Presentation and bundle
Underscoring the deluxe nature of the G1975X package is the oversized box that the contents ship in. Gigabyte makes clear reference to the enthusiast nature of the board, citing hardcore gamers as the target market.
Part one of the bundle comprises of the various brackets and cables you need to make the most of the G1975X's feature-set. Note the irregular-looking I/O shield that's needed to cover the Turbojet fans. Perhaps a little portentously, Gigabyte also includes an SLI connector in the bundle. Does it know something we don't? Not shown on the above picture is Gigabyte's main manual, which clearly and succinctly explains the board's features and software package. Top marks for providing reference material in plain English. 3 CDs are included here, and the driver CD contains Gigabyte's excellent Xpress Install one-touch software installation program. Other notable software is EasyTune 5, Gigabyte's OS-based tweaking/monitoring software and CyberLink's PowerProducer/Power2Go and Norton Internet Security 2005.
A lack of space on the I/O section infers that Gigabyte will be adding connectivity via additional brackets, and that's exactly how it turns out. Extra audio ports and S/PDIF outputs, both RCA and optical, reside on one bracket and 2 USB2.0 and 2 FireWire400 (one is host-powered) on the other make up for what the I/O section doesn't carry. Our only bone of contention here is that both brackets are needed, and both will take away the space for installing extra cards into the expansion slots on the motherboard.
Only the absence of a WiFi/Bluetooth dongle stops this from being a true deluxe bundle, befitting a £150 motherboard.
