Motherboards - Page 19

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.

GIGABYTE have unveiled their range of new Z370 AORUS motherboards that are based on Intel's Z370 chipset. The Z370 AORUS range fully supports Intel's 8th Generation Intel Core processors and includes support for high-speed RAM up to 4400Mhz. Other features on offer include ESS Sabre DAC, Smart Fan 5 and RGB Fusion, creating the ultimate gaming motherboard range.

"Following Intel's release of the Z370 chipset platform, GIGABYTE has designed a new, groundbreaking motherboard," said Vincent Liu, Senior Associate Vice President of GIGABYTE's Motherboard Business Unit. "GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS motherboards are designed for gamers who value powerful, yet highly durable motherboards. With our new digital power design, not only will Z370 AORUS motherboards unleash the power of the 8th generation Intel Core processors' they will easily fulfill gamers' demands."

The Z370 AORUS Motherboards utilize a new VRM and PWM design, this allows for 60 amps per power phase and strengthens the signal between the processor and voltage regulator. Z370 AORUS Motherboards is also able to provide extreme video quality, 4K UHD, and uninterrupted streaming to users through the use of HDCP 2.2 Technology, a HEVC 10-bit decoder, as well as a VP9 hardware decoder.

GIGABYTE's upcoming X399 Designare EX motherboard is on the way, with it being the new flagship motherboard that will be perfect for AMD's super-powered Ryzen Threadripper CPUs.

There's a slick as hell silver theme, with dual GbE ports, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type-C and Type-A) ports, 8 x DDR4 DIMMs, 4-way CrossFire and SLI support (awww YES), and 3 x M.2 slots. All of the PCIe slots on GIGABYTE's new X399 Designare EX motherboard are protected with metal shielding, while the M.2 slots have heat sinks by GIGABYTE.

The blue LED that GIGABYTE is using on the chipset cooler looks beyond awesome, as it works beautifully with the black and silver style on the X399 Designare EX motherboard. I want one so bad.

Intel's upcoming Coffee Lake-S architecture is nearly here, something that will be led by the flagship Core i7-8700K processor. But now we have Biostar's upcoming RACING Z370 GT7 motherboard spotted, and it looks GOOD.

Biostar says that the upcoming RACING Z370 GT7 motherboard will support DDR4 RAM up to 3866MHz, with reinforced PCIe slots, more M.2 slots, Realtek ALC1220 audio chipset, and the Intel I219V gigabit ethernet controller.

I'm loving the black and yellow style on the motherboard, with M.2 cooling teased at the bottom. The RGBs above the I/O panel look great too, but I think this board is going to look great when used in a specific black/blue build... giving me some ideas. Watch this space.

We all know about the cryptocurrency mining phenomenon that has lasted longer than fidget spinners and Pokemon GO combined, but now Colorful is entering the game with the most unique motherboard... well... EVER.

Colorful has just announced a non-standard form factor motherboard that uses Intel's LGA 1151 socket, with the new C.B250A-BTC PLUS V20 motherboard (you won't forget that easily, don't worry) rocking a huge 8 x PCIe x16 slots. The board is a massive 485mm in length and even 195mm wide... meaning even huge HPTX cases won't house it.

The new motherboard is built for mining-specific racks, with 8 x PCIe x16 slots and 2-slot spacing between them for 8 high-end graphics cards to mine 24/7.

The crypomining phase is slowing fading, but this hasn't stopped BIOSTAR releasing the first Micro-ATX Intel H110 Chipset Motherboard dedicated for crypto mining systems. Built ground up for mining, BIOSTAR have removed features don't enhance mining performance to keep costs down and efficiency up.

The compact design still allows for 6 x PCI-E support (1 x PCI-E x16 3.0, 5 x PCI-E x1 2.0) and supports all the essentials in optimizing your mining rig including 7th generation Intel Core processors, 2-DIMM DDR4-2400MHz RAM to 32GB, HDMI and USB 3.0. Featuring HDMI KVM support, this allows for easy management of multi-mining setups or D-Sub KVM for more conventional multi-monitor setups.

The BIOSTAR H110M-BTC is a great choice for entry miners, that require affordable pricing and still offering support and performance for multiple GPU's.

GIGABYTE has reached out to TweakTown over our previous story, with the F5 BIOS on X370 motherboards from the company over-volting Ryzen CPUs, which we're going to clarify now. GIGABYTE released the iffy BIOS on 25/8, but on 31/8 the company realized there were some problems with the F5 BIOS.

GIGABYTE quickly pulled the F5 BIOS from their website, and on the morning of 9/1 they had the announcements on their forums, with information on the updated BIOS. GIGABYTE is reaching out to affected customers now.

Update: GIGABYTE has reached out to TweakTown over this story, which we're going to clarify now. GIGABYTE released the iffy BIOS on 25/8, but on 31/8 the company realized there were some problems with the F5 BIOS.

GIGABYTE quickly pulled the F5 BIOS from their website, and on the morning of 9/1 they had the announcements on their forums, with information on the updated BIOS. GIGABYTE is reaching out to affected customers now.

Original story: GIGABYTE X370 motherboard owners, listen up: GIGABYTE has posted a new BIOS for their Ryzen-capable X370 Gaming K7 and X370 Gaming K5 motherboards, with this F5 revision BIOS meant to provide optiomizations to GIGABYTE's boards... but, it did anything but what it promised.

GIGABYTE are feeling generous, having today announced customers who have purchased a GIGABYTE X299 motherboard from qualified retailers will be eligible for a free gift!

This offer is only valid until September 14 2017 and for purchases between June 19 to August 31, 2017. However, the 'X299 Xperience Pack' is definitely worth it, to claim your free pack, submit a completed registration here.

Inside the X299 Xperience Pack:

AMD is about to launch its next-gen Ryzen ThreadRipper CPUs that will drive 16C/32T processors into the masses, while ASUS is preparing a new high-end motherboard.

The new ASUS X399 ROG Zenith Extreme has been teased, with a full unboxing revealing that the new board rocks the beefy TR4 socket, Wi-Fi antennas, and much more. ASUS includes a PCIe ethernet card, VGA holder, ASUS DIMM2 extension card, LCD screen, and four reinforced PCIe slots.

ASUS' new X399 ROG Zenith Extreme is the first X399 motherboard to arrive in E-ATX, which is a fair bit larger than a traditional ATX motherboard.

ASUS launched their Crosshair VI Hero earlier this year when AMD launched their new Ryzen processors, but now the company has unleashed their first ROG motherboard ready for Ryzen CPUs.

The new ROG Crosshair VI Extreme is a new enthusiast motherboard ready for Ryzen CPUs, enthusiasts, and gamers alike who want the very best from ASUS. ASUS includes their Aura Sync RGB LED technology, dual PCIe 3.0 x16 slots for SLI/CF setups, and even a third x16 slot for CrossFire rigs (as long as your cards are dual-slot).

There's also USB 3.1 Gen 2 connectivity with Type-C and Type-A ports, GbE connectivity, and an upgraded 2x2 antenna for 802.11ac Wi-Fi. ASUS includes their latest SupremeFX S1220 codec teamed with the ESS Sabre DAC that provides great quality sound all from your motherboard.

GIGABYTE has announced their new mini-ITX motherboard ready for AMD Ryzen processors, with their new AB350N-Gaming Wi-Fi motherboard that is ready for AMD's "performance-class" B350 chipset.

This means we have most of the functionality of the flagship X370 chipset, but is cut down slightly. The table above explains it easily.

Moving onto the board itself, the GIGABYTE AB350N-Gaming Wi-Fi looks great with its black and silver style, with 2 x DIMM slots and a single x16 PCIe slot. There's some overclocking headroom on the board with GIGABYTE deploying an advanced all-digital six-phase VRM with an International Rectifier controller, IR PowIRstage ICs and solid state capacitors. LN2 cooling even works on the AB350N-Gaming Wi-Fi, with GIGABYTE including 4-pin hybrid fan headers that are specific to LN2 cooling... so expect mITX boards to play with the big boys in LN2 records.

MSI has officially unveiled its new X299 TOMAHAWK ARCTIC motherboard, with its freakin' beautiful - and super unique look.

The new X299 TOMAHAWK ARCTIC sports 4 x PCIe x16 slots, 2 x PCIe 1x, and 2 x M.2 slots. MSI's TOMAHAWK range is the company's mid-range series, so this doesn't have all of the bells and whistles that the high-end/enthusiast motherboards will have. We do have MSI's own Mystic Light feature, which will light up the board - and in that white theme, it'll look crazy good in the right combination of RGB LEDs, graphics card/s, and case/fans.

MSI X299 TOMAHAWK ARCTIC

At number 18 on Fortune 100's list of Fastest Growing Companies, SuperMicro traditionally offers server and datacenter products, but now they are targeting gamers. SuperMicro recently established their gaming brand, SuperO, which is positioned to provide consumers with high quality gaming parts. With slogans such as "Server DNA Infused", you might assume that it is just marketing, but having looked at many of their motherboards I can attest they are not messing around. Server grade components and design practices are very common on their motherboards, and that is good news for people who want an X299 motherboard since Intel's HEDT platform has typically been closely tied to their server platform.

The C7X299-PG features Aquantia's new 5Gbit NIC, Intel Gbit LAN, two U.2 ports, two M.2 ports, four USB 3.1 ports (one type-C), 8 memory DIMMs supporting 128GB of DRR4, XMP 3733MHz+, and the Realtek ALC1220 with a Texas Instruments OPA1612 amplifier. Durability wise, the motherboard uses an 8-layer server-grade PCB, 20K@105C hours rated NIPPON Chemi-Con capacitors (that's very high), fully integrated power stages, and digital PWMs. The motherboard's UEFI is said to be improved over previous generations, and the motherboard offers a new look and theme compared to their previous X99 motherboard. We hope to take a look soon and let you know how it does.