The diversity of the Intel chipset portfolio is difficult to understand, as some features overlap from model to model. Choosing a higher model number will not necessarily give you a more advanced chipset. So, for example, the G35 provides more advanced graphics, but does not support DDR3 memory and does not work with the newer ICH9 southbridge as the G33 does. However, the Intel G31 chipset is actually a chipset entry level and consumes a minimum of energy.

The G31 falls under the category of mainstream desktop chipsets for "mainstream computing". This means that this chipset is completely unsuitable for high-end systems and does not support any advanced features. The G31 chipset was designed as a cost-effective option for ordinary user. Therefore, it is aimed at processors such as Core 2, Pentium Dual Core or similar Celerons based on the Core 2 microarchitecture.

The G31 chipset is limited to 4GB of memory, while the G33 and G35 support up to 8GB. The low-end chipset only supports dual-channel DDR2-800 memory (although this is not a downside compared to DDR3) and works with an ICH7 southbridge instead of an ICH8, ICH9, or ICH10. As a result, the G31 only supports four SATA/300 ports, but provides two more UltraATA/100 channels, while newer chipsets support either one legacy ATA channel or none at all. The G31 with the ICH7 Southbridge provides eight USB 2.0 ports, HD audio, traditional PCI slots, and as little as a 100Mbps network controller. If you need a faster Ethernet connection, then look for a motherboard that comes with a PCIe network controller to provide gigabit Ethernet. Both motherboards presented in our review are just that. And finally, although the G31 chipset has one x16 slot PCI Express for upgrade, it is not compatible with PCI Express 2.0.

Although FSB1066 was originally listed, all of the current G31 motherboards we reviewed also support FSB1333 processors. Both of our motherboards support all Core 2 processors, including Core 2 Quad processors. Incredibly, even the three-phase voltage regulator on the Foxconn G31 motherboard is enough to run the Core 2 Quad Q9550, in case you decide to abandon the dual-core processor in favor of a quad-core one.

Graphics core GMA3100

Integrated graphics solutions won't give you the performance and features that decent 3D graphics cards like Radeon HD4850/4870 and Nvidia GeForce 260/280. Even "mass" video cards on GPUs GeForce 9600GT far outperform integrated solutions. However, we decided to stick with integrated graphics to keep power consumption as low as possible.

The G31 chipset contains an integrated graphics Intel core GMA3100 based on GMA3000 core. This is the same graphics core that Intel first used in the 965 chipset line (under the name GMA X3000), and although the G965 supports pixel shaders 3.0, the G31, G33, Q35 chipsets are limited to the SM 2.0 model, which means support for DirectX 9.0c. However, this is sufficient for all the functions of the Aero interface in the operating system. Windows Vista. Motherboards with the G31 chipset usually have one analog D-SUB15 display output, and sometimes a DVI digital output. Since the GMA3100 is not suitable for HTPC (Home Theater), motherboards do not have HDMI outputs; you should also not expect two digital outputs from such boards.

CPU Intel Core 2 Duo was released in late summer 2006 and made a splash. Suddenly AMD processors The Athlon 64 X2 bypassed a product that provided better performance while consuming less power. Released at 2.66 GHz (2.93 GHz for expensive Extreme versions), the Core 2 Duo maintained its superior status for more than two years.

The first update was to increase the processor bus frequency from FSB1066 to FSB1333 in the summer of 2007 with the release of the P35 platform and slightly modified processors. The second modification is the frequency of the FSB1600 in high-end models and the change in the manufacturing process from 65 nm to 45 nm. All Core 2 Duo E7000, E8000, and Core 2 Quad Q8000 and Q9000 processors are based on 45nm Wolfdale cores. Quad-core Yorkfield processors use two Wolfdale dies.

Over time, Wolfdale processors have improved; the most recent modification was the introduction of the M0 stepping, which reduced the idle power consumption of the processor compared to the L steppings. We were looking for a suitable processor that would use the latest spacing, and found a Core 2 Duo E7200 with only 3 MB L2 cache instead of 6 MB . Of course, the reduced capacity of the L2 cache is another opportunity to reduce power consumption, which we did not fail to take advantage of.

AT this moment The E7000 line consists of only two models: the E7300 with a clock frequency of 2.66 GHz and the E7200 with a frequency of 2.53 GHz. Both models are based on the Wolfdale core, but have only 3 MB of L2 cache and a reduced FSB1066 system bus frequency (for comparison: all Core 2 Duo E8000 processors have FSB1333 and 6 MB of L2 cache). The E7000 line does not support either Virtualization Technology (VT) or Trusted Execution Technology (TXT); for our purposes, this is not a problem, since both technologies are irrelevant for "mass" desktop users. The reduced capacity of the L2 cache, combined with lower clock speeds, makes this processor an excellent choice for a computer with a high degree energy efficiency, as you'll see from our testing. Despite the claimed TDP of 65W, the Core 2 Duo E7200 consumes far less than this ceiling.



CONTENT

About Intel's plans to start shipping in the third quarter of this year budget chipsets P31 and G31 we already know. These chipsets are designed to replace the i945x series chipsets in the long run. The boards based on the new chipsets will support 45 nm Intel processors, but it would be wrong to attribute this feature to the merits of the chipsets themselves. The Intel P31 and G31 chipsets will initially support 1066 MHz bus processors, and will be allowed to support 1333 MHz bus in the first quarter. Manufacturers motherboards they are already implementing support for 1333 MHz bus for those chipsets that do not have this capability. The Intel P31 and G31 chipsets will be pin-compatible with the i945x series chipsets, the southbridges will remain the same - ICH7 and ICH7R, which will provide native support for the IDE interface, which is still in demand in the budget sector. In a word, the new chipsets do not offer any special innovations, besides the integrated graphics of the Intel GMA 3100 class for the Intel G31 chipset. They are introduced in order to unify the range of chipsets - already in the fourth quarter of this year, every second desktop chipset supplied by Intel will belong to the x3x family.

advertising

DigiTimes reported yesterday that Intel started shipping the P31 and G31 chipsets on July 4th. The wholesale cost of each of the chipsets is $30. Note that i945x series chipsets are offered at the following prices:
  • i945GT -> $39;
  • i945G -> $37;
  • i945GT -> $33;
  • i945GC -> $25;
  • i945GZ -> $24;
  • i945PL -> $23.

advertising

Thus, the Intel G31 and P31 chipsets, costing $30, join the friendly ranks of the i945x series chipsets. Note that this will not help i945x series chipsets leave the market faster - even in the first quarter of 2008 their share will be close to 35%. In the second quarter, the chipsets of the "third series" will be replaced by new chipsets of the Eaglelake family, and the i945x series chipsets will move to the lowest rung of the hierarchy, replacing the i865x series chipsets. Please note that by the first quarter of 2008 the share of i965x series chipsets will be measured by a few percent, and the x3x series chipsets will unconditionally dominate (almost 60%). By the way, in the current quarter the cost of the Intel P35 chipset will be reduced from $34 to $33, but this will hardly affect the retail price of motherboards.

The chipset is an important part of a computer because it contains everything important interfaces and largely determines the set of system functions.

For example, all modern chipsets contain many interfaces for expansion cards (PCI Express or PCI), a dual-channel memory controller (on the Intel platform), several USB 2.0 controllers (two ports per controller), an HD Audio controller, gigabit network controllers, and modern storage controllers Serial ATA with four to six ports. Some chipsets also include remote controllers.

Chipset Intel G31 Express

The Intel G31 chipset is an entry-level chipset and consumes minimal power. The G31 falls under the category of mainstream desktop chipsets for "mainstream computing". This means that this chipset is completely unsuitable for high-end systems and does not support any advanced features. The G31 chipset has been designed as a value for the average user. Therefore, it is aimed at processors such as Core 2, Pentium Dual Core or similar Celerons based on the Core 2 microarchitecture.

The G31 chipset is limited to 4GB of memory, while the G33 and G35 support up to 8GB. The low-end chipset only supports dual-channel DDR2-800 memory (although this is not a downside compared to DDR3) and works with an ICH7 southbridge instead of an ICH8, ICH9, or ICH10. As a result, the G31 only supports four SATA/300 ports, but provides two more UltraATA/100 channels, while newer chipsets support either one legacy ATA channel or none at all. The G31 with the ICH7 Southbridge provides eight USB 2.0 ports, HD audio, traditional PCI slots, and as little as a 100Mbps network controller. If you need a faster Ethernet connection, then look for a motherboard that comes with a PCIe network controller to provide gigabit Ethernet. And finally, although the G31 chipset has one x16 PCI Express upgrade slot, it is not compatible with PCI Express 2.0.

Motherboards with the G31 chipset usually have one analog D-SUB15 display output, and sometimes a DVI digital output. Since the GMA3100 is not suitable for HTPC (Home Theater), motherboards do not have HDMI outputs; you should also not expect two digital outputs from such boards.

The G31 chipset doesn't have a single feature that makes it special. It doesn't support DirectX 10, doesn't provide 3D performance that's good for gaming, and is limited to 4GB of memory. However, all these limitations are not so critical for a basic PC for everyday work. The G31 chipset is cheap, supports all Core 2 processors, including quad-core models, and accepts any high-end graphics card, so it's almost as suitable for gamers as the high-end chipset. It was motherboard manufacturers who turned the G31 from a "loser" for the mass market into a chipset for efficient platforms.

What is the difference between north and south bridges for INTEL and AMD

In the case of Intel, the chipset is represented by the northbridge, which is located next to the processor and is "responsible" for all high-speed devices (processor, video card, RAM), and the southbridge, which coordinates and connects low-speed interfaces (hard drive, audio, PCI slots, USB, etc.). The bridges are also interconnected using various bus implementations such as VIA's V-Link.

AT AMD platform there is only one chipset, since the memory controller is built into the processor itself, and the connection peripherals assigned to the analogue of PCI-E - proprietary Hyper Transport bus.

History of Intel chipsets

Per last years a lot of Intel chipsets came out. We decided to summarize the data in a table that reflects the most important stages in the development of split graphics chipsets, starting with the first SDRAM chipsets for the Pentium 4 (2001).

Chipset Intel 845 Intel 865/875 Intel 915/925 Intel 945/955/975 Intel 965
release date 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006
code name Brookdale Springdale/ Canterwood Grantsdale/Alderwood Lakeport/Glenwood Broadwater
Socket 478 478 LGA775 LGA775 LGA775
Processor Support Pentium 4, Celeron Pentium 4, Celeron Pentium 4, Celeron Pentium 4, Pentium D, Celeron D Core 2, Pentium 4, Pentium D, Celeron D
Processor generation 130 nm Northwood 130nm Northwood, 90nm Prescott 90nm Prescott 90nm Prescott, Smithfield 90nm Prescott, Smithfield, 65nm Conroe
FSB frequency FSB400, FSB533 FSB533, FSB800 FSB533, FSB800 FSB533, FSB800, FSB1066 FSB533, FSB800, FSB1066
Memory controller PC133 SDRAM, DDR266 Dual DDR333, DDR400 Dual DDR400, DDR2-533 Dual DDR2-667 Dual DDR2-800
GUI AGP4X AGP 8X PCI Express x16 PCI Express x16 PCI Express x16
Max. memory size 2 GB 4 GB 4 GB 8 GB 8 GB
south bridge ICp (82801BA), ICp (82801DB) - 421 pins ICp (82801EB) - 460 pins ICH6 (82801FB) - 652 pins ICH7 (82801GB) - 652 pins ICH8 (82801HB) - 652 contacts
Number of USB ports 4x USB / 6x USB 2.0 8x USB 2.0 8x USB 2.0 8x USB 2.0 8x USB 2.0
UltraATA/100 2 channels 2 channels 2 channels 1 channel
RAID support Not RAID 0 RAID 0, 1 (ICH6-R) RAID 0, 1.5 (ICH6-7) RAID 0, 1.5 (ICH8-R)
Serial ATA Not 2x Serial ATA/150 4x Serial ATA/150 4x Serial ATA/300 6x Serial ATA/300
Sound AC97 2.1 AC97 2.3 HD Audio HD Audio HD Audio
Net Via PCI Via CSA or PCI interface Via PCI Express Via PCI Express Embedded at 1 Gbps
Model options 845D (DDR memory), 845G/GL (with graphics), 845G, GE, PE, GV (DDR333) 865G (with graphics), 865PE (FSB800), 848P (one memory channel), 865GV (with graphics only) 915G (with graphics), 915PL (max. 2GB DDR400), 915GL (max. DDR400 with graphics), 915GV (with graphics only), 910GL (FSB533 and graphics only), 925XE (FSB1066) 945G (with graphics), 945PL (max. FSB800), 945GL (max. FSB800 with graphics), 945GZ (max. FSB800 and graphics only) G965 (with graphics), Q965 (with graphics, controls)

The chipsets that came out after the 915 and 925 did not feature any revolutionary features, but they were still better than the previous models. The 925XE was the first chipset to support the FSB1066 bus (266 MHz physical frequency) required by the first Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processors. The 945 and 955 (Lakeport and Glenwood) increased the frequency of DDR2 memory to 333 MHz (DDR2-667), and ICH7 added two more PCI Express lanes (six instead of four), and the SATA controller was upgraded to Serial ATA/300. RAID support now includes a RAID 5 array, but Intel has dropped the two legacy UltraATA/100 interfaces. Dual-core Pentium D processors required the 945 or 955 chipset.

ICH8 became the current southbridge for the 965 (Broadwater) chipset line, which, together with the 975X, became the foundation for the promotion of Intel Core 2 processors. The 965 chipset lost its UltraATA controller, and the AC97 interface was removed in favor of HD Audio solutions (which today can be called the standard ). The ICH8 supports SATA 2.5 including external SATA (eSATA) ports and contains a gigabit Ethernet controller. base model The ICH8 supports four SATA ports, but the ICH8-R RAID version supports six.

Each generation of chipsets has a number of models that use the integrated graphics core, using part of the RAM for the frame buffer. The 915G and 910G chipsets use the GMA900 graphics core with four pixel pipelines running at 300 MHz, support for MPEG2 and DirectX 9 hardware decoding. The 945G chipset has an updated graphics core, the GMA950 frequency increased to 400 MHz, but it still did not receive full support for Shader Model 3 (DirectX 9.0c). But the GMA950 at least supports HD video. Finally, the 965 line has the GMA3000 graphics core, with eight programmable pipelines, which runs at 667 MHz when running video or graphics calculations.

Intel P45 chipsets

The P35 (Bear Lake) line was replaced by the P45 line, codenamed Eaglelake. New line chipset consists of four different models(two of them with integrated graphics) and brings the PCI Express 2.0 standard to the mass market.

New P45 Chipset Features: Supports PCI Express 2.0 graphics, effectively doubling the throughput per PCI Express lane from 250MB/s to 500MB/s per lane (in one direction). However, to benefit from higher bandwidth, PCI interface Express 2.0 requires a PCIe 2.0 compatible expansion card (such as a graphics card).

The PCI Express 2.0 bus requires more power, so the P45 chipset is less power efficient than its predecessor, despite the fact that the P45 is manufactured using Intel's 65nm process.

The P45 is the first mainstream Intel chipset to support 16GB of memory, while the P35 is limited to 8GB.

Intel P45 Express chipset block diagram

All motherboards based on the P45 chipset have the following features.

  • Full family support Core processors 2, including Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Extreme in 45nm and 65nm process technology, Pentium Dual Core and usually Celeron.
  • Support for ATI CrossfireX configurations with multiple graphics cards.
  • PCI Express 2.0, up to two slots physically capable of supporting x16 cards, but on eight lanes each.
  • Additional PCI Express 1.0 slots.
  • Six Serial ATA 3Gb/s ports.
  • Gigabit Ethernet with different PHY chips.
  • RAID 0 and 1 (requires ICH10R southbridge to support RAID 5).
  • AHCI SATA 3Gb/s with Native Command Queuing (supports SATA optical drives and hot swap).
  • eSATA interface (if available): all SATA connectors can be brought to the back of the motherboard and used as eSATA.
  • High Definition Audio (HD Audio): From a motherboard based on the P45 chipset, you can expect at least a simple audio codec that will do all the audio processing with the CPU.
  • Boards do not support Windows 98 and Windows ME

3x line chipsets (Bearlake)

The 3x line chipsets (Bearlake) consist of four variants: G33, G35, P35 and X38. All chipsets still use the 775-pin Intel Land Grid Array (LGA775) socket.

Pay attention to the new southbridge ICH9. While the ICH6, ICH7, and ICH8 southbridges were packaged in a 652-pin BGA package, ICH9 is packaged in a 676-pin Ball Grid Array package, with the southbridge containing 4.6 million transistors and manufactured using a 130nm process technology. Although there are more transistors than in the ICH8, the TDP is still 4W. The ICH9 provides six full-featured Serial ATA/300 ports with NCQ (Native Command Queuing), and also supports eSATA and port multipliers that allow up to four SATA ports to be connected to a single port. SATA devices. As we found, the performance of USB 2.0 and ICH9 southbridge RAID is superior to ICH8 and ICH7.

Thus, if a motherboard based on the 965 chipset supports VRM 11, it will technically be possible to install 45nm processors on it. The VRM 11 programs the power lines using 8-bit Voltage IDs (VIDs), which gives a step change of 0.00625 V. The minimum operating voltage is no longer 0.8375 V (as in the VRM 10 specification), it has decreased to 0.5 V The VRM 11 also allows the load to be shared across more phases, and the lines support what's called dual edge modulation, which allows the regulators to drive multiple pulses to the transistors using smaller capacitors. The goal is not only to reduce the voltage steps and lower the operating voltage for 45nm processors, but also to provide enough power for different levels voltages that can change frequently. All this is done together with a more stringent specification of the voltage rise level.

Used since older versions to resolve conflict regarding PATA support.

Specifications

The G31 chipset's system bus, called the QPB 800, runs at 1066 megahertz. This device is capable of supporting dual-channel data streaming up to 800 megahertz. Max volume random access memory is four gigabytes. The G31 chipset type is not designed to work with servers, so it is called pseudo-synchronous.

As for the integrated graphics adapter, the GMA 3100 provides good quality images and supports DirectX version 9.

The data transfer rate between the bridges is two gigabytes per second, that is, one gigabyte per second goes out in one direction.

The chipset is able to support four SerialATA channels, which, according to the characteristics of the G31 chipset, means the ability to connect four hard drives that will operate in SATA 300 mode. The latter designation shows the data transfer rate within the system, that is, the maximum speed will reach 300 megabytes per second.

As far as power consumption is concerned, there is nothing to worry about, since motherboards based on the G31 chipset are budget and do not have advanced features.

Supported processors

Motherboards with the G31 chipset support processors based on the Core 2 Duo microarchitecture with a processor bus frequency of no more than 1066 MHz. working with this chipset is about 50 watts. The chipset also works with Pentium and Celeron processors, but only with socket 775 support.

Overclocking potential

For the overclocking example, the G31 chipset was taken as a basis. To use the board's memory settings, you need to go to the overclocking section, which is called the Fox Central Control Unit. After that, you need to choose the optimal frequency, that is, the highest. The higher the frequency of operation, the higher the performance. After choosing the highest value, you need to look in the system monitoring section. The temperature of the current state of the entire system will be displayed there.

Now you can go directly to overclocking, and for this you need to go to the Fox Central Control Unit section. By choosing the maximum value, you can look at the performance gain. The G31 chipset is capable of overclocking the processor from 333 to a stable 600 megahertz.

Example motherboard with this chipset

As an example of a motherboard, a microATX format model from Asus is presented. This device is able to work with both dual-core processors and quad-core representatives. Intel series Core 2 and Quad Core. The socket is on the P5KPL-AM 775 motherboard, which means that only 45nm processors are suitable.

The universal system bus operating at 800, 1066, 1333 and 1600 MHz can support DDR2 memory up to 1066 MHz in operation.

To unlock the full potential of the processors running on this motherboard, you can overclock the system bus to 1600 megahertz.

As you know, in order to work with applications that use three-dimensional graphics to be more productive, the motherboard has two slots for RAM. The motherboard can support dual-channel data rates up to 1066 MHz, which will increase the speed of demanding applications.

To implement and reproduce modern at that time computer games The PCI architecture has been improved. Now this bus is called PCI Express. With four times the bandwidth, you can enjoy every second of 3D gaming.

Also in the motherboard running on the G31 chipset, there is support for high-quality sound, additional settings for BIOS from the manufacturer, a controller for system cooling that optimizes its operation.

Conclusion

The choice of the rest of the equipment depends on the choice of a motherboard running on a particular chipset. Thanks to the chipset, the capabilities of the entire system change: the number of supported processors, the frequencies of components, the parameters of the integrated GPU, power consumption and much more.

Depending on the chipset, we can assume how powerful the system will be, what will be its overclocking potential. You choose.

Motherboards based on the G31 chipset are budget and are not designed for server manipulation and other advanced features. This version of the motherboard is ideal for an average user, that is, for working with simple applications, surfing sites and running games that are not too demanding.

Different manufacturers add a variety of features to their motherboards. additional features such as monitoring power consumption or restoring BIOS settings.

After the release of new processors of the Intel Core 2 family in the market of budget motherboards, focused on working with these processors, confusion began. The fact is that the release of new chipsets designed to build low-cost computer systems on the basis of the presented processors, is scheduled for a much later date, and motherboard manufacturers tried to fill the gap with solutions based on the Intel 945 Express family of chipsets. As a result, the market has whole line low-cost motherboards with support for Intel Core 2 Duo processors, but ... only budget models processors operating at 800 MHz FSB (in this case, chipsets from the Intel 945 Express family are often used, which do not support the system bus at 1066 MHz). Such motherboards also have one more drawback: since these solutions are focused on building low-cost PCs, most of them are based on chipsets with integrated graphics (Intel 945G Express, Intel 945GC Express, Intel 945GZ Express), but their graphics core Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (Intel GMA950) does not meet the requirements to work with Windows interface Vista Aero (recently this criterion has become one of the most important when evaluating the performance of integrated graphics solutions). But now, with the release of the new Intel P31 / G31 Express chipset family, which has replaced the sets Intel chips 945 Express, everything falls into place. GIGABYTE Company UNITED has expanded its line of budget motherboards with new solutions based on Intel P31/G31 Express family chipsets. In this article, we will talk about the capabilities of two of them - Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2 and Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L motherboards.

Systemic Gigabyte boards The GA-G31MX-S2 and Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L, which have expanded the range of GIGABYTE UNITED S-series solutions, are designed to work with the entire range of processors by Intel, made in the LGA775 form factor and operating at a system bus frequency of 800, 1066 or 1333 MHz, including the new quad-core Intel Core 2 Quad and Intel Core 2 Extreme processors, as well as the Penryn-based processors expected soon, which will be produced using a 45-nanometer process technology.

The Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2 motherboard is made in the microATX form factor (dimensions - 24.4x21.5 cm) on a dark blue textolite, traditional for GIGABYTE UNITED products. It was based on the Intel G31 Express chipset (Intel G31 Express + ICH7), the capabilities of which are complemented by the ITE IT8718F I/O controller.

To install modules system memory(It is assumed that unbuffered memory modules of the DDR2 SDRAM 533/667 or 800 standard will be used) The board has two DIMM slots. The memory subsystem can operate in both single- and dual-channel modes. The maximum amount of system memory supported by the board is 2 GB.

The Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2 motherboard has an integrated graphics core Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100 (Intel GMA 3100), which fully supports API DirectX 9c and OpenGL 1.4 and meets all the requirements of the new operating system Windows Vista to work with the Aero interface. If the capabilities of this integrated graphics solution are not enough for the user, then the PCI Express x16 slot is at his service, where you can always install a discrete graphics card that meets his needs. By the way, in addition to this slot for installing additional cards that expand the capabilities of the motherboard, there are two more PCI slots and one PCI Express x4 slot.

For organization network connection Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2 provides the user with a Realtek RTL8110SC gigabit Ethernet controller. The “sound” here is implemented by a combination of the HDA (High Definition Audio) controller integrated into the ICH7 and the Realtek ALC888 audio codec, which provides the ability to play 7.1 sound. There are six audio connectors on the motherboard output panel for connecting external audio devices.

In addition to the mentioned audio connectors, the output panel of the board has two PS / 2 connectors (for connecting a mouse and keyboard), parallel (LPT) and serial (COM) ports, a D-Sub video connector, an RJ-45 connector, and four USB port 2.0.

In total, the Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2 supports eight USB ports: four more, in addition to the four available on the output panel, can be implemented using additional expansion brackets, for which the board has two connectors (two ports per connector).

To build a disk subsystem, the board has four SATA II ports, one PATA connector that supports connecting up to two devices with an ATA 100 or ATAPI interface, and an FDD connector.

The system components are powered by a three-channel VRM unit.

To cool the microcircuits of the north and south bridges, plate light-alloy radiators are used. Note also that this motherboard has two four-pin connectors for connecting the processor (CPU FAN) and system (SYS FAN) fans. These fans are speed controlled using Gigabyte's Smart Fan technology, which is part of the Smart feature set. By the way, it is worth talking about the set of functions implemented in this motherboard separately. Like all GIGABYTE UNITED S-series motherboards, the Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2 motherboard has a set of proprietary innovations - a set of S-functions. In this case, this kit includes a set of Smart and Safe functions (which is what the S2 combination in the model name means). The Smart feature set includes a number of smart utilities that make it easier to use the system and automate certain actions. Among them:

  • Download Center - an intelligent utility that allows you to find and download the necessary drivers and utilities from the official GIGABYTE UNITED website;
  • @BIOS - a utility that allows you to automatically find and download BIOS firmware from the GIGABYTE UNITED official website and update the BIOS code in Windows environment;
  • Q-Flash - a low-level utility (accessible from the CMOS Setup Utility menu) that allows you to flash the BIOS without loading any OC;
  • Xpress Install is a utility that provides installation of drivers and utilities necessary for the operation of the motherboard, in automatic mode;
  • boot menu- allows you to select the device from which the boot will be performed without changing the settings in the CMOS Setup Utility;
  • Smart Fan - technology intelligent control cooling fan speed.

The Safe feature set includes a number of utilities that increase the reliability of your computer system. Among them:

  • Virtual DualBIOS - utility Reserve copy BIOS (The BIOS code is backed up in a private partition of the disk with the ability to automatic recovery in the event of a BIOS crash);
  • BIOS Setting Recovery - a utility that allows you to restore custom CMOS Setup settings;
  • C.O.M. (Corporate Online Manager) - a utility that gives system administrator the ability to remotely receive comprehensive information (versions installed drivers and software of the client machine) about the configuration of user PCs on which the client part of the software is installed, as well as real-time monitoring of a number of subsystems of these computers (processor temperature, fan speed, power supply voltage);
  • Xpress Recovery2 is a utility (loaded before the OC is loaded and does not depend on it) that allows you to create backup systems with the possibility of subsequent recovery from the created image;
  • PC Health Monitor - provides monitoring of the main operating parameters of the computer system through the CMOS Setup utility or EasyTune.

If the Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2 is an excellent option for building compact computer systems with an integrated graphics core, for example, HTPC (Home Theater PC) class systems or office PCs, then the second of the considered motherboards - Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L - is already a solution that is more focused on creating productive home systems, in particular PCs for computer gamers, although this may seem strange when it comes to a budget-level motherboard. Unlike the first model, the Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L motherboard is made in the ATX form factor (dimensions - 32.4x21.5 cm). It was based on the Intel P31 Express chipset (Intel P31 Express + ICH7), the capabilities of which are complemented by the ITE IT8718F I/O controller.

In this case, four DIMM slots are equipped to install system memory modules (it is assumed that unbuffered memory modules of the DDR2 SDRAM 667 or 800 standard will be used), so the maximum amount of system memory supported by the board is 4 GB.

Motherboard output panel
Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L

Since this model does not have an integrated graphics core, then there is only one way to build a video subsystem - using a discrete graphic card, for the installation of which the Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L has a PCI Express x16 slot. In addition to this interface, there are three more PCI slots and three PCI slot Express x1.

Just like the Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2, the Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L motherboard has a Realtek RTL8110SC gigabit Ethernet controller and an audio controller, which is implemented by a combination of the HDA (High Definition Audio) controller integrated in ICH7 and the Realtek ALC888 audio codec.

The possibilities of building a disk subsystem of this motherboard are similar to those described for the Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2 model.

The output panel of the Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L motherboard contains two PS / 2 connectors (for connecting a mouse and keyboard), parallel (LPT) and serial (COM) ports, a D-Sub video connector, an RJ-45 connector and four USB ports 2.0, a set of six audio connectors, as well as optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs.

The system components are powered by a four-channel VRM unit. By the way, when creating the Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L motherboard, the manufacturer used proprietary Ultra Durable technology, within which electrical circuits of this solution, only high-quality solid capacitors are used, which have best performance and a much longer period of operation than electrolytic ones.

To cool the microcircuits of the north and south bridges, plate light-alloy radiators are used. To connect the cooling system fans, the motherboard has three connectors: two four-pin connectors for the processor (CPU FAN) and system fan SYS FAN2 and one three-pin connector for the system fan SYS FAN1.

Like the motherboard described above, the Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L has a set of proprietary S-functions, but this time, in addition to the Smart and Safe sets, it also includes the Speed ​​set, which includes utilities familiar to fans of GIGABYTE UNITED products overclockers like EasyTune and M.I.T. (Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker).

Summarizing the above, we note that although the motherboards Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2 and Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L are based on related chipsets, they are oriented towards different categories of users. At the same time, both these models are undoubtedly united by the fact that they combine the promising solutions based on chipsets of the new Intel 3x Express family and the availability of motherboards based on the Intel 945 Express chipset (the price of these motherboards, according to price.ru, is about $100). .) and can be an excellent solution for building low-cost computer systems with an eye to the future.