Gigabyte has today announced a new series of motherboards based on the all new Super4 design that are compatible with Intel's Sandy Bridge processors and use the low cost H61 Express chipset.
The series is comprised of three new models, two micro-ATX and one full-ATX, and all of these target entry-level systems.According to Gigabyte, the Super4 design offers a series of advantages over other competing solutions including dual-BIOS support, all Japanese solid capacitors, Ultra Durable 2 technology, ferrite core chockes, low RDS MOSFETs and a high-end 108dB HD audio codec.Expansion options common to all three motherboards include two DDR3 DIMM sockets, a PCI Express x16 slot, and four SATA 3Gbps ports.Depending on the model chosen, users could also get as much as three PCI Express x1 slots or a combination of PCI-E and PCI slots (three legacy PCI and two PCI-E in the full-ATX P61-USB3-B3).USB 3.0 support is optional and, when it's available, the board comes with two rear I/O connectors.Also on the rear I/O panel, users will find one or two PS/2 ports, up to six USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet networking port and jack outputs for 5.1-channel audio.The H61M-USB3-B3 and H61M-S2V-B3 boards also include D-Sub and DVI video outputs. However, these are missing from the P61-USB3-B3 since Gigabyte has replaced them with an S/PDIF connector as well as with a parallel and a serial port.This decision strikes me as a bit odd, and forces users who want to buy this particular motherboard to use a dedicated graphics card.All the USB ports installed on the Gigabyte Stron4 LGA 1155 solutions support On/Off charging.The three motherboards announced by Gigabyte today are listed on the company's website, but haven't reached retail yet.
