Print
Gigabyte wrapped up the design of its upcoming G1.Assassin 2 motherboard based in Intel's X79 chipset for Sandy Bridge-E and tossed a bunch of teaser pics on its blog and Facebook page. It's the first G1-Killer series board to support Intel's socket 2011 Core processors, and rather than bring a gun to a knife fight, the G1. Assassin 2 carries a pistol, just in case things get out of hand at your LAN party (don't worry moms and dads, it's just a heatsink).
That isn't the only weapon in the G1.Assassin 2's arsenal. It also wields a Bigfoot Networks Killer E2100 NIC with 1GB of dedicated DDR2 memory to shoot down high pings, an onboard Creative Soundblaster X-Fi digital audio processor, three PCI Express x16 slots with CrossFireX and SLI support, 8-phase VRM, SATA 6Gbps support, and other weapons of DIY destruction.
Check out more teaser pics in our photo gallery below, and then tell us what you think about the design.
Image Credit: Gigabyte
Comments are closed on this article
bolod
December 26, 2011 at 3:41am
I have been visiting various blogs for my research work. I have found your blog to be quite useful. Keep updating your blog with valuable information.
Nimrod
October 19, 2011 at 8:44pm
http://vr-zone.com/articles/msi-x79a-gd65-8d-motherboard-pictured/13775.html
8 DIMMS. 4 on each side.
thetechchild
October 19, 2011 at 8:59pm
Irrelevant. That's an MSI board, and it has 8 DIMMs. Big whoop. Kiaghi was talking about there being 4 DIMMs on THIS BOARD, even thought it COULD have 8.
It says that it groups them into 2 sets of 4 to take advantage of 2 DIMMS *per channel*... Which Gigabyte obviously can't do here thanks to there being only 4 DIMMs! Even though that might be a case for splitting the sections (2 channels per side), that's yet another notch against Gigabyte's exclusion of an additional 4 possible DIMMs. On top of price/capacity reasons, you now have a deficiency in performance.
Nice argument, "Nimrod"
Nimrod
October 19, 2011 at 9:22pm
MSI THERE4 IRELEIVENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The vast majority of the boards out there ONLY have 4 DIMMS. They ALL have them on apposing side of the socket as Intel showed months and months ago. Get the fuk over it.
thetechchild
October 21, 2011 at 12:19am
No, DIFFERENT MOBO THERE4 IRRELEVANT. We're talking about THIS ONE and why it has ONLY 4 DIMMs. Another one with 8 just proves that it can be done, and obviously Gigabyte hasn't done it.
And if you can put an effing link to an actual claim that the DIMMs are "supposed" to be split like that, from Intel or a mobo manufacturer, then I will stick to the claim -- the "vast majority" of boards needs to get an upgrade. So no, I won't "get the fuk over it"
Nimrod
October 19, 2011 at 9:58pm
http://www.vortez.net/news_story/noctua_free_hsf_mount_upgrades_for_x79s_lga2011.html
i also some how just dont get the feeling that 2011 wont be compatible with aftermarket coolers. intel has said that they wont include a HSF with SB-E BECAUSE most people will use after market cooling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJm9njtK24U&feature=player_embedded
akrazyassho
October 19, 2011 at 6:23pm
In the preview shots #2 and #3, are those non solid state capacitators (green and orange ones)?? As a long time tech and permently scared by the GX270 blunder why would any Mobo manufactuer use non solid state caps??
AmTGMan
October 19, 2011 at 7:03pm
Those caps are specialized Nichicon caps, designed specifically for audio use. They are used solely for the onboard X-Fi chip. Every other cap on the board is solid state.
kiaghi7
October 19, 2011 at 2:40pm
Sadly, it seems that the board only supports 4 RAM dimms, and worse still it's arranged with two on either side of the CPU which is just boggles the mind...
I understand the four dimm slots, at least that implies quad-channel DDR... But it's already a well known fact that LGA2011 is more than capable of EIGHT (8) DIMM headers, and before anyone even asks, yes it IS necessary because people want preposterously large amounts of RAM... Haven't we already learned that "more = better"?
Anyway though, it's just off-putting to place two DIMM slots on each side of the CPU is both aesthetically curious, and functionally dubious, particularly in the age of enormous head-sinks... Noctua NH-D14 need not apply me thinks... Maybe the chip itself is going to consume enough real estate that the dimms will be just out from under the monstrous heat-sinks on the market today... Need more pics and figures to make any honest determinations
Don't get me wrong, I really do like the feature-set on the mobo, it isn't a thing wrong with Gigabyte's work, it's simply what seems to be the way the architecture wants things set...
Michael J
October 19, 2011 at 3:05pm
The dimms are on both sides for a reason, it has to do with how the processor addresses ram. The physical part of the processor that addresses memory does not function the same nor is located in the same position. and those eight dimms will support upwards of 32g of memory. if you need more than that then i dont know what your messing with consumer grade mobo's in the first place. do some research before you comment
kiaghi7
October 19, 2011 at 5:24pm
Do some research? By all means, you start first since you don't know what you're talking about...
Here, I'll help you since you don't know anything what so ever about that which you speak...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_2011
I practically told YOU about the motherboard before you wanted to pretend like you knew what YOU were talking about board-troll...
First off, there are NOT eight dimm slots on this mobo, there are 4, which I noted and which is the entire point of contention. With dual QPI links on the LGA 2011, that means it does -NOT- have to straddle the CPU on either side, and in fact would allow for the placement of the RAM DIMM slots on either side, -OR- both sides... Hence the dubious decision making of the developers...
If you need the CPT257 class to actually get informed on the matter at hand, I suggest you visit your local technical college, I'm not here to teach you what you want to argue with those who already know...
Second, they can, and at some point, WILL be on a single side of the processor depending upon the developer... Again, hence the dual QPI links...
Third, the possibility of eight dimms allows for more, yet lesser volume, and thus cheaper RAM... I.E. you missed the point entirely... It's not that an individual may necessarily need more RAM total, but rather the ability to have more individual DIMMs of RAM.
In the future, before you comment, do some research...
Michael J
October 20, 2011 at 11:24am
The eight was a typo, how you didn't figure that out contextually is beyond me ( maybe you didnt know 4x8 was 32 and 8x8 was 64?), nice rant none the less. Besides any Intel engineering reasoning that exists, my little insiginicant mind can still rationalize that two sets of dimms ( or 4) evenly spaced is easier to path evenly to the cpu than bunching them all up on one side. No north bridge, you have the room, why not???And again, why YOU are trolling on 32g worth of dimms on entry (to the 2011 game) level consumer grade board, is the joke in it, of it's self. I guess all the fancy colors and gun shaped heat sinks lead you to believe that this was a board for super gamers who had to have 43257239478g of ram onboard to play all these demanding games these days. Oh wait games are still GPU intensive and cant utilize half the cores and a tenth of the mem these systems offer....thats right.....
kiaghi7
October 20, 2011 at 2:31pm
Ahhh... in other words...
You realize you've made quite the embarrassing statement before, I set you in your place all the while teaching -YOU- the subject you wanted to contend, and now you have to try to troll your way out of your previous failed effort in trolling...
Noted and filed appropriately under "S" in my circular filing cabinet...
sundropdrinker3
October 19, 2011 at 7:04pm
If you were to look at your own posted link, you would see that you CAN put 8 DIMM slots on the board with this chipset. However, with this being their first board with this chipset, they opted for 4. They will probably put 8 on another board at a later date.
kiaghi7
October 19, 2011 at 7:38pm
Ummm... that's precisely what I said...
I'll quote if for you since you clearly didn't bother reading what I said...
"Sadly, it seems that the board only supports 4 RAM dimms"
"But it's already a well known fact that LGA2011 is more than capable of EIGHT (8) DIMM headers"
"First off, there are NOT eight dimm slots on this mobo, there are 4, which I noted and which is the entire point of contention."
For God's sake, I said it AT LEAST three times, THREE TIMES, and not a one of them was read by you before you immediately jumped into trying to correct what wasn't wrong to begin with.
Please read before posting...
What is with this website and people who want to correct what isn't wrong to begin with?
I specifically said LGA2011 supports 8 DIMMs, however this SPECIFIC motherboard has four... Now that's at least four times I've said that, in no uncertain terms mind you...
Nimrod
October 19, 2011 at 5:52pm
sorry but its been known for quite a long time that the DIMMS would be situated on both sides of the socket. And IDK WTH you plan to do with 8 DIMMS on a MOBO if you already think 4 to crowded. Yes i would like 8 DIMMS but most of my video editing will actually do alright with just 16 gigs of ram.
kiaghi7
October 19, 2011 at 6:11pm
Indeed, it has been known that the dimms -COULD- be situated on both sides of the socket...
Regardless of their number, it is a COULD be that does not HAVE TO be...
Nimrod
October 19, 2011 at 7:48pm
well then why dont you build one your self ffs. every 2011 board shown since last June has had this config. its obviously electrically built to be this way for a reason.
thetechchild
October 19, 2011 at 8:51pm
I'm seeing a bunch of idiots bag on kiaghi for no reason at all... "Obviously electrically built to be this way" -- nice, rely on somebody else's reasoning without knowing what it is. "Build one yourself" -- that misses the whole damn point. Kiaghi is claiming that Gigabyte is doing it wrong (or at least, not the best way). Nobody said "I can do it better", it's "I can see how they can do it better."
Note that I have no idea why the DIMM slots are situated the way they are... you guys are just spouting total, unsupported BS at somebody who, apparently uniquely, has half a brain.
Nimrod
October 19, 2011 at 9:32pm
you have no idea why the DIMMS are placed this way but your absolutely positive that it is for no reason what so ever even tho the intel schematics show it being done that way since day one. Well how about this. Gigabyte could also place the DIMMS on your forehead. I dont see what the fuck it has to do with anything. Moreover i have no idea what your referring to when you say "nice, rely on somebody else's reasoning without knowing what it is." nor do i know why you assume that i do not understand it. I think you should both STFU now and either buy a god damn mobo that works for you or build your own god damn mobo over night since you all seem to be such experts. While your at it why dont you make a CPU and a GPU that are better than everything else.
kiaghi7
October 20, 2011 at 2:41pm
Wow, really? You've broken down to cursing? If you're so apathetic to it all, why are you getting so apoplectic instead?
(Sarcasm) Well we know who won the argument now! Swearing shows me you understand the subject...(/Sarcasm)
Even though just today even Maximum referenced that the DIMM slots can very well be placed on a singular side of the slot in this article:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/msi_x79a-gd65_8d_motherboard_exposes_itself_public
Even though that mobo also has the dimm slots on either side of the slot, they quite clearly state:
"The quad-channel DIMM slots are arranged on both sides of the CPU socket, which is a design you're going to see on all LGA 2011 boards, at least for the time being. From what we gather, this arrangement allows for tighter latencies by keeping the memory close to the socket rather than stretching it out in either direction."
The argument of tightening latencies -may- bare some merit (although I am exceedingly dubious of that), it remains to be seen of course with a final product to derive an actual result from, but the reasoning for pairing up quad-dimm slots on either side makes some sense in that it's a space issue to some extent before the mobo itself needs to be widened to have sufficient room for potentially eight dimm slots on a single side of the slot.
However in the case of the Gigabyte board, with only four dimm slots total, and all of them going to the same QPI, and logically fitted with quad-channel DDR, they could just as easily be arranged on a single side as on both sides.
Again, this is the manufacturer's whim and to a certain extent a side effect of the architecture itself. The slot will have its pro's and con's of course, but such is the case with anything...
MastaGuy
October 19, 2011 at 1:55pm
This looks like an amazing mobo for any gamer building their own pc.
If I had the money, I would buy this
