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Gigabyte to include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 with X79 motherboards

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On November 1, 2011, 10:30 AM EST

Gigabyte is set to include Wi-Fi and the new Bluetooth 4.0 standard as an add-on card for several of its new X79 motherboards, according to VR-Zone. The card will be in the boxes of X79-UD5, X79-UD7 and G1.Assassin 2 boards, and features a mini-PCI express Wireless N module, two moveable base antennas, Bluetooth 4.0 and a USB port. 

The mini Wireless card uses an Atheros chip and will be powered from the PCI-express bus with the Bluetooth connected via a USB header. It also features an internal USB connector on the card allowing you to add any USB device from within the case, a rare feature that many may find quite useful.

The mini-PCI express card is a much more sensible option than the alternatives displayed by ECS, which features a PCB antenna, hardwired to the rear I/O of the motherboard. It is also more future proof, enabling for Wireless mini-PCI upgrades as technology changes.

The new Bluetooth 4.0 aspect of the card is compatible with Bluetooth 3.0 +HS as well as low power 4.0 devices. Interestingly, Asus and ECS have both chosen to offer the older Bluetooth 3.0, possibly due to only a small number of devices such as the iPhone 4S that support the standard.

The new X79 chipset is due very soon, with reports suggesting we are just a couple of weeks away from seeing its launch. The new Intel chip brings support for four memory channels allowing for up to eight DDR3 DIMM sockets, USB3, up to 14 SATA connections, crossfire and SLI support.

It will be paired with LGA2011 processors, which are due to replace the current LGA1366 i7 Nehalem chips that Intel launched the core series with back in 2008. This new chipset will also support the upcoming Core i7 Sandy Bridge E series processors for performance enthusiasts.

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User Comments (5)

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dividebyzero
on November 1, 2011
1:39 PM

Nice idea....might be nicer if Gigabyte made the card available for sale seperately as well.

Reply

DokkRokken
on November 2, 2011
1:33 PM

I hope it does end up being sold separately. I don't see myself springing for the UD5 model when the UD3 would likely do all I'd need with aplomb.

Reply

red1776
on November 2, 2011
1:42 PM

can't you but a PCIE Wi-Fi bluetooth now?

Reply

dividebyzero
on November 2, 2011
3:47 PM

I hope it does end up being sold separately. I don't see myself springing for the UD5 model when the UD3 would likely do all I'd need with aplomb.

Likewise. The UD3 actually seems better appointed in some respects. I'll probably look at the UD3 and Asus P9X79 Pro as being the prime contenders for the next rig if SB-E looks viable from a performance and longevity standpoint.

can't you but a PCIE Wi-Fi bluetooth now?

Yup, but I think most are either primarily for mobile (laptop) or fairly old specification (either Bluetooth 2.0 and/or 802.11g) - at least that is what is on offer in New Zealand.

Reply

red1776
on November 2, 2011
3:49 PM

can't you but a PCIE Wi-Fi bluetooth now?

Yup, but I think most are either primarily for mobile (laptop) or fairly old specification (either Bluetooth 2.0 and/or 802.11g) - at least that is what is on offer in New Zealand.

I took a cursory look around and that appears to be the case here as well.

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