Date:
Wednesday, September 18, 2002
Category:
Motherboards / Chipsets
Manufacturers:
Gigabyte
Author:
Brent Justice

Gigabyte GA-8IHXP

The newest addition to Gigabyte's Pentium 4 family packs features with performance while keeping stability their number one priority.

Introduction

Gigabyte Technology is all about performance, stability, and quality as people have discovered using their hardware. Gigabyte Technology has been in business since 1986 and since then has taken a leading role in motherboard sales all around the world. They are based in Taiwan with facilities in Japan, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Australia, and even the good ol' US. Their global sales extend to Europe, Asia Pacific, and North America for the largest part of their market. They don’t just make motherboards, either. Their product line consists of motherboards, graphics cards, desktops, PC peripherals, IA, server, storage, and networking products. As you can see, they are quite diverse with expertise in many fields with a long history of top end products for business and individuals. But enough about the company, let's get to their motherboards.

I couldn’t possibly go over each P4 motherboard out from Gigabyte because there have been a total of 49 motherboard models released since the introduction of the Pentium 4 from them! They have released motherboards based on Intel and SiS P4 chipsets. I suggest you check out their listing of Pentium 4 capable motherboards here. The one we are looking at today is their brand new GA-8IHXP.

Article Image

The Gigabyte 8IHXP is based on Intel’s i850E chipset coupled with Intel’s ICH4 and loaded with more features then you can shake a stick at, supporting the 533MHz FSB Pentium 4 and up to 1066MHz RAMBUS. Its brother, the 8IEXP based on the i845E and ICH4, has received positive reviews for great stability and performance loaded with features.

CPU

Pentium4 Socket 478 400/533MHz

Chipset

Intel i850E MCH + Intel ICH4

FSB

400/533 & 800MHz/1066MHz RDRAM Memory

BIOS

AMI Bios / GIGABYTE DUAL BIOS

Memory

Four 184-pin  PC800/PC1066 RAMBUS

Expansion Slots

1 AGP, 6 PCI Slots

Onboard IDE

2 ATA 100 / 2 ATA 133 RAID via Promise

USB

4 On Board USB 2.0 /

2 USB 2.0 Rear (10 Ports Total)

AGP

AGP 2x/4x

Audio

Creative CT5880

Here is a complete list of features on the 8IHXP:

As you can see in the features list here, the 8IHXP is just loaded with extras. Let's take a look on the next page at just what this motherboard can bring to the table.

PROCESSORSocket 478 mPGA478 Pentium 4 processor533/400 MHz FSB

CHIPSETIntel 850E / ICH4Promise PDC20276 RAID controller chip supports RAID 0,1Creative CT5880 controller chipRealtek LAN chipSuper I/O: Winbond 83627HF chipSmart I/O: Winbond Smart I/O chipNEC 720100 USB2.0 controller chip

MEMORYType: RAMBUS PC1066/ PC800 184 pinMax capacity: Up to 2 GB by 4 RIMM slots

Connectors1 x AGP universal slot (4x/2x-AGP 2.0 compliant), supports 1.5v display card only6 x PCI slots (PCI 2.2 compliant)2 x UDMA ATA 133/100/66 Bus Master IDE ports for RAID 0 and RAID 1 (only two HDDs could be used by RAID function)2 x UDMA ATA 100/66 Bus Master IDE ports4 onboard USB 2.0 connectors (8 ports by cable with rear USB bracket)Memory Stick / Security Digital / Smart Card Reader connectors1 x FDD portSP/DIF output (with rear bracket)3 x cooling fan pin headers

Rear Panel2 x USB 2.0 ports1 x RJ45 LAN port2 x COM portsAudio (1 x Line-in / 1 x Line-out / 1 x Mic) connectorPS/2 Keyboard/Mouse1 x joystick

CPU / AGP / DIMM settingCPU FSB / Multiplier / Vcore Voltage adjustable via BIOSAGP Voltage / Clock adjustable via BIOSDIMM Voltage / Clock adjustable via BIOS

BIOSGIGABYTE patented DualBIOS™ technology2 x 4M bit flash ROM, enhanced ACPI feature for PC98/Win98/Win2000/Me/NT/CE/XP compliance, Green, PnP, DMI, INT 13 and Anti-Virus functionsIDE #1-#4, SCSI, LS120, ZIP, CD-ROM and USB bootableAC recovery ON / OFF control

H / W MonitoringSystem health status auto-detect and report by BIOSH / W detect and report power-in voltage, CPU voltage, and fan speed

Form FactorATX form factor, 6 layers PCB (30.5 x 23 cm)

PowerATX power connector and ATX 12V connectorPower-off by Windows 98/ Me/ NT/ 2000/ XP shut down and switch

Other FeaturesSuspend to RAM (STR)Supports USB KB / MS wake up from S3Poly fuse for keyboard over-current protection

Bundle Software@BIOS™, Easy Tune™ 4, Q-Flash™, GMC™Anti-Virus OEM versionGIGABYTE Windows Utility Manager

DriverCreative sound driverPromise RAID controller driver (includes pure ATA 133 driver)Intel® LAN driverWinbond Smart I/O driver