Motherboards - Page 2

ASUS has teased it has some "exciting" upgrades to its still unannounced Z890 BTF motherboards, the boards that have backside power connectors and sleek style.

During a recent livestream by ASUS North America on YouTube, the team was asked if there was going to be a next-gen Z890 BTF motherboard with ASUS manager Juan Jose Guerrero saying there's no designs planned for the Z890 launch, but the company remains committed to the design, development, and production of BTF products.

Guerrero said: "BTF at Computex was just for demo to show our commitment to BTF design alongside other BTF products we highlighted including next-gen AIO design and chassis. We also showed a CAMM2 board but do not have a model we are launching. While we do not have a launch BTF Z890 motherboard we are committed to the design, development and production of BTF solutions. Response from our uses and the community has been extremely positive and we have some exciting updates in the works".

With Intel unveiling its new Intel Core Ultra 200S desktop processors and Arrow Lake's imminent arrival, we've also seen an onslaught of new motherboards for the new Z890 chipset announced. Multiple impressive boards are coming; however, the new ASRock Z890 Taichi AQUA might just be the one to turn a few heads - especially when you look at the rear IO and its features.

ASRock says that with this board, you've got "plenty of Type-C," but if you glance at the rear IO panel, you'll notice that it's exclusively USB Type-C with ten ports available - including dual Thunderbolt 4 ports. By not including even one or two traditional USB Type-A ports, this is a deliberate design choice by ASRock and one that is impressive. Type-C is the future, after all.

The front IO or case supports up to four USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A connections, so there is some support if you need one. Standing out from the pack doesn't stop with USB Type-C; the ASRock Z890 Taichi AQUA has another trick up its sleeve.

MSI is ready for Intel's upcoming new generation of desktop CPUs, which will be released under the moniker Arrow Lake.

MSI has revealed its highly anticipated lineup of new Z890 motherboards that come with support for Intel's Arrow Lake desktop CPUs, which have seemingly already had some of their performance benchmarks leaked online. By the time this article has gone live, more performance benchmarks will likely be online as we are nearing the official launch of Intel's new chips. As for MSI's upcoming range of boards, MSI invited me for a behind-the-scenes tour of its motherboard manufacturing factory in Shenzhen, China, where it was making some of the boards detailed below.

MSI had its main four boards on display at its press event: the Pro Z890-A Wi-Fi, the MPG Z890 Edge Ti Wi-Fi, the MPG Z890 Carbon Wi-Fi, the MEG Z890 Ace, and the MAG Z890 Tomahawk Wi-Fi. Each of the boards offers unique aesthetics and functionality, but all come ready for Intel's Arrow Lake CPUs. Additionally, each of the boards will come with Thunderbolt 4 support that will enable fast data transfer speeds. Moreover, the improvements to connectivity and additional power to the board via an extra 8-pin connector enable charging up to 60W on some boards, which is especially helpful for users that have multiple devices such as laptops, smartphones, power banks and tablets.

Not all Wi-Fi is the same; most of us know this well. Regardless of the underlying internet speed and whether or not you're connected to fiber or Starlink up in the sky, device speed can vary dramatically. The new Wi-Fi 7 standard is a game changer for wireless speeds and how it handles multiple connections, but many early Wi-Fi 7 devices were kind of Wi-Fi 7 in name only.

With the arrival of next-gen Intel Core Ultra 200 Series CPUs and a new range of Z890 motherboards, the latest chipset not only adds high-speed USB4 and all manner of support for PCIe Gen 5 storage and other goodies but also sees a shift to Wi-Fi 7 - supported by the always impressive Intel KiLLER network technology.

As much flack as Intel has received in recent months for the issues surrounding its Raptor Lake CPUs, production and foundry delays, and other things - Intel's network technology, whether its Ethernet or Wi-Fi, has remained rock solid. And when it comes to Wi-Fi 7 in the new range of Z890 motherboards for Arrow Lake processors - you're looking at full Wi-Fi 7 speeds and bandwidth.

MSI has a pretty impressive line-up of motherboards for Intel's new Core Ultra 200 Series CPUs - from the high-end MEG Z890 ACE to the stylish PRO Z890-A WIFI and the PC gamer-focused MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI and MPG Z890 CARBON WIFI.

In addition to supporting new chips, they come equipped with advanced full-speed Wi-Fi 7, multiple M.2 storage slots that include support for PCIe Gen5, and more USB ports than you'd think possible. With more and more desktop PCs being used for generative AI workloads, some models, like the new MPG Z890 CARBON WIFI, even support installing multiple graphics cards.

Outside of AI, desktop graphics cards for PC gaming - especially on the high end - have only gotten bigger in recent years. They have triple slots or higher thickness, lengths extending beyond the motherboard's end, chunky heatsinks, and three fans as standard. MSI, and other board makers for that matter, have noted and are factoring the larger size, weight, and power consumption into their new motherboard designs.

Recently, when pictures of new 2024 motherboards for new CPUs began to appear online, many noticed the addition of a new 8-pin PCIe power connection on the bottom of specific boards. Located on the opposite end of the main motherboard and CPU power plugin, this led to speculation about what it could be for.

Is it for the upcoming release of the GeForce RTX 5090 and GeForce RTX 5080? NVIDIA's next-gen flagship graphics cards are rumored (from multiple credible sources) to require 600W and 400W of power, respectively. Or, is it to compensate for the dramatic increase in CPU power consumption in recent years - precisely, on the Intel side of the fence?

The answer is yes, no, all of the above, and more. During a recent visit to MSI's factory in Shenzhen, China, where we saw MEG Z890 ACE, PRO Z890-A WIFI, MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI, and MPG Z890 CARBON WIFI, we asked one of the company's leading engineers and designers about the new connector to find out what it's used for.

This year, AMD and Intel have announced and released their next-gen desktop CPUs with the new Ryzen 9000 Series and Intel Core Ultra (Series 2). New processors mean new chipsets, in this case, Intel Z890 and AMD X870, and countless new motherboards hitting retail shelves as we close the year.

During a recent tour of MSI's impressive factory in Shenzhen, China, where we saw Intel Z890 motherboards being produced at a mind-boggling scale, we got to go hands-on with a few Intel Core Ultra 200 builds with MSI's new boards. New CPUs and new motherboards are always exciting, but when you throw in a brand-new, modern BIOS redesign - it all feels 'next-gen.'

MSI is calling its revamped, redesigned, and overhauled BIOS interface and UI the Click BIOS X system. We went hands-on with two systems: an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU and MEG Z890 ACE motherboard and an Intel Core Ultra 5 245K CPU and MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard.

Enthusiast-level gaming motherboards can arguably be some of the most impressive pieces of technology within a PC, especially when considering the motherboard is responsible for the correct communication between components, power regulation, etc.

MSI has been at the forefront of impressive enthusiast-level gaming motherboards for quite some time, and right at the top of the company's offerings is its GODLIKE series. Likely picked up in the name, the GODLIKE series is meant to have as many bells and whistles as a motherboard possibly can, and just like the Z790, the upcoming Z890 has followed suit with some substantial improvements.

The Z890 GODLIKE, which currently doesn't have an official release date, but I can confirm will be launched sometime in Q4, has expanded storage capabilities with support for up to 6x M.2 (2x Gen5 + 4x Gen4) and 4x SATA 6Gbp/s. Moreover, the Z890 GODLIKE has expanded on its connectivity offerings, with support for 2x USB 3.2 20G (1x Rear Type-C / 1x Front Type-C PD60W), an insane 13x USB 3.2 10G ports (8x Rear Type-A + 5x Rear Type-C), 4x USB 3.2 5G (4x Front Type-A), and 4x USB 2.0 (4x Front Type-A). Comparatively, the Z890 GODLIKE has 23 USB ports, compared to the Z790 GODLIKE's 18.

NZXT's last motherboard was the older-gen, mid-range B650E motherboard but the company has just teased its upcoming N9 X870E motherboard that will be dropping in 2025... ready for those new Ryzen 9000X3D processors.

The new NZXT N9 X870E motherboard features the AM5 socket of course, with 20+2+1 VRM and an 8-layer PCB with 110A Smart Power Stage, which is a big upgrade from the 16+2+1 and 90A design that NZXT's former B650E motherboard had. The upcoming N9 X870E motherboard also supports DDR5-8000+ memory, but we don't know what the maximum ceiling is on high-speed DDR5 memory on this mobo just yet.

On the connectivity side, NZXT provides Wi-Fi 7 and 5GbE ethernet, which is another upgrade from the Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5GbE on the former board. You can install 4 x M.2 SSDs (one of them Gen5, the other three are Gen4).

ASRock has just unleashed its new family of X870E + X870 motherboards, ready for AMD's new Zen 5-based Ryzen 9000 series CPUs... and led by the gorgeous new ASRock X870E Taichi motherboard. Check it out:

Each and every one of ASRock's new X870E + X870 motherboards features PCIe Gen5 GPU and Blazing M.2 (Gen5x4) SSD ports, as well as dual USB4 Type-C ports on the rear I/O for external connectivity at extreme speeds. The company uses a DIY-friendly approach with EZ release graphics card slot, and a tool-less M.2 heatsink installation.

ASRock even provides an additional heatsink pre-installed under the M.2 SSD, which can significantly reduce PCI-Express Gen-5 SSD temperatures to help prevent thermal throttling. All motherboards include the BIOS Flashback function, accessible via the rear I/O, allowing for effortless BIOS updates even without the CPU and memory installed.

ASUS is preparing some expensive new flagship Z890 motherboards, with a US retailer listing Z890 motherboards from ASUS including the flagship ROG Maximus Z890 EXTREME motherboard costing over $1100.

The company will have 10 models of new Z890 motherboards: with the flagship ROG Maximus Z890 Extreme, ROG Maximus Z890 Apex, ROG Maximus Z890 Hero, ROG Strix AZ890-A Gaming, ROG Strix Z890-I Gaming Wi-Fi, and the ROG Strix Z890-E.

Starting with the flagship ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Extreme motherboard which is listed with retailer HSSL for $1111.87, priced at around $100 more than its predecessor in the ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme. Under that, we've got the ROG Z890 Apex motherboard priced at $812.29, which is almost $200 more than its predecessor which launched for $649.99.

MSI's fleet of X870 motherboards will feature "True Wi-Fi 7" with 320MHz 5.8G support on all X870 and X870E motherboards, "unlike others" the company is pointing out (and by others, MSI means GIGABYTE and ASUS).

The company is pushing a new marketing strategy that shows the advantages of using "True Wi-Fi 7" with our friends at Uniko's Hardware teasing that MSI will support the ATX 3.1 165W design with an additional 8-pin power connector, the full-fledged Wi-Fi 7 with 320MHz 5.8GHz support.

This will be combined with MSI's features like "EZ" GPU and SSD removal, a brand-new BIOS, and MSI wanting to step into the limelight with next-gen GPU support for NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce RTX 5090 and GeForce RTX 5080 graphics cards with an additional PCIe power connector on X870 and X870E motherboards.

MSI's new Z890 MPG Carbon motherboard has leaked, ready to rock and roll with Intel's upcoming Core Ultra 200 series "Arrow Lake" desktop CPUs.

The new MSI Z890 MPG Carbon motherboard will join the fleet of Z890 motherboards that MSI has planned for the weeks and months ahead, with Intel launching its Arrow Lake CPUs on October 10 with the current rumors, we won't have much longer to wait.

MSI's new Z890 MPG Carbon motherboard looks virtually identical to the X870 MPG Carbon (X870 = AMD, Z890 = Intel) motherboard, which is a good thing as they look swish. Both of the motherboards roll out with 2.5GbE and 5GbE ethernet connectivity + Wi-Fi 7, while there is a dedicated 8-pin PCIe power connector for high-end graphics cards of the future on the Z890 MPG Carbon (and the X870 MPG Carbon).

MSI has officially unleashed its beast MEG X870E GODLIKE motherboard, designed for enthusiasts to enjoy the pinnacle of PC building, overclocking, and performance. Just marvel in its beauty:

The new MSI MEG X870E GODLIKE motherboard is an absolute beast, ready for AMD's new Zen 5-based Ryzen 9000 series "Granite Ridge" CPUs. MSI is using its awesome Dynamic Dashboard in its third-gen now, with a 3.99-inch LCD screen on the motherboard, with MEG X870 GODLIKE mobo owners able to use Dynamic Dashboard III to monitor your hardware, troubleshoot your issues, check BIOS update status, display a clock, and more personalization.

MSI is taking cable management seriously with the MEG X870E GODLIKE motherboard, with EZ Link design handling most of the front panel headers, fan headers, and RGB headers into the EZ Bridge and EZ Control Hub, making for a super-clean look.

MSI has just teased its next-gen MEG X870E GODLIKE motherboard, which looks absolutely over-the-top and we love to see it, with 28 phases of VRM design ready for overclocked Zen 5-based AMD Ryzen 9000 series CPUs, and future-gen Zen chips.

The new MSI MEG X870E GODLIKE motherboard should rock a huge 288 x 304.8mm design, using the same E-ATX form factor as the current-gen X670E GODLIKE board. MSI provides an insane 28 power phases and 110A power stages, which is one more VRRM over the X670E GODLIKE which had 105A power stages.

There are 2 x 8-pin power connectors to feed into the MSI MEG X870E GODLIKE motherboard, with 4 x DDR5 DIMMs that support over DDR5-8000+ speeds and up to 256GB of DDR5 if you've got the latest 64GB DDR5 memory modules.

GIGABYTE has just introduced its new X870 EAGLE Wi-Fi 7 motherboard, featuring the X870 non-E chipset, ready for AMD's new fleet of Zen 5-powered Ryzen 9000 series CPUs.

The company is using a 6-layer PCB and robust VRM setup with 14+2+2 power phases ready for overclocking, and a reliable voltage supply to the AMD Ryzen CPU you've installed. GIGABYTE's new X870 EAGLE Wi-Fi 7 motherboard features long aluminum grooved heatsinks that are installed onto the VRM components, keeping things a little cooler.

GIGABYTE's new X870 EAGLE Wi-Fi 7 motherboard also features a small I/O shroud with an RGB-lit "EAGLE" logo that makes the board 'pop' a little more.

AMD's new Zen 5-based Ryzen 9000 series CPUs are now out in the wild, but new high-end X870E motherboards aren't quite yet... but they will be soon: on September 30.

The news of a September 30 release for the high-end X870E and X870 motherboards is coming from Kenny on the Bilibili forums, who received the new ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFI motherboard, where he said that he can share his experience on September 30.

Kenny explained: "The newly launched X870 series motherboards for AMD Ryzen 9000 series processors are finally available. According to the official time specified by AMD, the motherboard can only be unboxed and basic specifications introduced without lighting on August 20, 2024. The official user experience sharing will be released on September 30, 2024".

MSI will feed your next-gen GeForce RTX 50 series GPU with its high-end X870E motherboards featuring dedicated 8-pin PCIe power connectors to pump more power into the motherboard, and then into the graphics card.

The company showed off its new MPG X870E Carbon Wi-Fi motherboard with a ton of features and upgrades, with one of the most interesting parts of MSI's new high-end X870E motherboard is its dedicated 8-pin power connector that supplements the power needs of the Gen5 lanes on the motherboard.

Wccftech scored some more details on this new feature, and the reason why MSI is packing on an 8-pin power connector on its high-end X870E motherboards is for NVIDIA's next-generation GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards coming out later this year, and into 2025.

MSI has just showed off its new MPG X870E Carbon Wi-Fi motherboard at Gamescom 2024, ready for AMD's new Zen 5 processors, packs dual USB4 ports, and more. Check it out:

The new MSI MPG X870E Carbon Wi-Fi motherboard has been designed as a high-end board ready for overclocking, with the usual beautifully-designed aesthetics that MSI is known for. We have RGB lighting on the MPG logo covering the PCH, and the MSI Dragon logo on the I/O plate.

Inside, MSI's new MPG X870E Carbon Wi-Fi motherboard has a 20-phase VRM solution, coming in an 18+2+1 phase design with 110A power stages. MSI includes support for up to 192GB of DDR5-8000+ memory, with dual 8-pin EPS power connectors feeding the motherboard and CPU.

GIGABYTE has just teased its new X870E AORUS MASTER motherboard, ready for AMD's new Zen 5-based Ryzen 9000 series CPUs.

Inside, the new X870E chipset doesn't offer anything new over the X670E chipset apart from more USB4 ports and more I/O connectivity in general, but that doesn't stop motherboard manufacturers like GIGABYTE from putting in the work on a new mobo like the X870E AORUS MASTER.

GIGABYTE's new X870E AORUS MASTER motherboard features an 8-layer PCB design with 16+2+2 Twin Digital VRM. Each of the power stages is rated to support up to 110A to ensure stability during overclocking, while power to the CPU is delivered through 2 x 8-pin EPS power connectors at the top of the X870E AORUS MASTER.