GIGABYTE’s USB 3.0 tech zone a hive of activity

If you’re wondering around Computex wondering what’s hot, visit the GIGABYTE USB 3.0 tech zone on the 36th floor of Taipei 101. The gent in the white shirt is Peter Carcione from SuperTalent showing off their extremely fast RAID USB 3.0 drive.

GIGABYTE at Computex 2010: More people use GIGABYTE USB 3.0 motherboards than any other brand

GIGABYTE’s Computex 2010 messages are No. 1 USB 3.0 motherboards and No. 1 motherboards for CPU power delivery (Unlocked Power).

These pictures are taken before the rush on day 1 in our meeting rooms on the 36th floor of Taipei 101. Here’s a view from the south facing windows of our meeting rooms.

And from the West facing windows.

We’ll have some more pictures and news about the products and tech on display when the media articles go online. Stay tuned…

GIGABYTE’s Search for #1 Biggest Fan Week 2 Winner is…

Congratulations to week 2’s winner Juanjo Mayor from Spain. His answer to what device(s) would you like to see offer USB 3.0 support?

Mainly hardrives, flash memories, 3G modems... In general: devices related to Data transfer

He wins a new GIGABYTE GA-890FXA-UD5 motherboard.

This week’s question is: What makes GIGABYTE the No. 1 motherboard brand in the world? Please visit GIGABYTE Motherboards on facebook and “Like” GIGABYTE motherboards. To answer this week’s question and for the chance to win a GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD7, please visit the discussion section Week 3.

Kingston demos fastest DDR3 memory with GIGABYTE motherboard during Computex 2010

Kingston has put up a teaser movie on youtube to demo their new HyperX 2544MHz DDR3 memory. The motherboard being used was the GIGABYTE P55-UD4P.

The battle for Core i5 655k supremacy

As we approach Computex where the much anticipated unlocked CPUs from Intel are expected to be announced, the battle to hold the No. 1 CPU-Z position for the 655k CPU is getting interesting. Dinos22 currently holds first place with 6650 Mhz using a GIGABYTE P55A-UD7, Monstru is second with 6635 Mhz on a GIGABYTE P55A-UD6, and AbsoluteZero is third with 6300 on a GIGABYTE P55A-UD7.

Stay tuned for more as the battle heats up.

The Search for GIGABYTE’s #1 Biggest Fan Continues…

Congratulations to JD Melo from the Philippines who just won Week 1’s motherboard, a GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H!

Week 2’s question has already been posted: What device(s) would you like to see offer USB 3.0 support?

Please visit HERE to answer this week’s question for your chance to a GA-890FXA-UD5 motherboard. Remember, there are still 9 weeks left to go with 9 more motherboards to be given away as well as the title of GIGABYTE’s #1 Biggest Fan along with a trip to Taipei to watch this year’s GO OC (GIGABYTE Open Overclocking Competition)!

For complete contest rules, please visit HERE. And if you haven’t already “liked” GIGABYTE Motherboard Tech Column, what are you waiting for? www.facebook.com/GIGABYTEmotherboards

World’s first USB 3.0 Mini-ITX motherboard

Today we launched the world’s smallest desktop PC motherboard featuring USB 3.0, the H55N-USB3. This is quite remarkable because a mere two press releases ago we launched the world’s largest desktop PC motherboard featuring USB 3.0 when we announced the X58A-UD9. The size difference between these two form factor extremes (XL-ATX and Mini-ITX) is shown in the picture above where I’m holding them for comparison. I must say that the UD9 feels like it weighs ten times as much as the H55N-USB3 even though they both have 2oz copper PCBs.

The H55N-USB3 comes with all the bells and whistles that you’d expect from a high-end GIGABYTE motherboard including hi-def audio and video ports (video needs the correct Intel CPU with integrated graphics of course), all Japanese solid capacitors, Ferrite core chokes, Low RDS (on) MOSFETs, Dual BIOS, Smart 6, EasyTune 6 and 3x USB power. We expect this little baby to be popular in the DIY media center market where small size and high-def audio & video are important. Consider the inclusion of USB 3.0 for speedy transfer of large media files, and there is not better option for a living room PC!

While on the topic of extremes in the motherboard form factor spectrum, these niche products have never really been a focus for GIGABYTE until recently for a couple of reasons: the first is that we have grown our market share in the more mainstream segments considerably over the past 4 years since we first introduced solid capacitors on our mobos in 2006, and exploring new market segments is how we hope to continue growing our share; the second is that the Mini-ITX ecosystem is maturing to the extent where cases, power supplies, low profile CPU coolers and memory are readily available, so we expect to see good volumes for these products.

Stay tuned for more USB 3.0 news from GIGABYTE as we get ready for Computex 2010 next week.

First retail X58A-UD9 shows up on Australian forum. First OC result is pretty impressive too!

rbdirty is the first forum user to report about his purchase of the new X58A-UD9 board. He was so eager to try it out that he managed to quickly get some dry ice, a Xeon W3520 CPU and managed to do some quick 32M Superpi runs with 245MHz bclock.

That's a pretty impressive start from this up and coming forum member who has only recently started getting a feel for subzero cooling. His kingpin F1 pot looks brand new still heh. He is incidentally one second off the current category world record for that particular CPU which is pretty impressive as he hasnt started tweaking yet.

Keep up the good work rbdirty and for anyone who wants to check out how he is going jump to OCAU thread for more

System image courtesy of rbdirty from OCAU :)

Win a trip to Taiwan – GIGABYTE’s biggest fan contest

On Monday this week we launched the Search for GIGABYTE Motherboard’s #1 Biggest Fan promotion on facebook. Entrants are required to post answers to questions such as: What feature on any GIGABYTE motherboard would make you consider upgrading your system?

We’ll be giving away one motherboard per week from May 17th until July 31st (total of 10 boards) to lucky winners who have ‘Liked’ the GIGABYTE Motherboard Tech Column and posted something interesting about GIGABYTE motherboard features. There will be one ultimate winner deemed to be GIGABYTE’s No. 1 biggest fan who will be selected by the GIGABYTE HQ marketing team for their participation and contribution throughout the promotion. This fan will be awarded an all expenses paid trip to Taiwan during GO OC 2010 in September, where they will meet and spend time with the world’s top overclockers. More details at available on the GIGABYTE Motherboard Tech Column facebook events page.

If you haven’t ‘Liked’ the GIGABYTE Motherboard Tech Column yet, like it and join our facebook community for a chance to win big!

GO OC Australia 2010 is over!

Youngpro wins the extreme OC competititon!

Unfortunately due to work committements he is unable to attend Pan Asian Regional Finals in Jakarta Indonesia however bob(nz) and Uncle Fester have qualified for the big trip to represent Australia. Good luck boys and all the best. You are heading over there to defend last year's win by TeamAU (nooooooooo pressure) hahahah

youtube video click to play

GIGABYTE USA: SHARE YOUR GIGABYTE SYSTEM CONTEST!

GIGABYTE USA is running a new contest and giving away some great prizes:

1st Prize: Nintendo Wii
2nd Prize: Razer Carcharias Gaming Headset
3rd Prize: GIGABYTE GM-M8000X Gaming Mouse

All you have to do is post a picture of your system to be entered. The contest is until June 4, so make sure to visit GIGABYTE USA on Facebook and visit their contest page HERE for more details.

Note: this contest is for Canadian and US GIGABYTE fans only!

Ever wondered how to tell the difference between Japanese solid caps and others?

It’s been a while since we introduced the first all solid capacitor motherboards in 2006 and yet solid caps are still a major selling point for GIGABYTE motherboards. Of course in 2006 they were reserved for the high-end models, but these days you’ll find Japanese solid caps on every single GIGABYTE motherboard for the desktop retail market – even the very entry level models use them for their CPU power phases.

Some vendors have followed GIGABYTE’s lead and are using solid caps, but not all solid caps are equal! We believe that Japanese solid caps offer the best quality and that’s why we have launched a new Japanese Solid Capacitor microsite to help you recognize the real deal when you see them on our motherboards.

GIGABYTE’s dual power switching explained

Overclocking legend and geek, Hicookie, has explained the ideas and technology behind GIGABYTE’s new dual power switching technology in a very technical discussion on facebook. The article is written in Hicookinese which is a mix of Technolijan and Chinglish, but he was been kind enough to provide a diagram to reduce the possible negative effects of language barriers.

A less technical explanation can be found here.

GO OC French Final Online Coverage

Overclocking TV has posted coverage of the GO OC French finals that took place in Paris recently. You can watch it from the Overclocking-TV website, their youtube channel or on youtube.

Stay tuned for more GO OC news from OC TV and others.

GIGABYTE X58A-UD9 motherboard unboxing

Wondering what goodies you’ll get inside your new UD9 motherboard box? Benny from Indonesia has posted a retail box photo gallery on the extremesystems.org forums.

News: GIGABYTE Unlocks Monster Performance with Latest UD9 Motherboard

Redefining the X58 Platform with 24 Phase Unlocked Power and 4-Way Graphics Support

Yesterday we launched our new flagship motherboard, the long awaited GA-X58A-UD9. Yes, Unlocked CPU Power and quad CrossfireX/SLI are finally ready for mass consumption folks. Here are some links to official (and not so official) resources:

- GIGABYTE news release: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/News/Motherboard/News_List.aspx?NewsID=1546 

- GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD9 microsite: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/FileList/WebPage/mb_unlocked-power/unlocked-power.htm 

- GIGABYTE Motherboard Tech Column facebook photo album: http://www.facebook.com/pages/GIGABYTE-Motherboard-Tech-Column/209090107119?v=photos&ref=ts#!/album.php?aid=172384&id=209090107119 

- 3D mark 05 and 06 world records: http://gigabytedaily.blogspot.com/2010/05/hicookie-tops-charts-in-3dmark05-with.html 

Media reviews are starting to appear so look for more info from your favorite high performance computing media over the coming days and weeks.

Hicookie tops the charts in 3DMARK05 & 06 on X58A-UD9

Hicookie, Taiwanese overclocker extraordinaire, has set his sights on 3DMARK05 & 3DMARK06. He broke the World Records with the new X58A-UD9 motherboard. The new records jumped to 60775 ('05) and 46920 ('06).

Congrats hicookie!

GO OC Australia 2010 Online Competition is over, youngpro tops the table!

GO OC Australia 2010 online competition is over!

Four extreme overclockers have made it through to the Sydney 15th May live final.

Congratulations to youngpro, Uncle Fester, booj and bob(nz) on their fantastic effort and see you in Sydney.

If you would like to register to be a spectator it's still not too late. Jump on this site and RSVP today: http://gooc2010.gigabyte.com.au/rsvp.aspx

News: GIGABYTE Claims Title of No. 1 USB 3.0 Motherboard Brand!

We were very excited to hear on Tuesday this week that the GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 motherboard has just become the first motherboard for the AMD platform to be SuperSpeed USB certified by the USB-IF. There are a number of GIGABYTE USB 3.0 motherboards listed on the the SuperSpeed USB Compliance Web page (more than 3 times as many as any other brand in fact), but these have all been for the Intel platform. It might not be too surprising for GIGABYTE to be first with an AMD SuperSpeed USB certified board because we were also first to market with AMD USB 3.0 motherboards (and Intel for that matter).

In our press release yesterday we mentioned all the ‘USB 3.0 firsts’ that GIGABYTE has achieved because we feel that SuperSpeed USB is, and will continue to be, a very important feature for 2010 and even half way into 2011 while it is still not part of any chipset from Intel or AMD. As soon as it’s integrated into the chipset every brand will have it and it will become just another check-off item for PC upgraders. The NEC USB 3.0 controller chip is still the only certified chip available, and therefore the cost is still relatively high so most motherboard vendors will only use it on a very select few models.

At GIGABYTE we believe that we’re in the middle of the Windows 7 upgrade cycle and so there is no better time to implement USB 3.0! USB has awesome brand appeal – even my mom knows what a USB port looks like and where to attach it to her PC – and anyone upgrading their PC is going to opt for USB 3.0 over USB 2.0, if the price delta isn’t too exorbitant that is. This is why we now have 33 models of USB 3.0 motherboards that stretch from the Intel X58 down to even the G41(yes, there is a USB 3.0 option even for our entry level models) and from the AMD 890FX down to the 785G chipset.

So if you’re in the market for a new USB 3.0 motherboard, don’t look any further than the No.1 brand in USB 3.0 platforms.

GA-X58A-UD3R Earns Tom’s Hardware 2010 Recommended Buy

Tom’s Hardware recently compared several X58 boards for their latest round-up: X58 In 2010: Four LGA 1366 Boards With USB 3.0 And SATA 6Gb/ with the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R earning the coveted top spot with 2010 Recommended Buy award.

Gigabyte’s X58A-UD3R has nearly as many onboard features as its “big brother,” but costs around $150 less. The X58A-UD3R even offers more features than Asus’ mid-priced P6X58D-E, for a price roughly equal to ASRock’s lower-cost model. With consideration for the price premium that normally accompanies X58-based products, we simply haven’t seen a motherboard value this good since November of last year. That level of value earns the X58A-UD3R an award.

To read the full Tom’s Hardware review, please visit HERE.

Monstru makes GIGABYTE X58A-UD9 go 4WAY SLI in Romania

GIGABYTE X58A-UD9 is the most feature rich motherboard created by the manufacturer to date. One such feature which separates it from the crowds too is 4WAY SLI. 4WAY SLI is one of those rare features that are very important to EXTREME overclockers and very high end gaming or production machines.

Monstru, tech writer from Lab501 in Romania by day and extreme overclocker by night, decided to have a play with the UD9 in 4WAY SLI GTX480 and the initial results are pretty impressive. I can't wait to see what he gets when the CPU gets pushed to 5.6GHz+

Check out the story on XtremeSystems and Romanian Lab501 website review

GIGABYTE Continues to Serve Up Dell Orders

Digitimes has an interesting article today reporting that GIGABYTE is expected to receive more server orders from Dell for the second half of 2010. The volumes must be significant, as Digitimes concludes this would make GIGABYTE the 3rd largest server maker in the world.

They also mentioned our launch of AMD 800 series chipset-based motherboards for which they got a first hand look at our press event last week. For more info on GIGABYTE 800 series motherboards, please visit HERE.

GO OC RSA results are in – Vivi’s going to Jakarta!

Congratulations to Vivi (aka Goddy Roodt) who won the South African qualifier of the GIGABYTE Open Overclocking Championship (GO OC), and will represent his country in Jakarta Indonesia in the Pan Asia and Africa regional final. DrWeeZ and Deadmeat were 2nd and 3rd respectively with Seraphs and The Dee also taking home some of the prizes on offer.

The benchmarks used were SuperPi 1M, PiFast, Wprime 32m and Maxxmem – a very CPU + motherboard-centric competition in other words. The event was hosted on the prophecy.co.za forums; more details about the rules of the event can be found on the GO OC RSA event web page and the scores are available from the results web page.

Congratulations (again) to all the winners en Goddy ons wens vir jou alle voorspoed toe vir die res van die kompetitiesie.