Motherboards - Page 18

In a world that is dominated with performance and mining builds, GIGABYTE haven't forgotten about the little guy, in this case small-form factor PC's. GIGABYTE have announced the release of the new generation Gemini Lake based J/N series motherboards that feature an on-board CPU, humidity protected glass fabric PCBs, long acting capacitors, anti-surge ICs, low resistance MOSFETs, and Ultra Durable components.

"Following the announcement of the newest Intel Pentium Silver and Celeron Processors, GIGABYTE developed a series of motherboards that truly reflects our excellent ability to combine the best of motherboard technology with Intel processor architecture," GIGABYTE stated.

Powered by the latest Intel Pentium Silver and Intel Celeron processors, GIGBYTE's latest J/N series motherboards also includes support for M.2 SATA SSD, UDIMM DDR4 2400MHz memory, HDMI 2.0 4K and utilizes fanless cooling technology to provide the perfect solution for always-on, compact builds.

CES 2018 - At CES 2018, SuperMicro's subsidiary, SuperO, showed us a glimpse of their C9X299-PG300. The new C9X299-PG300 will replace any X299 motherboard we might have showed you at Computex, and will be available shortly. The new motherboard has enhanced VRM and M.2 cooling, as well as simple and straightforward aesthetics.

The motherboard's revamped VRM supports 300W TDP CPUs, and it's designed for overclocking. It features eight DDR4 DIMMs rated at up to 4000Mhz+, and you can load it up with 128GB of DDR4. The motherboard features four x16 PCI-E 3.0 slots, but bandwidth will vary depending on which CPU you use. We also find six SATA6Gb/s ports, two U.2 slots, two x4 PCI-E 3.0 M.2 lots, 10Gbit LAN, 1Gbit Intel LAN, and two customizable RGB LED headers.

CES 2018 - ASRock's commitment to the small form factor PC is unwavering, and at CECS 2018 they showed off two new Micro-ATX motherboards. The X299 chipset mainly serves Intel's X-Series of processors while the X399 chipset serves AMD's Thread Ripper CPUs. As such, they are high-end desktop chipsets loaded with features and more importantly, traces. Putting either on a micro-ATX motherboard is no easy feat, but ASRock is up to the task.

The X299M Extreme 4 offers four DIMMs for quad channel memory and support for up to 4200MHz+ DIMMs. It uses an XXL Aluminum Alloy heat sink that cools down its insane VRM. You do get SLI and CrossFireX support along with six SATA6G/s ports, two Ultra M.2 slots, two USB 3.1 ports, six USB 3.0 ports, Intel Gbit LAN, and 7.1 HD audio. ASRock also includes RGB LED capabilities.

Thread Ripper's CPU is huge, so it is quite shocking to see a micro-ATX X399 motherboard. The new motherboard supports quad channel memory support, three Ultra M.2 slots, eight SATA6Gb/s slots, a U.2 port, three x16 PCI-E 3.0 slots, 10 USB 3.0 ports, two USB 3.1 ports, dual Gbit LAN, WIFI, and 7.1 HD audio. It also uses a giant aluminum heat sink to cool down a powerful VRM, so you can overclock your stealth compact ThreadRipper rig.

CES 2018 - NZXT is mostly known for chassis and cooling solutions, but starting with the new N7 Z370, the company is getting into motherboards.

NZXT's first jump into the motherboard market comes with the N7 Z370, a $300 motherboard built on the Z370 chipset that sports a digital fan controller, RGB colors, and an all-metal frame that's specifically designed to compliment snazzy builds. The N7 Z370 comes in both black and white, and its full suite of profiles can be controlled by NZXT's CAM software, including RGB effects, fan curves, and more.

"Leveraging our years of experience as professional PC builders, we've designed the N7 motherboard with a completely new approach. In the face of increasing complexity in the PC gaming market, we want to make building easier and more enjoyable, with the N7 as a cornerstone for this new experience. Everything you need--from easy layout and obvious connections to digital fan control and RGB lighting--is included. We've also designed a completely unique motherboard cover so it's both beautiful and powerful. You can't build a quieter, better-looking system as easily as you can with our new N7 motherboard." says Johnny Hou, NZXT's founder, and CEO.

CES 2018 - GIGABYTE had a secret motherboard on hand at their CES 2018 ballroom, and we got a sneak peak so we could show you what they have in store for 2018. The AMD AM4 X470-based Aorus Gaming 7 is totally redesigned compared to their X370 Aorus Gaming 7.

The new motherboard has two M.2 slots, one routed to the CPU at x4 PCI-E 3.0 and one to the chipset at x4 PCI-E 2.0, both of them have heat sinks. The motherboard will support current and future AM4 CPUs, but should be compatible with Ryzen-2000 series CPUs/APUs out of the box.

Surprisingly, GIGABYTE decided to go back to the tried-and-true fin-type heat sink, which offers maximum cooling efficiency because of its maximized surface area. The new X470 motherboard features a 10+2 phase VRM controlled by an IR35201 PWM controller. Each power stage uses IR3553 40A PowIRstages for AMD's next gen Zen+ and current CPUs.

AMD is preparing their next-gen Ryzen processors for 2018, but we're already hearing about the new 400-series chipset that will power next-gen motherboards thanks to a new post on PCI-SIG.

The upcoming Zen+/Ryzen 2000 range is also known as Pinnacle Ridge, and will be an upgrade of Zen 1 made on 12nm. AMD will give us higher clock speeds and improved power efficiency, which is always welcomed. Zen 2 will be saved for the Ryzen 3000 series of processors, which will offer even more improvements over Zen as it will be baked onto the super-delicious 7nm node.

AMD's upcoming Summit Ridge 300 series chipset was listed on PCI-SIG in January 2016, but now we have the new codename Promontory chipset listed on PCI-SIG, which was added on December 19, 2017. This new chipset teased "AMD 400 Series Chipsets" which will include X470, B450, and A420 series motherboards.

Intel is on a rampage of releasing new CPU architectures and motherboard chipsets to go with them, but if you thought we were another year away from a big release, you are wrong. Intel is ramping up for the next Z390 launch, something that should be revealed in early 2018.

The new Intel Z390 chipset has been spotted in SiSoftware's database, and should launch side-by-side with a new range of 4/6/8-core processors that will need to compete with the new threat of AMD's upcoming next-gen Ryzen CPUs in the first half of 2018. Intel is building the new Z390 chipset to handle the new 8-core CPUs they'll unveil, which should fill out the Coffee Lake-S family of processors.

SuperMicro is the board partner that the new Z390 chipset has been spotted on, with their SuperMicro Z7Z390-PGW motherboard spotted on SiSoftware's database. The CPU wasn't detected, which means that the motherboard is an early engineering sample that isn't capable of being detected by SiSoftware yet, or the board is so new SiSoftware is having problems with it.

GIGABYTE have announced their latest Z370 chipset based motherboard, the compact GIGABYTE Z370N WIFI motherboard. Designed for a mini-ITX form factor, the GIGABYTE Z370N WIFI motherboard is a versatile, yet powerful motherboard that is optimized to support Intel's 8th Generation Core Processors.

GIGABYTE have ensured that performance isn't compromised thanks to support for dual-channel DDR4-4600MHz (OC), dual M.2 PCIe slots, dual Intel GbE LAN, dual band 802.11AC wireless and seven USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports. This motherboard also boasts onboard DisplayPort and HDMI 2.0a outputs, both are capable of HDR video with HDMI 2.0a able to provide cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio to provide the ultimate viewing experience.

What motherboard isn't complete without RGB lighting? GIGABYTE aren't novices in this department and have included RGB Fusion technology, this allows for customization of up to 300 individual LED's. This software allows you to connect 5V or 12V LED strips and customize each individual LED to suit your preference, this means you can alter the color and brightness of each of the 300 LED's. For overclocking, GIGABYTE have included an Intersil Hybrid Digital VRM design, this design ensures power is distributed effectively to create stable overclocks, XMP profiles is also provided for memory overclocking.

ASUS has just announced their new dual Xeon workstation motherboard, with the introduction of the WS C621E SAGE motherboard. ASUS' new offering is for high-end workstation users, who want a mind blowing amount of CPU grunt.

The new ASUS WC 621E SAGE motherboard rocks two LGA 3647 sockets, which will work with Intel's new Scalable family of Xeon CPUs. The board can support 205W TDP processors, which let it drive 2 x Intel Xeon Platinum 8180 processors with 28C/56T for a total of 56C/112T. There's also 4-way GPU support for both NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire.

We have 12 x DDR4 DIMMs that support up to 768GB of DDR4 RAM, 7 x PCIe 3.0 x16 ports, with the full x16 PCIe 3.0 bandwidth required. There are 10 x SATA III ports, 4 x U.2 connectors (32GB/sec) and a single M.2 Socket 3 connector, all backed up with out-of-the-box support for NVMe PCIe SSD RAID 0. ASUS also includes 2 x GbE ports, Realtek 7.1-channel audio, and a bunch of USB 3.1 Gen 2/Gen 1, and USB 2.0 ports.

ASUS ROG is bringing Ryzen to Mini-ITX with their latest motherboards, ROG Strix X370-I Gaming and Strix B350-I Gaming motherboards for AM4 sockets. Catering for small-form-factor Ryzen builds, these ASUS ROG motherboards are nearly identical and are packed full of cutting-edge features like their full-sized counterparts including RGB lighting, M.2 SSD heat sink, liquid cooling ready and a host of other features for your AMD Ryzen build.

ASUS Maximus Impact series showcased improved audio with a dedicated riser card, and the Strix X370-I and B350-I Gaming go one step further with an M.2 Audio Combo card that contains both SupremeFX sound and M.2 storage. As for overlocking, these motherboards feature unlocked multipliers, six-phase VRM design and support for DDR4-3600 memory. To make overclocking even easier, ASUS ROG have introduced exclusive 5-Way Optimization technology, this intelligent auto-tuning technology automatically overclocks the CPU and configures the cooling performance based on the components of your build.

Both the ROG Strix X370-I Gaming and Strix B350-I Gaming motherboards will be available late October.

BIOSTAR have unleashed their flagship Z370 motherboard, and it sounds like an exotic supercar, the RACING Z370GT7. Supporting the latest 8th generation Intel Core processors and DDR4-3866 memory, this motherboard is aimed at enthusiasts who like to go extreme with their overclocks, modifications and designs of their builds.

Finished in a luxurious black color theme with golden highlights spread across the design of the board, the RACING Z370GT7 is also able to satisfy RGB fanatics thanks to utilizing BIOSTAR's Advanced VIVID LED DJ that can provide up to 10 flashing modes. As with any flagship product, BIOSTAR have included some new toys with the RACING Z370GT7 including smart A.I FAN, reinforced PCI-E slots and dual Intel Optane-ready M.2 slots. A.I Fan allows for complete fan control via an individual fan controller for each connected fan, this means your fans will adjust their speeds to maintain cool temperatures of your hardware. RACING Z370GT7 boasts dual gold M.2 heat sinks that allow for ultra-high cooling efficiency, this protects and prolongs the like of your M.2 slot.

BIOSTAR RACING Z370GT7 rear I/O ports include legacy PS/2 connector support, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Port, 1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C Port, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Port 2 x USB 2.0 Port, 1 x HDMI Connector, 1 x DVI-D Connector, 1 x RJ-45 Port and 6 x Audio Connectors.

The amount of drama surrounding Intel's recent launch of their Coffee Lake/8th generation CPU architecture and the new Z370 chipset has been astounding, and it just got a lot more interesting.

ASUS ROG motherboard Product Manager, Andrew Wu, confirmed with Bit-Tech that Intel's previous-gen Z270 chipset is compatible with Coffee Lake CPUs, with Wu saying it would require a small change "depending on Intel's decision". Bit-Tech asked if it was a "physical limitation", but Wu replied saying "Not really. It [the power delivery] makes a little bit of difference, but not much".

Then the big question: "so if you wanted and Intel let you, you could make Z270 compatible", to which Wu replied: "Yes, but you also require an upgrade from the ME (Management Engine) and a BIOS update. Intel somehow has locked the compatibility". There you have it folks, Intel is locking users out of upgrading to Coffee Lake on their current Z270 boards, by forcing users to buy a Z370 motherboard.

MSI have announced their new motherboard for AMD Ryzen Threadripper builds, the MSI X399 SLI PLUS. MSI's latest motherboard is an optimized workstation and an excellent choice for professionals looking for performance and stability that we've came to expect from MSI.

Featuring a slick full-black color scheme and a first for MSI's PRO series, Mystic Light RGB, the X399 SLI PLUS can provide impressive performance and style that is customizable by the user. MSI have provided USB 3.1, M.2 SSD support and STEEL ARMOR PCI-E slots that have all been designed and thoroughly tested to achieve quality standards and are geared for longevity and performance. Capable of supporting quad-channel DDR4-3600 memory, 4 xPCI-E 3.0 x16 slots and backed with impressive performance features include DDR4 Boost, Turbo M.2 with RAID support, Audio Boost, X-Boost, Network Manager and many more, the X399 SLI PRO provides impressive compatibility and features.

With any workstation orientated build, stable and fast networking is paramount. MSI have optimized the X399 SLI PLUS for professional and multimedia use and is equipped with a high quality Gigabit network solution and Audio Boost 4. MSI haven't provided pricing or availability yet, but expect this motherboard to be released Q4 2017.

While AMD's Threadripper/X399 launched a few months ago, until now, we hadn't seen much information about new X399 motherboards. GIGABYTE teased pictures of their X399 Designare EX, which is part of their "second wave" of X399 motherboards. The motherboard arrived a few days ago from Taiwan, and I can't wait to review it and see what it has to offer over the first wave of X399 motherboards.

The X399 Designare EX looks more professional than the X399 Aorus Gaming 7, which looks more like a gaming motherboard, but that isn't where the differences end. The motherboard features an integrated IO shield, and there is also a built-in fan under the IO cover that should help to cool down the VRM heat sink, which has also been redesigned.

We also see a header labeled THB_C, which we have seen on other GIGABYTE motherboards as a GPIO header for Thunderbolt 3 add-in cards. However, there is zero mention of the header on the internal connectors list, motherboard diagram, or in the header/port descriptions section of the manual. There are a few possibilities as to why it was omitted, as the header is visible on GIGABYTE's official images of the motherboard. The main one is probably that the certification process isn't over. We have seen the same thing happen on some of GIGABYTE's Z270/Z170 motherboards, where they had the hardware but no certification, so they left any mention of the feature out of the official documentation.

ASUS ROG have announced two new motherboard series based on Intel's Z370 chipset, the Maximus X and Strix Z370 series. These motherboards support up to 6C/12T 8th Generation Intel Core Coffee Lake processors to deliver exceptional performance, unmatched versatility and impressive overclocking potential. The Maximus X is designed for enthusiasts and gamers while the Strix family provides performance to a wide range of builds and budgets.

The Maximus X range is designed for gamers who demand exceptional performance with the latest games and for overclocking enthusiasts. The Maximus X Apex is an overclocking beast and perfect for hardcore gamers. While the Maximus X Hero is a premium balanced choice of performance and premium extras. The Maximus X code is the perfect balance for gaming and enthusiasts and the Maximus X Formula is the centerpiece of a showcase PC.

The Strix Z370 range provides everything gamers need in a motherboard without breaking the budget. Full-sized ATX options include the Strix Z370-E, Z370-F Gaming and the retro-revival of the Strix Z370-H Gaming. Smaller form factors are served by the mATX Strix Z370-G Gaming and Mini-ITX Strix Z370-I Gaming.

ASUS hasn't yet announced the purported ROG STRIX B350-I-Gaming motherboard, but Swedish online retailer Inet has, with plenty of details and photos to look at.

The new ROG STRIX B350-I-Gaming motherboard uses the B350 chipset, with support for up to 32GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, and any Ryzen 3/5/7 processor. ASUS will be including a single PCIe 3.0 x16 port with 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, and 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports.

Storage wise, we have 2 x M.2 slots and 4 x SATA 6Gbps ports, and considering this is a mini-ATX there is an awesome amount of storage capabilities provided by ASUS. There's also GbE and built-in Wi-Fi as well as SupremeFX 8-channel High Definition Audio on-board.

ASUS has secured the #1 spot for motherboard market share, with DigiTimes reporting that the Taiwanese PC component giant has 45% of the motherboard market in their hands.

ASUS still has plenty of next-gen motherboards on the horizon with Intel launching their new Coffee Lake CPU architecture and Z370 chipset, with ASUS preparing a new arsenal of Z300-series motherboards. Not only that, but we also have AMD's current-gen Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper-ready motherboards from ASUS in the form of X370 and X399 chipsets, and AMD's upcoming Ryzen 2 processors and next-gen chipset with new motherboards again in early 2018.

ASUS should only continue to at least keep that lead, or push it harder with next-gen boards, something I'm sure we'll see in 2018 and beyond. The main question is: what motherboard do you have? Comment below so that we can see how many people reading this story actually have ASUS motherboards or not.

ECS is hitting the Z370 motherboard game with their upcoming lets-throw-all-the-cool-words-in ECS Leet Gaming Z370-Lightsaber, a new motherboard ready for Intel's eighth-gen Coffee Lake CPU architecture.

The new Leet Gaming Z370-Lightsaber rocks a pretty plain look given its burst-in-your-face name, but inside still supports 4 x DIMMs capable of memory at up to 3200MT/s, 3 x PCIe x16 ports, and 2 x M.2 ports that are connected to a PCIe 3.0 x4. We also have 6 x SATA ports, and 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports that are backed up by Realtek's ALC1150 codec and Killer E2500 Ethernet.

ECS is aiming the Leet Gaming Z370-Lightsaver at overclockers, with some beefy VRM heat sinks, and on-board power and reset buttons. Next to the power and reset buttons, ECS has placed diagnostic LEDs that will help you know what's happening to your motherboard when your overclock fails. There are three other buttons that provide you with an update BIOS, reset CMOS settings, or a "quick OS" button.

ASRock have shown that when it comes to overclocking, their X299 OC Formula motherboard is an absolute BEAST! With the NDA lifted for the final few Intel Core X series processors, ASRock with the help of overclocker Splave, were able to display some incredible results for overclocking website HWBOT. Breaking not 1, not 2, but 3 benchmark World Records and an impressive 23 out of 27 global first place finishes, proving that this board is the ultimate choice for extreme overclockers.

Designed by professional-overclocker Nick Shih, the X299 OC Formula features 13 phase Dr.MOS CPU power and 2 phase memory power design, one DIMM per channel memory layout, Hyper BCLK Engine III and XXL aluminum alloy heat sinks. The results speak for themselves, this combination is UNREAL. Throw is support for quad-chanel DDR4-4600Mhz, 5 PCIe 3.0 x16 and 4-way SLI/CrossFireX, the ASRock X299 OC Formula is the perfect overclockers board, and now these results proves it!

The last time we heard about BIOSTAR's upcoming RACING Z370 GT7 motherboard it was from our friends over at VideoCardz, but now we have an exclusive look at the GT6 variant before it becomes available to the public.

BIOSTAR's new RACING Z370 GT6 motherboard looks awesome, with a slick black and gold style that is joined by an array of RGB LEDs that you can customize for the perfect gaming PC.

BIOSTAR did have only 4 nodes on their previous RGB utility, but now they have 10, along with two RGB 5050 headsers on the motherboard for additional RGB LED strips.