Taipei (Taiwan) - While we are still waiting for the arrival of Intel's Core micro architecture and Core 2 Duo processors, some vendors at Computex already have the next processor generation in mind. For example, Gigabyte unveiled its GA-965P-DQ6 motherboard, which, according to the manufacturer, is designed to carry Core 2 Duo processors as well as "Kentsfield," Intel's first quad-core desktop processor.

As most new motherboards shown at Computex, Gigabyte's new "all solid capacitor" board is based on Intel's P965 chipset that will make its grand entrance with Core 2 Duo processor that are expected to debut at the end of July. The new product aims to attract the attention of gamers as it promises several performance tuning tools, such as Easy Tune5 which allows the user to customize a system according to the individual preferences. Differentiation becomes more important in the increasingly competitive motherboard arena, which means not only more proprietary features but more - and not always clear - marketing phrases. In Gigabyte's case that is "6-quad," which describes

• "Quad Bios:" A total of four different Bios settings is provided via the driver CD,
• "Quad Cooling:" Combines Gigabyte's "Crazy Cool" and "Silent-Pipe"
• cooling for the CPU, the MOSFET modules, the northbridge and southbridge,
• "Quad e-SATA2:" Four sets of external SATA ports,
• "Quad Triple-Phase:" 12 Power Phases to deliver steadier power and immediate current support for the CPU,
• "Quad-Core Ready:" Support for Kentsfield processors,
• and "Quad DDR:" Slots for four DDR2-800 memory modules.

Other features of the ATX motherboard include a Marvell LAN controller, 2 X16 PCIe interfaces, one x1 slot, four PCI ports, eight SATA connectors, as well as a set of UDMA ATA,IEEE1394, USB 2.0 interfaces.

Gigabyte said that the board will be available in June through its regular distribution channels. Pricing was not announced.

Click here to see all Computex 2006 stories and an interview with Gigabyte's David Chiang.