DRAM prices favor an upgrade, but how much does a solid rig need? Tell us on Facebook

The price  of DDR3 memory has continued to fall, to the extent that even the most scrooge-like PC builder would be tempted to deck out his PC with a bit extra. Right now on NewEgg a 4GB Kingston HyperX Blu DDR3 1333 module can be yours for a mere $19.99. Fancy something a little more adventurous? How’s about a 4GB CORSIAR Vengence DDR3 1600 for just $25? Or perhaps you’re man of real taste and distinction; try a pair of Muskin Enhanced Blackline modules rated at speeds of up to 2333MHz, for only $99.99! Has the world gone potty?

Well, no. But as far as consumers are concerned, it’s really good time to invest in some extra memory for your PC, as Peter Scott, writing for Fudzilla earlier this week explains:

“Here’s some food for thought. A year ago a single Kingston ValueRAM 4GB SO-DIMM module cost €54 and two years ago it retailed for a saucy €243. Now it sells for just €14 and change.” – Peter Scott, Fudzilla

But while it is tempting to add some more RAM your PC, there is inevitably also a limit to how much your PC actually needs. I’ve found that opinions vary greatly. Many Windows 7 users feel that memory bottlenecks cease to be problem at around 4GB. Most self respecting power users however are not content without 16GB. One fly in the ointment of course, is software. 32-bit operating systems are inherently limited to an absolute max of 4GB memory (you may only see 3.25GB), so it’s only those of us that are enjoying the 64-bit revolution that can explore the realms 4GB of RAM and beyond. Then of course it comes down to what you do with your PC. Applications that manipulate large cumbersome data sets will need a far larger memory footprint, while HD video and photo editing suites can indeed hog a whole lot of memory.

To help us get to a clearer picture of RAM usage, we’ve decided to ask the experts, which of course is you - the GIGABTE fans who read our blog and follow us on Facebook each day.

Please go to our fan page and tell us what you use in your rig. And don’t forget to give us a ‘like’ if you haven’t already.

Facebook RAM Survey.

Image source.

GIGABYTE Extreme OC Workshop (Brisbane)

TeamAU boys (deanzo, dinos22, sniperoz & deanzo) just finished the latest GIGABYTE Extreme OC workshop in Brisbane. Eva2000 also made a brief appearance on the first day. It was a really fun event in which enthusiasts from Brisbane were passed over control of some seriously souped up rigs running 7Ghz+ with AMD Bulldozer and GIGABYTE 990FXA-UD7 motherboards.

Kudos to AMD, GIGABYTE, CORSAIR, UMART and Atomic mag for backing the event.

Linus returns with GIGABYTE X79-UD7 unboxing

Having previously unboxed our G1.Assassin 2 and X79-UD5 motherboards, we knew it would only be a mater of time before Linus would treat us all to a journey around our high-end X79-UD7 board. And it would seem that he’s impressed with what he seeing too, opting to go with the UD7 for his new upgraded extreme rig.

You can learn more about the X79-UD7 board on our website here, with more info about our X79 series of boards here.

GIGABYTE caught overclocking at Atomic Con 2011

GIGABYTE was among a group of hardware vendors in attendance at Atomic Con 2011 at Monash University, Melbourne last weekend. Atomic’s David Hollingworth took his camera crew over to our GIGABYTE Extreme Overclocking stand where he found, perhaps not surprisingly, some fairly extreme overclocking going on. Check out the video below:

Read the full article over on AtomicPC.com.au

GIGABYTE X79-UD7 wins beats the competition to claim ‘Editors Choice’ award at Motherboards.org

Expert motherboard review Mr Ramirez over at motherboards.org has published his in-depth review of our latest Overclocking motherboard, the GIGABYTE X79-UD7 board, and it looks like there’s plenty to shout about. Picking up the ‘Editors Choice’ award, the X79-UD7 put on quite show in the benchmarking dept, where it pushed past against some pretty stiff competition:

“Let me start by saying that with the X79 boards that we’ve tested so far this board has given us the highest scores in most of our benchmarks. In some of our tests the difference was pretty apparent. In particular we got nearly a 300 point difference in 3D Mark 11 and an increase of .63 in Cinebench. This board has shown that it was made to be pushed and it’s no doubt that this is exactly what Gigabyte was going for.”

In conclusion Mr Ramirez gives the X79-UD7 his full endorsement, which I am happy to reproduce here:

“…what Gigabyte has done is given every feature you can think of to really put this board in the stratosphere. With the addition of the WiFi and Blue Tooth card alone this is an amazing board but with everything else Gigabyte has thrown into it this board is just head and shoulders above the others that we’ve tested so far. In my opinion this board is everything that the enthusiast market has been waiting for.

If you’ve been waiting to get in on the X79 this is the best choice that we’ve seen so far and you won’t be disappointed. With all of the incredible features and amazing performance this board is definitely an Editor’s Choice here at Motherboards.Org.”

Catch the full review here on Motherboards.org and full details and specs of the X79-UD7 here on our site.

massman playing with GIGABYTE X79-UD7

It’s that time of the year folks when new hardware arrives and everyone is trying to figure out new bios settings, performance quirks and how to get rid of some early bios bugs.

Massman from HWBOT got his paws on the new X79-UD7 and has started doing just that. It’s an interesting read and a work in progress. Go check it out here.

Video: Linus unboxes the GIGABYTE G1. Assassin 2

Not content to rest on his laurels with his epic deconstruction of our GIGABYTE X79-UD5 board, Linus is again the focus of our attention as he unboxes the top of the line X79 series gaming board; the GIGABYTE G1.Assassin 2 motherboard.

 

 

Great job again Linus. Sweet.

Check here for the G1.Assassin 2 product page. Here for all things GIGABYTE X79 series.

GIGABYTE X79-UD5 unboxed on video by Linus

One of my favorite ways to enjoy a new product, vicariously and from a distance, is to watched it being unboxed. It can be a thoroughly sensual journey through the many layers of a product’s personality. Or at least sometimes it is. Indeed when it comes to the dark arts of product unboxing, our buddy Linus bring his own utterly unique approach to the sport, ploughing through the ceremony as if life itself would grind to a halt if he stopped to draw breath.

Check out this new unboxing video from Linus where he tackles our X79-UD5. It’s a roller coaster ride you’ll hope never ends!

You can learn more about the X79-UD5 here. Our X79 series details are here.

GIGABYTE G1.Assassin 2 claims ‘Editors Choice’ award at TweakTown

Following up on his preview article last week, veteran reviewer Shane Baxtor at TweakTown has now published his full and detailed review of our new gaming behemoth, the GIGABYTE G1.Assassin 2. In case you’ve been outdoors occupying financial districts for the last month or so, let me fill you in on what you’ve missed. The GIGABYTE G1.Assassin 2 is based on the new Intel X79 chipset, supporting Intel’s new i7 Core (aka Sandy Bridge-E) processors and packs a dedicated Creative Sound chip and Killer Networking from Qualcomm/Atheros. He’s a sample of what Shane had to say on the subject:

“The G1.Assassin 2 is like other G1 boards; performance is strong and the feature set is amazing. For so many people that's exactly what you want from a motherboard. This is going to be a popular board from GIGABYTE for a good reason.

If you're looking for a board that focuses on those features that gamers love like the fantastic onboard networking, excellent onboard audio and one button overclock, this is a really attractive option. Throw in other extras like 802.11n Wireless and Bluetooth 4.0 support and you've just got a board that stands out for all the right reasons.”

For the full and detailed article, head on over to TweakTown.

You can find more specs and technical details about the G1.Assassin 2 board here on our site.

Video: Motherboards.org check out our X79-UD3 board

Recognize those hands? Yup…it’s our buddy Elric from motherboards.org. who is back this time all over our newly launched X79-UD3 board. If you want close up peek at the packaging, bundled accessories and of course the board itself, check out the video below:

Cheers Elric…Rock on man!