Motherboard

Introducing itself to the low-cost gaming motherboard scene, can Gigabyte's G1.Sniper Z87 retain the features that makes its higher-priced siblings attractive purchases? Targeting mid-range gamers Gigabyte's G1.Sniper Z87 features a Killer E2201 NIC, support for 2-way SLI and CrossFire, and an eye-catching green and black colour scheme. Further enhancements are …

Forming the entry-level Z87 board in ASRock's gaming-orientated Fatal1ty series, is the Z87 Killer able to prove itself as a good-value gaming motherboard? Designed to meet the requirements of gamers, ASRock outfits its Z87 Killer with a number of premium add-on components which it calls Gaming Armor. An audio upgrade …

Since its inception earlier this year, MSI's Gaming series of components has been a success story. With its well-respected ATX Gaming series motherboards receiving positive feedback, MSI turns its focus to winning over mATX gamers. Enter the micro-ATX Z87M Gaming. Retaining many of the gaming-orientated features that made its ATX …

MSI has released some teaser images for its upcoming miniature gaming hardware, including a new motherboard and a small form factor GPU, both designed to fit into half size cases, whilst still giving you enough oomf for all the latest games. “We’re very close to expanding our #GAMING family with …

How does a company make a multiple award-winning, enthusiast-grade motherboard even more ‘extreme'? By making it into a black edition version, of course. Asus has updated its critically-acclaimed Rampage IV Extreme X79 motherboard to ‘Black Edition' status. Have the upgraded components and IVB-E tweaks resulted in yet another rampaging master …

Asus has today announced the launch of its newest E-ATX gaming motherboard, the Rampage IV Black Edition, designed specifically to take full advantage of Intel's latest line up of LGA 2011 i7 Ivy Bridge E processors, letting overclockers really go to town and pull the full potential from their CPU. …

As a chipset, X79 is starting to show its age, especially when compared to the feature-heavy Z87 PCH. This can pose problems for motherboard manufacturers looking to sell a value-orientated product that isn't stripped to the point where masses of consumers are alienated away from the target audience. Cutting down in …

Today we are going to take a look at the ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ motherboard which is their flagship FM2+ model. We recently looked at a Gigabyte's flagship FM2+ motherboard – the G1 Sniper A88x and we were very impressed with the overall package. ASRock have made quite a name for …

Today we are going to look at one of the first Socket FM2+ motherboards designed for gaming, the Gigabyte G1 Sniper A88X.  This has similar characteristics as the other products in Gigabyte's gaming range, including the trademark green and black colour scheme. As its name suggests, the Gigabyte G1 Sniper A88X features the …

A little under two years after the release of Intel's high-end desktop – Sandy Bridge-E – LGA 2011 processors and the corresponding X79 chipset, it's time for the platform to go through its refresh phase. Featuring a die shrink from SB-E's 32nm to 22nm, Ivy Bridge-E is intended to take …

While it seems that some mainboard vendors will need new models and/or BIOS updates in order to provide AMD FX9000 series processors with full support, KitGuru has been contacted by Asus to confirm that “Support has been there all along”. Nice to know they care, but what does it really …

With the launch of ‘future Intel Core i7 49xx/48xx product family' processors just around the corner, Asus has taken the opportunity to refresh members of its X79 line of motherboards. Get ready to feast your eyes on some exclusive pictures of Asus' refreshed X79-Deluxe motherboard before the upcoming launch. Not …

We've already told you how MSI has made a big splash at i49 with its all-in-one systems and of course with its handsome Dutch PR man, Joran, but that's not all it had on show. There was also a couple of newly released motherboards that drew my attention – one …

Earlier today Gigabyte announced its latest range of 8 series motherboards based on the Intel H81 Chipset in both ATX and Micro-ATX form factors. These motherboards are set to arrive fully loaded with All Solid Caps, Low RDS(on) MOSFETs and Gigabyte's DualBIOS™. The Gigabyte H81-D3. More surprising is the news …

Gigabyte has today announced a new series of motherboards known as the A88X line, all of which will support both current-generation FM2 Trinity and Richland AMD APUs and the newer FM2+ form factor Keveri chips. This range will expand upon the already debuted, AMD G-1 Sniper board which we showed …

The newest ATX member joining Asus' premier line of Z87 motherboards, the Maximus VI Formula, brings something completely different to the ROG table – a full-board covering called ROG Armor. Can the distinctive Maximus VI Formula prove itself as an excellent platform for high-end gamers and intermediate overclockers? Typically a …

Gigabyte has announced the release of a new gaming motherboard, specifically designed with AMD users in mind. Known as the G1 Sniper A88X and therefore part of the G1-Killer range of gaming motherboards, it comes packing all the standard features you'd expect of a high end Gigabyte product, with the …

Built for hardened overclockers, does ASRock's Z87 OC Formula have what it takes to compete with the likes of MSI's Z87 XPower and Asus' Maximus VI Extreme? Utilising an E-ATX form factor and packed with overclocking-geared enhancements, ASRock's Z87 OC Formula represents the company's motherboard designed specifically for hardened tweakers …

Providing a fresh burst of excitement in Asus' premium Republic Of Gamers series, the Maximus VI Hero is the first ROG motherboard built specifically for the mid-range gamer. Has Asus' price-constricting approach paid off? Sparking attention due to its true gaming-orientated design and a price tag to match, the Maximus …

Built to serve extreme overclockers and hardcore enthusiasts, can the Z87 Republic Of Gamers series' flagship model compete with the finest motherboards that ASRock and MSI have to offer? Perched at the top of Asus' Z87 ROG tree, the Maximus VI Extreme features support for 4-way graphics configurations via a …

Situated towards the entry-level end of Gigabyte's Ultra Durable series of Z87 motherboards, the Z87-D3HP aims to provide a cheap-and-cheerful way for budget-conscious users to make the switch to Haswell. Featuring six SATA 6Gb/s ports, CrossFire capabilities, Intel LAN, and up to ten USB 3.0 ports, Gigabyte's Z87-D3HP offers a …

Sat at the top of ASRock's Z87 Extreme series line-up, the Extreme9/ac is designed to combine enthusiast and gaming performance into a single motherboard that can provide everyday usage. With a 12 phase power delivery design and support for 4-way graphics configurations via a PLX PEX 8747 PCI Express switch, ASRock's …

Today we are going to take a look at the Gigabyte F2A85XN-WIFI, a mid-range mini-ITX motherboard, aimed at those who are looking to build a basic compact gaming system or a compact media centre PC. The Gigabyte F2A85XN-WIFI features the AMD A85X chipset and supports all of the latest ‘Richland’ …

Today we are looking at the new AMD FX9590, clocked at an eye popping 5ghz. The FX9590 is shipped with a base clock of 4.7ghz and a maximum turbo speed of 5.0ghz – the all important figure which has already started a plethora of news stories across the net. AMD …

MSI is aiming for all-out performance with its flagship LGA 1150 motherboard – the Z87 XPower. Can the 32 phase VRM, overclocking-orientated features, host of add-on controllers, and support for 4-way graphics configurations give MSI's Z87 XPower motherboard success in the enthusiast sector? Adamant to make a stake in the …

When Intel launched their new range of Haswell processors at the start of June we reviewed a handful of new Z87 motherboards, including the high end Asus Sabertooth priced around the £200 mark. Not everyone can afford a £200 motherboard, so today we look at the budget Asus Z87-K motherboard …

To conclude our Haswell series of launch videos, we have the company's workhorse product – the Z87-C. It will support any single graphic card (including dual-GPU versions), but in terms of multi-card support your only option is AMD Radeons in CrossFire formation. How much of a drawback is that?  Let's …

As part of our extensive series of in-depth videos around the top Asus mainboards that are being produced for Intel's 4th Generation Core processor, we take a look at the Asus Z87-A with an engineer from regional HQ. What does this board offer? As you move from mainboard to mainboard, …

Regular readers will be aware that Intel recently launched their Haswell range of processors. Kitguru has already reviewed motherboards from partners such as MSI, ASUS and Gigabyte in the last week. Today we look at the new ASRock Z87 Extreme 6 – this is a 12 phase power design featuring …

When you're the biggest mainboard company in town, it's right that you should spend time ‘shooting for the stars'. At the same time, you also need to think about customers who DO want the latest in Z87 chipset technology – but who don't want to spend the price of a …