Gigabyte 8 series motherboard raises the bar in terms of protecting your system, providing advanced electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection for both your Ethernet LAN & USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports, both common sources of ESD-related failures. Each LAN & USB (Universal Serial Bus) port is paired with a dedicated protection filter that can withstand high electrostatic discharges, protecting your system from common electrical surges & even direct lighting strikes.