Gigabyte introduced a new value socket AM3+ motherboard designed for AMD FX processors, the 970A-DS3. Based on the AMD 970 + SB950 chipset, this board is a product of some clever cost-balancing by its designers, which will spice-up both its specs-sheet, and price-tag, compared to the 970A-UD3. To begin with, the 970A-DS3 uses a much lighter component loadout compared to the UD3. The 970A-UD3's Ultra Durable 3 Classic component loadout makes way for Ultra Durable 4 Classic on the 970A-DS3, which includes a better weaved fiberglass PCB that's better resistant to humidity; features high ESD-resistance ICs located in key circuits; anti-surge ICs that prevent installed processors and memory from getting fried if something goes terribly wrong with the VRM; and of course low-RDS (on) MOSFETs and 100% solid-state capacitor design.

The CPU is powered by a simple 5-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866+ MHz memory. Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (wired to the 970), one PCIe 2.0 x16 (electrical 2.0 x4, wired to the SB950), three PCIe x1, and two legacy PCI. Gigabyte didn't cheap-out on the southbridge (by opting for SB710), and so we have a full-fledged SB950, complete with six SATA 6 Gb/s ports supporting RAID5. There are two USB 3.0 ports on the rear-panel, driven by an Etron EJ168 controller. The audio is driven by Realtek ALC887, wired to just a 5.1-channel analog output cluster, apart from the front-panel header. Gigabit Ethernet driven by Realtek 8111E tops it up. Gigabyte included its DualBIOS (AwardBIOS) with the board. Expect this one to be priced around US $100 (or below), making it a nice buy for single-GPU budget gaming-PC builds.

Gigabyte's top-tier socket AM3+ motherboard lineup is shaping up in a big way, with a bleeding-edge GA-990FXA-UD7 at the top of the pile. Gigabyte has yet another motherboard to cater to fans of the AM3+ platform, the GA-990FXA-UD5. The UD5 features a more conventional-looking component layout, with the northbridge located where it usually is. You still get the 10-phase VRM from the UD7, the black Ultra Durable 3 PCB, but this board is designed for multi-GPU setups with up to 3 graphics cards: supporting 3-way SLI and CrossFireX.

Expansion slots include five PCI-Express 2.0 x16, of which three (slots 1,3,5) are PCI-Express 2.0 wired to the AMD 990FX northbridge, with electrical configurations of x16/x16/NC or x16/x8/x8. Slots 2 and 4 are electrical x4, wired to the SB950 southbridge. Other slots include a PCI-E x1, and a legacy PCI. Storage connectivity is similar to that of the UD7, with eight SATA 6 Gb/s internal ports, a power-eSATA, and a normal eSATA.

Like most others, Gigabyte is ready with some of its first motherboards to launch with AMD's new Fusion Llano A-Series APU platform, based the new FM1 socket and AMD A75 chipset. Gigabyte's top socket FM1 motherboard is called GA-A75-UD4H. It's a return to the company's signature blue Ultra Durable 3 PCB. The FM1 socket is powered by a 10-phase VRM, it is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x8/x8 when both are populated), supporting AMD CrossFireX and NVIDIA 2-way SLI; three PCI-Express x1, and two PCI.

The A75 single-chip chipset handles all the storage connectivity on this board, with five SATA 6 Gb/s internal ports, and one eSATA 6 Gb/s. Display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. Other connectivity includes eight USB 3.0 ports driven by three controllers, including four ports by header, gigabit Ethernet, 8+2 channel HD audio driven by Realtek ALC889 CODEC, and FireWire. Expect this board to be out in mid-June.

The first motherboard that brings the AMD Fusion "Brazos" platform to nettops was pictured, the GA-E350V-USB3, which is a mini-ITX motherboard that makes use of AMD Fusion E-350 accelerated processing unit (APU), and Hudson M1 chipset. AMD is targeting the nettop and HTPC markets with such motherboards, also as competitors to Atom and new Pentium Dual-Core (LGA1156/LGA1155) desktops. The GA-E350V-USB3 makes use of Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 3 construction that makes use of a PCB with 2x copper layers, solid-state capacitors, low RDS (on) MOSFETs, and ferrite core chokes.

The board uses a 3+2 phase power design. The Fusion E-350, like the Intel Atom, is hard-wired to the board, and cooled by a small fan-heatsink. It connects to two DDR3 DIMM slots for single-channel DDR3-1800+ MHz memory. The lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x8). The Fusion APU packs two x86-64 cores clocked at 1.60 GHz, and an AMD Radeon HD 6310 graphics processor that features 80 stream processors, and clock speed of 500 MHz. Connectivity include four SATA 3 Gb/s ports, 8-channel HD audio, two USB 3.0 ports, display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. Pricing and availability are not known, as AMD didn't officially launch the platform.

Here's something you'll need to see to believe: Gigabyte made its first motherboards with black-colored PCBs, breaking away from its blue PCB mold! The company's high-end LGA1155 motherboard lineup includes two models: the GA-P67A-UD5 and the GA-P67A-UD7. Apart from the black-colored PCB, the color scheme also includes graphite-colored heatsinks with a dash of blue (UD5) or with a dash of gold (UD7), black-colored memory and expansion slots, mostly black internal ports and headers. The GA-P67-UD7 uses a 24-phase VRM to power the LGA1155 processor. Its expansion slots include four PCI-E 2.0 x16, there seems to be a PCI-E bridge chip (likely nForce 200 or something from PLX), which lets it run in 2-slot x16, or 4-slot x8 modes. There are two PCI and a PCI-E x1. Connectivity on this includes six SATA 3 Gb/s, two SATA 6 Gb/s internal ports, two gigabit Ethernet, 8-channel HD audio, four USB 3.0 ports, FireWire, and eSATA.

The GA-P67A-UD5 has a 20-phase VRM, a slightly lighter expansion area with three PCI-Express x16 slots (likely x16, NC/x8, x8), the third slot could be electrical x4. Connectivity on this one includes two SATA 6 Gb/s, four SATA 3 Gb/s, two eSATA, 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports, and FireWire. Both motherboards feature Ultra Durable 3 construction. The two could be part of the company's first wave of LGA1155 motherboards.

Gigabyte is designing a new mini-ITX motherboard that's modeled almost entirely around the GA-D525TUD, albeit with the single-core Intel Atom D425 "Pineview-D" processor, called the GA-D425TUD. The Atom D425 is a single-core chip with two logical CPUs enabled by HyperThreading technology, which has an integrated memory controller and graphics controller. It is paired with the Intel NM410 chipset.

The processor is cooled by an active fan-heatsink, while the tiny chipset makes do with a heatsink to match its size. The processor is wired to two memory slots for single-channel DDR3 memory. While the NM410 gives out two SATA 3 Gb/s ports, an additional Gigabyte GSATA2 PCI-Express controller gives out two more SATA 3 Gb/s ports with RAID support, and an IDE connector supporting two IDE devices. The lone expansion slot is a PCI. Connectivity includes 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, COM/LPT ports, D-Sub for display, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. The board makes use of high-quality components with Ultra Durable 3 construction. Expect it to cost a lesser than GA-D525TUD which goes for 79 EUR.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and computing hardware solutions is proud to unleash their latest monster performance GA-X58A-UD9 motherboard, featuring a revolutionary new 24 phase Unlocked Power design, 4-way graphics support including NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFireX, as well as a host of unique GIGABYTE features such as 333 Onboard Acceleration and On/Off Charge.

"GIGABYTE set out to completely redefine what is possible performance and feature-wise on the X58 platform, and the GA-X58A-UD9 truly delivers on both fronts," commented Tim Handley, Deputy Director of Motherboard Marketing at GIGABYTE Technology Co. Ltd. "Providing the industry's highest caliber CPU power delivery with our unique 24 phase Unlocked Power design and including all of the features which set GIGABYTE motherboards apart from the competition, the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD9 fits into a whole new first class category all its own."

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and other computing hardware solutions is pleased to announce their latest generation H55/H57 series motherboards, based on the Intel H55 and Intel H57 chipset and leveraging the success of the GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 design featuring 2x copper PCB and delivering a host of cutting-edge features including innovative Smart6 PC management tools, Dynamic Energy Saver 2 power saving utilities, DualBIOS and support for Energy Using Products Directive (EuP), for a powerful, yet power efficient multimedia platform.

"GIGABYTE once again leads the motherboard industry and sets the standard for delivering high speed data transfer and richer video playback capabilities for HD multimedia home entertainment devices," commented Tim Handley, Deputy Director of Motherboard Marketing at GIGABYTE Technology Co. Ltd. "Featuring next generation storage capabilities including USB 3.0 and high performance digital DisplayPort connectivity, as well as GIGABYTE's own unique 3x USB Power Boost, the GIGABYTE GA-H57M-USB3 and GA-H55M-USB3 provide a compelling solution for users wanting the ultimate multimedia system."

GIGABYTE Technology CO., LTD., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is pleased to launch their latest generation P55 series motherboards, based on the Intel P55 chipset, GIGABYTE P55 motherboards build upon the success of their Ultra Durable 3 design featuring 2oz copper PCB and deliver a host of cutting-edge features including the industry's first 24 phase VRM design, innovative Smart6 PC management tools and Dynamic Energy Saver 2 power saving utilities just to name a few.

Supporting the latest Intel Core i7 and Core i5 processors featuring LGA 1156 socket (code named Lynnfield) GIGABYTE P55 series motherboards set a new standard in high performance computing. With the memory controller integrated directly into the processor die, GIGABYTE P55 motherboards support 2 channel DDR3 memory for blazing fast memory performance up to 2200MHz and above. Additionally, the GIGABYTE P55 Series features Intel Turbo Boost Technology, which is able to power down idle processor cores and dynamically reroute the power to the active cores for significant performance boosts, and at the same time, maintain greater energy efficiency.

Gigabyte's recently detailed lineup of socket LGA-1156 processors includes the now-pictured P55M-UD2 entry-level motherboard based on the micro-ATX form factor. This model confirms that there will be motherboards based on the Intel P55 chipset, that are priced under US $100. Utilizing the Ultra Durable 3 construction, Gigabyte ensures low-price doesn't make way for low-quality. The socket LGA-1156 processor is powered by a 6+1 phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. Expansion slots include one PCI-E 2.0 x16, one PCI-E x16 (electrical x4), and two PCI slots along the way.

Unlike its UD4 cousin, this board doesn't split the PCI-E x16 slot to two electrical x8 slots, and it doesn't support NVIDIA SLI technology either. ATI CrossFireX isn't left out. Of the six SATA 3 Gb/s ports the P55 PCH provides, five are internal, and one assigned as eSATA. An additional Gigabyte G-SATA controller provides two internal SATA 3 Gb/s ports and an IDE connector for two devices. Connectivity options include 10 external and four internal USB 2.0 ports, two Firewire 400 ports, eSATA, PS/2 mouse-keyboard combo connector, and 8-channel audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF output connectors. The P55M-UD2 has begun getting listings on etailers for US $99.45.

A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., a worldwide leading manufacturer in high-performance DRAM modules and flash application products, today announces its new XPG Plus Series DDR3-2200+ v2.0 dual channel kit, which is the highest speed of DDR3 DRAM module in the industry.

The XPG Plus Series DDR3-2200+ v2.0 DRAM module is designed and guaranteed to run on future dual-channel platforms at incredible 2,200MHz killer speed with tight CL8-8-8-24 timings at a voltage of 1.65V, and are available in 1GBx2 and 2GBx2 dual-channel kits.

One of Gigabyte's first LGA-1156 motherboards in the micro-ATX form-factor, the GA-P55M-UD4 was previewed by CPU3D.com, revealing an upper-mainstream motherboard sporting all the essentials and a little more. The CPU socket is powered by a lavish 14-phase circuit, cooled by independent VRM heatsinks. The CPU is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. The expansion slots on this board include two PCI-E x16 slots (electrically x8, x8 when both are populated), one open-ended PCI-E x4 slot, and a legacy PCI slot. The P55 PCH provides five internal SATA II ports (blue), and one eSATA port on the rear-panel. An additional controller provides two SATA II ports (white) and the legacy IDE connector. 8-channel HD audio driven by Realtek ALC889A codec, one gigabit Ethernet interface, two Firewire ports in all, and 14 USB 2.0 ports make for the rest of the feature-set. It makes use of Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 3 construction. The GA-P55M-UD4 will be part of Gigabyte's first wave of LGA-1156 motherboards.

With the industry inching closer to the launch of Intel's Core i5 series processors, motherboard vendors are busy readying waves of motherboards to go with the processors' launch. Earlier in March, a picture of Gigabyte's first P55 chipset motherboard, the GA-IBP surfaced. The pictured then revealed a motherboard based on the Ultra Durable 2 component package. At an overclocking event in Los Angeles, Gigabyte unveiled a second motherboard. This one, yet to be named, is up to date with the Ultra Durable 3 package, a seemingly powerful CPU VRM design, support for dual-channel DDR3 memory, dual-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, an additional storage controller for four SATA ports over the six P55 offers, among standard features. The expansion slots on this board include three full-length PCI-Express slots, the first (blue) one being of full x16 bandwidth that shares 8 lanes with the first orange slot if populated, while the second orange slot is electrically x4, and probably connected to the P55 PCH. No other details have emerged about this board, though we're keeping track of things.

GIGABYTE Technology CO., LTD., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is pleased to announce their entire range of Intel X58 chipset motherboards now officially support NVIDIA SLI technology, allowing users to take full advantage of blazing-fast NVIDIA multi-GPU performance.

With a simple BIOS upgrade from the GIGABYTE website, users can enable NVIDIA SLI support on their current motherboards for ultra smooth 3D rendering, blazing-fast frame rates and enhanced visual quality possible with a multiple graphics card solution. Whether playing current and future graphics-intensive games at max settings, or enabling multi-monitor support for enhanced productivity, GIGABYTE gives users the flexibility to design their system according to their specific needs.

GIGABYTE, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to announce the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P, their first AMD "Dragon Platform" qualified motherboard with next generation AMD AM3 Phenom II processors support, enabling the very latest in definitive high performance platforms for work, home and play.
Sportting the new AMD AM3 socket, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P allows users to elevate their rig beyond the standard limits with support for support the highest performing ever 45nm AMD Phenom II processors featuring HyperTransport 3.0 and integrated DDR3 memory controller. The first motherboard to provide DDR3 memory support for the AMD platform, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is able to reach memory speeds up to 1666+MHz (OC) for blazing fast memory access for today's latest applications and games with greater energy efficiency. Build with top-notch high performance engineering, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P features the highest quality 8+2 CPU VRM power phase design, able to handle the power demands from 140W CPUs with ease.

GIGABYTE Technology Co., LTD, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is proud to announce the new GIGABYTE GA-EG45M-UD2H powered by the Intel G45 Express chipset. Featuring the GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 3 Technology with 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers, the GA-EG45M-UD2H is able to provide dramatically lower system temperatures and improved energy efficiency, and combined with a rich array of multi-media connectivity options, promises to deliver an exceptional high-definition video and audio experience for the latest high-definition digital multimedia systems.

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, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards today is pleased to announce the GA-MA790FXT-UD5P, their first AMD "Dragon Platform" qualified motherboard with next generation AMD AM3 Phenom II processors support, enabling the very latest in definitive high performance platforms for work, home and play.

Sportting the new AMD AM3 socket, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P allows users to elevate their rig beyond the standard limits with support for support the highest performing ever 45nm AMD Phenom II processors featuring HyperTransport 3.0 and integrated DDR3 memory controller. The first motherboard to provide DDR3 memory support for the AMD platform, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is able to reach memory speeds up to 1666+MHz (OC) for blazing fast memory access for today's latest applications and games with greater energy efficiency. Build with top-notch high performance engineering, the GIGABYTE GA-MA790FXT-UD5P features the highest quality 8+2 CPU VRM power phase design, able to handle the power demands from 140W CPUs with ease.

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.

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.

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 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.