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News Search Results for: motherboards MSI Big Bang XPOWER Motherboard @ techwarelabs.com [Jul-26-10] (0 Comments) Enthusiast motherboards are designed to squeeze every bit of performance out of your hardware. MSI releases their Big Bang XPOWER motherboard. Does it have the power to impress us, or will it just be another flash in the pan? Read on to find out. Gigabyte H55N-USB3 HTPC Motherboard @ benchmarkreviews.com [Jul-15-10] (0 Comments) GIGABYTE has grown a lot in the market lately. They mainly produce top-notch quality motherboards and GPUs, and they have even entered Kingston HyperX LoVo 1866MHz DDR3 4GB Memory Kit @ legitreviews.com [May-06-10] (0 Comments) The Kingston HyperX LoVo memory kit was great to review as we learned a number of things during testing the memory kit. The first is that not all motherboards have DDR3 (vDIMM) voltage settings that go low enough to support memory kits like this. This is an easy fix by motherboard manufactures, but it will require a BIOS update in order to support super low voltages like 1.25V. The second thing that we learned is that memory voltages and memory clock frequencies play a serious role in power consumption! To be honest we never looked that close at power consumption at various clock frequencies when keeping the vDIMM and memory timings constant. It was an eye opener to how big of a power consumption difference we were seeing at the wall when going from just 1333MHz with 1.24V to 1600MHz with 1.24V... Foxconn A7DA-S 3.0 Motherboard Video @ eteknix.com [May-05-10] (0 Comments) Today we are looking at the Foxconn A7DA-S 3.0 socket AM3 motherboard. ASUS Crosshair IV Formula Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-01-10] (0 Comments) ASUS Crosshair Formula IV is one of the most high-end motherboards based on the new AMD 890FX chipset, featuring four PCI Express x16 slots, six SATA-600 ports, two USB 3.0 ports and more! Asus Crosshair IV Formula AM3 Motherboard Unboxing Video @ eteknix.com [Apr-27-10] (0 Comments) Today we are unboxing the Asus Crosshair IV Formula AM3 Motherboard. Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler @ techgage.com [Apr-27-10] (0 Comments) A huge computer chassis deserves a huge CPU cooler, andwhen you need one of those, Noctua delivers. With its NH-D14, thecompany seems to have had the goal of delivering the largest coolerpossible that could still fit on most ATX motherboards, but with thatsize comes extremely good performance even low noise levels. Foxconn FlamingBlade Socket 1366 Motherboard Video @ eteknix.com [Apr-23-10] (0 Comments) Today we are looking at the Foxconn FlamingBlade socket 1366 motherboard. ASRock 890GX Extreme3 Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-23-10] (0 Comments) Lets take a look on one of the motherboards based on the AMD 890GX chipset released by ASRock, featuring SATA-600 and USB 3.0 ports and three PCI Express x16 slots. Foxconn FlamingBlade Socket 1366 Motherboard Unboxing Video @ eteknix.com [Apr-21-10] (0 Comments) Today we are unboxing the Foxconn FlamingBlade Socket 1366 Motherboard. Gigabyte GA-MA890GPA-UD3H & GA-MA790X-UD3P @ rbmods.com [Apr-18-10] (0 Comments) Today we will take a look at two motherboardsmanufactured by Gigabyte. First is GA-MA890GPA-UD3H which is based on new 890GX chipset and the other one is GA-MA790X-UD3P which is based on the old highend chipset 790X. We will compare these motherboards against each other and see if the new chipset performs better than the old flagship. Gigabyte M8000 Xtreme Mouse @ hardwaresecrets.com [Apr-06-10] (0 Comments) Gigabyte, a company that specializes in motherboards and video cards, try their hand in the gaming peripheral niche. Lets see how their new mouse impressed us. Video Perspective:ECS U3N2 and S6M2 USB 3.0 and SATA 6G Expansion @ pcper.com [Mar-24-10] (0 Comments) The ECS U3N2 and S6M2 add USB 3.0 and SATA 6G respectively, but notboth. They use a single PCIe x1 slot for up to 500 MB/s of bandwidth andutilize the same controllers we have previously seen, used and tested onmotherboards over the last several months. Check out our Video Perspectivebelow and note that this is our first attempt at 1080p video so take a lookat it in full screen and let us know what you think!! ASUS P6T7 and P7P55 WS Workstation Motherboards @ pcper.com [Mar-09-10] (0 Comments) Both the ASUS P6T7 and P7P55 WS motherboards offer a slightlydifferent set of features and specifications than the traditionalmotherboard in the gaming market. The P6T7 definitely is impressive forhigh-end users that are going to want to take advantage of multiplegraphics card or other PCI Express-based accessories as it includes a totalof 7 PCIe x16 slots along with the X58 chipset and support for the latestLGA1366 processors, including the upcoming Gulftown 6-core CPU. Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H Motherboard - AMD 890GX Chipset @ legitreviews.com [Mar-03-10] (0 Comments) Both the Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H and ASUS M4A89GTD Pro/USB3 AMD 890GX-based motherboards that we looked at here today are both very solid motherboards and increase the level of performance that you can expect from an AMD motherboard. The faster and improved Radeon HD 4290 integrated graphics are more than enough to power your HTPC for Blu-ray playback and can even manage to do some light gaming on lower resolution. By adding in a Radeon HD 5870 graphics card like we did you find a very solid gaming platform that has all the latest features on the market, like SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps. Our testing showed that USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps over significant performance improvements and should be considered for a system that you are building and planning on hanging onto for years to come... ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Mar-02-10] (0 Comments) Lets see the performance from one of the most complete motherboards based on the new AMD 890GX chipset, featuring USB 3.0 and SATA-600 ports. RaidSonic Icy Box IB-318 and IB-250 USB 3.0 HDD Enclosures Video @ tweaktown.com [Feb-26-10] (0 Comments) Its been some weeks since I last checked out a USB 3.0 product and that was early on in the game. Fast forward a little and in that time many motherboards have hit the market complete with USB 3.0 and its easier to find USB 3.0 PCI Express controller cards on the market, too.Our next USB 3.0 products to be put through the paces come by way of German company RaidSonic. They actually sent us their new Icy Box USB 3.0 products several weeks ago when USB 3.0 was first hitting the market, but with Christmas, New Year, CES, a holiday and Chinese New Year, things have been rather hectic. Today, though, we can tell you about these products for you folks who are interested in getting in touch with the speed advantage of USB 3.0 for your external storage needs. Foxconn A7DA-S 3.0 Motherboard Unboxing Video @ eteknix.com [Feb-11-10] (0 Comments) Today we are unboxing the Foxconn A7DA-S 3.0 motherboard This motherboard is packed full of features and is from a reliable manufacturer. It supports DDR3 and the latest AM3 processors including the Phenom II series cpus. Jetway NC63-330-LF Mini-ITX Motherboard Video @ eteknix.com [Feb-09-10] (0 Comments) Today we are looking at the Jetway NC63-330-LF Mini-ITX motherboard.This particular board comes with an Intel Atom 330 dual-core 1.6GHz processor, has 2 DDR2 slots supporting upto 8GB of DDR2 memory modules of speeds upto 800MHz. It uses the Nvidia ION chipsetand has integrated graphics that supports DirectX10. This board also has integrated HD sound and Gigabit Lan.A perfect board for HTPC users. Jetway NC63-330-LF Mini ITX Motherboard Unboxing Video @ eteknix.com [Feb-02-10] (0 Comments) Today we are unboxing the Jetway NC63-330-LF Mini ITX motherboard.This motherboard sports an Intel Atom 330 dual core CPU, has 2 DDR2 800 memory slots and is perfect for an array of different applications, including as a Media Centre HTPC with its VGA, DVI and HDMI outputs as well as HD sound. ASRock H55DE3 Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-30-10] (0 Comments) Lets take a look on one of the H55-based motherboards offered by ASRock and targeted to the entry-level market, H55DE3. ECS H55H-CM Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-29-10] (0 Comments) Lets take a look on one of the most inexpensive H55 motherboards from ECS, H55H-CM. MSI H57M-ED65 Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-21-10] (0 Comments) Lets take a look on one of the first motherboards based on the new H57 chipset for Core i3 and Core i5 processors with integrated video to arrive on the market. Intel DH55TC Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-20-10] (0 Comments) Lets take a look on one of the two motherboards released by Intel based on the H55 chipset for Core i3 and Core i5 processors with integrated video. Asus P7P55D Premium Motherboard @ techwarelabs.com [Jan-10-10] (0 Comments) With the advent of Intel releasing the LGA 1156 socket ASUS has launched nothing short of 17 different socket 1156 motherboards based on the newer P55 chipset. We decided to take this time to look at one of the more elite socket 1156 motherboards from ASUS, the P7P55D featuring SATA III, SLI and Crossfire, a remote for overclocking and a 48 Hybrid Phase cooling design. All together the P7P55D looks to be a mighty board but does it have true substance or is it just another board for ASUS to add to the market? Join me while I investigate and test the new ASUS the P7P55D Premium. SATA 6Gbps Implementation Investigated ASUS vs. GIGABYTE P55 @ tweaktown.com [Dec-24-09] (0 Comments) At first the lines appeared to be drawn down manufacturers lines; GIGABYTE chose to use a digital switching mechanism and ASUS chose to add an additional bridge chip from PLX. The lines became blurred when it came to light that ASUS also used a switch on the P7P55D-E and P7P55-E LX, similar to GIGABYTEs method. For all of the marketing that came from ASUS, their IO Level UP appears nearly identical to what GIGABYTE has done on their P55A boards.The first shot in the marketing war was clearly fired by ASUS; reviewers were getting hit with digital fire before we even saw a SATA 6G hard drive or USB 3.0 drive enclosure. Today we are going to look past the marketing and take a look at two motherboards and see how they perform with SATA 6G. Kingston HyperX DDR3-2000 CL8 KHX2000C8D3T1K3/6GX 6GB Memory Kit @ tweaktown.com [Nov-26-09] (0 Comments) The HyperX line-up of memory hasnt always been the first choice by enthusiasts; not to say that the memory is poor in anyway, its just that the likes of Corsair, OCZ and G.Skill usually push their memory modules faster and work on a lower quantity at the high-end by vigorously hand picking each memory chip that is put onto a memory module. These memory makers strive for the absolute bleeding edge of memory technology, while Kingstons HyperX brand sticks to a more moderate level, but they are relatively still fairly high at the top end.Kingston is no slouch here today, though; no, not at all. In our hands we have a Kingston HyperX DDR3-2000 triple-channel 6GB memory kit with a cache latency rating of 8-8-8-24 at 1.65 volts and it also comes with Intel XMP support to allow for easier overclocking on Intel X58 Express based motherboards that are teamed up with a Core i7 processor. MSI P55-GD80 Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Oct-31-09] (0 Comments) Lets take a look on one of the most overclocking-oriented socket 1156 motherboards from the market, MSI P55-GD80. Video p of the GIGABYTE EX-58 EXTREME2 motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Oct-26-09] (0 Comments) Late last week we gave you an exclusive look at GIGABYTEs upcoming P55A motherboards. We promised this week we would also give you a look at the upcoming GIGABYTE EX-58 EXTREME2 motherboard.As with the refreshed P55A motherboards, the EX-58 EXTREME2 motherboard carries the same 333 theme. The triple three theme means that SATA3, USB3 and triple power USB has been added to the new version of the popular EXTREME motherboard for the high-end Core i7 processors. Video p of GIGABYTE P55A mobos - SATA3, USB3 and 3x USB power @ tweaktown.com [Oct-23-09] (0 Comments) Today we were invited to the GIGABYTE headquarters here in Taipei. We were given an exclusive hands-on look at its upcoming and refreshed Intel P55 Express based motherboards for Core i5 and Core i7 Lynnfield based Socket 1156 processors. Namely, we are looking at the P55A-UD6 and the P55A-UD4P. Marvel has since fixed and improved its single disk and RAID 0 supporting SATA3 controller and now we see one of the first motherboards on the market to support the next generation storage system. At the moment, there is no RAID 1 support, but a GIGABYTE product manager mentioned in our meeting that Marvell may come out with a new firmware a little later adding that ability. Also, GIGABYTE told us that they saw up to a 30% increase in performance when going from a SATA2 to SATA 3 hard drive under HD Tach, measuring both burst and read speeds. Not bad. ECS P55H-A Black Series Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Sep-11-09] (0 Comments) Socket 1156 motherboards based on the new Intel P55 are starting to reach the market. Lets take a look on this model from ECS. Asus P7P55D Deluxe P - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Sep-04-09] (0 Comments) Theintroduction of a new platform is always a rather secretiveaffair but as the i5 launch date nears, P55 chipset motherboardpreviews are coming through thick and fast. Although whispers of highoverclocks and unrivalled performance are usually rumoured with a newsocket, the i5 series seems to appeal more to the average user as a midrange CPU rather than full out performance for hardcore enthusiaststhat the i7 can provide. Early indications also seemto point towards the LGA1156 motherboards being much more affordablethan the X58’s but we can’t be totally sure as of yet.Today, we’ll be taking a quick look at the ASUS P7P55D Deluxemotherboard from the P7 series of boards. Unlike older ASUSmotherboards, the chipset is now included in the name so as to avoidconfusion with the series so let’s take a quick look. OCZ Vertex Turbo MLC SATA SSD @ benchmarkreviews.com [Aug-09-09] (0 Comments) With generation 3 guidelines for the 6.0 GBps SATA interface already being used in prototype motherboards for show at the not-so-distant MSI 770 C45 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Jul-29-09] (0 Comments) MSIare a big brand when it comes to motherboards and they've receivedworld wide regard for their P35 motherboards. Since then, noteverything has gone their way, though, with some critics disappointedwith their P45 range in part down to the BIOS configuration.However, MSI have never been one to roll over and they have comefighting back with their AM3 boards. Although AMD’s 45nm processors andDDR3 memory has now been out for a while, they are still very much‘new’ and the launch of MSI’s 770-C45 motherboard coincided nicely withthe release of the new hardware. AMD, although perhaps not fully competing with Intel on performance,have introduced some great bang for buck CPUs which coupled with theplummeting price of DDR3 seem like a great combination. That then begsfor a suitable motherboard to step forward and be counted. Enter MSI’s770-C45. Although looking down the list of specifications, it mightlook a little thin on the ground in term of features, if the hype isanything to go by, this could be a great piece of kit. ASUS P7P55D Deluxe P55 Lynnfield Motherboard P @ pcper.com [Jul-28-09] (0 Comments) Though we did not have a motherboard here to do extensive hands-ontesting, I did find some interesting overclocking information about theLynnfield CPU and the ASUS motherboards that I thought I would share.First up is in regards to memory speeds:apparently Lynnfield CPUs that runat 2.8 GHz and 2.93 GHz will be able to run memory at 1600 MHz at stocksettings while the 2.66 GHz parts will only be able to push 1333 MHz. Usingthe custom built ASUS DRAM Overclocking Profiles though all the Lynnfieldprocessors will be able to run the DDR3 memory at speeds up to 2133 MHz! SATA 6G launch delayed to do tech issues on nearly all P55 boards @ pcper.com [Jul-16-09] (0 Comments) What this essentially says is that the problem on the 88SE9123 chipdidn't lie with the SATA 6G implementation but rather with the legacy PATAsupport they built into the chip. Going back and looking at the spy shotswe have for most of the P55 motherboards we have seen, they ALL do in facthave an IDE channel on them - and since the P55 chipset doesn't offersupport for it, we can assume that all of these motherboard vendors wereusing the Marvell chipset in that fashion. That would explain why all ofthe boards would need to be changed drastically at the last minute. SilverStone Sugo SG05 Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jul-11-09] (0 Comments) Sugo SG05 is a very small form factor (SFF) case from SilverStone supporting only mini-ITX and mini-DTX motherboards and coming with a 300 W CFX power supply. Check it out. Sapphire Radeon HD 4550 512MB =40 TheTechLounge @ thetechlounge.com [Jun-09-09] (0 Comments) =22Sometimes a video card needs to be just that. A card for video. Many h igh-end workstation motherboards don't have integrated video, but what go od is a computer without a display? The Intel i7 is just the perfect exampl e. A lot of people have the need for quad cores of number-crunching power, but they're not gamers and, appropriately, have no desire to own a beaut iful set of GTX 50 millions. (But you'll get there, we'll see to that. )=22 ASUS Eee, motherboards, graphics cards and more! @ pcper.com [Jun-09-09] (0 Comments) As is usually the case with ASUS at Computex, they had a LOT ondisplay. Simply put, ASUS has gone from a motherboard-centric company toone of the world's premiere consumer electronics companies thanks in largepart to their ability to ride the wave of the Eee PC well into 2009. Whilemost of the vendors we visited at Computex this year only had enough NEWstuff to warrant a news post or two, ASUS gets a four page article. Really,there is that much stuff. Have a look. AMD Athlon II X2 250 and Phenom II X2 550 Processors @ legitreviews.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) Today, AMD announced two new exciting 45nm dual-core processors that are sure to impress any enthusiast. The overclocking results alone were insane and this was just with moderate air cooling, so who knows what will happen when the temperatures go lower and more voltage is put to these processors. For the tuner/enthusiast these processors should give hours of enjoyment as they are easy overclockers and the choice of motherboards for them are plentiful. The AMD Athlon II X2 250 and AMD Phenom II X2 550 are clock-for-clock slower than the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, but keep in mind that the E8500 still retails for $189 on the market today. You can easily build a core system for less than that if you really looked around. SilverStone GD01B-MXR Case @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jun-02-09] (0 Comments) We reviewed GD01B-MXR, an HTPC case from SilverStone supporting ATX motherboards with a hybrid steel/aluminum construction and multimedia panel. Early look @ tweaktown.com [May-26-09] (0 Comments) Not only did we get to see GIGABYTE's early adoption of SATA-III today, but we also got to see both of its UD5 and UD4P motherboards based on Intel's upcoming Core i5 supporting P55 Express chipset. In this early Computex live demo, GIGABYTE mentioned that it is not only focusing on new hardware features but also new software additions to its lineup. The major new piece of software is GIGABYTE Smart TPM, but we will talk about that early next week once Computex begins as there may be some changes planned from what we saw today. You will be surprised just how easy it is to completely secure your private files and folders with a USB pen drive or Bluetooth device such as a mobile phone. Jetway NF94-270-LF Motherboard @ modders-inc.com [May-06-09] (0 Comments) Modders-Inc is taking a look at another fine motherboard fromJetway. Currently they are offering some of the best all-in-one mini ITXmotherboards. Jetway is packing all sorts of goodies into a very small formfactor that is highly suitable for a Home Theater PC or for a space savingdesktop. Asrock A780GMH/128M AM2+ @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-16-09] (0 Comments) Over the past couple of years we have reviewed several of Asrock'smATX motherboards here at Pro-Clockers. Asrock's whole thought processbeyond their smaller line of motherboards is affordability, stability andupgradable. And all three of these aspects is what you will see in our nextreview sample. The A780GMH/128M offers a new twist on an older chipset. Themotherboard is based on the AMD 780G but instead of using the older SB700South Bridge, Asrock took it upon themselves to implement the newer SB710.Why not the SB750 SB?. Well, we did mention that the motherboard offersafford ability. And this was one way to cut cost. What else does the boardhave to offer? You will have to read a little more. NZXT Whisper Classic Series Full-Tower Enclosure @ pcper.com [Mar-17-09] (0 Comments) The NZXT Whisper full-tower enclosure is a solid case that providesa lot of storage space and accommodates both E-ATX motherboards and largerexpansion cards. Nine internal drive bay locations permit a lot offlexibility with room for up to nine HDDs with active air cooling. Whilenot silent, the included noise dampening features do result in a case thatis whisper quiet. MSI's X58 Pro motherboard @ bit-tech.net [Mar-12-09] (0 Comments) */If you're in the market for a budget Core i7 motherboard, the Gigabyte Asus VH242H 23.6" Widescreen LCD Monitor @ hothardware.com [Mar-11-09] (0 Comments) Widescreen LCD Monitor @ HotHardware.comThis is a multipart message in MIME format.--Boundary_(ID_vwhUHoKHuzdNQu1Bb/x/Wg)Content-type:text/plain; charset=us-asciiContent-transfer-encoding:7BITHello Everyone, With Asus's recent Blitzkrieg of inexpensive Eee PC netbooks and nettops, itmight be easy forget that Asus also manufactures a full bevy of componentsand peripherals from motherboards to graphics cards to networking products.Asus also makes LCD displays, ranging in size from 17-inches on up to26-inches, which cover a wide swath of feature sets and needs from thebudget user to the graphics professional. One of Asus' recently released displays is the Asus VH242H 23.6-inchwidescreen LCD Monitor. The Phenom II X4 810 and X3 720 @ pcper.com [Feb-09-09] (0 Comments) The X4 810 is a nice part which will make quite a few folks happy.It does not run really hot, it does not pull all that much power, and itcertainly performs well considering the price it is at. In most tests, incomparing to previous results from the Phenom 9950, it was about 5% fasteroverall than its predecessor at that same speed. It does hold 2x the L3cache as the 9950, and the extra internal tweaks are likely to help as well.Currently it is one of only a few chips that will fit in AM3 motherboards,so if a user who is adamant about buying an AM3 platform they have no otherchoice if they want a quad core. Home Theatre PC Buyer's Guide - Q1 2009 @ bit-tech.net [Feb-04-09] (0 Comments) */We've been interested in HTPCs for certainly the last few years andhave been covering integrated graphics motherboards with the emphasis ofusing them in these scenarios for the last year, testing importantfactors like power consumption, HD capability and video quality. ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm Motherboard @ legitreviews.com [Feb-03-09] (0 Comments) In the world of motherboard makers, they just don't get any bigger than ASUS. Over the past year the company has grown by leaps and bounds. They have always offered a value priced motherboard with a good selection of features and stability, and at the same time they build in overclocking must haves. The last couple of years we've seen a number of enthusiast motherboards, but none have offered more than ASUS. They keep building in more and more features to cater to overclockers. It's to this end that we have the ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm... ASUS M4A79T Deluxe Motherboard Pictures - Socket AM3 @ legitreviews.com [Jan-27-09] (0 Comments) While we've had a number of engineering sample motherboards floating around our test bench in recent weeks the ASUS M4A79T Deluxe motherboard is the first retail motherboard to show up at our door step. The ASUS M4A79T Deluxe motherboard packaging states that it is designed for the new AMD AM3 processor series. It also says that the board uses 100% Japan-made solid capacitors that have a VRM of 57 years at 65C as well as other features like anti-surge protection, DDR3 Memory, Quad CrossFireX, Express Gate, and an 8+2 phase power design. It is clear that this AMD 790FX chipset powered board is loaded with a ton of interesting features, so let's open the box and see what it comes with... Gigabyte's GA-EX58-UD4P and DS4 mobos @ bit-tech.net [Jan-21-09] (0 Comments) */Using both the boards has been an overall positive experience, although I have to say quite frustrating when we were overclocking. Gigabyte has tweaked both with a good software set that works and some nifty features, but they both just need a few loose ends tidying in places like the BIOS. MSI's Click BIOS - Evaluating UEFI @ bit-tech.net [Jan-18-09] (0 Comments) */If you buy an MSI board and don't like it though -- the old school BIOS is still supported, just re-flash over it. However, MSI doesn't include any sort of BIOS backup on board, which is a little worrying, and what would also be a good idea is to ship the board with both BIOS' and let the user manually switch between them -- creating a backup, and a safer real time option. Apple has plans for iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro in 2009 @ pcper.com [Jan-05-09] (0 Comments) The Tylersburg chipset is essentially that used by the X58motherboards we have reviewed here at PC Perspective and is the ONLY chipsetcurrently for the Core i7 line of CPUs. This new hardware shift would givethe 28 [News] ASRock AOD790GX & A780GXE Motherboards @ virtual-hideout.net [Dec-27-08] (0 Comments) These motherboards are a pretty good deal, though from what I canfind, the price of the two is almost identical, averaging only $6-10 betweenthe two models. With such a miniscule difference, the only reason to takethe 790 over the 780 would be if you are building a very cheap system thatstill has a video card. Also having 100% solid state capacitors on the 790will provide another advantage. There is an order of magnitude increase inreliability from liquid caps to solid. Anyone who has seen a blown cap knowshow much of a headache that can be. Intel P45 Motherboard Roundup:MSI, ASUS and Gigabyte @ pcper.com [Dec-25-08] (0 Comments) That doesn't mean the MSI and Gigabyte boards are devoid of techiegoodness though - each offers a solid collection of storage and expansionfeatures. eSATA, Firewire and at least six USB 2.0 ports are standard onboth motherboards so your connectivity options are already well laid out.Both the MSI and Gigabyte P45 motherboards support at least six SATAchannels courtesy of Intel's ICH10R south bridge and support RAID 0, 1, 10and even RAID 5. The MSI Platinum motherboard does offer a coupleadditional SATA ports though giving it a slight leg up in terms of storagesupport. Instant Boot on ASRock N7AD-SLI Motherboards @ legitreviews.com [Dec-24-08] (0 Comments) We forget that not too long ago, it took several minutes to get a system up and running, and sometimes you even had to change out a floppy disk to continue! Man, times have changed! ASRock has decided to help us cope with those changes by introducing a technology called Instant Boot on their nForce 740i SLI motherboard based motherboard - N7AD-SLI. ASRock says that your system can be up and running in as little as four seconds. Though we did not experience that kind of speed, it was a nice feature to work with. We put together a short little video review to show you how it works... [News] ECS GF9300T-A Black Series Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Dec-18-08] (0 Comments) In the time after the Extreme series, ECS must have found a need fora new product line - since it's been in just recent times that the BlackSeries has come to life. Consisting of very attractive motherboards with arich feature set, though a lacking bundle, ECS' Black series has set out tocapture the heart, and summarily, wallet of the gamer. With a generallypositive experience found on these boards; even if the overclocking has beenuniversally lacking. Now, where the GF7300T-A sets apart from the rest ofthe series is in that it provides the user the paths of both performance andvalue, as well as sporting Hybrid SLI - a feature which could save powerconscious gamers hundreds over the course of a year. The question really is,then - is this board worth it? Let's have a look [News] ECS G45T-M2 Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Dec-15-08] (0 Comments) Perhaps as a byproduct of their strong OEM division, ECS has beenproducing a number of reasonably priced, fully featured, general-purposeMicro ATX motherboards. Though these boards lack advanced cooling, fantasticoverclocking, or award winning aesthetic, they have always offered oneconsolation - a great value. Though the chipset that today's motherboard isbased on - the G45 - isn't known for fantastic performance, it's featuresheet is fairly comprehensive, and considering the availability of severalSATA ports, as well as HDMI, ECS may have just whipped up a nice little HTPCcontender. With that in mind, let's take a look at what this board can do. ASUS Rampage II Extreme - The Definitive Overclocking Board? @ techgage.com [Dec-01-08] (0 Comments) ASUS has long supported overclockers with theirmotherboards, but the Rampage II Extreme takes things to the nextlevel. In addition to an even more robust BIOS than what we're used to,we're given the ability to put our multi-meters to good use with thehelp of easy-access board contacts. When all said and done though, isthe RIIE really worth the $400 asking price? ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm Edition Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Nov-06-08] (0 Comments) ASUS P6T Deluxe OC Palm Edition is probably one of the most fully loaded socket 1366 motherboards to arrive on the market for the Core i7 processors, based on Intel X58 chipset and featuring a small 2.5 LCD display for overclocking options, SLI support, support for SAS hard disk drives and much more. Overclocking Core i7 at Intel 2008 @ nordichardware.com [Nov-04-08] (0 Comments) Our faithful readers are most likely aware that we do things a bit different here. While it is very common for every review site to have at least some information on the overclocking potential in their reviews, we try to take things to another level. For the last two years we have visited Intel for worldunique events where we not only get to test Intel’s latest processor and motherboards, but do it in the way we enjoy most:with sub-zero cooling, actually far below zero. bit-tech's Hardware Buyers' Guide for November 2008 @ bit-tech.net [Nov-04-08] (0 Comments) */Phew! it's been a busy month here in the bit-tech offices, with October full of fantastic new hardware launches, and November set to be just the same. With the launch of Intel's Core i7 we'll doubtless be seeing a major shake up of the high end and ultra high end recommended hardware as the range of processors and accompanying motherboards and memory start to make thier way into the market. NVIDIA SLI Technology for Intel X58 Motherboards @ nvnews.net [Nov-03-08] (0 Comments) The license key is an important feature since it is dependent on certification by NVIDIA, which includes verification of stability, power, compatibility, and layout. If a motherboard is certified, then NVIDIA's drivers will enable SLI functionality. Some certified motherboards with native slot configurations will support 2-way and 3-way SLI configurations. In this case, native slot configurations consist of PCI-Express slots that are connected to Intel's X58 chipset. However, X58-based motherboards with NVIDIA's nForce 200 chip will be able to provide full-bandwidth x16 connections for 3-way SLI. These systems will also be able to support four x16 PCI-Express slots, creating maximum bandwidth for 3-way SLI systems with a dedicated PhysX GPU. Gigabyte shows bit-tech its final X58 boards @ bit-tech.net [Oct-28-08] (0 Comments) */Gigabyte will launch three X58 motherboards in a few weeks -- the Extreme, the UD5P and the UD5. All will feature Ultra Durable 3 with Gigabyte's new 2oz copper layer in the PCB, Dynamic Energy Saver advanced, 50-squillion hour Jap caps and Dolby Home Theatre audio with the premium Realtek AL889a sound codec. Antec Fusion Remote Max HTPC Case @ pro-clockers.com [Oct-16-08] (0 Comments) I got on the electronical horn with my Antec rep and quicklyrequested the new Antec Fusion Remote Max. The FRM as I will call itthroughout this review has the demeanor that speaks luxury and class.Besides great looks the FRM does not limit the builder to small mATXmotherboards as this new enclosure can house standard size main boards. Andif that small feature doesn't sell this box then lets try mentioning thelarge cooling fans that are ultra quiet and the four 3.5 GIGABYTE EP45-UD3P Motherboard - Exclusive @ tweaktown.com [Oct-16-08] (0 Comments) GIGABYTE has been on the forefront of motherboard technology for some time; not only were they the first to introduce dual phase voltage systems on their boards to allow voltage phases above 8, but they were the first company to introduce the RoHS motherboards as well as being able to implement any sort of power saving technology on their boards. While others claim to save more power, GIGABYTE cant be knocked for starting this power saving revolution and it continues today. Just recently GIGABYTE added a new chapter to its motherboard line, namely the Ultra Durable 3 design. UD3 is the final replacement for the UD2 line that GIGABYTE has used for the last three years and hopefully we will see a lot more UD3 based boards in the near future. Today we have the first UD3 board to roll out from GIGABYTEs Taiwan factory; we graciously test out the EP45-UD3P. DFI exclusively shows us its LANPARTY UT X58 mobo @ tweaktown.com [Oct-07-08] (0 Comments) We visited Eric, Jarry and Jet at the DFI headquarters in Taipei today where they gave us an exclusive up-close look at a working sample of their forthcoming LANPARTY UT X58 motherboard.We got a look at the first revision of the board and sadly the new heatpipe cooler was not quite ready for us to take photos of. This board will get a similar made by Thermalright cooler as seen on older boards, but this time around DFI has decided to make the coolers themselves to try and reduce costs. It was mentioned that while the cooler will be similar, it will be improved by allowing users to use their own after market or custom cooling equipment or weapons as Jarry put it, whereas with other brand motherboards that is not always that easy to do. That did allow us to get an unobstructed view of the no fuss high-end enthusiast performance motherboard. Jarry Chang, the head engineer and designer at DFI, had some interesting points to make about the LANPARTY UT X58 and much of it made perfect sense. [News] Intel DG35EC Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Sep-20-08] (0 Comments) It's a far nicer improvement over previous generation HTPCmotherboards thanks to the newer processors and 800 MHz DDR2 support. Youcan find the DG35EC bundled with a Core 2 Duo E8400 processor for $270.00 atplaces like Tigerdirect. The Intel DG35EC m-ATX Motherboard has been seenaround for about $85 or less. Either way, it's finally money very, wellspent. So, if your current HTPC has been burdened by some pretty bigprocesses and seems slower than normal, it's probably time to consider theIntel DG35EC Motherboard. MSI P45 Platinum - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Sep-18-08] (0 Comments) Overthe last few years, Intel have completely dominated the enthusiastCPU market, and thanks to recent problems with nVidia chipsets, Intelbased mobos have become common place in the high end enthusiast andgamer system. To cater for this wider audience the Intel boards areappealing to, they have two ranges of boards the Xx8 boards for theoverclockers, and the Px5 boards for the more mid-range enthusiasts.Today MSI have sent over their P45 Platinum board for us to take a lookat. Let's see how it does. MSI P45 Platinum - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Sep-18-08] (0 Comments) Overthe last few years, Intel have completely dominated the enthusiastCPU market, and thanks to recent problems with nVidia chipsets, Intelbased mobos have become common place in the high end enthusiast andgamer system. To cater for this wider audience the Intel boards areappealing to, they have two ranges of boards the Xx8 boards for theoverclockers, and the Px5 boards for the more mid-range enthusiasts.Today MSI have sent over their P45 Platinum board for us to take a lookat. Let's see how it does. Foxconn Concerto G45 Motherboard P @ tweaktown.com [Sep-15-08] (0 Comments) Foxconn has been one of the biggest surprises of late for us here at TweakTown. A relatively unknown name to us two years go, Foxconn has not only grown to produce a wider range of motherboards, but also to include some rather impressive designs with overclocking feats that can easily take on the big guns.Intels 4 series chipsets are the big thing right now and every manufacturer has their own niche products coming out with enthusiasts right down to budget users in mind. Foxconn is following suit and today we have been lucky enough to get out hands on a very early beta sample of the Concerto series based on the Intel G45 chipset. [News] ECS GF8200A Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Sep-09-08] (0 Comments) So, rather than skimp on features, ECS has been providing theirlatest Black Series affordable motherboards with many of those seen on moreexpensive solutions. A while back, we had the pleasure of checking out theAM2+ supporting A780GM-A Motherboard with the AMD 790 Chipset. While itencountered a few glitches with random memory kits, it wasn't all badresults. Stability wasn't an issue and there were decent integratedfeatures.Today, the ECS GF8200A Motherboard featuring the Nvidia Geforce 8200 andMCP78S Chipset, has finished the usual rounds of pummeling and testing tosee if it's a better solution than the last. Asus Maximus II Formula Motherboard @ rbmods.com [Aug-29-08] (0 Comments) Today we look at another DDR2 solution from Asus, they still keeppushing out motherboards for the DDR2 market since DDR3 still might have notgot the recognintion it should. This new Maximus 2 board is filled withvarious new features that might come in handy when overclocking, playing,and even just surfing the net. No more crap talk lets get this review on theroad. Bombshell of NVISION08:SLI goes native on Intel X58 @ pcper.com [Aug-28-08] (0 Comments) NVIDIA is going to allow the Intel X58 chipset to natively supportSLI graphics configurations.Let me let that sink in. No need for an nForce 200, no need for any special logic of any kind, noneed for an NVIDIA product but the graphics cards themselves. Obviouslythis is GREAT news for the gamer - now we can finally get high qualitymotherboards that are reasonably priced and will run both NVIDIA SLI and AMDCrossFire GPU configurations. We are very excited about the idea ofunifying our platform selections for the hardware leaderboard, for using asingle motherboard for all our graphics card testing and just excited aboutwhat it means for high-end PC gaming in the big picture. NVIDIA to Enable SLI on Select X58-based Motherboards @ techgage.com [Aug-28-08] (0 Comments) NVIDIA's SLIwon't be available on X58? Think again! The company hasjust announced 'native' support on select X58-based motherboards, allwithout the use of their own chipset. Dual-GPU configurations will beenabled without a bridge, while the higher-end offerings, including apotential Quad-GPU, will. ASUS GeForce EN9600GT Matrix Graphics Card @ tweaktown.com [Aug-20-08] (0 Comments) Just when we thought we would no longer receive any more 9600 GTs because we figured wed reviewed just about every single one on the market, ASUS has decided to run around and release a new one.The particular card were looking at today is part of the Republic of Gamers collection, which is something we tend to see more in the motherboard department. It makes a lot of sense, though, that ASUS are going to expand this popular naming scheme out to more than just motherboards. This new card comes to us as the EN9600GT Matrix. Matrix is also something we havent heard of from ASUS before, so it will be interesting to see if theyre going to start creating some new lines. Gigabyte EP45-DS3L S-Series Intel P45 Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-15-08] (0 Comments) Today, I will be looking at the EP45-DS3L, Gigabyte's economy-pricedP45 motherboard. This is probably the least expensive newly releasedmotherboard I have seen coming from either of the top two motherboardmanufacturers in a very long time, and obviously marketed towards thosebuyers looking at buying boards from ECS, ASRock, or one of the othermanufacturers that build budget motherboards. Will the EP45-DS3L meet thehigh standards that we have come to expect from a Gigabyte motherboard, withfeatures found on its bigger brothers? Read on to see! [Affiliates News] Gigabyte EP45-DQ6 P45 Motherboard @ aphnetworks.com [Aug-09-08] (0 Comments) The midrange to high end motherboard market is filled withproducts. These 'high-midrange' boards are very popular among enthusiasts forits abundance of features, performance, and a not-too-out-of-the-world pricetags. Sure, boards like the Asus Striker II NSE are really good, but noteveryone can justify all the extra fancy features for the price. As majormotherboard companies love to compete in this area, a significant array ofboards are made based on the collection of latest chipsets -- for example,both Gigabyte and Asus have a ton of Intel P45 chipset based motherboardsranging from just over $100 all the way to over $250. Today, we'll take alook at Gigabyte's high end P45 board -- the Gigabyte EP45-DQ6 -- as the namesuggests, it has Gigabyte's Dynamic Energy Saver, 100% solid statecapacitors, and [News] GIGABYTE EP45-DS3R Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Aug-07-08] (0 Comments) You can't really put a label on this motherboard or designate it forany particular kinds of users. There are far too many useful features thatyou don't find on your typical budget motherboards. And while manyprofessional motherboards also tend to offer the bare essentials, that's notwhat you get here. At this price, you can't go wrong if you're on a budgetand really want a good quality motherboard. It's going to be really toughtopping this one with anything else. ASRock P45R2000-WiFi P45 DDR2/DDR3 Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Aug-04-08] (0 Comments) Our good friends at ASRock feel your pain. Building practicalsolutions for tough problems into motherboards is what they are best knownfor, and they have just released what may be the answer to your problems, anIntel P45 board capable of running both DDR2 and DDR3 memory. This isn't anew idea, a few companies did the same thing with the P35 last year. Mostattempts were less than awesome, but ASRock's board was clearly the bestattempt. With this experience under their belts, ASRock has released theP45R2000-Wifi. Will it be the solution for those wanting a gradual crossoverfrom DDR2 to DDR3? Keep reading to see! ASUS P5Q-E Intel P45 Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-28-08] (0 Comments) Today I am looking at the Asus P5Q-E, one of Asus' threebudget-minded P45 motherboards, this one supporting CrossfireX, with two x 8slots, and one x 4 slot (the primary PCI-E slot is x 16 when a single videocard is used). It also sports heatpipe chipset cooling, and other featureswe'd expect only on Asus boards costing much more, all with an energy-savingtheme. How will this board stand up to the requirements of enthusiasts? Readon to see. [News] GIGABYTE GA-X48-DQ6 Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Jul-20-08] (0 Comments) Gigabyte has truly stepped up to become a serious contender for thetop manufacturer of quality motherboards. Gigabyte has aggressively pursuedways to produce the best choice in quality and enthusiast motherboards.They've brought us features like Dynamic Energy Saver, complete solid statecomputing, and some of the most consistent extreme overclocking to date.These kinds of features have culminated in to two recent Best Choice Awardsat Computex 2008 for the GA-EP45-DQ6 and GA-EP45-DS5 Motherboards. All ofthat and more have been combined once again to bring us the GigabyteGA-X48-DQ6 Motherboard. There's plenty of features and bonuses to be had. Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red DDR2-800 4GB Dual Channel Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Jul-12-08] (0 Comments) Yes, DDR2 is still a viable platform, and still suits well over halfof the enthusiast community just fine. But to put it bluntly, in the past,the PC industry has had no problem creating a new technology, and making theold obsolete, regardless of how we, the enthusiasts, feel about it. Yet herewe are, over a year into DDR3, and we steadily are seeing new DDR2 memoryand motherboards. Today I will be looking at Crucial's latest DDR2 modules,the Ballistix Tracer DDR2-800 4 gig kit. Besides a capability of 4-4-4-12timings, in a market that has seen DDR2 4GB kits for quite some time, whatcan Crucial do to make a PC2-6400 memory kit interesting enough for us totake notice? Read on to see! Sharkoon SATA Quickport @ velocityreviews.com [Jul-08-08] (0 Comments) Sharkoon have introduced an interesting product for PC enthusiasts that allows you to plug SATA hard drives into an external enclosure – without the need to screw into a drive bay. It looks just like a HDD docking station, you can plug/remove drives at any time and access the data on your PC via USB cable. As computers are upgraded it is inevitable that spare SATA drives will start to mount up, and yet there isn’t enough space to attach them to most motherboards. This solution lets you quickly access drives when required, saving the hassle of swapping drives inside your PC with the power off. You can use 3.5” or 2.5” drives without the need for any screwdriver or tools. abit AX78 AM2+ 770 chipset Mobo @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Jun-30-08] (0 Comments) For this review I will be taking a look at one of the new motherboards Abit are offering, the AX78 Phenom compatible motherboard, which I think is fair to say is aimed more towards the budget end of the market.. ASRock K10N750SLI-WiFi nForce 750a Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-19-08] (0 Comments) ASRock is well known for their inexpensive motherboards that oftenhave innovative solutions for expensive problems, or they have big-boychipsets sometimes unavailable in economy boards, and they add onboard WiFito all of their motherboards. Will the K10N750SLI-WiFi, the firstmotherboard on the market sporting nVidia's #2 AMD chipset, make my firstPhenom experience a pleasurable one? Stay tuned to find out! NVIDIA GeForce 280 GTX in Tri SLI Tested @ tweaktown.com [Jun-17-08] (0 Comments) It was always going to happen; the testing of two and three GTX 280 cards. We had hoped to have had it ready by launch date, and weve fortunately done it with an absolutely massive weekend that has involved over 250 benchmark runs across four different motherboards. Before we get into it though, we have to laugh at our power supply situation. When we started testing our Tri SLI setup with a 1000 Watt Zalman PSU, we ran into some problems. During the Canyon test on 3DMark06, the system would just shut down! - Since this would seem to resemble a power problem, it was time to pull out a HX 620 Watt and do a bit of ghetto modding to get the two power supplies working together. What we ended up doing is running one GTX 280 off the Corsair HX 620 PSU while the 1000 Watt took care of the other two cards and the rest of the system. NVIDIA GeForce 280 GTX in Tri SLI Tested @ tweaktown.com [Jun-17-08] (0 Comments) It was always going to happen; the testing of two and three GTX 280 cards. We had hoped to have had it ready by launch date, and weve fortunately done it with an absolutely massive weekend that has involved over 250 benchmark runs across four different motherboards. Before we get into it though, we have to laugh at our power supply situation. When we started testing our Tri SLI setup with a 1000 Watt Zalman PSU, we ran into some problems. During the Canyon test on 3DMark06, the system would just shut down! - Since this would seem to resemble a power problem, it was time to pull out a HX 620 Watt and do a bit of ghetto modding to get the two power supplies working together. What we ended up doing is running one GTX 280 off the Corsair HX 620 PSU while the 1000 Watt took care of the other two cards and the rest of the system. Gigabyte TurboForce 8800GT @ pro-clockers.com [Jun-16-08] (0 Comments) Gigabyte being no stranger to graphic cards has sent us their variantof the 8800GT. The GV-NX88T512HP takes the 8800GT to a whole new level beingoverclocked from the factory. And to tame all the speed the card has tooffer Gigabyte consulted Zalman for providing the necessary cooling. Whenyou introduce a major player in motherboards and a major player in coolingchances are you will get an awesome product in the end. Gigabyte Nan-Ping Factory Tour @ bit-tech.net [Jun-12-08] (0 Comments) Are you planning to pick up a Gigabyte GA-P45-DQ6? Over thecourse ofthis article, we'll show you where it was made as Gigabyte invited bit-techto one of its Taiwanese factories, allowing us to roam around itsfacilities.The Nan-Ping factory is about an hour out from Taipei City whereComputex was happening in full swing; it's one of four manufacturingplants that Gigabyte owns. The second is located in Ping-Jen in Taiwanand the remaining two factories are in China:Ning-Bo (just south ofShanghai) and Dong-Guan further south still. Nan-Ping isn't yourtypical expansive factory – it's almost as tall as it is wide, witheight huge floors offering 45,000 square metres of space for 1,200employees.The factory features eleven SMT lines (seventh Floor) providing 400,000motherboards, 300,000 graphics cards and 5,000 server products a month.There are also six lines of DIP and Testing (fourth and fifth floors)and four lines of packing all those motherboard, VGA and serverproducts up on the second floor.There are also two lines of whole system assembly for its OEM andretail business on the third floor and two lines for its mobileassembly unit (20,000 units per month) for Asia on the sixth floor. Diamond Viper HD 3650 PE 512MB ed @ thetechlounge.com [Jun-06-08] (0 Comments) ATI's HD 3650 replaces the HD 2600 Pro, a frustrating underachiever. Generally, I dislike video cards in the $50-100 range, mainly because they're not going to play new games well and, if you're after features, then you're better off buying a lesser model from the same series. The features here are the real selling points--two of which stand out ahead of price, connectivity (HDMI), and low power- consumption. First is video playback. ATI swings when it comes to playing movies, and even their entry-level cards are going to do well, if not flawlessly. Second is Hybrid CrossFire. All 3000-series cards can be run in CrossFire with motherboards that have the 780G (and upcoming 790GX) chipsets, in either a performance mode (like regular CrossFire) or power-saving mode, which completely powers down the video card when integrated video is good enough. Combined, these features might give cause to move up a price bracket, favoring a 36 over a 34. ASUS Rampage Formula X48 Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Jun-02-08] (0 Comments) Today we have one of the latest ROG boards to come from ASUS, this particular board based on the new X48 Express chipset. It packs in as many features as you can possibly imagine, so with little time to spare lets see how it stacks up. Today we have the ASUS Rampage Formula up against the Maximus Extreme and X38-DQ6 motherboards. The X38-DQ6 supports DDR2 while the Maximus Extreme uses DDR3 memory. Thermaltake MaxOrb EX CPU Cooler @ tweaktown.com [May-31-08] (0 Comments) Thermaltake is back with one of our favorite CPU cooling designs, the Orb. The latest offering is a revamp of the MaxOrb we tested back in December, but with a twist of copper added in for good measure. The original MaxOrb fared well in our performance tests and I found the mounting mechanism for Intel motherboards innovative. Lets dive in and take a look at the new Thermaltake MaxOrb EX; well then test it the same way we did the MaxOrb and all of our other CPU coolers to see if Thermaltake were able to get even more performance out of the Orb design. Asus Xonar DX PCI-Express sound card @ bit-tech.net [May-26-08] (0 Comments) The Asus Xonar DX isn't the perfect product a spec sheet wouldlead youto think – its software interface might be appalling and we've had towait for a proper EAX driver to fix popular games like BioShockand Half-Life 2:Episode Two,but at least it installed without issue on various systems includingboards based on Intel’s P965, X48 and P45 chipsets, along with NvidianForce 780i SLI and AMD 690G-based motherboards – we even used an x8slot instead of just an x1 and as expected, it made no difference. Theonly problem we've heard is that there are issues with it and the 790iUltra SLI because of the PCI to PCI-Express bridge chip. The Xonar DX has a fantastic core feature set – its sound quality islargely indistinguishable compared to the Xonar D2X and it'ssignificantly better than on-board audio. What’s more, the price tofeature ratio is what makes it very accessible to buy.In games (where EAX is progressively becoming less of a key feature),the quality was absolutely excellent, and now finally there are gameslike BioShockthat benefit from the working GS3D 2.0 engine, but that's not to saythat future EAX games will though. However, Asus did come througheventually and in only a few weeks, which is more than can be said forCreative's driver tradition.While we may harp on about Creative's record of support and bug fixing,what would happen if someone reverse engineered Asus’s software toenable DTS effects on the DX? Or opened up the ALT for other use? Asushas also yet to prove itself on how it supports its soundcard productsin the long term – it’s unclear whether in three years time, the D2X,D2 and DX will have Intel P45 P Gigabyte DS3R + DQ6 @ tweaktown.com [May-23-08] (0 Comments) Intel has thrown a new chipset into the fray to replace one of its aging components. P45 is set to be the new mainstream chipset from Intel to replace its aging P35 chipset by bringing some new features and support to the table. For our initial tests, we have been handed two GIGABYTE motherboards based around this chipset, one at the top end of the spectrum and one for the mainstream marketplace. Today we test the Intel P45 Express based GIGABYTE EP45-DQ6 and EP45-DS3R. Chaintech GeForce 9600GT OC 512MB @ tweaktown.com [May-21-08] (0 Comments) Chaintech have really expanded from the line of graphics cards, now doing products like memory and flash products as well. What they no longer do however are motherboards. It wasnt all that long ago we were impressed with fancy cooling solutions and the general performance of Chaintech products. Well have to see if the 9600GT is able to do anything for us. >From first glance the Chaintech offering didnt do a lot for us, but upon throwing it in our system we where pleasantly surprised with what happened. Before we get into that though, lets find out what theyve done with the package and have a closer look at the actual card. [News] OCZ Reaper HPC PC2-8500 4GB Memory Kit @ virtual-hideout.net [May-17-08] (0 Comments) Well one thing is for certain, the OCZ PC2-8500 4GB Dual ChannelReaper HPC Memory is fully compatible with the Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P andASUS Blitz Formula Motherboards. The memory is definitely capable ofexceeding it's rated specs. Given the complexities and obstacles associatedwith a 4GB kit, 1066 MHz is a worthy achievement in its own right. The 4GBReaper kit remained completely stable throughout testing as well as passedseveral hours of further scrutiny from our trusty RST PRO 2 provided byUltra-X. If there were any type of weaknesses in the memory, the RST PRO 2would have definitely found them.>From 800 MHz 4-4-4-12 to 1150 MHz 5-5-5-15, you get sweet 2 x 2GB DualChannel memory kit built with quality ICs backed by OCZ's Lifetime Warranty.Performance is top notch with excellent results for the most avid gamer orapplication guru. Vista users will also appreciate the larger capacityallowing their system to stretch its legs fully without worrying aboutsystem resources. This is the largest 4GB overclocking memory kit thus farI've had the pleasure of testing and now understand its hidden benefits. Ihighly recommend this kit the next time your seriously considering a DDR2upgrade. First Look:Asus P5Q3 and Maximus II Formula P45 motherboards @ bit-tech.net [May-16-08] (0 Comments) Even though it’s a P45-based Republic of Gamers board, it’scuriouslynot fallen under the Blitz branding that was used for the P35-based RoGboards – Asus is changing things around slightly by slotting allIntel-based boards under either the Rampage or Maximus nomenclature,with the Striker branding saved for Nvidia chipsets on Intel platforms.When Derek Yu, RoG Product Manager, produced the first sample of theMaximus II Formula, my jaw dropped quite literally. I’m finding itdifficult to describe it without swearing, but the Maximus II Formulalooks like a simply gorgeouspiece of hardware. In comparison to what we have here, the originalMaximus now looks like a lump of mish-mash and we now realise Asus wasaware of this. In light of this fact, the company has completelyrevamped the styling to make it about a million times better.It’s got oodles and oodles of features too – the entire heatpipe arrayis screwed down with ten screws. Derek laughed as he told this to thesmall gaggle of hacks – apparently, manufacturing was none too pleasedbecause push-pins are much easier. Gigabyte X48 DQ6 Socket 775 Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [May-12-08] (0 Comments) Gigabyte being a leader in motherboards is making it easy on us tohave the best when new chipsets are released. They have being right there,first to market, when Intel believed it was time for change. This used to bea position held by Asus. Gigabyte is the first to bring us the new X48chipset to our rigs. This honor belongs to the X48-DQ6 and X48T-DQ6, DDR2and DDR3 versions respectively. The DQ6 being the high end model forGigabyte, it has all the bells and whistles. From complex cooling systems tohigh-end capacitors you can't ask for more in a motherboard except forexcellent overclocking. Can the X48-DQ6 accomplish what we achieved withEX-38 just a few weeks ago? Coverage from GIGABYTE P45 Spring Break and Plug-Fest 2008 @ tweaktown.com [May-09-08] (0 Comments) This morning we are gathered with worldwide media at the Gigabyte headquarters in Taiwan for their Spring Break event and Plug-Fest 2008. It's an event which allows media to get an early look at Gigabyte's u pcoming Intel P45 Express based motherboards. Vantec NexStar 3i Power Management Enclosure @ pro-clockers.com [May-06-08] (0 Comments) Vantec has added another member to the NexStar 360 lineup. The 3iboasts some things that we have not seen from Vantec in their many ages inthe industry. In the past year or so we have seen motherboards featureenergy efficiency, now we have it in hard drive enclosures. The 3i has anintegrated controller that can regulate power to the drive resulting in lesspower consumption, less noise and longer drive life. Adding the real reasonwhy we buy hard drive enclosures, which is for data storage, the new Vantechousing may be worth taking a look at. ASRock Penryn 1600SLIX3-WiFi 680i Motherboard @ thinkcomputers.org [May-05-08] (0 Comments) ASRock came on board in 2002, not long after I started building myown rigs. In those six short years, they have come up with some remarkablyinnovative designs for economy motherboards. Today I will be looking at theASRock Penryn 1600SLIX3-WiFi motherboard. ASRock has taken the nVidia 680iSLI chipset, given it the capability of running the new Core 2 Extreme1600mHz FSB processors, added WiFi, and placed that in an economy-mindedboard. Gigabyte GeForce 8800 GT Turbo Force Edition Video Card @ viperlair.com [Apr-29-08] (0 Comments) Gigabyte customized their Gigabyte GeForce 8800 GT Turbo Force Edition by increasing the clock speeds of key areas on the card, but they did not stop there. Ultra Durable2 is a fab process they use to increase the durability and longevity of their products. Ultra Durable2 is featured on both their graphics hardware as well as their motherboards. Lower RDS (on) MOSFET Design, Ferrite core chokes, and Lower ESR Solid Capacitors are the three main components of their design. These components will create less wasted energy, lower power consumption and last longer. [News] GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3P Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-25-08] (0 Comments) The Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P Motherboard is an aggressive, extreme, yetefficient platform. It's a shock to see this board do so well and do it evenbetter at more extreme frequencies. It's more affordable than most P35overclocking motherboards and has plenty of the top end features a poweruser could want. There is a large void out there for energy conscious userswho still want real power. This is absolutely the best choice for those on abudget who didn't think they could afford extreme performance. An early look @ bit-tech.net [Apr-18-08] (0 Comments) During my recent trip to China and Taiwan, I not only spenttime withIntel's executives at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai, but alsovisited several manufacturers in Taiwan on the second leg of my trip. We've already had brief looks at what Cooler Master, Lian Li andGigabytehave in the pipeline. Today it's time to look at twosoon-to-be-released motherboards from MSI, the P45 Platinum and theK9A2 Diamond.It will come as no surprise that the former is based on Intel's up andcoming P45 chipset, while the latter is based on Nvidia's nForce 780aSLI chipset, whose release is imminent. Before we get onto that boardthough, let's have a look at the P45 Platinum. Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L Motherboard ed @ thetechlounge.com [Apr-15-08] (0 Comments) Gigabyte is a solid company. They're at the top of my list, it would seem, so picking a current-generation entry-level motherboard without integrated graphics narrows things down to about half a dozen options, with the GA-P31-DS3L at the front. But is that really enough to base a decision on? Well, if you're reading this, then Jesus, of course not. Here's what to expect:OK performance, dull layout, and Ultra Durability! After a trip to the bench, this board indeed gets a nod for being better than the other P31 motherboards. Here's what that means. Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 X48 Motherboard @ aphnetworks.com [Apr-11-08] (0 Comments) The last time we looked at a motherboard was the P5E3-Deluxe/WiFi-AP@n X38 motherboard from Asus roughly half a year ago. At that time, the X38 chipset was Intel's latest flagship chipset chosen to officially replace the tried-and-true 975X from last season. Lately, there's lots of news surrounding Intel's next generation flagship chipset -- the Intel X48. What makes this chipset so interesting, is that while it is not very different from X38 (It's really a cream of the crop X38, optimized with minor modifications such as official 1600MHz FSB support) enthusiasts still watched closely with Intel X48 based motherboards simply for its overclocking potential. Today, we'll take a look at Gigabyte's flagship DDR3 board featuring Intel's flagship X48 chipset, the Gigabyte X48T-DQ6. Gigabyte has been gathering tons of attention ranging from hardcore overclockers to the relatively casual everyday enthusiasts lately -- and with their latest flagship board with one of the best chipsets available on the Intel platform, what can Gigabyte's engineering team put together and run it through the factory to our testing platform? The packaging of a high end board, and tons of enthusiast oriented features -- as I gathered together tons of excitement, as well as nothing less than high expectations from the moment I laid my eyes upon this board, we'll see how the Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 steps up against the rest. Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS4 Socket 775 Enthusiast Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-07-08] (0 Comments) Gigabyte was nice enough to send us two motherboards, one based onthe P35 and the other the X38. We wanted to see how much better it really isover the P35 purely based on benchmarks and overclocking. Not to give thewhole review away in the introduction, but I was really surprised with theGA-EX38-DS4 as it took our E8400 to a whole new level. [News] Penryn and Bone Trail at InfernaLAN @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-02-08] (0 Comments) Now, a little bit on the motherboards using the processors. The twolatest motherboards to support Penryn are the Bone Trail and Skull Trail.The BT is a single socket platform, while the ST is a dual socket. Themotherboards get powerful chipset upgrades including DDR3 and XMP BIOSsupport. So, the boards now fully support DDR3 and 1600MHz Front Side BusXMP profiles for some crazy overclocking. This is good news for users with1333 and 1600MHz DDR3 memory since a simple, quick BIOS setting instantlybrings your system's extra power online. Sapphire Toxic HD 3870 ATi Video Card @ pro-clockers.com [Mar-26-08] (0 Comments) Yes you can go out and purchase one of the cards from any of theseveral manufacturers that endorse the ATI brand. The Toxic HD 3870 is anoverclocked version of the ATI 3870 chipset. The Toxic HD 3870 uses a singleslot cooler that would be a godsend for those that are tight on space orhave motherboards with the PCIe slots too close together. This non-referencecooler helps to cool a RV670 clocked to 825MHz from the default 775MHz. Timeto put the Toxic 3870 on the bench and see what performance numbers we canget. EVGA nForce 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard and Chipset @ pcper.com [Mar-20-08] (0 Comments) To be fair, this isn't the most expensive Intel motherboard you canbuy - after all there is the Skulltrail platform. But other than that, thetwo 790i motherboards top the Newegg.com Highest Price list in the IntelMotherboards section. Yes there are other motherboards from companies likeASUS and Gigabyte that are in this same $300+ range and we have hard timerecommending those to anyone but the most hardcore PC enthusiast but wecontinue to want to think of these NVIDIA boards as a good value. XFX's GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics card @ bit-tech.net [Mar-19-08] (0 Comments) Overall then, if you're after the fastest single card solutionon themarket, the GeForce 9800 GX2 is it and if you don't have an nForcemotherboard, it's currently the only way to enable SLI technology onother motherboards and could quite possibly be the fastest graphicssolution in that situation as well, given some of the performancedifferences between the GeForce 9800 GX2 and the Radeon HD 3870 X2. If you do have an nForce motherboard and aren't likely to suffer fromthe documented heat problems, there are optionsavailable for less money that deliver similar performance in mostscenarios, but the GeForce 9800 GX2 isn'treally about delivering value for money. What it is about is deliveringthe fastest graphics card on the market and, in that respect itdelivers. And what's more, Nvidia will soon release a driver to enableQuad SLI on a pair of GeForce 9800 GX2s to potentially deliver moreperformance than three GeForce 8800 GTX/Ultra cards – we just hope QuadSLI is better than it was last time. First Look:Nvidia's nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset @ bit-tech.net [Mar-19-08] (0 Comments) Nvidia is pushing hard on the platform front with itstechnologyportfolio – ESA, EPP 2.0 and SLI are all core Nvidia productsassociated with the nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard and this launch.While some are open standards, so no royalties are claimed when usingthem, it doesn't mean all is well for the ultra-high-end user.To say the cost of upgrading to use the nForce 790i (Ultra) SLI issignificant is certainly an understatement:on top of one of the mostexpensive motherboards ever sold, you'll need super expensiveperformance DDR3 memory (with EPP 2.0) to make the most of it. Thenthere's the fact that running at over 1,600MHz limits the board to justtwo DIMM slots, so running 4GB in 2x2GB has just gone from sellingorgans to selling your children as well. There is a value add with all manners of SLI support, but you can getthat with plenty of other nForce 7-series boards, although in this casethe north bridge is tweaked to use SLI better. ESA is entirely optionalif you want to invest in it or not and again provides an upgradefeature choice – that said, we expect this more to be jumped upon bycompanies that build complete systems, rather than end users.It was designed to be too expensive and a niche product, so don't getyour knickers in a twist. While you may care about that because youwant the latest and greatest, Nvidia doesn't. And you can bet yourcotton socks that the top Futuremark slots will all consist of nForce790i SLI boards going forwards – that’s prime marketing material aboveall else. Be wary of what's coming out in the next few months too:there's notelling what else Nvidia will launch in the summer on the Intel front,because it has promised a chipset that sports Hybrid SLI support, andwould you want to spend all that money on a new board and not haveaccess to these new technologies? Well, maybe not in actual fact,because those running a 30 XSs is looking for ers @ forums.xsreviews.co.uk [Mar-11-08] (0 Comments) We are looking for 2 x Hardware reviewers to reviewanything from CPUcoolers to - eventually - graphics cards and motherboards. Successfulapplicants must have a high quality of English writing ability, be wellspoken with good communications. Access to a high quality camera andbeing proficient in using it will be a bonus, but is'n't essential tothe role. The workload will initially require one review a fortnight ofbetween 1,000 and 2,000 words with opportunities to expand this in thefuture. Intel DX38BT Dilemma @ aselabs.com [Mar-07-08] (0 Comments) Way back when I heard that Intel was going to be making a bunch of new platform boards, I was skeptical. I knew how successful the Centrino brand on the mobile front was for Intel and it makes sense that they want to capitalize on having platforms. That was the time that Intel started releasing new series of motherboards such as the Essentials and the Extreme series.This type of product placement made sense as now consumers can really see where a product fits just by looking at what series the motherboard is in. The Essentials series contains the base needs and hardly anything more. You get a good motherboard for a cheap price. The Extreme series goes hand in hand with Intel's Extreme Edition processors. These motherboards actually have overclocking features and have performance enhancements to get the most out of your build... or so I thought. AMD 780G Chipset Motherboard P @ legitreviews.com [Mar-05-08] (0 Comments) During a recent trip to visit ATI we got a chance to see numerous AMD 78 0G motherboards and while we are finishing up our 780G review this should hold you over. AMD expects 780G based motherboards to be priced between $80-$120 with some manufacturers boards available this week and others la ter in the month. With the 780G and SB700 chipsets motherboard manufactur ers can come up with some interesting designs and today we will be showin g you what ASUS, ECS, Foxconn, Gigabyte, MSI, J&W and Jetway have develop ed... Noctua NH-U12P Heatsink @ techpowerup.com [Feb-27-08] (0 Comments) On the heels of the successful NH-U12F CPU heatsink, Noctua has released a newer, more compatible version called the NH-U12P. This version has more clearance below the fins, making it easier to install on many motherboards. It comes with the new, ultra-quiet NF-P12 fan and a tube of the new NT-H1 thermal compound. Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 DES X48 DDR3 Motherboard @ benchmarkreviews.com [Feb-18-08] (0 Comments) Motherboards are at the heart of every computer, and their importance is central to stable system operation. No matter if you are a Aeneon Xtune DDR3-1333 2GB Memory Kit @ thinkcomputers.org [Feb-15-08] (0 Comments) Though the memory manufacturers are still designing and building newDDR2 memory modules, DDR3 memory is here and being used. There are plenty ofmotherboards out there that utilize DDR3 memory, and new modules are beingintroduced monthly. No, you have probably not yet heard of Aeneon. Aeneon isa division of a German company Qimonda, the world's third largestmanufacturer of DRAM, part of Infineon Technologies AG. So, there is reallynothing new about Aeneon but the name. Audio Codec Comparison Table @ hardwaresecrets.com [Feb-06-08] (0 Comments) A series of quick reference tables showing the main specs of the most popular audio codecs you can find on motherboards. NVIDIA Buys AGEIA:How it affects you @ pcper.com [Feb-05-08] (0 Comments) It does not mean that it will stop there. With a robust chipsetdivision, NVIDIA could decide to integrate physics hardware into theirchipsets. We must also consider that NVIDIA could very well leverage GPUphysics on their integrated graphics parts. Last month we were surprised tosee that NVIDIA was using an integrated graphics part for their upcominghigh end AMD and Intel motherboards. If NVIDIA is able to add thatfunctionality to the PhysX engine, then they will likely have a significantinstalled base of products that can leverage those extra features offered bythe physics engine. Home Theatre PC motherboard shootout @ bit-tech.net [Feb-05-08] (0 Comments) If you're after a system today, we'd still go for theinexpensive MSI K9AGM3-FIH. It's a perfect interim solution becauseit's very cheap and comes with a good balance of features. There'salso the fact that the AM2 CPU will drop into an AM2+ socket should youwant to get one of the newer IGP boards coming in the near future, asthese are all likely to feature full-HD video decode offloading.Everything you need is there and while it's not perfect, the videoquality on offer is acceptable.We're genuinely surprised at the outcome we didn't ever expect theAMD 690G to last anywhere near this long as our preferred choice,however the MSI seems to have got it right with its K9AGM3-FIH as itremains the best solution for the time being. [News] Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2008 - Part 2 @ virtual-hideout.net [Feb-04-08] (0 Comments) Now we're on to the computer side of the Consumer Electronics Show.As I mentioned, there wasn't quite as many booths this year sporting thatmany new products that could classify as headliners. The obvious newproducts include Nvidia's new HD motherboards and 3D technologies, Intel's45nm next generation processors, newly released Wireless N networking, andsolid state drives. ECS GeForce 8800GT Accelero S1 512MB @ tweaktown.com [Jan-31-08] (0 Comments) While we see a fair few ECS motherboards here at TweakTown, graph ics cards tend to be few and far between from the company. It seems thoug h that the wait may have been worth it with the release of a passively co oled 8800GT.Passive cards have always been popular but it was something that was alwa ys limited to lower end cards. With the smaller design on cores these day s we find that we're able to get passive cooled solutions on higher end offerings. Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L @ techgage.com [Jan-29-08] (0 Comments) There are few P31-based motherboards on the market, butas we find out, they are well-deserving of some attention. The board weare taking a look at today hovers around $100, but despite it's valuestatus, it's a great offering. GIGABYTE X38T-DQ6 Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Jan-26-08] (0 Comments) Today we have a new candidate in our labs for consideration, GIGA BYTE's X38T-DQ6. The =93T=94 series of the GIGABYTE boards denotes that it is a DDR3 variant of an already existing DDR2 model.X38 based motherboards are soon to take a nose dive in price since the ch ipset is due to be replaced as the enthusiast offering by the X48 which w e have already managed to get our hands on and test in both DDR2 and DDR3 flavours. Spire Dart Laptop Sleeve @ aphnetworks.com [Jan-25-08] (0 Comments) Things change rapidly in this world -- this is especially apparent in the technology world. The center of attention shifts focus on the latest processors, motherboards, chipsets, video cards, and just recently, form-over-function laptops. ;) Hey, just kidding. Speaking of which, what do you carry your laptop in? The laptop case market is bigger and better than ever, especially with the widespread use of computers in this form. If you are one of those carrying your laptop in those classic business laptop bags that's almost like announcing to the world you have an expensive computer equipment in your bag, and looking for something with a lower profile, or simply searching for something that's more stylish to carry your laptop your laptop in (And of course, less geeky), we've got something interesting today that seems to fall within all categories -- the Spire Dart -- which is like a sleeve, but with a little more. I've been searching high and low for a sleeve that, at least on paper, meets all my requirements -- the Dart being one of the rare ones. How well does this bag step up against the rest in real life? Let's examine this product closely today. First look at the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) @ bit-tech.net [Jan-22-08] (0 Comments) Even though wehave seen an MSI motherboard being used with an AMI EFIBIOS last year, we have only now have been informed that MSI has beguntrialling more motherboards kitted out with EFI BIOSs.Richard Stewart, UK Marketing Manager at MSI told us that “MSIwill start to phase EFI into its next generation motherboard platform,and will allow much easier accessibility of motherboard BIOS systems.The ability to use a GUI and mouse can only encourage users to attemptto unlock the full potential of today’s modern motherboards. Even atthis early beta stage we have seen excellent OC potential using currentgeneration of MSI motherboards.”From the looks of things, everything should become far more intuitive –pictures can finally accompany text for example, which will help togive users a more fundamental understanding of what doors each of theuser’s required options are hidden behind.Given the necessary LAN and Internet connection, in addition to theusual Core Centre hardware tweaking, MSI is planning to enable manymore features in its EFI BIOSs, including a live update option, alongwith instant messaging and streaming audio/video capabilities. Nvidia's Hybrid SLI technology @ bit-tech.net [Jan-18-08] (0 Comments) On the whole then, I’m quiteexcited by the prospects of Hybrid SLI butI can’t help but feel that there are some things that Nvidia could haveimproved in hardware—and I’m not even considering software at thispoint because it’s early days—to make the technology that bit moreappealing. The real kicker for me is the display support on the nForce700a series motherboards because, from everything I’ve seen so far,there is only one digital output available.That’s not good for anyone who runs dual digital displays—like me forexample—because you either leave your power hungry graphics card turnedon with the displays plugged into the digital ports on it, ratherdestroying the point of having HybridPower technology in the firstplace. Alternatively, you could run one of the displays on the analogueVGA port on the motherboard and the picture quality is awful. With dualdigital outputs, you can at least use one or two DVI-to-VGAconverter(s) to connect your CRT monitors up to the motherboard – andthe best part of it is that the picture looks just as good when you usea DVI-to-VGA converter.I have asked Nvidia why it made this design decision, but my questionson the subject are yet to be answered – I’ve been promised an answerthough, so I will update this when one arrives. Hopefully, I’m wrongand the chipset does actually support dual digital displays but givenhow long it’s taken to get an answer, I am not too confident in thatbeing the case.Aside from this point though, Hybrid SLI looks to be an incrediblysound technology on paper, but we’re going to have to reserve finaljudgement until we actually have hardware (and drivers) to test thisproperly. X48 Motherboards from ASUS @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jan-17-08] (0 Comments) A quick look on two high-end motherboards ASUS will release using Intel X48 chipset:P5E3 Premium and Rampage Formula. ASUS @ thinkcomputers.org [Jan-16-08] (0 Comments) ASUS was one of the hottest names this year at CES. With all thehype from the Eee PC and ASUS's keynote earlier in the week their booth wascrowded, but they took the time to take us through and check out all oftheir new products. They have new notebooks, motherboards, video cards, andother CE products. Read on to see what we saw from ASUS at CES this year. GIGABYTEs Dynamic Energy Saver Detailed @ tweaktown.com [Jan-10-08] (0 Comments) First of all, DES is not a fad and it will be available on pretty much all GIGABYTE motherboards bar the really low-end models. However, t he roll-out will take some time but the good news is that GIGABYTE has al ready shipped motherboards with DES.As you surely have figured out, Dynamic Energy Saver is something that wi ll save power; but it's not very clear how this works from a marketing name alone, so let's take a closer look at how it all works. PNY DDR2 XLR8 PC2-9384 2GB Memory Kit @ tweaktown.com [Jan-07-08] (0 Comments) Intel still supports DDR2 quite readily, and even X38 and upcomin g X48 motherboards will both have DDR3 and DDR2 memory controllers as opt ions on select boards, so you still have the flexibility there depending on what board you get.Today we are testing out another somewhat unknown company to us; while we have heard of PNY before, we haven't seen them in the extreme memory r ange which they are pushing for today with the new PC2-9384 DDR2 memory k it we have been sent. ASUS Blitz Formula Special Edition @ insidehw.com [Dec-24-07] (0 Comments) ASUS... It is simply incredible how much this IT giant from Taiwanknows the ways of marketing and promotion. However, quality marketing has tobe supported by quality products in order to be effective. In this era whichwe have to call bit-tech's Hardware Awards 2007 @ bit-tech.net [Dec-19-07] (0 Comments) At bit-tech, were incredibly lucky to get our hands on almostevery enthusiast-orientated product that matters. With the Christmasfestivities starting next week, its about time we looked back at themany products that have come across our desks this year in order tocome up with our top hardware products of the year.Despite the industry moving at breakneck speeds sometimes, some of theproducts weve chosen for this article were released early on in theyear... or maybe even last year in some cases, but theyve still made amassive impression on the market over the course of 2007. If anything,that is a testament to how much of an impression these products made onus over the course of the year.Over the course of this article, well cover everything from cases,chipsets, cooling, CPUs, graphics, memory, motherboards and much more.So read on for our pick from the years slew of enthusiast kit... GIGABYTE HD 3870 with Ultra Durable 2 @ tweaktown.com [Dec-13-07] (0 Comments) While the card we have here today seems like nothing more than a HD 3870 with a Zalman cooler on it, we're told it's more than meets t he eye. GIGABYTE have taken quality components from their motherboards an d decided to work them into the HD 3870. When we say components from their motherboards, we don't mean that the HD 3870 now carries support for a socket 775 processor, rather the =93Ult ra Durable=94 technology behind GIGABYTE motherboards which makes them su ch a stable product. GIGABYTE GP-S7500 2.1 Speaker System @ tweaktown.com [Dec-10-07] (0 Comments) In the past when thinking of PC audio, GIGABYTE weren't the first name to come to mind. Traditionally specialising in motherboards and gra phics cards, it's going to be interesting to see what they have come up with in terms of high-end PC audio with their latest 2.1 Speaker System I'll be checking out today. When you consider the materials and associated costs it all looks very pr omising. Kevlar cones are a first in PC audio, these usually something on ly seen in home audio with MDF cabinets all round. GIGABYTE has even adde d some dome tweeters to boot. This was laughable in the past for PC audio , and for so many years I awaited someone to do exactly what GIGABYTE has done here. DFI LanParty UT NF680i SLI-T2R @ nordichardware.com [Dec-08-07] (0 Comments) But now, one year since the introduction of the Core 2 Duo with several new interesting products on the way, it looks as if DFI is finally making its way back to the spotlight. One of the motherboards introduced by DFI this summer is the DFI LanParty UT NF680i SLI-T2R, a motherboard which I've been granted the opportunity to have a closer look at. TG Gift Guide 07 - Motherboards & Processors @ techgage.com [Nov-27-07] (0 Comments) Choosing the perfect motherboard and processor could be adifficult task if you don't know what to look for, but we take out thehassle and deliver a list of options you should peruse. Both AMD andIntel are covered, as are all price-ranges. DeviceVM releases source code for Asus P5E3 Deluxe WiFi-AP @ bit-tech.net [Nov-22-07] (0 Comments) There are a couple new motherboards with Splashtop targeted forrelease at the end of the year, but we cannot announce the specificsuntil the OEM gives us the green light, bit-tech :Cooler Master Hyper TX2 & 212 @ bit-tech.net [Nov-19-07] (0 Comments) If you're after the ultimate performance from an air heatsinktheCooler Master Hyper 212 should certainly fit the bill with its includedhigh performance fan and dual fan option, but you'll need to swap thefan out for a quieter alternative or at least lower the voltage on thecurrent one if pine for a quiet environment.For those looking for an inexpensive but still capable heatsink, theHyper TX2 is a good purchase. With both AMD and Intel support includedit does more than the Arctic Cooler Freezer 7 Pro, but it's worthremembering that the Freezer 7 Pro performs better and has a 4-pinconnector to knock the fan noise down on the many compatiblemotherboards. The Hyper TX2 suffers from the same fate as the Hyper212, in that it's audible but not offensive, and the fan can again beswapped out if need be, unlike the Freezer 7 Pro. ASRock 4Core1333-eSATA2 r5.0 LGA 775 ATX Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [Nov-16-07] (0 Comments) Some motherboard manufacturers specialize in providing products for aspecific group of users or a select audience. While some boards are gearedtoward PC gamers and enthusiasts, others are made to cater to multimediausers and budget-minded consumers' needs. ASRock typically creates uniquemotherboards that are extremely feature-rich, but won't break the bank.Today, we have the ASRock 4Core1333-eSATA2 ATX motherboard on our testbench. This board sports a host of features including support for 1333 FSB,CrossFire video cards, PCI Express, eSATA, and HDMI to name a few. Thosefeatures are just the tip of the iceberg for this motherboard, so let's moveright into the review. [News] ECS P35T-A Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Nov-16-07] (0 Comments) ECS has had some pretty darn decent motherboards since their NForce5 chipsets first arrived. Now that we're on to Intel Core 2 Duo, ECS optedto go for a more feasible LGA 775 motherboard built around the Bearlake P35Chipset. Now, we all know the flagship P35 boards overclock very, very welland offer some excellent performance results. Scaling back the amount offeatures a P35 has to offer isn't a bad thing and often performs just aswell minus top range overclocking, extra e-SATA ports, and elaborate heatpipe cooling. content-type:content-transfer-encoding:content-disposition:x-google-sender-auth; @ dragonsteelmods.com [Nov-14-07] (0 Comments) Today I've got a very feature rich Micro ATX motherboard fromGigabyte, it's based off of the Intel G33 Bear Lake chipset, it's gottons of features with full support for the latest CPUs and even HDaudio and video support as well for those who might want to use it fora higher end HTPC setup, or just a nice gaming rig. This motherboardis the GA-G33M-DSR2 model, and it's from Gigabytes' Ultra Durable 2line of motherboards featuring all solid capacitors, ferrite corechokes and low RDS Mosfets to enable longer life and lower overalltemperatures for the board and system. It truly is a very capableboard, from my tests it easily holds it's own up against the latestofferings from Nvidia... Gigabyte Volar CPU Cooler @ thinkcomputers.org [Nov-14-07] (0 Comments) Gigabyte is mainly known for making motherboards, but if you didn'tknow they make a lot of other products. A while ago we took a look at their3D Rocket II CPU cooler and it did perform well at all. They have justreleased a new cooler the Volar, which is very different from any CPU coolerthat I have seen. And believe me I have seen a bunch of different CPUcoolers! Let's see if this unique design can help the Volar perform betterthan the 3D Rocket II. [News] GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS4 Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Nov-13-07] (0 Comments) Currently, Gigabyte is the leader in all solid capacitormotherboards. They also use twice as many Phase Power components. So whatdoes this all mean? Well, how about a motherboard that is more efficient andruns almost twice as cool as standard motherboards using older technology?The Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 is that motherboard, with all the new solid statehardware - not to mention an impressive heatpipe cooling systemincorporating a giant copper back plate for that additional cooling. Gigabyte X38-DQ6 Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [Nov-09-07] (0 Comments) If Gigabyte being the respectable motherboard company it is gave theworld one of the first motherboards built on this new socket. The X38-DQ6gives all the bells and whistle needed to be a full featured motherboard.Blessed with firewire, USB 2.0, SATA II and PCIe 2.0, the X38-DQ6 is boundto be a board like no other. And if the features don't attract you thecolorful layout will. The blue, red, orange and yellow are enough tobrighten up any case. ASRock ALiveNF7G-HDready Micro ATX Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [Nov-05-07] (0 Comments) Micro ATX motherboards have come a long way from just giving usersbasic computer functionality in a small package. This motherboard type hasmade a name for itself as a critical component for Home Theater PCs andother multimedia intensive systems. Today, we have the ASRockALiveNF7G-HDready Micro ATX Motherboard on our test bench. With onboardsupport for dual monitors and 720p Blu-ray / HD-DVD playback, this budgetmotherboard is sure to make consumers take a double take when they see it onstore shelves. PCPer Podcast #15 - RV670, 8800 GT, Asus Eee PC, Crysis Performance, Intel QX9650, more! @ pcper.com [Nov-03-07] (0 Comments) This week we talk about our reviews of a Viewsonic VA2226w monitor,PCMark Vantage, Crysis Demo Performance, the Yorkfield QX9650, the Asus EeePC 4G notebook and the Corsair TX750W power supply. We also touch on rumorsabout the AMD RV670 graphics card in comparison to the new NVIDIA 8800 GTcard and how the quietly released Athlon X2 5000+ Black Edition mightoverclock. We sum up the tech news with information Nehalem's time framefor launch, how the GPU market increased 20% last quarter and the future AMD790FX motherboards. ASUS P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP @ hardwaresecrets.com [Oct-29-07] (0 Comments) We took a look on one of the most high-end motherboards from ASUS targeted to the socket 775 platform and based on Intel X38 chipset. [News] abit AN-M2HD Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Oct-25-07] (0 Comments) Most motherboards are usually geared toward the enthusiast or thebudget builder, but more and more manufacturers lately are creatingspecialty-type motherboards, like ones for home entertainment. abit hascreated a motherboard just for this niche of people:the AN-M2HD. As thedays pass, HTPC's continue to gain massive popularity with moviephiles withthe advent of larger storage devices and HDMI. The AN-M2HD has an onboardHDMI connection for some of today's newer monitors/TV's. The AN-M2HDutilizes the new NVIDIA GeForce 7050PV North Bridge and NVIDIA nForce 630aSouth Bridge chips. Each chip is cooled by a heatsink to add to that extraquietness for a theater setup, but 4 auxiliary fan headers are included onthe motherboard if extra cooling will be needed. [News] ASUS Blitz Formula & Blitz Extreme Motherboards @ virtual-hideout.net [Oct-19-07] (0 Comments) ASUS has been gracious in providing us with two enthusiast mindedsolutions for both DDR2 and DDR3 utilizing the same P35 chipset, in theBlitz Formula and Blitz Extreme. Why would ASUS consider offering the twooptions? Well in a nut shell, it simply saves you some money since newmemory standards are always costly at the start and some users would like toreally maximize their DDR2 based system. ASUS is well aware of this and feltthat there was no reason why both kinds of memory module owners couldn'thave a little bit of cake and ice cream. The only question you would need toask yourself is, which flavor ice cream you would like. 1000W PSUs, X38 Mobos, G92 and RV670, 3-way SLI and CrossFire X, Valve's Portal @ pcper.com [Oct-18-07] (0 Comments) This week we talk about some 1000 watt power supplies, new Intel X38motherboards, gaming performance with DX10 and in the new Unreal Tournament3 demo, news about NVIDIA's G92 and AMD's RV670 graphics cards, rumors of3-way SLI and CrossFire X and even some urgings to pick up a copy of Valve'sPortal game. ECS G31T-M @ techpowerup.com [Oct-04-07] (0 Comments) ECS has released the ECS G31T-M as affordable Core 2 Duo motherboard which supports the latest Quad-Core and 1333 FSB CPUs at an affordable price of less than $75. In our testing we saw that performance is on par with much more expensive high-end motherboards. The integrated Intel VGA is also a nice addition because you don't have to buy a video card for your office machine or can use it to play back video in a Media PC. MSI Digi Vox mini II v3.0 - XSs @ xsreviews.co.uk [Sep-18-07] (0 Comments) Withthe inclusion of all kinds of media extras on motherboards and graphicscards (high quality audio and HDMI output), it seems only natural foryour computer to become a place for TV signals to be shown. Most of thetime you’ll have to use a PCI add-in card to get your favouriteepisodes on your screen, but today I have MSI’s Digivox mini II whichenables USB 2.0 usage. Gigabyte Triton 180 PC Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Sep-13-07] (0 Comments) Gigabyte has been around since the mid-1980s, which makes them oneof the founders of the modern custom PC industry. Starting withmotherboards, Gigabyte now also makes video cards, cases, optical drives,storage solutions, most periphials, power supplies, air cooling, liquidcooling, notebooks and notebook cooling, and now home media PCs. Gigabyte iswell known for their high quality products. They generally market theirproducts to the enthusiast willing to pay a little more for that highquality, but desiring products a little less extreme, a little more on theconservative side. So, my expectations for the Triton 180 are that it willbe a well made, high quality case, with attention paid to every detail, butbut somewhat conservative. Let's see if it lives up to that. [News] abit IP35 Pro Off Limits Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Sep-12-07] (0 Comments) For years, Universal abit has been manufacturing top of the linemotherboards, and the trend still continues with the IP35 Pro. Thismotherboard is loaded features that any enthusiast or mainstream user wouldenjoy. The Intel P35 chipset is at the heart, and boasts great performance.With a FSB of 1333MHz it will handle the new line of Intel processors, anddo so with the addition of solid state capacitors. The chipset is cooledwith abit's Silent OTEC cooling system, which is a fancy phrase for heatpipecooling. A host of other features adorn the IP35 Pro, so let's get on withthe review. Abit IP35 Pro and IP35-E @ insidehw.com [Sep-07-07] (0 Comments) This time around we have two motherboards on our lab table. ABITIP35 Pro Snake and ABIT IP35-E are board intended for use together withIntel's LGA 775 processors. As one can see for himself, the motherboards arebased on Intel's newest, the P35 Express chipset which we already told a lotabout. Still, it cannot hurt if we mention that these boards support theincoming wave of 45 nm processors with an FSB of 1333MHz. Silverstone Sugo SG02 - XSs @ With motherboards getting smaller and smaller, small form [Sep-06-07] (0 Comments) Withmotherboards getting smaller and smaller, small form factor PCs are allthe rage. It’s possible to fit a whole lot of computing power intothese tiny spaces, and people are taking notice.However, most SFF cases require you to make sacrifices in the way ofgraphics card length, or the size of power supply that you can use. TheSilverStone Sugo SG02 which builds on the success of the SG01, is ableto house large GPU’s, a couple of 5.25” drives, a pair of HDD’s and afull size PSU.Hopefully this will show the competition how it’s meant to be done. [News] Intel E6850 3.0GHz Core 2 Duo 1333FSB CPU @ virtual-hideout.net [Sep-01-07] (0 Comments) Well, for years after that I was a true diehard AMD fan. That is,until the tides recently turned and the tsunami of C2D arrived on theshores. Recently, Intel has been dominating the processor scene with its newline of Core 2 Duo's. Well, once again Intel has stepped up to the plate byliterally stepping up the FSB from 1066 to 1333. This new line of CPU's havea model of Exx50 which represents the 1333FSB. This bump on the CPU will nowmatch the Front Side Bus of some newer motherboards. The new processor underthe microscope is the new Intel Core 2 Duo E6850, which is 3.0GHz, has 4mbof cache, and is using the 1333MHz system bus. With all these numbersfloating around in my head, I just can't wait to test the processor. [News] ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Aug-27-07] (0 Comments) ASUS has been one of the leading manufacturers of motherboardsfor a number of years, and is the preferred board of the VH staff. Themotherboard under the scope this time around is the P5N32-E SLI Plus, whichuses the 650i chipset - a lesser version of the 680i which means a lowerretail price. Although this is a newer motherboard using a less powerfulchipset, they did make some changes to it and got dual x16 PCI-E SLIsupport. Another cool feature is the Stack Cool design which helps pull heataway from the components around the CPU. Another heat reducing feature arethe heatpipes that cover each of the chipset chips separately. With so manyfeatures let's get on with the review and see how things work out. XFX nForce 680i SLI Motherboard - 1333 FSB Support @ pcper.com [Aug-22-07] (0 Comments) The only feature missing is support for DDR3 memory which several ofthe P35 motherboards we have tested use. There is no doubt that DDR3 willbe faster than DDR2 at some point, but for now, the performance differencesaren't very big but the price differences are! DDR3 is still very hard tofind and when you do locate it, be prepared to pay a premium. So, maybehaving the 680i chipset with DDR2 support isn't so bad after all. Asrock Conroe1333-eSATA2 Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [Aug-22-07] (0 Comments) Today we will be taking a look at one of Asrock's newest motherboardsbased on Intel 945P chipset. Boasting most of the features of the Conroe1333DVI/H plus more, the Conroe1333-eSATA2 is a full length board built forperformance minded individuals. The board is specifically marketed to thosewho don't have the 'green' to run out and pick up a seriously high-end boardfrom the likes of Asus, Gigabyte, and any of the Nvidia 680i reference boardpartners (e.g. BFG, EVGA etc). Asus Blitz Formula and Blitz Extreme @ hothardware.com [Aug-14-07] (0 Comments) Asus saw the need for an enthusiast-class motherboard based on theP35 chipset, but with a more flexible PCI Express configuration. Andleveraging what they undoubtedly learned from designing the PW564-WS ,engineered the Blitz Extreme and Blitz Formula motherboards, complete with aPCI Express switch that allowed them to connect the P35 Northbridge's PCIExpress lanes to not one, but a pair of PEG slots. Asus didn't stop there,however, and also outfitted the Blitz boards with a hybrid air / liquidcooling apparatus and a number of other features that are sure to please. Abit IN9 32X-MAX Wi-Fi @ insidehw.com [Aug-14-07] (0 Comments) The author of this article came to love ABIT brand in the time ofnForce2 motherboards, when the already legendary model NF7 presented aperfect motherboard by standards of that time. Many years after, Abit isback with another legendary board based on nForce 680i chipset. Does firstlove last forever? Zalman ZM-RS6F USB Headphones @ tweaktown.com [Aug-11-07] (0 Comments) Although it wasn't long ago we had a look at a pair of Zalma n headphones, we've already got a new pair for you to check out. Well, new isn't entirely the truth, as the ZM-RS6Fs arn't new, they've be en around for a few years now.What Zalman has done to refresh them is to integrate a USB sound card and add a USB connector on the end of the cable. Asus Blitz Formula and Blitz Extreme @ hothardware.com [Aug-11-07] (0 Comments) Asus saw the need for an enthusiast-class motherboard based on theP35 chipset, but with a more flexible PCI Express configuration. Andleveraging what they undoubtedly learned from designing the PW564-WS ,engineered the Blitz Extreme and Blitz Formula motherboards, complete with aPCI Express switch that allowed them to connect the P35 Northbridge's PCIExpress lanes to not one, but a pair of PEG slots. Asus didn't stop there,however, and also outfitted the Blitz boards with a hybrid air / liquidcooling apparatus and a number of other features that are sure to please. Intel P35 Motherboards - Five In The Pit @ tweaktown.com [Aug-11-07] (0 Comments) Now that P35 has been given the all clear and is designed to r un with the new 1333MHz FSB CPUs, P35 based boards are hitting the shelve s. Today we have five on offer, each from a different company.The purpose is of course to see what is on offer, what is worth your mone y and who has the best features. Gigabyte, ASUS, ABIT, Foxconn and ECS pu t their mid-range boards on the chopping block for us, so let's get stu ck into this. CarPuter/Car Computer Vauxhall/Opel Astra Coupe Install @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Aug-09-07] (0 Comments) OK where do I start, my Nick is DaveMark and I have been with car PCs since 2000 but back then they were very basic custom made power supplies and bodged wiring and simple MP3 play back. Now in 2007 new products are constantly coming out for in car design, Such as Incar Power supplies, car designed cases & fanless motherboards. All these parts make it much easier to bring computers into cars.. Intel Desktop Board DG33BU @ insidehw.com [Aug-07-07] (0 Comments) In the last couple of weeks, we were able to present you a fewhigh-quality motherboards with an integrated graphics. All of them werebased on AMD's controller logic, i.e. AMD 690G chipset, which proved to be atop-of-the-notch solution as far as multimedia is concerned. Now it's timeto see how good is Intel's G33 chipset when it comes to multimedia andeveryday use. Antec Nine Hundred Case @ gideontech.com [Aug-05-07] (0 Comments) Today we are going to take a look at the Antec Nine Hundred gaming case. This is a mid-tower ATX case with the capability of using ATX and uATX motherboards. With this case, any gamer or regular computer user who wants a little kick-in-their-case, will be totally satisfied at not only the look and quality, but the whole tower itself inside and out. MSI P6N-Diamond - XSs @ Jon \ [Aug-03-07] (0 Comments) Inthe past Nvidia have produced some of the best enthusiast chipsetsaround, most notably perhaps their nForce 4 for the old AMD 939systems. Still, times have changed now and for quite a while Intel's965P and 975P based motherboards was the way to go with LGA 775systems. However, in recent times Nvidia have clawed their way back inwith their feature packed 680i boards and we have finally got our handson one. The MSI P6N-Diamond which priomises great overclocking, a chockload of features and excellent cooling to boot, let's see if this allrings true. SiS 672FX Reference Board @ hardwaresecrets.com [Aug-01-07] (0 Comments) We benchmarked SiS 672FX, a socket 775 chipset with integrated graphics. Take a look to have a clue on the performance of motherboards based on this chipset. GIGABYTE Triton 180 @ techpowerup.com [Aug-01-07] (0 Comments) One of the biggest names around in the consumer computer world has a new case out called the Triton 180. GIGABYTE, well known for their motherboards and graphics cards has a reach on just about every product type out there in the computer market. So today we will see if their cases are as good as their other products. Silverstone Sugo SG02 SFF chassis @ techpowerup.com [Jul-31-07] (0 Comments) The Sugo SG02 is a small form factor case for MicroATX motherboards which is based on the SG01 Evolution but brings it to the mainstream segment at a much lower price point. The interior of the SFF case is kept very simple but efficient, which makes installation a breeze, while the very unusual white color variant will certainly stand out on any desk, living room or LAN party and goes great with a silver optical drive or two. ASUS Blitz Extreme & Formula Motherboards @ techgage.com [Jul-30-07] (0 Comments) There are numerous P35 boards available, so what does acompany have todo to have an edge? Well, as far as ASUS is concerned, they shouldproduce feature-packed boards that also come with many extras,including a game and 3D Mark 06. Oh... not to mention a water-coolednorthbridge! [News] Gigabyte Triton 180 ATX Chassis @ virtual-hideout.net [Jul-25-07] (0 Comments) Gigabyte Technology is perhaps best known for its motherboards, butthey are active in many other areas. One of them is PC cases, and they arehoping to catch some eyes with their newest series of cases, the Triton 180.The case market has expanded quite a lot in the past few years; no longer isit adequate for a good case to just be well-built. Not only does it have tolook good, but it has to provide a multitude of features such as goodcooling, ease-of-access, and a tool-less design if people will be willing topart with their money for it. Gigabyte hopes to accomplish this with theirTriton 180 series, an entry into the ever-popular mid-tower ATX market. Withits stylish design, it certainly looks the part - but does it deliver thegoods? Abit IP35 Pro and AB9 QuadGT Motherboards @ hothardware.com [Jul-24-07] (0 Comments) The dilemma is, if you wanted a mid-range to high-end Intel powered systemusing an Intel-built chipset, which is the best choice? While mostenthusiasts gravitate towards the latest and greatest, there is definitelysomething to be said for new products which are based on more maturechipsets like the 965. The kinks have been worked out, feature sets aretypically stable and perform well, and they usually offer a much betterexperience 'out of the box' rather than dealing with first generationhardware and their usual driver issues and quirks. Abit AN-M2 Motherboard @ hardwaresecrets.com [Jul-19-07] (0 Comments) Our review of Abit AN-M2, a socket AM2 motherboard with on-board video based on the nVidia GeForce 7025-630a chipset competing with motherboards based on AMD 690V and AMD 690G. abit AirPace WiFi PCI-E Card @ techgage.com [Jul-17-07] (0 Comments) abit is well known for their graphic cards andmotherboards, especiallyto the enthusiast crowd. However, network cards was a new one on us,but that changed now that we've taken a look at their reliable PCI-EWiFi card. The best part:It's currently available for $6 after MIR atone popular e-tailer. [News] ECS NF650iSLIT-A Socket 775 Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Jul-06-07] (0 Comments) For a budget targeted SLI platforms, the ECS NF650SLIT-A Motherboardis a good, stable bang-for-buck option. At around $115.00 USD, it issimilarly priced to other 650-SLI motherboards. Chances are if you see thisboard in a local store, the price will be lower than comparable boards. Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R @ techgage.com [Jul-03-07] (0 Comments) Gigabyte, like others, released a slew of motherboards utilizing Intel's P35 chipset when it was first announced. The P35C-DS3R is unique to their line-up though, since it will accept both DDR2 and DDR3 memory. We pit the boards performance using both types of memory against our recently reviewed ASUS P5K and P5K3. Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer soundcard @ bit-tech.net [Jul-01-07] (0 Comments) For around £62 (inc. VAT), (or £56 if you are a regularcontributor in our community and qualify for free delivery with Scan)the Creative XtremeGamer is a serious bargain. You might be a bit waryof investing in a PCI card, but the slots should still be around inmotherboards for a few years yet, and it's a small investment comparedto shelling out £150-plus for the top models. It's Vista support isreally very good, although we'd still like Creative to include a taskbar icon like they do in Windows XP.Okay, you don't get the 64MB of X-RAM or I/O connector for expansion,but you still get a very capable card for entertainment, gaming andaudio creation. Some people would argue that on-board sound does thejob just fine, especially since many now offer the same extra Dolby andDTS that discrete cards use, but the sound quality of the XtremeGameris just head and shoulders over anything on-board. Intel "Mysterious" Celeron processor revealed @ insidehw.com [Jun-29-07] (0 Comments) Another of the processors on the test came into our possessionthanks to pure luck, packed with one of the motherboards that came indirectly from the faraway Taiwan. At first we thought that it was a standardC2D processor, but CPU-Z and BIOS revealed non-announced, mysterious Celeronprocessor, based on Conroe-L core. DFI @ techpowerup.com [Jun-15-07] (0 Comments) DFI is one of the top manufacturers for high-end enthusiast motherboards, so it does not surprise to see new products using all the latest and greatest in chipset technology. We could see new Intel X38 motherboards with both DDR2 and DDR3. Also on display was the new AMD RD790 motherboard for AMD Socket AM2. Soon, DFI will announce a revolutionary feature that improves cooling of the motherboard components. Gigabyte 3D Rocket II CPU Cooler @ thinkcomputers.org [Jun-15-07] (0 Comments) When you hear the name Gigabyte you think motherboards, or at leastI do. Actually Gigabyte makes a lot of different products ranging from videocards to laptops. Today we will be looking at one of their CPU coolingofferings, the 3D Rocket II. The 3D Rocket II features a dual fan ductdesign, 4 heatpipes, and a fan control unit. It can tackle both sides of thefield being able to support both Intel and AMD platforms. Let's take alook... Biostar @ techpowerup.com [Jun-15-07] (0 Comments) Biostar has been doing incredibly well with their T-Series motherboards. The latest products use all the new Intel chipsets like X38 and G33. On the video cards side the V-Ranger voltage control features have been extended to the GeForce 8600 Series. ASRock @ techpowerup.com [Jun-14-07] (0 Comments) ASRock had a number of cost-effective Core 2 Duo motherboards on display which all support up to 1333 MHz FSB. Another novelty was the ConRoe 1333-DVI/H R2.0 which comes with a DVI add-on card that has to be installed in a PCI-Express slot and reroutes the Intel Integrated Graphics to a DVI port with HDCP support. eVGA nForce 680i SLI @ techgage.com [Jun-11-07] (0 Comments) eVGA has released numerous motherboards in the past twoyears, but weare going to take a look at their most recent top offering, the nForce680i SLI. Coming from a company who knows how to cater to enthusiasts,will the board leave us impressed like their graphics cards do? ASUS P5K3 Deluxe WiFi-AP @ techgage.com [Jun-04-07] (0 Comments) Intel's P35 chipset was only just released, but ASUSalready has sevenmotherboards which utilize it. We are taking a look at one of their topmodels, the P5K3 Deluxe. This board utilizes DDR3 memory and has WiFicapabilities built-in. It also turns out to be a great overclocker. [News] OCZ 2x1GB PC2-8500 Reaper HPC Memory Kit @ virtual-hideout.net [Jun-02-07] (0 Comments) If the concept works for motherboards, CPU, and VGA coolers, why noton memory modules? The OCZ DDR2 PC2-8500 Reaper HPC Memory is such acreature now utilizing the heat pipe design accompanying some very capablePC2-6400, PC2-8500, and PC2-9200 memory modules. Being the power hungry userI am, it was an excellent treat to receive the kit in the mail. Allow me togive you a quick informative tour of what it can do. ASUS Vento 7700 @ techgage.com [Jun-01-07] (0 Comments) Long known as a high quality motherboard manufacturer,Asus isn’tnormally included in conversations about computer chassis. With theirVento line of gaming cases, Asus looks to expand their reach evenfurther into the gaming industry. Is it worth it or should they stickto motherboards? We intend to find out. Ultra Products Gladiator Mid-Tower Case @ modders-inc.com [May-25-07] (0 Comments) The Gladiator is a mid tower case that supports AT, baby AT, ATX,and micro ATX motherboards. The case is constructed of 1mm thick high gradesteel and has a total of 10 drive bays. The Gladiator also utilizes severalTool-less features from the 5 =BC inch drive bays to the PCI slots. TheGladiator even includes an Intel TAC compliant CPU duct and VGA vent. DDR-2 vs. DDR-3 Memory An exhaustive look @ tweaktown.com [May-24-07] (0 Comments) The release of the P35 chipset from Intel has marked DDR-3 memory coming to the mainstream market. While pricey at the moment and not looking all that attractive when it comes to timings, we find ourselves in the same position as at the launch of DDR-2 which came with a high price tag and pretty ordinary looking specs out of the gate.With a bunch of motherboards along with some DDR-3 memory from our friends at Corsair, we are going to dive in and have a look at exactly what an upgrade to DDR-3 is going to do for us at this point in time but is it worth jumping straight on the bandwagon right now? Maybe we should wait it out for a bit? Is the P35 a worthy upgrade from the P965? This and more will be answered as we look through a number of different setups and benchmarks in this article. 3RSystem M-Station HT-1000 HTPC Chassis @ viperlair.com [May-22-07] (0 Comments) The case itself is very attractive to the eye, and designed to fit in with your existing A/V gear; something it manages with aplomb. Available in three colours, the silver model we chose fits in perfectly with its surroundings. Hardware installation needs to be thought out a little but there were no real 'gotchas' caused by the case itself. No sharp edges either, allowing for a pain free installation. The HT-1000 supports both ATX and mATX motherboards and has provision for a full ATX PSU, allowing you to build a high powered system, perhaps for some large screen gaming. MSI PC2008 in Taipei Event Exclusive (Part 1:Upcoming MB and VGA) @ tweaktown.com [May-11-07] (0 Comments) Wednesday this week our friends at MSI had a big launch event for a wide range of new products here in Taipei and TweakTown was on the guest list of invitees.Not only did MSI launch a range of new Santa Rosa notebooks, but also on display were new motherboards and graphics cards. Due to the amount of products that were shown, the report from the event will be split up in two parts. The first will cover the motherboards and graphics cards and the next part will cover the notebooks and give an introduction to the new Centrino platform, previously known as Santa Rosa. MSI P35 Platinum Motherboard Retail Bearlake hit the shelves @ tweaktown.com [May-10-07] (0 Comments) Now motherboards based on Intels P35 chipset are hitting shop shelves in Taiwan and other places around the world, we are able to start testing and providing reviews.Today we have been given the first of what we hope to be many retail boards based on the Bearlake P35 chipset. It is set to replace the Intel P965 chip as the mid-range monster with some updated features and specs such as support for upcoming 45nm Wolfdale and Yorkfield processors, PCI Express 2.0, updated ICH9 Southbridge as well as support for DDR-3 memory. P35 Series from Gigabyte @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-02-07] (0 Comments) P35 (codename Bearlake) is the next Intel chipset family that will be launched June 4th which will have DDR3 support. We could take a look on some of the motherboards Gigabyte will release by then, check it out. BFG Tech GeForce 8600GTS OC - SLI Performance Analysis @ tweaktown.com [May-01-07] (0 Comments) Someone asked me the other day if I thought SLI was just a marketing gimmick or a real technology that is actually worth considering. SLI is a great upgrade option for a lot of people, especially now with a large amount of SLI motherboards available for the impressive Intel Core 2 Duo processor lineup.Generally unless you are buying top of the line graphics cards like the GeForce 8800GTS or GTX, going out and buying a pair of lower-end cards for SLI is not really what we would consider good value for money. What the extra dollars equate to means that you could get a faster single card solution and not have to worry about some games not supporting SLI. The technology is best when implemented with someone buying a card like the new GeForce 8600GTS today, and then three months down the track, when they have some extra dollars, add a second card into the mix. [News] ABIT IN9 32X-MAX 680i-SLI Motherboard @ virtual-hideout.net [Apr-29-07] (0 Comments) As performance champions go, the 965X has had more success in theoverclocking and price to performance area for many makers. Some 975Xmotherboards like the AW9D-MAX, have helped in regaining and setting somevery good overclocking records among the enthusiasts the past few months.Half of the credit goes to ABIT's ability to release better and better BIOSrevisions while the other half goes to the electronics quality. At somepoint though, a BIOS begins to out pace the motherboard, so it becomesnecessary to update revision or chipset based motherboard. I'd like to thankABIT for sending us one of their newest motherboards that comes prepared forspeed and ready to show off in any windowed computer enclosure. So, whatdoes their IN9 32X-MAX 680i SLI Motherboard have to offer besides good looksand frame rates? You'll just have to read on. EVGA nForce 650i Ultra Motherboard - nForce on a Budget @ pcper.com [Apr-26-07] (0 Comments) =93The EVGA nForce 650i Ultra motherboard is a great option forperformance users looking for a feature-filled and overclockable motherboardwithout a $200+ price tag.=A0 The new 650i Ultra chipset won't be able toreplace the 680i motherboards as the top enthusiast platform but for usersthat can't see spending more than $150 on a motherboard, the EVGA nForce650i Ultra motherboard is definitely going to hit the spot.=94 DFI LANParty UT ICFX3200-T2R/G @ nordichardware.com [Apr-16-07] (0 Comments) There are quite a few motherboards to choose from for the Intel Socket 775, but most of them are based on Intel's P965 or 975X chipset. They have both been around for some time now and lately we've noticed the launch of a couple of new chipsets from other manufacturers. Among these we have NVIDIA 680i, 650i and ATI RD600. Onboard Video Acceleration:ATi Vs. Intel Vs. nVidia @ thetechlounge.com [Apr-13-07] (0 Comments) Every major chipset manufacturer has chipsets with onboard video. Since ATi's added Avivo to their motherboards, the pot has beenstirred. So the question begs asking... of Intel, NVIDIA and ATI, whose chipset delivers the best video acceleration performance? ECS NF650iSLIT-A Motherboard Much more affordable than 680i @ tweaktown.com [Apr-10-07] (0 Comments) Today we are looking at nVidias mainstream SLI product designed to keep the costs down but give the customer something that is worth the money. Today we are looking at the nVidia nForce 650i SLI chipset in the form of the version 1.0 NF650iSLIT-A motherboard from ECS.Its advantage is that it is cheaper than more expensive 680i SLI and 680i SLI LT motherboards but does that make it a substandard motherboard? Lets read on and check out the onboard features, performance and overclocking and then try and make a decision. ASUS EAX1950PRO Video Card @ thinkcomputers.org [Apr-09-07] (0 Comments) ASUS is a name mainly known for motherboards, but over the past fewyears they have expanded their product link to include video cards,monitor's, laptops, and other consumer electronic devices. Today we will belooking at one of their video cards the EAX1950 Pro. The card features ATI'sX1950 Pro GPU, 256MB of GDDR3, CrossFire Support, and HDCP support. We willbe testing it against the recently reviewed Sapphire X1900 XT video card. Gigabyte N680SLI-DQ6 Motherboard nForce 680i done to perfection @ tweaktown.com [Apr-02-07] (0 Comments) Gigabyte in true form has taken up this new chipset as part of their Dual Quad series. And while the Taiwanese motherboard group has been much slower to release their 680i product, theyve finally done it and we quite interested to find out if the wait has been worth it or not.Labelled the N680SLI-DQ6, we can only expect the best, as only the best and brightest get the DQ6 naming treatment from Gigabyte. Lets see if the impressive DQ6 line of motherboards continues as we shoot for the highest ever FSB overclock ever recorded in our labs. A look at Penryn, Nehalem and Intel's Future @ bit-tech.net [Mar-29-07] (0 Comments) Say goodbye to the northbridge, because Nehalem will integratethe memory controller into the CPU core.Intel is finally ready to do what AMD has been doing for years with theK8 architecture - incorporate an on-die memory controller, to lowermemory access latencies, reduce power consumption of the whole platformand make designing future motherboards far easier.This could be be a marketing nightmare for Intel’s PR and the greencamp is going to be rolling around the floor in fits of glee at thisnews, but respect to Intel for ultimately biting the bullet and makingthe right choice. That said, Intel was in a similar situation when itcreated the Pentium M and had to convince the market the MHz wasn’t theonly performance rating that mattered after years of preaching thecontrary – and that turned out to be one of the most successful movesfor Intel in recent history. abit AB9 QuadGT Fully fledged P965 motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Mar-23-07] (0 Comments) Now under the Universal abit brand name, the bad ass attitude of ABIT is back with a vengeance. So far we have tested three motherboards under the Universal abit brand - A8N 32X, AB9 Pro and the IN9 32X SLI motherboards and they all performed quite well with the exception of the latter which failed to impressed with very poor overclocking results.Today we have a new motherboard based on Intels P965 chipset, the same that was used in the AB9 Pro board, but with a few updates to the design and layout.It is aimed at taking on ASUS and Gigabytes Crossfire dual graphics based Intel P965 motherboard - today we test the AB9 QuadGT and see if ABIT are able to produce a motherboard for your Core 2 processor which packs some punch. World-Exclusive:Sapphire PI-AM2RS690MHD @ techpowerup.com [Mar-23-07] (0 Comments) Sapphire's latest motherboard is based on AMD's RS690 chipset which features integrated VGA and HDMI output onboard. The board is an excellent choice for media PC systems since it is MicroATX and supports audio via HDMI. Performance is almost equal to much more expensive RD580 motherboards, the BIOS also has a load of overclocking options. ASUS P5N-E SLI @ Pro-Clockers @ pro-clockers.com [Mar-19-07] (0 Comments) One of the first Nvidia 650i enabled motherboards came from ASUS. TheP5N-E SLI offers a low cost solution to the masses that want to build eithera gaming rig or overclocking powerhouse on a tight budget. With the supportof SLI, ample voltage selections and ram adjustment, you get everything youwill find in the P5N32-E SLI except for dual 16x PCI-e bandwidth and superhuge copper cooling sinks. CeBIT 2007 coverage from Taiwan (Part 1) DDR-3, SSD and R600 @ tweaktown.com [Mar-13-07] (0 Comments) We managed to get the low down on Intels upcoming P35 Bearlake chipset with native 1333 FSB and DDR-3 memory support. We got our first look at some brand spankin new DDR-3 memory modules. Albatron was showing working nVidia MXM modules along with some fancy Mini-ITX motherboards. TEAM Memory showed us 64GB and 128GB IDE and SATA Solid State drives. MSI were showing a range of new products including a portable device capable of picking up digital TV on the run. ABIT showed us a range of their upcoming Intel Bearlake motherboards and the list goes on.Put your seatbelt on for Part 1 and prepare yourself for the ride! We are bringing you this content about a full day before CeBIT Germany 2007 begins and well ahead of any other publications. Part 2 will be online March 14th covering everything else that wasnt covered here. EPoX Optimus EP-AF590 SLI2 Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Mar-02-07] (0 Comments) The highest offering from nVidia for AMD Athlon K8 is the nForce 590SLI boasting dual full-speed PCI Express x16 slots, advanced RAID features and overclocking that manages to score really high for the AMD platform. nVidia did announce the upcoming nForce 680a chipset and we are interested to see what that will bring but we have heard anything about motherboards based on this chipset as yet.Today we are looking at the nForce 590SLI chipset in a motherboard from EPoX, one of the biggest AMD supporters since the K7 era. EPoX back in the day made some of the best overclocking motherboards that money could buy but recently fell off the horse a little recently but is it time for them to make a comeback with their fancy Optimus EP-AF590 SLI2 Motherboard? AMD 690 Chipset Series P @ techpowerup.com [Feb-28-07] (0 Comments) AMD's 690 Chipset Series is the first new product since the AMD/ATI merger in October last year. The RS690 is designed to be a low-cost, power efficient Athlon64 chipset which can be used in notebooks and desktop PCs. It features integrated VGA with support for HDMI and DVI - at the same time. With motherboards retailing in the $60 range this chipset has great potential on the budget market. Gigabyte 965P-DQ6 Rev 3.3 and Mushkin PSU @ tweaktown.com [Feb-10-07] (0 Comments) One of our first motherboard to come into our labs based on the P965 Express chipset was the Gigabyte P965-DQ6. This board had it all - great overclocking, plenty of features onboard as well as a great look and feel. Gigabyte did have a few issues with this board in terms of stability, a few samples refused to work properly, this produced a 2.0 revision. While this may have been enough, Gigabyte sporting its new Gigabyte United name still wasnt fully happy and has now brought out a new revision 3.3 model which on paper looks to be fantastic. The newly formed company is quite serious about making their motherboards the highest quality in the industry with improvements such as All-Solid Capacitor designs using the most expensive components from Japan.Today we will explore the revision 3.3 DQ6 motherboard as there have been quite a few changes made to the overall design. Well check out those new changes and then compare it to the first DQ6 released and against one of the best P965 motherboards we have tested so far, the ASUS Commando. Foxconn 7950 GT OC 512MB Video Card @ thetechlounge.com [Feb-05-07] (0 Comments) What company first comes to mind when you think about NVIDIA video cards? Chances are you're thinking of either BFG, XFX, or EVGA.In today's review we'll be taking a look at an overclocked 7950 GT from an enormous company whom, ironically, you may not be thatfamiliar with, Foxconn. Chances are you own something Foxconn had a part in making. They produce Apple's iPod and Mac Mini,Intel-branded motherboards, components for Dell, Hewlett Packard, and more... The reason Foxconn may not come to mind as a graphicscard vendor is that they didn't enter the market until March of last year. We'll compare their overclocked 7950 GT with a standardLeadtek 7950 GT along with 6 other cards. Intel's 45nm Process And The First Signs Of Penryn @ hothardware.com [Jan-27-07] (0 Comments) Intel said the first products to use this technology will likely be 35Wmobile CPUs, with servers and desktops to follow depending on platformreadiness. If your wondering if your motherboard will support Penryn, Intelexpects some motherboard developers will have to make minor modification tosupport Penryn, which include some BIOS changes and perhaps electricalchanges. Some of the current crop of LGA775 compatible motherboards arelikely to work, however. It'll be a similar situation to the Conroe launch. Biostar T-Force N4SLIA9T SLI Socket 939 ATX Motherboard @ rbmods.com [Jan-26-07] (0 Comments) Motherboards aren't the most glamorous piece of equipment in a computer build, but choosing a good one can dramatically affect your computer's overall performance and functionality. Biostar, a popular motherboard manufacturer, offers the T-Force N4SLIA9T SLI Socket 939 motherboard that is packed with features and offers some unique overclocking utilities to help in boosting the computer's performance to the next level. But does it deliver where it counts? Read on to find out more. Asus at XYZ Computing @ xyzcomputing.com [Jan-24-07] (0 Comments) Of all the hardware companies I met with at CES, Asus may have had the best showing. Not only do these guys consistently pump out interesting products, but they do so across their entire line. This means their booth was packed enough notebooks, motherboards, monitors, and portable devices to keep a tech editor busy for some time. This year I focused my Asus coverage mainly on their notebooks, because I think this is where they are making the most headway. Some of their motherboards are extremely solid, but the portable device segment was where the newest and most exciting technology was on display. ASUS @ thinkcomputers.org [Jan-21-07] (0 Comments) When you hear the name ASUS you mainly think motherboards, but they make a whole lot of other products too. At this year'sCES they showed us a lot of really cool products like laptops, cell phones, GPS units, routers, video cards, and of course newmotherboards. So let's see what ASUS has in store for us this year! Asus at XYZ Computing @ xyzcomputing.com [Jan-20-07] (0 Comments) Of all the hardware companies I met with at CES, Asus may have had the best showing. Not only do these guys consistently pump out interesting products, but they do so across their entire line. This means their booth was packed enough notebooks, motherboards, monitors, and portable devices to keep a tech editor busy for some time. This year I focused my Asus coverage mainly on their notebooks, because I think this is where they are making the most headway. Some of their motherboards are extremely solid, but the portable device segment was where the newest and most exciting technology was on display. abit Fatal1ty AN9 32X @ nordichardware.com [Jan-16-07] (0 Comments) Abit needs no further introduction. Among overclockers and game enthusiasts it has always been a manufacturer you can trust because performance is high on the wish list. Through the years, Abit has manufactured motherboards that manage to deliver an outstanding overclocking. Asus Striker Extreme nForce 680i SLI @ hothardware.com [Jan-16-07] (0 Comments) Asus has gone above and beyond the call of duty, and has set a newbar for high-end gaming / enthusiast class motherboards. The Striker Extremeis an excellent product overall, and dare we say is a masterpiece due to howwell thought out this design is. Once you work with this board for anextended period of time, you can begin to appreciate the work put in byAsus' R&D team -- these guys know what they're doing and have made amotherboard that proves it. Asus Crosshair motherboard ed @ bit-tech.net [Jan-12-07] (0 Comments) So in all, for a pure gaming PC it offers a greatperforming, stableoption for people looking for a machine based around socket AM2 withsupport for SLI. For a workstation PC that can take some hardcore I/O,it doesn't fair so good, but then again, it isn't marketed to do that.Some people have complained that the Asus Republic of Gamers seriesboards are just a licence to charge more, and that the cost isexcessive. There's no doubting this board is one of the more expensive socket AM2motherboards based on the same chipset, but you do get a lot more foryour money in terms of quirky features. Despite only slightly betteroverclocking, if those extra features appeal to you than the AsusCrosshair is a good choice. CES 2007- An Overview @ xyzcomputing.com [Jan-12-07] (0 Comments) Expectation for this year's CES have been quite mixed. While this is the number one time of the year for a company to make a big product release every year can't be a blockbuster and this year was decidedly more about evolution than revolution. The large majority of what happens at CES has to do with consumer electronics, which means that while computer hardware companies do show up they are not the focus and they are definitely not in the majority. When it comes down to it, CES is all about big money consumer electronics products, like LCD televisions and cell phones, not so much computer cases, hard drives, and motherboards. That said, there are more than enough companies here to keep things interesting and while we did a lot of CE coverage, we are going to keep things separate so all you computer enthusiasts can get what you want and then read about the rest if you want. ASUS WL-500W SuperSpeed N Wireless Router @ thinkcomputers.org [Jan-02-07] (0 Comments) ASUS isn't just known for its fantastic motherboards and bare-bones laptops. It also produces a series of wireless devices,most notably the WL-500G, an 802.11g-compliant wireless router that has a built-in USB port. The router can be combined with anexternal hard drive to set up a file server, or a printer to set up a print server. The WL-500W, the subject of this review, is theWL-500G's big brother. It is a pre-N router, meaning it supports the most current draft specifications of 802.11n as of itsmanufacture date and firmware revision. Read on for a investigative review. CoolerMaster Mars @ overclockersonline.net [Dec-08-06] (0 Comments) Overall I was pleased with the Cooler Master Mars. The size and design of the Mars compliments installation on a number of motherboards and the mounting hardware included with the Mars makes it a snap to install on AMD or Intel. Performance wasn't quite were I was hoping in the AMD testing but the C2D from Intel responded quite well to the Mars. Akasa Power+ 650W Power Supply @ pcper.com [Nov-27-06] (0 Comments) The Performance Series Power+ 650W power supply from Akasa isreported to be very popular in Europe and features heavy duty construction,four independent +12V outputs, and support for multi-CPU motherboards. TheAkasa 650W power supply unit (PSU) was designed for hi-performance desktopsystems and incorporates dual fans in a push-pull configuration forexceptional cooling. The Akasa PSU comes with sleeved cables, a wealth ofconnectors, and active PFC with universal AC input. Intel P965 Shootout Part 2 Gigabyte, ABIT and Biostar @ tweaktown.com [Nov-27-06] (0 Comments) The Intel P965 chipset has really impressed us in the fact that it may be classed as the mainstream chipset compared to the older and more expensive 975X chipset but its features and performance surpass the enthusiast 975X chipset with DDR2-800 memory support, high FSB overclocking potential and now with Crossfire support, its hard to consider a 975X chipset.We had already planned to do this second part roundup but waiting for all of the motherboards to come into our labs was a bit of a push back affair. After nearly two months of waiting we now have four more boards to put on our chopping blocks two from Gigabyte, one from ABIT and one from Biostar. ABIT AW9D-MAX @ techPowerUp! @ techpowerup.com [Nov-06-06] (0 Comments) Abit has a long history of producing top notch motherboards for overclockers and enthusiasts. Their new AW9D-MAX is designed for Intel's Core 2 platform using the i975X chipset. On the feature list there is everybody you could find useful:Dual Gigabit Ethernet, 8x SATA-II, Firewire and two PCI-Express x16 slots for your video cards. To make your life easier this board includes abit's proprietary UGuru technology. We test the board thoroughly to see if it can live up to the hype, especially when it comes to overclocking. Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Processor @ legitreviews.com [Nov-02-06] (0 Comments) Intel has been cranking out impressive processors during 2006 and it looks like Intel has any intentions of bringing that to an end any time soon. The first Intel quad-core processor looks to be a winner in a number of ways, but the most important is the fact that many motherboards that have the i975 Express chipset need nothing more than a BIOS update to enable quad-core support. When it comes to applications that take advantage of four cores no other desktop processor from AMD, or even Intel for that matter, come close to the performance levels that we have recorded with quad-core. ECS 945G-M3 M-ATX Motherboard @ gruntville.com [Nov-01-06] (0 Comments) As the basis for a HTPC, this is an excellent choice. The board was desi gned to be used as a stable platform for desktop and HTPC use and it does t his job with aplomb. I feel that anyone looking for an inexpensive mother board for a HTPC will find this board offers everything they are looking fo r, including the low price. MIME encoded twice @ computingondemand.com [Oct-18-06] (0 Comments) If you haven't gone through it already, you just might. I spent abunch of money on motherboards recently and they all seem to be having the sameproblem. Is it because they just don't make them like they used to? I amreferring to the active cooling on my Northbridge; the fans keep makingfunny noises then crapping out. It drives me crazy. Usually though, theactive cooling on the Northbridge was always sub par any way; just enough toget by. With all the advancements in mobos, the cooling solutions have been getting more and more important. Sowith two fans going on two different motherboards, what options do we haveleft? ThermaltakeR not only has an answer, they claim they have a bettersolution than was shipped with the motherboard in the first place. Enter theExtreme Spirit II. SilverStone TJ08 mATX Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Oct-18-06] (0 Comments) Normally when we think mini or micro ATX cases we think of small for factor (SFF) type cases. As these types of motherboardsget more powerful more people are using them and want a nice tower case to put on top of their desk. It is really hard to find anormal case for the smaller motherboard sizes. Well SilverStone, a brand known for quality in excellence in their products has addedanother member to the Temjin family. The TJ08 is a Micro-ATX case that carry's on SilverStone's great quality. So let's take alook. SiS 771 Reference Board @ hardwaresecrets.com [Oct-17-06] (0 Comments) We benchmarked the forthcoming SiS 771, a socket AM2 chipset with integrated graphics. Take a look to have a clue on the performance of motherboards based on this new chipset. PC Perspective Server Update Detail @ pcper.com [Oct-12-06] (0 Comments) Long a staple in the DIY server market, Tyan makes kits for justabout any server platform and since we have been using Tyan motherboards inour servers for nearly all of the seven years of our existence, I was morethan comfortable depending on them for the future of the site as well. Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5 2GB DDR2 Memory Kit @ xyzcomputing.com [Oct-03-06] (0 Comments) This time we are going to be a testing a 2GB kit from Corsair. The TWIN2X2048-8500C5 is a dual channel 2x1024MB kit from Corsair aimed at performance enthusiasts. This memory is best paired with Nvidia's nForce 590 SLI chipset motherboards, like our Asus M2N32 SLI. This is the memory industry's first mass-produced DDR2-1066 2GB kit so performance seekers should take notice. We are going to test it out and see just what it can do in our rig. DFI LANPARTY UT CFX3200-DR @ hothardware.com [Oct-03-06] (0 Comments) DFI has earned a reputation over the last couple of years forproducing feature-rich, enthusiast friendly motherboards. DFI's decked outLANPARTY family of motherboards in particular has become known to manyaround the world as a family of products that cater to the unique needs ofthe enthusiast and overclocking communities. Today we present to you DFI'sLANPARTY UT CFX3200-DR. Build around the CrossFire Xpress 3200 chipset andwith a plethora of BIOS options and integrated peripherals, this board has DFI vs. MSI Conroe 975X Motherboards Tested @ tweaktown.com [Sep-20-06] (0 Comments) Since Intel arent intending on releasing a new enthusiast level chipset for their processors for sometime, we are starting to see new revisions of older motherboards released like the ASUS P5W-DH - which is simply a P5WD2-E Premium with Core 2 support. Today we are looking at two new motherboards from MSI and DFI which are designed for Core 2 and Core 2 Extreme processors. MSI K9N Platinum @ eclipseoc.com [Sep-14-06] (0 Comments) In the past, MSI has made solid motherboards forthe enthusiast that pack a punch for the cost, and provide plenty ofoverclocking options for the average tweaker. Hopefully MSI can staytrue to their past with their new AM2 boards. Hardware Leaderboard - Intel takes the spotlight! @ pcper.com [Sep-05-06] (0 Comments) The Dream system uses the top Core 2 Extreme X6800 processor and annForce4 SLI X16 motherboard to support the GeForce 7950 GX2 video card andeven Quad SLI. Because the nForce 590 SLI motherboards are still notavailable for the Intel platform, we were forced to choose between an nForce570 SLI motherboard or the nForce 4 SLI X16 option from Asus. We used thisAsus NF4 SLI X16 board in our own Quad SLI testing and found it to be morethan capable of delivering an enthusiast-class experience, so onto theleaderboard it went. nForce 570 SLI Intel Edition @ hothardware.com [Sep-02-06] (0 Comments) We recently received one of Asus' new P5NSLI motherboards that'sbuilt around the NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI chipset. The Asus P5NSLI is amid-range Core 2 Duo compatible and SLI capable motherboard targeted atmainstream users on a budget. While it may not have all off the bells andwhistles of some higher-end products, the P5NSLI does have a relativelycomplete feature set that is likely to fit the needs of all but the mostdemanding power users. ECS KA3 MVP and MSI K9A Platinum XPress 3200 @ pcper.com [Sep-01-06] (0 Comments) Both have their strengths, but the MSI K9A Platinum is a slightlybetter choice in our opinion due to the minor BIOS and layout quirks that wedidn't like on the ECS KA3 MVP. Both boards are a slight let down after thestrength of the ATI reference board and the first Socket 939 motherboardsbased on the XPress 3200 chipsets. Both might gain a lot of ground withsteady BIOS updates, but neither manufacturer has shown signs of taking thisroute either. Biostar TForce 570 U Deluxe @ overclockersonline.com [Aug-26-06] (0 Comments) With solid performance, a nice package of accessories, and the potential for an overclocking monster in there, I have to be pretty pleased with the Biostar TForce 570 U Deluxe on the whole and think it will fit a nice gap in the AM2 market for those that don't need SLI but still want a motherboard that can compete with only a single video card slot. I look forward to more Biostar motherboards as the TForce 570 U certainly shows signs of brilliance. Asus P5W DH Deluxe - 975X Core 2 Motherboard @ hothardware.com [Aug-25-06] (0 Comments) Probably one of the best looking motherboards to grace our labs in along time, the P5W DH Deluxe is what some might call a EVGA 7900 GT KO Superclocked @ pureoverclock.com [Aug-18-06] (0 Comments) Our US cousins have been enjoying EVGA video cards (andmotherboards) for quite some time now, but in the UK we've been distinctlyvoid of their presence in the market. Luckily for us Brit's, EVGA havefinally decided to have a crack at the UK and certainly aren't in this toplay second fiddle to the likes of BFG and XFX. To lure you away from thecompetition, EVGA offer some heavyweight after sales support, and anyonewho's had a poor RMA experience (me) will know how important this can be. First Looks from Taiwan RD600 "CrossFire Xpress 3200 IE" @ tweaktown.com [Aug-02-06] (0 Comments) That completes our initial first look at ATIs upcoming RD600 chipset from our top secret location in Taiwan. It is quite clear to see that even before we have had the chance to get our hands on a finely tweaked retail motherboard, the RD600 is going to very popular with gamers and overclockers. Performance is up there with Intel 975X and we overclocking is a dream perfect for users wanting top notch value for money, which is one of the fundamental reasons overclocking first become popular back in the days of Intel 440BX motherboards and Celeron 300A processors. First Looks from Taiwan RD600 "CrossFire Xpress 3200 IE" @ tweaktown.com [Aug-02-06] (0 Comments) That completes our initial first look at ATIs upcoming RD600 chipset from our top secret location in Taiwan. It is quite clear to see that even before we have had the chance to get our hands on a finely tweaked retail motherboard, the RD600 is going to very popular with gamers and overclockers. Performance is up there with Intel 975X and we overclocking is a dream perfect for users wanting top notch value for money, which is one of the fundamental reasons overclocking first become popular back in the days of Intel 440BX motherboards and Celeron 300A processors. Intel 925X Express Chipset @ techdomain.com.au [Jul-26-06] (0 Comments) Taking advantage of this new I/O system technology, and advances in DDR SDRAM memory, Intel has brought out a new range of chipsets, the 900 series. All chipsets and motherboards in the 900 series use PCI-Express technology. There are two distinct chipsets so far in this range, the mainstream 915 Express chipset and the performance/enthusiast aimed 925X chipset.I will be taking a look at the very appealing performance Chipset labeled the 925X, or Alderwood. This chipset includes the new PCI-Express technology along with DDR2 memory support, Intel Matrix Raid Storage, and the PCI-Express x16 graphics card interface. There is also support for all the latest Pentium CPUs with the new LGA775 socket. OCZ Tempest CPU Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Jul-24-06] (0 Comments) There was a time awhile back that OCZ was a big name in the coolingarena. Products like the Dominator and the Eliminator sat atop many socket Aand 370 processors and motherboards. OCZ had moved now to dominating thememory market. We could sit and write about OCZ accomplishments in memoryall day long. But it seems that they are gearing themselves to reestablishtheir name in the cooling market again. The Tempest is the first productreleased under the cooling category in this new era. Will it keep up withthe Zalmans and the Scythes of today? Let's see. SilverStone ELEMENT ST50EF 500w Power Supply @ ngohq.com [Jul-20-06] (0 Comments) Everything is just right, cables are aplenty and just the right length. Dual PCI-E connectors assure smooth dual video card operation. The motherboard connector fits both 20 and 24 pin motherboards, and of course it has the 4 pin 12v lead for the CPU. The SATA, Floppy, and Peripheral (incorrectly known as Molex) connectors are there as well, could always use more of those but there are enough to be adequate. Did I mention that this product has both ATi and Nvidia's stamp of approval for operating their Dual-GPU technology? quoted-printable encoded unnecessarily @ ngohq.com [Jul-11-06] (0 Comments) At Computex 2006, we had the chance to see a new memory module from GeIL. EVO ONE is its name, and it is the enthusiast's wet dream. These days, memory plays an important role in running today's games and applications. However, some motherboards can be a bottleneck when it comes to high performance memory. Most of the motherboard manufacturers today are drawing voltage from the 3.3v rail to power memory modules. Only one manufacturer is using the 5v rail, which allows the user higher overclocking, and that's DFI. Even with DDR2, the voltage is pretty limited on many motherboards. quoted-printable encoded unnecessarily @ ngohq.com [Jul-11-06] (0 Comments) At Computex 2006, we had the chance to see a new memory module from GeIL. EVO ONE is its name, and it is the enthusiast's wet dream. These days, memory plays an important role in running today's games and applications. However, some motherboards can be a bottleneck when it comes to high performance memory. Most of the motherboard manufacturers today are drawing voltage from the 3.3v rail to power memory modules. Only one manufacturer is using the 5v rail, which allows the user higher overclocking, and that's DFI. Even with DDR2, the voltage is pretty limited on many motherboards. nMedia Icetank @ overclockersonline.com [Jun-28-06] (0 Comments) The nMedia Icetank started off well with an easy first mount andended well with solid performance, easily competing with a recognized greatin the world of air cooling. The size of the Icetank is smaller and lighterthan some but it stills requires a little finesse when mounting in somemotherboards. Being Socket 754/939/AM2/478/775 ready out of the box is alsoa nice touch that many cannot achieve, the Icetank does. Sapphire quietly launches X1800GTO2 @ ngohq.com [Jun-18-06] (0 Comments) Sapphire is a well-known ATi partner. Their graphic cards and motherboards are popular world-wide. It seems that Sapphire has shipped many X1800GTO2 units to world-wide shops already. Sapphire introduced the GTO2 line with their X800 boards. The GTO2 name is quite popular due to its price, overclocking, and its high potential unlocking extra pipelines. Motherboards and Video Cards @ pcper.com [Jun-15-06] (0 Comments) Asus also had a demonstration board, with no name or anything, thatthey used to show off some possible upcoming board features. This backpanel here on the board has an LCD panel on it for displaying POST anddiagnostic codes that are much more readable than the current two-digit LEDindicators. Though you can't really tell in this shot, the icons that areon the back panel (including the mouse, keyboard and SPDIF, etc) light up sowhen you are poking your head around in the dark to plug in a USB device,you can see it! ECS @ techPowerUp! @ techpowerup.com [Jun-10-06] (0 Comments) ECS had many new Intel motherboards in all price classes. All of them support Conroe so you will be able to play with it for just a few bucks for the motherboard. On the AM2 front many products have been outfitted with the new socket. Products are based on NVIDIA, VIA, AMD and SIS chipsets giving you the whole lineup from high-end enthusiast down to budget as cheap as possible. Computex Taipei 2006 - An introduction to the show @ tweaktown.com [Jun-05-06] (0 Comments) For us, as an PC enthusiast consumer based computer website, we get excited about Computex because it is here we usually see a lot of cool new products which we can spend our pay checks on in the following months. This year is shaping up to be an interesting show which seems likely to be dominated by Intel and nVidia. AMD and ATI will be showing some interesting new products but with Intel and their new Conroe CPU and accompanying chipsets and hot new motherboards from other Taiwanese manufactures, it seems like Intel will garner the most attention of the show. AMD socket 939 AMD Athlon motherboards guide. @ a1-electronics.net [Jun-01-06] (0 Comments) Our handy review guide list of AMD socket 939 motherboards for Athlon 64, FX, 64 x2 dual-core & Sempron processors. InnoVISION invades motherboard market once again @ ngohq.com [May-30-06] (0 Comments) It seems that the Hong Kong maker of graphics cards, InnoVISION, has decided to extend their direction, and strengthen their business ties with the Nvidia Corporation. We've noticed that InnoVISION has listed four new motherboards on their website. ECS C19-A @ overclockersonline.com [May-29-06] (0 Comments) The ECS C19-A motherboard is great motherboard for those looking tobuild a new system without spending too much money. The performance comparedto the 975X is slim, both Intel and nVidia flip flop between first place.What nVidia has accomplished with ECS and all other SLI XE motherboards isan opportunity for people to explore the potentials of a budget orientedhigh powered SLI machine. ECS 945G-M3 & C19-A SLI Motherboards @ hothardware.com [May-16-06] (0 Comments) “As ECS continues to gain respect and attention in theenthusiast motherboard market, the company is of course extending its reachinto the segment it is best known for - the budget segment. While high-end andenthusiast-level boards often cost $150 or more, budget and entry-levelmotherboards can usually be had for $70-90. Entry-level doesn't necessarilyequate to a lack of great features though, as demonstrated by the two reviewcandidates on the test bench today. Foxconn 975X board with overclocking @ bit-tech.net [May-14-06] (0 Comments) Foxconn is not a brand that most would associate with enthusiasts, but the company is trying to make a move into this market sector. It has a long history of being one of the largest manufacturers of computer components, and it is looking to use its expertise to deliver high quality motherboards designed for enthusiasts.The 975X7AA is a good first effort from Foxconn, but there are some issues that would probably turn us away from this particular board. The board overclocked well, but we were unable to get any of the DDR2 memory modules running at or above 800MHz in this board. This is a bit of a shame because there are a lot of very fast overclocking- friendly memory modules coming out on the market from the likes of Corsair, OCZ et al. Thermaltake Aguila Aluminium Case @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [May-09-06] (0 Comments) Thermaltake have made a great case, unfortunately they have made itso that any DFI owner who chooses to use DFI's audio module (and there are alot of us) can't use a rear fan, on the inside of the case anyway. This is acrying shame, I want to like this case so much, for anyone not using DFImotherboards I would recommend this case in a second, but for DFI ownersusing the Karajan I have to say it's a no no. Don't worry if you haveWatercooling though, as a 120mm radiator will fit at the back, just not withthe Karajan module. First Looks from Taiwan - ABIT's new identity, AM2 stuff, etc @ tweaktown.com [May-03-06] (0 Comments) ABITs upcoming AM2 motherboards are pretty much complete and ready to go. ABIT will release their Fatal1ty AN9 32X motherboard in June and boards should be shipping at the same time. On the other hand, ABIT are still working hard on Intel Conroe based motherboards. From what we have learned so far, Intel wont be releasing any new high-end chipsets till the end of the year and the Conroe processor will use the 975X and 965 chipset. Keep in mind Conroe processors will not work on your current 975X based motherboard due to the power requirement changes of the new CPU which claim to use 40% less power but provide 40% more performance clock for clock. ECS KN1 SLI Extreme @ gruntville.com [Apr-25-06] (0 Comments) I was impressed with the sheer amount of stuff in the box. However, most of them are fairly standard with enthusiast motherboards today with two ex ceptions; Top Hat BIOS and the 3.5=94 Bracket. Many boards come with th e D-Bracket and extra USB/1394 ports for the rear of the system, but the KN 1 SLI Extreme is the first that I have ever heard of that comes with a face plate for a 3.5=94 drive that you can mount the ports after removing the bracket. This is a nice touch. ASUS Silent Square Series Cooler @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-20-06] (0 Comments) I am pretty sure that you are aware of ASUS reputation when if comesto the stability of their motherboards or the speed and high quality when itcomes to their graphic cards, but you may not be aware of their reputationfor making high performance cooling solutions. If you are keen to theircooling products, then one product that may come to mind is the Star Ice. Aproduct that reminds many of a bug or even a Volkswagen Beetle. Today, wehave the privilege of review their newest cooler, the Silent Square. TheSilent Square looks to be a cooler that could put ASUS in the class ofThermalright, Scythe, Zalman and others when it comes to cooling. ASUS P5WD2-E Premium 975X Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [Apr-10-06] (0 Comments) Improving on the P5WD2 with the Intel 955X chipset, Asus has releasedthe P5WD2-E Premium based on Intel's newest chipset the 975. Asus is knownthe world over for producing the best Intel based motherboards. Combiningstability with a lot of overclocking features made the older P5WD2 themotherboard to have with the newer Cedar Mills and Pressler processors. Wewill today see if the newer Premium can hold a candle to the older brother. Abit AN8 32X Motherboard @ pro-clockers.com [Mar-28-06] (0 Comments) Over the past several ages Abit has been making history with some oftheir motherboards. The likes of the classic BH-6 help to start theoverclocking movement coupled with an Intel 300A processor. Next, came theNF7 and the AMD mobile 2500+, that a lot of people, believe it or not arestill running this setup. And one of the last great motherboard to come fromthe Abit stable is the IC7 MAX3. Today, we have what could be the next bigboard from Abit, the AN8 32X. G.Skill F1-4000BIU2-2GBHV @ techpowerup.com [Mar-25-06] (0 Comments) G.SKILL presented their new 2GB F1-4000BIU2-2GBHV DDR memory kit at Cebit. If you are looking for a well overclocking 2GB memory kit you should definitely take a look. Even though it comes with CL3 timings, it will also run at CL2 and CL2.5. It can do all its overclocking magic at only 2.6V so this may also be a good choice for users of budget motherboards which do not offer allow voltage adjustments in the BIOS. NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS and 7300 LE P @ pcper.com [Mar-22-06] (0 Comments) The 7300 LE card is actually a card that has been shipping to OEMsfor a little while but is just now being released on the retail scene. Itwill be placed in the NVIDIA line up just below the 7600 GPUs but above the6200 GPUs, that will apparently continue to ship. The 7300 LE is going tohave an estimated price range of $49-$69, these cards will be easyreplacements for integrated GPUs on motherboards and for users looking toadd Vista support to their computers later this year. Day 5 @ techPowerUp! @ techpowerup.com [Mar-22-06] (0 Comments) In this Cebit report we have coverage of ASUS, Gigabyte, Elitegroup and MSI. With those names you can bet you will see a lot of AM2 motherboards. Also nice were ASUS' leather-covered notebooks. Jing Ting Force Chipset Cooler @ bigbruin.com [Mar-07-06] (0 Comments) With the current layout of motherboards based on the nVidia nForce4 chipset, the physical chip is usually located between, or just below, the PCI Express slots. Your only option for an upgrade over the stock chipset cooler is generally another low-profile cooler which might not provide much benefit. Jing Ting has designed a new chipset cooler that takes this into account, and has implemented a heat pipe into their design which takes the bulk of the cooler's body away from the default location. ASRock 775XFire-eSATA2 @ techpowerup.com [Mar-05-06] (0 Comments) ASRock is a subsidiary of ASUS and manufactures low-cost motherboards. The ASRock 775XFire-eSATA2 for Intel Socket LGA775 is based on Intel's i945 chipset and can run ATI Crossfire. Due to a lack of PCI-E lanes in the Intel chipset this is only possible in x16/x4, but this board costs only USD 80. First Looks from Taiwan Gigabyte Socket AM2 Motherboard @ tweaktown.com [Mar-03-06] (0 Comments) The pictures you are about to see are of a motherboard which is a dummy, meaning it doesnt work and it is still very much a prototype, as the Chinese characters indicate in this articles icon at the top (and no I cannot read Chinese characters, yet!). Gigabyte told us that the motherboard is going to go through a lot of changes (extra features) and maybe layout changes, but at least you have an idea of what AMDs Socket AM2 motherboards will look like in this single chipset solution. SLI Patch @ NGOHQ @ ngohq.com [Mar-02-06] (0 Comments) A while back Asrock published a SLI enabling patch for their ULi chipset based motherboards that have two PCI-Express slots. Various rumors suggested that the patch would also function under other chipsets as well, and allow users with other chipsets to use SLI on their non-SLI motherboards. Unfortunately the original version of the patch installs only on ULi 1695/7 chipsets - you couldn't use it if you didn't have a motherboard with that particular chipset.We've managed to rip the installer and to create a modified version of the SLI patch that allows you to use it with EVERY motherboard. We couldn't do in-depth testing on other chipsets, but if the rumors are true then it should definitely work. Feel free to use it at your own risk, and please post the results in our forums. Remember, this is a modified version and is not supported by Asrock, ULi or Nvidia. Interview with ABIT about USI's purchase @ nordichardware.com [Mar-01-06] (0 Comments) We are looking into the prospects of extending our product range furtherinto the mainstream and budget segments. USI's experience and economy ofscale would clearly facilitate such a move, but we will never forget, norleave, what has always been our main focus throughout the years. In theshort-term we will continue to focus our resources on our core business,which is making enthusiast-level motherboards. When it comes down to it,it's only through the support of the enthusiast community that ABIT hasmanaged to become such a household name in performance hardware. Gigabyte G-Power Lite CPU Cooler @ xyzcomputing.com [Feb-27-06] (0 Comments) Although Gigabyte has made a name for itself by producing motherboards an d video cards, lately they have focused increasingly on other types of har dware. Among these have been their CPU coolers, which are not that commo n but have been getting some positive press and look quite promising. Th is review is going to be taking a look at Gigabyte's G-Power Lite CPU cool er. This unit is Gigabyte's take on a fairly conventional heatpipe CPU c ooler. At first glance it appears to be just what most enthusiasts are l ooking for- quiet, more powerful than the stock cooler, and easy to instal l. It uses a fairly large fan and three heatpipes to get the job done. This formula has been a success in the past, so expectations are high. A Beginner's Guide to Air Cooling Your Smokin Hot Computer @ bonafidereviews.com [Feb-23-06] (0 Comments) Computers are getting faster and faster every week. Faster, denser CPU's, motherboards, and video cards are coming out all the time and all of these things generate more and more heat. It used to be that you could count on the little fan in your power supply to suck the hot air out and keep everything humming along just fine. Try that on some machines today and you'll end up with a heap of smoking silicon and plastic and a decidedly dull, blank monitor to stare at. Swiftech MCX159-CU @ techpowerup.com [Feb-10-06] (0 Comments) Swiftech has always been known for their innovative cooling solutions. Today we will take a look at their 100% copper chipset cooler:the MCX159-CU. Its creative design allows for greater heat dissipation in even the tightest spaces, and on almost all motherboards. Not only does it cool well but the included 40mm fan is also remarkably quiet. Epox 5NVA+ SLI @ pcper.com [Feb-06-06] (0 Comments) As far as Intel SLI motherboards go, EPoX has a well tuned producthere. It overclocks very well and has all the little features to keep pickyusers happy. I just wish availability were better so that you can get yourhands on it. EPoX 8NPA SLI Motherboard - Boosting the forgotten Socket @ tweaktown.com [Feb-06-06] (0 Comments) Socket 754 has now made a comeback for AMD in the form of the budget line of Sempron processors. Sempron on the K8 architecture features the on-chip single channel memory controller supporting DDR-400 and beyond in the latest revision cores, SSE2 and now x86-64 and SSE3 in the latest Sempron CPUs nicknamed the Sempron64. Until now, motherboards for the Socket 754 have been very budget orientated with little features or ability to boost the overall system performance - that is until EPoX got its claws into the high-speed budget market. Gigabyte's push towards the gamer - G1975X on trial @ tweaktown.com [Feb-03-06] (0 Comments) The folks have Gigabyte are really concentrating on the gamers and enthusiasts in 2006 and if this motherboard is anything to go by, you all should pay some serious attention. Its a motherboard which is a total contrast from the Gigabyte motherboards we saw many years ago. Nvidia SLI XE @ bit-tech.net [Jan-17-06] (0 Comments) XE is an updated version of the original SLI chipset, and is designed to occupy the mid-range of Intel SLI systems. Between the nForce 4 Ultra (entry-level), the nForce 4 SLI XE (mid-range)and the nForce 4 SLI X16 (high-end), NVIDIA aims to have all tiers of Intel systems covered. The idea is that if a system builder is putting together a new range of systems for customers, it could feasibly use NVIDIA motherboards top to bottom. ASUS A8N32-SLI Overclocking with Corsair and OCZ @ tweaktown.com [Jan-04-06] (0 Comments) The chances are you own one of these motherboards if youre into getting the absolute most out of your Athlon processor. Today we will be having a closer look at the A8N32-SLI Deluxe - the latest bad boy to hit the ASUS motherboard line up - and what it is capable of when it comes to overclocking. VGA performance was a bit all over the shop when we looked at the board last time but this time our emphasis will be more concentrated on low resolution benchmarking along with programs that concentrate more on the motherboard/chipset side of things. Last time we didnt get a chance to look into overclocking because we only had the motherboard in our labs for 24 hours but now its a resident in the labs and weve had plenty of time to get down and dirty with it. Underclocking and Overclocking in WindowsXP x64 Edition @ pcstats.com [Dec-24-05] (0 Comments) We never know if the people actually buying the hardware care about its overclocking potential, but as computer journalists and enthusiasts, we know we have to test it out. This got us thinking though; what about under-clocking? Most modern processors and motherboards can just as easily run under a rated speed as it can run over... but is there a point to this? Well possibly. :Gigabyte GV-RX18L256V-B Radeon X1800 XL 256MB @ hexus.net [Dec-21-05] (0 Comments) Gigabyte, purveyor of high-quality motherboards and recognisedpartner for both ATI and NVIDIA graphics cards, was keen to jump onthe X1800 XL bandwagon. Without further ado, then, let's take a lookat the company's GV-RX18L256V-B graphics card. Better known to you asan ATI Radeon X1800 XL 256MB, does it have what it takes to be aconsideration for purchase?, and, more importantly, is it themust-have PCI-Express graphics accelerator this side of 300? Let'sfind out. A couple of motherboards - ASUS and Foxconn @ tweaktown.com [Dec-20-05] (0 Comments) Today we are fortunate enough to take a look at the ASUS K8N-DL along with two AMD Opteron 251 based CPUs. How will this platform compare to that of the nForce Ultra for the desktop with the AMD Athlon 4000+? Lets find out. Thermalright SI-120 @ insanetek.com [Dec-11-05] (0 Comments) Thermalright's latest flagship heatsink is a touch-up from the prevoius XP-120 monster. It is now compatible with ALL motherboardsand comes with two extra small heatpipes. The end result? Fantastic. Compatibility issues with Maxtor DiamondMax 9/10 and nForce4 @ ngohq.com [Dec-02-05] (0 Comments) It seems that there is a serious compatibility issue between some of the Maxtor DiamondMax 9/10 SATA series with an early firmware revision and some nForce4 based motherboards. DFI Infinity NF4 Ultra @ overclockersonline.com [Nov-28-05] (0 Comments) The DFI Infinity nF4 Ultra is a very solid motherboard. The buildquality is great and the components that are used are top notch and seem tobe almost the same as the LanParty Ultra-D. I have basically compared thesetwo motherboards throughout the review and have come to the conclusion thatthe Infinity nF4 Ultra is almost the same model but without the options oraccessory package. Call it the base model if you will with the LanPartyUltra-D being the GT or Type-R version that has slightly better performanceand more buttons. DFI Infinity NF4 Ultra @ overclockersonline.com [Nov-28-05] (0 Comments) The DFI Infinity nF4 Ultra is a very solid motherboard. The buildquality is great and the components that are used are top notch and seem tobe almost the same as the LanParty Ultra-D. I have basically compared thesetwo motherboards throughout the review and have come to the conclusion thatthe Infinity nF4 Ultra is almost the same model but without the options oraccessory package. Call it the base model if you will with the LanPartyUltra-D being the GT or Type-R version that has slightly better performanceand more buttons. ECS KN1 motherboard @ bit-tech.net [Nov-19-05] (0 Comments) ECS has invested heavily in making sure their Extreme series motherboards cater for the enthusiasts needs, and we believe that they were a little bit unlucky here. This board is fast, and if the retail reliability is as good as ECS say it is, this board is worth considering if you are looking for a reasonably priced SLI motherboard. However, we find it hard to give the ECS KN1 SLI Extreme an unswerving recommendation, based on the prices of the other boards in its market. Creative X-Fi and NF4 Compatibility Issue @ pcper.com [Nov-11-05] (0 Comments) We understand that, in rare instances, some users have experiencedPC system incompatibility issues when installing Sound Blaster X-Fi soundcards with 2MB of cache (Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic and Sound BlasterX-Fi Platinum) on nForce4 chipset motherboards. We've determined that thecause of this incompatibility is an issue in the motherboard's BIOS,relating to its PCI enumeration of devices with 2MB or less of cachememory. Epox 8NPA SLI Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Nov-10-05] (0 Comments) If you were one of the early adopters of an AMD Athlon64 processor in the Socket 754 formfactor, congratulations! The bevy of new Socket 754 motherboards being released will extend the investment you made in that processor all those months ago. The Epox 8NPA SLI supports all Socket 754 Athlon64 or Sempron processors, comes equipped with two DIMM slots and supports a maximum of 2GB of PC3200 DDR memory. Other onboard goodies, some new to Socket 754 are nVIDIA's Serial ATA II RAID controller, Gigabit LAN, and 5.1 channel audio. My personal favorite is the Port 80 diagnostics card. AMD socket 939 Athlon motherboards list update. @ a1-electronics.net [Nov-03-05] (0 Comments) In these handy review pages motherboards from Abit, Albatron, AOpen, ASRock, Asus, Biostar, Chaintech, DFI, ECS, Epox, Foxconn, Gigabyte, MSI & Soltek. DFI NF4 Ultra Infinity @ insanetek.com [Oct-27-05] (0 Comments) We all know that DFI makes some killer AMD nF4 motherboards through their LANParty series. They're out again with a more budgetoriented nF4 motherboard that also excels in performance and overclocking. :Shuttle XPC SD31P @ hexus.net [Oct-18-05] (0 Comments) The one word that describes Shuttle's SD31P XPC is competent.Just add a hard drive, preferably SATA, optical drive, RAM, and anLGA775 CPU and away you go. Everything works just as it should, andinstallation is a real cinch for even novice XPC builders.Performance is also good when judged in comparison to ATX-sized i945Gand i955X motherboards, and the ability to specify a Pentium 4 ExtremeEdition or dual-core CPU, GeForce 7800 GT, 2GB RAM, and 1TByte ofstorage, should your pocket be deep enough, is eminently possible inthis larger-than-normal XPC. ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Motherboard An Upgrader's Dream @ tweaktown.com [Oct-14-05] (0 Comments) Today we've got a brand new motherboard on the chopping block from ASRock, a sub division of ASUS who produce value orientated motherboards. The ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 motherboard is based on ULi's new M1695 chipset and offers many innovative features. It has many features such as PCI Express and AGP support and upgradeability to upcoming AMD processors - it's an upgraders dream. Updated Intel socket LGA775 motherboards list guide. @ a1-electronics.net [Oct-06-05] (0 Comments) Our updated Intel socket LGA775 motherboard list review guide. Zalman Fatal1ty Cooler Series @ hardwaresecrets.com [Sep-25-05] (0 Comments) Take a look on the new Fatal1ty CPU and VGA coolers from Zalman, made to match ABIT's Fatal1ty motherboards. ECS PF21 Extreme Motherboard @ ----=_NextPart_001_0116_01C5BF02.6D07E180 [Sep-22-05] (0 Comments) We have to admit that we began this review with low expectations, since ECS was never known as a maker of high quality motherboards. Furthermore, the company was known for the low quality of its products and their lack of reliability. Gladly, we were surprised to discover that not only did ECS manage to get rid of its bad reputation with the rich bundle and the design of the board, but it also managed to produce a motherboard with good performance and flawless compatibility.There's no doubt that ECS, as a motherboard manufacturer, has completely changed its image and we can no longer refer to it as a company that makes low-end / low quality products - ECS is now absolutely mainstream. If we were to compare the Asus P5LD2-Deluxe WiFi-TV Edition @ viperlair.com [Sep-21-05] (0 Comments) Now the performance of this motherboard. For the most part in our 'Office' benchmarks and our video encoding tests the two motherboards performed fairly close, within 1-2%. Only three programs showed a marked difference between the two motherboards, TMPGEnc, UT2004 and Half Life 2. In TMPGEnc the Asus board was slower in real time then the ECS board, while CPU time was more or less equal. :3-way i955x motherboard shootout @ hexus.net [Sep-16-05] (0 Comments) What makes a good i955X motherboard? From what we've seen inthis review, it's a combination adding a number of useful discretefeatures to boost a i955X-equipped motherboard to deluxe standard.All three motherboards here carry additional SATA support fromSilicon Image, FireWire800 connectivity, and in the case of the ABITAW8-MAX and Gigabyte Royal boards, dual PCIe Gigabit LAN ASICs fromBroadcom. Both also add in enthusiast-specific features, with ABITopting for heatpipe northbridge cooling and Gigabyte running with apotential 8-phase power supply. MSI P4N Diamond NF4-SLI Intel Edition Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Sep-15-05] (0 Comments) While the chipset was announced a months ago, nForce4-SLI Intel Edition motherboards are just now hitting the market. MSI Computers new P4N Diamond looks well... like a real gem of a motherboard! Obviously based on the nForce4 SLI Intel Edition chipset, the motherboard supports Socket 775 800/1066 MHz FSB Pentium 4/XE, Pentium D and Celeron D processors as well as a maximum of 4GB of DDR2-667 memory. The way nVIDIA implemented SLI on its NF4 SLI Intel Edition chipset is a bit different than with the AMD version. With the NF4 SLI Intel Edition the first physical PCI Express x16 slot gets lane 0 and all the even numbered lanes thereafter while the second physical PCI Express x16 slot gets all the odd numbered lanes. Epox 5NVA+ SLI NF4 Intel Edition Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Sep-15-05] (0 Comments) Motherboards like the Epox 5NVA+ SLI support Socket 775 Pentium 4/D/Extreme Edition as well as Celeron D processors. The four DIMM slots can accommodate up to 8GB of unbuffered non ECC DDR2 memory running at 400/533/667 MHz, while operating in dual channel mode with 1.8V. Epox also bundles a few on board goodies with the board such as Gigabit LAN, a 7.1 audio controller, IEEE 1394 and my personal favorite a Port 80 diagnostics card. If you need something the motherboard does not support, there are two free PCI Express x1 slots (three if you count the second PCI Express x16 slot when only running one videocard) and two open 32 bit PCI slots for legacy hardware. Of course, we must not overlook the two PCI Express x16 slots which will support SLI set-ups with the appropriate videocards either! Foxconn nForce 4 SLI motherboard @ bit-tech.net [Sep-13-05] (0 Comments) Having never used a Foxconn motherboard before, it was interesting to see how it compares to the usual enthusiast-orientated motherboard manufacturers that we work closely with. The board is not particularly user friendly in comparison to other motherboards we've looked at in the past if you're new to the overclocking scene or even system building. MGE Titanium Case @ thinkcomputers.org [Sep-09-05] (0 Comments) Pre-mod computer cases, it seems everyone that is making computer components is getting into making cases also. I havenoticed that companies that were known for one thing, like motherboards, are now making computer cases. I guess it is the nextlogical step, but what happens when you get companies that try and make everything? Well, you don't get a quality focused productfrom what I have seen; yes there are some exceptions to that, as with anything there will be some exceptions. Not long ago Ireviewed a power supply from MGE/Xgbox called the Magnum, very nice power supply, today I have the opportunity to review anotheritem from MGE/Xgbox courtesy of Geeks.com called the Titanium. It is what MGE/Xgbox calls a Gigabyte GV-3D-68GT Dual GPU Graphics Card @ 3dvelocity.com [Sep-08-05] (0 Comments) When news of Gigabyte's 3D1 series first broke it seemed almost too good to be true. My initial assumption (or was it a hope) was that here we had a dual GPU graphics card capable of running in a single PCI-e x16 slot regardless of the chipset. As you no doubt realise, I was wrong. What we actually have is a dual GPU graphics card capable of running only on SLI capable motherboards and worse yet, only in Gigabyte's own SLI boards, officially at least. Patriot Memory PDC1G5600ELK Memory @ pcstats.com [Sep-07-05] (0 Comments) Patriot's Extreme Performance PDC1G5600ELK dual channel DDR memory is some of the fastest on the market, and it most certainly caters towards enthusiast users. On its website, Patriot Memory takes the progressive step of stating that these PDC1G5600ELK modules are tuned to run on the DFI LANParty NF4 motherboard - essentially what we have here is DDR performance tuned for a specific AMD Athlon64 platform. There is a good reason for selecting the DFI LANParty NF4-series motherboards over all others, they are among the best overclocking motherboards in recent history. :SAPPHIRE PURE Innovation A9RX480 S939 Mainboard @ hexus.net [Aug-30-05] (0 Comments) ATI's Xpress 200P seemed like a strange choice, as previouspartners' motherboards fell short in almost every department whencompared to the established duo. However, with the mix of RX480northbridge and SB450 southbridge, SAPPHIRE has added its own mix ofdesign flair and an enthusiast-friendly BIOS to create a motherboardwhich is strong in most areas. PI-A9RX480's subjectively stunninglooks are complemented by a decent layout and reasonable feature-set,and general performance is good, whilst overclocking performance isjust stellar. HEC WinPower Win 550UB PSU @ pcstats.com [Aug-25-05] (0 Comments) For this review of the HEC WinPower 550UB (HEC-550TW-TF) 550W powersupply, we'll be applying a couple of tests you can reproduce at home with available equipment, all with an eye towards seeing how this unit generally performs. The HEC Win550UB powersupply is rated to a peak of 550W power and features dual 12V lines with a combined output capabilities of 35A. The WIN 550UB adheres to the ATX 2.01 standard, but is compatible with 20-pin ATX motherboards. AMD socket 939 Athlon motherboards list , updated. @ a1-electronics.net [Aug-22-05] (0 Comments) Our handy review list of AMD socket 939 motherboards. Updated. AMD socket 754 Athlon 64, Sempron motherboards list, guide, @ a1-electronics.net [Aug-15-05] (0 Comments) In our following review pages handy to use lists we hope you find as useful as we do the range of AMD Athlon 64, Sempron socket 754 motherboards from Abit, ASRock, Asus, Biostar, Chaintech, DFI, ECS, Epox, Foxconn, Gigabyte, MSI, Shuttle, Soltek & Soyo which we hope will give enough details to help you choose which motherboard you want. Foxconn 955X7AA-8EKRS2 Motherboard @ pcstats.com [Aug-13-05] (0 Comments) Foxconn, once primarily an OEM supplier, has turned towards the vastness of the retail market with a core offering of entry level to high end motherboards that are surprisingly hot for their complex alpha-numeric names. Looking at the specs of its flagship Intel 955X chipset based solution, the 955X7AA-8EKRS2, we're left quite impressed. The board supports up to 8GB of PC5300 DDR2 memory as well as 800/1066MHz FSB Intel Pentium 4, Pentium D and Pentium Extreme Edition processors. Nforce4 SLI for Intel - two retail boards @ bit-tech.net [Jul-30-05] (0 Comments) Both of these motherboards are very appealing to anyone considering an Intel-based gaming rig - they're packed with great features and with a performance at the very top end on all accounts. Watercooled, the potential is huge, as Prescott processors can go far when kept cool enough, so coupled with a pair of NV4x/G70 video cards in SLI you could have both a fantastic workstation and gaming rig in one. A low profile waterblock for the southbridge would ease some of the heat worries that we have related to the C19 southbridge. Intel socket LGA775 Pentium 4, D, Celeron D motherboards list @ a1-electronics.net [Jul-20-05] (0 Comments) We have compiled in the following pages a list which we hope you will find handy of socket LGA775 motherboards from some manufacturers such as Abit, Asus, Biostar, Chaintech, DFI, ECS, Gigabyte, MSI & Soltek which we hope will help you make your choice as to which Intel socket LGA775 motherboards you want for your Intel Pentium 4, Pentium D or Celeron D processor. AMD socket 939 motherboards list . @ a1-electronics.net [Jul-12-05] (0 Comments) We just though you might find this handy if you are choosing a AMD socket 939 processor motherboard. Our list of the motherboards available for AMD socket 939 processors are from Abit, Asus, Biostar, ECS, Epox, Gigabyte, MSI & Soltek to help you make a choice of which one to buy. 6600GT with Dual-BIOS from Galaxy @ bit-tech.net [Jul-09-05] (0 Comments) The Smart Flash feature works using jumpers that are located on the PCB. It's designed so that you can have two sets of BIOS information on the card and switch between the two at will, like with some of Gigabyte's motherboards. Unfortunately, the included documentation says very little about how the concept works. In fact, the best information that we found was on Galaxy's homepage, and that wasn't exactly clear - it briefly explains how the concept works, but doesn't give the user any all-important instructions on how to use it. Gigabyte Ga-K8nxp-sli @ rbmods.com [Jul-03-05] (0 Comments) SLI motherboards are getting more and more popular as the video card prices go down, we got a sample from Gigabyte called K8nxp-sli which we have had on our test bench and thoroughly tested it with both benchmarking and overclocking. If you are in the market for something like this then you should pay attention to this review to see how these motherboards really perform. Gigabyte 8I955X Motherboard @ pcper.com [Jun-09-05] (0 Comments) The Gigabyte 8I955X Royal motherboard had a lot to live up to being thefirst of the new dual core capable motherboards to reach us for the Intelplatform. Intels 955X chipset doesnt really offer anything new and excitingover the 925X/E chipsets, with the exception of dual core processor support, sovendors are going to struggle to find a way to make this new board generationstand out from their last. Thermalrock Eclipse ATX Case @ xtremecomputing.co.uk [Jun-08-05] (0 Comments) The bays come with rubber grommets already installed. Using the provided thumbscrews gives a quick and tool-less hard drive installation. Installing hard-drives after the motherboard is a good idea, as they stick out into the motherboards general area. However, the bays are easily removed if they are getting in the way. Bigbruin.com Article:CPU Socket Basics Part 2, AMD @ bigbruin.com [Jun-03-05] (0 Comments) As CPU technology advances, the sockets that correspond to them are forced to change as well=2E The new physical sizes, internal architecture, and thermal properties require that the 'packaging' evolve=2E A negative side effect of this development is that motherboards wind up with limited 'upgrade paths' when it comes to adding a faster processor=2E ATI Radeon CrossFire graphics technology review @ a1-electronics.net [Jun-02-05] (0 Comments) To our mind it seems more sense to have dual GPUs on a single video graphics card which would alleviate all the associated problems of having two graphics cards such as special motherboards and so on let alone that they would cost less to buy. Various News Items [May-24-05] (0 Comments) The Paranoia of Digital Rights Management @ CoolTechZone DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Review @ cluboc.net Atrix G8023C Case @ ThinkComputers.org Samsung YP-T7Z 1.0 Gigabyte Multi-function MP3 Digital Audio Player Review @ futurelooks.com X-Micro 11g Turbo Mode 108Mbps Broadband Router and PCI Card @ XtremeComputing Gigabyte GO-B5232A CD-RW and DVD-ROM Combo @ insanetek.com [May-19-05] (0 Comments) Gigabyte is very well known for their high quality motherboards but they also have a few other tricks up their sleeves. This CD-RW/DVD-Rom combo is a great alternative from the ones we're used to seeing. TechConnect's review of the Athlon64 4000 @ tcmagazine.info [May-18-05] (0 Comments) We've been testing this processor intensively for over two months now, in all kinds of extreme conditions, with over half a dozen motherboards and twice that many graphics cards, in both single-card and nVidia SLI mode, with games and productivity suites, and now we're through and ready to tell it like it is. Thermaltake Tenor HTPC Case Video Review #567 @ 3dgameman.com [May-17-05] (0 Comments) This product is intended for use as a Home Theatre PC Case; however, it could just as easily be a desktop case. It fits standard ATX motherboards and power supplies so building a fast, affordable system is easy. It has a very stylish aluminum front but the rest is steel, so the case is fairly heavy (19LBS). It has an open design which makes installation simple, comes with plenty of drive bays and three fans. Watch the Video to find out more... Small Details on Motherboards @ hardwaresecrets.com [May-06-05] (0 Comments) In order to face competition more and more motherboard manufacturers are adding extra small features to their motherboards, such as fancy boxes, diagnostics display, two BIOS chips, etc. Take a look on what you can find today as small extra features. DFI LanParty UT nF4 SLI-DR Socket 939 Motherboard @ pimprig.com [Apr-30-05] (0 Comments) Here are a couple of features that are targeted directly towards folks like us. If you are like me, my main rig is rarely completely put together and often runs on my Senfu bench outside the case. DFI included a power and reset switch directly on the board so tweakers don't have to use their modded adapters to power up or reset the board. Athlon 64 chipset comparison @ techreport.com [Apr-28-05] (0 Comments) WHILE SOME MAY say that AMD arrived late to the PCI Express party, one could argue that Intel showed up a little early. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Compelling PCI-E graphics cards didn't make an appearance until well after Intel's 900-series chipset launch, but they materialized some time before PCI Express-equipped Athlon 64 motherboards were available on the open market. NVIDIA's nForce4 platform was the first PCI Express chipset to be widely available for the Athlon 64, but VIA's K8T890 and ATI's Radeon Xpress 200 weren't far behind. SiS recently joined the fray with the SiS756, and even ULi managed to work its way into the mix with its M1573 south bridge companion for ATI's Radeon Xpress 200 north bridge. Various News Items [Apr-25-05] (0 Comments) Four new Supermicro dual-core opteron motherboards @ amdboard.com Wintec AMP-X PC2-5400 1GB DC Kit @ InsaneTek 3RSystem R700 BadGuy ATX Case Review @ OCTools.com Thermaltake Kandalf VA9000SWA Silver Aluminum Computer Case Review @ Tweaknews.net Swiftech H20-120 Revision 3a Water Cooling Kit @ cluboc.net Asus K8N Motherboard Review @ CoolTechZone [Apr-18-05] (0 Comments) After taking a look at VIAs K8T800 chipset last week and NVIDIAs nForce3-150 chipset internally in our labs, its clear that both chipsets failed to offer AGP/PCI lock and lacked features that would impress the high-end home user. There were instances where certain manufacturers were able to implement AGP/PCI lock on certain motherboards, namely Abit, but majority of them did not bother to do so. The problem was a tough one to crack, since the chipset never had support for the aforementioned feature initially. NVIDIAs nForce-150, on the other hand, supported an AGP/PCI lock, but due to manufacturers mistake, it wasnt implemented on many boards either. According to NVIDIA, many board makers wrote the BIOS incorrectly, which disabled the feature. Whatever the reason may be the initial socket 754 chipsets werent for the high-end overclocker. Abit KV8 Pro Motherboard Review @ cooltechzone.com [Apr-14-05] (0 Comments) Abit is a name synonymous with high-quality, rock stable and overclocking friendly motherboards. The company caters to enthusiast needs and is truly an innovator in the industry. Throughout the years, Abit has innovated exclusive technologies that allow overclockers to push their systems to extreme limits. These technologies include their famous SoftMenu BIOS and the latest uGuru technology, a real-time overclocking utility. Naturally, they havent just concentrated their efforts on tweaking, but also on the board layout and the rest of the features that really make a motherboard an all rounder in its category. We are of course talking about the idea behind 90 degrees rotated IDE and floppy connectors that other manufacturers have adopted due to its preference by the community. MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum Motherboard Review @ pcstats.com [Apr-14-05] (0 Comments) MSI's new K8N Neo4 Platinum motherboard is based around the nForce4-Ultra chipset, this board can use any Socket 939 Athlon64/FX processor and can be stuffed with up to 4GB of PC3200 DDR RAM. A single PCIe x16 slot provides the graphical interface and the motherboard comes equipped with quite a few integrated peripherals like an additional Serial ATA/RAID controller, IEEE 1394, two Gigabit NICs and 7.1 channel audio. In terms of expansion, the K8N Neo4 Platinum is one of the best on the market with four traditional PCI slots, one PCI Express x1 and one PCI Express x4 slot. That's definitely more expansion room than we've seen on many other Athlon64 motherboards! Eight SATA devices are supported as well as four traditional IDE hard drives/optical drives. Coolmax Fanless PSU Giveaway @ XYZ Computing [Mar-30-05] (0 Comments) We are trying to clean out the office and get forum traffic moving a bit so we are going to have another XYZ Computing Giveaway! This time we will be giving away a Coolmax 400W fanless power supply. This PSU is practically brand new and was recently featured in our Fanless Power Supply Roundup. The PSU is in perfect condition. It comes with a 20-24 pin converter so it can be used with PCIe motherboards. The contest is easy to enter and easy to win. Stop by and take a chance! Gigabyte's GA-K8VT890-9 motherboard @ Tech Report [Mar-29-05] (0 Comments) PCI EXPRESS IS undoubtedly the future of PC peripherals, and with even budget motherboards hopping on the PCI-E train, upgrading to support the new standard doesn't have to be an expensive proposition. Gigabyte's new GA-K8VT890-9 carries a suggested retail price of only $8230-120% less than other PCI Express Athlon 64 platforms we've reviewed. $82 obviously doesn't buy a peripheral-packed board loaded with extra goodies, but if you're looking for a no-frills package at a budget price, the GA-K8VT890-9's intelligent spec might just be good enough. Read on to see what the board has to offer and how it compares with more expensive Athlon 64 platforms. Albatron PX925XE Pro-R Motherboard Review @ PCstats.com [Mar-29-05] (1 Comments) At the tip of the current chipset ice berg is the Intel 925XE, and motherboards like the Albatron PX925XE Pro-R which are built upon its foundations. The 925XE chipset is a fickle one, supporting only Socket 775 Pentium 4 processors compatible with an 800 MHz or 1066 MHz FSB. Its four dual channel DDR-2 memory sockets will accommodate up to 4GB of non-ECC unbuffered DDR2 memory. Considering that the 925XE is ideally suited for use with '1066FSB' Pentium 4 Extreme Edition CPUs, as a killer gaming rig, we'd recommend using at least 2GB of system memory for the best benefit. Dimensions for hard drives drives, Motherboards (atx, micro atx etc), AGP cards etc (For building a pc case from scratch) @ TechNeek.co.uk [Mar-29-05] (0 Comments) This is just quick guide I have complied together with information about sizes (dimensions) for when you want to build your own home pc. The sizes are all given below in mm, and although I have tried my best to check all these sizes, I can not guarantee these sizes to be true of every componant! Expansion Cards Explained - PCI, AGP, and PCI Express @ Bigbruin.com [Mar-18-05] (0 Comments) The expansion slots available on motherboards allow for a variety of upgrades in a computer system, but matching the appropriate card to an available slot needs to be addressed before making any purchasing decisions. The most common types of expansion cards for modern computer systems can be broken down into three formats: PCI, AGP, and PCI Express. Each of these formats will be addressed separately in this Tech Tip, so let's start with PCI... "Natural" Sub Zero Overclocking @ pcper.com [Mar-14-05] (0 Comments) This was an interesting exercise in overclocking. With the exception of the ABIT AG8, it would seem that the board with better overclocking at 14x CPU with asynchronous multiplier (see the individual reviews of these motherboards for 14x overclocking results) implies better overclocking at 18x with synchronous settings. CeBit 2005: MSI's 'digital' SLI bridge @ Bit Tech [Mar-12-05] (0 Comments) We have exclusive information on a world-first jumperless SLI solution from MSI - it does not require an configuration card, or jumpers like what have been seen on the current crop of AMD-based NForce 4 SLI motherboards. Various News Items [Feb-22-05] (0 Comments) Water-cooling for Everyone 3: Swiftech & ThermalTake @ A True Review Tt Armor Case Review @ overclockercafe.com Foxconn/Winfast NF4UK8AA-8EKRS Review @ cluboc.net Silverstone SST-LC10 HTPC Case Review @ CoolTechZone Zalman CNPS7000A-AlCu Heatsink Review Mushkin PC3700 1GB Hi-Perf Memory Dual Pack Review at XYZ Computing @ xyzcomputing.com [Feb-13-05] (0 Comments) Mushkin's new 184 pin PC3700 memory is a high performance kit for motherboards that support dual channel memory. It features all the extras that consumers have come to expect from Muskhin, like gold contacts, high quality head spreaders, and 6-layer PCB. The custom designed heat spreader reduces the risk of thermal runaway of local hotspots within the memory core and further increases overclocking margins of the modules. How Motherboards Are Made: A Gigabyte Factory Tour @ pcstats.com [Feb-08-05] (0 Comments) Without a doubt, motherboards are the most complex and essential part of the modern PC. With this in mind, it's surprising to learn the amount of work and machinery involved in manufacturing a single motherboard. As PCSTATS recent trip to Gigabyte's Nan-Ping factory in Taiwan showed us last summer during Computex 2004, there's a lot more to it. In fact, producing and testing a single motherboard involves a mind-boggling host of automated machines, people and processes... Chaintech V915P Motherboard @ pcper.com [Feb-01-05] (0 Comments) Overall the Chaintech Zenith V915P is a decent no nonsense board. It has all the basic functionality you need and skips on some advanced features to save you money. It goes without saying that you will find other competitive motherboards with more features on the market, but the V915P is worth considering if you want an easy upgrade path to PCI-Express and LGA775 without breaking the bank. Seasonic S12 500W Power Supply Video Review #523 @ 3dgameman.com [Jan-19-05] (0 Comments) The Seasonic S12 500W Power Supply offers ample power for any current computer system on the market. It has plenty of leads for most motherboards which add versatility and longevity. One of the plus points of this particular product is the true power it provides in virtual silence. The extremely quiet 120mm fan included makes it a product for anyone interested in building a silent computer system. Watch the Video to find out more... BTX Form Factor Exposed @ pcstats.com [Jan-12-05] (0 Comments) Weren't we all supposed to be using BTX by now? When this radical form-factor change for motherboards and PC cases was first proposed by Intel in 2003, its introduction was supposed to coincide with the birth of the 'Alderwood' and 'Grantsdale' chipsets we now know as the Intel 915P and 925X. Instead, the standard took until just recently to get off the ground with manufacturers in Taiwan, resulting in Intel bumping the official introduction of the BTX form factor to their upcoming chipset generation, 'Glenwood' and 'Lakeport.' Coolergiant Enermax CS-527 Case review @ Aftermath [Jan-08-05] (0 Comments) Computer cases are probably one of the fastest growing areas of the computer component market. With processors getting more powerful, motherboards are being designed to cope with evermore increasing speeds required these days for gaming. Case designers now are having to think more and more about their overall case design that will cater for different size motherboards, larger cooling case fans, more cooling case fans and numerous heat sensors. Throw into the mix of the case design that you also want the case to look stylish (theres nothing like bragging rights, good for the ego) and have that little extra something that has no name but you will know it when you see it. Soltek K8TPro-939 Review @ cluboc.net [Jan-02-05] (0 Comments) Have you ever had that special bond with a piece of computer hardware that just threw you for a loop for a long time, and once conquered became your best friend? Abit motherboards are the first things to come to mind for me, with their Soft Menu III its very easy to just forget a setting and stay up for days wondering why your system isn't functioning the way you want it to. I would like to say that after playing with the Soltek SL-K8TPro-939, but the reality of it is that everyone makes mistakes, and its easier to blame them on an object rather than your own misgivings. Its always that ONE BIOS option that is overseen that can ruin your day. Luckily the Soltek ran so well just as it is, that it was easy to just let it go and have some fun with the most powerful processor platform you can buy today. Lets have a look at it shall we... Thermalright SI-97 Heatsink Review @ OCIA.net [Dec-28-04] (0 Comments) Definitely nothing to block the airflow through the fins. The SI-97 is fairly large, but with its design, it will fit nearly all Athlon XP based motherboards. According to the Thermalright site, the only board at this time that has been determined not to accept the SI-97 is the Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro2. OCZ DDR Booster Diagnostic Device Review @ AuphanOnline.com [Dec-20-04] (0 Comments) Us overclockers have had many great tools added to our arsenal in the last couple years. We've had great CPU's like the Athlon XP-M, the P4 2.4c and most recently the Athlon 64 Winchesters. It has never been a problem getting volts to the CPU. RAM however, has been a different story. Short of volt mods, we had to settle for what our motherboards gave us... until now. Four Socket 939 Motherboards Shootout! @ overclockers.co.nz [Dec-16-04] (0 Comments) After taking margin of error into consideration, all boards performed similarly at stock speed. However, things quickly changed when you take price, overclock potential and features into the picture. Out of those four socket939 boards, we find that MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum offers the best overclock potential (even with SATA hard drive), a wealth of features, and comes with an affordable price tag, which rightly gets our OCNZ Recommended Award. Various News Items [Dec-13-04] (0 Comments) 1GB PQI Intelligent Stick USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review @ The Tech Zone Nu 16x Dual layer DDW-163 dvd burner @ Rbmods Icybox IB-350U-B-BL enclosure review @ pyroport.com SwissBit 2 X 512MB PC4300 DDR2 @ techniz.co.uk Foxconn 925XE7AA-8EKRS2 Review @ cluboverclocker.com Forceware 66.93 VS Forceware 71.20 @ tcmagazine.info Various News Items [Dec-02-04] (0 Comments) Sunbeam Chameleon Light Controller @ 3dvelocity.com Vantec EZ Swap 2 Removable Hard Drive Rack @ hi-techreviews.com DFI LAN Party Pro875B Motherboard Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Verbatim Store 'n' Go Pro USB 2.0 Flash Drive Review @ thetechzone.com EverCool Ice Man AMD & Intel air cooled heatsink review. @ a1-electronics.net Foxconn 755FXK8AA-8EKRS Review @ cluboc.net Samsung Syncmaster 172X Display review @ pyroport.com SilverStone Lascala SST-LC03 HTPC Case Review @ The Tech Zone [Nov-25-04] (0 Comments) The Silverstone Lascala SST-LC03 is not your average Home Theater PC or HTPC case. The SST-LC03 is one of the very few HTPC cases that offers full 100% ATX compatibility. With many other home theater cases, you have to make do with small form factor motherboards using riser cards and small power supplies. With the Lascala, you're free to use a full size motherboard, no rise cards and you won't have to settle of weak power supply as the SST-LC03 accommodates full size ATX power supplies. More letters! @ Dansdata [Nov-18-04] (0 Comments) In this issue, the curse of ACPI, case metal choices, focus theft prevention, leech-only LANning, electrostatic filth, PCI via USB, and hacking pieces off motherboards. Gigabytes 3D Rocket Cooler @ PC Unleash [Nov-12-04] (0 Comments) Gigabyte which is one of the major manufacturers of motherboards and graphics cards, may be a relatively new name in the cooler industry. However, this one, which theyve just introduced, is really quite innovative. And it is impressive to see a unique design from a company that hasnt been known for manufacturing coolers. The 3D Rocket cooler from Gigabyte is not a conventional air cooler. Board this Rocket with us, friends and lovers, and youll have a gay (happy) time indeed. Discover the joys of properly handling the Rocket, and you might just reach the celestial orbs! DFI LANParty 875P-T Motherboard Review @ cluboverclocker.com [Oct-31-04] (0 Comments) DFI has really made a name for themselves in the enthusiast market. A few years ago DFI was an unknown to most of us. The LANParty and Infinity series boards have really put this company on the market as a major player in performance boards. It's great to see a manufacturer cater to the needs of the overclocker and gamer. Other boards offer overclocking and some are very good at it, but DFI takes it up a notch by including some really kewl features just for us geeks that go to LAN parties Ahanix D5 Media Center Enclosure @ Viper Lair [Oct-29-04] (0 Comments) Ahanix has delivered an enclosure that gives you everything you would desire in an HTPC. The versatility of using MicroATX or Standard ATX motherboards, the look and feel of high end audio/video equipment and a VFD information center that gives the added information of what is playing. It comes at a hefty price tag mind you, but in this particular situation, you get what you pay for. Various News Items [Oct-21-04] (0 Comments) OCZ DDR2 PC2-5400 Performance Series Memory Video Review #493 @ 3dgameman.com Asus AX800XT/TVD Videocard Review @ pcstats.com SilverStone TJ04 case review @ OCModShop Corsair TwinX 1024 PC3200XL Low Latency Memory Review @ BigBruin.Com Review of Logitech diNovo Media Desktop @ bonafidereviews.com PowerColor R9800 Platinum Edition 128MB VGA Review @ overclockers.co.nz Asus K8N-E Deluxe Review @ cluboverclocker.com Fortron Blue Storm FSP400-60THN-R Power Supply Review @ MODTHEBOX.COM Bloodrayne 2 review @ gameconnect.info America's Army Tweak Guide Updated @ TweakGuides.com Various News Items [Oct-18-04] (0 Comments) Test of pre-production model of a GeForce 6800 LE card from Leadtek @ 3DChip Review of Toshiba PDR-M70 3.3 MP Digital Camera @ bonafidereviews.com Aspire X-Navigator @ Envy News Etymotic High-End Earphones Roundup - ER-6i, ER-4P, and ER-4S Models @ CoolTechZone Jetart AK-1000 Water Cooling System @ cluboverclocker.com ABIT AA8 DuraMAX - LGA 775 Motherboard Review @ cluboverclocker.com TRIBES Vengeance Review @ My Guy Games Interview with Marketing Manager Danny Lee from XGI! @ tcmagazine.info Raidmax Cobra 822 ATX Case Review @ BigBruin.Com AMD Athlon64 - 64-bit vs. 32-bit, A Head On Comparison @ pcstats.com OCZ PC4000EL Gold Edition review @ ocmodshop.com OCZ PowerStream 520 Power Supply @ 3dvelocity.com OCZ DDR PC-3700 Gold Revision 3 Memory Video Review #492 @ 3dgameman.com Gigabyte K8NS Pro motherboard review @ ocmodshop.com [Oct-14-04] (0 Comments) The DDR slots are positioned far enough from the AGP slot so you can easily change memory without having to remove your video card. The IDE and floppy connectors are adjacent to the DDR slots which is a good spot for them. This location however isn't a good choice for the ATX connector and would have been better off over by the 12v connector. As I mentioned before the nForce 3 250 chipset is the only one on here and is covered by an active gold colored heatsink. This heatsink produces little to no noise when powered on which pleases me since I don't like fan noise. One nice thing about Gigabyte motherboards is that they use a dual BIOS system which gives you redundancy. If you happen to improperly flash your BIOS saving you the time and frustration of having to RMA your motherboard. Chaintech SK8T800 Athlon64 motherboard review @ COC [Aug-29-04] (0 Comments) Top notch stability is the thing that impresses me the most about the SK8T800 motherboard. While the "non-pro" release of the VIA K8T800 chipset isn't known for its overclocking ability, the chipset does have a very up-to-date feature list, which includes Serial-ATA 150 with RAID-0 and RAID-1 capability. Chaintech has adopted the chipset onto a solid workstation/entry-level home PC motherboard that is second to none in value. With an available market price of $64, it couldn't be more affordable to put a 64-bit processor on your desktop! Check out this review and see for yourself! : Antec ARIA Barebone case @ Dark][Tweaker [Aug-29-04] (0 Comments) Dark][Tweaker has posted another review. The last days we have tested the Antec aria barebone case. This little perfect designed case accepts motherboards up to MicroATX and 4 full-height PCI expansion cards. Also included is the 300 watt powersuply with universal input delivers quiet, stable power and 120mm fan ensures nearly silent operation. More about the little case you can find in our review. VIA MII-12000 Review @ ASE Labs [Aug-27-04] (0 Comments) The EPIA series of motherboards from VIA has long been a favorite of mine. Ever since the first one came out awhile back, I had envisioned these tiny boards being made into HTPC or mods. Sure enough, they are a cornerstone of the small form-factor PC market and the HTPC market alike. What sets the MII apart from its predecessors is a faster CPU, better expansion, and a brand-new encryption engine. Let's move on to the full review... Albatron Mars & Trinity Reviews! @ COC [Aug-27-04] (0 Comments) Socket 775 or "LGA 775" motherboards are just getting a good start, but it's going to be an up hill battle for Intel. Intel really has their work cut out for them. They have to convince people that their new Socket 775 is the way to go, and at the same time convince everyone to throw away their AGP video cards and buy a PCIX card. To top it all off, you may or may not have to upgrade to DDR2 all at the same time. I've seen a lot of changes over the years, but never three major components at the same time. Today we have a new motherboard to show off from Albatron called the Mars PX915P/G Pro. This Socket 775 motherboard does away with the AGP slot we've all come to know, and replace it with a PCIX slot. Although we had to pick up a new CPU for this review, we do get to keep using regular DDR and not DDR2. Is Intel's new 915 chipset something revolutionary, or just an excuse to get you to purchase more hardware that you really don't need? Let's take a look at this new motherboard, and at the same time check out Albatron's PCIX video card solution, the Trinity PCX5750. Socket 754 Shootout - Moterboards for the Sempron @ hardcoreware.net [Aug-23-04] (0 Comments) If you are considering the awesome value of the 64 bit Sempron processor, you are going to have a great time looking for boards. You aren't confined at all to use the latest, rarest, most expensive motherboards to use it. Instead, you are actually bound to get a board that is more capable that the CPU itself, due to limitations of the budget CPU! Today we're looking at a trio of Socket 754 boards worthy of your consideration for the Sempron. All are based on VIA's K8T800 chipset, and all can be had for just around $100 or less today. Find out who offers the best solution! Abit, Albatron, or Asus! Abit AV8 K8T800 Pro Motherboard Review @ pcperspective.com [Aug-13-04] (0 Comments) The BIOS on the AV8 is simply the best we have seen here for overclocking. It has every option you could ask for to push your system to its maximum speed and it puts all the configuration together in an easy to use and understand fashion. The BIOS has FSB speeds configurable up to 336 MHz, multiplier adjustments, voltage options that are high and the ability to adjust settings of the north bridge and south bridge that you can't really find on other motherboards. Buffalo Firestix FSX5000V DDR Memory Review Buffalo Firestix FSX5000V DDR Memory Review @ pcstats.com [Aug-05-04] (0 Comments) Even with all the changes occuring on the Intel platform this summer (PCI-Express, DDR2 RAM, socket 775 CPUs, etc.) DDR memory's future is still very bright. After all AMD systems from the AthlonXP through to the Athlon64 use DDR, as do all socket 478 Intel-based motherboards. With this in mind, there are still plenty of enthusiasts hungry for fast DDR that overclocks even faster still! Buffalo Technology is gearing up for some tough competition in the high-end memory market, and their secret weapons are the new dual channel DDR Buffalo Firestix modules. Buffalo's new series of DDR RAM comes with a snazzy new name, some bright red heatspreaders, and modules like the ones we are testing today which are rated to run at 250 MHz, while maintaining 3-4-4-8 memory timings, at a voltage of 2.7V. For this review PCstats is testing a pair of 512MB PC4000 CL3 DDR modules Buffalo call the FSX5000V-512M. Gigabyte K8NSNXP-939 AMD Athlon 64 motherboard review @ A1 Electronics [Aug-03-04] (0 Comments) Is it us or are motherboards a whole lot better than they were say 5+ years ago. We think so, and this K8NSNXP-939 is yet another top quality performance motherboard from Gigabyte. If we have a grip it would be that the price of motherboards should be half. Shuttle AN51R nForce3 250 @ PimpRig [Aug-03-04] (0 Comments) There isn't anything too exceptional about the layout of the AN51R. Even though there are plenty of capacitors near the CPU socket, they are low enough where almost all heatsinks would clear it. The ATX connector, IDE1 and 2, and floppy connector are all conveniently bundled near the top back of the board which makes wire management easier, but once again, the 4 pin 12V connector is located clear across the board right below the CPU socket. Acadia Technology (GlobalWin) YCC-S27 Case Reviewed @ Hi-Techreviews.com [Jul-27-04] (0 Comments) For a long while it looked as though the Micro-ATX form factor motherboard and cases were about to become a thing of the past, but it's good to see that some of the major players in the motherboard field haven't given up on them yet. Just doing a quick check at Newegg shows that they have 38 - AMD motherboards listed and 58 for Intel. With all those motherboards we need cases and one of those is the Acadia Technology's YCC-25 low profile case. Come on along as we check it out. AMD Athlon 64 3200+, Upgrader's Perspective @ Viper Lair [Jul-05-04] (0 Comments) As a short term fix, the Socket 754 still has some life left to it. You will not be able to bring it with you later on though, as many manufacturers are only making Socket 939 version motherboards based on the newer chipsets. Availability is still limited though, and Socket 754 systems are something that are readily available now. Foxconn 755A01-6EKRS Athlon64 Motherboard @ coc [Jul-04-04] (0 Comments) Foxconn has sent over the 755A01. An Athlon64 motherboard to piggyback on the recent coverage we have given their Pentium 4 motherboards. Granted, Foxconn motherboards do not generally boast an abundant Overclocking feature set. However, factoring in the extremely low cost of the motherboard, the feature rich chipset used and support for the Socket 754 Athlon64, this motherboard takes dead aim at budget conscious consumer! It's a quick 5 page read so go on and see what I thought of the Foxconn 755A01, right here on Club Overclocker. AMD Opteron Reviews Page Total Revamp @ AMDboard [Jun-24-04] (0 Comments) AMD just celebrate the first Opteron processor birthday and AMDboard.com thought it would be a good idea to completely revamp its reviews page with something much more practical. The result is a complete table with the sites reviews direct link, motherboards and servers used in the tests, and a complete list of CPUs tested in each review. The overall page is quite neat and definitely deserves a visit at Getting Ready for BTX @ pcstats [Jun-16-04] (0 Comments) Thus far, motherboards have remained pretty stable in terms of size, shape, and the location of cable connectors and such. Long ago, the AT standard morphed into ATX, the current day standard which outlines exactly where components are located on a board. The ATX 2.0 standard (the second revision of ATX) made way for a small assortment of sizes like Micro-ATX, Flex-ATX and so forth. Yet, no matter what the size of the motherboard, whether it be for a small form factor PC, or a desktop PC, the location of components like PCI slots, processor, and I/O ports (PS/2, USB, network, parallel, and serial) are all essentially the same. Several months ago consumers found out that Intel had plans to change all this. Called BTX, this new standard is as yet unapplied, but will eventually force you to toss out all your good hardware and purchase new parts; at the very least a case, motherboard and power supply which conform to the standard. Asus K8V SE Deluxe Athlon64 Motherboard @ Pimprig [May-24-04] (0 Comments) Here's an interesting thing with the RAM slots; where you place your RAM will dictate the RAM speed. For example, if I place a stick of double sided RAM in DIMM1, I get DDR 400. If I add another stick of RAM in DIMM2 or 3, I still get 400. But if I place those same two sticks of RAM in only DIMM2 and DIMM3, I would end up with DDR 200 speed. Epox EP-4PDA5+ i865PE Springdale Motherboard Review @ Tweak News [May-19-04] (0 Comments) Today I will be reviewing Epox's latest edition to their i865PE (Springdale) based motherboards. The EP-4PDA5+ is not your everyday Springdale motherboard. Although it is not targeted towards the enthusiast market, you will see in the upcoming pages that if you didn't know what chipset this motherboard was powered by, you would swear it was a Canterwood. Aside from performance, this motherboard is no slouch in the feature department either. With an extremely overclocker friendly BIOS, 7.1 channel onboard sound, Gigabit LAN, four SATA drive capability and Prescott support, it's hard to believe that the MSRP is only weighing in at a measly US$110. Is this the fast and cheap motherboard the cash strapped masses have been waiting for? Read on..... A look at Alienware's X2 dual Graphics Technology @ (specify) [May-15-04] (0 Comments) any might be wondering why other system vendors arent following a similar pattern by using a dual-card graphics solution. Seeing as there are no motherboards available or planned by any vendors which feature the necessary lanes to accommodate two graphics cards without sacrificing other ports, any effort to do so would have to be custom made for this system. Alienware has done just that, designing a board around an unspecified upcoming Intel chipset. The AMD Mobile Barton @ Bit Tech [May-13-04] (0 Comments) Since the release of the Athlon 64 back in September 2003, many people might have thought that Socket A would die out and make way for the new K8 architecture. However, this has proven not to be the case; new motherboards with awesome overclocking features such as the DFI LanParty Rev. B and DFI Infinity Rev. A have given the K7 architecture a breath of fresh air... Northpole Chipset Cooler (Review) @ ipkonfig.com [May-08-04] (0 Comments) We have seen many attempts at cooling down those hot Northbridge chipsets over the years. Many have been successful at those attempts, while others have not done so well. MicroCool, based in Europe, seems to have their heads placed on their shoulders quite well with their release of the Northpole Chipset Cooler. It is unique in many was, along with universal for today's motherboards abroad. Made with copper and covered with a nicely designed black shroud, the Northpole not only looks great--but its ability to install on most any motherboard sets it apart from other heatsinks. It even comes with a few extra miniature sized aluminum heatsinks for those little jobs. ASUS's SK8V vs SK8N @ AMDReview [Apr-30-04] (0 Comments) Between these two motherboards, the logical choice to purchase would be the SK8V because of the inclusion of newer features like Gigabit Ethernet, extra SATA headers, and is a newer motherboard. On top of that, earlier revisions of the SK8N can not post with an A64 FX chip, until one places an Opteron and then flashes the BIOS. Also given the fact that the SK8V costs only an extra 6 dollars! Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 Pro2-W Motherboard Review @ PCstats [Apr-27-04] (0 Comments) If you're a frequent reader of PCStats you probably noticed that we reviewed the original Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 Pro 2 a while back. This time around Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 Pro2-W has an added USB 802.11b wireless adapter bundled into the onboard package, hence the "W" moniker in the name. Perhaps one of the most important compelling features is that the Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 Pro2-W is already Prescott ready. Many original i865PE/i875P motherboards on the market are not set up to work with the increased power demands of Prescott.... or they may be, you really don't know for certain. That mystery doesn't surround the rather well equipped GA-8IPE1000 Pro2-W motherboard. The GA-8IPE1000 Pro2-W supports all current Socket 478 Pentium 4 processors (400MHz, 533MHz and 800MHZ FSB) and with its four DIMM slots, up to 4GB of PC3200 DDR RAM. Opus Technologies Titanium Tiny Tower TT-501 @ COC [Apr-26-04] (0 Comments) Upon the first glance I even had at this case was hard to explain. I couldn't believe the fit and finish and unique design of this product. The name brings back flashback of Bloom Counties Opus the penguin, and given the influence of such a great newspaper cartoon one tends to wonder. Anyways Opus technologies started out in 1999 as a main supplier of motherboards and software, and just recently shifted their focus towards providing quality PC enclosures. Well, given that this is one of their first products, Opus has already made a huge impression on the whole staff at ClubOC. So does this case live up to its titanium name set? Lets pry this thing open and check it out... Transcend Xabre 400 Video Card Review @ OCIA.net [Apr-01-04] (0 Comments) NVIDIA and ATI. Not too many people know of (or care about) other graphics chipset manufacturers. Well, among the lesser known manufacturers lies SiS. Yes, the same manufacturer many of you know for their northbridge chipsets on motherboards. Today we will take a look at Transcend's Xabre 400 graphics card. This card has been on the market for a while, but lets see if it can still be a viable alternative for someone looking to save a few bucks. Chaintech Apogee AA5700U Videocard Review @ PCstats [Mar-20-04] (0 Comments) Let's be utterly frank for a moment, the AGP slot's days are numbered. That being the case, there are still many millions of AGP motherboards in the world, while virtually no computers in the hands of consumers use PCI express yet. It may be some time before the balance swings in favour of PCI Express, so videocard manufacturers are continuing to produce their products for consumers looking to upgrade older machines. After all, it is all about playing the games we like at the best possible visual quality isn't it? Mainstream graphics cards are often talked about in publications, and while the industry slang is an accurate depiction of the FX57000 videocard, I'm sure most consumers are really only interested in improving the FPS and appearance of their game, for the most economical outlay of cash. In that respect, the nVIDIA GeForceFX 5700 and GeForceFX 5900XT class videocards bode well. Albatron PX875P Pro reviewed @ Ohls-place.com [Mar-20-04] (0 Comments) Albatron's latest addition to their already strong arsenal of Intel based motherboards is the PX875P Pro based on the new Intel 82875P chip which offers up to 1200 MHz FSB speed. So we decided to see what this new blue colored beast was capable of doing and ran it through a few benchmarks and came away with some interesting results. You will have to read the review to find out what they were. Albatron K8X800 Pro II Athlon64 Motherboard Review @ GruntvillE.com [Mar-17-04] (0 Comments) The K8X800 Pro II uses the same blue PCB we liked so much in both of our past Albatron reviews. The overall layout of the board is much better than the KX18D Pro II. The ATX power connector is in the upper right hand corner of the board allowing for much better wire management but the 4-pin 12V connector is still located on the left hand side of the board. It would be nice to have both connectors on the right hand side, but no luck this time. Beginners Guides: Installing RAID on Desktop PCs @ PCstats [Mar-09-04] (0 Comments) Hard disks are mechanical devices with moving parts, and as such will break down eventually, compromising any data stored on them that is not backed up. One technology that was developed to deal with this pair of issues is RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks). The idea is to use multiple hard disks in the same system to provide both increased performance (by dividing up data so multiple disks can process different parts of it at the same time) and increased reliability by writing the same information to multiple disks at once. This technology filtered down to the enthusiast level a while ago, and has become a common feature on many motherboards, as well as an integral part of newer operating systems such as Windows 2000 and XP professional. In this guide, we will explore how the different implementations of RAID technology function, and how you can make your own RAID setup using a hardware RAID controller, or the software RAID function built into Windows XP Profes!sional. DFI Lanparty PRO875 "Revision B" Canterwood Motherboard Review @ Tweak News [Mar-01-04] (0 Comments) If any series of motherboards could be crowned as one of the most popular product line introduction in 2003, the Lanparty line would be definitely on the top of the class. With quality, performance, features, an unrivaled bundle coupled with UV reactive aesthetic goodness, the Lanparty motherboard has been a sought after enthusiast motherboard looking for the complete package. Today I will be reviewing the Revision B release of the Lanparty PRO875 Canterwood enhanced motherboard. With even more features and additions added onto an already solid Revision A release, the PRO875B is not an update to correct problems, but is a release to make a great product even better. Two new Athlon 64 barebones! @ AMDboard [Feb-29-04] (0 Comments) AMD's success with AMD64 products Athlon 64 and Opteron is giving a lot of appetite to many companies around the world. After HP just signed up for a pair of speedy Opteron servers, Taiwanese Chenming, famous for making awesome casings, is now joining the herd with some new Athlon XP and Athlon 64 barebones and motherboards. Today, AMDboard is having some interesting details about the two Athlon 64 SFFs: The first one, GK8N, is nForce3 chipset powered while the second, GK8V is relying on a VIA K8T800 chipset to provide top notch features that you will all find listed. ABIT AI7 - Do you GURU? @ COC [Feb-27-04] (0 Comments) The first computer I ever built had an ABIT BM7 motherboard, based on the Intel BX440 chipset and ran an overclocked socket 370 Celeron 333mhz CPU. That was state of the art back about 5 years ago. My Voodoo 2 SLI add in card was bad mojo back then. I could Play Quake GL like no ones business. Wow, that seems like a lifetime ago. ABIT was the first company to embrace the overclocking community, and they still maintain that commitment today. The competition for your overclocking dollar is fierce these days. Companies like ABIT, DFI, Albatron, Epox, Gigabyte and of course ASUS are pulling out all the stops to be on top. Our ABIT AI7, Intel 865PE / ICH5R chipset based motherboard review will examine one of ABIT's latest efforts in the high performance "budget" segment. Does ABIT still have what it takes? You might be surprised... Intel Desktop Board D875PBZ @ cyberCPU [Feb-23-04] (0 Comments) Intel has always been known for quality, their business is surrounded around their processors but their motherboards are sometimes not considered when compared to other manufacturers. For die hard Intel fans the Intel desktop boards may be the best if not only choice for them. The motherboard I am testing today is based on Intel's i875P chipset. Gigabyte GA-7VA revision 2 review @ Techangel [Feb-15-04] (1 Comments) From experience, I am confident about buying Gigabyte motherboards. My board of the last year and a half was a Gigabyte, it was an exceptional performer, but it didnt overclock. Back then, though, I wasnt interested in such things and since it only cost 35 I was very happy with it. So the logical choice for this years board was Gigabyte. My new toy the GA-7VA r2, from their budget range, cost me just 43 from dabs.com - again great value from Gigabyte. It sports AGP 8x, DDR400 and a Via KT400A chipset. Morex's Cubid 3688 M-ITX Case Review @ Pyroport [Feb-13-04] (0 Comments) Two years ago Morex released a new range of cases and power supplies for VIA's Mini-ITX range of motherboards. Not much has changed since then, the company have two main varieties of Mini-ITX case; the 26 and the 36 series. It is a 36 series case that we have here today, in the form of the C3688. We have the black version, but it is also available in silver. Albatron KX600S Pro Review @ COC [Feb-12-04] (0 Comments) Albatron is now celebrating it's 2nd anniversary and is steadily gaining ground as motherboard and graphics card manufacturer. The KX600S Pro is a VIA KT600 chipset based, AMD Athlon XP motherboard. This board will give you lots of bang for your buck. It won't outrun a good nForce 2 based board, but if you are a VIA fan and need of a board with good performance and GREAT on-board sound on a small budget, this may be your board. Check out the review here! Corsair TwinX4400 Memory @ ipkonfig [Feb-11-04] (0 Comments) In 2004 we should see a rise in higher performance memory and motherboards on the market. As processor manufactures release higher end central processing units, the demand to keep up with it pushes the I/O market a bit harder. Memory is no exception, and for the most part, has done quite well so far--actually it is ahead of the game right now. Corsair Memory is one company doing that quite well. In fact, we were able to peak out the TwinX4400 at 291Mhz, and found that to be the limiting factor. Was it stable though? DFI LAN Party Pro875B @ COC [Feb-06-04] (0 Comments) CMOS Reloaded is probably the single biggest bios improvement I've seen since manufacturers first started supporting Overclockers. CMOS Reloaded is simply a memory bank for your favorite settings. The latest revision gives you 4 memory presets that you can program and name. This is incredibly handy when overclocking. If you get to the point where you have to clear the bios with the reset jumper, your settings are still saved. Instead of going through each and every setting again, you just reload your favorite settings, and in seconds you are back up and running. DFI 865PE Infinity Motherboard Review @ COC [Jan-27-04] (0 Comments) DFI has quickly made a name for themselves as a producer of top quality, enthusiast motherboards. DFI has been in the motherboard business for quite a while, but they have just recently started motherboards for the mainstream overclocking crowd. Their LAN Party series of motherboards have taken the overclocking community by storm. DFI has another series of boards that are a little less known, the infinity series. What exactly is the Infinity series? Well if you open the LAN Party spec page and the infinity spec page and compare them, you will see that their spec sheets are identical. This board is for the people that want the performance of the LAN Party series, but don't want the LAN Party package. Check out the DFI 865PE Infinity, over at ClubOC! DFI LAN Party NFII Ultra B Review @ COC [Jan-22-04] (0 Comments) Our very own Andy T. just posted his in-depth review and overclocking tutorial of the DFI LAN Party NFII Ultra B motherboard. Even though we just reviewed the first version of this board last August, this is far from a simple revision and repackage. This review explores all the great features of this board, including it's ability to run at 260 FSB stable. That's right, NFII Ultra at 260FSB! We were also surprised to find a completely new board design. When we reviewed the original last July, we gave it a glowing review. How did DFI improve on this well received enthusiast board? Find out here at ClubOC! Albatron KX18D Pro II nForce2 Review @ GruntvillE.com [Jan-20-04] (0 Comments) As most people, Ive heard good things about the company and its products but have not had the privilege to work with one. Albatron video cards are well known for their great overclocking abilities and I look forward to seeing if the board can continue the short tradition. I must say after reading up on the KX18D Pro II that Im impressed. As the Athlon XP appears to be on its last leg, its refreshing to know that the manufacturers are still out there trying to improve whats available for the tons of people still using these chips, myself included. Tyan Thunder K8QS S4882 4P @ AMDboard [Jan-08-04] (3 Comments) After the Thunder K8-4 S4880, Tyan is on the way to release not one but two new motherboards which are both perfect candidate for powerful rackmount servers. The first one S2881, is a dual-Opteron with two Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports and integrated ATI RAGE XL graphics controller, while second, Thunder K8QS S4882, has two independent PCI-X buses, Dual-channel Ultra320 SCSI, Broadcom BCM5704C dual-channel Gigabit Ethernet controller and ATI RAGE XL graphics controller. With the addition of this two new Opteron motherboards to the list of 28 already known, added to the smashing release of the Athlon 64 3400+, there is not a shadow of a doubt that year 2004 is starting extremely well for Sunnyvale founder AMD... Corsair TwinX-1024 XMS4400 Review @ GruntvillE.com [Jan-07-04] (0 Comments) It appears that just a few short months after the release of the XMS 4000 Pro series that the Corsair folks have raised the stakes even higher by releasing their new flagship modules, the XMS 4400s. According to the Corsair press release these puppies are aimed at the new breed of highly overclockable motherboards and they really ought to be a PC enthusiasts fantasy dream date. The twin module packages are advertised to reach a whopping 550MHz. Now I dont need to tell our hardcore readers out there that these are very impressive claims, but hopefully I can validate them for you. Corsair was kind enough to send us a package of the TwinX1024 modules, and I fully intend to run these beauties thru a barrage of benchmarks to see exactly how well they respond under pressure 404 results. New search. |
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