Gigabyte G1 Killer Sniper 3 Gaming Motherboard Review
Author: Dennis Garcia
Published: Thursday, August 23, 2012
Board Layout and Features Cont.
Internal SATA connections number ten. The black connections are SATA3 spec while the white connections follow the new SATA6 connection standard direct from the Z77 chipset. The remaining grey SATA ports are SATA6 compliant and are provided by the onboard Gigabyte branded controller.
Behind the internal SATA connections you will find an mSATA connector. This is a convenience feature allowing you to take advantage of Intel Smart Response technology using a smaller mSATA drive instead of a full sized SSD. As some of you know there are two types of mSATA drives, one cheap and one fast. You'll want the fast one for the best caching performance.
Keep in mind that using the mSATA port will disable one of the internal SATA connections.
The front panel connector is located in the traditional spot at the bottom of the motherboard. In the same vicinity you'll also find a variety of USB and Firewire headers and a small silver switch. This switch allows you to select which BIOS you want to boot from which can be helpful when testing out new BIOS images.
Keep in mind that using the mSATA port will disable one of the internal SATA connections.
The front panel connector is located in the traditional spot at the bottom of the motherboard. In the same vicinity you'll also find a variety of USB and Firewire headers and a small silver switch. This switch allows you to select which BIOS you want to boot from which can be helpful when testing out new BIOS images.
For those of you who are worried about security Gigabyte included a TPM module header to handle your encryption needs. In case you didn't know this is what BitLocker uses to encrypt your hard drive.
The I/O panel features many common connections but is rather sparse for a gaming system. Along the panel you will find a single PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse port, digital audio over optical, Six USB3.0, Two RJ-45 network connection (One Intel and One Killer), and five analog audio connections for 5.1 channel sound. Video connections are made possible over D-SUB, DVI-D, Display Port and HDMI.
The I/O panel features many common connections but is rather sparse for a gaming system. Along the panel you will find a single PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse port, digital audio over optical, Six USB3.0, Two RJ-45 network connection (One Intel and One Killer), and five analog audio connections for 5.1 channel sound. Video connections are made possible over D-SUB, DVI-D, Display Port and HDMI.
G1 Killer Features Revealed (From Gigabyte)
Onboard Creative Sound Core3D quad-core audio processor
Revolutionary Sound Core3D Audio and Voice chipset accelerates THX TruStudio Pro and CrystalVoice processing effects, drastically improving your gaming experience with faster frame rates, more immersive gaming audio, and crystal clear voice communication.
Built-in Front Audio Headphone Amplifier
Specially designed for gamers, GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 3 utilize a high capacity amplifier which is able to drive 150? loads, allowing gamers to enjoy a fuller range of dynamic sound with crisper details and less distortion when using high quality professional headphones. The amplifier also features wide band-width, low noise, high slew rate and low distortion, making it ideal for professional audio usage. In addition, GIGABYTE has equipped G1.Sniper 3 motherboard with 4 additional amplifiers onboard for the center/sub woofer, rear speaker, side surround and line out.
Nichicon High-end Audio Capacitors
GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 3 motherboard utilizes the highest quality Nichicon MUSE ES series and MW series Bi-Polarized audio capacitors at each channel layout. These professional audio capacitors deliver the highest quality sound resolution and sound expansion to create the most realistic sound effects for professional gamers.
Revolutionary Sound Core3D Audio and Voice chipset accelerates THX TruStudio Pro and CrystalVoice processing effects, drastically improving your gaming experience with faster frame rates, more immersive gaming audio, and crystal clear voice communication.
Built-in Front Audio Headphone Amplifier
Specially designed for gamers, GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 3 utilize a high capacity amplifier which is able to drive 150? loads, allowing gamers to enjoy a fuller range of dynamic sound with crisper details and less distortion when using high quality professional headphones. The amplifier also features wide band-width, low noise, high slew rate and low distortion, making it ideal for professional audio usage. In addition, GIGABYTE has equipped G1.Sniper 3 motherboard with 4 additional amplifiers onboard for the center/sub woofer, rear speaker, side surround and line out.
Nichicon High-end Audio Capacitors
GIGABYTE G1.Sniper 3 motherboard utilizes the highest quality Nichicon MUSE ES series and MW series Bi-Polarized audio capacitors at each channel layout. These professional audio capacitors deliver the highest quality sound resolution and sound expansion to create the most realistic sound effects for professional gamers.
Dual LAN with Onboard Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2200 game networking platform
GIGABYTE is the only motherboard manufacturer to implement both Intel gigabit Ethernet and the Qualcomm Atheros E2200 game networking platform directly onboard G1.Sniper 3 motherboard, offering more options for online gaming connectivity than ever before.
Visually the audio and network components take up very little space when compared to the Sniper 2, this is due in part to advances in chip technology and smaller sound and network processors.
GIGABYTE is the only motherboard manufacturer to implement both Intel gigabit Ethernet and the Qualcomm Atheros E2200 game networking platform directly onboard G1.Sniper 3 motherboard, offering more options for online gaming connectivity than ever before.
Visually the audio and network components take up very little space when compared to the Sniper 2, this is due in part to advances in chip technology and smaller sound and network processors.
