Motherboard

While there are many mainboards with USB 3.1 support available today, they feature type-C ports on their back panels and it is uncomfortable to use such connectors. Asrock this week introduced a special adapter that places one USB type-C and one USB type-A ports on the front panel of any …

Exploiting the Skylake CPUs for their allure to gamers, ASRock's Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6+ is a motherboard that targets the enthusiast gaming audience by offering a wide range of the bells and whistles they may desire. Can pumped-up audio, a Killer NIC, strong multi-GPU support, and high-speed storage interfaces persuade …

Although Intel Corp.’s latest “Skylake” microprocessors officially support only DDR4 and DDR3L memory technologies, Asustek Computer claims that its Intel Z170-based motherboards with 240-pin DIMM slots will work with standard DDR3 memory modules with industry-standard voltages. DDR4 SDRAM memory has default voltage of 1.2V, but memory modules for overclockers with …

Rivet Networks on Wednesday introduced its new-generation smart network processor with enhanced performance and improved functionality. The new Killer E2400 chip promises to improve network-related performance in video games, multimedia and bandwidth-demanding applications. Gigabyte Technology and MicroStar International will be the first companies to use the new chip. Rivet does …

MicroStar International on Wednesday said that an overclocker had managed to set a new clock-speed record for DDR4 memory using the company’s flagship MSI Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium mainboard. The achievement underlines that both the new motherboard and Intel Corp.’s new “Skylake” microprocessors are excellent overclockers when it comes to …

MicroStar International will provide a free closed-loop liquid cooler from Cooler Master to the first buyers of their MSI Z170A Gaming M7 mainboards. The offer is limited, hence early adopters will need to be extremely quick. The first buyers of MSI’s new Z170A Gaming M7 platform will get Cooler Master …

The launch of Intel's Skylake CPUs sees the introduction of a whole new platform based around the LGA 1151 socket. Making use of Intel's feature-healthy Z170 chipset, Asus is targeting gamers who value premium aesthetics and enhanced gaming-grade features with the Maximus VIII Hero. Will the Republic of Gamers (ROG) …

EVGA has upgraded its micro-ATX mainboard for Intel Corp.’s high-end desktop processors. The new platform features all the advanced capabilities that the EVGA X99 Micro had to offer a year ago, but adds more Serial ATA-6Gb/s ports as well as one USB 3.1 type-C connector. The new motherboard is one of …

Although this year far not all mobile devices will get USB 3.1 type-C ports, next year a lot will change, according to Taiwan-based designers of controllers. Thanks to reversible form-factor, improved performance, higher durability and other benefits of USB 3.1 interface and type-C ports, many laptops and smartphones will adopt …

MicroStar International on Wednesday released the first details about its upcoming Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition mainboard for the upcoming Intel “Skylake” microprocessors. The new motherboard sports ultimate overclocking capabilities, unique silver coating and even all-new solid-state chokes that should improve durability and overclockability. One of the key features of the …

In a bid to enhance overclocking potential of Intel Corp.’s upcoming Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K “Skylake-S” central processing units, Asustek Computer plans to install modified LGA1151 sockets on its Intel Z170-based mainboards. Intel’s default LGA1151 socket features exactly 1151 pins, but Asustek will use a different socket with higher …

Asustek Computer has quietly unveiled what could be the world’s most advanced micro-ATX motherboard. The mainboard features Intel X99 core-logic and supports multi-GPU technologies, M.2 solid-state drives, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.1 and so on. The platform is designed for workstations. The Asus X99-M WS mainboard supports processors in LGA2011-3 form-factor, …

MicroStar International on Tuesday gave a sneak peek on its new mainboards based on Intel Z170 core-logic set designed for gamers. The MSI Z170A Gaming family of mainboards provides ultimate performance and innovative features, but are aimed at different segments of the market. The upcoming MSI Z170A Gaming mainboards designed …

Asustek Computer and Gigabyte Technology remained the top mainboard makers in the first half of this year, according to a media report. Each company shipped about eight million motherboards globally, which was below their initial plans. In fact, the market of mainboards shrunk pretty significantly in 1H 2015. Gigabyte managed …

Asmedia and Intel Corp. have started to reduce prices of their USB 3.1 controllers in a bid to gain market share. Intel Corp.’s “Alpine Ridge” chip offers Thunderbolt 3 in addition to USB 3.1, but Asmedia’s controller is significantly cheaper to make and can be sold a very low price. …

Asustek Computer is working on an add-in-card that will add Thunderbolt 3 support to its mainboards. The platform will be based on Intel Corp.’s “Alpine Ridge” controller and will significantly expand input/output capabilities of modern personal computers. The add-in-board from Asus featuring Intel “Alpine Ridge” chip will come with one …

MicroStar International this week introduced its new premium mainboard based on the Intel Z170 core-logic. The platform represents the best that the new Intel 100-series “Skylake” platform offers, including input/output capabilities. To make it more appealing for PC modders, MSI equipped its product with white heat-spreaders. The MSI Z170 Krait …

MSI has officially released its new flagship motherboard based on the X99 chipset. The X99A Godlike Gaming motherboard takes on the familiar red and black colour scheme we are used to seeing on MSI's gaming products while also packing in plenty of features for enthusiasts to make use of. Key …

Even though the vast majority of enthusiast-class mainboards for Intel Corp.’s upcoming code-named “Skylake” processors will rely mostly on DDR4 memory, lower-end solutions may support DDR3L as well. Moreover, for maximum flexibility, Biostar is readying two LGA1151 motherboards with both DDR3L and DDR4 memory slots. Biostar plans to release two …

Elitegroup Computer Systems has once again denied plans to stop making own-brand mainboards for the DIY [do-it-yourself] market. This is the second time this year when the company makes such denial. “We [ECS] feel regret to learn the untrue report from DigiTimes,” said Sunny Yang, the president of ECS, in …

Elitegroup Computer Systems has reportedly announced that it will not actively promote its own-brand mainboards aimed at the DIY [do-it-yourself] market going forward. The company will continue to produce motherboards for its clients, but will eventually quit the market of platforms for enthusiasts. ECS used to be one of the …

It's tempting for senior officials at every company to regurgitate the ‘About Us' section of their web site. Henry Kao is different. Prior to the cameras being switched on, Henry assured us that we could ask ‘Anything we want'. And so we did. Henry gave us his full, frank opinion …

When it comes to performance processors for the consumer market, Intel's Haswell-E chips are the fastest around. With such great performance potential are enthusiasts who want to squeeze every last bit of juice out of their system in order to break world records. That's where MSI's X99A XPOWER AC motherboard …

MSI's mid-range Z97 motherboard is the first to market with on-board USB 3.1 in the connection's Type-C form. With the port providing transfer rates of up to 10Gbps and support for new reversible USB Type-C devices, can MSI's Z97A Gaming 6 prove itself as a good option for users wanting …

We had a chance to take a look at ASRock's USB 3.1 implementation with the company's excellent X99E-ITX/ac motherboard and a custom USB 3.1 RAID testing card. How does ASRock's 10Gbps USB 3.1 solution fare? USB 3.1 has been a huge talking point for the past few months. We have …

Retrofitted with Gigabytes new pin-enhanced socket, the X99-Gaming 5P is targeting enthusiast gamers with an eye for multi-GPU configurations and an ear for high-quality audio hardware. Can the red and black-themed design appeal to gamers shopping for a mid-priced X99 motherboard? Branded as part of the G1 Gaming series, Gigabyte's …

The push for small yet powerful computers has been evident over the past few years. Many enthusiasts are no longer happy with an ATX motherboard and full tower chassis to house their single graphics card and pair of storage drives. Instead, budding aficionados are challenging themselves to create smaller and …

At present, only MicroStar International offers platforms for AMD processors with USB 3.1 type-A connectors. By contrast, virtually all leading makers of motherboards now sell mainboards for current-generation Intel processors with the new bus. Apparently, Advanced Micro Devices wants to change that. In a bid to catch up with Intel …

EVGA Corp. is working on two new mainboards based on Intel Corp.’s Z170 chipset for the upcoming Core-series “Skylake” processors. One of the mainboards is designed for gamers with overclocking ambitions and will not be too expensive. The other one is aimed at hardcore enthusiasts, who demand to have a …

Gigabyte Technology at Computex revealed details about its upcoming premium mainboards based on the Intel Z170 core-logic designed for the Intel’s “Skylake” microprocessors. As expected, the new motherboards will provide rather extreme capabilities when it comes to overclocking, multi-GPU and high-performance storage. Gigabyte’s premium Intel Z170-based motherboards for LGA1151 microprocessors …