We are getting closer to the launch of Sandy Bridge E and Intel's motherboard partners are eager to get out some early press about their motherboards. We saw a lot of what to expect from SNB-E motherboards at IDF, but most of the manufacturers have been holding back a bit of information on how they plan to differentiate in this ultra-competitive industry.

With Sandy Bridge we saw some of the first boards to sport UEFI instead of a traditional BIOS interface. With Sandy Bridge E, expect to see many motherboard manufacturers use their UEFI implementations as one avenue to stand out from the crowd.

Gigabyte is trying something a bit new with its X79 UEFI: a simplified "3D" UI. Instead of navigating through lists and sublists of options, Gigabyte's new 3D BIOS interface gives you a picture of your motherboard with a few predefined, highlightable sections. You can hover over and click on the SATA ports for example to bring up a list of SATA related configuration options. The same applies for rear IO, memory, PCIe, voltage regulators and naturally the CPU socket.

The advanced mode will still remain, Gigabyte is simply using 3D BIOS to make configuring your motherboard easier for those users who are less comfortable with the process. Check out the gallery below for more screenshots and the video above to see Gigabyte's 3D BIOS in action.

We'll have our full review of Sandy Bridge E and the X79 platform later this month.

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  • rtfg - Saturday, November 5, 2011 - link



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  • jewie27 - Sunday, November 6, 2011 - link

    Everyone pause at 2:42 in the video to see what they tried to blur out. It's so dumb, there's nothing to hide. It says 3600.92 mhz, 100 mhz base clock, 1333.67 mhz for the memory.
  • jimhsu - Sunday, November 6, 2011 - link

    Sad to see the potential of UEFI squandered on pretty "3D interfaces". Here's what I want a UEFI-based interface to be able to do:

    - Ability to support multiple profiles that can be recalled with a single click. E.g one for OC benching, one for everyday use, one for low power undervolting, etc.

    - Customizable, saveable interface. Don't use overclocking? Hide it. Want to experiment with memory timings? Move it up in the list to save keystrokes.

    - Integrated benchmarking functionality. Can be something as simple as a rudimentary SuperPI or Prime95 like thing. Can be fancy but not necessary.

    - Much better OS integration. Again, in terms of profiles, customization.

    - Considerations for notebook/tablet uses. Touch interface. Altering settings / boot priority / etc based on presence of AC power, battery, docking station.

    - Visual aesthetics. Yes, they do in fact matter. Color and shading to improve contrast. Logical grouping of functionality (without having memory timings on this screen, FSB on another one, TurboBoost on yet another one).

    That will truly bring BIOS into the modern age with out this "pretty stuff" in the way.
  • dfsd - Sunday, November 6, 2011 - link

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  • fdfsxcvdcfdh - Monday, November 7, 2011 - link


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  • poohbear - Monday, November 7, 2011 - link

    What are the chances of them releasing BIOS updates for all their mobos to look like this? anyhope my old AM2+ gigabyte mobo will ge this UEFI?
  • Squidward - Monday, November 7, 2011 - link

    Am I seriously seeing a handgun design built into a motherboard?

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