Gigabyte X99-SOC Champion and New Brix

PRESS RELEASE

| Source: Gigabyte Author: Mark Campbell

Gigabyte X99-SOC Champion and New Brix

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards is hosting a press conference today to launch two new products, the GIGABYTE X99-SOC Champion motherboard as well as a new GIGABYTE BRIX compact PC built around the new 5th Gen Intel Core processors. Held at the Neopolitan Ballroom of the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, USA, the press event also includes a live overclocking demonstration where the new motherboard will be put to the test by GIGABYTE's evangelist overclockers HiCookie, Sofos1990 and Dinos22. Currently holding the highest DDR4 memory frequency World Record, the GIGABYTE X99-SOC Champion will be overclocked on Liquid Nitrogen to see if a new world record can be achieved live at the event.



From January 6th until the 8th, GIGABYTE will be showcasing their latest hardware solutions at the Neopolitan Ballroom of the Caesars Palace including 10 custom made demo systems especially for CES by system builders such as Cyberpower, iBuypower, Origin PC, Maingear, XOTIC PC, Falcon NW and Digital Storm. A few case mods will also be on display from renowned case modders Richard Surroz, Bob Stewart and Larry Andersen.



New GIGABYTE X99-SOC Champion Motherboard for World Record Seekers

Featuring the latest Intel X99 Chipset, support for Intel's Core i7 Extreme Edition (LGA 2011-v3 socket) processors and latest DDR4 memory support, the X99-SOC Champion is built to reach extremes. One of the many unique features that make this motherboard a true Champion is the DIMM design engineered for the most extreme memory overclocking.



SMT mounted for improved signal quality and located closer to the CPU socket, the DIMM's shorter trace path enables the DDR4 memory to communicate faster with the CPU, enabling the overclocker to reach never achieved before DDR4 memory frequencies.



The X99-SOC Champion also sports a unique all digital CPU power design from International Rectifier which includes both 4th Generation digital PWM Controllers and industry-leading 3rd Generation PowIRstage controllers, allowing enthusiasts to get the absolute maximum performance from their new Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition CPUs.



The X99-SOC Champion offers maximum data transfer speeds for storage devices with a Turbo M.2 port for 20 Gb/s of transfer speed on M.2 devices, and a SATA Express connector bringing 10Gb/s transfer rates needed for faster NAND flash technologies in cutting edge SSDs. Additionally, the GIGABYTE X99-SOC Champion, features a unique PCI Express design that utilizes 100% of all 40 lanes from the CPU when in a 4-Way or 3-Way graphics configuration for the ultimate in graphics performance.





GIGABYTE BRIX and BRIX s Updated with 5th Gen Intel Core Processors

The BRIX and BRIX s are now available with the new Intel 5th generation Core processors. Designed to fit in the palm of your hand, the BRIX compact mini pc now offers more computing power than ever with the new 14nm processors featuring the latest HD 5500 Graphics from Intel. The new BRIX and BRIX s are configured with different 5th Gen Intel Core processors ranging from the 2.1GHz dual-core i3-5010U, the 2.2GHz dual-core i5-5200U, or for even more power, the 2.4GHz dual-core i7-5500U.



Equipped with a abundant set of features such as dual display video output via HDMI and mini DisplayPort (including native 4K display), wireless connectivity via the included Intel IEEE 802.11ac Dual Band Wi-Fi/Bluetooth 4.0 module, VESA bracket for discreet display and wall mounting, as well as 4 x USB 3.0 ports, the BRIX and BRIX s offer great versatility in an ultra-compact format.





From a simple internet access point, to a discretely hidden multimedia station, the GIGABYTE BRIX and BRIX s offers great flexibility for a wide range of different usage applications. The BRIX and BRIX s are equipped with Intel HD 5500 Graphics which delivers up to 20% more pixel-pushing performance than the previous generation. This directly results in smoother and more responsive videos and games. With the Intel HD 5500 Graphics, you now have the power needed to edit HD videos and play games at ultra-high resolutions and silky-smooth frame rates.



The Core i7 version of the GIGABYTE BRIX and BRIX s are equipped with NFC technology that can be paired with NFC devices. Up to 8 profiles allow users to easily set any number of commands to be executed. NFC technology works in tandem with your enabled devices to secure, simplify and expedite everyday tasks such as accounts login and payment authorization. BRIX and BRIX s take the full advantage of this innovative technology to unlock and create incredible life experiences.

My Thoughts

There is one feature on Gigabyte's X99-SOC Champion motherboard that Gigabyte did not mention in their press release, this Feature is their OC Socket, which has a total of 2083 Pins and not the standard 2011 pins in the X99 socket. These extra pins are to provide better stability and overclocking and can have it's extra pins turned off by using a switch located between the 24-Pin power and the Motherboards SATA ports.

This Idea is nothing new, since the launch of Intel's X99 platform ASUS has had a "OC Socket" (which has 2084 pins)on their Higher end 99 motherboards. This feature has proven benefits for CPU overclocking, as seen in our X99 reviews, so it will be interesting to see how Gigabyte's implementation performs.

We do not know how ASUS will react to Gigabyte's OC Socket in their X99-SOC Champion, as many sites have reported that ASUS may sue competitors who infringe on their patents/design. It will be interesting to see how this story develops.

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