Motherboards - Page 2

The developers behind coreboot have provided an update on their progress developing a port of the open-source BIOS to a consumer AM5 motherboard, the MSI Pro B850-P. Phoronix reports that 3mdeb, the company behind coreboot, has successfully ported several important blocks required to support AMD (Phoenix) Ryzen 8000 APUs, featuring MPIO, SMU, NBIO, FCH SD, FCH ACPI, and RcMgr. The company also addressed the missing USB initialization code that was causing USB failures to occur on the board previously.

All these changes have made the open-source port almost fully functional, with the team stating that its open-source BIOS implementation now almost makes it to the Linux login screen. In addition to the aforementioned USB fixes, the team also resolved a system hang caused by a bug in the PCIe enumeration process. The main issue that remains is a problem (or problems) surrounding the promontory B850 chipset, causing hard faults to occur.

Development of this port has taken a couple of months so far, split into multiple parts. Part one involved enabling bootblock and romstage and mapping all of the USB, SATA, and PCIe ports on the motherboard. Part 2 involved adding USB and PCIe devicetree descriptors and integrating Ryzen 8000 series openSIL code into the port.

AMD launched EXPO 1.2 a few days ago, but support only included X870E and X870 motherboards, making it unclear if the technology was going to trickle its way down to older motherboard chipsets. As reported by Uniko's Hardware on X, we now have confirmation that EXPO 1.2 will be making its way to older 600-series AM5 motherboards featuring X670 and B650 chipsets.

The news comes from Safedisk on the ROG forums, who responded to a forum member asking whether EXPO 1.2 support would trickle down to X670 series motherboards. Safedisk affirmed the response, noting that X670 and B650 would be getting support, but warned that development was going to "need time". Safedisk's confirmation also suggests that EXPO 1.2 support will be coming to B850 and B850E motherboards as well. There is no reason for AMD to restrict EXPO 1.2 support from B850/B850E motherboards when B650/B650E motherboards are receiving the update.

EXPO 1.2 is the latest iteration of AMD's Extended Profiles for Overclocking standard, and is AMD's counterpart to Intel's XMP standard. Version 1.2 of EXPO adds support for mix and matching DDR5 DIMMs with different capacities, CUDIMM, Ultra Low Latency mode, and support for three Chinese-based DDR5 memory manufacturers. However, there is a caveat with CUDIMM support; the memory controllers in AMD's outgoing AM5 CPUs don't support the CKE chip in CUDIMMs and thus can only run these modules in a compatibility mode that bypasses the CKE chip. Full support will be coming with Zen 6. For more details, check out our previous content on EXPO 1.2.

Intel recently promised to bring overclocking to lower-priced chips, but whether platform support would extend to mainstream motherboards remained a mystery. A new rumor now suggests that the upcoming Nova Lake S desktop platform will see Z970 replace both the high-end Z890 and the mainstream B860, while a new B960 chipset will serve as the true budget option.

Leaker Jaykihn0 provided this information in response to a since-deleted X post highlighting that Z970 will cover most of the market currently served by B860. In response to a VideoCardz comment, he suggested readers view the Z970 as the successor to most B860 boards, noting a shift in positioning rather than a major change in features.

By 'most of the market,' Jaykhin likely means the premium end of the B860 range, specifically models priced between $200 and $250. If Z970 boards land in the $199 to $249 range, buyers in that segment will gain CPU overclocking support, a feature the budget-oriented B960 will lack.

ASUS has officially announced the new TUF Gaming B850I WiFi NEO motherboard for Mini-ITX systems, and it's the first TUF Gaming board in this compact form factor. Measuring 17 by 17 centimeters, this AMD AM5 motherboard uses the more affordable B850 chipset for Ryzen 7000, 8000, and 9000 processors.

As it falls under the TUF Gaming banner, it sports a premium 10-layer PCB, which ASUS says is made from "server-grade" materials that extend to the reinforced PCIe slot. It also features an 8+2+1-phase VRM rated at 80A for a balanced power solution with real-time voltage control, and dual DDR5 memory slots supporting speeds of up to 9,600+ MT/s.

As a compact board, it includes only a single PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for a single GPU, along with two M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD slots underneath a heatsink. As spotted on the spec sheet, the PCIe 5.0 x16 slot runs at full speed when paired with Ryzen 9000 and 7000 CPUs, but drops to PCIe 4.0 when paired with a Ryzen 8000 Series processor.

GIGABYTE has a new motherboard for the overclockers out there, and it's the stunning Z890 AORUS TACHYON DUO X ICE. As the name suggests, this is a white, grey, and silver-colored board that delivers performance to match its style. The big thing here is that it has two DDR5 slots supporting the new CQDIMM memory technology unveiled at CES 2026.

A CQDIMM (Clocked Quad-rank Unbuffered Dual In-line Memory Module) provides 256 GB of memory capacity via two 128GB modules, while delivering high speeds and enhanced stability. For the Z890 AORUS TACHYON DUO X ICE, which features GIGABYTE's new D5 Duo X technology, overclockers and enthusiasts will be able to reach memory speeds of DDR5-10400 or 10,400 MT/s thanks to the CQDIMM upgrade and premium design that includes PCB optimizations and custom BIOS tuning.

This motherboard is a follow-up to the original Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE for the Intel Core Ultra 200S Series, but this time the dual memory slots and the CPU socket are laid out horizontally as opposed to vertically. It features an 18+1+2 Digital VRM Design, an 8-layer PCB, and premium capacitors.

Just weeks before the rumored Computex unveiling, NVIDIA's N1 SoC (System-on-Chip) for WoA (Windows on Arm) devices has surfaced, suggesting the silicon is in its final validation phase. Hardware enthusiast RubyRapids on X found an engineering board on Goofish that appears to be a mobile reference design showcasing the N1 in all its glory.

After a year of delays and pivots, most notably the decision to prioritize the GB10-based DGX Spark at Computex last year, it seems NVIDIA's N1 family is finally nearing launch. With Jensen Huang himself teasing an upcoming SoC collaboration with MediaTek just months ago, all signs now point to a massive N1 and N1X finally being on track for a debut at Computex 2026.

Targeting the high-end WoA market, the N1 series utilizes a "superchip" design that combines a MediaTek-designed CPU with NVIDIA's Blackwell GPU architecture. The chip leverages the same GB10 silicon as the DGX Spark. It features 20 Arm cores-both Cortex-X925 (Performance) and Cortex-A725 (Efficiency)-split into two clusters, each with 16MB of L3 cache. On the graphics side, there is a Blackwell-based integrated GPU with up to 6,144 CUDA cores, comparable to the RTX 5070. The wide 256-bit memory interface supports 128GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory, delivering about 273 GB/s of bandwidth, similar to Apple's M5 Pro and AMD's Strix Halo.

You might well be considering cost-cutting measures if you are in the market for a new PC right now, but odds are you won't be doing anything as drastic as switching back to use DDR3 RAM.

However, there is apparently some demand for the older memory standard now - thanks to the RAM crisis - to the point where Colorful could be set to produce old motherboards that are built for DDR3.

Or so a post on Channel Gate claims (as highlighted by VideoCardz), although given the source, I'd load this up with more than the usual amount of skepticism.

Dead CPUs are no longer headline news. While they don't fail every other day, we have seen enough cases to know it's a real issue. In many of those situations, the motherboard is often the prime suspect because of its role in power delivery. That part isn't new. The unusual part would be seeing a single motherboard kill three CPUs, one after another, and that is exactly what this Reddit user claims to have experienced.

Reddit user u/notmemeber posted that their ASRock B850M Pro RS WiFi motherboard has killed three Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPUs over roughly 4 months. The user built the PC in January 2025, with the first CPU dying around November. The next died just a couple of months later, followed by a third going down within a month of the replacement arriving.

Whether coincidence or not, the board killed each CPU faster than the last, and it's hard to write this off as just bad luck. The user also noted that the first two deaths came with the same CPU and DRAM lights on the motherboard, but the third was different, showing a solid green BOOT light with no display at all. Same result, but different warning signs each time. Perhaps something was progressively getting worse with each replacement. It's also worth pointing out that the third CPU died on the latest 4.X BIOS versions, meaning the updates ASRock had been pushing out did nothing to stop it.

AMD recently announced the new Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition processor, the company's first desktop CPU with dual second-generation 3D V-Cache technology. This chiplet processor is powered by an impressive 16 Zen 5 cores and features 208MB of total cache. This is the "most ever built into a Ryzen processor," with the company saying that it's built for developers and creators.

Of course, as CPUs with 3D V-Cache technology are fantastic for PC gaming, we can probably throw that into the mix too. With a power rating of 200W, AMD notes that the new CPU delivers 5-10% performance improvements over the current Ryzen 9 9950X3D flagship in popular creative apps and workloads like DaVinci Resolve, Blender, and Unreal Engine.

And as the latest AM5 CPU, the good news is that the new Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition works with existing motherboards. In fact, ASRock has confirmed that its entire lineup of X870E, X870, B850, B850M, X670E, B650, B650M, and A620 motherboards is ready to pair with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition, for a total of 90 motherboards.

ASRock's flagship X870E Taichi OCF motherboard for AMD's Ryzen AM5 platform is built for extreme overclocking, with premium power delivery for those who want to tweak and push their CPU and DDR5 memory to their limit. And with that, professional overclocker Alex2305 has set a new CPU world record by pairing the X870E Taichi OCF with AMD's flagship Ryzen 9 9950X3D, running the popular PCMark10 Express benchmark.

The 14,290 score was enough to take the crown in this highly contested space, achieved by pushing the CPU clock speeds to 6,370 MHz. Naturally, as a world record, plenty of liquid nitrogen cooling was also involved to keep CPU temperatures in check. However, even with liquid nitrogen, the HWBOT listing for this world record confirms that the load temperature still reached 100 degrees Celsius.

For the 16-core AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, this is an impressive result, as it takes the crown from overclocker Doomed83, who previously held the top two entries with an Intel Core i9 14900K and an Intel Core i5 14600K back in October 2025. It'll be interesting to see how long this new world record stands, as only 10 points separate the top two entries.

ASRock has announced the release of a "comprehensive BIOS update" for AMD AM5 motherboards, now available. ASRock has confirmed that it has been working closely with AMD to review recent CPU-related issues and optimize BIOS functionality and stability. This new update is the result of that collaboration.

And with that, ASRock's new Beta BIOS version 4.07.AS01 for AM5 motherboards includes AMD's AGESA 1.3.0.0a, the latest version of AMD's library responsible for initializing the CPU cores, memory, and other hardware. ASRock notes that one highlight of this BIOS release is that it resolves motherboard issues related to boot failures with certain AMD Ryzen CPUs.

"This update is specifically designed to address system no-boot scenarios, including cases where systems may fail to boot after being used for a period of time," ASRock writes in the announcement. "Users who encounter such behavior are recommended to update to this BIOS version to help restore normal system boot functionality."

Intel's next-generation Core Ultra 400 series "Nova Lake-S" desktop CPUs are gearing for release later this year, with more details on the new 900-series chipset platforms and its different motherboard offerings on the way.

In a new post on X by leaker @Jaykhin, we're hearing that there will be 5 different PCH variants: Z990, Z970, W980, Q970, and the mid-range B960 chipsets. The new 900-series chipsets are crafted for the next-gen Nova Lake-S desktop CPUs which will arrive on a totally new LGA1954 socket, meaning new motherboards for all -- and they're DDR5 only this time around.

The new Z990 and Z970 chipsets will be used on OC-ready motherboards with higher-end features and hardware than the rest of the 900 series boards, with the flagship Z990 chipset expected to feature 48 PCIe lanes, 2 x USB4/TB4 ports, 12 PCIe 5.0 lanes, 12 PCIe 4.0 lanes, 8 x SATA 3.0 ports, up to 5 x USB 3.2 20Gbps ports, and will include IA OC, BCLK, and Memory OC support.

Intel has reportedly added next-gen Z990 and Z970 chipsets to its recently updated roadmap, ready for next-gen Core Ultra 400 series "Nova Lake-S" desktop CPUs and the new LGA1954 socket.

In a new report from VideoCardz, the outlet says that their sources told them that Intel has added the Z990 and Z970 chipsets to its roadmap, without any detailed specifications like PCIe lane counts, new features, I/O, etc. We do know from previous rumors that Intel will be introducing a new LGA1954 socket, so we're looking at totally new motherboards required, and DDR5 as standard.

VideoCardz reports that the Z970 chiplet should use the same "underlying chipset as B960, with no further details shared at this time". The site added that this "points to segmentation through firmware and board features rather than a separate silicon design, but Intel has not outlined any positioning. This may be related to overclocking options".

ASUS has responded to accusations that at least five reports of ASUS AM5 motherboards were responsible for AMD Ryzen 9800X3D systems failing to boot correctly.

The association with failing to boot 9800X3D systems and ASUS motherboards followed five Reddit posts over the last two weeks linking ASUS motherboards to the failing systems. The commonality among these posts was users reporting a Q-Code 00 as the problem. Additionally, the problem isn't limited to one SKU of the ASUS motherboard; it appears to affect boards from the B850 to X870E models.

Users affected by this issue have reported the same thing: a system running normally, then a reboot, sleep wake, or seemingly nominal desktop event occurs, and the system goes to a black screen with the aforementioned 00 code appearing on the motherboard. However, none of the reports are conclusive in blaming ASUS boards.

ASRock has lifted the lid on its latest motherboard range, the Rock Series. These stylish new boards are designed to offer DIY builders style, stable performance, and great value. With both ATX and mATX options, there are four AMD Ryzen AM5 and Intel Core Ultra Processors (LGA1851) models: the B850 Rock WiFi 7, B860 Rock WiFi 7, as well as the mATX B850M Rock WiFi and B860M Rock WiFi.

All ASRock Rock Series motherboards feature an optimized Aluminum Heatsink Design, which is the first thing you notice when looking at the lineup. In addition to the brushed metal drawing the eye, the design offers excellent heat dissipation for both gaming and productivity workloads. Throw in a six-layer PCB and stable power delivery for overclocking, and the Rock Series backs up its clean, modern look with a robust design.

All models include built-in Wi-Fi, 2.5 GbE networking, and PCIe 5.0 support for GPUs and M.2 SSD storage - with the larger ATX models supporting Wi-Fi 7. Throw in a larger 64 MB BIOS, and these boards are also ready for the next generation of AM5 Ryzen processors from AMD.

Minisforum had its new BD395i MAX motherboard on display at CES 2026, ready for its new Desk Mini series, as a Mini-ITX motherboard with a built-in AMD Strix Halo APU and up to 128GB RAM.

The new Minisforum BD395i MAX motherboard features up to an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 "Strix Halo" APU built in, with the single chip containing the 16C/32T Zen 5 CPU, up to 128GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory, and the Radeon 8060S integrated graphics with 40 CUs of RDNA 3.5 GPU power.

The Strix Halo APU is quite powerful on its own and would allow DIY users to just buy the motherboard, which includes the CPU + GPU + RAM, and use it on its own as the Radeon 8060S is more than powerful enough for 1080p 120FPS+ and still a heap of games at up to 4K 60FPS, all without a discrete graphics card.

GIGABYTE didn't have much new in the way of motherboards at CES 2026, but it did have a stack of boards on display, but the new X870E AORUS XTREME X3D AI TOP and X870E AORUS MASTER X3D ICE caught my eye. Check them out:

First up we've got the monster X870E AORUS XTREME X3D AI TOP motherboard with X3D Turbo Mode 2.0 that delivers even more performance out of your Ryzen X3D series processor. GIGABYTE uses a CPU Thermal Matrix that achieves "extreme cooling" across the VRM and DDR Zone.

There's a digital twin 24+2+2 phases VRM solution, PCIe Ez-Latch Plus Duo with PCIe Duo slots with Quick Release and a screwless design.

At CES 2026, AMD announced the new Ryzen 7 9850X3D desktop processor that takes the world's fastest CPU for PC gaming and makes it even faster by delivering Boost Clock speeds of 5.6 GHz, up from 5.2 GHz. Alongside this announcement, MSI has announced its latest flagship AM5 motherboard, the MEG X870E UNIFY-X MAX.

Perfect for the Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor and overclocking enthusiasts, this high-performance motherboard features a specialized 2-DIMM layout, making it the world's first motherboard to break the DDR5 10,000 MT/s barrier. According to MSI, its internal testers have already pushed DDR5 speeds on the MEG X870E UNIFY-X MAX to 10,200 MT/s - which is impressive.

The MEG X870E UNIFY-X MAX also doubles the BIOS ROM from 32MB to 64MB. It even features a dedicated tuning controller (and yes, it looks like a remote) that lets you adjust memory and CPU frequencies directly within the OS, bypassing the need to shut down, reboot, and enter the BIOS.

ASUS is cooking up two new flagship motherboards ready for AMD Ryzen CPUs, with the introduction of the new ROG Crosshair X870E Glacial and Crosshair X870E DARK NEO motherboards expected at CES 2026 this week.

It all started from ASUS with a teaser of its upcoming next-gen ROG Crosshair motherboard on the AM5 socket and AMD X870E chipset, with the two new motherboards designed as flagship boards for the ASUS AM5 motherboard family.

The new ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Glacial is an E-ATX motherboard beast with a powerful 26+28 phase VRM delivery and an upgraded VRM heatsink design that has a huge 5-inch LCD on the I/O cover. It supports RAM speeds of over 8000 MT/s DDR5, and up to 256GB RAM total.

COLORFUL has just unveiled its new flagship AM5 motherboard with the new iGame X870E Vulcan OC V14, with DDR5-10000 RAM support, an LCD display, and more. Check it out:

The new COLORFUL iGame X870E Vulcan OC V14 motherboard has been designed from the ground up for overclockers, enthusiasts, and gamers with a ton of features and a sleek look. The new iGame X870E Vulcan OC V14 mobo is based on the AM5 socket supporting current and next-gen Zen 6-based Ryzen CPUs, with the CPU socket powered by a dual 8-pin power configuration.

COLORFUL is using a high-end 18+2+2 (110A) power delivery which is suited for overclocking, with dual DDR5 DIMMs that are ready for RAM overclocking through higher signal integrity and 1DPC design, ready for DDR5-10000 and beyond. The motherboard supports 10,000+ MT/s out of the box with the Ryzen 8000G family of CPUs, up to 8600+ MT/s speeds with Ryzen 9000 series CPUs, and 8000+ MT/s speeds with Ryzen 7000 series CPUs.