Computex 2002: Gigabyte

By Vladimir Romanchenko

At Computex 2002 Gigabyte showcased a wide range of products for desktop PCs - mainboards and graphics cards, barebone systems, peripherals, Internet tablets, server and network products, data storage devices etc.

First of all, let's take a look at the promising and unusual exhibits of the company.

One of them is Socket-754 (ClawHammer) GA-K8A board, ATX, based on the AMD-8000 chipset (AMD-8151 HyperTransport AGP3.0 Graphics Tunnel and AMD-8111 (as south bridge)), 3 DIMMs, up to 2 GBytes of DDR333/266/200 memory, 5.1-channel sound (Creative CT5880), SPDIF interface, 6 USB2.0 ports, 2 IEEE1394 ports, Memory Stick, Secure Digital Card interface, Smart Card Reader, and Gigabyte's EasyTune4, @BIOS, and DualBIOS technologies.

GA-K8A

The board supports 3 ATA-133 channels and 2 Serial ATA ports.

One more Socket-754 board from Gigabyte designed for AMD Hammer is VIA-K8 based on VIA K8HTA + VIA VT8235.

GA-VIA-K8

Another interesting product from this company is GA-8INXP board for workstations which is based on the Intel Granite Bay chipset.

GA-8INXP

The board comes with 4 slots for dual-channel DDR SDRAM memory and Promise's integrated Serial ATA-150 RAID controller.

The official release of the Granite Bay chipset is expected at the end of 2002 or even in Q2 of 2003. The chipset supports dual-channel DDR and is a solution for a desktop Pentium 4 platform. I can say that the Granite Bay symbolizes Intel's withdrawl from the conception of RDRAM for desktop PCs in the near future. The chipset supports AGP 8x bus and will be in demand on the high-end desktop PC and workstation market.

Granite Bay

According to the size of the Memory Controller Hub (MCH), the Granite Bay will have the largest die's surface among chipsets for Pentium 4, because of a great number of conductors in layout of the dual-channel 64-bit DDR memory, as compared with controllers supporting dual-channel 16-bit RDRAM (for example, i850E).

One more promising product from this company is the VIA KT400 based GA-7VAXP board (up to 8 USB 2.0 ports, integrated Fast Ethernet controller, AGP 8x supported).

GA-7VAXP

The representatives of the comapny say that Gigabyte is going to produce the whole line of KT400 based boards. Bulk production of the chipset will be started at the end of June or a bit earlier. Gigabyte is sure the chipset will be officially announced in August.

VIA KT 400

The new north bridge of the chipset will support DDR400 memory and AGP 8x bus. Reportedly, the KT400 will be much more expensive than the previous KT333.

The Socket 478 GA-8TRML board is based on the rare IGP340 chipset from ATI teamed up with the VIA 686B south bridge. Undoubtedly, it supports Pentium 4 with FSB 400/533 MHz and DDR266 memory; integrated Radeon graphics, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet controller.

GA-8TRML

So far we haven't received any data on when the IGP340 based boards are going to appear.

Here is one more photo from the Gigabyte's stand; this is the GA-8SG board on the SiS648 chipset.

SiS648 based GA-8SG board

Now let's take a look at the boards from Gigabyte which will soon appear on the shelves.

On the eve of the display the company announced several mainboards based on the Intel 850E and 845E/G/GL chipsets supporting FSB 400 MHz and 533 MHz. Among them are GA-8IHXP (i850E, PC1066 supported), GA-8IEXP (i845E, RAID + ATA 133), GA-8IGX (i845G, DDR333 supported), GA-8ILML4 (i845GL).

i850E based GA-8IHXP

i845E based GA-8IEXP

i845G based GA-8IGX

For the AMD K7 platform the company offered GA-7VRX / GA-7VRXP boards on the VIA KT333CE (VIA KT333 / 8233A).

i845G based GA-7VRXP

Below is a new 128 MBytes graphics card Maya AP128D-H3 on the ATi Radeon 8500 XT.

Radeon 8500 XT based Maya AP128D-H3

This is one more Gigabyte's product - SP64DG board on the SiS Xabre 400.

SiS Xabre 400 based SP64DG

The AGP 8x board comes with 64 MBytes DDR SDRAM.

Here you can see also barebone systems named Gigabyte G-MAX.

The G-MAX systems are based on three form-factors: ATX (G-MAX-XA), MicroATX (G-MAX-MA) and FlexATX (G-MAX-FA). All of them work with different processors from Intel and AMD; additional modules for 3.5" slot - G-MAX-DP and G-MAX-RP, are consoles mounted on the front panel for PCMCIA, IEEE1394 and S/PDIF interfaces.

XA2RP system

Intel Pentium 4 Socket 478
Intel 845E / ICH4 chipset
3 DIMMs up to 2 GBytes DDR SDRAM
6 PCI, CNR, AGP 4x slots
300 W power unit
CD-RW drive 40/12/40
Front panel ports: 2 x USB 2.0, headphones jack, mic-in, IEEE 1394, PCMICA Type II, S/PDIF
Dimensions: 430 x 200 x 420 mm

XA2CB system

Intel Pentium 4 Socket 478
Intel 845E / ICH4 chipset
3 DIMMs up to 2 GBytes of DDR SDRAM
6 PCI, CNR, AGP 4x slots
300 W power unit
52x CD-ROM drive
Front panel ports: 2 x USB 2.0, headphones jack, mic-in
Dimensions: 430 x 200 x 420 mm

MA8DP system

Intel Pentium 4 Socket 478
Intel 845G / ICH4 chipset
2 DIMMs up to 2 GBytes of DDR SDRAM
3 PCI, CNR, AGP 4x slots
250 W power unit
16x DVD-ROM drive
Front panel ports: 2 x USB 2.0, headphones jack, mic-in, IEEE 1394, PCMICA Type II, S/PDIF
Dimensions: 405 x 180 x 352 mm

MA8CB system

Intel Pentium 4 Socket 478
Intel 845G / ICH4 chipset
2 DIMMs up to 2 GBytes of DDR SDRAM
3 PCI, CNR, AGP 4x
250 W power unit
16x DVD-ROM drive
Front panel ports: 2 x USB 2.0, headphones jack, mic-in
Dimensions: 405 x 180 x 352 mm

FA5DP system

Intel Pentium 4 Socket 478
Intel 845GL / ICH4 chipset
2 DIMMs up to 2 GBytes of DDR SDRAM
3 PCI slots
170 W power unit
16x DVD-ROM drive
Front panel ports: 2 x USB 2.0, headphones jack, mic-in, IEEE 1394, PCMICA Type II, S/PDIF
Dimensions: 405 x 180 x 352 mm

FA5CB system

Intel Pentium 4 Socket 478
Intel 845GL / ICH4 chipset
2 DIMMs up to 2 GBytes of DDR SDRAM
3 PCI slots
170 W power unit
16x DVD-ROM drive
Front panel ports: 2 x USB 2.0, headphones jack, mic-in
Dimensions: 405 x 180 x 352 mm

Gigabyte is deeply engaged into realization of dual-processor solutions for the Intel Xeon platform (Prestonia) on the Intel E7500 (GA-8IPXDR board) and Server Works GC-SL (GA-8EGXDR board) chipset. The boards are equipped with dual-channel U160/U320 SCSI controllers (Adaptec 7899W/7902) supporting Zero Channel Raid (ZCR), 64-bit/133, 100, 66 MHz PCI-X slots, one-channel (Broadcom 570x) or dual-channel (Intel 8254x) Gigabit LAN interfaces.

GS-SR101

GS-SR222

These solutions are used for new 1U/2U rack-mount Gigabyte modules of GS-SR125 and GS-SR225 families:

GS-SR125 server module

Dimensions - 44 x x 430 x 650 mm (1U)
4 seats for hot-swap Ultra 160 SCA/80-Pin 3.5" SCSI drives
24x CD-ROM Slim drive; 1.44 MBytes Floppy drive supported
Seiral and USB ports on the front panel
Intel E7500, ICH3-S, P64H2, 8 MBytes ATI Rage XL (video)
Up to 2 Socket 603 processors Intel Xeon (400 MHz FSB/2.2 GHz and higher)
Up to 12 GBytes of ECC registered memory DDR200
IO bridge variations: dual-channel Ultra 160 SCSI (Adaptec 7899W), ATA133 IDE RAID (Promise), 4 S-ATA ports
Two-port (Intel 82544GC) Gigabit Ethernet controller in PCI-X slot
Two full-sized PCI-X 64-bit/100 slots, 66 MHz and 1 PCI-X 64-bit/66 MHz low-profile ZCR (3.3 V) one

GS-SR222 server module

2U form-factor
6 seats for hot-swap Ultra 160 SCA/80-Pin 3.5" SCSI drives
24x Slim CD-ROM drive; 1.44 MBytes floppy drive supported
Serial and USB ports on the front panel
Intel E7500, ICH3-S, P64H2, 8 MBytes ATI Rage XL (video)
Up to 2 Socket 603 processors Intel Xeon (400 MHz FSB/2.2 GHz and higher)
Up to 12 GBytes of ECC registered memory DDR200
Dual-channel Ultra 160 SCSI (Adaptec 7899W) controller
Two-port (Intel 82544GC) Gigabit Ethernet controller in the PCI-X slot
Two full-sized PCI-X 64-bit/100, 66 MHz slots and 1 PCI-X 64-bit/66 MHz low-profile ZCR (3.3V) one
Additional console with 5 low-profile slots (4 PCI-X, 1 PCI, ZCR slot)

Here are some more examples of rack-mount server 1U/2U modules from Gigabyte:

GS-SR112 server module

Dimensions - 44 x x 430 x 650 mm (1U)
3 seats for hot-swap Ultra 160 SCA/80-Pin 3.5" SCSI drives
24x Slim CD-ROM drive; 1.44 MBytes floppy drive supported
Serial and USB ports on the front panel
Additional LCD panel
Intel 845, ICH2, 8 MBytes ATI Rage XL (video)
Socket 478, Intel P4 /400 MHz FSB/2.2 GBytes and higher
Up to 3 GBytes of unbuffered ECC memory PC133 in 3 slanted DIMM slots
Dual-channel Ultra 160 SCSI (Adaptec 7899G) controller
Two-port (Intel 82550PM) Fast Ethernet controller
Full-size PCI 32-bit/33 MHz slot
Additional - Adaptec Zero Channel RAID SCSI 2005S (Raptor) card supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1

GS-SR113 server module

Dimensions - 44 x x 430 x 650 mm (1U)
One seat for easy-swap ATA-100 OS boot drive
2 seats for hot-swap ATA-133 IDE RAID 0, 1 drives
24x Slim CD-ROM drive; 1.44 MBytes floppy drive supported
Serial and USB ports on the front panel
Additional LCD panel
Intel 845D, ICH2, 8 MBytes ATI Rage XL (video)
Socket 478, Intel P4 /400 MHz FSB/2.2 GBytes and higher
Up to 2 GBytes of unbuffered ECC memory PC133 in two slanted DIMMs
Dual-channel ATA-133 IDE RAID 0,1 (Promise PDC20276) controller
Two-port (Intel 82550PM) Fast Ethernet controller
Full-size PCI 32-bit/33 MHz slot
Additional - Adaptec Zero Channel RAID SCSI 2005S (Raptor) card supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1

GS-SR114 server module (two versions with SDRAM or DDR support)

Dimensions - 44 x x 430 x 650 mm (1U)
One seat for easy-swap ATA-100 OS boot drive
2 internal seats for ATA-100 drives with shortest cables
24x Slim CD-ROM drive; 1.44 MBytes floppy drive supported
Serial and USB ports on the front panel
Additional LCD panel
Intel 845, ICH2, 8 MBytes ATI Rage XL (video)
Socket 478, Intel P4 /400 MHz FSB/2.2 GBytes and higher
Up to 2 GBytes of unbuffered ECC memory PC133 in two slanted DIMMs
SDRAM model: up to 3 GBytes of unbuffered ECC memory PC133 in 3 slanted DIMMs
Dual-channel ATA-133 IDE RAID 0,1 (Promise PDC20276) controller
Two-port (Intel 82550PM) Fast Ethernet controller
Full-size PCI 32-bit/33 MHz slot
Additional - Adaptec Zero Channel RAID SCSI 2005S (Raptor) card supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1

GS-SR101T server dual-processor module (Pentium III Tualatin)

Dimensions - 44 x x 430 x 650 mm (1U)
2 seats for hot-swap ATA-100 IDE RAID 0, 1 drives
24x Slim CD-ROM drive; 1.44 MBytes floppy drive supported
VIA Apollo VT92C694T, VT82C686B, 8 MBytes ATI Rage XL (video)
Up to 2 Pentium III Tualatin (Socket 370/133 MHz FSB/1.2 GHz and higher)
Up to 4 GBytes of unbuffered or registered ECC memory PC133 in 4 slanted DIMM
Dual-channel ATA-100 IDE RAID 0,1 (Promise PDC20265R) controller
Two-port (Intel 82559) Fast Ethernet controller
Full-size PCI 32-bit/33 MHz slot

GS-SR102T server dual-processor module (Pentium III Tualatin)

Dimensions - 44 x x 430 x 650 mm (1U)
3 seats for hot-swap Ultra 160 SCA/80-Pin 3.5" SCSI drives
24x Slim CD-ROM drive; 1.44 MBytes floppy drive supported
Server Works ServerSet III LE, OSB4, 8 MBytes ATI Rage XL (video)
Up to two Pentium III Tualatin (Socket 370/133 MHz FSB/1.2 GHz and higher)
Up to 4 GBytes of unbuffered or registered ECC memory PC133 in 4 slanted DIMM
Dual-channel Ultra 160 SCSI (LSI 53C1010-66) controller
Two-port (Intel 82559) Fast Ethernet controller
1 full-size PCI 64-bit/66 MHz slot

GS-SR104 server module (Pentium III Tualatin)

Dimensions - 44 x x 430 x 650 mm (1U)
2 seats for ATA-100 drives
24x Slim CD-ROM drive; 1.44 MBytes floppy drive supported
Additional LCD panel
VIA Apollo VT92C694T+VT82C686B, 8 MBytes ATI Rage XL (video)
Pentium III Tualatin (Socket 370/133 MHz FSB/1.2 GHz and higher)
Up to 4 GBytes of unbuffered or registered ECC memory PC133 in 4 slanted DIMM
Two-port (Intel 82559) Fast Ethernet controller
1 PCI 32-bit/33 MHz low-profile slot and 1 full-size PCI 32-bit/33 MHz slot

GS-SR202 server dual-processor 2U module (Pentium III Tualatin)

6 seats for hot-swap Ultra 160 SCA/80-Pin 3.5" SCSI drives
24x Slim CD-ROM drive; 1.44 MBytes floppy drive supported
Serial and USB ports on the front panel
Additional power unit for smooth operation
Server Works ServerSet III LE, OSB4, 8 MBytes ATI Rage XL (video)
Up to 2 Pentium III Tualatin (Socket 370/133 MHz FSB/1.2 GHz and higher)
Up to 4 GBytes of unbuffered or registered ECC memory PC133 in 4 slanted DIMM
Dual-channel Ultra 160 SCSI (LSI 53C1010-66) controller
Two-port (Intel 82559) Fast Ethernet controller
1 full-size PCI 64-bit/66 MHz slot

One more sector Gigabyte entered as it announced at the display is wireless devices for the SOHO market, including solutions for realization of a wireless Internet access.

The wireless line includes Bluetooth dongles GN-BTD01, wireless PCMCIA cards GN-WLM01 and wireless router GN-BR402W.

The Bluetooth dongles GN-BTD01 work within the range of 2.45 GHz dedicated for Bluetooth systems and provide data transfer at 1 Mbps up to 100 m.

The wireless PCMCIA cards GN-WLM01 work in the IEEE 802.11b standard.

Gigabyte GN-BR402W

The GN-BR402W Wireless Broadband Router is an updated version of the GN-BR401; it is equipped with 4 commutable ports, and printer, COM, USB and fifth LAN ports. The device uses IEEE 802.11b wireless connection protocol and is used to access Internet in wireless networks through DSL/cable networks. The GN-BR402W supports 128-bit encryption, DHCP, PPPoE etc.

In closing, I'd like to show you the concept of the Tablet PC from Gigabyte:

Gigabyte Tablet PC

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