Mainboard | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Sat, 18 Jul 2015 01:41:40 +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 Mainboard | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Asustek and Gigabyte remain world’s top mainboard makers as market shrinks https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/asustek-and-gigabyte-remains-worlds-top-mainboard-makers-as-market-shrinks/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/asustek-and-gigabyte-remains-worlds-top-mainboard-makers-as-market-shrinks/#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2015 22:57:41 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259393 Asustek Computer and Gigabyte Technology remained the top mainboard makers in the first half of this year, according to a media report. Each company shipped about eight million motherboards globally, which was below their initial plans. In fact, the market of mainboards shrunk pretty significantly in 1H 2015. Gigabyte managed to close the gap with …

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

asus_b85m_gamer_1

Gigabyte managed to close the gap with Asustek in the first half of the year when it comes to shipments of mainboards, which is quite an achievement. However, it is unlikely that the two companies will meet their shipments goals for the whole year because the PC market seems to be very weak. Originally, Asus and Gigabyte planned to ship 20 million motherboards each in 2015, but it is unlikely that their shipments will exceed 18 million units each, according to observers of the market cited by DigiTimes. In 2015 Asustek sold around 22 million motherboards.

Since there is a tie in shipments between Asustek and Gigabyte, the two companies are now fighting rigorously against each other, which causes a lot of trouble for smaller makers of mainboards.

gigabyte_x99_soc_champion_3

Asrock and MicroStar International each shipped about two million mainboards in the first half of the year, which is below their original plans. Shipments of each company will unlikely surpass six million units for the whole 2015. Biostar, which is known for its rather exotic offerings, is projected to sell 2.5 – 3 million motherboards this year. It is unknown how many mainboards ECS sold in the first half of 2015.

In a bid to stay profitable, all companies originally known for their motherboards diversify their product lineups. MSI is very focused on its gaming laptops, Asrock is aggressively expanding in the market of low-cost servers and industrial PCs. Even Asustek has started to offer branded desktops.

Asus, Asrock, Biostar, Gigabyte, MSI and ECS did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The launch of Intel’s “Broadwell Unlocked” microprocessors could not revive the market of mainboards. Hopefully, the all-new “Skylake” processors will help to boost shipments of mainboards. The new CPUs seem to have potential, but will they offer enough to convince people to upgrade and buy new platforms? Makers of mainboards clearly hope they will.

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Gigabyte details premium Z170 platforms: DDR4, 32Gb/s M.2, 16Gb/s SATAe, Thunderbolt 3 https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/gigabyte-details-premium-z170-platforms-ddr4-32gbs-m-2-16gbs-satae-thunderbolt-3/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/gigabyte-details-premium-z170-platforms-ddr4-32gbs-m-2-16gbs-satae-thunderbolt-3/#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2015 00:53:33 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=253034 Gigabyte Technology at Computex revealed details about its upcoming premium mainboards based on the Intel Z170 core-logic designed for the Intel’s “Skylake” microprocessors. As expected, the new motherboards will provide rather extreme capabilities when it comes to overclocking, multi-GPU and high-performance storage. Gigabyte’s premium Intel Z170-based motherboards for LGA1151 microprocessors will all support dual-channel DDR4 …

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

Gigabyte’s premium Intel Z170-based motherboards for LGA1151 microprocessors will all support dual-channel DDR4 memory sub-system, 2-way/3-way/4-way multi-GPU, one or more M.2 slots for solid-state drives with 32Gb/s (4GB/s) maximum bandwidth, one or more SATA Express connectors with 16Gb/s transfer rate, NVMe protocol, Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2200 network controller (G1 Gaming-branded only), Intel “Alpine Ridge” controller for Thunderbolt 3 (40Gb/s) and USB 3.1 (10Gb/s) with type-C receptacle, HDMI 2.0 outputs and advanced 7.1-channel audio.

gigabyte_z170_intel_lga1151

The top-of-the-range Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming G1 mainboard features multi-phase all-digital voltage regulation module (VRM) for CPUs, four PCI Express x16 slots for graphics cards and solid-state drives (shielded for maximum reliability and piece of mind), two M.2 32Gb/s slots for high-end SSDs, three SATA Express connectors with up to 16Gb/s transfer rate, Creative SoundBlaster ZxRi integrated audio, Intel “Alpine Ridge” controller for TB3 and USB 3.1, Qualcomm Atheros Killer E2200 network controller, water-cooling ready heatsink for VRM and so on.

Other Gigabyte Gaming G1 mainboards will be less expensive and will feature lower number of PCIe x16 slots, less M.2 and SATAe connectors, Creative SoundCore 3D audio and so on.

For customers with budget constraints, Gigabyte will offer GA-Z170X-UD5 TH UltraDurable-series motherboard that will feature all key premium capabilities (such as, 10-phase digital VRM, 3-way multi-GPU, M.2 32Gb/s, SATAe 16Gb/s, TB3, USB 3.1, GbE, etc.), but will come without advanced capabilities and design elements aimed at gamers and modders.

gigabyte_z170_intel_lga1151_1

Gigabyte will release its Intel Z170 mainboards with LGA1151 sockets in August or September, when Intel rolls-out its unlocked “Skylake-S” processors. Prices will be disclosed at launch.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Gigabyte’s mainboards are traditionally very impressive. The company clearly deserves praise for using Intel’s “Alpine Ridge” controller on all premium Intel Z170 platforms. Let’s just hope that these mainboards are not too expensive because of that…

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Asustek to cut prices, sell mainboard + graphics card bundles https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/asustek-to-cut-prices-sell-mainboard-graphics-cards-bundles/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/anton-shilov/asustek-to-cut-prices-sell-mainboard-graphics-cards-bundles/#comments Sat, 18 Oct 2014 13:11:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=217371 In an attempt to remain on top positions on the market of PC components, Asustek Computer recently started to cut prices on certain mainboards and plans promotions to sell bundles containing mainboards and graphics cards. In addition, the company plans to spend rather whopping amount of money to strengthen its marketing efforts in a bid …

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In an attempt to remain on top positions on the market of PC components, Asustek Computer recently started to cut prices on certain mainboards and plans promotions to sell bundles containing mainboards and graphics cards. In addition, the company plans to spend rather whopping amount of money to strengthen its marketing efforts in a bid to improve sales of its own-brand motherboards.

Although the amount of mainboard makers has declined significantly in the recent years, the competition on the market of motherboards remains extremely fierce. In a bid to remain the world’s largest supplier of own-brand mainboards, Asustek recently lowered prices on its products and plans to offer bundles containing graphics cards and mainboards going forward, something which is expected to boost sales of both types of products.

While there are no details about Asustek’s efforts, one in the market for new hardware should keep in mind that soon stores may start offering discounts on Asus motherboards as well as bundles containing the company’s graphics cards and mainboards.

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Asustek's mainboards and graphics cards. Image for illustrative purposes only.

Asus also plans to spend $32.88 – $65.75 million on various marketing efforts, reports DigiTimes. While it is not completely clear whether Asus intends to spend that amount over the course of 2015 or a shorter period, the sum is comparable to marketing budgets spent by companies like Intel Corp.

Asustek’s actions are reportedly aimed to strengthen its positions against the arch-rival Gigabyte Technology, which sells comparable amount of own-brand mainboards per year (around 20 – 21 million units).

Asustek Computer did not comment on the news-story.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Keeping in mind that the end of the year is near, expect discounts not only from Asustek Computer, but from other suppliers as well. They need to hit their sales targets, so, they should be pretty flexible in terms of prices these days…

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Exclusive Asus engineer Z87-C unboxing video https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/jules/exclusive-asus-engineer-z87-c-unboxing-video/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/jules/exclusive-asus-engineer-z87-c-unboxing-video/#comments Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:18:35 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=138436 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 take a look. While the …

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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 take a look.

While the review reaction to Haswell has not been as universally loving as it was for Sandy Bridge, there is no doubt that Intel's production techniques will improve and this chip will become the mainstay of the enthusiast market for the next year or so.

Inside the Asus regional HQ building, KitGuru's cameras were invited along to an unboxing walk-through of the new Z87-C mainboard:-

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ycro4kyVrs']

KitGuru says: Given that only a small percentage of systems use SLi or CrossFire, the limited multi-card support is not likely to be a problem for most gamers on a budget.

Comment below, in the KitGuru forums or join us online over at Facebook.

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Biostar launches Z87 board with full set of features https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/harrison/biostar-launches-z87-board-with-full-set-of-features/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/harrison/biostar-launches-z87-board-with-full-set-of-features/#respond Mon, 03 Jun 2013 09:32:37 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=137010 Hot on the trail of Asus, Gigebyte, Asrock and MSI, Taiwanese manufacturer Biostar has unleashed its own set of Intel Z87 chipset mainboards. Looking through the specs, it seems that Biostar wants to make sure it has ticked every possible feature box. KitGuru pulls out a magnifying glass to check. In sunny Taipei, Biostar has …

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Hot on the trail of Asus, Gigebyte, Asrock and MSI, Taiwanese manufacturer Biostar has unleashed its own set of Intel Z87 chipset mainboards. Looking through the specs, it seems that Biostar wants to make sure it has ticked every possible feature box. KitGuru pulls out a magnifying glass to check.

In sunny Taipei, Biostar has unleashed its Hi-Fi Z87X 3D Mainboard, which promises full support for the Intel Haswell CPU Family.

As the name suggests, it comes with some extra technology built in, in this case Biostar's own in-house audio technology called ‘Hi-Fi 3D'.

The Hi-Fi Z87X 3D is an ATX form factor board that features Intel socket 1150 support. It includes the usual high-end motherboard features like USB 3.0, HDMI and PCI-E slots, but Biostar execs are claiming a premium set of additional features. For example, all of the latest Biostar motherboards are equipped with special components to ensure the best possible audio quality consistency.

Given that these motherboards have a sampling rate of 192kHz/24-bit which delivers a high quality audio through an analog connection to either your home theatre system, multi-channel speakers or high-end headphones.

Biostar encourage you to find out more over here.

The latest Biostar boards have plenty of that 3D audio stuff
The latest Biostar boards have plenty of that 3D audio stuff

KitGuru says: If high fidelity audio is your thing, then maybe worth a look at the new Haswell range from Biostar.

Comment below, in the KitGuru forums or join us online over at Facebook.

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Ultra low price 760G boards move to support FX challenge https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/jules/ultra-low-price-760g-boards-move-to-support-fx-challenge/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/jules/ultra-low-price-760g-boards-move-to-support-fx-challenge/#respond Sun, 07 Apr 2013 11:42:13 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=130960 One of KitGuru's bugbears has been AMD's consistency in releasing processors that may well be appealing – but then burying them under the weight of a mainboard that costs more than the chip. Now it seems that there better options available from resellers like Aria. KitGuru pulls out a Casio FX calculator to add up …

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One of KitGuru's bugbears has been AMD's consistency in releasing processors that may well be appealing – but then burying them under the weight of a mainboard that costs more than the chip. Now it seems that there better options available from resellers like Aria. KitGuru pulls out a Casio FX calculator to add up the cost of entry level overclocking in 2013.

Coolers, memory and hard drives are all looking pretty stable – in terms of price. There is a slight upward pressure on RAM right now, but this will ease when the dollar rate relaxes.

When it comes to graphics cards, you have never had it so good you lucky people. AMD's attack with the 7870 Tahiti LE edition and the new assault from nVidia with the GTX 650 Ti Boost plus money off the GTX 660 cards all add up to a nice bargain – whatever you choose.

Which brings us to the mainboard and CPU.

Almost 2/3 of the KitGuru audience believes that the FX6000 series contains the best processors on the market under £100. That's the same group of KitGuru readers where 80% believe that – money no object – you should buy an Intel ‘k' series chip.

So you have decided on something like a 6200 or 6300, but don't want to spend £100 on a 990 chipset mainboard. What are your options?

The latest price move from Asus and Aria, brings the M5A78L-M LX V2 into play for a lot of customers. At £29.58 + VAT you can get this for £35.50 all in.

That gives you the option for an FX-6300 (£104.88) based system for a total of £140.38 – which is £100 under the lowest 3570k from the same reseller.

Whatever your individual mainboard preferences, this push on 760G boards will certainly help open the world of +4GHz computing for more and more overclockers.

We really wish Intel would reconsider creating a ‘k' processor for the Core i3 series.

ASUS-M5A78L-M-LX-V2-kitguru-Aria

KitGuru says: Depending on your skill, set-up and ‘how long you want it to live', the 6300 should give you 4.4GHz to 4.8GHz. Which should be enough for Solitaire.

Comment below, in the KitGuru forums or join us online at Facebook.

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Asus launches new micro ATX boards – faster and more integrated https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/harrison/asus-launches-new-micro-atx-boards-faster-and-more-integrated/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/harrison/asus-launches-new-micro-atx-boards-faster-and-more-integrated/#respond Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:49:03 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=126308 Looking forward, ASUS has launched new Micro ATX motherboards with native HDMI and DVI outputs for use with Intel and AMD processors that feature integrated graphics. The motherboards also incorporate exclusive ASUS USB 3.0 ‘Boost Technology' for faster data transfers with compatible storage and solid capacitors – which Asus claim to have a lifespan of …

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Looking forward, ASUS has launched new Micro ATX motherboards with native HDMI and DVI outputs for use with Intel and AMD processors that feature integrated graphics. The motherboards also incorporate exclusive ASUS USB 3.0 ‘Boost Technology' for faster data transfers with compatible storage and solid capacitors – which Asus claim to have a lifespan of more than 50 years (if operating in temperatures under 65 degrees). KitGuru scans the spec sheets.

Once upon a time, everything came glued/soldered to one board. Then there was a time of great adventure, where almost everything was interchangeable with everything else. Now, as APU and Intel Integrated take hold, we can expect a return to a more wholesome time. Asus has recognised this and is now putting even more integration into its Micro ATX boards.

When KitGuru spoke with insiders at Asus, we were told, “The latest Intel 22nm CPUs feature Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics, while AMD Socket FM2 Athlon and A-Series APUs have integrated AMD HD 7000 Series discrete-level Radeon GPUs. The processors provide excellent 2D and 3D graphics performance, without the need for a separate graphics card, which in turn results in lower PC build costs”.

Also, “The new ASUS microATX motherboards support the integrated graphics features of both processor families, and each model features both an HDMI port for use with HDTVs and a DVI port for connection to desktop displays. The ASUS B75M-A, H61M-PLUS, H61M-A/USB3 and H61M-A are Micro ATX motherboards designed for Intel processors; the A85XM-A, A55M-A/USB3, A55M-A are for AMD APUs. The Micro ATX form factor and reduced cooling requirements of these new motherboards make them ideally suited for compact desktop and home entertainment PCs”.

There was also talk of making USB 3 working even faster than it does, today, in most implementations.

The experts at Asus put this in a nutshell for us, “USB 3.0 has data-transfer speeds up to 10-times faster than USB 2.0. The new microATX motherboards announced today improve upon this further with exclusive ASUS USB 3.0 Boost technology, for data transfer speeds up to 1.7-times faster than ordinary USB 3.0”.

How is this achieved?

Well, according to Asus, “USB 3.0 Boost uses the industry standard USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UASP) to increase data throughput by using multiple channels in parallel, rather than just the one channel of ordinary USB 3.0. This allows USB 3.0 Boost to use the entire bandwidth of a USB 3.0 connection for significant time savings with large file transfers and smoother HD video streaming. UASP requires a UASP-enabled drive or drive enclosure to deliver its full performance benefits, but ASUS USB 3.0 Boost technology also incorporates an optimized ‘turbo’ mode for data transfer speed improvements from any standard USB 3.0 device”.

And what about ‘real world availability'?

Asus says, “USB 3.0 Boost is supported by the ASUS B75M-A, H61M-PLUS and H61M-A/USB3 Intel-based motherboards and the A85XM-A and A55M-A/USB3 AMD-based motherboards. Both onboard HDMI/DVI and USB 3.0 Boost are also available on the new ASUS Z77-A Intel-based ATX motherboard”.

Intel only boards listed here - AMD versions to follow

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KitGuru says: It's one more step along the inevitable path toward Intel and AMD selling the processors directly to Asus and the other mainboard vendors.

Comment below, in our forums or join us on Facebook.

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Exclusive interview with Biostar’s Head of European Sales https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jules/exclusive-interview-with-biostars-head-of-european-sales/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jules/exclusive-interview-with-biostars-head-of-european-sales/#respond Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:16:32 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=122275 It's hard to know why a young chap who grew up near the German border with Holland would end up speaking Mandarin Chinese and running European sales for a major motherboard manufacturer, but that's exactly what Martin Thyssen has ended up doing. KitGuru was fortunate enough to catch up with Martin and ask him about …

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It's hard to know why a young chap who grew up near the German border with Holland would end up speaking Mandarin Chinese and running European sales for a major motherboard manufacturer, but that's exactly what Martin Thyssen has ended up doing. KitGuru was fortunate enough to catch up with Martin and ask him about Biostar. Pretzels, white beer and sausage anyone?

Founded in 1986, Biostar started life as a purely-mainboard focused manufacturing company. Under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Mingyi Wang, the company has managed to do well in a very tough/competitive market – adding nVidia and AMD graphics cards to its product line up.

In 1999, the company was floated on the Taiwan Stock Exchange and it has a number of interesting ‘firsts' under its belt – including a claim to being the first company to allow end users to modify video card voltages and frequencies. We believe that youngsters call it ‘overclocking'.

Biostar has 5 major offices across the globe. Alongside its HQ in Sindian City (Taiwan), the USA is run out of California (West Coast) and Miami (East Coast) with another office for Latin America. APAC (Asia Pacific) is run from China and Europe from the Netherlands.

Able to find his home town with his eyes shut, Martin Thyssen can sell you Biostar mainboards in English, German & Chinese. Cool.

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We kicked off with a straight question for Martin, it looks like Biostar has been quiet for a while – what's new?

“We just recently launched the ‘Hi-Fi' series of motherboards”, said Martin. “Which is a combination of Biostar exclusive hardware & software that features the very best in audio quality and performance”.

It's an interesting phrase to use, Hi-Fi. Especially by a German, considering how much influence Martin's people had on its definition. The Deutsches Institut für Normung [German Institute for Standards] defined ‘Hi-Fi' in 1966 under the standard DIN45500. It is meant to be ‘the best audio possible’. Nice.

You have just launched a new range of boards targeting gamers, is this a dip in the water or are you going to continue with this?
“We have a dedicated R&D team focused on nothing else but the gamer market”, he said. “We wish to bring users a product that not only has excellent overclocking capabilities, but also provides a truely high quality experience in both visual and sound”.

Talk is cheap. The proof is in the testing. When KitGuru Labs took a close look at the Biostar TZ77XE4 back in April last year, we were pleasantly surprised. What was the focus when designing this board?
Martin told us, “The Intel Z77 series chipset was a big focus for every motherboard manufacturer. We knew it would be competitive, so we pushed hard to create the best design possible. From a purely technical standpoint, the TZ77XE4 uses supreme power design and 100% solid caps to achieve the best overclocking performance. We also optimised performance for CrossFire, SLI and Virtu”.

So what else is new for the gaming motherboard market?

“Well Biostar Puro will be important”, said Martin. “It heralds a new age in audio experience and its goal is to make your PC into a professional media and entertainment centre. Decades of producing a huge array of mainboards has given us a unique insight into the minds of our customers. We know that our Puro Hi-Fi technology will be perfect for both the HTPC and gaming markets”.

“Whatever a user does with a PC, superior audio quality will make a difference”, he explained. “Biostar Puro is something that will positively affect everyone who chooses one of our Hi-Fi enabled mainboards”.

Interestingly, this Hi-Fi technology is also available on low-end mainboards like the company's new FM2 boards.

We keep hearing this expression, ‘Hi-Fi', but what does it mean with Puro?  Can you be specific?

The Puro Hi-Fi technology includes several features, such as high sampling rate, ground-isolation circuit, independent audio power design, built-in amplifier and user-friendly audio software – all of which combine to create a completely different audio experience” said Martin.

He continued, “All the Hi-Fi series motherboards are also equipped with special components to ensure the best possible audio quality consistency – to maintain signal integrity and reduce loss. Through these approaches, audio enthusiasts can experience a variety of digital content, while you, on the other hand can enjoy your favourite music in a professional and affordable way”.

Has the project come to an end we wondered?

“Not at all!”, said Martin. “We have been working hard on Hi-Fi 2 technologies for Windows 8”.

What about the future of the company in Europe?  We haven't seen much activity recently – especially when you consider that Biostar revenues have peaked up around $300 million.

“That will change”, he explained. “Biostar is a global manufacturer, sensitive to trading conditions in each region. In recent times, we have focused more on emerging markets, where growth was stronger. We have enjoyed huge success in China, India and other South East Asia markets. Now we're ready to increase sales in 2013 – and part of that increase will come from traditional Western Markets”.

Given Biostar's experience with embedded systems – and the push from Intel and AMD into this market – maybe we'll see more growth from Biostar in 2013 from the kind of systems that power the world around us, unobtrusively.

Biostar claims that all of these stickers combine to deliver better audio on a Hi-Fi mainboard that you would get from a traditional valve amp. Bold statement.Will be interesting to see how many more stickers are needed for Hi-Fi 2.

KitGuru says: We thank Martin for taking the time to speak exclusively with KitGuru. The few boards we've seen from Biostar so far have all been really interesting. Hopefully the Hi-Fi 2 boards will continue that tradition.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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Channel prepares to launch MSI Z77 MPower at £179 https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/harrison/channel-prepares-to-launch-msi-z77-mpower-at-179/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/harrison/channel-prepares-to-launch-msi-z77-mpower-at-179/#respond Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:22:38 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=102670 One of the most successful MSI mainboard ranges of recent times was the Big Bang. While very appealing in terms of pure specification, the boards were priced high and not accessible to everyone. Now MSI's engineers have taken a step back, pulled out the best features from Big Bang and used them to create something …

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One of the most successful MSI mainboard ranges of recent times was the Big Bang. While very appealing in terms of pure specification, the boards were priced high and not accessible to everyone. Now MSI's engineers have taken a step back, pulled out the best features from Big Bang and used them to create something far more affordable. KitGuru dons an anti-static wrist band to investigate.

On 9th July 2010, almost exactly 2 years ago, KitGuru Labs went into 20 pages of deep investigation of MSI's X58 Big Bang board. Weighing in at a whopping £270, our conclusion was that it was the best board available at the time. Impressive stuff. But there's still the matter of the two hundred and seventy gold coins with the queen's head on them.

August 2012 promises to see the launch of a more affordable high-end option from MSI, as the company prepares to launch its Z77 MPower products. According to MSI, this range has been designed hand-in-hand with some of the world's most extreme overclockers. The approach has been to ‘over-engineer' every important part of the product – from power phases to cooling to its OC friendly layout.

When we first got up close and personal with these boards at Computex, we noted that the hardware was just the beginning. It's the way the MSI warranty covers the board for overclocking use that's likely to bring a new wave of clockers to the MSI brand. Especially those that fancy a go at LN2, but were worried about warranty support evaporating as fast as the liquid gas.

MSI prepares the channel for the launch of its 'O/C Guaranteed' MPower Z77 boards

KitGuru says: The price information we have received tells that MPower will be taking an aggressive nose-to-nose stance with boards like the Sabretooth. The proof, as they say, is the the Lab-bing – so please place yourself in ‘standby mode' until we bring you our independent judgement on MSI's affordably priced MPower.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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Biostar delivers Hi-Fi to mainboards – check for DIN https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/jules/biostar-delivers-hi-fi-to-mainboards-check-for-din/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/jules/biostar-delivers-hi-fi-to-mainboards-check-for-din/#respond Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:36:08 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=95484 With the launch of Biostar's new Puro Hi-Fi technology, the mainboard specialist is aiming to hit a signal-to-noise ratio of 110dB which, it claims, will give users near loss-less audio reproduction. Established in 1986, Biostar is a mainboard manufacturer whose headquarters is located in the Xindian District of New Taipei City. With annual revenues close …

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With the launch of Biostar's new Puro Hi-Fi technology, the mainboard specialist is aiming to hit a signal-to-noise ratio of 110dB which, it claims, will give users near loss-less audio reproduction.

Established in 1986, Biostar is a mainboard manufacturer whose headquarters is located in the Xindian District of New Taipei City. With annual revenues close to the £1 billion mark, it is a serious sized company – but fighting for market share against the biggest brands in the IT world. If you want to survive and thrive in the mainboard market, then you need to innovate. And that's exactly what Biostar hopes to be doing with its next generation of mainboards.

System audio has moved from the early ‘beep' of a PC speaker, through the introduction of the SoundBlaster and AWE64 products from Creative to the HD audio that's found on almost every mainboard produced in the world today.

While the average quality of audio may have improved, true Hi-Fi is something different.

When the happy-chappies of the Deutsches Institut für Normung [German Institute for Standards – Redaktor] sat down for strudel and cocoa in 1966, they decided to define what Hi-Fi was and came up with DIN45500. The use of the phrase has developed over the years, but still implies ‘the best audio possible'.

So let's have a little look at the feature set that Biostar is promising to deliver:-

Audio Power: Which aims to isolate the power being supplied to each audio component, which should reduce noise and improve overall audio quality.

Hi-Fi Ground: New multi-layer, noise-blocking PCB design whose layout will isolate analogue and digital signals for clarity.

Hi-Fi BD: With a 24-bit audio sampling rate of 192KHz, Biostar aims to deliver crisp audio to your home theatre system, headphones or multi-channel speakers.

Multi Channel Calibration: Using feedback from a microphone, your system will ‘learn' the layout of the room and automatically compensate for the dimensions detected.

ESD: Defence mechanism which will prevent damage or interference from static electricity which, according to Biostar, can be a hazard when using headphones.

Hi-Fi Amp: Biostar has built in an amplifier capable of pushing past 100 dB with a pair of high-end headphones and the Smart Ear technology gives you total control over what you hear.

According to Biostar's data, regular valve Hi-Fi can't match Puro's solid state approach. If that message resonates positively for you, then you might want to look for boards with these colourful icons printed on the side of the box

The resistors, capacitors and traces have all been selected for Hi-Fi, rather than gaming/general use – and important bits are protected using an EMI shield.

There is one last claim from Biostar and that's for Diablo III performance – where the company believes that it has the world's best mainboard for this particular game – in part due to the Smart Speed LAN application which gives users total control over how network traffic is handled.

"This ain't Dire Straights on Puro Hi-Fi, what kind of parents are you!"

KitGuru says: Innovation is key to this industry of ours and it's good to see someone other than Asus, Asrock, Gigabyte and MSI pushing through new features. We'll need to get one of these next-gen Biostar boards into the KitGuru Lab to render an opinion, but – so far – they certainly get top marks for trying.

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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ONDA gives us a look at upcoming Z77 mATX mainboard https://www.kitguru.net/components/stephen-dougherty/onda-gives-us-a-look-at-upcoming-z77-matx-mainboard/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/stephen-dougherty/onda-gives-us-a-look-at-upcoming-z77-matx-mainboard/#respond Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:15:40 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=79860 A Chinese motherboard manufacturer most of us wouldn't have heard of before has allowed pictures of its next micro-ATX sized motherboard to appear online which is based on Intel's Z77 Ivy Bridge-ready chipset. For the most part this little value oriented board from “ONDA” follows the Z77 chipset's feature set closely, but includes a couple …

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A Chinese motherboard manufacturer most of us wouldn't have heard of before has allowed pictures of its next micro-ATX sized motherboard to appear online which is based on Intel's Z77 Ivy Bridge-ready chipset.

For the most part this little value oriented board from “ONDA” follows the Z77 chipset's feature set closely, but includes a couple of legacy PCI slots via an additional PCIe-to-PCI bridge. The other expansion slots comprise a PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot and a PCI-E x1 slot.

We can see in the photos all solid-state capacitors are used along with a two-ounce copper PCB. The board's VRM setup is somewhat minimal with 4+1 phases. The LGA1155 socket allows for both Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors and there are four DIMM slots on this MATX board with support for dual-channel DDR3 memory.

There are six SATA ports in total, all of which are wired internally. Four are SATA II ports, while the other two are SATA III.

Looking at the rear I/O, there are two USB 3.0 ports (along with two more being available via a motherboard header); all of which are all natively connected thanks to the Z77 chipset. Wrapping things up, there are two PS/2 ports for older mice and keyboards, four USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit ethernet and 5.1-channel HD audio. Display connectivity options come in the form of DVI, D-Sub and HDMI.

Source: Expreview

KitGuru says: Z77 is still on track for an April launch along with a number of quad core Ivy Bridge dekstop chips.

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Full range of MSI X79 boards pixellated in a public place https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/jules/full-range-of-msi-x79-boards-pixellated-in-a-public-place/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/jules/full-range-of-msi-x79-boards-pixellated-in-a-public-place/#respond Tue, 08 Nov 2011 06:30:50 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=66419 While the initial designs were all on show at Computex 2011 in Taiwan, detailed pictures of the final mainboards have been few and far between. In most cases, the possibility that these are covered by a dark and devious NDA have prevented too much info from surfacing. The game has changed with MSI. KitGuru pulls …

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While the initial designs were all on show at Computex 2011 in Taiwan, detailed pictures of the final mainboards have been few and far between. In most cases, the possibility that these are covered by a dark and devious NDA have prevented too much info from surfacing. The game has changed with MSI. KitGuru pulls back the covers to reveal some intimate secrets.

When our cameras were allowed inside the company's HQ back in June, we managed to have a good chat about up-coming products with the awesome Devine, Project Manager for MSI’s Technical Marketing Department in New Taipei City.

On the main Computex stand itself, the X79 designs were being defended by infantry-men from the MSI elite republican guard.

Try to get too close to the X79 design and you have no idea what kind of weapon will impale your body.

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The latest images are a lot more detailed and we can only assume that these are ‘good to go to market' samples.

So, here we go with the pics and some analysis on what they probably represent:-

Affordable looking micro ATX model with dual graphics
So, you want a tiny little chassis with triple barrel GPU armament ?
Sure, we're expecting the new chips to be fast and this has plenty of PCI slots too...

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We've all seen Transformers. But have you ever wondered what Megatron's mainboard might look like?

MSI seems to have launched Megatron's own mainboard, with FIVE PCI slots and EIGHT for RAM. KitGuru labs will be piercing this with a depleted uranium shell and dropping it to the bottom of the Laurentian abyss. You know. For science.

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KitGuru says: Well, that's it then. We have the proof that Sector 8 always managed to miss all those years. Transformers do exist, MSI manufactures mainboards for Megatron and even the mini-bot-mainboards pack  more firepower than a Gadaffi welcoming committee in downtown Tripoli. Prepare for the end of days.

Comments below or in the KitGuru forums.

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Gigabyte attacks Asus on Intel mainboard pricing https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/faith/gigabyte-attacks-asus-on-intel-mainboard-pricing/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/motherboard/faith/gigabyte-attacks-asus-on-intel-mainboard-pricing/#comments Sun, 09 May 2010 23:55:06 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=825 Word from the channel has reached KitGuru that Gigabyte is keen to increase its share of the Intel mainboard space for 2010, and it’s prepared to get aggressive on price to make it happen. Gigabyte is one of the only mainboard manufacturers that’s able to stand toe to toe with Asus.  In December 2006, Asus’ …

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Word from the channel has reached KitGuru that Gigabyte is keen to increase its share of the Intel mainboard space for 2010, and it’s prepared to get aggressive on price to make it happen.

Gigabyte is one of the only mainboard manufacturers that’s able to stand toe to toe with Asus.  In December 2006, Asus’ solution to that competition problem was to form a new company, but the union did not last long. Asus came out of the partnership very quickly and around the Core i7 launch, the P6T mainboard owned the high end space.

Over the past 18 months, Gigabyte has been running its R&D teams at maximum speed, 24×7 and the results have been impressive. But having solid engineering is just half the picture, especially with the global economy being as fragile as it is. Right now, Gigabyte’s sales enforcers seem to have been told ‘Take no prisoners. Do whatever you need to do, just make sure you get the deal’.
KitGuru says: Competition in the mainboard space is a great thing. It should be noted that Gigabyte is as weak in the AMD space as it is strong in the Intel market. We welcome this move by Gigabyte. Let’s hope these discounts filter through to the enthusiasts sooner rather than later.

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