Review Gigabyte G1.Assassin: High End Class Gaming Motherboard Military Themed

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of Sandy Bridge Intel platform, GIGABYTE motherboards using the re-release of the Intel X58 chipset is Gigabyte G1-Killer Series. In contrast to previous Intel X58 motherboards from Gigabyte, Gigabyte G1-Killer Series is a military-themed gaming motherboard. This is the first time released a gaming Gigabyte motherboard. Gigabyte G1-Killer Series provides many features to pamper players who use them. Gigabyte provides its own nicknames for these features, namely Super Sight, Super Hearing, Super Speed​​, and Super Shield.

Gigabyte X58A-UD3R: USB 3.0, SATA 6G

The past few years have been very kind to Gigabyte; the company's shipments have increased to the point that it's now approximately tied with Asus in terms of volume shipments. Part of the reason for the company's good fortune is its decision to aggressively align its higher-end motherboards, both in terms of price and available features. Gigabyte has put a major push behind USB 3.0, and claims to have purchased one million of the three million USB 3.0 controllers NEC has shipped thus far.

The X58A-UD3R we're reviewing today is a good example of Gigabyte's competitive product positioning. The board's feature loadout is excellent given its ~$200 price point—the question we'll be looking to answer is whether or not the company cut any corners to hit its target.

 

Processor and Chipset
Based on Intel X58/ICH10R chipset
Supports Intel Core i7 Processors

Memory
6 x DIMM, Max. 24 GB, DDR3 2000(O.C.)*/1866(O.C.)*/1800(O.C.)*/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 ECC,Non-ECC,Un-buffered Memory
Triple channel memory architecture
Support Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
   
Expansion Slot
4 x PCIe physical x16
1 x PCI
2 x PCIe x1

SLI / Video Card Configurations*:
Single Card: Slot 1 (x16)
SLI/Crossfire: Slots 1 & 3 (x16, x16)
Tri-SLI/TriFire: Slots 1, 3, & 4: (x16, x8, x8)
QuadFire:  Slots 1-4: (x8, x8, x8, x8)
   
Storage I/O
Intel ICH10R controller
6x SATA 3 Gb/s ports
Intel® Matrix Storage supporting SATA RAID 0, 1, 10, and 5

Marvell 9128 SATA 6G Controller
2x SATA 6Gb/s Ports (RAID 0 + RAID 1)

Gigabyte SATA2 (JMB362)
1x IDE (ATA133)
2x SATA 3Gb (RAID 0 / RAID 1)

JMicron JMB362
2x eSATA USB/eSATA external ports
   
Integrated Peripherals
1 x Realtek 8111D  Gigabit LAN
Realtek ALC889, 7.1-Channel High Definition Audio
Multi-Streaming
Jack-Sensing
Front Panel Jack-Retasking
Coaxial / Optical S/PDIF out ports at back I/O
12 USB 2.0 ports
   
Multi I/O
1 x PS/2 Keyboard
1 x PS/2 Mouse
2 x USB 2.0/eSATA
4 x USB 2.0/1.1
2 x USB 3.0/2.0
2 x IEEE1394 (FireWire 400)
1 x Clear CMOS
1 x S/PDIF Out (Coaxial)
1x S/PDIF In (Coaxial)
1 x LAN(RJ45) port
6 x Audio
  

Special Features
@BIOS
Q-Flash
Xpress BIOS Rescue
Download Center
Xpress Install
Xpress Recovery 2
EasyTune
Dynamic Energy Saver 2
Smart 6
Auto Green
eXtreme Hard Drive
Q-Share

Internal IO
24-pin EATX Power connector
8-pin ATX +12V Power connector
1 x Floppy Drive
1 x IDE Drive
1 x CPU Fan Header
3 x System fan header
1 x fan header
1 x North bridge fan header
1 x front panel header
1 x front panel audio
1 x CD-In
1 x S/PDIF In
1 x S/PDIF Out
2 x USB 2.0 Headers
1 x IEEE1394 / Firewire 400

Accessories
Anti-Virus Software (OEM version)
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Firefox 3.5

ATX Form Factor
12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.5 cm )

• Supports NVIDIA 2-Way and 3-Way SLI technology
• Supports ATI CrossFire (2-way/3-way listed, quad support implied)

 

The X58A-UD3R packs all the standard features we'd expect from an LGA1366 motherboard, its six RAM slots, support for multiple video cards, and its plethora of USB 2.0 ports are all checked boxes on the usual list. Where the UD3R stands out is its storage capabilities, the board sports 10 SATA ports, an ATA port, and two combination USB 2.0/eSATA ports. Toss in the USB 3.0 ports and the X58A is capable of handling up to 16 hard drives at (or very near) native interface speeds. That's before we count external enclosures connected via USB 2.0, FireWire, or through the use of add-on cards.

Average Bundle, Excellent Documentation:
The included cables and various items are bog-standard (we dislike the lack of eSATA cables) but we want to take a moment to compliment Gigabyte's manual. When you've been building computers for a decade or more it's easy to overlook the importance of a well-written guide. Happily, Gigabyte didn't. The X58A-UD3R's manual weighs in at 125 pages, nearly all of them useful.

Gigabyte has diagrammed and documented the board's components, BIOS features, and bundled utilities and provided a step-by-step (and screenshot-by-screenshot) how-to on setting up a RAID array or installing an appropriate AHCI driver for Intel's ICH10, the JMicron controllers, or the onboard Marvell 9128 SATA 6G chip. The manual wraps up with a brief tutorial on configuring surround sound speakers; anyone who's curious can take a peek at the digital version here.

We can't say for certain if Gigabyte has provided this level of documentation for all its current motherboards, but this is precisely the sort of value-added feature that can make a practical difference to anyone whose nervous about building a system. Bravo.
source:hothardware.com

GIGABYTE G1-Killer Gaming Series Motherboards

Weaponize Yourself with the Latest GIGABYTE G1.Assassin, G1.Sniper and G1.Guerrilla

Las Vegas, USA – January 5, 2011 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and other computing hardware solutions, today at a press event at CES announced their latest line of dedicated gaming motherboards designated the G1-Killer series, consisting of the G1.Assassin, G1.Sniper and G1.Guerrilla. Based on the Intel^® X58 chipset and featuring several state-of-the-art onboard solutions from industry heavy hitters including Creative and Bigfoot Networks, as well as quite a few new and exclusive GIGABYTE features, the GIGABYTE G1-Killer series motherboards are equipped to let gamers unleash total mass gaming destruction.

"GIGABYTE is thrilled to be able to introduce the world’s first motherboard series designed solely for elite gamers," commented Henry Kao, Senior Vice President of Research and Development at GIGABYTE. "The G1-Killer series features the industry’s most advanced hardware and software solutions from Creative and Bigfoot Networks onboard as well as the top-notch quality and durability users have come to expect from GIGABYTE. So, lock and load gamers, the GIGABYTE G1-Killer series motherboards deliver a gaming experience unlike any other."

"Intel is very excited to see continued innovation on the Intel^® X58 Chipset platform, and congratulates GIGABYTE on their latest high-performance G1-Killer gaming motherboard series", said Steve R. Peterson, Director of desktop chipset and strategic marketing at Intel Corporation. "These new motherboards, paired with Intel^® Core™ i7 Processors Extreme Edition, deliver incredible speed and responsiveness to serious hardcore gamers."
"Sound Blaster audio technology is a class above any of the integrated chipsets currently on the market, and it’s clear that the PC industry concurs with this," said Steve Erickson, Vice President and General Manager for Audio and Video at Creative. "When it comes to onboard audio solutions, we’re seeing more and more major motherboard manufacturers like GIGABYTE selecting Sound Blaster technology as their audio enhancement technology of choice, because of the far superior high-definition audio quality it furnishes."
"In online games, the difference between victory and defeat is measured in fractions of a second," said Michael Howse, CEO of Bigfoot Networks. "The Killer™ E2100 is the fastest networking solution ever created for online games, with unique technology that automatically prioritizes game traffic while also delivering unparalleled control over how your PC uses network bandwidth. We are pleased to partner with GIGABYTE to deliver superior network performance on the new G1-Killer™ family of gaming motherboards featuring Killer™ E2100 technology."
Like soldiers about to head out into the line of fire, elite gamers know that the equipment they use can mean the difference between getting the frag, or being fragged. That is why GIGABYTE has strapped some big guns onto the G1-Killer series motherboards designed to heighten gamers’ super human killer instincts and enhance their game play.

GIGABYTE G1-Killer Instinct Features

Super Sight	Super Hearing	Super Speed	Super Shield
4-way CrossFireX™ and 3-SLI™	Onboard Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Digital Audio Processor (20K2)	Bigfoot Networks Killer™ E2100 Game Networking Platform	Locked and Loaded Heatpipe Design
	X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity™	Front Access Control Panel with OC button	5 Smart Fan Connectors
	EAX® AHD 5.0™	SATA 3.0 (6Gbps), USB 3.0 and 3x USB Power	GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 3
	Dolby® Digital Live		Maximum CPU Power Delivery
	DTS™ Connect		Dual CPU Power
	Front Audio Headphone Amplifier		Driver MOSFETs
	Nichicon High-end Audio Capacitors