Tech Link (Industry): Two Flagship Gigabyte Mainboards: GA-P55A-UD6 and GA-P55A-UD7

I have long lost interest with XbitLab's articles as I find them to be going the way of the dodo whenever they post articles. But, the same can be said to most tech sites I visit nowadays, so I guess it's probably me that's going the way of the dodo. Anyway, this post is ain't about me so if yer interested to see and pondering of getting a new board, this article might help you make up your mind.

Brag: And the winnaaaaaar is....

I got a call from my good friend a few minutes ago. He is teh best, best of the best, the uber, the supreme. Non other than bartman! Wow, just last week I was hoping he'd pull it off, and he did!!!

Congrats man, am so proud of you, GOOC 2010 King of the Hill! I appreciate the fact that I am the first person you called with teh best news of the week, probably, best news of the month for PH OCers =).

Misc: Shoutout to my friend bartman of OCXPH

I just want to wish my friend bartman of OCXPH goodluck and more power. I lend him a few of my golden babies, and last time we chat, he had a good run =). Here's hoping you get to show them OCers who's the bad ass of OCXPH, good luck with Gigabyte Open Overclocking Championship 2010 competition!

Tech Link (Motherboard): Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6 Intel P35 Motherboard Review

PCStats posted an article about the newest board from Gigabyte. Not surprisingly, the board sports the newest chipset from Intel and it performs as it should. Expand to read the verdict from PCStats.

P35 Performance Verdict: Similar to P965, but just a bit faster

In terms of performance The Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6 and the Intel P35 Express chipset are slightly faster than the previous generation P965, but the differences between the platforms won't truly be appreciated till quad core processors are readily available. Quad core CPUs will benefit from the added bandwidth the P35 Express delivers. As it is now, if you're a gamer you will notice a slight performance boost when moving to the P35 platform over a vanilla Intel P965 Express. There's little to no difference though for basic workstation tasks.

The Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6 showed the awesome overclocking potential of the Intel P35 Express chipset, hitting a very nice speed of 482 MHz FSB! We're positive the motherboard had more in it, but the E6600 processor was most likely holding things back. Those of you with water or phase change cooling systems will definitely like what Gigabyte has to offer here. When it comes to overclocking, you'll love the awesome voltage options!

The Intel P35 Express has a bright future and probably is the best way to go if you plan on upgrading to a Core 2 Quad processor. The Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6 is a little quicker than comparable P965 motherboards, full of features and fast, but it comes with a steep price tag.

Find out about this and many other reviews by joining the Weekly PCstats.com Newsletter today! Catch all of PCSTATS latest reviews right here.

Source:Gigabyte GA-P35-DQ6 Intel P35 Motherboard Review

Tech Link (Chipset): P35 "Bearlake": Asus P5K Deluxe and Gigabyte P35-DS3R Preview

While NDA for the chipset and actual products hasn't been lifted off yet, actual product pictures are now circulating around the net for some exposure. Of course, the missing piece across these product showcase are performance numbers. But hey, if you really like to see some early numbers, you can head on over here and here. For those asking me if I will still buy motherboard based on i965, the answer is it depends. If I already have a motherboard with this chipset, then I won't be buying another one based on the same, but will jump over to the newer one. However, if I still don't have any board based on this chipset and I need a new board now, then yes, I'm all over it. Anyway, check out the article over at neoseeker for some product tour of Gigabyte's and Asus' offerings of upcoming board.

Conclusion
While I'd love to tell you more about the P35 chipset, and Gigabyte's interesting P35-DS3R, along with the ASUS P5K family, those pesky little NDA's requires us not to reveal more until those NDA's are lifted.

But don't worry.

I'll be putting the P35, with both DDR2 and DDR3 memory through some serious torture testing to find out how well the P35 and DDR2 & DDR3 perform.

Frankly, I can hardly wait to find out if Intel has managed to outdo its excellent P965 chipset; and how well Gigabyte and Asus did on their first P35 implementations.

Source:P35 "Bearlake": Asus P5K Deluxe and Gigabyte P35-DS3R Preview

Tech Link (Motherboard): Four Mainstream Core 2 Motherboards

ExtremeTech reviewed four motherboard that supports Conroe. They aren't targetted necessarily for overclockers, so if you're such type, then you'll skip this one. However, those boards are really nice and if you're not interested about overclocking, then give this one a look. They have an Abit AB9 Pro, Asus P5B-VM, Foxconn P9657AA-8KSH2, and a Gigabyte GA965P-DQ6 on the test bed.

Final Thoughts: Consider What You Need
About the only board in our roundup we'd be hard pressed to recommend is the ABIT AB9 Pro, but that's only because of its weird layout. All of these boards offer solid performance and stability at default settings. The Gigabyte GA-965-DQ6 is a dream power-user board, while the Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H is easy on the wallet. If you're hankering for a compact but full-featured microATX board, then the ASUS P5B-VM is an excellent choice.

Motherboards have come a long way. Buying a name-brand board these days usually means you get a stable, reliable system. If you want to go beyond that, however, you'll have to pay a bit more.

Source:Four Mainstream Core 2 Motherboards

Tech Link (Motherboard): GIGABYTE 6-Quad / DS / S-series Core™2 Duo Ready Motherboards

Not sure if anyone noticed, but Gigabyte* has motherboards based on the older i945 Express Chipset that supports Conroe. It is clear that chipset is not a problem, but more about conforming to voltage requirement of the Conroe-based processor. And with this barrier already lifted off, Gigabyte* launched a slew of new motherboards that supports Conroe. Great! Check it out..

Article: Gigabyte® GA-8I945P Dual Graphic-R Review (World's First SLI on i945 Chipset?)

You might ask, why review this board in the dawn of the upcoming Conroe onslaught? Well, it's not just because this is an old board, but rather, to dispel some confusion that SLI isn't going to run on an Intel-chipset-based motherboard. True, SLI is not officially supported, but that doesn't mean it's not going to work. If anything, it is interesting to see how SLI works on this board. Expand the article to read more...

Gigabyte is not only a name synonimous to the way size and capacity of storage devices are measure, but also recently, they are synonimous to an OEM geared towards addressing enthusiasts' needs and whims. Their product line are broad, and spans all segments in the video card for gaming, high end and specialized cools, and, as the focus of this review, performance and high end motherboards.

Source:Gigabyte® GA-8I945P Dual Graphic-R Review (World's First SLI on i945 Chipset?)

Tech Link (Motherboard): Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 (Intel P965)

HardwareZone Australia made a quick update on their review on this Gigabyte* Conroe board. The previous review didn't make a good impression but they made an update (with newer BETA BIOS) and make a great come back. Expand the full post to see the previous conclusion on the initial article. For the updated one, check this link out.

When we got our first glimpse of the Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6, our expectations of the board was very high due to the amount of work Gigabyte seems to have engineered onto the board to make it as stable a platform as possible. If anything, its elaborate heat-pipe system, the unheard of 12-phase VRM and full solid capacitor usage screams out overclocking with a capital 'O'. The board also features a set of very comprehensive BIOS options. However, our own experiences with the GA-965P-DQ6 wasn't as encouraging. If you haven't done so yet, you can read our full review of the board here before continuing.

Fresh from Computex Taipei 2006, we've got our hands on a sample of Gigabyte's new 'high-end, mainstream performance' Intel P965 motherboard, the GA-965P-DQ6. Confused? Let us explain. Intel's newly launched 965 chipset family (codenamed Broadwater) is actually a follow-up successor to the current 945 Express line. The major differences that the 965 series would bring is optimized support for the Core 2 Duo processors up to a 1066MHz PSB as well as officially increasing DDR2 memory speeds to 800MHz (the older 945P Express only supported DDR2-667). However, the 965 family will only support single PCIe x16 GPU configurations, leaving the 975X Express as the enthusiast alternative with multi-GPU CrossFire capabilities. The 965 and 975 chipsets will exist alongside each other, so that puts the P965 squarely into the mainstream segment as far as Intel's road map is concerned. At the moment, only the P965 discreet desktop variant is available, while Intel will follow up soon with the G965 that will feature a new GMA core as well as Intel's Clear Video Technology.

Source:HardwareZone Au

Tech Link (Motherboard): Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6

Five days ago, I posted that VR-Zone have a picture review of the Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 motherboard. This time around, they have a full review. I'd say give the site a visit and check out the yummy options this motherboard offers. And oh, it seem that like TheTechReport, they also don't have a Conroe to go with it. Bummer!

A week ago at Computex in Taipei, Intel officially launched the P965 desktop chipset. In case you were wondering why there is so much hype revolving the P965, it is the latest desktop chipset released that will support the Intel 6XXX series of "Conroe" processors.

If you have been following up on Intel's and AMD's roadmaps, you should be very much enticed in getting a Conroe to run in your PC. Benchmark leaks from around the globe has been around for a few months, and basically we are seeing the Intel 6XXX performing at up to twice the speed of last generation of processors in certain benchmarks.

With the release of the P965 chipset, Conroe support will enter the mainstream market for desktop PCs. Such unprecedented speeds is definitely a joy to behold. Also, Intel has created an upgraded Southbridge to go along, the ICH8R, which promises more features than the ICH7 can offer.

When our webmaster "Visionary" reached Taipei, he shot off to Gigabyte and spent a few jugs of saliva convincing them to give us a P965 motherboard to play with. After the gruelling work running from Hall to Hall, he is now down with a fever. Let's all wish that he gets well soon!

Source:VR-Zone

Tech Link (Motherboard): Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 Conroe Motherboard

VR-Zone have a very nice "picture review" of the upcoming Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 Conroe motherboard. It is a super nice board, having lots of features, that can really meet any kind of user. For the overclockers, well, I am not sure of the options, but for people like me who really likes tons of features rather than overclockability then this is going to be enough.

I'd say, if ever I'd get a chance to have one, I'll jumo into the bandwagon and fulfill my dreams. However, I am kind of short on cash right now, so I will be just drooling on the side.

Gigabyte, if you can read this, I am always free to review a sample. Let me know and I'll gladly spend time to review this really beautiful board.

And oops, this is where you can find the review.

Tech Link (Motherboard): Gigabyte GA-8N-SLI Quad Royal Motherboard Review

Chipzilla line of products are becoming more and more exciting. When SLI first debuted for Tumwater, it never really took off and in fact, A* got more SLI-based system than I* even if I* offered it first. But that time has passed, and now, more and more SLI-based system is being offered for the FanBoyz.
_{Images owned by PCStats}

As a matter of fact, it's not just a "regular" SLI that is being offered. Right now, Crossfire system are also ripe for the taking by the FanBoyz. But the fun didn't stopped here. Crossfire and SLI becomes a reality when hacked NVIDIA drivers enables SLI on the Intel® D975XBX motherboard. Now, this is what I call uber flexibility.

But wait, there's more (yeah, I snag it off the Home TV Shopping commercial), QUAD SLI is now also appearing. It first debuted on Dell's XPS gaming system, the first ever to get Quad SLI computing power. Now, this technology can be had by enthusiasts who doesn't have enough dough to spend on Dell* systems or just plainly wanted to build their own rig.

Gigabyte released a motherboard that supports, not one (regular PCIe), not two (SLI), not three (Intel® D975XBX), but four PCIe x16 slots!!!!

PCStats has the full scoop:

Officially, the nVIDIA nForce4 SLI chipset enables two PCI Express videocards to operate together under a technology called SLI - or Scalable Link Interface. Two videocards are better than one in a lot of gaming situations, but what's one to do if even more 3D video game rendering power is desired? Up until very recently there weren't many alternatives; you could either use SLI, or get by with a single PCI Express graphics card. The winds of change must blow quickly, because less than a year after SLI was formally introduced there are already a few select motherboards which offer the possibility of using more than two PCI Express videocards at any given time....

Source:PCStats

Tech Link (Storage): DDRdrive X1, a solid state storage using PCIe

As much as I'd like to put this techlink as a "RAM", it's not really used in that way. This is more like your virtual drive back in the good ol' DOS days where you allocate part of your RAM and turn it into a very very very fast floppy drive (or hard drive) or whatever you may want to call it. Gigabyte* released their I-RAM* technology before, and HyperOS Systems'* HyperDrive III* (yep, 3rd incarnation already) has done it as well.
_{Image owned by manufacturer}

And now, a new player is coming to town to make the merry wishes of those who have the bucks come true which offers the same concept but different implementation. Gigabyte* I-RAM* technology uses the SATA ports (and the associated bandwidth) while HyperOS Systems'* HyperDrive III* uses the ATA port. This makes them like a virtual hard disk, I mean hey, you snuck them all on storage connectors, so logical thinking suggests they'd function as that. Then this new comer, sees the bottleneck (RAM can go faster than those storage bus anyway) and thought, hmm, why don't I just go directly to the newer spiffy PCI Express Bus? So there you go, the DDRdrive X1* is now born from DDRdrive.

Source:DDRdrive

_{Note: By the way, there's really not much to their site, except that particular product link.}

Tech Link (Coolers): Global Win Super Conductor or 180 Watt Cooler and Thermalright HR-01-775

It's a slow news day today, and I've been quite busy at work. Any way, I appreciate you all stopping by and seeing what FanBoy has to offer. So just to tide you over during this friday night, I'd post some nice new coolers that might be coming your way.
_{Images owned by the respective sites/OEMs}

Fresh from my InBox are two great coolers. I'd really love to get one for myself, any of the two will actually work for me. So get yourself busy and read 'em all up.

Global Win is a company that has quietly developed a loyal following myself included, with their various computer accessories, water cooling kits and heatsinks. Now they have increased their already large product line to include a new VGA water cooling kit, numerous power supplies, card readers, cases and of course one of the items that got them started and the one we are reviewing a heat sink. The heatsink we are looking at today is the first unit brought into the US so you're getting your first look at it right here. The unit goes by the name of the Global Win Model GP94NPHH Super Conductor or 180 Watt Cooler. As we look closer at it you will see that it is indeed a unique design and we will explore its performance with two different fans supplied to us by Global Win.

Source:Hi-TechReviews

The arrival of a new product at Thermalright is always interesting for those which seek the best cooler for their processor.
It missed, in the current range of the products Thermalright, a passive solution of cooling for CPU. Here are which is made with the HR-01-775!
One understands by liability, a radiator able to evacuate the heat of the processor without requiring the use of a ventilator. Attention, this type of configuration counts all the same on a flow of sufficient air inside your case. For example, a ventilator in frontage which brings fresh air and a second with the back which evacuates the hot air. It is inconceivable to install a passive radiator on your processor without to have thought of that.

Source:Overclex

Press Release: GIGABYTE Positions Itself to Lead the Digital Home Platform Market

Itching for the new Intel® Viiv™ system? Gigabyte has just released a new motherboard the fully support the technology. This board is so cool, so nice, so good.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, VGA cards and other computing hardware solutions, today announced its premiere motherboard - GA-8I945GMH with Intel® Viiv™ technology support for digital media and entertainment platforms designed from the ground up for the digital home. The company's first offering designed around the Intel® Viiv™ technology Platform to target lifestyle and entertainment applications. Jam-packed with the Viiv technology, the new digital home motherboard features the Intel® 945G Express chipset and is set to change the way that users perceive home PCs with its consumer electronics quality audio and video features.

Source:Gigabyte