A New Brix and Gaming PC
For starters, Gigabyte launched new compact gaming systems: the Brix Gaming UHD and the Gigabyte PC. The new Brix unit weighs less than 4.4 pounds and consumes less than 2.6 liters of space. Gigabyte said the bare-bones version will arrive in Core i7 and Core i5 models to fit the budget of any PC gamer wanting a compact solution with excellent performance. As for the compact PC, the company simply said that this desktop consumes a mere 10 liters of space, is completely upgradeable, and supports standard desktop graphics cards.
Meet The Designare and Ultra Gaming Motherbords
On the motherboard front, Gigabyte is showcasing new models under the Ultra Gaming and Designare brands. The models that are specifically based on Intel’s X99 chipset support the new “Broadwell-E” Extreme Edition processors officially launched during the show, which consist of four unlocked CPUs with up to 10 cores and 20 threads. The new X99 boards will thus support the sparkly new features and enhancements Intel’s Broadwell-E platform brings to PC gaming.
According to Gigabyte, the new Ultra Gaming motherboards include support for M.2 and U.2 solid-state drives, and Gigabyte-specific features like Hybrid Fan Control and the Ambient Surround LED system, the latter of which allows system builders to control the on-board LEDs and add LED strips by way of included pin headers. Thus, gamers can not only choose a specific color to dazzle onlookers, but set the lighting method and expand the lighting system to other components.
As for the Hybrid Fan Control feature, Gigabyte said that customers using the Ultra Gaming motherboards can purchase aftermarket pumps or fans, and have one single universal controller to manage them — even if they operate under Pulse Width Modulation or Voltage Calibration modes.
In addition to the Ultra Gaming boards, Gigabyte is showcasing Designare motherboards aimed specifically at content creators, designers, and digital artists. The company said it has made the motherboard selection process easier for these customers, who are looking for a solution that can withstand any job or application. These boards include USB 3.1 connectivity, and the Z170X models support three Intel NVM 750 SSDs working together in RAID 0 mode.
Gigabyte is currently showcasing three X99 Series motherboards at the show: the GA-X99-Designare EX, the GA-X99-Ultra-Gaming, and the GA-X99, Phoenix SLI. The company is also showcasing five 100 Series motherboards: the GA-Z170X-Designare, the GA-Z170X-Ultra-Gaming, the GA-Z170-UD3 Ultra, the GA-H170-Designare, and the GA-B150-Gaming TH.
Xtreme Gaming Makes Its Debut
Gigabyte’s new Xtreme Gaming family made its debut at Computex. The brand is focused on the ultimate gaming hardware and gear aimed at maximizing the gaming experience. Taking center stage is the company’s previously launched GTX 1080 G1 Gaming graphics card based on Nvidia’s juicy new “Pascal” GPU.
Other offerings include the Xtreme Gaming 80 Plus Platinum-certified XP1200M power supply, the XK700 mechanical gaming keyboard with full N-Key rollover functionality, the XM300 gaming mouse with a 6,400 DPI optical sensor, the XH300 gaming headset with 50mm driver units enhanced with bass reproduction, and two new gaming-focused cases supporting multi-GPU configurations and built-in RGB backlighting: the XC700 and the XC300.
Gigabyte Goes Ultra-Portable with The Aero 14
As shown in the video above, Gigabyte is going after the super-thin high-performance laptop market with the Aero 14. It’s built with PC gamers in mind, and packs up to a Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M graphics chip within a 19.9mm thin form factor. The basic features include HDMI 2.0 video output, a USB 3.1 Type-C port, an M.2 PCIe Gen3 x4 solid-state drive for fast transfers and a zippy performance, and DDR4 memory.
According to a short list of hardware specs, models will sport a sixth-generation Intel Core i7 “Skylake” processor, either the GeForce GTX 965M or the GTX 970M graphics chip, and an IPS display sporting a hefty 2,560 x 1,440 resolution. There will actually be two video outputs, the other being a mini-DisplayPort jack supporting 4K video. There are also two slots for DDR4 memory, and a 94.23 Wh battery charging all the hardware packed inside this gaming laptop for up to 10 hours on a single charge.
“Through Nano-Imprint Lithography, the Aero 14 has a sleek and unique design,” the company told the press. “This unique and environmentally friendly process grants the Aero 14 a 3D look, and feel, while retaining its original solid metallic feel with its full aluminum chassis. The Aero 14 comes in three colors: black, green, and orange. Putting extra emphasis on ultramobility, the Aero 14 is as thin as an Ultrabook, yet still retains the high-quality metallic finish.”
More Models and Broken Records
Gigabyte isn’t forgetting the professional market, as the company is currently showcasing a number of motherboards geared for the workstation and server. Two of them are ready for Intel’s latest Xeon V3/V4 processors: the MW70-3S0 and the MW70-SV0. They support DDR4 memory clocked at 2,400MHz, up to three Nvidia graphics chips in SLI mode, and provide “a dozen or more” storage ports. Alternately, the MW21-SE0 is the company’s “price-conscious option” that supports Intel’s Xeon E3 V5 processors.
Gigabyte is also showcasing the MB10-DS0, a mini-ITX motherboard supporting Intel’s eight-core Xeon D-1541 processor and up to 4GB of DDR4 memory clocked at 2,400MHz. Other server motherboards on display have features like two 10GB per second SFP+ ports, onboard graphics (leaving the PCIe slot open), and more.
Along with the server and workstation motherboards, Gigabyte has the EL-20-3700-32GB on display as well, a device that’s part of the Internet of Things Alliance. It uses an Intel Pentium processor and provides a handful of connectivity features like two gigabit Ethernet ports, 3G wireless, Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports, a serial port, and more. This device even supports both 12V and 19V power supplies.
Finally, Gigabyte said it broke five overclocking world records during the weekend prior to Computex thanks to its Z170X-SOC Force LN2 motherboards. The benchmarks that were used consisted of the Unigine Heaven Extreme Preset, 3DMark05, 3DMark06, 3DMark 2001 SE, and Aquamark. According to HWBot, the motherboard was used to score a 713385 in Aquamark and a 204135 on 3DMark 2001 SE when benchmarking GPUs. The board was also used to score a 66066 in 3DMark06 in a GPU benchmark as well.
Gigabyte lists all five world record score sheets in its Computex announcement here.
