GIGABYTE launches world's first dual-port Thunderbolt 7-series motherboards

GIGABYTE Technology Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the latest GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards. It is the very first to offer fully certified dual onboard Thunderbolt ports. Capable of connecting up to 12 devices plus 3 digital displays simultaneously, with great data transfer speeds that can transfer 1TB of data in only five minutes, GIGABYTE Thunderbolt motherboards offer the fastest connection interface on the desktop PC. GIGABYTE Thunderbolt motherboards allow users to daisy chain devices simultaneously via an incredible bi-directional 10Gbps data pipeline that includes both PCIe and DisplayPort traffic. “It’s easy to see how our unique dual port Thunderbolt implementation simply offers more,” commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. “We’re the only motherboard vendor currently offering DIY PC builders the absolute maximum in terms of device connectivity," he added. The first batch of Thunderbolt equipped motherboards include the Z77X-UP5 TH, Z77X-UP4 TH and Z77MX-D3H TH.

GIGABYTE Dual Thunderbolt motherboards open up a wealth of new possibilities regarding high-performance storage devices. The company has worked closely with several leading device partners, including Promise Technology, LaCie, BlackMagic, Western Digital, Seagate, Elgato, CalDigit and cable manufacturer Sumitomo. GIGABYTE's Thunderbolt motherboards are the first to be certified by Intel featuring dual Thunderbolt ports directly on the motherboard back panel I/O, with each Thunderbolt port supporting a maximum data transfer speed with simultaneous bi-directional data transfer at speeds of up to 10Gbps - this means you can transfer a full HD 1080p movie in under 30 seconds. GIGABYTE’s dual port Thunderbolt implementation ensures the absolute maximum potential connectivity, with support to connect up to 12 individual devices simultaneously, with each port offering full 10Gbps bandwidth. Thunderbolt combines both DisplayPort and PCI Express protocols over a single cable so that users can connect a multitude of device types in tandem with HD streaming video and 8-channel audio, simultaneously in one specially developed cable. Users can also enjoy improved flexibility by ‘daisy-chaining’ several devices while still enjoying low latency and industry-leading data transfer speeds.

The GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5 TH and Z77X-UP4 TH both employ award winning GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 5 technology that includes high current capable components for the CPU power zone including IR3550 PowIRstage ICs from International Rectifier, 2X Copper PCB and high current Ferrite Core Chokes rated up to 60A, which together are able to deliver up to 60 degrees Celcius cooler temperatures than traditional motherboards.