Although the first mainboards based on the new third-series Intel chipset are scheduled to be officially launched only in September, some mainboard makers are already announcing their solutions. The first one to come to the market with the new Intel X38 based platform was Gigabyte that introduced an inexpensive solution called GA-5BXWV-RH.

Based on Intel's X38 (Bearlake-X) chipset, GIGABYTE GA-5BXWV-RH is designed for single processor based platform in entry level, general purpose workstation, especially for small/middle level business user, graphic editing service, engineering 3D graphic processing, and advanced workstation user or game player.

GA-5BXWV-RH works with 1333/1066/800MHz FSB supporting mainstream Intel desktop processors including upcoming 45nm quad-core/dual-core (Yorkfield/Wolfdale). It can accommodate 4 DIMMs with maximum capacity of 8GB of dual-channel cost-saving unbuffered ECC DDR2-667/800 memory. It features one PCIe x16 slot for advanced high-performance visualization, and 4 PCI slots for legacy PCI devices such as sound cards. In addition, 5 SATA ports support advanced RAID functions, and one PCIe x4 is reserved for future expansion needs.

The detailed mainboard specs are given on the scheme below:

Note that Gigabyte GA-5BXWV-RH is an inexpensive solution. It features only one PCI Express x16 graphics card slot, and doesn't use the chipset Crossfire support. It cannot boast any sophisticated chipset cooling systems onboard and is equipped with a four-phase processor voltage regulator.

GA-5BXWV-RH is expected to cost like similar Intel P35 based solutions, since X38 and P35 chipsets differ only by $17. Gigabyte GA-5BXWV-RH should appear in stores within the next few weeks.