ECS Now Supports Intel 4th Generation Core Processors

ECS has announced a series of new motherboards with the Intel 8-series chipset targeted at the 4th generation of Core processors. The new boards will be available in the second quarter of this year in Pro, Deluxe, and Essentials models. "Pro series optimized for power computing, Deluxe series optimized for small office and home, and Essentials series optimized for home and multi-media." All of the boards will feature support for SATA 6Gb/s, PCI-E 3.0, and Thunderbolt. Also included in the new boards is ECS Durathon durability technology, ECS Hyper Alloy Choke technology, and 4-way video output.

Source: Press Release

ASUS Shows Off Its New Color Scheme for the Intel Z87 Motherboards

When the Intel Haswell processors and the Z87 chipset arrive next month, ASUS is going to be sporting a new color scheme for its motherboards. Instead of the blue look past motherboards have had, the ASUS Z87 line will have a gold scheme to highlight the fact that ASUS delivers the gold standard in terms of quality, reliability, and performance. The heat sinks are going to catch your eye first, as they not only sport the new gold color but also a custom design for more surface area. That means improved cooling and better heat dissipation, which is vital for any system builder regardless of how much performance they are trying to get. The DIMM and PCIe slots, as well as the SATA ports, all get a nice splash of gold without being too in your face. Oh, and the black PCB provides a very nice contrast to the amount of gold.

As for what exactly ASUS has in store with its Z87 line, well, the Z87-DELUXE offers a huge variety of features and connectivity options as it sits at the high-end. Mainstream users can look toward the Z87-A, which packs in a ton of performance and ASUS features at a friendlier price point. There's also the Z87-PRO and Z87-PLUS for those who don't need all the top-end of features yet still want great performance. The Z87I-DELUXE offers "best-in-class" features and design in the Mini-ITX form factor. Those needing workstation reliability and features can look toward the Z87 WS, but the fun doesn't end there.

The ASUS ROG line (still decked in red and black) includes the MAXIMUS VI HERO, which brings the ROG brand to a more budget-friendly level; the MAXIMUS VI GENE and its microATX size, which also includes mPCIe Combo II for the latest M.2 (NGFF) SSD connectivity; and finally the big daddy MAXIMUS VI EXTREME, which ships with the ASUS OC Panel - "a real-time overclocking and system monitoring console that can be placed in a 5.25” drive bay or used externally." More ROG motherboards are planned, so try not to salivate too hard just yet.

ASUS is also bringing the TUF series into the Z87 fold, with the SABERTOOTH Z87 and the GRYPHON Z87, which is the first microATX TUF motherboard. Both of those feature Japanese-made 10K Black Metallic capacitors for 20% greater temperature tolerance and five times the lifespan of traditional capacitors. The SABERTOOTH features TUF components like Thermal Armor to aid with airflow, the TUF Fortifier backplate reinforcement, and the Dust Defender enclosures to protect the slots and ports from dust and debris. The microATX crowd isn't left out with the GRYPHON Z87, as owners can purchase the GRYPHON ARMOR KIT separately to deck it out with the Thermal Armor, TUF Fortifier, and Dust Defender.

There's still plenty of time to go before Intel reveals everything on its newest platform, but for now you can get an idea at what ASUS has in store for the launch. Pricing for the motherboards isn't known at this time, but expect that, and a release date, before long.

Source: Press Release

Next Generation Intel Thunderbolt to Offer 20Gbps Transfer Speeds

Intel has announced some of the features of its next generation Thunderbolt interface code named 'Falcon Ridge'. The interface will boast two channels, each with a 20Gbps bandwidth in both directions, an improvement on the 10Gbps offered with the current revision. The 20Gbps bandwidth should allow more uses of the Thunderbolt specification, such as 4k video file transfer. The new standard will also maintain compatibility with older Thunderbolt cables.

Intel currently has 200 licensees for the technology, which is set to be released next year, but new, thinner cables will become available in the coming months. Intel also mentioned a new Thunderbolt host controller code named 'Redwood Ridge', which will be featured in some of the next generation Haswell series of chips.

Source: KitGuru

GIGABYTE Announces New Thin Mini-ITX Motherboards

GIGABYTE has released a pair of motherboards targeted at the "slim and compact All-In-One (AIO) PC designs that adhere to Intel’s AIO PC specification." This form factor is 43% thinner than normal Mini-ITX motherboards allowing for a full PC in an even smaller space. The H77TN and B75TN use Intel H77 and B75 chipsets, respectively, and support Intel Core processors. Both boards have an available x4 PCIe slot as well as mSATA and Mini PCIe connectors. Vice President of the Motherboard Business Unit Henry Kao said, “GIGABYTE’s Thin Mini-ITX motherboards underline our commitment to the desktop PC market and cement our leadership position in the high growth AIO segment.”

Intel to Close Desktop Motherboard Unit

Intel has announced that the company is planning to close its Desktop Motherboard Business as part of a company realignment and resource reallocation. Employees will be moving to other divisions in the company where they will be able to focus on emerging form factors such as Ultrabook and small form factors computers. It will take three years for the company to fully ramp down this division, and the company willl continue to work on Intel's Form Factor Refernce Design to help partners continue to provide quality products. The motherboards associated with fourth generation Core products to be released this year will be the last new boards developed by Intel.

New Intel Board With Lucid MVP GPU Software

Intel has a new motherboard targeted at budget users that is made much more powerful through the use of Lucid MVP GPU Virtualization software. The DZ75ML-45K offers support for second and third generation K-series Core processors and even offers the ability to overclock the CPU. This software from Lucid allows use of Intel QuickSync in situations where the user has on board or discrete graphics to provide better graphical performance. Intel is also the official launch partner for Lucid Virtu MVP 2.0, which will be available sometime this year.

MSI's Entry-Level FM2-A75MA-P33 Motherboard Supports Newest AMD Trinity APUs

MSI is no stranger to churning out decent entry-level AMD motherboards, and its latest Trinity-capable FM2-A75MA-P33 looks to be a modestly compelling choice for budget builders. It uses AMD's A75 FCH chipset in tandem with a 5-phase VRM to accommodate the latest APUs. Expansion-wise, a single blue PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot is kept company by x1 PCI-Express 2.0 and legacy PCI. Up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory is supported by its dual DDR3 DIMM slots. The FM2-A75MA-P33 allots six SATA 6 Gb/s ports for storage with RAID 0/1/10, aural duties managed by 6-channel HD audio, and the chipset comes with USB 3.0 SuperSpeed outputted via two rear-panel and two header ports. At an estimated $70 price, it might be easier to swallow the limited display connectivity, which is handled by dual-link DVI and D-Sub.  

ECS Reveals Line of Thin Mini-ITX Motherboards

ECS has announced a new range of thin mini-ITX motherboards targeted at three market segments, enterprise/corporate, multimedia/entertainment, and value/daily use. The corporate line feature the Intel 7-Series chipset and support two mini PCIe x1 slots, four USB 3.0 and five USB 2.0 connectors, and a variety of SATA options. Model numbers in this series are Q77H2-TI and B75H2-TI. The entertainment series features models H61H2-TI and H61H-G11 with support for Intel 6-Series chipsets. The daily use boards, NM70-TI and CDC-TI, have integrated Intel Atom and Celeron processors, respectively. These boards are rounded out with two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots, two mini PCIe slots, HDMI, and USB 2.0.

Gigabyte Announces New HD Motherboard Series

Gigabyte has announced a new line of motherboards, the HD Series, that will bring HDMI and DVI connectors to a range of value priced motherboards. VP of the Gigabyte Motherboard Business Unit Henry Kao said "Adding dual digital display ports to this segment really sets GIGABYTE apart from the competition, raising the bar for value segment motherboard design." Gigabyte hopes that this move will help make these connectors a standard on all graphics enabled motherboards, helping to provide access to better technology for all. In addition to the HDMI and DVI connectors, the HD Series will also incorporate Gigabyte Ultra Durable 4 Classic technology to help prevent common malfunction threats such as electrostatic damage. The HD Series will support both Intel Core and AMD A-Series platforms with model numbers GA-Z77-HD4, GA-Z77-HD3, GA-B75M-HD3, GA-F2A85XM-HD3, and GA-F2A55M-HD2.

EVGA Z77 Stinger Mini-ITX Motherboard Now Shipping

The EVGA Z77 Stinger Mini-ITX motherboard is now available in the United States with availability coming to Europe later this year. The Z77 Stinger is EVGA's latest creation with size and performance coming first in mind. With its Mini-ITX form, the Z77 Stinger comes packed with a 7+1 power phase design for CPU and memory, onboard Power, Reset and Clear CMOS buttons, onboard debug LED with CPU temperature readout, and EZ voltage read points. Some specifications of the Z77 Stinger include support for all Third Generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processors, two 240-pin DIMM slots allowing dual-channel DDR3 2133MHz+ memory up to 16GB, one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, and a total of six USB ports (four USB 3.0, two USB 2.0). More information on pricing and availability of the Z77 Stinger Mini-ITX motherboard can be found here.

Gigabyte Releases New Z77-UD4H Motherboard

A new motherboard from Gigabyte is hitting the market this week. The Z77X-UD4H is the newest addition to the lineup of motherboards by Gigabyte geared towards entry-level and mainstream PC enthusiasts. The Z77X-UD4H is built upon Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 4 construction that puts emphasis on super reliability and performance. The UD4H features a few minor changes such as the removal of an mSATA expansion slot found on both UD3H and UD5H models. Gigabyte is also adding an extra two 2-port SATA 6Gbps for even greater storage capacity. Other standard goodies of the UD4H will include an 11-phase VRM for greater overclocking capability, a total of eight USB 3.0 ports (six in rear I/O and two as internal headers), and three PCI-e 3.0 x16 graphics card slots supporting both NVIDIA 3-Way SLI and AMD CrossFireX multi-GPU solutions. For more information on the Gigabyte Z77X-UD4H, you can visit its product page here.

Pricing for the Z77X-UD4H is expected to be around $180 USD.

Zotac Adds Two Motherboards for AMD A-series APUs

Zotac has launched a pair of mini-ITX motherboards for use with second generation AMD A-series APUs. The A75-ITX WiFi B-series and A55-ITX WiFi B-series boards work with FM2 socket processors and both include a single PCIe x16 slot, 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth. The A75 and A55 in the product name indicate which AMD chipset the board uses, but other than that both boards have similar features. Two DDR3 slots allow for up to 16GB of RAM, three output connectors allow for a variety of compatible monitors, and four SATA ports can accommodate several hard drives and optical drives. The A75 board uses the SATA 6Gb/s standard while the A55 can only handle 3Gb/s. The A75 includes eight USB 3.0 ports and two USB 2.0 ports while the A55 features the opposite. Dual Gigabit Ethernet rounds out the A75, and the A55 has a single Gigabit Ethernet port.

ECS Announces Z77H2-A5X Deluxe Motherboard

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) is embracing Thunderbolt support with its new Black Series Z77H2-A5X Deluxe motherboard. This new board is based on the Intel Z77 chipset and is the company's first to support the crazy fast Thunderbolt port. One port is included on the Z77H2-A5X Deluxe, but that single port can transfer data at 10Gbps. Up to six Thunderbolt devices can be daisy chained to a single port, plus a DisplayPort monitor can be connected at the end of the chain. As for the rest of the board, well, ECS is catering to the overclocking crowd with Hyper Alloy Chokes to increase energy efficiency and decrease temperatures for added stability. Triple thickness gold plating around the CPU, memory, and add-on card sockets ensure a reliable connection, plus heavy duty heat pipes and heat sinks help keep crucial components cool.

The Z77H2-A5X Deluxe has three PCIe 16x slots capable of PCIe 3.0 (with a Third Generation Core processor) for NVIDIA 3-Way SLI or AMD CrossFireX. There are two SATA 6Gb/s ports, three SATA 3Gb/s ports, and one mSATA PCIe 3Gb/s port, with support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10. The rear I/O panel features two USB 3.0 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, HDMI port, Gigabit LAN, onboard WiFi, Bluetooth, and eight channel HD Audio.

The ECS Black Series Z77H2-A5X Deluxe motherboard should be available soon, although no launch date or price was mentioned.

Leaked Intel Slides Detail Haswell Lynx Point Chipset

New information on Intel's Haswell micro-architecture has recently been leaked after slides showed up on the Chinese site EXPreview. According to the leaked slides, desktop chipsets are expected to support  up to 14 USB 2.0 ports, six USB 3.0 ports, six SATA 6Gbps ports, and eight PCI-e 2.0 lanes. Two more USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps SATA ports are listed to be shared along the other eight lanes of PCI-e 2.0. CPU overclocking on Lynx Point-LP is to be dropped as well. On Haswell ULT processors, a new CPU throttling feature drops the base clock from 100MHz to 24MHz. Also, new C-state power levels (C8, C9, C10) are included on the ULT chips to further reduce power usage. Haswell is being aimed towards the ultra-book range of laptops with an emphasis on power efficiency and platform integration.

ECS Announces A970M-A Deluxe Motherboard

ECS has announced the addition of the A970M-A Deluxe to its lineup of motherboards in the Black Series. The board is compatible with AMD AM3 and AM3+ APUs. It is based on the 970 chipset from AMD and has two PCIe x16 slots for CrossFireX support, support for 32GB of dual channel DDR3, and five SATA 6Gb/s connectors. The board has been ECS Nonstop Technology certified, ensuring its reliability, and it also features Anti-Dust Shield Technology to help prevent dust buildup on the board. EZ Charger technology provides a USB port that can handle three times the current of standard USB ports to help charge your devices faster.

ASRock Z77 Extreme6/TB4 Motherboard Comes with Lightning Fast Thunderbolt Ports

A Thunderbolt-equipped ASRock motherboard has just been launched with the Z77 Extreme6/TB4 Motherboard. The Pegatron-owned manufacturer has outfitted the Z77 Extreme6/TB4 motherboard with two Thunderbolt ports, whose speedy connectivity can also be further expanded by attaching six compatible devices in each port using what ASRock calls its Daisy Chain feature. ASRock estimates blistering dual channel transfer rates of up to 10 Gbps per Thunderbolt port, which also happens to be PCI Express and DisplayPort compatible. The four RAM slots can accommodate 2800MHz memory overclocking, 7.1-channel onboard audio, along with NVIDIA quad-SLI and AMD quad CrossFireX GPU support, as well as a generous helping of the usual ports: eight USB 2.0 ports, four SATA 6Gbps ports, and six USB 3.0 ports. 

ECS Reveals New mini-ITX Motherboard

ECS has announced a new motherboard based on the Intel NM70 Express chipset, the NM70-I. The mini-ITX board has an integrated Intel Celeron 847 or 807 processor that consumes a maximum of 17W. The NM70-I is able to further reduce power consumption by turning off computing when not in use and also reducing frequency during low usage. The board includes one PCI-e x16 slot, four SATA connectors, four USB 2.0 ports, and can handle one DDR3 SO-DIMM module.

ECS Reveals A85F2-A Golden Motherboard

ECS has announced a new motherboard for AMD socket FM2, the A85F2-A Golden. The black ATX motherboard features several gold plated components and is certified by ECS Nonstop Technology testing. The board has two PCIe x16 slots and support for CrossFireX. Four memory slots can handle up to 64GB of dual channel DDR3. Also found on the board are seven SATA 6Gb/s connectors, six USB 3.0 ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, DVI, and HD audio support. The company is also holding a contest to win one of these motherboards and you can enter by simply liking the ECS Facebook page.

Sapphire Pure Platinum A85XT Motherboard Launches Tomorrow

Sapphire has announced that its newest motherboard, the Pure Platinum A85XT, will launch tomorrow. The ATX board is targeted at AMD APU Trinity processors that are compatible with the A85X chipset. Included on the board are four USB 3.0 ports, seven SATA 6Gb/s ports, and four different graphics connector options. The board can handle up to 32GB of DDR3 in four slots, and also supports CrossFire.

Gigabyte Launches Z77X-UP7 Motherboard

Gigabyte has a new motherboard for Intel chipsets, the Z77X-UP7. Featuring a 32+2+2 power phase design, the board will be able to share the workload across 32 CPU phases allowing for lower temperatures and higher efficiency. Gigabyte Ultra Durable 5 technology features components that are capable of handling current up to 60A. The board also has space for four graphics cards with support for both CrossfireX and SLI. It also features a number of BIOS features designed for overclocking including BIOS switcher and Dual UEFI BIOS.

ECS Announces New B75 Series Motherboards

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) has recently announced its new line of motherboards featuring Intel's B75 chipset. This chipset sports the LGA1155 socket and has support for SATA 3 (6 Gb/s), USB 3, PCIe 3, and the integrated graphics are DirectX 11 capable. They also feature Intel's Small Business Advantage (SBA) software. This software provides tools to monitor other security programs for if they are compromised, will start up the computer for data backup and restoration, block malware on infected USB devices, and will turn computers on and off according to a schedule, so they do not run all night, but are ready when employees arrive.

The three boards, the B75H2-D, B75H2-M2, and the B75H2-M3 are all small-form factor with the M2 and M3 being M-ATX boards, and the B75H2-D is a still smaller DTX board. All three boards do have a full PCIe 3 x16 slot and at least one PCIe 2 x1 slot however. The M2 has two more of the smaller PCIe slots while the M3 instead has two PCI slots, to support older cards.

Gigabyte Announces Ultra Durable 5 Technology

Computex 2012 is ready to kick off in Taipei this week and Gigabyte has released its latest Ultra Durable 5 technology in time for the opening of the show. The new technology features high-current capable components designed to deliver better quality power for improved performance and cooler operation.

Part of the Ultra Durable 5 technology consists of IR3550 PowIRstage ICs from International Rectifier, when combined with Gigabyte's double layer copper PCB and high current Ferrite Core Chokes rated up to 60A, allow the new boards to run up to 60°C cooler when compared to traditional boards.

The IR3550 PowIRstage ICs are a single chip design with peak efficiency up to 95% which translates into cooler operating characteristics. Greater efficiency also means the technology can run cooler and deliver more power - all of which translates into greater overclocking capabilities. Gigabyte will be offering the new Ultra Durable 5 technology on three Intel X79 Express chipset motherboards (models GA-X79S-UP5 WIFI, GA-X79S-UP5 and GA-X79-UP4) as well as three Intel Z77 Express chipset boards (models GA-Z77X-UP7, GA-Z77X-UP5 TH and GA-Z77X-UP4 TH). Gigabyte did not disclose pricing or availability.

ECS Announces A85F2-A Motherboard

ECS has announced a new motherboard built around the AMD A85X chipset with support for FM2 socket CPUs, the A85F2-A. The board is a standard ATX sized board with two PCIe x16 slots, three PCIe x1 slots, and two PCI slots. The board supports up to 64GB of DDR3 memory and seven 6Gb/s SATA ports with support for a variety of RAID options. Also included are six USB 3.0 ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA port, and Gb Ethernet. The board also features A/V options with HDMI, DVI, and eight channel HD Audio.

ECS Announces Nonstop Technology

ECS has announced its latest innovation, Nonstop Technology, designed to "deliver a hassle free computing experience by solving common PC hardware problems before they can even occur." Nonstop certified motherboards will go through testing that exceeds industry standards, and will contain the "highest quality components and shielding." All current and future ECS Black Series motherboards will be Nonstop certified, having passed four interlocking tests and enhancements. The first test is the Super Marathon 3X Stability test, which puts the boards through 30,000 test iterations over a 72 hour period. The Sahara Severe Test puts the board in a 50°C test environment, which is higher than users will experience on a daily basis. ECS has also included Apache Long-life capacitors, which it claims have a lifetime that is six times longer than traditional capacitors. The last piece of the Nonstop puzzle is Thor Ultra Protection ESD protection, which follows NASA guidelines for ESD protection.

MSI Releases Z77A-GD80 Motherboard

MSI gave a first look at the Z77A-GD80 motherboard at the Consumer Electronics Show in January of this year. The Intel Z77 chipset motherboard is now available and has several interesting features. The biggest feature of the board is that it is the first to feature the Thunderbolt transfer interface. This new interface will allow for very high speed connections to external devices, with full duplex transfer rates up to 10Gbps. This bandwidth will allow users to connect several devices at once, including high resolution monitors and storage devices. The board also features Military Class III components which have undergone third party certification of MIL-STD-810G specifications. The addition of MSI software like OC Genie II provides users with the ability to quickly and easily overclock their system.

Hardware Roundup: Intel Z77 Series Chipset Motherboard Edition

Intel has officially pulled the wraps off its Z77/Panther Point chipset designed with native support for the upcoming Ivy Bridge processors. Other features include 16 PCIe 3.0 lanes, up to 14 USB ports, four of which can be USB 3.0. You get six SATA ports supported through the Z77 PCH and a maximum of two of those can be SATA 6Gb/s with RAID support. OCC looks at the chipset and  specifically the MSI Z77A-GD65 and Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H motherboards. We also have reviews on boards from ECS and Intel in this roundup.

Intel Z77 Chipset Motherboard @ OCC
Intel 7 Series Chipset and DZ77GA-70K @ Bjorn3D
ECS, Gigabyte & Intel Z77 Motherboard Preview @ Neoseeker
Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77 Motherboard @ ThinkComputers
MSI Z77A-GD65 LGA1155 Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews
MSI Z77-GD65 @ Bjorn3D

ECS Announces New Thin Mini-ITX Motherboards

ECS has announced a new pair of motherboards based on the Thin Mini-ITX standard. The CDC-TI supports Intel CPUs in the Atom D2700, D2550, and D2500 lines. There are two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots that can take up to 4GB total. Other features of the board include two SATA ports, two USB 2.0 ports, two Mini-PCIe slots, and VGA and HDMI output. A fanless heatsink will help to keep the noise low in the system. The H61H2-TI supports Intel LGA1155 CPUs using the H61 Express chipset. The board has two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots for up to 16GB of RAM. The board also has two SATA ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two Mini-PCIe slots, and HDMI output.

ASRock Prepares Intel Z77 Chipset Motherboards

ASRock is busy preparing its latest round of motherboards based on the Intel Z77 chipset. First up is the ATX form-factor Z77 Extreme6 motherboard, which is targeted at computer enthusiasts. The Z77 Extreme6 features two PCIe 3.0 x16 slots along with a PCIe 2.0 x1, two PCI and one mini PCIe slot, supporting both Quad SLI and Quad Crossfire set-ups. The board supports provides a total of four SATA 6Gbps ports via an ASMedia controller (one is combined with an eSATA connector) and four SATA 3Gbps ports. The Z77 Extreme 6 also includes 7.1 channel audio and DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI and VGA ports. Connectivity is covered by USB 3.0 (four ports on the rear panel), USB 2.0, Firewire (one port) and Gigabit Ethernet support. Four DDR3 DIMM slots provide plenty of space for memory while a clear CMOS button on the rear I/O panel aids overclocking enthusiasts. The board has an 8+4 PWM circuit complete with heatsinks and a heatpipe. The Z77 Extreme 6 is finished in a black and silver colour scheme with gold detailing.

The other boards are both aimed at PC gamers, being marketed under the Fatal1ty brand. The ATX Z77 Fatal1ty Professional is similar to the X77 Extreme6 but seems to have some minor changes, including an extra PCIe x1 slot replacing the mini-PCIe slot, more PWM phases, dual-ethernet ports and less display outputs (DisplayPort and HDMI only). The smaller micro-ATX apparently maintains the same display outputs as the Z77 Extreme6 and also features three PCIe 3.0 slots, one ethernet port and less PWM phases. Both Fatal1ty boards have the distinctive red and black colour design. More details regarding the boards should surface at CeBIT next week.

ECS Showcasing Products at CES 2012

ECS will be displaying its entire lineup of Intel and AMD platform motherboards at CES this year. As part of the show, ECS will be introducing tow top-end boards based on the Intel X79 chipset supporting LGA2011 Sandy Bridge-E processors — X79R-AX Black Extreme and X79R-AX Black Deluxe. Along with the motherboards, ECS plans to have its lineup of graphics cards on display as well.

ECS is also featuring two of its G11 all-in-one systems at CES this year, the ID2 photo frame style unit and the L-style ID4. ECS also has its Wi-Bridge wireless display adapter at the show. The new wireless display solution allows you to connect your PC or notebook wirelessly to a big screen supporting 1080p HD via HDMI.

I'm sure we'll see further coverage on the products from our OCC CES team here soon so keep checking back for coverage on these products and more from CES 2012.

ZOTAC Announces D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme for HTPC Applications

ZOTAC today announced the launch of its D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme mini-ITX motherboard targeted toward the DIY home theater PC market. At the heart of the board sits the Intel Atom D2700 which ZOTAC has paired with NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 graphics processor. This combination provides an energy-efficient platform capable of delivering high-definition playback. You'll also be able to handle multiple tasks using the dual-core D2700 CedarTrail 2.13GHz processor with Intel's HyperThreading technology. You also get two DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 4GB memory. Other features include:

• Dual-link DVI, DisplayPort & HDMI outputs
• PCIe x16 (single-lane) expansion, 1 Combo mini-PCIe / mSATA slot (WiFi module)
• 2 SATA 3.0 Gb/s
• 2 USB 3.0 ports (back panel), 6 USB 2.0 ports (4 on back panel, 2 via pin headers)
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Hardware accelerated Blu-ray 3D playback
• Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD MA bitstream capable (HDMI) & 6-channel HD audio
• Microsoft DirectX 11 technology
• Onboard 802.11n WiFi & Bluetooth 3.0

ZOTAC has yet to specify availability and pricing details on the D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme.