would affect motherboard performance or even benefit the platform in some other benign way. Unless you’re some what aware of how digital VRM works, you probably wouldn’t know it offers conservative power consumption, cooler operations, extended component life, or if it could maintain higher Intel Turbo frequencies. While overall performance is comparable to other Z77 platforms, the GA-Z77X-UP5 TH provides tangible power conservation, cooler components during operations, and a steadier overclocking results.”'

Great to see that Eric was impressed enough to deem the GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH worthy of a five start recommendation.

More information about GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 5 technology can be found here.

The Z77X-UP5 TH webpage has all the specs and details.

Catch the full review on Futurelooks.com here.

TonyMac specs out CustoMac builds using GIGABYTE Mini-ITX boards

Mac aficionado tonymacx86 has posted some slick looking custom Hackintosh builds using our new 7 series Mini-ITX boards. The Gigabyte H77N-WIFI board finds itself perfectly suited to a small form factor Mini-ITX build using the Apex MI-008 chassis, while the Z77N-WIFI finds itself housed within the highly popular Bitfenix Prodigy chassis. The Prodigy is quite unique in that it allows for a full sized PSU, full length discrete graphics card and space for a couple of drives too. Very exciting for DIY enthusiasts who want to dabble in the darker arts of the Hackintosh in a smaller form factor without compromising on performance.

Its great to see that Tony describes our 7 series mini-ITX offerings as being the most compatible motherboard option for a Mini-ITX Hackintosh build:

“For these builds we're recommending Gigabyte's new H77N-WIFI AND Z77N-WIFI, which are the most compatible mini-ITX boards available and don't require a DSDT. Both motherboards have full analog and digital audio features, dual Gigabit LAN ports and USB 3.0. They also include a mini-PCIe card slot with an Intel mini-PCIe card capable of both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.”

Catch the full article with detailed spec options for both builds here.

Learn more about GIGABYTE Mini-ITX motherboards here.

OCN N2OC Live Stream

Hey Everyone. I am currently at the Overclock.net OC event in Farmington, Michigan. An insane amount of LN2 and a few GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 boards being put to the test. If you’re interested in seeing what’s going on, you can check out the live feed at overclock.tv until 10PM EST. For details of the event, visit Overclockers.net at http://www.overclock.net/t/1295114/ocn-n2oc-october-13th.

Tom’s Hardware recommend GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH in high-end head-to-head

Thomas Soderstrom just posted an in-depth 7 series comparison article where he compares six high-end Z77 motherboards in an effort to find a real stand out performer. The great news for us is that our GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH board was awarded the highly sought after ‘tom’s hardware recommended’ award.

Thomas was impressed with the ruthless combination of features (dual Thunderbolt anyone?) and wicked value for money with its $240 price tag. You can find more info about the GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH on our website here.

Zardoz (ReSpawn LAN admin) keeps the side panel on with GIGABYTE Z77X-UP4TH!

I just came across a pretty cool review by a gamer that runs one of Australia’s biggest LANs. He goes by the nic Zardoz and LAN is ReSpawn based in Melbourne. One of the lines caught my eye and I thought how hilarious, this is what every gamer in the world can easily identify with in a heart beat. Zardoz was talking about the new Ultra Durable 5 MOSFETS and the fact that marketing claims of much cooler PWM are actually a reality and what’s more he added:

“I can now run my system with the side on the case and anyone who has seen how much stuff I cram into my Lian Li case with limited airflow will know how amazing this development is”

HAHAHAHAHA that’s so true though. I run exactly the same board in my 24/7 rig now and I can now close the side panel again too hahaha, love it!!!

Anyways check out the full write-up what he has to say about the board, it’s pretty good! Here is the website link!

GIGABYTE’s Thin Mini-ITX boards make their first online appearance…

It’s been weeks since Intel’s IDF event, and the coverage is all but over. Then today while chatting to a friends I came across this coverage on semiaccurate.com of two Thin Mini-ITX boards that are planned for availability in Q1, 2013 to regional system integrator partners through GIGABYTE’s normal channel distribution system:

Read the full article here.

There is not much info available about these boards yet, and I’m sure we’ll be posting updates as we know more about the final spec and availability dates. In the meantime, if you are interested in them be sure to ask your local GIGABYTE supplier for more details.

87 Clockers Manga Chapter 2 Is Out!

We ran a story in the past about a really well known manga based on overclocking. It’s released in Japan and a few other South Eastern Asian countries. It’s called “87 Clockers”. Chapter 2 just came out recently.

You can check it out online at this website link!

Awesome …

iPhone 5 recharges from GIGABYTE On/Off Charge

One area where GIGABYTE has focused a lot of R&D is USB power because this has quickly become the de facto mobile device charging standard for anything from smart phones and devices to remote controlled helicopters. With this in mind, we have introduced features/technologies such as one fuse per USB port, 3x USB Power, Electrostatic Protection, reinforced the power traces in our PCBs, and of course On/Off Charge for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad series of products. Now as screen quality, size and battery technologies change with each new product launch, so too do the recharging requirements, and this is why some folks had trouble charging their new tablets from their previous generation chargers a while ago.

So in case you’re wondering if your existing PC can recharge your new iPhone 5, fear not, it appears to be all good! We tested an iPhone 5 charging from a GIGABYTE motherboard with On/Off Charge (see the onboard USB headers with the red background below) and found that the maximum charge it took was 0.76A.

GIGABYTE On/Off Charge

 

 

GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 spotted in several Trinity review test beds

We officially launched our new GIGABYTE FM2 series of boards on Tuesday, with the Ultra Durable 5 toting F2A85X-UP4 board leading the pack. It’s also no surprise to see AMD Trinity reviews appearing left right and center throughout the week, and great to see that many of these reviews featured our flagship motherboard.

You can check out several of them here:

Anandtech: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6332/amd-trinity-a10-5800k-a8-5600k-review-part-1

eTeknix: http://www.eteknix.com/reviews/processors/amd-a8-5600k-apu-processor-review/4/

LegitReviews: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/2047/4/

Hexus: http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/cpu/46005-amd-a10-5800k-trinity-apu/?page=2

HotHardware: http://hothardware.com/Reviews/AMD-A10-and-A8-Trinity-APU-Virgo-CPU-Performance/?page=2

You can check out the GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 and the rest of the FM2 series on our website here.

Sin0822 posts his Z77X-UP7 review with some amazing close up shots!

Those of you who’ve read sin0822’s review will know that he is somewhat of a hardware guru. Nobody else pays as much attention to the onboard chips, VRM design, PCB tracing and other physical features in my opinion, and this makes his reviews unique. So he got his hands on a GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 and has published yet another hardware porn extravaganza, only this time he is using his new high-def camera for extreme close up shots of the tiniest onboard components. Not much escapes Sin! Here are some shots to whet your appetite:

Vivi from South Africa hits #2 single card 3DMARK11 with GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7

Hey guys,

I just noticed Vivi from South Africa put up a monster single card 3DMARK11 single card score (2nd fastest in the world) using GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 and the GIGABYTE ODIN PSU.

Here is what Vivi had to say about the gear he benched with:

This board is awesome. and this Oding PSU doing well! haha. 2000mhz run passed too, but screenshot was invalid. This will have to do. R.I.P to this card :P. -130 on the card and 1.75v Thanks to sniperOz for the pots!

Well done mate!

Score Link

TeamAU creates a custom “Hotkey OC Control Tool” for GTL, get your copy now!

Hey guys,

James T (youngpro) from TeamAU created a handy little tool which allows overclockers to change the speed of their system on the fly with 4 separate profiles that ties into GTL (GIGABYTE Tweak Launcher) software. He calls it Hotkey Control Tool. EasyTune 6 used to have this function on previous chipset but it hasn’t been implemented yet on Z77 as software team is hard at work with a complete refresh of the ET tool.

In the meantime you can use this nifty tool to jump frequencies as simply as hitting function keys (F1, F2, F3 and F4). Keys are fully programmable and I’ve made a brief video explaining how to use it but for a full description make sure you jump to James’ blog AT THIS LINK.

Thanks for sharing James & Team.AU, this will no doubt make it a hell of a lot easier to bench GIGABYTE boards subzero!

Watch the video in 1080p and full screen!

Uncle Fester from Team.AU takes the 3DMARK06 4WAY world record!

Uncle Fester from Australia OC team, Team.AU, pulled out his GIGABYTE Z77X-UP7 and some 4WAY 7970 magic today with the new 4WAY GPU 3DMARK06 world record.

Congratulations!

Score Link