Layout and features
An eclectic mix of technologies make up the 81PE775. LGA775 Prescott support, along with goold ol' AGP 8X and DDR1 memory. In fact, substitute the socket form-factor to S478 and you have a full i865PE Springdale motherboard, so it's definitely closer in technology to i865PE than i925X/P variants. Intel has made it abundantly clear that LGA775 is the way forward for the Pentium 4; S478 tops out at 3.4GHz, and there's no plans to release faster Pentium 4s in anything other than LGA775. Gigabyte has also understood that the Springdale chipset is a competent dual-channel performer that's relatively inexpensive to turn into a feature-rich, overclockable motherboard.
Gigabyte's blue PCB has now become a distinctive company trait. Initial thoughts are good. The LGA775 socket dominates the right-hand section. Remember now that contact pins are located inside the socket and pads on the CPU sit on top. Also, coolers mounts directly on to the motherboard without the use of a retention bracket. I had no problems in installing and removing a Pentium 4 560 CPU numerous times. Gigabyte positions the 81EPE775 squarely as a budget board but still includes a 4-phase PWM supply.
Gigabyte's attempt to increase LGA775 compatibility manifests itself in the use of DDR1 memory. DDR2 uses 240 pins and simply doesn't fit into standard DDR1 slots. 4 DIMM slots allow up to 4GB of unbuffered memory in dual-channel mode. At 200MHz FSB and using PC3200 memory, that equates to around 6.4GB/s of juicy bandwidth. Intelligent placing of the main 24-pin power connector and IDE ports aids a clean layout. I also like the fact that a passive cooler is used on the northbridge.
LGA775, Intel says, is best used with the all-new ICH6 southbridge. It offers, amongst other things, high-definition audio, PCI-Express, and Matrix storage technology. It's these features that are often hard to benchmark but offer significant value in a motherboard package. Gigabyte keeps costs down by implementing the tried-and-trusted ICH5, replete with a couple of on-chip (non-RAIDable) SATA ports and slower PCI interconnects. Closer examination of the left-hand side shows a number of silkscreened components, including motherboard positioning for FireWire and Dual BIOS.
Budget it may be, coming in at around £60, but PCI-based Gigabit Ethernet has not been left out. Marvell's low-cost GbE ASIC is now adorning more and more midrange boards. ICH6 provides on-chip high-definition audio, buy ICH5 makes do with AC'97. Gigabyte makes the most of it by pairing Realtek's ALC850 8-channel CODEC. Of course, users looking for real high-quality sound should look towards investing in a discrete hardware card.
A mix of old and new. 4 USB 2.0 ports are now standard fare. A lack of FireWire is a touch disappointing when one considers the relatively inexpensive range of VIA' VT630x FireWire ASICs and the proliferation of FireWire-compatible camcorders currently swamping the market.
All in all, decent component positioning and a sensible range of legacy and high-speed ports makes the 81PE775 a highly compatible motherboard.
