This mainboard is presently the top model in the Intel series of the manufacturer, so it is bundled according to its high status and possesses corresponding functionality. I would like to note that the manufacturer laid stress on the functionality of the mainboard instead of on "bells and whistles": Eight Serial ATA connectors – this is quite "capital" even nowadays.
The PCB layout is ordinary – inconvenient location of connectors along the left edge, FDD and PATA connectors are behind the AGP slot, the audio connector is in front of the PCI-E 1x slots. Access to the jumper is not hampered, when the mainboard is in a case, its description is provided on the PCB. The 4-phase switching voltage regulator of the processor incorporates two 1500 uF capacitors, four 1000 uF capacitors, and nine 560 uF capacitors. The PCB also contains voltage regulators for the PCI-E x16 bus (4x1000 uF) and for memory (6x1000 uF).
The PCB layout provides space for a COM port connector, which is left empty. Mainboard dimensions – 305x245 mm ("wide" ATX, nine-screw mount, all mainboard edges are firmly fixed). The ITE IT8712F-A chip is used to monitor:
CPU and memory voltage, +3.3 and +12 V
RPM of 2 fans
CPU temperature (by the embedded CPU sensor)
board temperature (by the on-board sensor)
Onboard ports, sockets, and connectors
CPU socket (Socket 775)
6 x DDR 2 SDRAM DIMM (differ by color, grouped by three)
1 x PCI-E x16 (with a latch)
3 x PCI-E x1
2 x PCI (32bit, 33MHz)
Power connectors: standard EPS 12 V (24 pins) and 4-pin connector for 12 V
1 x FDD
1 x IDE (Parallel ATA) – in the chipset
8 x SATA ( Serial ATA ), four of them are in the chipset, the other four are due to an additional connector
U - Plus DPS connector
4 connectors for brackets with additional USB (2.0) ports
2 connectors for the bracket with additional FireWire ports
1 x CD/DVD audio connector
1 x standard IrDA connector
Header for the bracket with additional Audio-Outs
4 x fan connectors (3 of them are with RPM control, the fourth can be used by the fan on the northbridge heatsink)
Back panel (left to right, blockwise)
PS/2 mouse and keyboard
1 x LPT, 1 x COM, Coaxial S/PDIF-In/Out
2 x USB and 1 x RJ-45 (Gigabit Ethernet)
2 x USB and 1 x RJ-45 (Gigabit Ethernet)
3 x Audio (Mic-In, Line-In, Front)
3 x Audio (Center/Sub, Rear, Side)
Package Contents
Standard design package, two boxes with handles
Documentation (in English):
User's guide
SATA RAID setup guide
Poster with short instructions how to install and setup the mainboard
Cables:
ATA 66/100/133 (blue, with company logo)
FDD (blue, with company logo)
4 SerialATA cables
SATA power converter
U-Plus DPS
WiFi 802.11b/g card with antenna
Rear panel bracket with 2 x USB and 2 x FireWire
Rear panel bracket with 2 x USB
Rear panel bracket
2 CDs with software:
mainboard drivers
drivers for the 802.11b/g expansion board
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Norton Internet Security 2004
Gigabyte @BIOS
Gigabyte C.O.M
Gigabyte DMIView
Gigabyte EasyTune 5
Gigabyte FaceWizard
Gigabyte Windows Utility Manager
Gigabyte IA Panel
Gigabyte Management Tool
DirectX 9.0
We would like to note that the bundle includes a WiFi card (state-of-the-art card supporting 802.11g). In the software bundle we can note the latest version of Norton Internet Security (personal firewall). This program is not cheap at all, and licensed software is more comfortable and secure to use...
Integrated Controllers
Audio, based on HDA Realtek ALC 880 codec (7.1 ch Audio) with front Audio I/O jacks
2 x LAN controllers, one of them is based on the Broadcom BCM 5751 KFB chip supporting 10 Base-T /100 Base-TX /1000 Base-T. The other is based on Marvell 88 E 8001- LKJ supporting 10 Base-T /100 Base-TX/1000 Base-T
FireWire based on Texas Instruments TSB 82 AA 2 and TSB 81 BA 3 supporting three FireWire -800 ports
USB based on the Cypress CY 7 C 6564 D-LFC chip supporting three USB 2.0 ports
SATA RAID based on the Silicon Image SiI 3114 CT 176 chip supporting RAID 0, 1 and 0+1 with four SATA connectors
