Gigabyte 8I955X Royal specs.
| Gigabyte 8I955X Royal | |
| CPU Support | All LGA775 processors (including dual-core models) |
| Northbridge | Intel i955X |
| Memory Support | 4 slots, DDR-II only. Supports DDR2-300MHz, 400MHz, 500MHz, 533MHz, 600MHz, 667MHz, and 800MHz at 200MHz FSB. 8GB max, dual-channel |
| AGP | None |
| PEG | x16 from i955X (one) |
| Southbridge | Intel ICH7R |
| Audio | 8-channel high-definition feed from ICH7R to Realtek ALC882M CODEC - Dolby Master Studio certification |
| Audio Connectivity | 6 ports on I/O section, optical/coaxial S/PDIF-output |
| PCI | 3x 32-bit 33MHz PCI 2.1 slots |
| PCI Express | 2 x1 slots |
| IDE | 1 ATA100 compliant port from ICH7R |
| External IDE | 2x ATA133 ports from IT8212F (GigaRAID). Supports RAID0, 1, 0+1, and JBOD |
| SATA | 4 ports from ICH7R (SATA 2) |
| SATA RAID | RAID0, 1 and 0+1 from ICH7R (Intel Matrix Storage Technology) |
| Additional SATA/RAID | Silicon Image Sil3132 PCIe. Supports 2 ports, SATA 2 compliant, RAID0 and RAID1 |
| Networking | Dual Gigabit Ethernet Controllers. 2x Broadcom BCM5751 PCIe 10/100/1000 ASICs |
| USB | 8 USB 2.0 ports from ICH7R. 4x I/O USB 2.0 and 4x onboard headers |
| FireWire | 3 ports from Texas Instruments SN082AA2/SN081BA3 3-port controller, all connected via cable |
| I/O section | PS/2, Parallel, Serial, RCA/Optical S/PDIF-out, 4x USB 2.0, 2x RJ45, 6 audio ports |
| Form Factor | 305mm x 245mm, ATX |
| Expected price | £150 |
| Additional features | U-PLUS DPS, Dual BIOS, EasyTune 5, USB Bluetooth dongle |
Gigabyte knows that retail i955X-based boards from other manufacturers will be littered with every conceivable feature under the sun. That's why Gigabyte has equipped the 'Royal' with a generous level of deluxe componentry. There's everything we expect nowadays, including dual PCI-Express Gigabit LAN, excellent onboard audio, copious amounts of SATA, FireWire, and, as proprietory measures, the company's own U-Plus DPS and Dual BIOS features.
Features-wise, there's not a whole lot Gigabyte can add to this package. Let's see if it has managed to implement the features in a thoughtful and considered manner as we take a look at board layout and overall design.