Asus is expanding its Skylake lineup with its new Maximus VIII Hero Alpha motherboard, bringing some important additions to the feature set, including a new USB 3.1 controller, support for memory speeds over 3800MHz, five-way optimisation and for the first time, RGB strip headers. Other key changes over the previous Maximus …
Read More »MSI X99A SLI Plus Motherboard Review
With Skylake chips still selling through retailers for a significantly greater price than Intel may have intended, the HEDT X99 platform quickly becomes an even more appealing option to power users. The six-core Haswell-E 5820K is faster than Skylake's flagship 6700K and is available for around £40 less. The next …
Read More »MSI kicks off Season 2 of Pro Talk with Esport star
MSI has launched the second season of its Pro Talk web-show that talks to various high-profile individuals related to gaming hardware, with Mike ‘hastr0' Rufail, who's credits include being a pro-player in the earlier days of Call of Duty's Esports scene, as well as now managing Team EnVyUs. Hosted by …
Read More »Asus Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1 Motherboard Review
Asus' TUF series of motherboards takes a different approach towards the market when compared to the gaming, overclocking, and ‘standard' line-ups each vendors has in its product catalogue. Built primarily for reliable stability through enhanced thermal management and validated industrial design, can the Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1 live up to …
Read More »MSI launches Z170A SLI Plus motherboard
MSI has completed its PRO Series motherboard line up today with the addition of the Z170A SLI Plus motherboard, packed with features in a stealthy, black design. At first glance, you can spot the similarities between the Z1z0A and X99A SLI Plus motherboards, though plenty of features have been enhanced …
Read More »ASRock shows off new Fatal1ty Z170 pro-gaming motherboard
ASRock has pulled out all the stops for the launch of its new Fatal1ty Z170 pro-gaming motherboard, with the inclusion of a bundle of features to help it appeal to a wide range of system builders; as well as offering support for all of the latest standards of hardware. Skylake …
Read More »ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Extreme is a ridiculously expensive mobo
ASUS might be known for producing some of the world's most premium gaming and overclocking motherboards, but it's never done anything quite like this one before. Bundling monstrous on-board heatsinks, with an overclocking companion tool, many, many USB ports and a number of other features with the Skylake supporting Z170 …
Read More »Gigabyte adds Thunderbolt 3 support with mobo firmware update
Thunderbolt 3 is the holy grail of USB connections. Using type-C as it's base, it's reversible, can deliver as much as 100 watts of power and it can throughput data at a blistering 40Gbps, making it twice as fast as Thunderbolt 2 and far faster than standard USB 3.0 connections. …
Read More »MSI Z170A GAMING M7 used to break 6700K overclocking world record
You don't necessarily need an ultra high-end motherboard to achieve a great overclock. This was proven by OC team ‘The Overclocking Knights' this week, who used MSI's Z170A Gaming M7 motherboard to push an Intel Core i7 6700K all the way to 6744MHz (6.74GHz), breaking the PiFast World Record. The team also …
Read More »Gigabyte Z170X-Gaming 7 Motherboard Review
It is almost undeniable that performance is the primary currency when purchasing components for a pixel-pushing gaming machine. But in the same way that enthusiasts may appreciate a fast car for its sleek lines and eye-catching paint job, appearance is another of the important parameters to gamers building a system …
Read More »ASUS shows off ROG Maximus VIII Impact Z170 ITX motherboard
ASUS has just showed off its latest motherboard, the mini-ITX ROG Maximus VIII Impact, bringing the benefits of Intel's latest platform to small, compact rigs. With a new platform, comes new benefits, including 5-way optimization, Pro Clock technology and a full-scale voltage regulator module for those that like to squeeze …
Read More »AMD’s future ‘Bristol Ridge’ and ‘Stoney Ridge’ APUs listed in BIOS
An undisclosed maker of motherboards has already added mentions of AMD’s upcoming accelerated processing units in the binary of its BIOS. It is highly likely that AMD’s latest reference BIOS versions already include support of the company’s future microprocessors. As a result, mentions of the chips migrate to commercial products. …
Read More »Intel: Usage of DDR3 at default voltages can damage “Skylake”
Intel Corp.’s latest “Skylake” processors officially support only DDR3L and DDR4 memory, but there are motherboards for the new chips that can also use DDR3. While the chips can work with previous-gen memory, prolonged usage of such dynamic random access memory (DRAM) can damage microprocessors, according to Intel. DDR4 memory …
Read More »Asrock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX: Tiny mobo with 8-phase CPU VRM
Asrock has introduced its new Fatal1ty-branded mini-ITX high-end motherboard for gaming PCs. The new system board is designed for Intel “Skylake” processors and sports numerous advanced features that modern PC platforms can offer. Among the highlights are unique voltage regulator module, extreme overclocking capabilities, HDMI 2.0 connector that supports 4K …
Read More »MSI Z170A XPower Gaming Titanium Edition Review
MSI has made a bold move by giving the company's Z170 XPower motherboard a Titanium theme. What exactly does that mean? Well firstly the motherboard features a unique metallic styling which is sure to turn heads. And then there's the application of a sixteen phase power delivery system that makes …
Read More »Gigabyte Z170X-SOC Force LN2 for extreme overclockers is closing in
Earlier this year it transpired that Gigabyte Technology was working on a new ‘Super Overclock’ motherboard designed for extreme overclocking and setting records in benchmarks. As it appears, the release of the platform is getting closer. The Gigabyte Z170X-SOC Force LN2-CF platform was designed from the ground up to offer …
Read More »Asustek unveils ultimate mini-ITX mainboard for ‘Skylake’ CPUs
Asustek Computer this week introduced its Z170I Pro Gaming mainboard, which is desinged for Intel Corp.’s latest microprocessors code-named “Skylake” and provides ultimate feature-set. The platform not only uses high-quality/high-performance components and has rich expansion capabilities, but even features advanced overclocking functionality. The Asus Z170I Pro Gaming is based on the Intel …
Read More »MSI starts to sell its top-of-the-range Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium
Although makers of mainboards tend to start selling their high-end products right after developers of microprocessors introduce their new central processing units, some unique products take longer time to develop. MicroStar International on Friday said that its top-of-the-range Z170A Xpower Gaming Titanium Edition mainboard – which features an distinctive silver colour – …
Read More »MSI unveils Night Elf: Inexpensive Intel B150 mainboard for gamers
MicroStar International has unveiled its new mainboard for Intel Corp.’s latest code-named “Skylake” processors that belongs to its Gaming family of platforms designed for gamers, but which costs significantly less than higher-end solutions. The MSI B150M Night Elf mainboard does not support overclocking or other advanced capabilities of modern motherboards. …
Read More »OcUK ‘8Pack Approved’ kit includes Intel Core [email protected], other hardware
Overclockers UK has unveiled its new “Elite Tier Skylake” “8Pack Approved” hardware bundle that not only lets to build a high-end system at a discount price, but also includes Intel Core i7-6700K “Skylake” processors that are guaranteed to run at increased clock-rates. A lot of people enjoy overclocking. Modern central …
Read More »Asrock unveils mainboard for ‘Skylake’ with DDR3 and DDR4 memory slots
Asrock has quietly unveiled a unique mainboard for Intel Corp.’s latest processors code-named “Skylake”, which features both DDR3 and DDR4 memory slots. The motherboard is an affordable platform, but it can be used to build rather high-performance personal computers for gaming. The Asrock B150M Combo-G mainboard for Intel “Skylake” processors in …
Read More »Gigabyte claims ‘world’s first’ Thunderbolt 3-certified mainboard
Gigabyte Technology, one of the globe’s largest maker of motherboards, on Monday said that its Z170X-UD5 TH motherboard is the world’s first platform to be certified by Intel for Thunderbolt 3 compliancy. The Gigabyte Z170X-UD5 TH mainboard is based on Intel Z170 core-logic as well as Intel’s “Alpine Ridge” controller. …
Read More »Kingston introduces DDR3L memory modules for enthusiasts
Although DDR4 memory provides higher bandwidth than DDR3 and has very high overclocking potential, it is also more expensive than its predecessor. However, Intel Corp.’s latest “Skylake” processors officially support only DDR4 and DDR3L, but not DDR3. For those, who do not want to invest in DDR4 now, Kingston Technology …
Read More »Gigabyte unveils high-end Intel Z170-based mini-ITX mainboard
Gigabyte Technology has introduced its new mini-ITX mainboard for Intel Corp.’s “Skylake” processors with premium features. The new platform supports a number of advanced technologies, including Creative SoundBlaster audio enhancements, USB 3.1 type-C port, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and so on. The Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 mainboard based on the Intel Z170 core-logic with …
Read More »MSI initiates cash-back program for Intel Z170 mainboards and GeForce GTX graphics cards
MicroStar International has initiated a cash-back program on select products based on Intel Corp.’s Z170 core-logic sets and Nvidia Corp.’s graphics processing units. For a limited time, it will be possible to get the latest hardware at a discount. From 28th of August until 29th of September, MSI offers up …
Read More »Asus TUF Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1: Extreme performance and durability
Asustek Computer has introduced its TUF Sabertooth Z170 Mark 1 mainboard for Intel Corp.’s latest “Skylake” processors, which combines excellent expansion capabilities, advanced connectivity, sophisticated overclocking features with ultimate durability and five-year warranty. The platform is designed for those, who not only want high performance, but maximum reliability too. The …
Read More »Not all USB type-C ports are equal: Nine versions of USB-C incoming
The reversible USB type-C connector is something that the industry has been waiting for since the introduction of the original USB bus in 1997. This year PCs, computer components and mobile devices finally started to incorporate USB-C receptacles, but not all implementations necessarily support all features introduced by the latest …
Read More »Gigabyte Z170XP-SLI Motherboard Review
Gigabyte's Z170XP-SLI is aiming to tempt users looking for a motherboard that offers the Z170 platform's core features, but without requiring a significant cash outlay. In the Z170XP-SLI, Gigabyte offers one of the lowest cost boards to support SLI, while also retaining features such as USB 3.1, USB Type-C, and …
Read More »MSI readies Intel Z170 mini-ITX mainboard with premium features
MicroStar International is preparing to release one of the industry’s first premium mainboards for Intel Corp.’s “Skylake” microprocessors in mini-ITX form-factor. The new motherboard will support all features essential for modern high-performance personal computers and will even have overclocking capabilities. The MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC platform is based on …
Read More »Intel demos 3D XPoint-based Optane SSD, set to launch it in 2016
Intel Corp. on Tuesday demonstrated Optane, the world’s first solid-state drive based on its 3D XPoint memory jointly developed by Intel and Micron. The company said once again that the new type of memory will enable considerably higher performance than existing NAND flash. Intel Optane SSDs featuring breakthrough performance will …
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