14 DAY TRIAL // As we are getting nearer to the launch of Intel's first high-performance processors based on the Sandy Bridge-E architecture, motherboard makers have started to showcase their solution for this new platform, including Gigabyte which has presented at IDF 2011 the X79-UD7 LGA 2011 board.
Judging from the UD7 suffix used by the Taiwanese company and by the black and orange color scheme that greatly resembles the X58A-OC, this solution will most probably become Gigabyte's flagship for the LGA 2011 socket.
As a result, the motherboard includes all the features that one would expect from such a high-end product including support for quad-GPU configurations (either CrossFireX or SLI) and a wide variety of overclocking-oriented technologies.
Most of these are found in the lower right corner of the board, where Gigabyte placed a series of voltage read points, controls for adjusting the processor ratio and BCLK on the fly, as well as dip-switches to change the PWM frequency.
Power to the CPU is delivered through a 20-phase VRM that uses POSCAP low-profile capacitors, while the additional juice required by 4-way GPU setups is delivered through a series of angled SATA power plugs placed on the lower side of the board.
Outside of the four PCI Express x16 slots, the rest of the expansion options available in the X79-UD7 include three PCIe x1 slots, four SATA 3Gbps ports, six SATA 6Gbps port as well as four SAS 6Gbps ports.
Moving to the rear I/O bracket, we find all the usual connector including a pair of USB 3.0 ports and 7.1-channel audio with digital S/PDIF out, but also a special OC button and a CMOS reset switch.
Two more USB 3.0 ports are available through an on-board header that is placed right between the bottom DIMM sockets and the BIOS POST display.
Intel's Sandy Bridge-E processors are expected to debut in mid-November and the initial CPU batch will include three chips, two featuring a six-core design and a quad-core model. The Gigabyte X79-UD7 is also expected to debut in Q4 2011. (via AnandTech)
