Gigabyte K8NNXP-940: Built on Athlon64 FX51 Strengths

Gigabyte K8NNXP-940: Basic Features

Motherboard Specifications
CPU Interface	Socket-940 Athlon64 FX
Chipset	nForce3-150 Single-Chip
Bus Speeds	200MHz to 300MHz (in 1MHz increments)
PCI/AGP Speeds	Auto (Variable) or Fixed 66-100MHz (in 1 MHz increments)
Available CPU Ratios	Auto, 4X to 25X in 0.5 increments
Core Voltage	Normal, 0.80V to 1.70V in 0.025v increments
DRAM Voltage	Normal, +.1, +.2, +.3V
Chipset (VDDQ) Voltage	Normal, +.1, +.2, +.3V
Hypertransport (VCC12_HT) Voltage	Normal, +.1, +.2, +.3V
Memory Slots	Four 184-pin DDR DIMM Slots Dual-Channel Configuration For Registered/Registered ECC
Expansion Slots	1 AGP 8X Slot 5 PCI Slots
Onboard Serial ATA RAID	Silicon Image Sil3112 supports Raid0/1
Onboard IDE RAID	Two Standard ATA133/100/66 Plus 2 GigaRAID ATA133 IDE RAID
Onboard USB 2.0/IEEE-1394	Six USB 2.0 ports supported by nF3 TI 1394B (800 Mb/s) FireWire (2 ports)
Onboard LAN	Two ports, Realtek Gigabit LAN + Realtek 10/100 LAN
Onboard Audio	Realtek ALC658 codec AC '97 2.3 6-Channel with UA
BIOS Revision	F1 Release 7/22/2003

The Gigabyte K8NNXP-940 is Gigabyte's top board for the Athlon64 Enthusiast, and the fancy embossed foil packaging tries to convey that. This is typical of recent Gigabyte top-line boards.

Gigabyte continues the recent “6-Dual Miracle” theme with the K8NNXP-940, with the Dual 32-bit/64-bit Dual CPU bandwidth replacing Hyperthreading as Athlon64's Dual. As the flagship for the Gigabyte AMD line, every feature you can imagine is lavished on the K8NNXP-940. The most significant new addition is 1394b Firewire. This is the first board that we have tested with the new 800Mb/s firewire.

Gigabyte uses the nVidia nForce3-Pro150 single-chip solution on the K8NNXP-940. While the nF3-150 and nF3-Pro150 are currently limited to 600MHz HyperTransport, communication to the FX processor is direct and not bottlenecked by slower speed chip communications in traditional north/south bridge chipsets. The nF3-150 is used on motherboards designed for the single-channel Socket 754 Athlon64, while the nF3-PRO150 is designed for the Dual-Channel Opteron or Socket 940 FX51.

The Gigabyte uses both the GigaRAID IDE RAID based on the IT8212 chip and SATA RAID based on the well-regarded Silicon Image 3112/3512 chip. IDE RAID 0, 1, 0+1 are supported, and SATA RAID 0, 1. A full assortment of SATA/IDE cables and SATA/Molex power connectors are provided for drive hookup.

This includes Gigabytes unique external SATA bracket that allows connection of 2 external Serial ATA devices.

K8NNXP-940 uses the newest and best version of the Realtek audio codec called ALC658. This audio chips features Dolby Digital 6-channel sound and UAJ or Universal Audio Jack. This allows automatic jack programming as we've seen on some boards based on Intel's 865/875 chipsets.

If you have Dolby digital capabilities, SPDIF output is provided by an included SPDIF bracket. SPDIF out jacks are provided for both optical and coaxial connections, as well as the 2 additional jacks for rear speakers in a powered 4 to 6 speaker arrangement. This allows rear speakers/subcenter to be used, while still leaving usable microphone and audio input capabilities. Many motherboards must program the rear-panel jacks and use the mic and input jacks for a 6-speaker setup. The ability to use six speakers, mic, and audio input is a nice feature — and more unique than you might imagine.

Realtek markets the ALC658 as a premium sound solution, and their first 2.3 compliant audio codec. The ALC658 is:

The ALC658 has six 20-bit DAC channels, two pairs of stereo 18-bit ADC, and an AC'97 2.3 compatible six-channel audio CODEC designed for PC multimedia systems. The ALC658 incorporates proprietary converter technology to achieve 100dB sound quality, meeting performance requirements on PC99/2001 systems and placing PC sound quality at the same level as consumer equipment.

More information on the features and specifications of ALC658 is available at Realtek.

In addition to the 2 USB 2.0 ports on the rear I/O panel, Gigabyte provides an accessory bracket with two more USB 2.0 ports and 2-800mb/sec Firewire ports (one standard and one mini). An additional 2-port USB2.0 bracket is provided if needed. It is clear that the designers put some thought into this arrangement, since many users have front USB ports on their cases and the combo USB/firewire bracket may be their only added ports.

In keeping with the Dual theme, the K8NNXP-940 includes two LAN ports — a Gigabit LAN port and a 10/100 Ethernet port. Both chips are by Realtek.

Gigabyte uses their trademark Dual BIOS on their mid- to high-end motherboards, and it is included on the K8NNXP-940. In addition to protection from a bad BIOS flash, the dual BIOS feature allows the creative end-user to set up 2 different BIOS setups for different OS or loads. In addition, the dual BIOS has hooks to allow direct flashing of the BIOS without an OS. You merely copy the BIOS file to a floppy, hit DEL during boot to enter BIOS, hit F8 to enter BIOS setup and make selections. Updating BIOS is as easy as it gets.

The K8NNXP I/O ports configuration is the assortment you will find on most high-end boards, and a custom ATX backplate is included.

As part of their Dual Power and Dual Cooling features, Gigabyte includes the DPS-K8 power module. The base K8NNXP-940 is a 3-phase board, while adding the DPS-K8 module extends the board to 6-phase power and a second cooling fan. Gigabyte claims that the 6-phase power produces a more stable motherboard, better overclocking, and longer lasting components.

Four DIMM slots support Registered or Registered ECC Dual-Channel memory. Memory should be installed in matched pairs for Dual-Channel. Regular unbuffered DDR memory will not work in FX51 boards or in Opteron boards. Memory up to DDR400 is officially supported, which is an improvement over the DDR333 support that we have seen in past Opteron nForce3 boards.