ECS Showcasing Products at CES 2012

Category: Motherboards, Networking, Prebuilts
Posted: January 11, 2012 09:55PM
Author: Dale Shuck

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

Category: Motherboards
Posted: January 11, 2012 09:19PM
Author: Dale Shuck

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.

GIGABYTE Unveils Next Gen Motherboard Technologies at CES 2012

Category: Motherboards
Posted: January 10, 2012 08:05PM
Author: Dale Shuck

GIGABYTE is showcasing several new technologies as CES 2012 that will be featured on its motherboards in 2012. The forthcoming 7 series motherboards will come with GIGABYTE's Digital Power Engine called 3D Power that offers digital control of the main onboard power zones enabling you to manipulate and monitor power provided to second generation Intel processors on the LGA 1155 socket.

GIGABYTE is also unveiling its second generation 3D BIOS using UEFI DualBIOS technology. This allows users two levels of operation using either 3D Mode or Advanced Mode that replaces the traditional BIOS with a more intuitive and graphical user interface.

Two new G1.Killer motherboards will be launched later this year starting with the G1.Sniper 3 board with onboard Creative audio and dual LAN connections based on the Intel Gigabit and Killer Game Networking controllers. The second board is the G1.Sniper M3 which is a gaming board in a micro ATX form factor.

GIGABYTE also disclosed the fact that most of the ATX boards in 2012 will feature a mSATA connector allowing the use of a cheaper mSATA solid state drive to boost system responsiveness. The company is also entering the small business market with the introduction of its GA-B75M-D3H motherboard that comes with the ability to remotely monitor and manage the PC.

Gigabyte Clarifies the 'Recall' of Three Socket LGA2011 Motherboards

Category: Motherboards
Posted: January 6, 2012 03:23PM
Author: bp9801

Last week, some news surfaced concerning some of Gigabyte's Intel LGA2011 motherboards. A video surfaced showing the VRMs on the motherboards would explode with a high CPU frequency, causing Gigabyte to issue a recall on three of the LGA2011 motherboards. The problem with that is Gigabyte never issued a formal recall, and odds are the translation of the notice on the Gigabyte Taiwan website was not that accurate. The notice was limited to Taiwan and a few other areas around it, but the kicker is the video showing the exploding VRMs was due to user error and not a design flaw. You see, the video in question (curiously with comments and embedding now disabled) has the Gigabyte Intel LGA2011 motherboards running on an open test bench with no airflow. There are no case fans aimed at the motherboard to push air over it, and the closed-loop watercooler being used does not exactly have any airflow going over the motherboard either. Without some air movement, the heatsink on the VRMs cannot keep up with higher CPU frequencies and thus, go up in flames.

Gigabyte's answer was not a recall, but rather issue a new F7 BIOS to remove some of the more extreme voltage settings on the X79-UD3, UD5, UD7, and G1.Assassin 2 motherboards. This new BIOS does not impair the overclocking capabilities of the motherboards, like some had suggested, but rather stops the VRMs from going over their limits. Gigabyte says you only need the F7 BIOS if you are overclocking, but will ensure all motherboards sold in the future come with it just to be safe. So, in the end, a little airflow can go a long way to keeping everything from getting out of control.

MSI Big Bang-XPower II X79 Motherboard

Category: Motherboards
Posted: January 3, 2012 08:35PM
Author: Dale Shuck

MSI announced its new flagship motherboard, the Big Bang-XPower II, based on the Intel X79 Express chipset. As you might expect, the board features PCI Express Gen 3 standard and 4-way NVIDIA SLI / AMD CrossFire. It also comes with eight quad-channel memory slots. The next feature lends credence to the X-Power part of the name as the board also uses a 22-phase PWM design that uses a dual 8-pin CPU and single 6-pin VGA power connector along with MIL-STD-810G certified Military Class III components.

The MSI Big Bang-XPower II supports the latest PCI Express Gen 3 standard. doubling the bandwidth of the previous generation at 32GB/s. The eight DDR3 memory slots can support a whopping 128GB of memory. The MSI Big Bang-XPower offers a 22-phase PWM design, an industry first, with dual 8-pin CPU power connectors to provide an additional 300W of power for intensive CPU operations. Throw in support for 4-way NVIDIA SLI / AMD CrossFire multi-GPU processing technology and you can expect some pretty serious 3D performance.

Gigabyte Recalls Three Socket LGA2011 Motherboards

Category: Motherboards
Posted: December 27, 2011 06:30PM
Author: bp9801

The Intel socket LGA2011 motherboards have not been out for real long, and if you picked one up to try out the Sandy Bridge-E CPUs, you may be running a Gigabyte motherboard. The problem with that, is Gigabyte has issued a recall notice for three of its LGA2011 motherboards: the GA-X79-UD3, GA-X79-UD5, and G1.Assassin 2 X79. All three motherboards' VRM cannot keep up with the stresses of overclocking, and even a fairly mild overclock can cause the VRMs to go up in a puff of smoke. The issue could relate to bad firmware or just bad VRMs in general. Gigabyte has issued a BIOS update that will throttle the CPU under extreme stress, which elimnates overclocking basically, or you can send the motherboard in to get a replacement once a fix is available. You can send in motherboards that have already suffered from the problem or perfectly functioning ones, but your free replacement will not arrive until there is a fix. Gigabyte will also pull all afflicted motherboards from retail outlets until there is a fix, likely putting a small dent in overall sales until then.

Sapphire Launches Pure Black 990FX AM3+ Motherboard

Category: Motherboards
Posted: December 13, 2011 03:13AM
Author: Daryn Govender

Sapphire today launched its latest motherboard, dubbed the Pure Black 990FX. The new full ATX motherboard, as the name suggests, uses the AMD 990FX chipset coupled with the SB950 southbridge. The Pure Black 990FX contains four DDR3 memory slots along with six PCIe x16 slots to accommodate multi-GPU configurations. Other connectors include nine SATA ports (six SATA 6.0 Gbps and three SATA 3.0 Gbps), one eSATA connector and one MOLEX connector. Connectivity is covered by dual Gigabit ethernet, two back panel USB ports (and two more using a header), Bluetooth support, dual BIOS and 7.1 channel audio. The Pure Black 990FX motherboard also features diamond black chokes and is compatible with both AM3 and AM3+ CPUs. The Sapphire Pure Black 990FX is available now for around US$211 (€159.90).

ECS Black X79 Series Motherboards Announced

Category: Motherboards
Posted: November 14, 2011 09:41PM
Author: Dale Shuck

Elite Computer Systems (ECS) added two motherboards to its Black Series today with the launch of the X79R-AX Black Extreme and X79R-AX Black Deluxe boards. Based on the Intel X79 chipset, the boards support the Socket LGA2011 Sandy Bridge-E processors that were announced today as well. The ECS Black X79 Series boards are equipped with four PCIe Gen 3 x16 slots for 4-way GPUs supporting either NVIDIA SLI or AMD CrossFireX. With the platform change comes a new memory controller and the ECS Black X79 Series boards support quad-channel memory up to 64GB with speeds up to 2500MHz. Of course you get high quality all solid capacitors, DriverMosfet, up to 14-phase power to ensure the power stability and QoolTech IV which indicates heat sink temperatures by changing color to alert you to any out of norm temperature conditions. Also included are wireless LAN, Bluetooth, 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s, up to 12 SATA (8 x 6Gb/s + 4 x 3Gb/s) ports and Dual Gigabit LAN. ECS did not disclose pricing information.

Gigabyte Shows Off Its Intel X79 Motherboard Lineup

Category: Motherboards
Posted: November 10, 2011 09:43PM
Author: bp9801

Intel X79 information is coming on a bit strong, with several motherboard companies releasing images and even a bit of information on the new motherboards. The Intel X79 motherboards and Sandy Bridge-E processors should be launching later this month, and we have a taste of what Gigabyte will be bringing to the table. Gigabyte released images of most of its X79 lineup, and there should be something in here for everyone. There is the G1. Assassin 2 with a green and black color scheme and what appears to be a gun-shaped lower heatsink. There is the X79-UD7 sporting an orange and black color scheme, the X79-UD5 with blue and black, and finally the X79-UD3 with a muted silver and black color scheme. The X79-UD5 motherboard features eight DIMM slots, while the other three only have four DIMM slots. The X79-UD7 and UD5 each have eight SATA ports, while the G1.Assassin 2 and X79-UD3 only have six. Gigabyte did not reveal very much information about these new X79 motherboards, since it simply chose to release images. Still, all of the boards look great and should give anyone considering a socket 2011 build a tough time deciding which to choose.

ASUS X79 Motherboard Details Revealed

Category: Motherboards
Posted: November 10, 2011 09:01PM
Author: bp9801

Intel is gearing up to release the Sandy Bridge-E processors, and that means a new motherboard series will launch with them. The Sandy Bridge-E processors work on the 2011 socket, so that means you will need an Intel X79 series motherboard to run the new chips. ASUS is one of the leading motherboard manufacturers in the world, and it is no surprise to see it launch some X79 motherboards. The initial X79 motherboards will be the P9X79 Series, TUF Sabertooth X79, Work Station Series, and the ROG Rampage IV Extreme. The P9X79 motherboards will be aimed at the average user, the TUF Sabertooth at those needing an always-on system, the Work Station motherboards for those needing a plethora of features, and finally the ROG at the extreme gamer or overclocker.

The P9X79 Series features a UEFI graphical user interface for quick and easy setup, DIGI+ Power and Digi+ DRAM technology, and ASUS SSD Caching. You will also find ASUS USB BIOS Flashback that lets you update the BIOS without needing a CPU, video card, or hard drive attached to the motherboard. The TUF Sabertooth motherboards feature a new generation of TUF Thermal Armor and DIGI+ Power technology to ensure your system stays stable during 24/7 operation. The new Thermal Radar technology incorporates twelve embedded sensors to detect heat levels across the motherboard and can automatically adjust fan speeds to help keep the system running cool. Not much information has been revealed so far about the Work Station or ROG motherboards, but the ROG Rampage IV Extreme is built to offer the highest overclocking potential for the new Sandy Bridge-E processors, along with new technologies to help you stay ahead in the game.

MSI Shows Off Some Upcoming Intel X79 Motherboards

Category: Motherboards
Posted: November 7, 2011 09:31PM
Author: bp9801

Later this month, Intel will be launching its enthusiast Sandy Bridge processors and motherboards. Those processors will be the Sandy Bridge-E processors, while the motherboards will carry the X79 name. These products are designed to be the replacement to the X58 motherboard and i7 900 series processors, and will undoubtedly carry the premium price tag associated with enthusiast gear. I know many people are looking forward to seeing what the new chips can offer, as well as what the Ivy Bridge products will offer next year. First though, we need something to run that shiny new Sandy Bridge-E processor, and that is where the X79 motherboards come in. Today, MSI has provided us with just a glimpse of a couple of upcoming X79 motherboards, and boy, do they look impressive. First up we have the standard assortment of X79 boards, with three ATX and one mATX. The X79A-GD65-80, presumably, is the only one of those four to support eight DIMM slots, while the other three each have four. The Sandy Bridge-E processors support quad-channel DDR3 memory, so that is why you will sometimes see eight DIMM slots on a motherboard.

The real star of the show is the X79 Big Bang motherboard, which supports an all-black color scheme save for some gold highlights. Those gold highlights come courtesy of what appears to be faux bullets on the lower heatsink, so it looks like MSI is fully embracing its Military Class naming scheme. The X79 Big Bang only offers PCI-e x16 slots and features both NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossfireX logos near the PCI-e slots. That board definitely screams for some extreme benchmarking, something I am sure a few people are eager to get their hands on.

The Intel Sandy Bridge-E processors and X79 motherboards are expected to launch later this month, and from the looks of it, MSI will be ready to cater to whatever needs you have for the new processors.

Gigabyte Reveals G1. Assassin 2 Motherboard

Category: Motherboards
Posted: October 24, 2011 05:09PM
Author: Nick Harezga

Gigabyte has released some information about its first entry into the Intel 2011 socket arena, the G1. Assassin 2. The X79 series board will support the next generation of Intel Core processors, and has its sights set on all the gamers out there. The G1. Assassin 2 comes with high end on board sound and networking components to ensure that you are ready to go with the best right out of the box. With a Bigfoot Networks’ Killer E2100 and a Creative Soundblaster X-Fi digital audio processor, the G1. Assassin 2 packs some serious punch without any extra components needed. The black and neon green color scheme looks great to me, and the ‘Locked and Loaded’ heatsink array should keep the board running nice and cool. Check Gigabytes' Facebook page for more pictures of the upcoming motherboard.

Gigabyte Unveils X79 Motherboards From IDF

Category: Motherboards
Posted: September 14, 2011 06:43PM
Author: edwardquilo

VR-Zone has recently acquired images of Gigabyte's latest X79-based motherboards during this year's Intel Developer Forum(IDF). These four new feature-rich boards are expected for a November 2011 launch, although the final versions might undergo a few more changes due to a miscommunication with Intel's chipset specs. At the top of the X79 pile is the G1 Assassin 2 X79, which has a more understated heatsink design compared to its not-too-subtle predecessor. The board is expected with features like Killer NIC, Creative X-Fi audio, along with 3-way SLI/CrossFireX support. Obviously Gigabyte's premier X79 overclocking board, the GA-X79-UD7 has generous power phases and comes with tantalum capacitors. There's even room for a Quad-SLI/CrossfireX configuration, if you've got a compatible chassis. The GA-X79-UD5 has eight DIMM slots, and is Gigabyte's more well-rounded X79 board feature-wise. Lastly, the GA-X79-UD3 seems a bit sparsely populated compared to its more feature-crowded X79 brothers, but it's still outfitted with four PCIe X16 slots for good measure. 

The SATA ports on all the X79 boards have not yet been finalized, in large part due to a mistake in chipset information by Intel. It is assumed that all the boards will come with two SATA 6Gbps and four SATA 3Gbps ports, although its possible for Gigabyte to add more SATA 6Gbps ports to the finished products scheduled by November 2011. Initially supported processors are the LGA 2011 socket-based Core i7.

Gigabyte Series 6 Boards to Support PCI Express 3.0

Category: Motherboards
Posted: August 9, 2011 03:32PM
Author: Nick Harezga

Gigabyte has announced that its full line of 6 series motherboards will be able to support the newest 22nm Intel CPUs and PCI Express 3.0. This functionality is made possible through a simple BIOS update, and will allow users with current boards to walk down the upgrade path without a complete system overhaul. All boards on the Z68, P67, H67, and H61 chipsets.

ECS Announces A55 Series Motherboards

Category: Motherboards
Posted: August 9, 2011 03:17PM
Author: Nick Harezga

ECS has announced a new series of motherboards with support for the AMD Fusion APU, the A55 series. This series will feature three motherboards that should be able to fit a variety of needs. The A55F-M2 and A55F-M3 are both designed in the Micro-ATX form factor, and feature a varying number of SATA and USB connectors between them. The A55F-M2 has six and 12, while the A55F-M3 has four and eight. Both have two DDR3 slots and one PCIe x16 slot. The A55-A is an ATX form factor board, and will allow for four DDR3 slots, and also has one PCIe x16 slot. Despite only having one PCIe slot, this series does allow for dual GPUs on one card. Be sure to check these boards out if you are in the market for a new AMD board.

ECS Announces All Solid Capacitors

Category: Motherboards
Posted: July 18, 2011 03:08PM
Author: Nick Harezga

Elitegroup Computer Systems, ECS, has announced that all of its motherboards will now use solid capacitors around the CPU area. The new decision will allow for improved performance, while not putting much strain on the wallet of consumers. Solid capacitors are superior to electrolytic capacitors in several key areas. The solid capacitors feature 10% lower temperature, better heat resistance, and higher electric conductivity. By committing entirely to solid capacitors around the CPU, ECS should allow for higher performance, and hopefully higher overclocking.

MSI Unveils A75MA-G55 Military-Certified AMD Motherboard

Category: Motherboards
Posted: June 28, 2011 10:56PM
Author: Daryn Govender

MSI today unveiled its latest motherboard, dubbed the A75MA-G55. As its name suggests, the Micro-ATX form factor motherboard is based on AMD's A75 platform and will support AMD A series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs). The board features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s connectivity for a fast computing experience. Other inputs include HDMI and DVI along with 7.1 channel audio support for an immersive audiovisual experience. The A75MA-G55 features Military Class II certification and is built from components meeting United States Department of Defense standards, ensuring maximum reliability in all situations. Components include MSI's Super Ferrite Choke, Hi-c CAP, and Solid CAP for a longer lifespan and efficient power consumption. The board also supports DirectX 11 for stunning game visuals and smooth playback of high definition content. The MSI A75MA-G55 Micro-ATX motherboard should be available soon, although MSI did not disclose details regarding the pricing of the new motherboard.

Zotac Z68 ITX

Category: Motherboards
Posted: June 2, 2011 05:02AM
Author: Birul Walidain

Zotac recently launched a pair of Z68 ITX motherboards - Zotac Z68-ITX WiFi and Z68-ITX WiFi Supreme. That's right folks, Z68, not the usual P67 or H67. Of course, being Z68 motherboards you will get features like Lucid Virtu, Intel QuickSync, Intel SRT technology and more. The Supreme variant comes with all the features of the Z68-ITX WiFi with added support for mSATA on the rear of the board, but the real difference is the GeForce GT 430 integrated into the motherboard allowing a builder to use this motherboard in a HTPC without having to buy a dedicated video card.

Here are some of the features courtesy of Zotac:

General details

• Intel^® Z68 Express chipset
• 2^nd Generation Intel^® Core processor family compatible (i3, i5 & i7)
• LGA115 socket compatible
• ZOTAC^® Z68-ITX WiFi
  • 2 x DDR3-2133 DIMM slots
  • Support up to 16GB memory
  • Mini-DisplayPort & dual HDMI outputs
  • PCI Express x16 expansion
  • 1 Combo mini-PCIe / mSATA slot (occupied by WiFi)
  • 2 SATA 6.0 Gb/s
  • 2 SATA 3.0 Gb/s
  • RAID 0, 1, 0+1 & 5 support
  • 4 USB 3.0 ports (2 on back panel, 2 via pin header)
  • 8 USB 2.0 ports (4 on back panel, 4 via pin headers)
  • Dual Gigabit Ethernet
• ZOTAC Z68-ITX WiFi Supreme
  • Integrated NVIDIA^® GeForce^® GT 430 GPU w/1GB DDR3
  • 2 x DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM slots
  • Support up to 16GB memory
  • Dual DVI, HDMI & DisplayPort outputs
  • PCI Express x4 (open-end) expansion
  • 1 mSATA slot
  • 2 SATA 6.0 Gb/s
  • 2 SATA 3.0 Gb/s
  • RAID 0, 1, 0+1 & 5 support
  • 1 eSATA 3.0 Gb/s
  • 4 USB 3.0 ports (2 on back panel, 2 via pin header)
  • 4 USB 2.0 ports (2 on back panel, 2 via pin headers)
  • Gigabit Ethernet
• Hardware accelerated Blu-ray playback ready
• Dolby^® TrueHD & DTS-HD™ Master Audio bitstream capable
• Digital S/PDIF output (optical)
• 8-channel high-definition audio
• Microsoft^® DirectX^® 11 compliant
• Onboard 802.11n WiFi
• Lucid Virtu software bundle
• Mini-ITX form factor

MSI Announces its AMD 9-Series Motherboards

Category: Motherboards
Posted: May 31, 2011 06:25PM
Author: Dale Shuck

MSi today announced the release of two motherboards based on the AMD 990FX chipset - the 990FXA-GD80 and 990FXA-GD65 - that are designed to support the latest AM3+ socket octa-core AMD processors. The 990FXA-GD80 is MSI's high-end board equipped with the company's Military Class II components with MIL-STD-810G Certification and OC Genie II technology. The MSI 9-Series mainboards also include:

• Support for NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX multi-GPU processing, enhancing the 3D performance of gaming and output for multiple displays
• USB 3.0 and native support for SATA 6Gb/s that greatly enhances file transfer speeds
• Theater quality THX TruStudio PRO surround sound technology

MSI's Military Class II components use rare metal tantalum as the core of the Hi-c CAP, solid capacitors with a lifespan of over 10 years along with super-ferrite chokes to increase the power supply to components by 30% which enables the MSI 990FXA-GD80 to meet MIL-STD-810G military standard certification standards. The OC Genie II facilitates overclocking and allows the unlocking of hidden cores on certain AMD processors. The boards come equipped with the latest connection technologies including USB 3.0 and native support for SATA 6Gb/s.

We are waiting additional word from MSI on the pricing and availability of the two new boards.

ECS A990FXM-A Black Extreme Motherboard Announced

Category: Motherboards
Posted: May 30, 2011 06:48PM
Author: Dale Shuck

ECS has announced its newest motherboard, the ECS Black Extreme A990FXM-A, that supports  AMD's latest AM3+ socket and its 990FX chipset. The ECS Black Extreme A990FXM-A motherboard is designed to support AMD's upcoming 8-Core processor. The A990FXM-A provides support for not only 3-way AMD ATI CrossFireX setup, it also allows you to run 3-way NVIDIA SLI configurations as well. The board supports dual-channel DDR3 2133 memory in four slots that enable you to use up to 32GB of memory.

To keep temperatures under control, the ECS Black Extreme A990FXM-A comes with QoolTech IV technology with three heat pipes and innovative welding technology to increase cooling performance up to 20%. The heat sink is coated with thermochromatic dyes that respond to heat and turn different colors to indicate the temperature. Being the latest generation board, the A990FXM-A also comes with USB 3.0, SATA 3.0 and eSATA 3.0 support along with on-board Bluetooth connectivity. ECS did not release pricing or availability information.

ASUS Launches AMD 9 Series Motherboards

Category: Motherboards
Posted: May 30, 2011 11:14AM
Author: bp9801

Computex 2011 is just starting to get under way and with that comes a slew of new product launches. AMD is planning to release its Bulldozer CPUs and 9 series motherboards pretty soon, and ASUS is being prepared by announcing some 9 series motherboards of its own. The motherboards will utilize either the 990FX, 990X, or 970 chipsets which all have support for the AM3+ CPUs. The models are the M5A99/97 Series, TUF SABERTOOTH 990FX, and ROG Crosshair Formula V. All feature ASUS' UEFI BIOS and second-generation Dual Intelligent Processors (DIP2) which include TurboV Processor Unit (TPU) and Energy Processor Unit (EPU). The new motherboards are the first AMD chipset boards to support DIGI+ VRM and AMD CrossfireX and NVIDIA SLI. That's right, you'll be able to run multiple AMD or NVIDIA video cards on these boards.

First up is the ASUS M5A99/97 Series which feature DIP2, TPU, EPU, and DIGI+ VRM. The DIGI+ VRM provides for more precise power flow management and better power efficiency, something the AM3+ processors will greatly benefit from. Next up is the TUF SABERTOOTH 990FX motherboard which features CeraM!X, an exclusive aerospace-grade cooling material that is extremely effective in conducting heat way from vital components. It also features ASUS' Thermal Radar technology which has 10 thermal sensors to monitor key components to let you better control which gets the most cooling. The TUF SABERTOOTH also feature military-certified alloy chokes, solid state capacitors, and MOSFETS to ensure long system stability and life.

Lastly there is the ASUS ROG Crosshair Formula V, the new flagship motherboard. It utitlizes the 990FX chipset and is the first AM3+ motherboard to support 3-Way NVIDIA SLI and AMD Crossfire X. It features advanced ROG overclocking tools and onboard SupremeFX X-Fi 2 to deliver exceptional audio for intense gaming sessions. Another model, the Crosshair Formula V/Thunderbolt, features a Thunderbolt audio/LAN combo expansion card which incorporates ASUS XONAR audio technology and a Bigfoot Networks Killer E2100 NIC. It features a built-in headphone amplifier on the audio side, and Advanced Stream Detect technology to deliver the best online traffic for games on the NIC side. You can even get an ASUS ROG XPANDER add-on board to add 4-Way NVIDIA SLI to your Crosshair Formula V.

All these motherboards will launch when the AMD Bulldozer platform does later in June.

Motherboards See Integrated SSDs

Category: Motherboards, Storage / Hard Drives
Posted: May 28, 2011 08:05PM
Author: Brentt Moore

GIGABYTE, one of the major leaders in the motherboard game, has just introduced its latest invention known as the Z68XP-UD3-iSSD. The new motherboard offers connections such as USB 3.0, a total of two 16x PCI-E slots, and the latest 6GB SATA connections. Most importantly however, is the additional feature of a built in 20GB SSD, mounted directly onto the silicon. The new board with the included Solid State Drive probably does not offer data storage, but allows caching for Windows, which makes any hard drive put into the system a hybrid drive, offering more performance with each task. Consumers can expect to see this Solid State Drive equipped motherboard at retailers in June, though as of right now, GIGABYTE has not provided any kind of price point.

Images Leak of MSI 990FXA-GD65 Motherboard

Category: Motherboards
Posted: May 25, 2011 12:00PM
Author: bp9801

It is almost time for a new series of desktop processors from AMD and that means new motherboards will be coming out. The AM3+ motherboards will utilize all the features of the AMD Bulldozer chips and will carry the AMD 900 series moniker. Today, some images have leaked of the MSI 990FXA-GD65 board, the top-end motherboard series, and while the images don't show a real lot, some interesting facts can be gleamed from each one. For starters, the four DIMM slots alternate to determine which pair runs in dual channel. Plenty of AMD motherboards in the past had the dual channel slots right next to each other which could cause issues with large CPU heatsinks, so it is good to see more and more go to the alternating style. Emblazened on the motherboard are the words "Military Class" so MSI is definitely keeping up with tradition by using Military Class components to ensure long life and better stability. It looks like there are two PCIe x16 slots, four PCIe x1 slots, and one PCI slot to give users a wealth of options for add-in cards. There is also a 6pin PCIe power connector directly above the PCIe slots, possibly to allow for even more stability for overclocked video cards.

These pictures are a good look at what MSI has in line for one of its 900 series motherboards, and it all looks very promising. Hopefully we will not have to wait too long to see how it, and the Bulldozer processors, perform.

ECS Launches A75 AMD Fusion Motherboard Series

Category: Motherboards
Posted: May 17, 2011 04:42PM
Author: bp9801

AMD's Fusion series of motherboards seems to be pretty popular with the HTPC crowd, and today there are some new additions courtesy of ECS to that area. ECS today is launching its A75 motherboard series which will support all the AMD A series APUs. There are three motherboards in total - the ECS Black Deluxe A75F-A, the A75F-M, and the A75F-M2. The Black Deluxe is an ATX board while the last two are mATX models. The Black Deluxe A75F-A features one PCIe x16 2.0 slot, one PCIe x4 slot, four DDR3 slots, four USB 3.0 ports, and five SATA 6Gbps connections. On the rear there are HDMI, DVI, and VGA connectors for the onboard graphics, and eight channel HD audio with S/PDIF. The A75F-M and A75F-M2 motherboards are fairly similar, just the M2 only features two DDR3 slots instead of the four on the A75F-M, plus the M2 only has six channel audio instead of eight. Both feature four USB 3.0 ports and six SATA 6Gbps connectors.

Hardware Roundup: Intel Z68 Chipset Edition

Category: Motherboards
Posted: May 11, 2011 03:18AM
Author: Dale Shuck

It has not been all that long ago that the Intel Sandy Bridge microarchitecture was introduced. Along with the new platform came a new socket (1155) along with the P67 and H67 chipsets. After a rocky start due to controller issues with the P67 chipset, the P67 platform became the choice of enthusiasts with those wanting the integrated graphics capability of the processors forced to use the H67 chipset. Intel has responded with a new chipset released today - the Z68 - which unites the  features sets of both its predecessors as well as introducing several new features like Smart Response Technology that enables the use of a SSD as a cache for conventional HDDs. Intel's Identity Protection technology and more. We have several reviews on Z68 chipset motherboards for you to check out using the links below.

MSI Z68A-GD80 @ OCC
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro Z68 Chipset Motherboard @ [H]ardOCP
GIGABYTE Z68X-UD3H and Z68X-UD7 (Intel Z68) Taiwan Preview @ TweakTown
ASUS P8Z68V PRO Intel Motherboard @ Benchmark Reviews
Intel Z68 Chipset Review: dGPU and iGPU living together, SSD Caching and Overclocking @ PC Perspective
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 (Intel Z68) Motherboard @ TweakTown
Z68 Express motherboards from Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI @ Tech Report
GIGABYTE Z68X-UD7-B3: Z68 Chipset With Smart Response @ Bjorn3D

ASUS Introduces First Sandy Bridge Server Motherboard

Category: Motherboards
Posted: April 27, 2011 02:54PM
Author: bp9801

With the Intel Sandy Bridge platform now in the hands of consumers, it is time to turn the attention to the world of servers. ASUS was the launch partner for Intel's newest C200 server chipset which is the server equivalent of Sandy Bridge. The chipset is codenamed Bromolow and the first motherboard using it is now available. The P8B-X serverboard is available to purchase and supports both dual and quad-core Sandy Bridge processors. It features an LGA1155 socket and plenty of PCIe 2.0 lanes for any add-in cards your server needs. Bromolow series motherboards routinely perform about 25% faster than previous generations. The P8B-X serverboard supports Intel Xeon E3-1200 processors as well as Core i3, Core G8x0/G6x0, and more. There are two high quality LAN controllers which support IPv6 and backwards compatibilty with IPv4. There is one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot, one PCIe 2.0 x8 slot running at x4, two PCIe 2.0 x1 slots, and two PCI slots. There are six SATA 3GB/s ports with RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 support, and four DIMM slots supporting DDR3-1333 and lower with a maximum total of 32GB.

The ASUS P8B-X serverboard is available now for $189.

ASUS Announces Rampage 3 Black Edition

Category: Motherboards
Posted: April 26, 2011 05:08PM
Author: Nick Harezga

The Republic of Gamers team at ASUS has announced the newest edition to the family, the Rampage 3 Black Edition. The Black Edition features superb BIOS, software, and connectivity options. It may be the perfect board for anyone looking for extreme performance. It all starts with support for socket 1366 Intel chips, including optimizations for the 32nm Gulftown chips. The ThunderBolt module is a combination of Xonar Audio and a Killer NIC, and also features a high quality amp for headphones. Full support for the next generation of peripherals is found with USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s connectors. Topping it all off is support for 4 PCI-E x16 cards, with dual-slot spacing between each of them.

Gigabyte Fully Supporting AMD's AM3+ Socket Shift

Category: Motherboards
Posted: April 7, 2011 09:56AM
Author: Charles Coggins III

Gigabyte is the first manufacture to ship motherboards that have support for AMD's 'Bulldozer' AM3+ CPU Socket. Gigabyte has shipped 16 different motherboard models that not only support the new AM3+ socket but will also support the existing CPU socket AM3. Gigabyte has also color-coded its CPU Sockets to make distinguishing the boards from one another much easier. Cream colored sockets are for AM3 CPU's only and black colored sockets will work with both AM3+ and AM3 CPU's. Gigabyte is able to do this because AMD ensured backwards compatibility with the old sockets. AMD and Gigabyte have made upgrading your desktop PC much more friendly on your wallet allowing you to just upgrade the CPU and not the motherboard.

MSI Announces its AM3 Boards to Support AM3+ CPUs

Category: Motherboards
Posted: April 3, 2011 09:48AM
Author: Dale Shuck

MSI has announced its AMD AM3 line of motherboards will be compatible with AMD's AM3+ multi-core processors with a BIOS upgrade. With a few simple steps, users can get the powerful performance of AMD AM3+ multi-core processors without the expense of purchasing a new motherboard. Current owners of MSI AM3 boards can find the BIOS download by visiting the respective product pages from MSI's web site. MSI also stated all future shipments of its AM3 boards will come with the updated BIOS already installed. MSI boards with support for AMD AM3+ multi-core processors with the corresponding  BIOS versions:

Motherboard Model	Chipset	BIOS Version
890FXA-GD70	AMD 890FX	A7640AMS.190
890FXA-GD65	AMD 890FX	A7640AMS.I20
890GXM-G65	AMD 890GX	A7642AMS.1A0

Details Leak Concerning Intel X79 Platform

Category: Motherboards
Posted: March 31, 2011 04:59PM
Author: bp9801

The Intel X58 platform has been the king of performance basically ever since it debuted. Sure, there have been the mainstream P55 and P67 platforms, but for the enthusiast the X58 platform is the only one to consider. Even with the second generation chips out and all the performance those offer, there is just something about the X58 motherboards and supporting processors. Now, Intel is moving away from that with the launch of the X79 platform, the new enthusiast hotbed, which will have 2011-pin processors instead of the 1366-pin ones. Recently, a slide leaked detailing information on the X79 platform and what to expect when those launch later this year/early next.

For starters, the X79 platform will support the Sandy Bridge-E processors, E for Enthusiast, quad-channel memory, and will have two x16 lanes for PCI-e (or four at x8) along with a plethora of connection options. The X79 platform supports a total of fourteen SATA connections (ten of SATA 6Gbps), fourteen USB 2.0 ports (curiously no mention of USB 3.0), and even support for SAS drives. There is also Gigabit Ethernet and RAID 0/1/5/10 support, but no mention of Thunderbolt. So, no USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt connections will be native, but still, there will be plenty of SATA and USB 2.0 ports. This is just the first bit of information to come out concerning the X79 platform and I am sure we will see more as the year progresses.