Gigabyte G1-Killer X58 to Feature X-Fi Hardware Audio, Killer Network Processor

[btarunr]

Gigabyte's elusive G1-Killer X58 motherboard has quite some task ahead of it, to compete in a nearly-saturated socket LGA1366 motherboard market, including its high-end segment. Merely sporting a black PCB (new and rare for Gigabyte), and an ammo-clip shaped heatsink, and a handful of PCI-E slots isn't going to cut it, well...much. So Gigabyte decided to load the G1-Killer X58 with a Creative X-Fi CA20K2 PCI-Express audio processor, and Bigfoot Networks Killer E2100 network processor with 1 GB of dedicated DDR2 memory.

The CA20K2 from Creative sits at the heart of sound-cards such as the Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium series, X-Fi Titanium HD, and Auzentech X-Fi Forte. It features 128 hardware channels, and handles the audio stack on-chip when applications and games use OpenAL in Windows Vista or Windows 7. Apart from X-Fi regulars such as CMSS-3D and Crystalizer, the CA20K2 gives you EAX 5.0 HD support. The audio processor is backed by Nighicon high-end audio capacitors which can be found in premium sound-cards. The Killer E2100 ASIC is Bigfoot's high-end PCI-Express network processor that can completely offload the network stack from the CPU. The G1-Killer X58 is expected to be unveiled at CES.



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[LittleLizard]

Everyday they come up with something new for people buying. Now is an ammo clip heatsink. What's next, a spinning laser on the NB heatsing attached to a fan?

 

[zCexVe]

They just saw what MSI was doing.. from like 4 years ago..

 

[TheLaughingMan]

This will be really really expensive, but does provide a top end audio processor along with the Killer NIC.

Oddly, this actually is exactly what I wanted someone to do with both of these products. Now all I need is an AMD version with the Bulldozer socket and I am sold.

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

The gimmick's are getting old, I simply want value for my dollar.

 

[va4leo]

Everyday they come up with something new for people buying. Now is an ammo clip heatsink. What's next, a spinning laser on the NB heatsing attached to a fan?

Imagine if the laser could cool the NB! =D

 

[ToTTenTranz]

Yap, my Nforce4 SLI had an EMU10K1 Audigy chip in it.
Great sound for a motherboard, I must say, mainly because it had hardware acceleration (in a time where sound hardware acceleration actually mattered).

 

[INSTG8R]

Definitely an interesting combination of features.

 

[LittleLizard]

Imagine if the laser could cool the NB! =D

In fact it should heat the nb

Yap, my Nforce4 SLI had an EMU10K1 Audigy chip in it.
Great sound for a motherboard, I must say, mainly because it had hardware acceleration (in a time where sound hardware acceleration actually mattered).

MSI always used top notch audio codecs on their Diamond series. Then Asus did it with the addon cards bundled with the first RoG. Now they stopped because it was pointless... and Gigabyte just started... :shadedshu

 

[rpsgc]

ammo-clip shaped heatsink

Ugh... it's magazine, not clip. Magazine.

I'm sorry but these things just tick me off. It's like calling a DVD-ROM tray a cup holder or calling the computer a CPU. You just don't do it.

 

[LAN_deRf_HA]

This doesn't make a lot sense outside of a quad sli board where you don't have enough slots for your other cards.

 

[Makaveli]

Ugh... it's magazine, not clip. Magazine.


http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/3160/magazine2b2bvs2b2bclip.jpg


I'm sorry but these things just tick me off. It's like calling a DVD-ROM tray a cup holder or calling the computer a CPU. You just don't do it.

lol that pisses me off too like people calling their Case the hard drive my mom does it all the time no matter how much I correct her.

And Gigabyte just need to stop with this shit they have like 15 different 1366 boards in their line up enough is enough already.

 

[TheLaughingMan]

The gimmick's are getting old, I simply want value for my dollar.

A built-in high end sound card is not a gimmick. That is an honest value...but its Intel will jack up the price.

 

[timta2]

Ugh... it's magazine, not clip. Magazine.

Not saying it's right, but I think (at least here in the US) they are used interchangeably. This isn't like calling your computer case a hard drive (or your computer a CPU or your DVD-Drive Tray a cup holder), since that isn't "commonplace".

"The detachable magazine is often referred to as a clip; such usage is sometimes frowned upon by many authorities on firearms but is nonetheless commonplace"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magazine_(firearms)

"The term clip is commonly used to describe a firearm magazine, though this usage is technically incorrect. In the correct usage, a clip is used to feed a magazine or revolving cylinder, while a magazine or a belt is used to load cartridges into the chamber of a firearm.[1]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clip_(ammunition)

 

[Trigger911]

lol that pisses me off too like people calling their Case the hard drive my mom does it all the time no matter how much I correct her.

And Gigabyte just need to stop with this shit they have like 15 different 1366 boards in their line up enough is enough already.

lmao yea i am a tech here modem, hdd on a daily basis lmao ... like most people call there dsl\cable gateway a modem ... it kinda is but its not

 

[TheGuruStud]

Wake me when they put something onboard that isn't useless. Creative can go F themselves and the nic provides essentially no value.

 

[Trigger911]

i agree but the killer is a good cheap nas or sas fix for faster sharing ... seems to handle large amounts of traffic but not to many home users need it ...

 

[blu3flannel]

Ugh... it's magazine, not clip. Magazine.


http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/3160/magazine2b2bvs2b2bclip.jpg


I'm sorry but these things just tick me off. It's like calling a DVD-ROM tray a cup holder or calling the computer a CPU. You just don't do it.

Yeah, in school, when we took our technology class, they called the CPU the "control center." In no way, shape, or form is that accurate, get it right people. :shadedshu On the subject of the motherboard, it's really tacky and it will probably be very expensive.

 

[cdawall]

The gimmick's are getting old, I simply want value for my dollar.

It depends how this is priced to determine value if its $50 more and includes a $150 sound card and $200 nic card (agreed this is stupid but still) now is a $50 more expensive board worth it if it includes $350 in extra parts? What if this becomes commonplace 880g boards with n wifi and better 7.1 sound? Would you complain if you purchased a x58 board if the integrated a 6970 into it? Would you complain if you bought a car and they put a nav in it? I am all for this integrate higher end parts into my mobo that's less cards I have to buy and less excess clutter in my pc case. Not everyone who uses an xfi and killer nic has 2 spare pci-e 1x slots but this just freed them up.

 

[TheLaughingMan]

It depends how this is priced to determine value if its $50 more and includes a $150 sound card and $200 nic card (agreed this is stupid but still) now is a $50 more expensive board worth it if it includes $350 in extra parts? What if this becomes commonplace 880g boards with n wifi and better 7.1 sound? Would you complain if you purchased a x58 board if the integrated a 6970 into it? Would you complain if you bought a car and they put a nav in it? I am all for this integrate higher end parts into my mobo that's less cards I have to buy and less excess clutter in my pc case. Not everyone who uses an xfi and killer nic has 2 spare pci-e 1x slots but this just freed them up.

Thank you for reinforcing my point.

I honestly like this mobo and the direct they are going with this by adding these as features. I really wan an AMD Bulldozer board with the same additions.

 

[cdawall]

Thank you for reinforcing my point.

I honestly like this mobo and the direct they are going with this by adding these as features. I really wan an AMD Bulldozer board with the same additions.

Not a problem I just get annoyed when something comes out that's different and its instantly wrong. Now I agree killer nic is gimmicky and a nice intel card would be better and god I hope creative doesn't make gbs drivers but its a step towards better mobos and I am all for that heck I loved my ch2 and ch3 with highend sound never used cause they were benchmark boards but they were nice additions.

 

[blu3flannel]

Thank you for reinforcing my point.

I honestly like this mobo and the direct they are going with this by adding these as features. I really wan an AMD Bulldozer board with the same additions.

I wish they did this sort of thing with P55, the best thing I have on my motherboard is a Power On button.

 

[Wile E]

They just saw what MSI was doing.. from like 4 years ago..

MSI was doing what 4 years ago?

Killer NIC? Nope.

Actually X-Fi processor on-board? Nope. Just software X-Fi.

In fact it should heat the nb



MSI always used top notch audio codecs on their Diamond series. Then Asus did it with the addon cards bundled with the first RoG. Now they stopped because it was pointless... and Gigabyte just started... :shadedshu

No, they did not use top of the line codecs. Just plain old realtek and similar on those Asus cards and MSI boards.


At any rate, I can do without the Killer NIC, but I am interested to see how this X-Fi performs against something like a Forte or Titanium.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

MSI was doing what 4 years ago?

Killer NIC? Nope.

Actually X-Fi processor on-board? Nope. Just software X-Fi.

Not X-Fi, it was an Audigy SE. While it lacked most of the DSP hardware from the full-fledged EMU10K2 chips, it did some work, and using it would actually decrease CPU usage.

 

[Wile E]

Not X-Fi, it was an Audigy SE. While it lacked most of the DSP hardware from the full-fledged EMU10K2 chips, it did some work, and using it would actually decrease CPU usage.

Audigy SE has no DSP hardware. It's all software based. No different than CMedia. I will give you that it's still better than the typical realtek garbage.