Friday, August 29th 2014
GIGABYTE Launches Its X99 Series Motherboards
GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the availability of their new X99 motherboard lineup based on the Intel X99 chipset with support for Intel's new Core i7 Extreme Edition (LGA 2011-v3 socket) processors and latest DDR4 memory support. Featuring 3 main categories of motherboards including G1 gaming, SOC overclocking and signature GIGABYTE Ultra Durable, GIGABYTE has an X99 series motherboard custom built for any 'Dream Machine' build.
"Given this incredibly powerful platform from Intel, GIGABYTE wanted to make sure each one of our X99 series motherboards delivered that 'WOW' factor for our enthusiast customers," commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. "In addition to being the first motherboards to support the latest Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition CPUs and recently released DDR4 memory, GIGABYTE X99 motherboards offer an extensive range of unique GIGABYTE features that truly unlock the full potential of the platform."
GIGABYTE X99 Series Motherboard Features
Designed to fulfill the needs of the high-end desktop segment, the new GIGABYTE X99 motherboards are the ultimate platform for users wanting long lasting quality, unrivalled performance and great looks that complement any system build. Offering a completely digital power design by IR to fully power all 8 cores of the Intel Core i7-5960X, the GIGABYTE X99 range of motherboards will be the perfect backbone to your next PC DIY project. Whether choosing a G1 Gaming, SOC-Force or an Ultra Durable motherboard, GIGABYTE has a wide range of features geared towards gamers, overclockers and professionals alike including all the latest generation connectivity such as M.2 and SATA Express as well as Thunderbolt expandability support. So enthusiasts, don't be afraid to build your ultimate dream machine. GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards help make the dream a reality.
Genuine All Digital Power Design
GIGABYTE X99 motherboards use an all digital CPU power design from International Rectifier which includes both digital 4th Generation digital PWM Controller and industry-leading 3rd Generation PowIRstage controllers. These 100% digital controllers offer incredible precision in delivering power to the motherboard's most power-hungry and energy-sensitive components, allowing enthusiasts to get the absolute maximum performance from their next generation Intel Core i7 Extreme processors.
IR Digital PWN and IR PowIRstage ICs
This new generation of IR digital power controllers and PowIRstage ICs feature Isense technology, which provides more precise current sensing accuracy. This helps evenly distribute the thermal loading between the PowerIRstage ICs, preventing the overheating of each individual PowIRstage, resulting in longer lifespan and better reliability.
Server Level Chokes by Cooper Bussmann
GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards feature special Cooper Bussmann Chokes which provide:
GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards integrate the absolute best quality solid state capacitors that are rated to perform at the maximum efficiency for extended periods, even in extreme performance configurations. This provides peace of mind for end users who want to push their system hard, yet demand complete stability and reliability.
The GIGABYTE X99-SOC Force features high quality POSCAPs for the CPU power delivery. POSCAPs (Polymerized Organic Semiconductor Capacitor) are a high grade, recently introduced capacitor which has better ripple current and dissipation properties. In addition, POSCAPs are able to maintain low impedance characteristics, no matter what operating frequency, making them uniquely suitable for systems using high-frequency switching power supplies.
3-Way / 4-Way Graphics with Premium PCIe x16 Lane for Up to 320 Gb/s Bandwidth
GIGABYTE X99 motherboards feature a unique PCI Express design that utilizes 100% of all 40 lanes from the CPU when in a 4-Way or 3-Way graphics configuration. Standard designs limit all 4 main PCIe lanes to x8(64Gb/s) bandwidth, but thanks to the onboard external clock generator combined with the direct connection of one of the x16 lanes to the CPU (switchless design), GIGABYTE X99 motherboards can unlock the full bandwidth available and provide the best graphics bandwidth possible to the user.
Dual M.2 Technology with Onboard WIFI and Bluetooth 4.0
GIGABYTE X99 motherboards with Dual M.2 technology provides users PCI-Express connectivity for SSD devices and onboard 11AC WIFI + Bluetooth 4.0. Delivering up to 10 Gb/s data transfer speeds, M.2 offers considerably faster storage performance than current mSATA and even SATA Revision 3 (6Gb/s) storage devices. GIGABYTE's stacked design optimizes the PCB real-estate usage, allowing more components to be efficiently added without compromising any space.
Turbo M.2 Technology
GIGABYTES X99 SOC motherboards feature a Turbo M.2 socket to provide compact connectivity for SSD devices. Thanks to the unique design from the X99 chipset, 4 PCIe (Gen.2) lanes can be allocated to the M.2 socket, unlocking up to 20 Gb/s of bandwidth. Turbo M.2 offers considerably faster storage performance than current mSATA and even SATA Revision 3 (6Gb/s) storage devices.
Next Generation SATA Express Connector
GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards feature an onboard SATA Express connector which provides performance far superior to that of current SATA technologies. SATA Express features data transfer rates of up to 10 Gb/s, considerably higher than SATA Revision 3 (6Gb/s), which won't bottleneck faster NAND flash technologies in cutting edge SSDs. SATA Express combines the benefits of PCI-Express and SATA to provide much higher bandwidth, allowing SATA Express based drives to perform at similar speeds as PCI-Express based drives.
6x (30μ) Gold Plating
GIGABYTE X99 motherboards come equipped with a 30 micron thick gold plating for the CPU socket, 4 PCIe slots and over the 8 DIMM slots, which means that enthusiasts can enjoy better connectivity, absolute reliability and longevity for the diverse connectors overtime, without having any concerns about corroded pins and bad contacts.
Safer Design Around Screw Mounting Holes Standard
Don't worry anymore about accidental damage while mounting your motherboard to you chassis. GIGABYTE X99 motherboards all feature a wider copper ground pad and onboard components free area around the PCB screw mounting holes. This exclusive design reduces the chances of damaging any surrounding onboard components during the PC assembly process. Bigger copper ground pads also provide the added benefit of lower EMI disturbance for reduced noise interference across your system.
2x Copper PCB Design (2 oz Copper PCB)
GIGABYTE's exclusive 2X Copper PCBs design provides sufficient power trace paths between components to handle greater than normal power loads and to remove heat from the critical CPU power delivery area. This is essential to ensure the motherboard is able to handle the increased power loading that is necessary when overclocking.
Creative Sound Core3D Quad-Core Audio Processor Plus Creative SBX Pro Studio Audio Suite
Combining world's first Quad-Core Creative Sound Core3D Audio Processor Plus Advanced Creative SBX PROSTUDIO Audio Suite, the GIGABYTE X99 Gaming motherboards lead the way in terms of audio quality. SBX Pro Studio suite of audio playback technologies delivers a new level of audio immersion. Realistic surround sound, the ability to clearly hear specific sounds in a gaming environment are just a few elements of SBX Pro Studio that enhances the overall experience, be it movies, games or music.
Realtek ALC 1150 115dB SNR HD Audio with Built-In Reat Audio Amplifier
The Realtek ALC1150 is a high-performance multi-channel High Definition Audio Codec that delivers an exceptional audio listening experience with up to 115dB SNR, ensuring users get the best possible audio quality from their PC.
The ALC1150 provides ten DAC channels that simultaneously support 7.1-channel sound playback, plus 2 channels of independent stereo sound output (multiple streaming) through the front panel stereo outputs. Two stereo ADCs are integrated and can support a microphone array with Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC), Beam Forming (BF), and Noise Suppression (NS) technologies. The ALC1150 incorporates Realtek proprietary converter technology to achieve Front differential output 115dB Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) playback (DAC) quality and 104dB SNR recording (ADC) quality.
All New Heat Sink with LED Design
GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards feature new heat sink designs that offer uncompromisingly efficient cooling on key areas of the motherboard including the PWM area and chipset (PCH). GIGABYTE X99 Series motherboards offer cooling support of the crucial PWM area so even the most aggressive and extreme configurations will be kept well within optimal thermal parameters.
Ambient LED
GIGABYTE X99 motherboards feature LED lighting for the audio guard light path and the back panel LED, providing a cool, custom look to your rig. These lights are now programmable, so you can have them beat to the rhythm of the music you are listening to, or pulse at a soothing pace to create a great atmosphere to enhance the environment of your game, movie or music.
Q-Flash Plus
GIGABYTE Q-Flash Plus allows users to update to the latest BIOS using a thumb drive without the CPU or memory needing to be installed.
Do you have the latest CPU supported by your GIGABYTE motherboard but do not have the latest BIOS installed yet? This is no longer a problem with the new Q-Flash Plus feature. By simply downloading the latest BIOS and renaming it on a USB thumb drive, and plugging it into the dedicated port, you can now flash the BIOS automatically without the need to press any buttons or even the need of onboard memory or CPU. Utilizing the ITE EC 8951E controller, GIGABYTE X99 motherboard BIOS can be updated even if your system is unable to boot. An LED next to the EC controller will notify you once the procedure is complete and you are ready to boot your system normally.
Killer Networking
Select GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards feature the Killer E2200 from Qualcomm Atheros, a high-performance, adaptive gigabit Ethernet controller that offers better online gaming and online media performance compared to standard solutions. The Killer E2200 features Advanced Stream Detect technology, which identifies and prioritizes all network traffic to ensure important applications that require high-speed connectivity are prioritized over less important traffic.
Intel GbE LAN with cFos Internet Accelerator Software
Additional GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards feature cFos Speed, a network traffic management application which helps to improve network latency, maintaining low ping times to deliver better responsiveness in a crowded LAN environment. cFos Speed works in a similar way to an OS driver, monitoring network traffic packets at the application layer, allowing optimization and improved network performance for specific applications.
Thunderbolt Ready
GIGABYTE X99 brings the expandability needed to make your system the ultimate one with an onboard pin header to accommodate the addition of a GIGABYTE Thunderbolt add-in card. The Thunderbolt controller can provide bandwidth of up to 20 Gb/s, compared to a max of 10 Gb/s on previous generation designs. This allows for incredible data transfer speeds when using high performance storage devices, while also supporting daisy-chaining of up to 12 devices and triple digital display support.
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition CPUs (Codename: Haswell-E)
New Intel Core i7 Processors on LGA 2011-v3 socket are Intel's first 8 core desktop CPUs and are the first to support DDR4 memory. These next generation 22 nm CPUs delivers greater performance and energy efficiency as well as the industry's highest level of discrete graphics performance by sporting 40 PCIe Gen.3 lanes, which GIGABYTE X99 motherboards are able to take full advantage of, delivering bandwidth totaling 320 Gb/s for the most demanding gamers or graphics intensive creation tasks such as video editing. On top of that, Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition CPUs deliver 8 core (16 threaded) multitask processing, higher frequencies, as well as larger cache size.
Additionally, GIGABYTE X99 users can draw even more performance out of their Extreme Edition CPUs, as they are fully unlocked for overclocking. With enhanced overclocking oriented options available on all GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards, users will be able to take full advantage of all the performance potential of Intel Extreme Edition CPUs.
4 Channel DDR4
The next generation of DRAM is here with DDR4. With stock frequencies starting at 2133 MHz, DDR4 memory delivers up to 20% less energy consumption and twice as much density as the previous generation DDR3. DDR4 can help GIGABYTE X99 users to load their programs faster, increase responsiveness of their system and help them to handle heavy data tasks in a flash. GIGABYTE X99 motherboards provide 4 Channel DDR4 memory support across the entire range, bringing exceptionally fast memory access.
GIGABYTE X99 Series Motherboard Models
www.gigabyte.com/microsite/372/x99.html
"Given this incredibly powerful platform from Intel, GIGABYTE wanted to make sure each one of our X99 series motherboards delivered that 'WOW' factor for our enthusiast customers," commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. "In addition to being the first motherboards to support the latest Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition CPUs and recently released DDR4 memory, GIGABYTE X99 motherboards offer an extensive range of unique GIGABYTE features that truly unlock the full potential of the platform."
Designed to fulfill the needs of the high-end desktop segment, the new GIGABYTE X99 motherboards are the ultimate platform for users wanting long lasting quality, unrivalled performance and great looks that complement any system build. Offering a completely digital power design by IR to fully power all 8 cores of the Intel Core i7-5960X, the GIGABYTE X99 range of motherboards will be the perfect backbone to your next PC DIY project. Whether choosing a G1 Gaming, SOC-Force or an Ultra Durable motherboard, GIGABYTE has a wide range of features geared towards gamers, overclockers and professionals alike including all the latest generation connectivity such as M.2 and SATA Express as well as Thunderbolt expandability support. So enthusiasts, don't be afraid to build your ultimate dream machine. GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards help make the dream a reality.
Genuine All Digital Power Design
GIGABYTE X99 motherboards use an all digital CPU power design from International Rectifier which includes both digital 4th Generation digital PWM Controller and industry-leading 3rd Generation PowIRstage controllers. These 100% digital controllers offer incredible precision in delivering power to the motherboard's most power-hungry and energy-sensitive components, allowing enthusiasts to get the absolute maximum performance from their next generation Intel Core i7 Extreme processors.
IR Digital PWN and IR PowIRstage ICs
This new generation of IR digital power controllers and PowIRstage ICs feature Isense technology, which provides more precise current sensing accuracy. This helps evenly distribute the thermal loading between the PowerIRstage ICs, preventing the overheating of each individual PowIRstage, resulting in longer lifespan and better reliability.
Server Level Chokes by Cooper Bussmann
GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards feature special Cooper Bussmann Chokes which provide:
- Server level reliability
- High current capacity
- New design reduces heat created by power loss and provides efficient power delivery to CPU VRM area.
GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards integrate the absolute best quality solid state capacitors that are rated to perform at the maximum efficiency for extended periods, even in extreme performance configurations. This provides peace of mind for end users who want to push their system hard, yet demand complete stability and reliability.
The GIGABYTE X99-SOC Force features high quality POSCAPs for the CPU power delivery. POSCAPs (Polymerized Organic Semiconductor Capacitor) are a high grade, recently introduced capacitor which has better ripple current and dissipation properties. In addition, POSCAPs are able to maintain low impedance characteristics, no matter what operating frequency, making them uniquely suitable for systems using high-frequency switching power supplies.
3-Way / 4-Way Graphics with Premium PCIe x16 Lane for Up to 320 Gb/s Bandwidth
GIGABYTE X99 motherboards feature a unique PCI Express design that utilizes 100% of all 40 lanes from the CPU when in a 4-Way or 3-Way graphics configuration. Standard designs limit all 4 main PCIe lanes to x8(64Gb/s) bandwidth, but thanks to the onboard external clock generator combined with the direct connection of one of the x16 lanes to the CPU (switchless design), GIGABYTE X99 motherboards can unlock the full bandwidth available and provide the best graphics bandwidth possible to the user.
Dual M.2 Technology with Onboard WIFI and Bluetooth 4.0
GIGABYTE X99 motherboards with Dual M.2 technology provides users PCI-Express connectivity for SSD devices and onboard 11AC WIFI + Bluetooth 4.0. Delivering up to 10 Gb/s data transfer speeds, M.2 offers considerably faster storage performance than current mSATA and even SATA Revision 3 (6Gb/s) storage devices. GIGABYTE's stacked design optimizes the PCB real-estate usage, allowing more components to be efficiently added without compromising any space.
Turbo M.2 Technology
GIGABYTES X99 SOC motherboards feature a Turbo M.2 socket to provide compact connectivity for SSD devices. Thanks to the unique design from the X99 chipset, 4 PCIe (Gen.2) lanes can be allocated to the M.2 socket, unlocking up to 20 Gb/s of bandwidth. Turbo M.2 offers considerably faster storage performance than current mSATA and even SATA Revision 3 (6Gb/s) storage devices.
Next Generation SATA Express Connector
GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards feature an onboard SATA Express connector which provides performance far superior to that of current SATA technologies. SATA Express features data transfer rates of up to 10 Gb/s, considerably higher than SATA Revision 3 (6Gb/s), which won't bottleneck faster NAND flash technologies in cutting edge SSDs. SATA Express combines the benefits of PCI-Express and SATA to provide much higher bandwidth, allowing SATA Express based drives to perform at similar speeds as PCI-Express based drives.
6x (30μ) Gold Plating
GIGABYTE X99 motherboards come equipped with a 30 micron thick gold plating for the CPU socket, 4 PCIe slots and over the 8 DIMM slots, which means that enthusiasts can enjoy better connectivity, absolute reliability and longevity for the diverse connectors overtime, without having any concerns about corroded pins and bad contacts.
Safer Design Around Screw Mounting Holes Standard
Don't worry anymore about accidental damage while mounting your motherboard to you chassis. GIGABYTE X99 motherboards all feature a wider copper ground pad and onboard components free area around the PCB screw mounting holes. This exclusive design reduces the chances of damaging any surrounding onboard components during the PC assembly process. Bigger copper ground pads also provide the added benefit of lower EMI disturbance for reduced noise interference across your system.
2x Copper PCB Design (2 oz Copper PCB)
GIGABYTE's exclusive 2X Copper PCBs design provides sufficient power trace paths between components to handle greater than normal power loads and to remove heat from the critical CPU power delivery area. This is essential to ensure the motherboard is able to handle the increased power loading that is necessary when overclocking.
Creative Sound Core3D Quad-Core Audio Processor Plus Creative SBX Pro Studio Audio Suite
Combining world's first Quad-Core Creative Sound Core3D Audio Processor Plus Advanced Creative SBX PROSTUDIO Audio Suite, the GIGABYTE X99 Gaming motherboards lead the way in terms of audio quality. SBX Pro Studio suite of audio playback technologies delivers a new level of audio immersion. Realistic surround sound, the ability to clearly hear specific sounds in a gaming environment are just a few elements of SBX Pro Studio that enhances the overall experience, be it movies, games or music.
Realtek ALC 1150 115dB SNR HD Audio with Built-In Reat Audio Amplifier
The Realtek ALC1150 is a high-performance multi-channel High Definition Audio Codec that delivers an exceptional audio listening experience with up to 115dB SNR, ensuring users get the best possible audio quality from their PC.
The ALC1150 provides ten DAC channels that simultaneously support 7.1-channel sound playback, plus 2 channels of independent stereo sound output (multiple streaming) through the front panel stereo outputs. Two stereo ADCs are integrated and can support a microphone array with Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC), Beam Forming (BF), and Noise Suppression (NS) technologies. The ALC1150 incorporates Realtek proprietary converter technology to achieve Front differential output 115dB Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) playback (DAC) quality and 104dB SNR recording (ADC) quality.
All New Heat Sink with LED Design
GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards feature new heat sink designs that offer uncompromisingly efficient cooling on key areas of the motherboard including the PWM area and chipset (PCH). GIGABYTE X99 Series motherboards offer cooling support of the crucial PWM area so even the most aggressive and extreme configurations will be kept well within optimal thermal parameters.
Ambient LED
GIGABYTE X99 motherboards feature LED lighting for the audio guard light path and the back panel LED, providing a cool, custom look to your rig. These lights are now programmable, so you can have them beat to the rhythm of the music you are listening to, or pulse at a soothing pace to create a great atmosphere to enhance the environment of your game, movie or music.
Q-Flash Plus
GIGABYTE Q-Flash Plus allows users to update to the latest BIOS using a thumb drive without the CPU or memory needing to be installed.
Do you have the latest CPU supported by your GIGABYTE motherboard but do not have the latest BIOS installed yet? This is no longer a problem with the new Q-Flash Plus feature. By simply downloading the latest BIOS and renaming it on a USB thumb drive, and plugging it into the dedicated port, you can now flash the BIOS automatically without the need to press any buttons or even the need of onboard memory or CPU. Utilizing the ITE EC 8951E controller, GIGABYTE X99 motherboard BIOS can be updated even if your system is unable to boot. An LED next to the EC controller will notify you once the procedure is complete and you are ready to boot your system normally.
Killer Networking
Select GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards feature the Killer E2200 from Qualcomm Atheros, a high-performance, adaptive gigabit Ethernet controller that offers better online gaming and online media performance compared to standard solutions. The Killer E2200 features Advanced Stream Detect technology, which identifies and prioritizes all network traffic to ensure important applications that require high-speed connectivity are prioritized over less important traffic.
Intel GbE LAN with cFos Internet Accelerator Software
Additional GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards feature cFos Speed, a network traffic management application which helps to improve network latency, maintaining low ping times to deliver better responsiveness in a crowded LAN environment. cFos Speed works in a similar way to an OS driver, monitoring network traffic packets at the application layer, allowing optimization and improved network performance for specific applications.
Thunderbolt Ready
GIGABYTE X99 brings the expandability needed to make your system the ultimate one with an onboard pin header to accommodate the addition of a GIGABYTE Thunderbolt add-in card. The Thunderbolt controller can provide bandwidth of up to 20 Gb/s, compared to a max of 10 Gb/s on previous generation designs. This allows for incredible data transfer speeds when using high performance storage devices, while also supporting daisy-chaining of up to 12 devices and triple digital display support.
Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition CPUs (Codename: Haswell-E)
New Intel Core i7 Processors on LGA 2011-v3 socket are Intel's first 8 core desktop CPUs and are the first to support DDR4 memory. These next generation 22 nm CPUs delivers greater performance and energy efficiency as well as the industry's highest level of discrete graphics performance by sporting 40 PCIe Gen.3 lanes, which GIGABYTE X99 motherboards are able to take full advantage of, delivering bandwidth totaling 320 Gb/s for the most demanding gamers or graphics intensive creation tasks such as video editing. On top of that, Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition CPUs deliver 8 core (16 threaded) multitask processing, higher frequencies, as well as larger cache size.
Additionally, GIGABYTE X99 users can draw even more performance out of their Extreme Edition CPUs, as they are fully unlocked for overclocking. With enhanced overclocking oriented options available on all GIGABYTE X99 series motherboards, users will be able to take full advantage of all the performance potential of Intel Extreme Edition CPUs.
4 Channel DDR4
The next generation of DRAM is here with DDR4. With stock frequencies starting at 2133 MHz, DDR4 memory delivers up to 20% less energy consumption and twice as much density as the previous generation DDR3. DDR4 can help GIGABYTE X99 users to load their programs faster, increase responsiveness of their system and help them to handle heavy data tasks in a flash. GIGABYTE X99 motherboards provide 4 Channel DDR4 memory support across the entire range, bringing exceptionally fast memory access.
GIGABYTE X99 Series Motherboard Models
- GA-X99-Gaming G1 WIFI
- GA-X99-Gaming 7 WIFI
- GA-X99-Gaming 5
- GA-X99-SOC Force
- GA-X99-UD7 WIFI
- GA-X99-UD5 WIFI
- GA-X99-UD4
- GA-X99-UD3
www.gigabyte.com/microsite/372/x99.html
8 Comments on GIGABYTE Launches Its X99 Series Motherboards
"Gaming" seems to be "Creative sound chip" and thats it.
At least not as long as Asus' long and useless comparative tables...
x99mx gaming g1 ?
I think Asus might have won this round for me on the X99 platform with the Deluxe and/or WS.