When Intel first released the i810 chipset, they quickly followed this up with an Enhanced version, the i810E. This has been duplicated with the i815 and i815E chipsets, with Intel using a new 82801BA South Bridge chip to increase both performance and the feature set. While basic functionality is similar between the two i815 chipsets, the i815E does add features such as ATA-100, Quad USB ports, and an integrated LAN connect interface to the overall mix. As such, the i815E motherboards will offer more future-proofing than the original i815 boards.

Other than the blue tint of the PCB, the GA-6OXM7E design is a pretty standard for an i815E motherboard. The board checks in at a size of 8.5”x12,” which are dimensions shared by many of the Intel BX and VIA Apollo Pro 133/A motherboards on the market. Gigabyte has used a 1 AGP/6 PCI layout, with the option of a CNR slot. This design has the benefit of being very upgrade-friendly for PCI peripherals, but also discounts those with legacy ISA modems or network cards. Gigabyte has also ensured that most dip switches, headers and other on-board hardware is well out of the way of the AGP, PCI and CNR slots.

The GA-6OXM7E features 4 DIMM sockets, but due to the i815E's design, only three double-sided DIMMs can be used at one time. By having 4 DIMM sockets, Gigabyte is allowing users the potential of upgrading their SDRAM to the maximum, but those unfamiliar with the double-sided DIMM limitation may encounter difficulties. The fourth DIMM socket is also an optional component and may not be featured on all models. There is also an optional diagnostic DIMM LED indicator that will help when trouble shooting memory problems. We did find that the AGP slot sits a bit too snugly against the DIMM sockets and using the DIMM clamps to add or remove memory is nigh impossible with an AGP card installed.

The board's FC-PGA CPU socket is adequate for standard CPU coolers, but those wanting to install larger ones will have trouble. The FC-PGA socket is almost entirely surrounded by capacitors, which will interfere with larger heatsinks. On the other hand, Gigabyte has done an excellent job of placing the ATX power connector well out of the way. It resides right beside the floppy connector and it's a wonder why more manufacturers don't go this route as well. This design ensures that the CPU receives a great deal of airflow and that no cables will touch or interfere with the cooler.

The GA-6OXM7E can use either hardware jumpers or a pure “CPU autodetect” to determine CPU and memory speeds. Our review board did not have the hardware jumpers that were outlined in the manual, and we were forced to use the board's CPU auto-detect functionality. For general users, this will not be an issue, but those who might want to tinker with the default CPU settings should seek out a board with the hardware settings. There is also a standard jumper for enabling a Magic Booster voltage setting, which raises the CPU core voltage by 10%.