Asus P4S800D-E Deluxe & Gigabyte 8S655TX Ultra: SiS 655TX Challenges Intel's Best

Gigabyte 8S655TX Ultra: Features and Board Layout

Like Asus, Gigabyte adds a number of additional features to make the 8S655TX uniquely Gigabyte.

Gigabyte has used the additional ITE GigaRaid on many of their top boards, and it is included on the 655TX. The GigaRaid chip adds the capability of using 4 additional IDE drives in a RAID configuration or as regular drives. This does mean you will need to install both SiS and GigaRaid drivers if you plan to use both features.

The Realtek Gigabit chip is used for the on-board LAN connection on the 8S655TX.

The high quality Realtek ALC658 audio codec is showing up on many top-end boards. The features of the AC'97 2.3 compatible six-channel audio CODEC are top-notch for an on-board audio solution. They include six 20-bit DAC channels, two pairs of stereo 18-bit ADC, and a 100dB S/N ratio. More information on the features and specifications of ALC658 is available at Realtek.

If you have Dolby digital capabilities, SPDIF outputs are provided by coaxial and optical jacks on an included accessory bracket. Two additional mini jacks are also provided so 6-channel powered speakers can be used and you can still have a MIC jack.

Gigabyte usually reserves their trademark Dual Bios feature for top-end boards, and yet, it is included on the 8S655TX Ultra. Even though this board will sell for around $100, it is loaded with top-end features and options. The only major Gigabyte feature not seen here is the accessory 6-phase power module that is found on some other top Gigabyte motherboards.

I/O port offerings on the 8S655TX Ultra include the PS2 ports, Parallel, 2 Serial, 4 USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit LAN, and 3 audio mini jacks. SPDIF connections and 2 additional mini jacks are on an included accessory bracket. There are no firewire ports on the rear I/O panel, but both standard and mini Firewire ports and 2 additional USB 2.0 ports can be added on the other included accessory bracket.

Board Layout

The Gigabyte 8S655TX Ultra is also a well-laid out, full-size ATX design. Our only complaint is the location of the 12V connector. Otherwise, the board layout is really excellent. While the 20-pin ATX connector is in our preferred upper right position, the 4-pin 12 volt connector is to the left of the CPU socket and near the midline of the board, just like the Asus P4S800D-E. We will probably have to go back to SiS with this complaint, since it is likely carried over from the Reference design. The on-board audio connectors are about left midline and above the AGP/PCI slots, making audio connection easy in almost any case design or board setup. Even the floppy connector is above midline and behind the DIMM slots, making that connection easy for almost any build.

The IDE connectors, IDE RAID, and 2 SATA connectors are all in acceptable locations. The 8S655TX Ultra has an excellent layout no matter how you look at it.

Gigabyte was the first manufacturer to use color-coded panel connectors, and they have extended this feature to almost all their current boards. We are glad to see it used on the 8S655TX Ultra, as it really does make it easier to figure out the panel connections.