http://pixelsmashers.com/?p=11206Published: September 9, 2011Posted in: PC News, Technology
MSI has done some digging around and finds an interesting discovery that may put Gigabyte in bit of trouble. Remember a few weeks ago (the Gigabyte PCI-E 3.0 series 6 motherboard support announcement) we learned that all of Gigabyte’s previous line of approximately 40 motherboards would have native PCI-e 3.0 support. Some speculated that they designed the physical layout of the board ahead of time, so that a simple BIOS update would unlock PCI-e 3.0 support.
However, it seems that MSI, using a Ivy Bridge 22nm sample, has discovered that not everything is as Gigabyte claims it to be.
MSI begins by explaining that PCIe support isn’t as easy as laying a wire between the CPU and the slot. It needs specifications-compliant lane switches and electrical components, and that you can’t count on certain Gigabytes for future-proofing.
MSI claims that apart from the G1.Sniper 2, none of Gigabyte’s so-called “Ready for Native PCIe Gen. 3″ motherboards are what the badge claims to be, and that the badge is extremely misleading to buyers.
So, there are “specifications-compliant” lane switches and electrical components that MSI claims are not in accordance to the PCI-e 3.0 specification. And, the only motherboard that has native PCI-e 3.0 support is the G1.Sniper 2. How will Gigabyte refute these claims with such substantial evidence? As techpowerup.com puts it, “[it's] Time to refill the popcorn bowl.”
Some photos on what to look for on the Pericon chips