Motherboards News - Page 2

Raspberry Pi 4 fans can get an upgraded version that just launched that offers up to 8GB of RAM. With the additional RAM version, the Pi 4 can now be had with 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB of RAM. The Pi 4 is almost a year old and has sold 3 million units so far. Over the nearly 12 months since launch, there have been a couple of minor board revisions.

The rumored 8GB Raspberry Pi 4 is now available and costs $75. The 2GB version of the same board sells for $35. The BCM2711 chip used on the Raspberry Pi 4 can address up to 16GB of LPDDR4 SDRAM. The developers behind the board say that the barrier to offering the larger-memory version was the lack of an 8GB LPDDR4 package.

Pi.org says that its partners at Micron unveiled a suitable part earlier this year. The Raspberry Pi 4 with 8GB of RAM is available right now. Eben Upton from Raspberrypi.org wrote, "If you're a power user, intending to compile and link large pieces of software or run heavy server workloads, or you simply want to be able to have even more browser tabs open at once, this is definitely the Raspberry Pi for you."

My wallet kinda cried a little when I originally saw ASRock's insane Z490 AQUA motherboard -- as it costs over $1000, but now it has been used by an overclocker to smash 4 world records.

Overclocker 'Splave' used the ASRock Z490 AQUA motherboard along with Intel's new Core i9-10900KF processor to secure himself 4 global first-place positions in benchmarks. The benchmarks in question are the wPrime-1024M, GPUPI for CPU, Cinebench R20, and Cinebench R11.5.

Splave smashed the wPrime-1014M benchmark, securing first place with the Core i9-10900KF with 35sec 562ms and the 10900KF processor clocked at 7070MHz. The GPUPI for CPU - 1B has a new record of 1min 25sec 15ms on the Core i9-10900KF and ASRock Z490 AQUA motherboard.

ASUS has unveiled a new series of mainboards that are aimed at supporting the latest AMD processors. Sitting at the top of the line is the ROG Strix B550-E Gaming mainboard. The E version of the board is aimed at gamers wanting to use AMD Ryzen processors using the AM4 socket with dual or triple expansion cards. The CPU socket is flanked by a 14+2 power stage VRM for reliable performance.

The board also supports reinforced PCIe x16 SafeSlots for heavy GPUs in SLI or CrossFireX modes. The board has six fan headers an AIO and pump headers to allow for setups as simple or intricate as the gamer wants. Automatic fan speed detection is supported using Q-Fan software controls with multiple presets to keep temperature and noise levels down.

A pair of SSDs up to 110mm long can be fitted into the dual M.2 slots that are both covered by heat sinks to prevent thermal throttling under load. The board also features Intel-power 2.5 Gb Ethernet and Wi-Fi 6 controllers. Bluetooth 5.1 is also integrated along with the trio of three USB ports, including a single Type-C and two Type-A ports.

Biostar has unveiled a pair of new mainboards that are designed to support 10th generation Intel processors. The new boards include the Racing B460GTA and Racing B460GTQ. Since both are Racing boards, they have the signature black, gray, and blue Racing colors. The boards are aimed at commercial and casual use and are designed with an eye towards power efficiency and cooling.

Both boards have similar features, including Super Hyper PWM with DCR current sensing architecture offering precision in delivering stable power with 100% fixed voltage. Biostar says that the differences between the B460GTA and B460GTQ boiled down to the GTA offering additional ports and connectivity options thanks to the ATX form factor while the GTQ is a micro-ATX mainboard.

Biostar says that both boards are designed to be extremely affordable and feature a stylish Armor Gear enclosure on the motherboard, helping to dissipate heat and housing the LED Rock Zone RGB lighting. Both boards have customizable light settings via the Vivid LED DJ software. The boards support up to 128 GB of DDR for RAM with four DIMMs.

MSI is continuing to introduce new members into its growing family of PC products, where today the company is announcing its first liquid cooler: the MAG CORELIQUID series.

The new MSI MAG CORELIQUID series comes in four different models, with the MAG CORELIQUID 360R, MAG CORELIQUID 360RH, MAG CORELIQUID 240R, and MAG CORELIQUID 240RH. As you can probably already tell by the product names here, there are two with 360mm radiators, and two models with 240mm radiators.

MSI has integrated the pump itself into the radiator, something that will reduce the sound emitted from the MAG CORELIQUID cooler. Not only that, but MSI has used a three-phase motor in the core of the pump which will reduce vibrations, also keeping the noise down.

ASRock has just unveiled an absolute beast of a motherboard in its flagship Z490 AQUA, with the company making just 999 units of this motherboard which means most people will want to keep it in the box -- right?!

As for the board, ASRock is putting its all into the Z490 AQUA motherboard. First off we have the latest 16-phase 90A Dr.MOS and 2oz Copper PCBs which have up to 95% VRM efficiency. Why the huge beefcake VRM? Intel's new 10th Gen Core processors (check out the review kit here) and especially the flagship Core i9-10900K processor which is a 10C/20T chip at up to 5.3GHz -- and 5.4GHz in early overclocks.

ASRock is using a high-end water cooling system on its Z490 AQUA motherboard, something that will better handle the huge heat from the CPU and VRMs. It also features an OLED display that ASRock uses to display CPU voltages, temperatures, system and POST statuses, and much more.

With the official announcement and release of the new Comet Lake CPU's, we can now showcase all of the new Z490 boards made for the new up to 10 Core mainstream platforms from Intel. Today we look at the offerings from Supermicro and what they have to offer.

C9Z490 Series

The Supermicro C9Z490 series of boards only consists of two boards at the time of launch. The two boards are functionally and visually identical, except for Wi-Fi. The two models are C9Z490-PG, and C9Z490-PGW, where the W suffix denotes Wi-Fi inclusion.

C9Z490-PGW

First up, we have the C9Z490-PGW, which is the version of the Supermicro board with Wi-Fi. Being Supermicro, you know they have a history of building rock stable server platforms and proper component integration for high density and heavy workload servers and workstations. Now entering the consumer space, we expect the same level of build quality as we have seen before, along with a UEFI that is maturing to a less server and more consumer level. Unfortunately, information on this board pair is limited, so many areas will be TBD until we get the board in hands, at which point we will share all fo the details with you in a full review.

With the official announcement and release of the new Comet Lake CPU's, we can now showcase all of the new Z490 boards made for the new up to 10 Core mainstream platforms from Intel. Today we look at the offerings from MSI and what they have to offer.

MEG Series

The MEG or MSI Enthusiast Gaming line is the top end or upper echelon of board offerings from MSI. This means that these will be the highest featured and best overclocking motherboards of the MSI lineup.

Z490 Godlike

The MEG Z490 Godlike is the top dog or the king of the hill for the MSI lineup. It is not the only board bearing the MEG name but it is by far the highest featured and the best for potential overclocks, with some minor caveats such as memory, where a 1DPC (DIMM per Channel) board will dominate.

With the official announcement and release of the new Comet Lake CPU's, we can now showcase all of the new Z490 boards made for the new up to 10 Core mainstream platforms from Intel. Today we look at the offerings from ASRock and what they have to offer.

Taichi Series

The Taichi series from ASRock have been the enthusiasts pick for a reason, and that is that besides the OCF or OC Formula gear, the Taichi has proven to be a veritable powerhouse platform for enthusiasts users.

Z490 Taichi

The Z490 Taichi is built to hold true to the Taichi performance we have gotten used to. Beyond the recognizable design ID, the Taichi also comes fully loaded with a VRM and features to make any right a potential powerhouse. The board is touted as supporting PCIe 4.0 which further adds credence to the rumors that Z490 and the LGA1200 socket will be a direct drop-in compatible with the future Rocket Lake architecture which is rumored to bring with it PCIe 4.0 support.

With the official announcement and release of the new Comet Lake CPU's, we can now showcase all of the new Z490 boards made for the new up to 10 Core mainstream processors from Intel. Today we look at the offerings from ASUS and what they have to offer.

ROG Maximus Series

First up is the Maximus series, which signifies the peak of engineering and performance form ASUS. If you are looking for an ASUS board with the latest and greatest features, the Maximus lineup is where you should start.

Maximus XII Extreme

The Maximus XII Extreme is the peak top of the top-end series of boards for ASUS. While the Extreme used to be the top XOC board (That title now rests with the APEX models), it now has become the board with everything including the kitchen sink included and is well-targeted for extreme enthusiasts.