Gigabyte G1 Assassin 2 X79 Motherboard Review

Gigabyte G1 Assassin 2 X79

Before we take a look at the features of this specific motherboard, let’s first have a look at this new chipset from Intel. This is the new X79 chipset that will be replacing their previous enthusiast level chipset, the X58.

This new chipset supports Intel’s latest 2011 socket processors and these will be replacing their venerable 1366 socket processors. These new processors feature a whole host of upgrades over the previous generation of Core processors and deliver nearly server level performance at the high end of the spectrum. For a full understanding of everything that these processors have to offer I suggest that you read the 2011 socket review that was written by our editor and chief, Elric Phares.

One of the first things that you’ll notice about the boards that support this new architecture is that they feature ram slots on either side of the processor socket. This is to facilitate support for quad channel memory and reduce the latency that would be caused by having all of the slots on one side of the socket. This new memory architecture is capable of speeds of up to 2400MHz with overclocking and support for up 64 gigs of memory. This is an amazing amount of memory that can now be installed on consumer level motherboards.

This new chipset also features Intel’s Platform Controller Hub technology. What this means is that instead of the traditional dual chip design that features a north bridge and a south bridge, this uses a single chip to handle communications between the processor and the various interfaces. This streamlines the way the processor interacts with these interfaces and has the potential for increasing the speed at which that these interfaces can be accessed. This chipset also has support for up to 40 PCI express 2.0 lanes and 8 lanes for PCI express 3.0. With the ability to use this new interface it guarantees that this motherboard will be ready for the graphics cards of the future. With the amount of lanes available it also will give motherboard vendors the maximum amount of expansion options for their boards.

Right from the start you can tell that this board is something special. It features very similar styling of their previous G1 boards and this board is meant to be in the top tier of those boards. Their Assassin x58 board was very popular and this Assassin board will surely be just as popular. It comes in at about 400 dollars and this puts it in the extreme-enthusiast range.

 

This board supports the latest options for storage expansion. All of the SATA ports on this board are full 3.0 compatible and this board also features 2 USB 3.0 ports on the back and support for two more on the motherboard. There are also four fan headers and a CPU fan header. Each of these can be controlled with their own thermal sensor from either EasyTune or the UEFI BIOS. These are great features to have in an enthusiast class motherboard.

 

Another feature of this board is that it supports up to three graphics cards for dual, triple and quad Crossfire X configurations and it will also support dual, triple and quad SLI configurations. What’s important to note though is that quad is only possible when using cards that feature dual GPUs. This board only has three PCI express lanes, but this should still give most enthusiasts plenty of expansion options. These slots also are spaced far enough apart to allow for the installation of three dual-slot cards.

Gigabyte have retained the G1 theme in this board with the upper MOSFET heat sink being made to look the barrel of a rifle and on the chipset there is a heat sink made to look like a pistol. If there was any doubt that this board was designed for gamers then this should remove it completely. There isn’t anything about this board that’s understated and it looks amazing. It also retains their all-black PCB with black and green connectors throughout the board. Black and green might not be the color scheme that some are looking for but I think it looks great.

 

 Aside from these technologies Gigabyte has also included support for some of their popular software based utilities. This board features support for Gigabyte’s Easy Tune 6 which is a utility that will allow you to monitor and tweak your settings very similarly to their BIOS. Fan profiles can be set with this utility as well as overclocking and voltage settings. There is also support for their Touch BIOS utility that will allow you to monitor or overclock your system from an external web based device. This board also has support for Gigabyte’s Smart6 utility that allows for use of their QuickBoost technology.

This technology allows for quick and easy overclocking that will boost performance. These are all useful utilities that are accessible within the Window’s environment. To use them all you need to do is install the utility from either the included disk or from their website and then just follow their instructions. These utilities will have varying degrees of success and usefulness depending on how you use your system. 

Many motherboard manufacturers are satisfied with just the basic features of the chipset and they don’t often incorporate too many of their own features. Gigabyte is one of the few that attempts to go the extra mile for their customers. This board is loaded with special features that will set this board apart from the competition. One of the most outstanding features of this new board is that it features their onboard Bigfoot E2100 Killer NPU (network processing unit). This features a full gig of DDR2 memory to keep the CPU from having to be utilized at all for regulating network traffic.  With this feature being imbedded directly onto the motherboard it means that you don’t have to worry about ping rates in the middle of an online frag fest.

 

Gigabyte’s On/Off Charge technology is featured on this motherboard. What this does is it allows for faster charging with their included Quick Charge technology to reduce the time it would take to normally charge select Apple products. With this technology you will also be able to charge these devices when your computer is turned off so you don’t need to keep your computer on just to charge your device. This a great feature for those that want to be able to charge their Apple devices quickly without having to worry about wasting energy by turning on their computer. There are some limitations with this technology in regards to certain mobile phones. Make sure to check Gigabyte’s website for these limitations.

 

Gigabyte has also incorporated their 3D Power technology onto this board and this allows for a quick way to manage and regulate your power usage. It uses a 3D graphical display that can be used to monitor or tweak your voltage, phase controls and frequency settings to optimize your power usage. It’s broken down into three different displays to control your power settings. There is the Voltage Control interface that allows for the adjusting load line calibration, and Vdroop. There is even the option for setting your OVP (over voltage protection) to adjust the default settings for your CPU and memory. There is also the Phase Control interface that allows for the calibration of the OCP (Over Current Protection) for the processor and memory. And lastly there is the Frequency Control interface that allows for the adjustment of power delivery speeds to the CPU and VRM through the PWM controller.

 

This board also features a Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi card. The included WiFi card is capable of providing transfer speeds of up to 150 Mbps and it uses the latest 802.11n technology. This is great for improving wireless internet performance and the Bluetooth capability allows for connectivity with your Bluetooth enabled devices. These are features that you would usually have to purchase separately, but these are included in the box along with the other accessories. Gigabyte has included these items to set this board apart from its competition. By including these items they are also showing that they want to give their customers the little extras that will alleviate the need to purchase them separately. For some these may not seem like much, but for those that will use them these items will help this board rise to the top of the pile.

 

Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable 3 technology is also present in this board. This essentially means that all of the best materials and the latest technologies were used to ensure power efficiency and longevity to this product. It first features double the normal amount of copper in the PCB. This is something that you’ll notice when you first pick up this board. It does feel heavier than most other motherboards. This helps to reduce impedance and lower temperatures throughout the board. All of the capacitors on this board are Japanese made solid capacitors. These are much more durable and have higher heat tolerances than their liquid predecessors.  PowerPAK MOSFETs and Ferrite Core Chokes are used to lower temperatures and reduce power loss for better efficiency and longevity. Gigabyte’s Ultra Durable 3 technology has been so popular that many of these features are being implemented on their competitor’s boards as well.

 

Gigabyte has also featured their UEFI Dual BIOS technology onto this board. Their dual BIOS technology isn’t new but what is new is how it’s able to be used. There is now the option to switch between two different BIOSs from just a the press of a button on the rear I/O. This is really incredible because now you will be able to test which BIOS is able to give you the best performance without having to completely clear the CMOS each time. Enthusiasts and extreme gamers are going to love this option because of the time and effort that it’s going to save them. It will also make troubleshooting BIOS issues a lot easier as well. Gigabyte has one of the nicest and fully featured UEFI BIOSs on the market. One feature that really stands out is that the motherboard is pictured in the BIOS and by selecting an area of the board you can change the settings of that area. For example by selecting the memory area you will be able to adjust your memory timings and frequency.

Now that we’ve gone over the huge amount of features that Gigabyte has included on this board, let’s get down to business and see how well this board actually performs against the competition. Let me start by mentioning again that this is a 400 dollar motherboard and therefore should perform in that prestigious price range.

 

This board posted some very impressive scores throughout all of our benchmarks. This board was pretty much neck and neck with Asus Sabertooth board, which does cost quite a bit less. One thing to keep in mind though is that the Sabertooth doesn’t come with as many enthusiast-class features. This board was really only beaten by Gigabyte’s top performer, the UD7 OC board that I reviewed previously on this website. All things considered, this board really lived up to its pedigree and the benchmarks prove it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gigabyte has once again given us another great reason to upgrade to Intel’s latest enthusiast-level chipset. This board looks amazing and the performance is there to back it up. Many of you will probably be wondering why the full amount of ram expansion isn’t present on this board. This is a valid question but it can be easily answered. This board was built for performance. In order to ensure that there is enough power that can be delivered where it’s needed most, some reductions needed to be made. These aren’t really reductions though if you think about it. This board is still capable of utilizing up to 32 gigs of ram. That’s more than enough for future upgrading especially when you take into account what this board was designed for.

source:www.motherboards.org