Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6

From the reviews we have published featuring Intel's P35 "Bearlake" Chipset on such motherboards as the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P and ASUS Blitz Extreme, this chipset has functioned very well under Linux with no real problems and the performance has been great. While the P35 works wonders on Linux, how does Intel's soon-to-be-shipped X38 work with Linux? Well, in this article we will tell you how this new Intel Chipset, which supports two PCI Express 2.0 slots and other improvements, is able to function on a Linux desktop and Solaris. At hand we have the Gigabyte X38-DQ6 motherboard as we explore its alternative OS compatibility and performance.

Features:

Processor
· Support for an Intel Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Duo / Pentium EE / Intel Pentium D / Intel Pentium 4 EE / Intel Pentium 4
· Intel LGA-775 Package
· Support for Intel Hyper-Threading Technology
· Support 1600/1333/1066/800 MHz FSB

Chipset
· Northbridge: Intel X38 Express Chipset
· Southbridge: Intel ICH9R
· T.I IEEE 1394 Controller
· Gigabit Lan Controller
· 8 Channels ALC889A Audio controller

Memory
· 4 x 1.8V DDR2 DIMM sockets supporting up to 8 GB of system memory
· Dual channel memory architecture
· Support for DDR2 1066/800/667 MHz memory modules

Form Factor
· ATX form factor, 305 x 244mm

BIOS
· 2 x 8 Mbit flash
· Use of licensed AWARD BIOS
· Support for Dual BIOSTM
· PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.3, ACPI 1.0b

Contents:

Included with the Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 was plenty of SATA cables, ribbon IDE cable, ribbon floppy cable, two eSATA expansion slots, windows driver CD, and the product documentation. Each eSATA expansion slot provides two eSATA ports and an external 4-pin molex connector. Everything had arrived safely and the included contents were adequate while not nearly as elaborate as some of the more expensive Intel X38 motherboards.