Coffee Lake | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:58:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Coffee Lake | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Intel’s 8th Gen Coffee Lake processors to be phased out by end of year https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/christopher-nohall/intels-8th-gen-coffee-lake-processors-to-be-phased-out-by-the-end-of-the-year/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/christopher-nohall/intels-8th-gen-coffee-lake-processors-to-be-phased-out-by-the-end-of-the-year/#respond Wed, 03 Jun 2020 11:30:19 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=470307 Intel has announced that it will discontinue its 8th Generation Core desktop processors. The CPU lineup was officially discontinued as of June 1, but it will take some time before it's completely phased out. The announcement from Intel was made through a Product Change Notice (PCN), which reveals that the 8th generation Core desktop processors …

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Intel has announced that it will discontinue its 8th Generation Core desktop processors. The CPU lineup was officially discontinued as of June 1, but it will take some time before it's completely phased out.

The announcement from Intel was made through a Product Change Notice (PCN), which reveals that the 8th generation Core desktop processors have been discontinued as of June 1. That said, it is still possible for suppliers and OEM costumers to order the last remaining Coffee Lake CPUs until December 18, 2020, with the last shipment of said processors slated for around June 4, 2021.

Image credit: Intel

The Coffee Lake chips made their debut almost three years ago and sported up to six cores in the flagship i7-8700K, which was designed to take on 1st Gen Ryzen. Since then, both Intel's 9th and 10th Gen processors have made their way to the market , so it isn't too surprising that the chipmaker has chosen to discontinue the 8th Gen parts,

The PCN, with full details, can be found HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Let's look forward to upcoming processors from both AMD and Intel and hope that they will bring even better performance. What are your thoughts on Intel's 8th generation Core desktop processors being discontinued?

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Intel Core i9-9900KS 5GHz (8C16T) CPU Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/luke-hill/intel-core-i9-9900ks-5ghz-8c16t-cpu-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/luke-hill/intel-core-i9-9900ks-5ghz-8c16t-cpu-review/#respond Wed, 30 Oct 2019 13:00:26 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=432626 What happens when you take a 9900K, push clocks to 5GHz and raise the TDP? Enter the 9900KS

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In a clear effort to stamp its clock frequency and gaming performance authority over AMD, Intel has released a ‘Special Edition' version of the Core i9-9900K. Clocked at 5GHz out of the box on all eight cores, only the best of the Core i9-9900K silicon can become the Core i9-9900KS.

As will be a surprise to nobody, the TDP is increased to deal with the 5GHz clock speed. Perhaps more surprisingly, however, is that Intel is charging a reasonable $14-25 price premium for the i9-9900KS versus the i9-9900K. That seems to be a pretty reasonable mark-up for a 300MHz clock speed boost and the allure of a ‘limited edition' piece of hardware.

CPU AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Intel Core i9-9900KS Intel Core i9-9900K Intel Core i7-9700K
CPU Architecture Zen 2 Zen 2 Zen 2 Coffee Lake Refresh Coffee Lake Refresh Coffee Lake Refresh
CPU Socket AM4 AM4 AM4 LGA 1151 rev. 2 LGA 1151 rev. 2 LGA 1151 rev. 2
Core / Threads
12 / 24 8 / 16 8 / 16 8 / 16 8 / 16 8 / 8
Base Frequency 3.8GHz 3.9GHz 3.6GHz 4.0GHz 3.6GHz 3.6GHz
All-Core Frequency Up to 4.6GHz Up to 4.5GHz Up to 4.4GHz 5.0GHz 4.7GHz 4.6GHz
Boost Frequency Up to 4.6GHz Up to 4.5GHz Up to 4.4GHz 5.0GHz 5.0GHz 4.9GHz
Unlocked Core Multiplier Yes (x0.25 granularity) Yes (x0.25 granularity) Yes (x0.25 granularity) Yes (x1 granularity) Yes (x1 granularity) Yes (x1 granularity)
L3 Cache 64MB 32MB 32MB 16MB 16MB 12MB
Max. Memory Channels
2 (DDR4) 2 (DDR4) 2 (DDR4) 2 (DDR4) 2 (DDR4) 2 (DDR4)
Max. Memory Frequency (Native)
2667 to 3200MHz 2667 to 3200MHz 2667 to 3200MHz 2666MHz 2666MHz 2666MHz
CPU PCIe Lanes 16+4+4 PCIe Gen 4 16+4+4 PCIe Gen 4 16+4+4 PCIe Gen 4 16 PCIe Gen 3 16 PCIe Gen 3 16 PCIe Gen 3
Manufacturing Process 7nm 7nm 7nm 14nm++ 14nm++ 14nm++
TDP 105W 105W 65W 127W 95W 95W
iGPU No No No Intel UHD 630 Intel UHD 630 Intel UHD 630
CPU Cooler Included Wraith PRISM Wraith PRISM Wraith PRISM No No No
MSRP $499 $399 $329 $513 $488-499 $374-385
UK Street Price (Oct 2019) £550 £375 £300 Around £599 £470 £350

The key differences between the Core i9-9900K and the ‘special edition' Core i9-9900KS are pretty easy to summarise. The i9-9900KS gets a TDP increase from 95W to 127W, the all-core Turbo clock is increased from 4.7GHz to 5.0GHz, and the base frequency is bumped up from 3.6GHz to 4.0GHz. This is, more-or-less, an overclocked Core i9-9900K that is made possible by using the silicon that cooked best on Intel's 14nm++ wafers.

The bump to 127W TDP is important to the defined Turbo power states for clock speed levels. However, most motherboards simply ignore the defined power states and set the sustained power duration towards infinite. This allows for maximum CPU clock speed under sustained all-core operation.

Two key differences not highlighted in the above table are noteworthy downsides for the ‘special edition' part. Firstly, VPro support is missing on the 9900KS, though that's unlikely to cause much concern given the target audience. More importantly, however, is the reduction in warranty from 3 years to 1-year. It is highly disappointing to see a ‘special edition' part selling with a rather non-special 1-year warranty.

Intel claims that the warranty decision is due to the limited volume of the part. That's disappointing when the cheaper Core i9-9900K is warranted for 3 years of usage. One would hope that the limited volume of the part is indeed the reason for the 1-year warranty, and not longevity concerns born out of pushing the frequency to the dizzying heights of 5GHz.

Jumping over to the Silicon Lottery website highlights that a Core i9-9900K that is capable of 4.9GHz under AVX loading is rare, even if the tested voltage is a reasonable 1.312V. The Core i9-9900KS does 5GHz under AVX loading out of the box. There's nothing stopping anybody overclocking their Core i9-9900K to i9-9900KS-level performance. There's just no guarantee that it'll hold that performance level with stability.

If you want the ultimate plug-and-play solution for Z390, the Core i9-9900KS is it. And if you're more into overclocking and tinkering with your system, perhaps the 9900KS CPU's promise of higher quality silicon will be an appealing proposition.

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Intel has dropped the price on its 9th generation KF and F graphics-disabled processors https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/james-dawson/intel-has-dropped-the-price-on-its-9th-generation-kf-and-f-graphics-disabled-processors/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/james-dawson/intel-has-dropped-the-price-on-its-9th-generation-kf-and-f-graphics-disabled-processors/#respond Tue, 08 Oct 2019 07:51:17 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=428996 Intel has announced it will be cutting the price of their 9th generation CPUs which have their integrated graphics disabled. The F and KF variants of Intel’s 9th generation Coffee Lake processors are now cheaper than their GPU enabled counterparts. Intel has often been criticised by consumers for offering 9th generation CPUs, with the integrated …

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Intel has announced it will be cutting the price of their 9th generation CPUs which have their integrated graphics disabled. The F and KF variants of Intel’s 9th generation Coffee Lake processors are now cheaper than their GPU enabled counterparts.

Intel has often been criticised by consumers for offering 9th generation CPUs, with the integrated graphics stripped off, at a higher price than versions with the GPU enabled. In effect, consumers felt like they were being offered less for more. Intel has now adjusted its strategy by slashing the price of these GPU-less options.

Almost all the 9th generation Coffee Lake refresh desktop processors have a graphics-free version now, for example, the 9th generation flagship CPU, the Core i9-9900K has the Core i9-9900KF and the Core i5-9600K has a Core i5-9600KF and so on. The only difference between the two is the F variants have had their integrated graphics disabled. At the time of launch, Intel priced the two variants of the CPUs identical.

All eight of the F CPUs have had their official MSRP price slashed by Intel now, so they are cheaper than their non-F counterparts. However, this isn’t the full story. Retailers were already selling the F versions at a slightly discounted price in an attempt to keep stock rolling off the shelves, as consumers didn’t see why they should pay more for a CPU with technically less functions. Even though, the majority of the graphics disabled K series CPUs would probably end up in systems with a discrete GPU anyway.

The reduction in price Intel has applied to these 9th generation desktop CPUs is roughly $25 across the board. Essentially, Intel is saying $25 is the value it is placing on its integrated graphics for the 9th gen line up. We have compiled a full list of the price changes below:

  • Core i9-9900KF— $463 was £488
  • Core i9-9700KF—$349 was $374
  • Core i7-9700F—$298 was $335
  • Core i5-9600KF—$237 was £262
  • Core i5-9500F—$167 was £192
  • Core i5-9400F—$157 was $182
  • Core i3-9350KF—$148 was $169
  • Core i3-9100F—$97 was $122

Intel has said the new pricing will go into effect immediately and reflect tray prices of 1000 units (bulk orders) which means retail prices for individual processors are likely to be a little higher.

KitGuru says: Intel has come under some heavy criticism lately regarding its product pricing, will this drop in price of their graphics disabled CPUs make you more likely to buy one? 

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Advent Calendar Day 7: Win one of three ASRock motherboards! (closed) https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/competitions/matthew-wilson/advent-calendar-day-7-win-one-of-three-asrock-motherboards/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/competitions/matthew-wilson/advent-calendar-day-7-win-one-of-three-asrock-motherboards/#respond Fri, 07 Dec 2018 14:53:49 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=397562 We have reached day 7 on the KitGuru Advent Calendar! Today, we have teamed up with ASRock to kickstart your next PC upgrade. We'll be giving away THREE motherboards- two Fatal1ty B360 Gaming K4 boards and a Fatal1ty H370 Performance.

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Update: This competition is now CLOSED. Thanks to everyone who entered, our winners this time are:

Steven Edwards: ASRock H370.

Josh Walker: ASRock B360.

James Wales: ASRock B360.

If you missed out this time around, then keep an eye out. We have a new giveaway going up each day throughout December. Today's competition comes courtesy of be quiet! featuring a Silent Base 801 case, a Straight Power 11 850W PSU and a Dark Rock 4 CPU cooler. You can find all of the details on that, HERE.

We have reached day 7 on the KitGuru Advent Calendar! Today, we have teamed up with ASRock to kickstart your next PC upgrade. We'll be giving away THREE motherboards- two Fatal1ty B360 Gaming K4 boards and a Fatal1ty H370 Performance.

All three of these motherboards support Intel's Coffee Lake CPUs, so it will be the perfect start to putting together an updated PC. Both the B360 and the H370 board support M.2 SSDs, RGB lighting, multiple graphics cards and have a 10 phase power design for the CPU, which should allow for some decent overclocking.

Entering this giveaway is simple, all you need to do is head over to THIS POST on our Facebook page and leave a comment. We plan to have a new discussion topic each day, today we are asking you guys to tell us which one of these motherboards you would like and what CPU you would pair with it.

We'll announce three winners tomorrow morning before we announce the next competition, so get your entries in fast! Also be sure to send a thank you over to ASRock on Facebook– the prizes are coming directly from them, so this would not have been possible without their support.

KitGuru Says: We'll see you back here again tomorrow to announce the winners! A big thank you to ASRock or teaming up with us for day 7 and thanks to all of our KitGuru readers for supporting us throughout 2018!

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Intel Core i9-9900K Review – Mighty Processor, Mighty Price https://www.kitguru.net/components/leo-waldock/intel-core-i9-9900k-review-mighty-processor-mighty-price/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/leo-waldock/intel-core-i9-9900k-review-mighty-processor-mighty-price/#respond Fri, 19 Oct 2018 13:00:40 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=391492 It's been a turbulent launch for the 9900K - but today we can bare all in our full review

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In October 2017 we raved about Intel Core i7-8700K and the watershed move from the quad core 7th Gen to the 8th Gen i7-8700K that came packed with six cores. In our conclusion we said “Core i7-8700K is fabulous and performs like a champ … It is painful to consider that if Intel soldered the package and allowed it to cool properly that we would be able to move to a new era of PC gaming.”

And here we are 12 months later with the launch of Intel’s 9th Gen Core i9-9900K that boasts eight cores, a soldered heat spreader and a maximum Turbo Frequency of 5GHz. More cores, better thermals and higher clock speed sounds like the perfect recipe for a gaming CPU, however we had a moment of concern at the Intel launch when the stratospheric price was confirmed.

We hit a further bump in the road when Intel’s chosen testing house chose some inexplicable settings for their benchmarking and we had to wonder whether Intel was trying to hide something. At the very least, they seemed to be less sure of themselves than we would have expected.

On the face of it Core i9-9900K looked like a sure-fire winner but just beneath the surface we found there was quite a bit more to the story. 

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Specification:

  • 8 Cores and 16 Threads
  • 3.6 GHz Base Clock Speed
  • 5.0 GHz Maximum Turbo Frequency
  • LGA 1151 Socket
  • 9th Generation (Coffee Lake Refresh)
  • 14nm++ Fabrication Process
  • 16MB Cache Memory
  • x16 PCIe 3.0 for CPU
  • up to x40 PCIe for Platform
  • 95W TDP
  • 130W Thermal Solution
  • Intel UHD Graphics 630 (350-1200 MHz)
  • Dual-Channel DDR4 2666-4600MHz Memory
  • 64GB Maximum Memory Support
  • Supports Intel Optane Memory
  • Intel 300 Series Chipset Compatible Only
  • 3 Year Warranty

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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Supermicro SuperO C7Z370-CG-IW : King of Servers delivers Mini-ITX https://www.kitguru.net/components/leo-waldock/supermicro-supero-c7z370-cg-iw-the-king-of-servers-delivers-a-mini-itx/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/leo-waldock/supermicro-supero-c7z370-cg-iw-the-king-of-servers-delivers-a-mini-itx/#respond Fri, 17 Aug 2018 07:58:42 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=382607 Supermicro are known for their high grade server boards, but can they create a great MINI ITX board?

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If you ask a PC enthusiast to name brands of gaming motherboards they may well list ASRock, Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte and MSI, however they are unlikely to mention SuperO. Supermicro is known and respected for its Server and Workstation hardware whereas its SuperO brand for gaming products are more obscure. The SuperO C7Z370-CG-IW is Supermicro’s first Gaming Mini-ITX board and it has that extra frisson of interest as very few people will know the name.

This motherboard uses the Z370 chipset to support the desktop 8th Gen. Coffee Lake family of CPUs along with a single graphics slot, two desktop DDR4 DIMMs and a pair of smart aluminium heat sinks on the chipset and VRMs.

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Specification:
Chipset: Intel Z370 Express
CPU support: Intel LGA1151 8th Gen Core i7/i5/i3 processors (up to 120W TDP)
Memory Capacity: 2x 288-pin DDR4 DIMM slots up to 32GB DDR4 Non-ECC Un-Buffered memory
Memory Frequency: up to DDR4-2666MHz
Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) DIMM (Up to 3733+MHz)
SATA support: 4x SATA3.0 (6Gbps) with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 via Intel Z370 Chipset
PCI-Express:
1x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot
2x PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 (2260/2280/22110)(M-key)

Input/Output
USB 6x USB 3.0 ports (4 rear, 2 via header)
1x USB 3.1 Type A port (rear)
1x USB 3.1 Type C port (rear)
Display: 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.2
Keyboard/Mouse PS/2 connector for mouse and keyboard
On-Board Audio: Realtek ALC1220 7.1 HD Audio
Ethernet: Intel i219V Gigabit
Wi-Fi: Realtek 802.11ac
2x PWM fan headers
Form Factor: Mini-ITX 170mm x 170mm
Software SuperDoctor V, SuperO Booster Utility

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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MSI Z370 PC Pro Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/msi-z370-pc-pro-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/msi-z370-pc-pro-motherboard-review/#respond Mon, 16 Jul 2018 08:47:29 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=378000 Looking for a Z370 motherboard on a very tight budget? MSI's Z370 PC Pro could be for you.

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As a general rule the Intel B360 and H370 chipsets offer a more affordable route into Intel's 8th Generation “Coffee Lake” CPUs, than the Z370 chipset. However, there are a number of Z370 motherboard options that are as affordable, if not cheaper, than many B360 or H370 models. MSI manufactures a number of those low-cost Z370 options including the Z370 PC Pro.

The MSI Z370 PC Pro is a price-sensitive product, meaning its unique selling point in a marketplace full of expensive gaming options is its low price (£110/$120). However, It should still be noted that there are number of Z370 motherboards that are more affordable. MSI, for instance, produces the Z370A-Pro (£90/$100) and Z370 Tomahawk (£100/$110) while rival motherboard vendors produce models such as the ASUS Prime Z370-P (£110/$120), ASRock Z370 Pro4 (£95/$100) and Gigabyte Z370P D3 (£90/$105).

Price need not comprise the entire narrative as it is one thing to produce a low-cost Z370 motherboard, but another to produce one that's still worthy of purchasing. While consumers appreciate a lower price point, the trade-offs that are made to bring that price down are crucial and should inform the buying decision.

The type of decisions MSI has made to keep retail pricing down include a fairly basic CPU VRM implementation, a decade-old audio codec, no official SLI support and trimming back on “nice to haves” such as power and reset buttons, M.2 cooling or a front panel USB 3.1 connection.

That said, MSI has still managed to include features like dual M.2, onboard RGB lighting, USB 3.1, Intel Gigabit LAN and a sleek-looking matte-black design. Let's see how MSI's Z370 PC Pro holds up under KitGuru's testing and analysis.

MSI Z370 PC Pro
Form Factor ATX, 30.4cm x 24.3cm
CPU Socket Intel LGA 1151 Version 2
Chipset Intel Z370
Memory DDR4, 4 DIMMs up to 64GB,  up to 4000MHz+ with OC
On-board Graphics  Intel HD Graphics (supported CPUs)
Discrete Graphics  Single Nvidia graphics card configurations, up to AMD 2-way CrossFireX or Quad CrossFire
Expansion Slots 1 x PCIe 3.0 (x16 electrical, from CPU)
1 x PCIe 3.0* (x16 physical, x4 electrical, from from Intel Z370 chipset)
3 x PCIe 3.0 x1 (from Intel Z370 chipset)**
1 x Legacy PCI**
*PCIe 3.0 x4 electrical slot unavailable when M2_2 populated with PCIe device
**Either PCI_E2 or PCI_E3 and PCI1 or PCI_E5
Storage 6 x SATA III 6Gbps (via Intel Z370 chipset)*
2 x M.2 (both support PCIe x4 32Gbps or SATA III 6Gbps)
*2 x SATA ports will be disabled when both M.2 slots are used for M.2 SATA devices
USB  2 x USB 3.1 (2 Rear, Type-A and -C, all via ASMedia ASM3142)
8 x USB 3.0 (4 Rear, 4 Front, all via Intel Z370)
6 x USB 2.0 (2 Rear, 4 Front, all via Intel Z370)
Networking  Intel I219-V Gigabit Ethernet
Audio  Realtek ALC887 7.1 channel audio*
*5.1 channel available from rear I/O, to get 7.1 channel the front audio header must be teamed with the rear ports through the Realtek driver
Fan Headers  6, all support 3/4 pin fans (1 x CPU, 1 x W_PUMP, 4 x SYS)
Rear I/O 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo
2 x USB 2.0
1 x VGA
1 x DVI-D
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN RJ45
4 x USB 3.0
2 x USB 3.1 (Type-A and -C)
3 x audio jacks
UEFI  1 x 128Mb UEFI AMI

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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Intel microcode update inadvertently reveals ninth-gen Core CPUs https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/ryan-burgess/intel-microcode-update-inadvertently-reveals-ninth-gen-core-cpus/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/ryan-burgess/intel-microcode-update-inadvertently-reveals-ninth-gen-core-cpus/#respond Wed, 04 Jul 2018 14:41:18 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=378634 While Intel's 8th Gen Coffee Lake processors haven't been around for all that long, we've known for a while that something new is right around the corner. This week, a microcode update accidentally leaked a few details on Intel's upcoming 9th Gen processors, which will utilise the Coffee Lake-S architecture. Recently, Intel released a microcode update …

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While Intel's 8th Gen Coffee Lake processors haven't been around for all that long, we've known for a while that something new is right around the corner. This week, a microcode update accidentally leaked a few details on Intel's upcoming 9th Gen processors, which will utilise the Coffee Lake-S architecture.

Recently, Intel released a microcode update guidance document used to update vendors on information surrounding the Spectre vulnerability. In the document, there are references to Core i5-9400, Core i5-9400T, Core i5-9500, Core i5-9600 and Core i5-9600K SKUs, alongside the 8th Gen processors we already have. Some 9th Gen Core i3 CPUs were also included in the document.

xintel_core_pentium_devil_s_canyon_lga1150_haswell1-e1462209059105.jpg.pagespeed.ic_.tt5SI80FbO.jpg

Intel has since amended the document to scrub away these 9th Gen references, but not before other news sites already got to the story. The Core i5 CPUs were listed as 6+2, which denotes the number of cores and the type of iGPU being used. Similarly, the Core i3 processors were listed as 4+2.

The chart featured in the guidance document also confirmed the existence of two other 8th Gen SKUs, the Core i5-8650 and the Core i5-8650K. We don't know if or when Intel plans to release these.

KitGuru Says: It’s sad to see that Intel is going to rely on another refresh for the 9th generation of chips if this chart is correct. Would you buy these new CPUs if they were just a Coffee Lake refresh?

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ASRock H370M-ITX/ac Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/asrock-h370m-itx-ac-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/asrock-h370m-itx-ac-motherboard-review/#respond Mon, 11 Jun 2018 09:03:55 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=374405 The ideal candidate for a mini-ITX build on a tight budget?

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Mini-ITX motherboards can be particularly expensive due to the niche market segment, space-constrained form factor and increased R&D costs. Thankfully, motherboard chipsets like H370 lower the platform costs for mini-ITX solutions. ASRock's H370M-ITX/ac is a perfect example of this, bringing mini-ITX into a mainstream budget – but with what compromises?

Prospective buyers of Intel 8th Generation (Coffee Lake) CPUs looking to build to mini-ITX form factor systems have four supporting chipsets to choose from – Z370, H370, B360 and H310. These chipsets rank in the same order for performance and cost with Z370 being the most full-featured and expensive, H310 the least.

ASRock has been the most active motherboard vendor for mini-ITX options with product offerings for all four chipsets – the H310M-ITX/ac, B360M-ITX/ac, H370M-ITXac, Z370M-ITX/ac and Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming-ITX/ac. The subject of this review, the H370M-ITX/ac, is ASRock's middle option for Intel 8th Generation and mini-ITX.

With a price point of around £100 (US$110) for the H370M-ITX/ac, there are considerable savings to be made against Z370 mini-ITX motherboards from other vendors, such as the ASUS ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming (£180/$180) or Gigabyte Z370N-WiFi (£140/$150). Mini-ITX rivals in the H310, B360 and H370 segments are almost entirely absent making ASRock its own main rival, with only ASUS ROG Strix's H370-I Gaming (£125/$135) and B360-I Gaming (£120/$125) worth a mention.

There is an element of simplicity about the design of the H370M-ITX/ac with no fancy RGB lighting, just one M.2 slot and an audio implementation that's a couple of generations old. Yet the fundamentals are still in place with a decent quality VRM, dual Intel Gigabit LAN, support for USB 3.1 (10Gbps), onboard WiFi and competent all-round connectivity.

Keeping in mind the limitations of the H370 chipset compared to Z370 (notably a lack of CPU or memory overclocking) how well does ASRock's H370M-ITX/ac stand up to scrutiny?

ASRock H370M-ITX/ac
Form Factor mini-ITX, 17cm x 17cm
CPU Socket Intel LGA 1151 Version 2
Chipset Intel H370
Memory DDR4, 2 DIMMs, up to 32GB, up to 2,666MHz
On-board Graphics Intel HD Graphics (supported CPUs)
Discrete Graphics Single Graphics Card configurations only
Expansion Slots 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 electrical, from CPU)
Storage 6 x SATA III 6Gbps (via Intel H370)
1 x M.2 (supports PCIe 32Gbps or SATA 6Gbps*)
*Either M2 in SATA mode or SATA3_1 port
USB 4 x USB 3.1 (4 Rear, all Type-A, via Intel H370)
4 x USB 3.0 (2 Rear, 2 Front, via Intel H370)
4 x USB 2.0 (2 Rear, 2 Front, via Intel H370)
Networking 1 x Intel I219V Gigabit Ethernet
1 x Intel I211AT Gigabit Ethernet
Intel Wireless-AC 3168 802.11ac 1T1R WiFi
Audio Realtek ALC892 5.1 channel audio*
*7.1 channel output available by using front panel audio with rear audio and configuring via Realtek driver
Fan Headers 3, all support 3/4pin fans (1xCHA1/W_PUMP @ 2 Amps, 1xCPU @ 1A, 1xCHA2 @ 1A)
Rear I/O 2 x Antenna Ports
1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
2 x HDMI
1 x DisplayPort 1.2
2 x USB 2.0 Ports
4 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A Ports (10 Gb/s)
2 x USB 3.0 (5 Gb/s)
2 x RJ-45 LAN Ports
3 x HD Audio Jacks: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone
UEFI  1 x 128Mb AMI UEFI BIOS

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MSI Infinite X (8700K & 1080 Ti) System Review https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/leo-waldock/msi-infinite-x-8700k-1080-ti-system-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/leo-waldock/msi-infinite-x-8700k-1080-ti-system-review/#respond Wed, 30 May 2018 09:38:53 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=374485 It's a £2500 system from MSI - but you can't buy it in the UK

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MSI Infinite X is a pre-built gaming PC that you can pick up locally, provided you live somewhere near a John Lewis department store. The hardware is a classic combination of Intel Core i7-8700K and Nvidia graphics and naturally enough both the motherboard and graphics card are manufactured by MSI.

There are three versions of the Infinite X on sale here in the UK that are differentiated by the choice of graphics card, which affects both price and performance. At the bottom end of the scale we have the 8RC at £1499 with GTX 1060 graphics. For an extra £200 you can step up to the 8RD at £1699 with a GTX 1070 GPU, or you can push the boat out the whole way and go for the 8RE at £2100 with GTX 1080 graphics.

So there are three models of Infinite X, however the sample we received came with a GTX 1080 Ti graphics card which means it is unique, and also means it is not representative of the Infinite X you might buy. Put it this way, the Infinite X we have here looks like the best case scenario for this family of PCs.

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Specification
CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K 6 cores/12 threads, 3.7GHz-4.7GHz
CPU cooler: 120mm Silent Storm Cooling 3 Pro
Memory: 16GB DDR4-2400MHz dual channel (Max. 64GB)
Motherboard: MSI Z370M Gaming Pro AC
Graphics: MSI Armor GeForce GTX 1080Ti 11GB GDDR5X
Storage:
2x Intel 600P M.2 SSD in 500GB RAID 0
2TB Seagate BarraCuda SATA HDD

Audio:
7.1 Channel HD Audio with Nahimic audio enhancer
Optical drive Slim Type (9.5mm) Tray-Load Super Multi DVD-RAM

Front I/O:
1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type C
1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type A
1x USB 2.0

Rear I/O:
4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type A
2 x USB 2.0
(1x DisplayPort 1.4 and 1x HDMI 2.0)
1x RJ45
5x Audio connectors
1x S/PDIF
1x PS/2
Wi-Fi: 802.11ac Intel Wireless-AC 3168
Bluetooth: Intel BT4.2
Ethernet: Intel WGI219V
Power supply: Delta 550W 80 Plus Bronze (ATX)
Chassis volume: 42 litres
Dimensions: 210mm x 45mm x 488mm
Weight: 15kg
Software: MSI Command Centre

The layout of the Infinite X is conventional, however your first glance inside the chassis might suggest otherwise. MSI has divided up the interior with a plastic shroud that separates the GPU from the CPU, which is intended to control air flow through the case. After all, none of us want the hot air to rise from our graphics card and gently toast the CPU.

The power supply is housed in a lower compartment, so from bottom to top there are three separate areas for power supply, GPU and CPU. With the main shroud removed you can clearly see the Infinite X uses regular desktop components although it took us a moment to figure out the MSI Z370M Gaming Pro AC motherboard has much smaller VRM heat sinks than the retail version of the motherboard.

Our initial tour around the Infinite X raised question marks over the use of DDR4-2400MHz memory as that looks like an obvious bottleneck. We also wondered why MSI had chosen an 80+ Bronze rated Delta power supply. Delta is a good brand however the Bronze rating just looks cheap in a world where enthusiasts surely deserve Gold, Platinum or Titanium. When you’re paying top money for a gaming PC you should expect high end components and a Bronze PSU falls short of that mark.

And then there’s the CPU cooler. A 120mm AIO liquid cooler looks rather small for cooling a six-core Core i7-8700K, even at stock clock speeds, and we were genuinely unsure just how the Infinite X would perform in our testing.

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MSI B360 Gaming Pro Carbon Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/msi-b360-gaming-pro-carbon-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/msi-b360-gaming-pro-carbon-motherboard-review/#respond Mon, 21 May 2018 09:04:21 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=373001 It's a new B360 motherboard from MSI - the ideal foundation for a budget gaming system?

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There are many suitable alternatives to Z370 motherboards for prospective buyers of Intel 8th-generation “Coffee Lake” processors. KitGuru has already assessed a number of H370 motherboards and today we are examining the B360 chipset, specifically MSI's B360 Gaming Pro Carbon, pitched as a more affordable but slightly cut-back variation of H370.

B360, like H370, has notable feature limitations like no support for CPU overclocking or multiple graphics card configurations (from CPU PCIe lanes) as well as memory frequencies being limited to 2,666MHz. In essence, B360 is targeted at a desktop user with a locked Core i3, i5 or i7 CPU, single graphics card and a modest configuration of system memory and storage.

That said, the ability to deploy a locked Core i3, i5 or i7 along with a single high-performance graphics card, 16GB of RAM and a couple of SSDs of SATA and PCIe type is still going to deliver a high-performance computing experience for the vast majority. We've seen from Z370 motherboard reviews that the performance gains from CPU overclocking are noticeable, but not game-changing, with there being enough performance available from Intel's stock turbo behaviour.

B360 adds a few more limitations than H370, including fewer chipset PCIe lanes, a smaller USB port capacity and no Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) SATA or PCIe RAID support. In specific terms the number of chipset PCIe lanes falls from 24 (Z370) to 20 (H370) to 12 (B360) while the total number of USB 3.1 (Gen 1 and 2) ports falls from 10 (Z270) to 8 (H370) to 6 (B360).

These feature reductions are fairly trivial compared to H370 and will hardly impact the typical desktop user with a handful of storage and USB devices, which means B360 is a stronger value for money candidate than H370. MSI plays to the affordability advantage of B360 with the B360 Gaming Pro Carbon by delivering a well-specified Gaming motherboard at a modest price – just £113.

MSI B360 Gaming Pro Carbon
Form Factor ATX, 30.4cm x 24.3cm
CPU Socket Intel LGA 1151 Version 2
Chipset Intel B360
Memory DDR4, 4 DIMMs, up to 64GB, up to 2,666MHz
On-board Graphics Intel HD Graphics (supported CPUs)
Discrete Graphics Single Nvidia graphics card configurations, up to AMD 2-way CrossFireX or Quad CrossFire
Expansion Slots 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 electrical, from CPU)
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 electrical, from chipset)
3 x PCIe 3.0 x 1 (from chipset)
Storage 6 x SATA III 6Gbps*
2 x M2 (M2_1 support SATA III 6Gbps or PCIe x4 32Gbps, M2_2 PCIe only)*
*SATA Port 2 unavailable when using M2_1 in SATA mode
USB 3 x USB 3.1 (2 Rear, Type-A and C, 1 Front, all via Intel B360)
6 x USB 3.0 (4 Rear via ASM1074, 2 Front via Intel B360)
6 x USB 2.0 (2 Rear, 4 Front, all via Intel B360)
Networking Intel I219V Gigabit Ethernet
Audio Realtek ALC1220 7.1 Channel HD Audio with headphone amplifier
Fan Headers 7, all support 3/4 pin fans (1 x CPU, 1 x W_PUMP, 5 x SYS)
Rear I/O 1 x PS/2 Combo Port
4 x USB 3.0 (3.1 Gen1)
1 x LAN Port
5 x HD Audio Connectors
2 x USB 2.0 Port
1 x DisplayPort 1.2
2x USB 3.1 (Gen2) Type A + C
1 x HDMI 1.4 Port
1 x Optical S/PDIF OUT
UEFI 1 x 128Mb UEFI AMI

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ASRock Fatal1ty H370 Performance Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/asrock-fatal1ty-h370-performance-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/asrock-fatal1ty-h370-performance-motherboard-review/#respond Mon, 30 Apr 2018 08:20:17 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=371542 A well-equipped and cost-effective H370 gaming motherboard.

The post ASRock Fatal1ty H370 Performance Motherboard Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Intel's new H370 chipset targets a more mainstream segment than Z370 sacrificing CPU overclocking ability, among other things, in return for a lower price. Motherboard vendors are therefore able to bring to market gaming-oriented products, like this ASRock Fatal1ty H370 Performance, with lower price points than Z370 equivalents.

ASRock's take on Intel's H370 chipset is influenced by the fact that prospective buyers will be on a strict budget. Despite price-constraints, this is intended to be the most premium ASRock motherboard for Intel H370 and as such it includes some higher-end features and on-board hardware.

Product highlights include the dual M.2 storage slots operating at PCIe 3.0 X4 (32Gbps), multiple-zone on-board RGB lighting with an impressive three optional RGB headers, USB 3.1 10Gbps, Realtek ALC1220-based audio with a headphone amplifier and a 10-phase VRM for the CPU.

Certainly no slouch then and for the same money the nearest Z370 motherboard is no match in terms of feature richness. Yet there are limitations from the H370 chipset for prospective buyers to be aware of including no CPU overclocking, a maximum memory frequency of 2,666MHz and fewer PCIe lanes for multiple graphics card configurations.

Can the ASRock Fatal1ty H370 Performance remain an attractive option despite the chipset limitations? Let's find out.

ASRock Fatal1ty H370 Performance
Form Factor  ATX, 30.5cm x 24.4cm
CPU Socket  Intel LGA 1151 Version 2
Chipset  Intel H370
Memory   DDR4, 4 DIMMs, up to 64GB, up to 2,666MHz
On-board Graphics  Intel HD Graphics (supported CPUs)
Discrete Graphics  Single Nvidia graphics card configurations, up to AMD 2-way CrossFireX or Quad CrossFire
Expansion Slots  1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 electrical, from CPU)
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 electrical, from chipset)*
4 x PCIe 3.0 x 1 (from chipset)**
*Becomes X2 if PCIe5 and PCIe6 (x1 slots) are occupied
**PCIe3 is disabled if M2_3 WiFi slot is occupied by PCIe device
Storage 6 x SATA III 6Gbps
2 x M2 (both support SATA III 6Gbps or PCIe x4 32Gbps)*
*either M2_1 SATA or SATA_2
either M2_2 SATA or SATA_1
either M2_2 PCIe or SATA_0
USB  2 x USB 3.1 (2 Rear, Type-A and C, all via H370)
6 x USB 3.0 (2 Rear, 4 Front, all via H370)
6 x USB 2.0 (2 Rear, 4 Front, all via H370)
Networking Optional M2_3 (M.2 WiFi) slot available
Intel I219V Gigabit Ethernet
Audio  Realtek ALC1220 7.1 Channel HD Audio with headphone amplifier
Fan Headers 5, all support 3/4 pin fans (1 x CPU @ 1A, 1 x CPU/W_PUMP @ 2 A, 3 x CHA/W_PUMP @ 2A)
Rear I/O 2 x Antenna Ports
1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
1 x D-Sub (VGA) Port
1 x HDMI Port
1 x DisplayPort 1.2
1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A Port (Supports ESD Protection)
1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Port (Supports ESD Protection)
2 x USB 3.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED
HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone (Gold Audio Jacks)
UEFI UEFI AMI 128Mb

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ASUS ROG Strix H370-F Gaming Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/asus-rog-strix-h370-f-gaming-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/asus-rog-strix-h370-f-gaming-motherboard-review/#respond Mon, 23 Apr 2018 07:50:50 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=370836 It's ASUS ROG's top-of-the-line H370 motherboard, but is £140 just too much to ask?

The post ASUS ROG Strix H370-F Gaming Motherboard Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Intel released its new H370 chipset, along with H310 and B360, in early April 2018. H370 logically replaces H270 and comes with a respectable standard specification to target mid-range desktop users. Motherboard vendors have already released a wide selection of motherboards for H370, many based on sensible adaptations of existing Z370 models, including this ASUS ROG Strix H370-F Gaming.

The purpose of Intel's H370 chipset is fairly similar to its preceding chipset H270: it's a full-featured motherboard chipset that foregoes overclocking capabilities on Intel's mainstream platform. There is no overclocking of the CPU beyond Intel's own default Turbo behaviour, the maximum frequency available for memory is 2,666MHz and dual graphics card configurations through CPU PCIe lanes are not supported.

With that in mind H370 motherboards are clearly not positioned for an overclocking or performance-seeking audience, but there's still potent performance on offer that will suit most desktop users with gaming and productivity in mind.

The H370 platform supports Intel's Core i7 8700K and up to 64GB of 2,666MHz memory along with latest connectivity standards like PCIe M.2 and integrated USB 3.1 Gen2. In fact, the H370 chipset is the only of Intel's 300-series chipsets to have USB 3.1 (Gen2) integrated into the chipset as standard – even Z370 motherboards do not all offer USB 3.1 Gen2.

The ASUS interpretation of H370 with the ROG Strix H370-F Gaming has taken the ‘no expense spared' approach, and this is currently the company's best motherboard available for this chipset. Dual M.2, USB 3.1, RGB lighting, an M.2 heatsink, a pre-mounted I/O shield, high quality audio and a capable power solution make for a comparatively high-end and feature-rich motherboard.

All the features do come at a cost, though, as at £139.99 the ASUS ROG Strix H370-F Gaming is into Z370 price territory. Can the plentiful features outweigh the lack of overclocking support? Let's find out.

ASUS ROG Strix H370-F Gaming
Form Factor  ATX, 30.5cm x 24.4cm
CPU Socket Intel LGA 1151 Version 2
Chipset  Intel H370
Memory  DDR4, 4 DIMMs, up to 64GB, up to 2,666MHz
Onboard Graphics  Intel HD Graphics (supported CPUs)
Discrete Graphics  Single Nvidia graphics card configurations, up to AMD 2-way CrossFireX or Quad CrossFire
Expansion Slots  1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 electrical, from CPU)
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 electrical, from chipset)
4 x PCIe 3.0 x 1 (from chipset)
Storage  6 x SATA III 6Gbps
2 x M2 (M2_1 supports PCIe 3.0 X2 and SATA*, M2_2 supports PCIe 3.0 X4 only)
*Uses bandwidth of SATA port 2 when used in SATA mode
USB  3 x USB 3.1 (3 Rear [Type-A and C], all via H370 chipset)
4 x USB 3.0 (4 Front, all via H370 chipset)
6 x USB 2.0 (4 Rear, 2 Front, all via H370 chipset)
Networking  1 x Intel i219V Gigabit Ethernet
Audio  Realtek ALC1220 7.1 Channel HD Audio* with dual headphone amplifiers
*Due to limitations in HDA bandwidth, 32-Bit/192kHz is not supported for 8-Channel audio.
Fan Headers  6, all support 3/4 pin fans (1 x M.2, 1 x CPU, 1 x CPU_OPT, 1 x AIO_PUMP, 2 x CHA)
Rear I/O  1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port(s)
1 x DVI-D
1 x DisplayPort
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
1 x USB 3.1 USB Type-C
2 x USB 3.1 Type-A
4 x USB 2.0
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
5 x Audio jack(s)
UEFI  128Mb UEFI AMI BIOS

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Asus launches new ROG Strix, Prime and TUF series motherboards for H370, B360 and H310 https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/matthew-wilson/asus-launches-new-rog-strix-prime-and-tuf-series-motherboards-for-h370-b360-and-h310/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/matthew-wilson/asus-launches-new-rog-strix-prime-and-tuf-series-motherboards-for-h370-b360-and-h310/#respond Tue, 03 Apr 2018 10:25:38 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=369229 By now, you've likely seen our coverage of Intel's new 8th Gen Coffee Lake processors for desktops, and the launch of three new 300-series chipsets. Now, the influx of new motherboards is starting to roll in, with Asus revealing new ROG Strix, Prime and TUF series motherboards for H370, B360 and H310. In the ROG …

The post Asus launches new ROG Strix, Prime and TUF series motherboards for H370, B360 and H310 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
By now, you've likely seen our coverage of Intel's new 8th Gen Coffee Lake processors for desktops, and the launch of three new 300-series chipsets. Now, the influx of new motherboards is starting to roll in, with Asus revealing new ROG Strix, Prime and TUF series motherboards for H370, B360 and H310.

In the ROG Strix series, we see the H370-F, H370-I, B360-F, B360-G, B360-H and B360-I motherboards joining the lineup, which you can see in the gallery above. All of these boards support USB 3.1 Gen 2 and there is optional support for 802.11ac WiFi, giving you some future-proofing in terms of connectivity and networking. All of these boards support Intel Optane Memory, which speeds up loading times on frequently used applications by acting as a speedy cache drive.

In the TUF Gaming and Prime series, we are greeted by the additions of the TUF H370-PRO Gaming, TUF B360-PRO, and Prime H370-Plus motherboards. The TUF series retains its military style, while the Prime series is geared more towards productivity and content creation.

All of the signature Asus features you would expect are present, including DIGI+ VRM circuitry, OptiMem trace routing for improved memory signalling and other smart features like the fan controller, which adjusts system fan speeds based on the temperature of your graphics card.

Asus will be rolling out its H370, B360 and H310 motherboards worldwide starting from today, so expect to see them popping up at retail over the next few days.

KitGuru Says: It has been six months since Coffee Lake first launched, but the lineup is finally complete. Are any of you thinking about upgrading to 8th Gen soon? Do you have your eye on one of these new motherboards in particular?

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Intel launches new 8th Gen desktop processors and H370, H310 and B360 chipsets https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/matthew-wilson/intel-launches-new-8th-gen-desktop-processors-and-h370-h310-and-b360-chipsets/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/matthew-wilson/intel-launches-new-8th-gen-desktop-processors-and-h370-h310-and-b360-chipsets/#respond Tue, 03 Apr 2018 09:00:30 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=369217 We've already covered Intel's Coffee Lake-H laptop launch today, but now we are turning out attention to announcements on the desktop side of things. Coffee Lake first launched for desktops back in October, but the lineup has been somewhat barebones, with just the Z370 chipset and a handful of CPUs available. Today, that is changing, …

The post Intel launches new 8th Gen desktop processors and H370, H310 and B360 chipsets first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
We've already covered Intel's Coffee Lake-H laptop launch today, but now we are turning out attention to announcements on the desktop side of things. Coffee Lake first launched for desktops back in October, but the lineup has been somewhat barebones, with just the Z370 chipset and a handful of CPUs available. Today, that is changing, with Intel launching the H370, H310 and B360 chipsets alongside some extra processors to fill out the price brackets.

We'll start off with the new CPUs. There are two more Core i5 Coffee Lake processors hitting the market- the i5-8600 and the i5-8400, both packing six cores and hyper threading. The Core i3 8th Gen lineup is also getting a new addition with the Core i3-8300, which has a 100MHz boost over the i3-8100 while retaining the same 65W TDP.

Intel is also rolling out a low-power T-series version for Coffee Lake. These processors run at just 35W and will likely be used by OEMs looking to make small, low TDP systems for offices.

Now lets talk about the new 300-series chipsets. Up to this point, consumers have only had Z370 options for 8th Gen processors, but today, H370, H310 and B360 boards will be joining the lineup. These chipsets offer lower-end options with a few sacrifices in place. For instance, the H370 platform has a maximum of 30 high speed I/O lanes, a maximum of 6 SATA 3.0 6Gb/s ports and a maximum of 20 PCI-E 3.0 lanes.

H310 on the other hand has a maximum of 14 high speed I/O lanes, 4 SATA 3.0 6Gb/s ports and 6 Gen 2 PCI-E 3.0 lanes. The H310 chipset also sacrifices Intel Optane Memory support.

B360 sits somewhere in between, with support for 24 I/O lanes, 12 PCI-E 3.0 lanes and 6 SATA 3.0 6Gb/s ports.

We'll have more coverage on different 300-series motherboards coming from different vendors shortly. We've already seen Biostar's new B360 series, but we also have details on boards from Asus and MSI.

KitGuru Says: There are finally 300-series options for PC builders on a tighter budget. Are any of you thinking about upgrading to Coffee Lake this year?

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MSI GS65 6 CORE Laptop 2018 Engineering Sample FIRST LOOK! https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/leo-waldock/msi-gs65-6-core-laptop-2018-engineering-sample-first-look/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/leo-waldock/msi-gs65-6-core-laptop-2018-engineering-sample-first-look/#respond Tue, 03 Apr 2018 07:01:09 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=368372 MSI has launched its new GS65 laptop to take full advantage of Intel’s new 6-core mobile 8th Gen. Coffee lake CPU. Quad core mobile CPUs have ruled the laptop roost since the launch of Intel Clarksfield in 2009 (yes, we had to look that up) so the leap forward to 6-cores was big news when the desktop Coffee Lakes launched in October 2017. The big question was when we would see these six-core CPUs in mobile form and the answer, finally, is ‘now’.

The post MSI GS65 6 CORE Laptop 2018 Engineering Sample FIRST LOOK! first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
MSI has launched its new GS65 laptop to take full advantage of Intel’s new 6-core mobile 8th Gen. Coffee lake CPU. Quad core mobile CPUs have ruled the laptop roost since the launch of Intel Clarksfield in 2009 (yes, we had to look that up) so the leap forward to 6-cores was big news when the desktop Coffee Lakes launched in October 2017. The big question was when we would see these six-core CPUs in mobile form and the answer, finally, is ‘now’.

In addition to the new CPU, MSI has worked hard on the chassis and we highlight a number of the new features in our preview where KitGuru talks to Natalie McMorrow from MSI UK.

Features:
15.6-inch screen in a 14-inch chassis
Ultra narrow 4.9mm display bezel
144Hz IPS-level display with 7ms response
17.7mm slim design
8 hour battery life
82Whr battery capacity
Aluminium alloy with sandblasted finish

Specification:
CPU: Intel 8th Gen. Core i7-8750H, 6 cores with HT, 2.2GHz base clock, boost to 3.9GHz, 45W TDP
Cooler: Cooler Boost Trinity 2x 47 blade fans, 1x 37 blade fan, 0.2mm fan blade thickness, 4 heat pipes
Screen: 15.6-inch, 1,920×1,080 resolution, IPS level, 144Hz refresh, 7ms response
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q or GTX 1060
Memory: up to 32GB of DDR4-2666MHz
Storage: 2x PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 slots
Audio: 2x 2W Dynaudio speakers
Ethernet: Killer E2500
Wi-Fi: Killer AC 1550i for GTX 1070 models or Intel AC 9560 Wireless for GTX 1060 models
I/O ports:
3x USB 3.1 Type-A
1x Thunderbolt USB 3.1 Type-C
1x HDMI 2.0
1x Mini DisplayPort 1.2
Headphone jack

Battery: 82Wh, 180W adapter
Dimensions: 358.5mm x 247.7mm x 17.7mm
Weight: 1.8kg
Software: Dragon Centre 2.0New Gaming Mode on enabled games such as PUBG and DOTA 2 will automatically enable 4 functions: make SSE3 with preset keyboard backlit to fit the type of the game, “Free up memory” to keep highest performance, turn “True Colour” to gaming mode, and turn Nahimic 3 to gaming mode. When you quit the game, these will return to previous settings.

The new black and gold colour scheme is quite a departure from MSI’s traditional black and red look and highlights the radical approach MSI has taken with the GS65. In particular the use of a slender 4.9mm bezel has meant they are able to pack a 15.6-inch display into a chassis that looks as though it should house a 14-inch screen. We were impressed by the svelte chassis as it looks really slender yet inside you will find a 6-core 8th Gen. Intel Core i7 CPU and Nvidia GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics. That’s a potent package and we have to think the triple fan Cooler Boost Trinity system is working hard to keep it all under control.

This preview has whetted our appetite for the new GS65 and we look forward to running a full review in the very near future.

Closing Thoughts.

Intel Mobile Coffee Lake has arrived and we can expect to see a procession of 6-core CPUs in laptops for the next few months. The very first example to arrive at KitGuru is the GS65 and we have to say we are really disappointed that we were not permitted to run benchmark tests on this engineering sample.

Rest assured we shall run a full review just as soon as possible.

KitGuru says: This preview of MSI GS65 has made us keen to run a full review as soon as possible.

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Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 (6 core 8750H, 144Hz, GTX 1070 Max-Q) https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/leo-waldock/gigabyte-aero-15x-v8-6-core-144hz-gtx-1070-max-q-graphics/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/laptops/leo-waldock/gigabyte-aero-15x-v8-6-core-144hz-gtx-1070-max-q-graphics/#respond Tue, 03 Apr 2018 07:00:31 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=369131 Today we see the launch of the Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 that packs the brand new Intel Core i7-8750HQ.

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Today we see the launch of the Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 that packs the brand new Intel Core i7-8750HQ. This is a mobile version of Intel’s 8th Gen Coffee Lake CPU with six cores that takes over at the high end of Intel’s range from the quad core models that have been in vogue since 2009.

Gigabyte tells us the Aero 15 is the first laptop with a really thin bezel to sport a 144Hz display panel, however we know for a fact the new MSI GS65 has a very similar specification. Although Mobile 8th Gen CPUs are brand new we already have the clear impression that ultra-thin laptops with a large screen are going to be smack bang in the mainstream during 2018.

Features
8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H 6-core processor
Up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with GDDR5 8GB VRAM
Thin Bezel Design: Full HD 144Hz/UHD Adobe RGB 100% Display
X-Rite Pantone Certified Display
All day battery: 94.24Whr
Gigabyte Fusion per-Key RGB backlit Keyboard
Thunderbolt 3 ready for high speed data transmission
Support HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 for 4K@60Hz output
Dual M.2 SSD/ RAM Slots

Specification
CPU Intel 8th Gen. Core i7-8750HQ, 6 cores with HT, 2.2GHz base clock, All Core Boost 3.4GHz, Max Boost 4.0GHz, 45W TDP
Screen 15.6-inch, 1,920×1,080 resolution, 144Hz refresh IPS
Graphics Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q
Memory 16GB G.Skill RipJaws DDR4-2666MHz
SSD 512GB Toshiba THNSN5512 M.2 NVMe
Storage 2x PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 slots
Audio 2x 2W speakers
Ethernet Realtek Gigabit
Wi-Fi Intel AC 8265 Wireless

I/O ports
1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A
2x USB 3.1 Gen1Type-A
1x Thunderbolt 3 Type-C
1x HDMI 2.0
1x Mini DisplayPort 1.4
Headphone jack
SD card reader

Battery 94.24Wh 6200mAh, 215W adapter
Dimensions 356mm x 250mm x 18mm
Weight 2.09kg plus 720g for power supply and mains cable

The specification of the Gigabyte Aero 15X v8 is impressive as it takes that combination of 6-core CPU and GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics and adds a satisfying list of ports and connectors, along with 16GB of G.Skill DDR4 and a 512GB SSD. Topping off the list of features, we have an aluminium chassis with an overall thickness of 18mm and a weight that is slightly over 2kg.

While the performance of the new Core i7-8750H is clearly a matter of keen interest, we were completely confident it would eclipse previous quad core laptops with Mobile 7th Gen Kaby Lake, in just the same way that desktop Coffee Lake comfortably beats its predecessor.

The key numbers for the new Core i7-8750H are a base speed of 2.2GHz, all core Turbo speed of 3.4GHz and a claimed Maximum Turbo speed of 4.2GHz on a single core, although we only saw a speed of 4.1GHz in our tests. Maximum Turbo speeds are limited by thermal packages and power, and beyond that they are ‘maximum’ rather than ‘guaranteed.’ The GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics have been demonstrated to work effectively at a screen resolution of 1,920×1,080 so our mood at the start of this review was upbeat and optimistic.

A couple of points immediately came to our attention. The first being the keyboard layout which is mildly annoying with the DEL key inboard of the NUM pad instead of being positioned at the top right.

The second is the set of Gigabyte utilities that controls the lighting in the keyboard, allows you to set fan profiles and also reports on the temperatures and clock speeds inside your new laptop. The software is useful and does a decent job however it feels unnecessary. Can anyone honestly claim they are able to use a laptop with the keyboard lighting set to Rainbow Marquee? By the same token do we really need the ability to set a custom fan curve when it surely makes better sense to leave the job to a highly trained team of development engineers at the factory?

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Biostar launches two new Intel B360 chipset motherboards a day early https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/matthew-wilson/biostar-launches-two-new-intel-b360-chipset-motherboards-a-day-early/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/matthew-wilson/biostar-launches-two-new-intel-b360-chipset-motherboards-a-day-early/#respond Mon, 02 Apr 2018 17:14:06 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=369120 While the official launch isn't due to take place until tomorrow, the folks at Biostar have let the cat out of the bag early. Today, Biostar announced its new slate of motherboards, based on Intel's soon to be announced B360 chipset for Coffee Lake processors. Following on from the Biostar Z370 Racing series of motherboards, …

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While the official launch isn't due to take place until tomorrow, the folks at Biostar have let the cat out of the bag early. Today, Biostar announced its new slate of motherboards, based on Intel's soon to be announced B360 chipset for Coffee Lake processors.

Following on from the Biostar Z370 Racing series of motherboards, these new B360 boards offer options for those on a tighter budget, but still wanting to upgrade to Coffee Lake. The Racing B360GT5S is an ATX motherboard with support for dual-channel DDR4 up to 2666MHz. It comes with three PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots and three PCI-E 3.0 x1 slots, so there is plenty of room for multiple GPUs or expansion cards. It also packs two M.2 32Gb/s slots with dedicated cooling.

On the rear, you get a legacy PS/2 connector, two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports and two USB 2.0 ports. The usual audio connections appear, you also get HDMI 1.4, DVI-D and D-sub connectors for those using onboard graphics.

The Racing B360GT3S is micro-ATX instead, but offers many of the same features. It supports the same DDR4 memory spec, the same M.2 SSD slots and the same rear I/O. The key difference for the mATX board is the power phase design. The B360GT5S has an 11-phase power design, while the B360GT3S has 7-phase power delivery.

The mATX board also has fewer PCI-E connectors, with two x16 slots and and one x1 slot.

The Biostar Racing B360GT5S will have an MSRP of $109.90 at launch, while the B360GT3S will have an MSRP of $94.90.

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KitGuru Says: Tomorrow is going to be a big day for Intel news so keep an eye out, this is just the beginning.

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ASUS ROG Maximus X Formula Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/asus-rog-maximus-x-formula-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/asus-rog-maximus-x-formula-motherboard-review/#respond Tue, 27 Mar 2018 08:34:16 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=368033 Has ASUS ROG created the ultimate Z370 motherboard for watercooling?

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For every Intel Z-Series chipset in recent memory ROG Maximus Formula motherboards have been among the best that money could buy. Nothing appears to have changed with Intel Z370 as the latest iteration of the Formula is just as feature-packed, stylish and desirable as ever.

Since the Maximus V Formula, released for Intel Ivy Bridge, the unique slant on the Maximus Formula has been an integrated watercooling block on the CPU VRMs. The Maximus X Formula continues the unique theme with the integrated EK-made waterblock and a stylish “armor” on the top and bottom.

That armor was conspicuously called “Thermal Armor” in previous generation Formula motherboards but these days ROG accept its stylistic function, rather than a solution that brings thermal benefits. No stylish design would be complete in the current DIY PC market without the generous application of RGB LEDs, which the Maximus X Formula has in abundance.

Connectivity is well accounted for with dual M.2, USB 3.1 of all varieties, eight fan headers and enough PCIe lanes for any high-end GPU configuration though in specifications alone the Maximus X Formula is not twice the motherboard of other Z370 motherboards that cost half as much.

However, the value of the ROG brand has always been in the premium styling, innovative design touches and value-added features that are rarely found on other motherboards. The newest innovative feature is an integrated OLED display, dubbed “LiveDash”, in the centre of the motherboard that can display hardware monitoring information or custom images and animations.

With that said let's take a closer look at all the ASUS ROG Maximus X Formula has to offer.

ASUS Maximus X Formula
Form Factor  ATX, 30.5cm x 24.4cm
CPU Socket  Intel LGA 1151 Version 2
Chipset  Intel Z370
Memory  DDR4, 4 DIMMs, up to 64GB, 4133MHz+ with OC
Onboard Graphics  Intel HD Graphics (supported CPUs), maximum shared video memory of 1024MB
Discrete Graphics  Up to 3-way CrossFire/Quad CrossFire, Up to 2-way SLI, Quad SLI
Expansion Slots  3 x PCIe 3.0 X16 (16/0/4, 8/8/4)*
3 x PCIe 3.0 X1
*The PCIe X16 (x4 Electrical) slot number 3 shares bandwidth with PCIe 1X slot number 3
Storage 1 x M.2 PCIe 3.0 X4 32Gbps or SATA III 6Gbps*
1 x M.2 PCIe 3.0 X4 32Gbps**
6 x SATA III 6Gbps via Intel Z370
*When operating in SATA mode port SATA port 1 is disabled
**Shares bandwidth with SATA ports 5 and 6
USB 3 x USB 3.1 (2 Rear [Type-A and C], 1 Front, via dual ASM3142 controllers)
6 x USB 3.0 (4 Rear, 2 Front, via Z370)
6 x USB 2.0 (4 Rear, 2 Front)
Networking 1 x Intel I219V Gigabit Ethernet
Realtek RTL8822BE dual-band 802.11AC WiFi with Bluetooth 4.2
Audio  Realtek ALC1220 7.1 Channel HD audio*
*Due to limitations in HDA bandwidth, 32-bit/192kHz is not supported for 8-Channel audio
Fan Headers  8, 7 support 3/4pin fans, 1 supports only 3 pin fans (1 x CPU, 1 x CPU_OPT, 3 x CHA, 1 x H_AMP, 1 x W_PUMP+, 1 x AIO_PUMP)
Rear I/O  1 x DisplayPort
1 x HDMI
1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
1 x USB 3.1 Type-A
1 x USB 3.1 USB Type-C
4 x USB 3.0
4 x USB 2.0
1 x Optical S/PDIF out
5 x Audio jack(s)
1 x Clear CMOS button(s)
1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s)
1 x ASUS 2×2 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth v4.2 module
UEFI  1 x 128Mb UEFI AMI BIOS

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Gigabyte Z370N WiFi Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/gigabyte-z370n-wifi-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/ryan-martin/gigabyte-z370n-wifi-motherboard-review/#respond Tue, 20 Mar 2018 12:36:38 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=367151 It's a Z370 mini-ITX motherboard without all the gaming shenanigans. A bargain for £140?

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Intel's latest iteration of its mainstream platform, Z370 and socket LGA1151-V2, provides a solid foundation for high-performance and compact systems. All of the major motherboard vendors offer mini-ITX options, though choice is limited in comparison to ATX and micro-ATX equivalents. Gigabyte's sole mini-ITX option is the Z370N WiFi that we are looking at today.

Gigabyte's approach to mini-ITX for Intel Z370 is fairly inconspicuous and not specifically positioned as a gaming product. This contrasts with its rivals who have mostly targeted the gaming market – ASUS with the ROG STRIX Z370-I Gaming, ASRock with the Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming-ITX/ac and MSI the Z370I Gaming Pro Carbon AC. ASRock does, however, offer the Z370M-ITX/ac that is somewhat aligned to Gigabyte's Z370N WiFi in terms of features, market positioning and price.

Despite Gigabyte's inconspicuous design the Z370N WiFi is well-equipped for most target audiences. Feature highlights include dual M.2 with a cooled M.2 slot, dual Intel Gigabit LAN, onboard Intel WiFi, USB Type-C and high-quality Realtek ALC1220-based audio.

Gigabyte's primary selling point with the Z370N WiFi is that it is more affordable than most of its competitors and this means a wider market appeal. A more affordable motherboard also means a larger budget for the level-headed buyer to allocate towards other system components that have a greater impact on system performance.

Gigabyte Z370N WiFi
Form Factor  mini-ITX, 17 x 17cm
CPU Socket  Intel LGA 1151 “v2” for 8th Generation Core CPUs
Chipset  Intel Z370
Memory  DDR4, 2 DIMMs, up to 32GB, up to 4400MHz+ with OC
Onboard Graphics  Intel HD Graphics (with supported CPUs)
Discrete Graphics  Single Graphics Card Configurations Only
Expansion Slots  1 x PCIe 3.0 X16
Storage  4 x SATA III 6Gbps
1 x M.2 PCIe 32Gbps or SATA III 6Gbps
1 x M.2 PCIe 32Gbps
USB  2 x USB 2.0 (2 Front, via Intel Z370)
8 x USB 3.0 (6 Rear, 2 Front, via Intel Z370)
1 x USB 3.0 (1 Rear, Type-C, via Intel Z370)
Networking  1 x Intel I211AT Gigabit Ethernet
1 x Intel i219V Gigabit Ethernet
Intel Wireless-AC 8265NGW with Bluetooth 4.2
Audio  Realtek ALC1220 7.1 Channel* HD Audio
*7.1 channel requires multi-channel configuration of front panel audio module
Fan Headers  3, all support 3/4 pin fans (1 CPU, 2 x SYS)
Rear I/O

2 x HDMI ports (1.4 and 2.0)
1 x DisplayPort 1.2
2 x SMA antenna connectors (2T2R)
6 x USB 3.0 ports
1 x USB Type-C USB 3.0 port
2 x RJ-45 ports
3 x audio jacks (Line In, Line Out, Mic In)

UEFI dual 128Mbit AMI UEFI BIOS

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MSI Vortex G25 Review (W/ i7-8700 & GTX 1070) https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mike-jennings/msi-vortex-g25-w-i7-8700-gtx-1070/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mike-jennings/msi-vortex-g25-w-i7-8700-gtx-1070/#respond Thu, 15 Mar 2018 09:53:08 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=366712 It's a tiny SFF rig from MSI, but at £1885 is it just too expensive for its own good?

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We’re seeing more adventurous machines emerging from big-brand firms these days – and the MSI Vortex G25 is one of the best that’s appeared in recent months. It’s one of the smallest systems we’ve ever seen and, despite that, it crams in an Intel Core i7 processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card.

The downside, though, seems to be the price. The MSI Vortex G25 tips the scales at £1,885. That’s much more than you’ll pay for a full-size system with similar components. Is the G25 still worth a look? Let's find out.

 

Specifications:

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-8700 (3.2Ghz – 4.6GHz)
  • CPU cooling: Bespoke low-profile cooler
  • Motherboard: Bespoke MSI Z370
  • Memory: 16B Kingston 2,400MHz DDR4
  • Graphics Chipset: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB
  • Graphics cooling: Bespoke low-profile cooler
  • Storage: 256GB Samsung PM871a SSD, 1TB Hitachi TravelStar 7K1000 hard disk
  • Case: bespoke MSI SFF
  • Front ports: 2 x USB 3.1, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1 x HDMI, 2 x audio
  • Rear ports: 2 x USB 3.1, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Thunderbolt 1 x Gigabit Ethernet, 1 x optical S/PDIF
  • Networking: Gigabit Ethernet, Killer dual-band 802.11ac WiFi
  • Dimensions: 331 x 279 x 43mm
  • Weight: 2.5kg
  • Operating system: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
  • Warranty: 1yr RTB

Total cost £1,885 inc vat.

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Intel ships more Spectre fixes for Skylake, Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/intel-ships-more-spectre-fixes-for-skylake-kaby-lake-and-coffee-lake/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/intel-ships-more-spectre-fixes-for-skylake-kaby-lake-and-coffee-lake/#respond Thu, 22 Feb 2018 14:47:26 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=364849 Despite the Spectre flaw being hardwired into Intel’s current line of processors, the company is determined to clean up the mess with software fixes. Intel now has a fresh batch of microcode patches that hope to smooth things over for all variants of Skylake, Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake processors. In particular, the fix helps …

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Despite the Spectre flaw being hardwired into Intel’s current line of processors, the company is determined to clean up the mess with software fixes. Intel now has a fresh batch of microcode patches that hope to smooth things over for all variants of Skylake, Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake processors.

In particular, the fix helps address Spectre variant 2 attacks and through “extensive testing by customers and industry partners to ensure the updated versions are ready for production,” Intel's executive vice president and general manager of Intel's Data Center Group Navin Shenoy assures customers that this version is stable and will help mitigate the information-stealing bug with minimal repercussions.

Intel initially came under fire after its first batch of fixes were rushed and ended up causing random reboot problems on some systems. Not only did this put each computer’s data at risk but could have potentially damaged the system’s health. Unfortunately, to make matters worse, the company didn't initially address the issue itself, prompting Microsoft to step in and lend a helping hand.

“We have now released production microcode updates to our OEM customers and partners for Kaby Lake- and Coffee Lake-based platforms, plus additional Skylake-based platforms,” explains Shenoy in a blog post. “This represents our 6th, 7th and 8th Generation Intel Core product lines as well as our latest Intel Core X-series processor family.”

Intel introduced in February 2018 the new Intel® Xeon® D-2100 processor, a system on chip processor architected to address the needs of edge applications and other data center or network applications. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Broadwell, Haswell, Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge system fixes are also in the works, with most currently in the beta stage as indicated by Intel’s updated patch roadmap. Some are still in the pre-beta stage, however the fixes have been shipped out to hardware vendors for extensive testing so as to avoid the same hassle as the original ‘fix’.

Unfortunately, this has done very little to quell customer and professional concern surrounding the product-wide bug as Intel has managed to rack up 30 class action lawsuits and 2 securties class action lawsuits as of February 15th.

This new fix is now in the hands of hardware vendors, meaning that customers will likely have to wait for their system or motherboard manufacturer to provide the firmware containing the microcode in the coming weeks. Given the nature of the security issue, however, this wait shouldn’t be too long.

KitGuru Says: It still shocks me how such a flaw could be carried over so many generations of processors, but then again, I can’t underestimate the complexity of crafting a processor. Intel has made good progress on quelling the issues, but is it too late for the company to earn your trust back?

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CES: Zotac’s new MEK 1 mini PC combines Coffee Lake and Pascal in a small package https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/matthew-wilson/ces-zotacs-new-mek-1-mini-pc-combines-coffee-lake-and-pascal-in-a-small-package/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/gaming-rig/matthew-wilson/ces-zotacs-new-mek-1-mini-pc-combines-coffee-lake-and-pascal-in-a-small-package/#respond Wed, 10 Jan 2018 16:26:20 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=360291 At CES today, we had the chance to swing by the Zotac booth, where they were showing off a new and improved MEK 1 mini gaming PC. The original Mek 1 PC launched quite recently based around Intel's 7th Gen Kaby Lake processors. However, the new version we saw today makes the jump to Coffee …

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At CES today, we had the chance to swing by the Zotac booth, where they were showing off a new and improved MEK 1 mini gaming PC. The original Mek 1 PC launched quite recently based around Intel's 7th Gen Kaby Lake processors. However, the new version we saw today makes the jump to Coffee Lake.

The new MEK 1 will feature an 8th Gen Coffee Lake Core i7 processor, which naturally means that a new motherboard will also be in place with a revised chipset to support it.

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Graphics card options range from the GTX 1060, 1070Ti and GTX 1080. The version we saw demoed today was the GTX 1070Ti model, sporting 16GB of DDR4 2400MHz RAM. The chassis measures in at just 414mm long by 118mm wide, so there is a lot of power shrunk down into a small package.

Other features include a 450W power supply, a 240GB SSD and a 1TB HDD for additional storage. Some versions of this system will come bundled with a keyboard and mouse, giving you almost everything you need to get up and running out of the box.

We don't have exact pricing just yet, but we were told that the new MEK 1 mini PC will cost somewhere in the region of $1400 to $1650.

KitGuru Says: Zotac has been experimenting with mini PCs for a few years now and this looks to be its most powerful yet. Have any of you ever considered downsizing from a full size desktop to something smaller and more portable? What do you think of the MEK 1?

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Coffee Lake processor runs on a modded Z170 motherboard https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/damien-cox/coffee-lake-processor-runs-on-a-modded-z170-motherboard/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/damien-cox/coffee-lake-processor-runs-on-a-modded-z170-motherboard/#comments Mon, 04 Dec 2017 19:25:15 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=356669 Intel released its Coffee Lake line of processors earlier this year, causing quite the stir among customers by requiring an entirely new chipset. Now, a modder has successfully booted an i3- 8350K on an old Z170 motherboard. Although Intel often move chipsets for new CPUs, its common for the company to offer some form of …

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Intel released its Coffee Lake line of processors earlier this year, causing quite the stir among customers by requiring an entirely new chipset. Now, a modder has successfully booted an i3- 8350K on an old Z170 motherboard.

Although Intel often move chipsets for new CPUs, its common for the company to offer some form of backwards compatibility. Coffee Lake's predecessor, Kaby Lake required a Z270 chipset motherboard to make the most of its functionality, but still managed to work on the previous Z170 motherboards.

The decision to confine the Coffee Lake-S LGA1151 socket to a new chipset was made due to changes in the power delivery that, according to Intel, rendered backwards compatibility impossible. This was confirmed by Asus' Andrew Wu, stating that Intel directly dictated the decision to disable CFL-S support for Z170 and Z270 motherboards, but the new line of processors could easily be supported by older models.

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This was confirmed after MSI's Z170A Xpower Titanium was modded to support i3- 8350K via BIOS and microcode changes. With the power output, it's also speculated that the same set up could perhaps run the flagship Core i7-8700K.

The mod is far from perfect, as integrated GPU functionality is missing and the primary PCI-Express suffers from, well, not working at all, but proof of concept that Coffee Lake does work on Z170 chipsets is just the start. If these can be fixed by changing drivers, testing this modification on another motherboard or general tinkering, then Intel will certainly have some more questions to answer.

KitGuru Says: What many will forget is that it would probably have served Intel better without moving to a new chipset, as many more would be inclined to upgrade instead of shedding out for entirely new hardware. The more likely reason for this decision is ease of customer service, as this modification is not easy, cheap or without its costs. Would you risk your Z170 setup for a new Coffee Lake processor?

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Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Ultra Gaming Review – 5ghz without heatsinks! https://www.kitguru.net/components/leo-waldock/gigabyte-z370-aorus-ultra-gaming-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/leo-waldock/gigabyte-z370-aorus-ultra-gaming-review/#comments Mon, 04 Dec 2017 13:22:39 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=356441 This board has been in the spotlight for a lot of reasons - but is it really a bad board?

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We liked the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 enough to give it our ‘Must Have’ award, but there is no denying it is fairly expensive at £245. Move down the Gigabyte Aorus product stack past the Z370 Aorus Gaming 5 and you will come to the Z370 Aorus Ultra Gaming that is priced at a very reasonable £158, but despite that hefty saving it appears to offer the vast majority of the features you find in the Gaming 7.

In essence you only get two M.2 slots and a single Gigabit Ethernet port but pretty much everything else is the same. Apart from the VRMs which are completely different and a good deal cheaper. You won’t be surprised to learn we discuss this aspect of the motherboard at length in our video.

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Key features:

Supports 8th Gen Intel Core Processors
Dual Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 4 DIMMs
Intel Optane Memory Ready
ASMedia 3142 USB 3.1 Gen 2 with USB Type-C and Type-A
Front USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C Header
Multi-Way Graphics Support with Dual Armor and Ultra Durable Design
ALC1220 120dB SNR HD Audio with Smart Headphone AMP and WIMA audio capacitors
Intel GbE LAN Gaming Network with cFosSpeed Internet Accelerator Software
RGB FUSION with Multi-Zone Digital LED Light Show design, support digital LED & RGB LED strips
Swappable Overlay for Accent LED
Smart Fan 5 features Multiple Temperature Sensors and Hybrid Fan Headers with FAN STOP
Dual Ultra-Fast M.2 with PCIe Gen3 x4 and SATA interface
USB DAC-UP 2 with Adjustable Voltage
Lightning-Fast Intel Thunderbolt 3 Add In Card Support
APP Centre Including EasyTune and Cloud Station Utilities

Full specification HERE

On paper the Z370 Aorus Ultra Gaming appears to offer 95 percent of the features of the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 at two thirds of the price, although we mention in our video that Newegg in the USA is selling this model at a much lower price. If you simply want to install your CPU, DDR4 RAM, graphics card and SSD you can have the Z370 Aorus Ultra Gaming running in a matter of minutes, and your most likely focus will be on the RGB lighting and the control software.

You need to install the Gigabyte App Centre followed by RGB Fusion and would be advised to also install @BIOS, EasyTune and System Information Viewer. Other pieces of Gigabyte software such as Smart Keyboard, 3D OSD and Cloud Station are less important and can safely be ignored.

 

Once you have the software installed you can control your new motherboard within Windows and have little need to enter the UEFI set-up screen. That may not be of much interest to the enthusiast but it makes sense for the more casual gamer who doesn’t want to mess around with fan control and clocks speeds in the UEFI. The important thing is that you have the choice of full hands-on UEFI control or working within Windows.

Having said that, we don’t much like the App Centre launcher and would prefer to see a single control suite that was specific to this exact motherboard.

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Intel taps new factories to beef up Coffee Lake CPU supply https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/matthew-wilson/intel-taps-new-factories-to-beef-up-coffee-lake-cpu-supply/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/matthew-wilson/intel-taps-new-factories-to-beef-up-coffee-lake-cpu-supply/#comments Mon, 20 Nov 2017 18:09:40 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=354867 If you've been struggling to find a Coffee Lake CPU in stock, then we have some good news for you...

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Intel's Coffee Lake processors have been on the market for almost six weeks now but actually getting hold of one has proven rather difficult. The latest 8th Gen CPUs are swiftly in and out of stock, but help seems to be on the way, with reports this week indicating that Intel is beefing up its supply chain.

In a product change notification published this week, Intel has revealed that it has brought some additional factories into the loop. With the help of factories located in Chengdu, China, Intel will be increasing production across multiple locations to meet demand.

Specifically, Intel is looking to make more of the Core i5-8400, Core i5-8600K, Core i7-8700 and Core i7-8700K, which are listed as the ‘products affected'. These manufacturing changes shouldn't impact consumers, outside of the fact that there should be more stock floating around.

KitGuru Says: Have any of you had trouble trying to get hold of a Coffee Lake processor since launch? I was fortunate enough to get mine quite early, but since then, I have seen them go in and out of stock several times at retail.

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Asus ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming Motherboard Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/mike-jennings/asus-rog-strix-z370-i-gaming-motherboard-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/mike-jennings/asus-rog-strix-z370-i-gaming-motherboard-review/#respond Tue, 14 Nov 2017 09:44:24 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=353019 Another killer motherboard from the ASUS team.

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The Asus Republic of Gamers STRIX Z370-I Gaming is the first mini-ITX motherboard that to arrive with Intel’s new Z370 chipset and revised LGA 1151 socket – which means it’s the first small board we’ve seen to support Coffee Lake processors. This new mini-ITX board tries to cram in as many features as possible onto its 17cm-square black PCB: there are two M.2 sockets, loads of USB 3.1 ports, improved memory speed support and the ubiquitous RGB LEDs.

This updated Asus ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming costs £193, which is about the same as Z370 ATX boards – there might be less PCB in this product, but the cost of miniaturisation can’t be ignored.

We’ve compared this product to last year’s Asus equivalent board and a couple of ATX contenders from the current ranks to find out if Z370’s mini-ITX debut can earn a place in your PC.

Asus ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming 
Form Factor Mini-ITX, 17cm x 17cm
CPU Socket Intel LGA 1151 Version 2
Chipset Intel Z370
Memory DDR4, 4 DIMMs, up to 32GB, up to 4333MHz+ with OC
Onboard Graphics Intel HD Graphics (supported CPUs)
Discrete Graphics n/a
Expansion Slots 1 x PCIe 3.0 X16 (16)
Storage 4 x SATA III 6Gbps
1 x M.2 PCIe 32Gbps or SATA III 6Gbps1 x M.2 PCIe 32GBps
USB 7 x USB 3.1 (4 Rear, 2 Front, 1 via ASM3142)
6 x USB 2.0 (4 Rear, 2 Front, via Z370)
Networking Intel I219V Gigabit LAN
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
Audio SupremeFX S1220A Codec (1 front, 5 rear) 7.1 channel HD audio
Fan Headers 3, all support 3/4 pin fans (1 CPU, 1 x W_PUMP, 1 x SYS)
Rear I/O 4 x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
4 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports
1 x HDMI port1 x DisplayPort
1 x LAN (RJ45) port
5 x OFC audio jacks
1 x Optical S/PDIF OUT connector
UEFI UEFI AMI, 1 x 128Mb
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Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 from Gigabyte – High end Intel 8th Gen mobo https://www.kitguru.net/components/leo-waldock/z370-aorus-gaming-7-from-gigabyte-high-end-intel-8th-gen-motherboard/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/leo-waldock/z370-aorus-gaming-7-from-gigabyte-high-end-intel-8th-gen-motherboard/#comments Wed, 25 Oct 2017 16:13:24 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=351653 If you are in the market for a new motherboard - this one should be right at the top of your list.

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The Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 motherboard from Gigabyte is a high end piece of hardware that supports the latest Intel 8th Gen. Coffee Lake CPUs with an Intel Z370 chipset. The final part of that sentence is self-evident as Z370 is currently the only 8th Gen. chipset.

Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 looks rather understated and has a list of features as long as your arm, which gives an initial impressions of a professional motherboard, rather than a product aimed at gamers. Your view may well change through 180 degrees when you power up your PC as the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 is loaded with RGB lighting on almost every component, including the VRMs, memory slots, accent plate, audio, chipset, I/O panel and PCI Express x16 slots. The lighting is controlled by RGB Fusion software.

Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 Specification: Read detailed specs over HERE

We used the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 for our launch review of Intel 8th Gen and found it delivered rock solid performance with easy overclocking, which made it ideal for that particular job.

At that time we didn’t pay a great deal of attention to the finer points of the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 as we were focused on the CPU. That is a back-handed compliment to the Gaming 7 which did a fine job without any problems, yet the fact is there are a great many things to like about this motherboard.

The layout is very clean with a rugged design that is reminiscent of a high end X299 model. The top PCI Express expansion slot gets 16 lanes of PCIe from the CPU which is divided 8+8 if you install a second GPU. After that the third x16 slot gets 4 lanes from the chipset and the x1 slots are also powered from the chipset.

There are three M.2 slots, with the main slot hidden under a cover/heat spreader, and six SATA 6Gbps connections, so you have plenty of scope for adding as much storage as you desire. It is worth noting the M.2 slots share resources with SATA so as you populate M.2 you will find some SATA ports go dark.

Power connections are located in the classic positions with the main 24-pin at the side and the 8-pin EPS up top and close to the VRM heat sinks.

In total there are eight fan headers, although CPU and CPU Opt effectively count as one, and the Sys Fan 2 header is taken by the 40mm fan that is hidden in the I/O panel. That is a huge number of fan connections and to add to our joy they use the Smart Fan 5 system that automatically detects the fan type on each header and can even bring the fans to a complete halt. In addition to the fan headers there are nine temperature sensor connection points.

The eagle eyed viewer may spot an omission in our video during the run-down of the I/O panel where we mention the USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port in red on the back panel but skip past the faster USB Type-C port that has USB 3.1 Gen 2 support. To summarise, you get a huge number of ports and connectors and should be perfectly happy with what Gigabyte provides.

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MSI is bundling free Project CARS 2 codes with Z370 motherboards https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/matthew-wilson/msi-is-bundling-free-project-cars-2-codes-with-z370-motherboards/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/matthew-wilson/msi-is-bundling-free-project-cars-2-codes-with-z370-motherboards/#respond Fri, 20 Oct 2017 16:17:38 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=351147 Whenever new hardware starts rolling out, it is usually best to shop around for the best deal. MSI has a particularly nice bundle for those looking to upgrade to Coffee Lake within the next few months. Between the 20th of October and the 31st of January 2018, those buying select MSI Z270 motherboards will also …

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Whenever new hardware starts rolling out, it is usually best to shop around for the best deal. MSI has a particularly nice bundle for those looking to upgrade to Coffee Lake within the next few months. Between the 20th of October and the 31st of January 2018, those buying select MSI Z270 motherboards will also get a free copy of Project CARS 2.

Project CARS 2 launched just last month and currently sells on Steam for £45. If you pick up one of MSI's Z370 motherboards, then you can get it for free and put your new PC to the test.

Here are the motherboards included in this promotion:

  • Z370 GAMING M5.
  • Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC.
  • Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON.
  • Z370 KRAIT GAMING.
  • Z370 SLI PLUS.

This particular promotion is only open to UK customers from participating retailers, which include Overclockers UK, SCAN, eBuyer, CCL, Novatech and Box. Once you've picked up a qualifying motherboard from a participating retailer, then you should be sent a redeemable Steam code with your order.

KitGuru Says: Are many of you guys big racing sim fans? Are you planning on upgrading to Coffee Lake/Z370? 

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Gigabyte is offering up Steam Wallet codes with Z370 AORUS motherboards https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/matthew-wilson/gigabyte-is-offering-up-steam-wallet-codes-with-z370-aorus-motherboards/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/matthew-wilson/gigabyte-is-offering-up-steam-wallet-codes-with-z370-aorus-motherboards/#comments Fri, 06 Oct 2017 10:03:30 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=349428 Yesterday we witnessed the launch of Intel’s 8th Generation processors and the Z370 platform. With the jump from quad-core SKUs to six-cores for the Core i7 and Core i5, a good number of enthusiasts are looking to upgrade but you’ll need a new motherboard to go with it. To help make that purchase a bit …

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Yesterday we witnessed the launch of Intel’s 8th Generation processors and the Z370 platform. With the jump from quad-core SKUs to six-cores for the Core i7 and Core i5, a good number of enthusiasts are looking to upgrade but you’ll need a new motherboard to go with it. To help make that purchase a bit sweeter, Gigabyte is offering up free Steam Wallet codes with Z370 AORUS motherboards.

The promotion runs from the 5th of October until the 30th of November this year. UK buyers of select Z370 AORUS motherboards will either get a £20 or a £40 Steam Wallet code depending on which board they buy,

If you buy a Z370 AORUS Gaming 7, you will receive a £40 code. Meanwhile, if you pick up the Z370 AORUS Gaming 5, Ultra Gaming, Gaming 3 or Gaming K3 motherboards, you will get a £20 Steam code.

To receive the code, all you need to do is register your purchase at the Gigabyte website, HERE.

If you would like to see how Intel’s new Core i7 8700K performs, then you can find our review, featuring a Gigabyte AORUS Gaming 7 motherboard, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Its always nice to see these deals pop up. If you’re buying new hardware, then its always worth shopping around for any freebies you might be able to get your hands on. Are any of you planning on jumping to Coffee lake? Are you considering a Gigabyte AORUS motherboard?

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