Intel Haswell-E and X99 Chipset Preview

Gigabyte X99 Motherboards
Gigabyte X99 SOC Force (full details)
Gigabyte X99 SOC Force Motherboard

The X99 SOC Force will be the flagship motherboard in Gigabyte’s overclocking series of motherboards. It features the orange and black color scheme that Gigabyte has used in their overclocking motherboards in the past. There are three large heatsinks on the motherboard and they are interconnected by a large heatpipe.

The X99 SOC Force will feature Intel’s LGA 2011-3 socket, which supports Intel’s upcoming Haswell-E HEDT processors. There are four DDR4 DIMM slots on each side of the CPU socket for quad channel memory operation. Power to the CPU comes by way of an 8pin EPS connector and this board makes use of Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable design that features high-quality components.

Gigabyte has used their Ultra Durable design across their X99 motherboards which make use of the industry leading PowIRstage controllers from International Rectifier. These 100% digital controllers offer enhanced precision in delivering power to the motherboard’s power hungry and energy sensitive components. The PowerIR stage ICs used on the Gigabyte X99 SOC Force have the highest rating of 40A with lower losses, excellent thermal management and higher efficiency. The new DirectFET technology helps save motherboard space and less electrical leakage as compared to MCM packages (Multi-Chip Module). The X99 SOC Force is the first HEDT motherboard to make use of the OC panel. The OC Panel features several components along side the motherboard.

When it comes to expansion you have four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots for 4-way SLI and Crossfire setups. There is also three PCI-Express 3.0 x1 slots and a single M.2 SSD interface. For storageyou have 9 SATA 6GB/s ports and two SATA Express ports. There is also a USB 3.0 header at the bottom of the board. We have also spotted the AMP-UP audio design with an orange line that shows the PCB isolation. Since the I/O ports are not shown we do not know that much information on them at this time.

Gigabyte X99 Gaming G1 WiFi (full details)
Gigabyte X99 Gaming G1 WiFi Motherboard

The Gigabyte X99 Gaming G1 WiFi motherboard will support Intel’s upcoming Haswell-E processors as it has the LGA 2011-3 socket. This motherboard will have the same G1 Gaming design that was on the G1 Gaming WiFi Black edition. It will have a black, red and grey color design. There are a total of four attractive heatsinks on the board itself. These heatsinks are interconnected by heatpipes.

Looking at the power delivery components we have an 8 phase power design that makes use of high-quality Ultra Durable MOSFETs and black solid state capacitors. Power to the CPU comes by way of an 8pin EPS connector. There are a total of 8 DDR4 DIMM slots on the board, four on each side of the CPU socket. On the edge of the motherboard you can see power and reset buttons, a debug LED and your 24pin ATX power connection.

When it comes to storage you have 10 SATA 6GB/s ports, 2 SATA Express Ports, two USB 3.0 headers, two USB 2.0 headers, mSATA connector and mPCIe connector. As far as expansion slots go there are four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots and three PCI-Express 3.0 x1 slots. The motherboard is more than capable of supporting 4-way CrossFire and SLI setups thanks to the spacing between the PCI-Express slots.

Other features spotted on this motherboard are a Sound Blaster powered isolated PCB which uses high-quality components and OP-AMP for superior audio quality through the 7.1 Channel audio jack and Killer E2200 LAN chipset for networking support. The rear I/O of the motherboard will features several USB 3.0/2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet port, Antenna connectors for WiFi, 7.1 channel audio and several other connectors.

Gigabyte X99 UD7 WiFi (full details)
Gigabyte X99 UD7 WiFi Motherboard

The Gigabyte X99 UD7 WiFi motherboard will feature the LGA 2011-3 socket, which supports Intel’s upcoming Haswell-E HEDT processors. The board features a more of a black and gold design with a black PCB and gold accents on the heatsinks. All four of the heatsinks are connected by heatpipes for even better cooling.

The board will feature an 8 phase PWM. Gigabyte has used their Ultra Durable design across their X99 motherboards which make use of the industry leading PowIRstage controllers from International Rectifier. These 100% digital controllers offer enhanced precision in delivering power to the motherboard’s power hungry and energy sensitive components. The PowerIR stage ICs used on the Gigabyte X99 UD7 WiFi have the highest rating of 40A with lower losses, excellent thermal management and higher efficiency. The new DirectFET technology helps save motherboard space and less electrical leakage as compared to MCM packages (Multi-Chip Module).

Expansion on the motherboard includes four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots and three PCI-Express 3.0 x1 slots. The motherboard will be able to support 4-way SLI and CrossFire setups. There is also a mSATA and mPCIe slot in between the PCI-Express slot, to which the WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) module is installed. Storage includes 10 SATA 6GB/s ports, 2 SATA Express ports, and two USB 3.0 headers.

The board will also feature Gigabyte’s AMP-UP audio solution that uses high-end audio capacitors and has PCB isolation for less interference. Also spotted on the motherboard are power and reset buttons and a debug LED.

About Author