To build on the popularity of its NVIDIA ION based nettops, ASRock plans to release a new Intel Atom + NVIDIA ION motherboard based on the mini-ITX form factor, in 2010. The motherboard will be one of the first of its kind, with a stronger memory sub-system. The NVIDIA ION chipset will drive dual-channel DDR3 1066 MHz memory. The board makes use of dual-core Atom 330 processor which is passively cooled, while the NVIDIA ION chipset is cooled actively. The chipset embeds DirectX 10 compliant NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics. It gives out four internal SATA 3 Gb/s ports and two Power-eSATA (eSATA+USB combo) ports making use of all its ATA channels. The lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (full-bandwidth).

ASRock-exclusive features include Dura-Cap Japanese solid-state capacitors, Instant Boot, Instant Flash, OC DNA, and Night LED. Connectivity includes 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF driven by VIA VT2020 CODEC, gigabit Ethernet, six external and four internal USB 2.0 ports, and display connectivity which includes DVI-D, D-Sub, and HDMI. While the motherboard supports up to 4 GB of memory, the graphics processor supports full-HD display resolutions including smooth playback of HD video. It passes Windows 7 compatibility. ASRock is yet to reveal pricing and availability.

The third motherboard vendor in the league to be ready with products based on the Intel H5x Express chipset is ASRock, whose first wave consists of one ATX, and two micro-ATX form-factor motherboards, based on the H55 Express chipset. The H55 Express chipset is known to bring along the Flexible Display Interface, which handles the connectivity of the embedded graphics processors Intel's upcoming Core i3 and Core i5 "Clarkdale" processors feature, completing Intel's portfolio of processors based on the Nehalem/Westmere architectures across all segments. H55 Express is a toned-down version of the H57 Express chipset, it lacks support for technologies such as Remote PC Assist, Rapid Storage, and has slightly lesser number of USB 2.0 ports and lesser PCI-Express lanes in its local hub.

The two micro-ATX motherboards from ASRock are the H55M Pro and H55M. These boards are nearly same, in having 4+1 phase CPU VRM, display connectivity that includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI, expansion slots which include a PCI-Express 2.0 x16, a PCI-Express x16 (electrical x4), and one each of PCI-Express x1 and PCI. Both feature high-grade DuraCap solid-state capacitors, 8-channel audio, gigabit Ethernet, and eSATA. The two differ with the H55M Pro being slightly broader to accommodate four DDR3 DIMM slots, while the H55M has two, the H55M Pro has five out of six SATA 3 Gbps ports from its PCH assigned as internal ports, with one eSATA, and features FireWire, while the H55M has four internal SATA 3 Gbps ports, two ports are assigned as eSATA, and FireWire is absent.

ASRock's ION NetTop series, thanks to its specifications, apparently has what it takes to be a home theater PC in itself. It already has a Blu-ray drive equipped model, the ION 330-BD to its credit. To further project it as a home theater product, its makers have decided to carve out two more variants: the ION 330HT, and ION 330HT-BD. What set these apart from the non-HT models, is the provision of the Windows MCE remote. The rest of the specifications remain the same. Also planned is the ION 330Pro, a lite version of the original ION 330.

Packed in its compact chassis measuring 195mm (W) x 70mm (H) x 186mm (L), is a full-fledged system based on the NVIDIA ION platform. It is powered by the Intel Atom 330 dual-core processor, and the ION chipset, which embeds an NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics. It is aided by 2 GB of DDR2 800 memory, and offers 500 GB of storage. On the connectivity front, it has gigabit Ethernet, and WiFi. While a standard DVD writer is available on the ION 330HT, the ION 330HT-BD has a Blu-ray Combo drive. ASRock also carved out the ION 330Pro, a lite version that is aimed to provide the bare essentials. It lacks the WiFi controller. The pricing and availability of these three models are yet to be known.

ASRock also introduced the M3A785GM-LE/128M, a value socket AM3 motherboard, supporting AMD Phenom II and Athlon II series processors. Built in the micro-ATX form-factor, the M3A785GM-LE/128M is based on the AMD 785G + SB710 chipset. The CPU is powered by a simple 4 phase circuit, and is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots to support up to 8 GB of memory. The AMD 785G northbridge embeds an ATI Radeon HD 4200 class DirectX 10.1 compliant integrated graphics processor, with 128 MB of onboard DDR3 memory across its SidePort memory interface. It makes use of the chipset's features. The expansion slots on this board include one each of PCI-Express 2.0 x16, PCI-E x1, and two PCI slots. The SB710 southbridge provides six internal SATA 3 Gb/s ports. Display connectivity options include DVI-D and D-Sub. 6 channel audio, and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of the package. Availability and pricing are yet to be known.

ASRock introduced a new entry-level, low-cost P55DE3 socket LGA-1156 motherboard, based on the Intel P55 chipset, supporting Intel Core i5 and Core i7 "Lynnfield" processors. Its simple design employs a 4+1 phase power circuit for the CPU VRM, four DDR3 memory slots to support up to 16 GB of memory, that boast of support for DDR3-2400+ by overclocking, two PCI-Express x16 slots, of which the second (orange) slot wired to the P55 PCH and provides electrical PCI-E x4 connection, and two each of PCI-E x1, and PCI. Two of the chipset's six SATA 3 Gb/s ports are permanently assigned as eSATA, with four available internally. The CPU socket area provides mounting holes for LGA-1156 and LGA-775 coolers. Gigabit Ethernet and 8-channel HD audio make for the rest of it. The ASRock P55DE3 is selling for as little as 87 EUR.

This creation by ASRock is bound to surprise you. The motherboard specialist used a present-generation AMD 785G + SB710 chipset to drive a socket 939 motherboard, called the ASRock 939A785GMH128M. That's right, socket 939, supporting some of the oldest processors in the Athlon 64 and Sempron 64 series. The socket 939 CPU is powered by a 5-phase power circuit. It is wired to four DDR memory slots, supporting dual-channel DDR memory at speeds of up to DDR-400 MHz.

The AMD 785G chipset packs an ATI Radeon HD 4200 class integrated graphics processor with 128 MB SidePort memory, while the SB710 southbridge provides 5 internal SATA 3 Gb/s ports, and one eSATA port. The expansion slots on this micro-ATX motherboard include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16, one PCI-E x1, and two PCI slots. The IGP connects to its displays using DVI-D, HDMI, and D-Sub. 8-channel audio, and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of it. There is no word on the availability or pricing as yet.

ASRock chose a smart way to make SATA III part of its high-end motherboards' feature-set without modifying board design, or coming up with new SKUs, simply by bundling a SATA III addon-card. The company's upcoming P55 Deluxe advertises SATA III support, and packs a tiny, half-height card that uses PCI-Express (2.0?) x1 interface. At the heart of it is a Marvell 88SE9123 SATA III controller. The card has three ports in total, two angled internal ports, and one eSATA III. Headers are also provided for HDD status LEDs on the system chassis. While Marvell 88SE9123 has been at the center of controversy recently that reportedly caused some motherboard makers to pull out products that use it, Marvell maintains that the issue is only related to the controller's additional PATA-related functionality, and not SATA III. Now if only ASRock also bundles a USB 3.0 card.

ASRock detailed its first-wave of motherboards based on the Intel P55 chipset, supporting the company's upcoming LGA-1156 socket processors. In a presentation to vendors, the company listed out four models targeting 3~4 price points. The lineup is lead by the ASRock P55 Deluxe, followed by P55 Extreme, P55 Pro, and the micro-ATX P55M Pro. The slides list out out every notable feature of the products, including specifications, features, and ASRock exclusives. It's over to the slides.

ASRock has yet another socket LGA-1366 motherboard up its ranks: the X58 Extreme. This model is distinct from the X58 SuperComputer and X58 Deluxe, which shared the same PCB. It has three PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots, from which only two are routed to the X58 northbridge. The CPU is powered by an 8-phase circuit, similar to the other ASRock models. The blue PCI-E x16 slots are connected to the northbridge with full 16-lane bandwidth, while the third orange slot is wired to the southbridge with 4-lane bandwidth. The package bundles only the 2-way SLI bridge, and 3-way SLI is not advertised, although 3-way CrossFireX is. The ICH10R southbridge provides 6 SATA ports, while an additional controller provides IDE and eSATA connectors. ASRock's InstantBoot feature is supported. Looking at the features on offer, we expect this board to sell for a lower price than the X58 Deluxe, which is on the brink of entering the sub-$200 segment.

Earlier today, we covered ECS coming up with two motherboards, based on Intel P55 (LGA-1156), and AMD 785G (AM3). Coincidentally, ASRock has a similar pair which is gearing up for launch at the upcoming Computex event. The P55 Deluxe could be the company's premium LGA-1156 motherboard, while the M3A785GXH/128M a rather high-end board, especially looking at its feature-set, that expands that of the the chipset typically offers.

The P55 Deluxe supports LGA-1156 processors sans the Flexible Display Interface feature (FDI), since it looks devoid of common display connectors. It supports four DDR3 DIMMs, with the Dual-Channel DDR3 memory interface, advertising support for DDR3-2000 (probably by overclocking). The board provides three PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, (x16, NC, x4) or (x8, x8, x4, when the slots are populated). Apart from ATI CrossFireX, NVIDIA 3-way SLI support is advertised.

Over to the M3A785GXH/128M, and there is an interesting feature here. Although AMD 785G isn't specified to support CrossFire, ASRock used an external lane switch card to support it. The first two PCI-Express x16 are eletrically (x16, NC) or (x8, x8, when both are populated). The third slot seems wired to the southbridge and is electrically x4. The board supports AM3 socket processors, with four DDR3 DIMM slots offering support for dual-channel DDR3-1600 memory. The Radeon HD 4200 IGP makes use of 128 MB of DDR3 SidePort memory. Standard display connectors such as DVI, D-Sub and HDMI apply. An external storage controller ups the number SATA channels, by providing an internal, and an eSATA port. ASRock wasn't very generous with its photography.

Motherboard innovator ASRock has issued a partial list of its motherboards that it endorses as ready for Windows 7. The company also released the first motherboard to qualify for the Compatible with Windows 7 logo. With certification, hardware vendors look to reach out to most grass-root consumers in assuring support for the new OS, although the discerning user would know what components in the PC would suffice, even if the hardware doesn't carry certification logos.

ASRock added 14 motherboards for the Intel, and 15 for AMD platforms to its list. It includes a broad range of motherboards starting from Intel X58, Intel 4-series, NVIDIA nForce 700i series, AMD 7-series, NVIDIA nForce 700a, and 600a series. The ASRock P45XE is the company's claim to be the industry's first to sport the Windows 7 compatibility logo. Its specifications are pretty standard for motherboards in its class, and so with it, one could easily make out what are the criteria for Windows 7 compatibility. The P45XE supports the entire range of LGA-775 processors, and supports DDR2-1200/1066/800/667 MHz memory. Six SATA ports offer storage, although RAID isn't on offer since the ICH10 southbridge is used (instead of the RAID-supportive ICH10R). Two PCI-Express x16 slots supporting ATI CrossFireX technology, gigabit LAN and 8-channel audio, and ASRock's proprietary Intelligent Overclocking Technology (IET) make for the rest of the feature-set.

While AMD played smart in diverting all its engineering resources in designing only one core: the Deneb / Shanghai, and then carving out umpteen SKUs out of them based on disabling cores, and/or setting L3 cache amounts, its implementation seems to be shoddy, to the least. Weeks ago, a Korean enthusiast found an easy way to unlock the factory-disabled fourth core on some Phenom II X3 (Heka) processors. A fresh report suggests that it is possible to enable the complete L3 cache on the Phenom II X4 800 series processors.

The series is AMD's line of Deneb-based 45 nm quad-core processors with 2 MB of L3 cache disabled, leaving 4 MB that can be addressed by the processor. An enthusiast found the Phenom II X4 810 processor to be spontaneously able to address 6 MB of L3 cache, when used on an ASRock AOD790GX /128M motherboard. The most likely cause of this could be "poorly-coded" motherboard BIOS that is able to see the Deneb core "as is". The motherboard was using BIOS version 1.40, that adds Phenom II support. The additional cache was found to have a positive impact on system performance. Beyond that, the enthusiast did not provide an explanation. After clearing the CMOS of the motherboard, it was able to correctly detect the processor with its intended specifications.

Here's today's big news coming directly from CeBIT 2009. Apparantly, ASRock - a subdivision of ASUS - has decided to start production of entry-level notebooks and nettops.

Motherboard maker ASRock is showcasing new entry-level notebooks and a nettop at CeBIT 2009. The company has confirmed its 12.1-inch notebook is named the MultiBook G12, is equipped with a dual-core processor, and weighs around 1.7kg. The company also has a 15.6-inch notebook, the M15, which comes with either an Intel Pentium or Celeron processor.The two notebooks will start shipping to Europe or China markets after CeBIT 2009 ends.
The company is also showcasing the S330 nettop equipped with a dual-core Intel Atom 330 processor and 160GB hard drive.

ATI's CrossFire multi-GPU technology started off on the Intel platform with ATI's own brand of chipset before AMD acquired the company. AMD/ATI then allowed CrossFire and the succeeding CrossFireX standards to be supported by Intel chipsets. The only current chipset platform that doesn't support CrossFire is the NVIDIA nForce series, which as ASRock demonstrated during the ongoing CeBIT event, breaks the dogma.

ASRock devised a BIOS for its nForce 740i based N7AD-SLI motherboard that enables support for CrossFire. AMD's Catalyst drivers were able to detect the motherboard as a qualified platform and enable CrossFire between two installed ATI Radeon accelerators. The setup was able to show performance increments during a 3DMark06 session. ASRock is reportedly working out similar BIOS firmware for several other motherboards made by it, and wants to enable CrossFire, CrossFireX for all its nForce motherboards.

Following the release of the X58 SuperComputer high-end motherboard, ASRock made an addition to its socket LGA-1366 motherboard lineup with the X58 Deluxe. The new SKU is simply a trimmed-down package of the X58 SuperComputer, with a few features and accessories removed. The motherboard continues to be a high-end offering from ASRock that supports leading multi-GPU standards in their highest-possible configurations: ATI CrossFireX and NVIDIA 3-Way SLI and Quad-SLI. It retains the PCB and component-layout of the X58 SuperComputer for the most part.

The changes kick-in where, the X58 Deluxe makes do with only a single gigabit Ethernet interface, as opposed to two on the X58 SuperComputer. It does away with an SLI interconnect bridge that spans across two expansion slots (2S). The SuperComputer package originally bundled three SLI bridges in all: 2-way 2S, 2-way 3S and, 3-way. The 2S bridge connected two NVIDIA graphics cards on neighbouring PCI-Express x16 slots. With the red-coloured slots wired-up for a maximum of 8 PCI-E lanes only, the 2S bridge become redundant and not recommended for common two-card SLI setups. The rest of the offering remains the same, with support for up to 24GB of DDR3 memory, four PCI-Express x16 slots, 8-channel HD Audio and gigabit Ethernet. The new model is expected to be priced a little lesser than the X58 SuperComputer. It is yet to be officially announced by the company, though already listed on its website.

With the AMD K8 architecture, AMD had made it very simple for CPUs and motherboards to get along. Memory support being purely subjective to the memory controller on the CPU, the only thing the motherboard chipset was left to do was to connect the rest of the system to the CPU using the HyperTransport interface. With the introduction of the DDR2 supportive AM2 socket that was mostly pin-compatible with socket 939, motherboard vendors took to cost-cutting using older s939 and s754-"supportive" chipsets such as the NVIDIA nForce 3. ASRock is one of them. The company used the nForce 3 in the AM2NF3-VSTA motherboard.

Having bought that motherboard in its time, might just pay off now, with the company including it in its latest socket AM3 CPU compatibility list. The motherboard might go on to support the latest Phenom II X4, X3 series; Athlon X4, X3 series, and other processors in AMD's 45nm desktop CPU lineup. That will also add to the reputation of the NVIDIA nForce 3 chipset being the only platform core-logic to span across three generations of CPU sockets: socket 754, socket 939, and socket AM2. And supporting AMD processors from three generations of sockets: AM2, AM2+ and AM3. This is what AMD originally conceived when designing its socket model. Unfortunately, vested commercial interests and "sandbagging" have plagued many a motherboard manufacturer who continue to discriminate CPU support within the AM2/3 socket series, to create new product lines, and to keep their sales up.

First unveiled in November of last year here, ASRock's "SuperComputer" motherboard has finally made it to retail. Click here for further details.

Following ECS, ASRock will be one of the first ones to be out with an AM3 socket motherboard supporting the upcoming 45nm processors by AMD, as well as support for the newer DDR3 memory technology. The M3A790GXH-128M motherboard has been pictured by the guys at OCWorkbench. It is based on the AMD 790GX + SB750 chipset and features 128 MB of DDR3 Sideport graphics memory for the onboard Radeon HD 3300 IGP.

The most significant feature of this motherboard is support for up to 16 GB of DDR3 1333/1066/800 MHz memory. What's even more interesting according to the specifications OCW listed, is that the motherboard supports a range of AM3, AM2+ as well as AM2 processors that include Sempron and Athlon64, while featuring only DDR3 memory slots. There are three PCI-Express x16 slots ,which depending on the devices installed, arrange in lane configurations of (x16, NC, x4) or (x8, x8, x4). The IGP provides output from DVI, D-Sub and audio-routed HDMI ports. The SB750 southbridge provides six SATA II channels. The board also integrates a high-grade 7.1 HD audio CODEC, the Realtek ALC 889, which comes with a rated SNR of 110 dB. Overall, the motherboard features a simplistic construction. The cooling isn't extravagant, with heatsinks for the chipset. The CPU is powered by a 4+1 phase power circuit whose MOSFETs have no heatsinks. Pricing and availability isn't known at this point in time.

ASRock has released its mainstream motherboard based on the NVIDIA nForce 740i SLI chipset, the N7AD-SLI. The motherboard supports Intel processors using the LGA 775 socket. The nForce 740i is a monolithic chipset based on the newer MCP79-D core. It sports GeForce 9400 class integrated graphics along with support for SLI. This particular motherboard does not feature automatic lane switching to dual PCI-E 2.0 x8, and hence relies on the provided lane switch card, for the user to manually set the second PCI-Express x16 slot active (electrically x8).

The N7AD-SLI offers a decent set of features for a mainstream motherboard. It supports DDR2-800 memory, features six SATA II ports, two Firewire and 10 USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA port and a high-grade Realtek ALC890 8+2 channel HD Audio CODEC, with a rated SNR of 110 dB and HDCP compliance. ASRock is brandishing an Instant-Boot feature that starts up the system (into the OS) in four seconds. This motherboard will reach retail channels soon, following which it will be priced.

Pictures of ASRock's very own X58 motherboard, named simply "X58 Super Computer", appeard today over the web. Now one thing is for sure, it's not really a "super" motherboard and it's not really here to compete with high-end offering, but to appeal to the rest of the audience. After all this is an ASRock, meaning that it will do the work and still offer a good mainstream value with lower price. The motherboard is socket LGA 1366 ready, offering four PCI express x16 slots, three PCI slots and six DDR-3 DIMMs for triple-channel memory kits. The X58 Super Computer comes with completely passive cooling, there are radiators on the north bridge and the board's power elements which are connected by a single heatpipe, while the south bridge is cooled by a modest passive cooler. ASRock's creation also comes with six SATA ports, 12x USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA connector, integrated 7.1 channel audio, dual Gigabit Ethernet and one FireWire connector. This motherboard also implements ASRock's Instant Boot technology, that allows Windows XP or Windows Vista to boot up for 3 to 4 seconds. The AsRock X58 Super Computer has yet to reach stores and receive a price.

Based on NVIDIA's latest embedded chipsets, the K10N750SLI-WiFi, ASRock's new NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI chipset motherboard, features the latest SLI & Hybrid SLI solutions for SLI users and those who want to try out the new Hybrid SLI Technology. This SLI MB is bundled with ASRock's WiFi-802.11g module for wireless networking, supports PCIE 2.0 slot, ALC890 Audio Codec with DTS, IEEE1394 and is designed with many other excellent features.

To keep up with modern appliances with multi-ports, such as D-Sub, DVI, HDMI and the new DisplayPort, motherboard makers have got to be ready. ASRock is fully aware of the trend and released the world's first DisplayPort motherboard today! ASRock A780FullDisplayPort is a full-function embedded motherboard with four display outputs provided for all kinds of consumer appliances. Through the back panel I/O, you will find many output port options, such as D-Sub, DVI, HDMI, and Display port, and the MB also supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray/HD-DVD playback and PCI-E Gen2 slot.

Built explicitly for PC enthusiasts, NVIDIA 680i SLI Chipset is the right one for them. ASRock proudly announced its NVIDIA 680i SLI motherboard to you today with ASRock Penryn1600SLIX3-WiFi! Why did I say proudly announce? The reason is simple. ASRock Penryn1600SLIX3-WiFi is the worldwide only 680i SLI MB that supports Intel Penryn Quad Core Yorkfield CPU & 3-Way SLI. ASRock once again proved its creativity, cost-effectiveness and considerate. There is a wide range of CPU selection for this motherboard, from the mainstream Core 2 Duo E6550 CPU, Q9300, Q9400 CPU to the high-end QX9770 CPU.

ASRock looks set to continue its drive towards reaching the higher end of the motherboard market with its upcoming Penryn1600SLIX3-WiFi. The board comes equipped with an nForce 680i chipset and three PCI-E x16 slots, which makes it capable of running a 3-way SLI system. It supports the newest Yorkfield and Wolfdale processors with up to 8GB of DDR2-800 RAM, and features onboard gigabit LAN, WiFi, Realtek ALC890 HD audio, six SATAII ports and eSATA support. There's no official word on pricing or availability yet, but this board is likely to be one of the more affordable options when building a 3-way SLI system.

ASRock has recently launched its first high-end motherboard, the 4Core1600P35-WiFi+ adopting Intel's P35 chipset. Although the P35 will only support up to 1333MHz FSB officially, ASRock has enabled support for up to 1600MHz. In addition to solid capacitors and overclock control software, the motherboard features the Realtek ALC890 chip for sound, and also built-in IEEE 802.11g. ASRock is also planning to soon launch motherboards adopting NVIDIA's nForce 650i and 680i chipsets, according to the company. Finally, the board supports Dual Channel DDR3 1333/1066/800 (2x DIMM slots) and Dual Channel DDR2 1066/800/667 (4x DIMM slots) memory.