Gigabyte G1-Killer Series Of Gaming Motherboards Unveiled At CES 2011
Gigabyte had more than one announcement to release at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The first, which focused on the company's first AMD FusionT Mini-ITX mainboard, was an announcement that plenty of PC builders and enthusiasts were excited for. The company's latest announcement at the event is geared specifically for gamers, and gamers who want to take their rigs seriously.
The company has officially announced their brand new G1-Killer Series of gaming motherboards, including the G1.Sniper, G1.Assassin, and G1.Guerilla. Each of the gaming motherboards will be based on the Intel X58 chipset, as well as include the Killer E2100 network solutions. The company says that the latter technology makes the new gaming motherboards the fastest ever created for online gaming.
The system is designed to prioritize traffic within any particular game, while still managing to deliver remarkable control to how your network handles the bandwidth coming in and out. The price for the new gaming motherboards hasn't been announced yet, nor has the release schedule.
Press Release
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.
4-way CrossFireX™ and 3-way SLI™ Support*
The ability to see clearly through the fog of war can often tip the balance between the winning or losing force. That is why GIGABYTE has equipped the G1-Killer series motherboards to offer utmost graphics flexibility and upgradeability. With multiple GPU support, GIGABYTE G1-Killer motherboards deliver maximum FPS (Frames Per Second), allowing gamers to see more clearly, aim faster, and move more quickly.
Onboard Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Digital Audio Processor (20K2)
Being able to hear where your enemy is located before you see them can put you at a distinct advantage in most gaming situations. That is why GIGABYTE has rigged the G1-Killer series motherboards with the industry's most advanced audio solutions all onboard; giving you the highest caliber audio experience. GIGABYTE G1-Killer motherboards** are the world's only gaming motherboards to feature Creative's top-of-the-line Soundblaster Digital Audio Processor (20K2) onboard with X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity® and EAX® Advanced HD™ 5.0 technologies, allowing you to experience sound in your gaming world exactly as you would in real life.
X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity®
X-Fi is a suite of technologies that deliver premium quality surround sound to your ears, whether it is through headphones, stereo or surround speakers and helps to restore compressed digital audio to pristine audio with stunning clarity.
EAX® Advanced HD™ 5.0
EAX® (Environmental Audio Extension) is a collection of powerful, innovative audio technologies that bring true interactive 3D audio to PC gaming and helps create more ambience within games by more accurately simulating a real-world audio environment.
Dolby® Digital Live
Enjoy audio from your PC through your home theater with Dolby® Digital Live. A real-time encoding technology, Dolby Digital Live converts any audio signal into a Dolby Digital bitstream for transport and playback through a home theater system. With it, your PC can be hooked up to your Dolby Digital-equipped audio/video receiver or digital speaker system via a single digital connection, eliminating the confusion of multiple cables and ensuring the integrity of the audio signal.
DTS™ Connect
DTS Connect is the perfect solution to enhance your entertainment experience using your home theater's Audio/Video Receiver. DTS Connect is comprised of two DTS technologies including DTS Neo: PC™ which takes 2-channel (stereo) audio and transforms it into a full-bandwidth matrix of your speaker layout (up to 7.1 channels) and DTS Interactive™ which encodes digital audio sources into DTS Digital Surround, which can then stream out to your Audio/Video Receiver using a S/PDIF connection.
Built-in Front Audio Headphone Amplifier
Specially designed for gamers, the GIGABYTE G1-Killer series utilize a high capacity amplifier which is able to drive 150Ω loads, allowing gamers to enjoy a fuller range of dynamic sound with crisper details and less distortion when using high quality professional headphones. The amplifier also features wide band-width, low noise, high slew rate and low distortion, making it ideal for professional audio usage. In addition, GIGABYTE has equipped the G1-Killer motherboards with 4 additional amplifiers onboard for the center/sub woofer, rear speaker, side surround and line out.
Nichicon High-end Audio Capacitors
GIGABYTE G1-Killer series motherboards utilize the highest quality Nichicon MUSE ES series and MW series Bi-Polarized audio capacitors at each channel layout. These professional audio capacitors deliver the highest quality sound resolution and sound expansion to create the most realistic sound effects for professional gamers.
Onboard Bigfoot Networks Killer™ E2100 Game Networking Platform
GIGABYTE is the only motherboard manufacturer to seriously address online gaming network lag issues by implementing the Bigfoot Networks Killer™ E2100 Game Networking Platform directly onboard the G1-Killer series motherboards. Utilizing a unique combination of dedicated Network Processing Unit (NPU) and exclusive Game Networking DNA™ technology, the Bigfoot Networks Killer™ E2100 Game Networking Platform was designed to give the best online gaming experience possible.
- Killer™ E2100 Dedicated NPU
Dedicated Network Processing Unit (NPU) with 1GB of dedicated DDR2 memory helps offload network traffic from the CPU, freeing it up to do other important computing tasks.
- Game Networking DNA™
Bigfoot Network's exclusive Game Networking DNA™ software offloads gaming data directly to the NPU by bypassing the Windows Network Stack, delivering tremendous speed benefits which allow you to move quicker, shoot faster and win bigger.
- Up to 10X Faster
Whether you're playing MMOs or first-person shooters, the Bigfoot Networks Killer™ E2100 game networking platform delivers up to 10X faster networking performance for a whole new level of online gaming performance.
- Killer™ Network Manager
Built from the ground up to give unequalled speed, intelligence and control over online game data, the Killer Network Manager shows the health and performance of the G1-Killer series motherboards, and gives gamers the controls to optimize it.
- Killer Network Manager's Applications Tab uses Bigfoot Network's exclusive Visual Bandwidth Control™ Technology to enable users to see how much bandwidth they're using and what applications are using it. Bigfoot's Advanced Game Detect™ technology will keep the current game at top priority and give it all the bandwidth it needs while users continue to download.
Front Access Control Panel
As part of its box kit, the G1.Assissin motherboard features a convenient Front Access Control Panel that allows quick and easy access to 2 USB 3.0 ports and Power eSATA. The Front Access Control Panel also features a Quick Boost button that allows gamers to instantaneously overclock their system with a single press of a button. Imagine being in the thick of battle and being able to get a super charged on-the-fly performance boost without the need for a system reboot.
SATA 3.0 (6Gbps) and USB 3.0 and 3x USB Power
When you're behind enemy lines, intelligence data latency can get you killed. That is why GIGABYTE G1-Killer series motherboards provide ultra fast data transfer performance with onboard integration of the latest SuperSpeed USB 3.0 for up to 4 ports (2 front panel, 2 back panel), SATA Revision 3.0 (6Gbps) technologies from Marvell, and an unprecedented 3x USB power boost on all USB ports for the most power hungry USB devices.
Locked and Loaded Heatpipe Design
The GIGABYTE G1-Killer series features a brand new heatpipe that was designed to be as deadly to heat as it looks. By effectively spreading the heat from the critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU VRM zone and quickly dissipating it, GIGABYTE G1-Killer series motherboards remain cool, even when the battle heats up.
Modeled after the common firearms issued to soldiers deployed to a warzone including pistol, rifle and ammo clip, the Locked and Loaded heatpipe design utilizes a unique fluting technology similar to a rifle barrel fluting, which allows for maximum heat dispersion.
5 Smart Fan Connectors
Further helping to eliminate heat are the 5 strategically placed Smart Fan pin headers which allow for more precise control of system and CPU fans. Equipped with their own individual thermal sensors, the Smart Fans can be easily controlled via GIGABYTE's EasyTune™ 6 utility as well as in the BIOS.
GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 3
GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 3 design features 2 ounces of copper for both the Power and Ground layers which dramatically lowers system temperature by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. GIGABYTE's Ultra Durable™ 3 also lowers the PCB impedance by 50%, which helps to reduce electrical waste and further lowers component temperatures. A 2oz Copper layer design also provides improved signal quality and lower EMI (Electromagnetic Interference), providing better system stability and allowing for greater margins for overclocking.
Maximum CPU Power Delivery
Like the pistons and cylinders of a car engine, the design of the motherboard Voltage Regulator Module (VRM), component quality and number of power phases greatly affects motherboard performance. GIGABYTE engineers were first to realize not only the importance of using the best quality components for this critical area, but also that with more power phases, there can be more power available to your CPU. With their industry-leading power design featuring the new VRD 12 (Voltage Regulator Down) specification, Dual CPU Power and Driver MOSFETs, GIGABYTE G1-Killer motherboards deliver best-in-class system performance and power stability required for elite gaming systems.
Dual CPU Power
GIGABYTE's proprietary Dual CPU Power Technology allows CPU VRM power phases to split evenly into 2 sets of power engines that operate in tandem. This allows 1 set of power phases to rest while the other is active as opposed to a traditional power design where all the power phases are always active. As such, GIGABYTE Dual CPU Power effectively halves the amount of work done by each set of power phases to significantly increase motherboard durability and reliability.
Driver MOSFETs
By incorporating the MOSFETs and driver IC in accordance with the Intel® Driver MOSFET specification, GIGABYTE G1-Killer series motherboards allow higher power transfer and increased efficiency at higher switching frequencies to satisfy the power requirements of modern processors. Driver MOSFETs also help to reduce VRM real estate requirements for a cleaner, less cluttered CPU zone.
GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ with 3TB+ HDD Support
GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ is a patented technology that automatically recovers BIOS data when the main BIOS has crashed or failed. Featuring 2 physical BIOS ROMs integrated onboard, GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ allows quick and seamless recovery from BIOS damage or failure due to viruses or improper BIOS updating. In addition, GIGABYTE DualBIOS™ now supports booting from hard drives that are 3TB (terabytes) or more without the need for partitioning, and effectively provides future-proofing for higher volume single drive data storage.