Weak market demand, a market saturated with low-cost PCs, and intra-brand competition has reportedly led to first-tier motherboard vendors such as ASUS and Gigabyte to suffer overstock of their Intel 4-series chipset motherboard inventories. The Intel 4-series chipset is the fourth generation of desktop chipsets for LGA-775 processors. It includes popular models such as P45, P43, the mainstream G45, G43 and G41, and others that include Q45, B45 and B43. Motherboards made by leading companies have had less than expected market demand. Earlier in September last year, when ASUS announced price-cuts for its 4-series motherboards, reported back then to make them "competitive", sources tell DigiTimes that the company was already facing swelling inventories.

As a result of this, the biggest loser seems to be ASUS, with a swelling inventory of 6~7 million units, valued at around $180 million, followed by Gigabyte holding an inventory worth around $130 million, which are quickly depreciating in value as the market gets closer to the launch of Intel's 5-series chipsets and the Ibex-Peak platform. With Intel planning to stick to its launch-schedule for its newest platform, motherboard vendors can only hope for Intel to reconsider its plans, delay its launch, and allow the inventories to get digested.

GIGABYTE Technologies INC., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to introduce their revolutionary Ultra Durable 3 Classic technology, featuring ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers to a dramatically lower system temperature, improved energy efficiency and enhanced stability for overclocking on a wide range of current AMD motherboards.

Following announcements by most motherboard manufacturers about their AM3 CPU compatibility lists, plans of motherboards based on the new DDR3-supportive platform socket have been coming to surface. After a list of eight motherboards by ASUS under the M4A and M4N series, Gigabyte's first motherboard based on the AM3 socket has been pictured. The GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is the company's first AMD motherboard that uses the Ultra Durable 3 construction, with 2-oz copper layered PCB, high-grade conductive polymer capacitors, and MOSFETs with lower RDS.

As the name suggests, this motherboard is based on the AMD 790FX chipset. It features two full-bandwidth PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots supporting ATI CrossfireX, four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting DDR3-1600+ MHz memory. The motherboard supports AM3 socket processors with TDP of up to 140W. A total of 10 SATA II ports are provided, six of which are routed to the SB750 southbridge, four to an additional SATA II controller. Other features are common with Gigabyte motherboards in its class, with high-quality 7.1 ch audio, two gigabit Ethernet connections, twelve USB 2.0 ports (8 external), and FireWire. Gigabyte is planning two more AM3 socket models: GA-MA770T-UD3P and GA-MA790X-UD4P based on the AMD 770 and 790X chipsets respectively.

Although presentations that are internal to companies never make it to the public scene, some of those presentations are interesting, to say the least. Computer hardware manufacturers spread around an area as saturated as Taiwan, China, Malaysia, etc., get so involved into aggressive competition that in more occassions than one they get carried away. Internal presentations are the ones manufacturers such as ASUSTek, MSI and Gigabyte share with their potential customers in channel vendors, OEMs, and the likes. One such presentation by MSI, a particular slide of which, has become an example of how far competition has taken the manufacturers.

Though no official information from NVIDIA has been released on the GeForce GTX 285, through leaks over the past month we know that this is a 55nm version of the GTX280. Although the 55nm GTX 260 has kept its name, it seems that the same cannot be said of the GTX 280. This Gigabyte card is said to use the same reference clock speeds as seen in the review from Computerbase.de which we covered just a few days ago. With a product code of GV-N285-1GH-B, it has 1GB of GDDR3 at 2484 MHz, 240SP's at 1476 MHz and a core at 648 MHz. According to TechConnect the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 285 has been found with prices as low as $412.8 (€296.3).

Gigabyte today, has released a new graphics card based on the ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics processor (GPU), in a non-reference design. While sporting a thin and light appearance, the card retains high-grade electrical components such as digital PWM circuitry the reference PCB sports. The prominent features of the card include a DisplayPort connector alongside an HDMI port, both on the PCB. The card features 1 GB of GDDR5 memory made by Qimonda, across a 256-bit wide bus.

Being non-reference and Gigabyte, it's expected to have a blue coloured PCB. The GPU is cooled by a Zalman VF830 cooler, which features on several of today's graphics cards by Gigabyte. The memory is left to be cooled under its air-flow. The VRM area gets a heatsink of its own. The card is powered by two 6-pin PCI-Express power connectors. It uses reference clock speeds of 750 MHz for the GPU and 900 MHz (effective 3600 MT/s) for the memory. It is yet to be priced.

NVIDIA will have the opportunity to design platform core logic (chipsets) for the Intel Atom processor, in the weeks to come. The visual computing giant has had a fair bit of success with its MCP79 chipset for mainstream PCs, which could be ported to platforms with much smaller footprints, such as netbooks and nettops. The starting point in its roadmap could well be the MCP79 itself which has architectural superiority over Intel chipsets in the same range, for being of a monolithic design.

Intel's own chipset for the Atom processor faced quite some criticism from the media for being dated in both design and manufacturing processes, resulting in its high TDP. Major players in the industry, ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI have said they welcome the partnership between Nvidia and Intel and believe the cooperation would give them more pricing flexibility.

The state of the global economy seems to have finally taken toll on motherboard vendors. A regular feature with companies gearing up for recession would be workforce reductions, and despite a larger than usual set of product launches, companies such as ASUS predict themselves not being able to meet their annual shipment goals. ASUS for one, is planning to layoff 5% of its total workforce, which amount to 200 workers, according to a report by DigiTimes. Says the report:

Although Asustek's revenues in 2008 will see a growth of over 20%, low gross margins for notebooks, netbooks and motherboards will cause the company's profits to drop 10-20% on year to NT$22-24.7 billion (US$654.96-735.34 million), noted the sources.

ASUS also predicts its revenues to hit bottom in the months of January and February, 2009. Meanwhile, other notable motherboard vendors such as MSI, Gigabyte and ECS are planning workforce reductions on an average of 3% each.

GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to announce support for the soon-to-be-released AMD 45nm processors including socket AM3 and AM2+ on a full range of current platforms including the AMD 790FX, 790GX, 790X, 770, 780G, 740G as well as the NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI and GeForce 8200.

With a simple BIOS upgrade, GIGABYTE delivers an easy upgrade path for users wanting to take advantage of AMD's latest 45nm process technology enhancements including higher core clocks with greater energy efficiency over past generations, integrated DDR2/DDR3 memory controller (DDR3 memory support for AM3 processors and AM3 designed motherboards only), HyperTransport 3.0 and C1E enhanced power savings.

GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to announce their latest high performance X58 Series motherboards, the GA-EX58-EXTREME and GA-EX58-UD5 designed from the ground up to unleash the awesome power of Intel's new Core i7 processors. Equipped with a host of new features including the new QPI interface, 3 channel DDR3 support, 3 Way SLI and CrossFireX support, Ultra Durable 3 technology and the industry's most extensive range of overclocking features, the GIGABYTE X58 Series is bringing excitement back into the high performance motherboard industry.

The GIGABYTE X58 Series was designed specifically to take advantage of the raw power of the next generation Intel Core i7 processors and the Intel X58 Express chipset, whose new evolution in computing architecture is able to deliver an amazing performance break through from past processor generations. Replacing the Front Side Bus is the new Quick Path Interconnect, or QPI, whose 25.6 GB/sec transfer rate (double the bandwidth of the 1600MHz FSB) eliminates the communication bottleneck between the processor and chipset.

GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is proud to debut the new GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H motherboard powered by the latest NVIDIA Geforce 9400 GPU for the Intel processor platform. Featuring the highest level of integrated graphics performance combined with rich multi-media connectivity options, the GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H promises to deliver an exceptional high-definition video and audio experience to enable the latest high-definition digital multimedia systems.

Delivering the industry's best integrated graphics performance Intel motherboard with an NVIDIA single chip IGP solution, the GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H features the NVIDIA Geforce 9400 GPU and NVIDIA PhysX Technology, providing a jaw-dropping home entertainment experience with enhanced 3D performance breaking 2400+* on 3DMark06. With support for Microsoft DirectX 10.0 and Shader Model 4.0, the NVIDIA Gefore 9400 ensures top-notch compatibility and the power to run today's most popular games and digital media applications with ease.

First seen at CeBIT 2008 this March, Gigabyte GM-M8000 is the company's high-end mouse aimed at providing gamer-friendly features. This mouse uses a colour theme of graphite-black fused with red. It measures 126 (L)x 74 (W) x 43 (H) mm. Tracking is carried out by an AVAGO 6090 laser sensor with its resolution ranging between 400 and 4000 dpi, which the user can set.

Its weight is user-adjustable by up to 38 g over its standard weight. The mouse features five programmable buttons, with an 8 KB onboard memory to store button-profiles. It features USB connectivity and the bundled Gigabyte GHOST application. Pricing is yet to be known.

NVIDIA Corporation today announced that the world's preeminent motherboard manufacturers, ASUS, EVGA, MSI, Gigabyte, and DFI, have all licensed NVIDIA SLI technology for their new lineup of motherboards designed to work with Intel Bloomfield CPUs and X58 chipsets. The addition of SLI to these motherboards and adoption by major OEMs including Dell and others means consumers will be able to harness the power of award-winning GeForce GPUs in single, SLI, or 3-way SLI configurations for the fastest visual computing experience on upcoming Intel Bloomfield platforms.

"Dell Gaming is known for industry-leading graphics and unparalleled performance," said Patrick Cooper, Director of Product Planning for Dell Gaming. "With the marriage of NVIDIA SLI and the latest generation of Intel chipsets, we will continue to offer hardcore gamers the opportunity to push their Alienware systems beyond the limits of today's hottest titles."

As a portion of the PC hardware industry gears up for the Nehalem November, with sources pointing at a Nov. 17 launch for the Core i7 processors by Intel, motherboard vendors are just about ready with their products. Gigabyte on its part, is ready with a complete range of motherboards based on the Intel X58 chipset.

The Gigabyte EX58-UD5 has been pictured by XFastest. This model forms the mid/high offering in its X58 range, with the Extreme variant holding the flag at the top. The board uses Gigabyte's newest Ultra Durable 3 PCB construction. In its range, the EX58-UD5 provides the same set of features the Extreme variant does, albeit the brute cooling system the Extreme sports. Gigabyte also made changes to its colour scheme, with memory slots getting rid of the melon-pink and green colours, deep blue for southbridge-routed SATA ports, white for external controller-routed ones, white also makes it to the lone IDE connector, FDD connector, and the PCI-E x1 slot. All in all, Gigabyte made sure the board doesn't look gaudy for buyers particular about its looks.

Members of the XtremeSystems forums put up pictures of Gigabyte's flagship X58 motherboard for the upcoming Core i7 processors, the EX58-Extreme with all its bells and whistles in place. Pictures of the board have surfaced several times now, older pictures were those of the EX58-DQ6 and DS4 models. What can be seen from the pictures, is a humongous chipset cooler that attaches itself to the main northbridge heatsink. The cooling continues over the board's VRM area and a large block covers the ICH10R southbridge. As the label screams, the motherboard is based on the Ultra Durable 3 PCB construction for best stability, heat dissipation and EMI control. Clearly, if you're going to be in the market for an enthusiast-grade motherboard, you're going to have a tough time...choosing. I'll leave you with the pictures.

GIGABYTE UNITED INC., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched their next generation graphic accelerators, the GIGABYTE GV-N26OC-896H-B, equipped with NVIDIA's latest GeForce GTX 260 OC graphics processor. Delivering a 5-10% performance boost over the previous GeForce GTX 260, the GeForce GTX 260 OC with its 216 stream processors and 448bit, 896 GB GDDR3 memory provides a sophisticated level of 3D game rendering to take your game play to the next level. Supporting HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) and Full HD to 1,080P, the GIGABYTE GV-N26OC-896H-B also provides the highest quality, High-Definition video for the ultimate home theater experience.

Supporting NVIDIA's PhysX Technology, the GIGABYTE GV-N26OC-896H-B enables a totally new class of physical gaming interaction for a more dynamic and realistic experience with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 OC. In addition to providing a completely unique gaming experience, it also compliant with CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) Technology, unlocking the power of the processor core of the GeForce GTX 260 OC to accelerate the most demanding system tasks such as video transcoding for an up to 7x performance enhancement over traditional CPUs.

GIGABYTE UNITED INC., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to introduce their revolutionary Ultra Durable 3 technology, the industry's first consumer desktop motherboard design to feature 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers, delivering a dramatically lower system temperature, improved energy efficiency and enhanced stability for overclocking. GIGABYTE once again leads the motherboard industry for the highest quality, most innovative motherboard design with the launch of their latest Ultra Durable 3 technology. Ultra Durable 3 motherboards are the first consumer desktop motherboards to feature double the amount of copper for the Power and Ground layers of the PCB. Most traditional motherboard designs utilize a single ounce of copper for each layer, whereas GIGABYTE's ultra Durable 3 motherboards feature 2 ounces per layer.

Doubling the amount of copper provides a more effective thermal cooling solution by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. In fact, GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 motherboards are able to deliver up to 50°C cooler working temperatures than traditional motherboards.

Gigabyte might well be the first AIB partner for ATI to release the first passively cooled Radeon HD 4850 accelerator, and a 1 GB one at that. The Gigabyte GV-R485MC-1GH sports the RV770 graphics processor clocked at 625 MHz and 1 GB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 1.00 GHz. Gigabyte is to use its "Multi-Core" passive cooler that consists of two arrays of aluminum fins, with two copper heatpipes each conveying heat from the core to the fin arrays. The card will feature Ultra Durable 2 high-grade electrical circuitry with what vaguely looks like a 4 + 2 phase power design. The GV-R485MC-1GH will be available soon. Word is that PowerColor would follow Gigabyte with their passively cooled Radeon HD 4850 model.

Gigabyte has given all its DDR2-supportive motherboards based on the Intel P45 and P43 chipsets a BIOS upgrade with which they now support assured overlocking headroom till DDR2 1333+ for the P45 series and DDR2 1200+ for the P43 series, with the "+" denoting it could go higher. DDR2 1333 and DDR2 1200 memory would be natively supported by the motherboards. The following motherboards benefit from the BIOS update.

Gigabyte Intel P45 Motherboards:
GA-EP45-DQ6
GA-EP45-DS5
GA-EP45-DS4P
GA-EP45-DS4
GA-EP45-DS3P
GA-EP45-DS3L

Turkish website DonanimHaber presented the first picture of Gigabyte's entry-level GeForce 9400 GT accelerator. From the specifications and hardware bundle, it is clear that this one is for your HTPC. It provides sufficient graphics processing power for HD Videos, high resolution imaging and Windows Aero acceleration. The card is made from high quality components brandished under "Ultra Durable 2" by Gigabyte. The card allows SPDIF digital audio pass and a HDMI dongle is provided.

Motherboard vendors are preparing rigorously for catering to the market that the upcoming Intel Core i7 series processors generate. The processors are based on a new 1366-pin land grid array (LGA-1366) socket and would require you to purchase a compatible motherboard. ASUS had recently revealed that it would be in a position to make its LGA-1366 offerings available by launch-day of the Core i7. Gigabyte is getting ready with its high-end offering, the GA-X58-EXTREME, TweakTown caught more than just a glimpse of it.

GIGABYTE UNITED INC., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today launched the new GIGABYTE EG45 Series motherboard - GA-EG45M-DS2H. Featuring the most secure, green and high performing integrated graphics solution on the market and powered by the latest Intel G45 Express chipset with Intel GMA X4500HD graphics core, the GIGABYTE EG45 Series delivers extensive high-definition video and audio capabilities to enable the latest high-definition digital multimedia systems. The GIGABYTE GA-EG45M-DS2H supports the powerful and energy efficient Intel 45nm Core2 Quad processors and features the new Intel G45 chipset. At the heart of the Intel G45 Express chipset is the Intel X4500HD graphics media accelerator, which features several unique innovations including more Execution Units for enhanced 3D performance breaking 1100+ scores on 3DMark 06 benchmark and Intel Clear Video Technology for sharper images and precise color control. The G45 chipset also supports smoother HD video playback, and includes support for Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats, thanks to built-in hardware video decode acceleration.

The GA-EG45M-DS2H is equipped with several unique GIGABYTE features including Ultra Durable 2 design, the fundamental building block of GIGABYTE motherboards, Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced, GIGABYTE's Ultra TPM, and a host of other features that not only maximize performance and energy efficiency, but also provide the highest levels of data security.

As of today, AMD is close to over a year and a half behind Intel with the implementation of the DDR3 system memory standard, and it doesn't look like we are going to see a DDR3 AMD platform only until late this year or early next year. Chilian website CHW.net published slides of the roadmaps for AMD chipsets in the months to come, also published are slides refering to the details of the next generation southbridge by AMD, even though the latest entry, the SB700 is only teething and only the latest motherboards with 7-Series chipsets feature this.

As the name suggests, the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DQ6 is based on Intel's new P45 chipset. What makes this board special is that it supports four Gigabit Ethernet ports, with an optional teaming feature. While this feature is only of limited use for desktop users, it becomes interesting when building a powerful office or LAN party server. Also included is a TPM chip which is becoming more and more useful in the business world, and might even make it onto gaming PCs for the use of game copy protection.

For those of you that want more of the GIGABYTE vs ASUS EPU saga, today I'm happy to inform you that after ASUS threatened to sue, it's time for GIGABYTE to issue a public apology and say I'm sorry. According to a report by DigiTimes, GIGABYTE agreed to publicize an official apology in local Taiwanese newspapers on June 1st. Although GIGABYTE continues to claim that their DES technology is superior to ASUSTeK's EPU, GIGABYTE's chairman will appologize for using a misleading picture of blown capacitors claimed to be used on many ASUS motherboards. In exchange ASUS has agreed to drop all proceedings related to the issue. Now after everyone is happy, where are our brand new Intel P45 motherboards?