Noctua announced in its Computex 2015 presentation that the company will give away adapters that let its CPU cooler models from as far as 2005 support Intel's upcoming socket LGA1151. The company will give away NM-115x retention module, which will let you install its CPU coolers on socket LGA1151 motherboards, which drive Intel's upcoming 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors. Products in Noctua's current product-stack already support LGA1151, as the socket features an identical mount-hole spacing to its predecessors, the LGA1150, LGA1155, and LGA1156. Those with older Noctua coolers that are upgrading from another socket (eg: LGA775 or LGA1366) should be able to write to Noctua with a few simple purchase details, and receive the adapter for free.

Having already planned the discontinuance of a heap of Ivy Bridge processors, Intel has this week confirmed that several supporting chipsets - the Z77, H77, Z75 and Q75, will also be 'going away' in 2015. According to Intel's product change notification the four LGA1155 desktop chipsets will be available for ordering until January 23rd, 2015 and will continue shipping until July 10th.

An identical schedule was also announced for seven Ivy Bridge-based mobile processors, the Celeron 1020M, 1005M, 1000M, 1037U, 1017U, 1007U and 1019Y.

DeepCool has just added a new CPU cooler to its product portfolio, a model known as IceEdge 400 E (Elite Edition) that supports Intel LGA1156/LGA1155/LGA1150/LGA775 and AMD FM2/FM1/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2/940/939/754 processors with a TDP of up to 130 W.

Pictured below, DeepCool's creation measures 100 x 86 x 125.5 mm, it weighs 475 grams and features an aluminum heatsink, four direct touch copper heatpipes, and a 92 mm Hydro Bearing fan that operates at 2200 RPM and has a sound output of 26.3 dBA. The IceEdge 400 E's price tag was not announced.

Performance CPU cooler by X2. Following the award winning TherMax series CPU Coolers by our parent company Spire, the enthusiasts at X2 have further developed and improved the product's performance. Introducing the successor; Eclipse IV universal compatible performance CPU cooler.

Starting with the heat-sink, 45 aluminum stacked fins provide a larger surface area. The front and rear sides of the fins are patterned with shark-teeth for better outflow of air which helps to a more silent solution. Six (6) all copper heat-pipes of 6mm in diameter which are bend into the tower u-shape to achieve unrestricted air-flow and best cooling performance. All six (6) heat-pipes are soldered onto the heat spreader-base and cooling fins. Following the complete heat-sink is anodized and coated with pure nickel which fills any tiny imperfections and preserves the copper heat-pipes from oxidation.

HWBot.org blanket-banning benchmark submissions from Windows 8 machines sent ripples across the PC enthusiast community. Overclocker Christian Ney from OCaholic.ch spent some time trying out different combinations of hardware and operating system to check if Windows 8 RTC (realtime-clock) bug affects benchmarks consistently, on all hardware platforms. His findings are interesting, and one can draw the inference that only Intel processor-based machines could be affected by the bug, not AMD-based ones.

Ney observed the Windows 8 RTC bug to affect benchmark results only on Windows 8 machines running Intel LGA1150 "Haswell," LGA1155 "Ivy Bridge," and LGA1155 "Sandy Bridge," and not AMD AM3 and FM2 platforms. The issue didn't surface on any system running the older Windows 7 operating system. With it, it's clear that it's not just Microsoft that has to do some troubleshooting, Intel has to, as well. HWBot.org may have just saved itself time and pointless "bias" debates by blanket-banning Windows 8.

Japanese cooling expert Scythe announcing the second version of its Top-Flow CPU cooler "Grand Kama Cross". Scythe Grand Kama Cross 2 is based on the same X-Structure concept as the predecessor, allowing especially efficient cooling of both CPU and surrounding components such as VRMs or RAM, and comes with various improvements. In addition, the X-Structure allows the fairly large CPU cooler to have high compatibility with many motherboards and PC Cases.

One of the key goals when designing the Grand Kama Cross 2 was to significantly improve the performance. Hence was achieved by using a large 140 mm axial-fan from the Glide Stream series. Thanks to its larger diameter and PWM-support, sufficient airflow between 37,37 and 97,18 CFM at noise level from 13 to 30,7 dBA is assured. Fan speed can be adjusted individually according to the CPU temperature by the motherboard stepless in the range from 500 to 1.300 RPM. Furthermore, key features of Glide Stream 140 case fan series such as the four anti-vibration rubber pad-inlay and grooved blade design further benefit the Top Flow design of Grand Kama Cross 2 CPU cooler.

Axiomtek's MANO873 Mini ITX motherboard based on the Intel Q77 Express chipset is designed for the 3rd Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processors in the LGA1155 socket. The high-performance MANO873 supports Intel 3-D transistor, Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 technology, Intel Hyper-Threading technology, 16 GB DDR3 1333/1600 system memory, and PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot. It also supports Intel Active Management Technology 8.0, Intel Small Business Advantage solution, Intel Smart Response Technology, Intel Rapid Storage Technology, Intel vPro, Trusted Platform Module 1.2, and SATA RAID for various mission critical applications.

In addition, the Intel HD Graphics 4000/2500 engine with DirectX 11 support is built into the chipset to provide fast graphics performance. With all the innovative features, the MANO873 is ideal for high-end industrial applications, such as storage server, POS, kiosk, medical, gaming, digital signage, and surveillance security monitoring.

The EUROCOM Uno 3.0 is designed primarily for corporate customers, the Eco-Friendly 120 Watts, 7.5kg (16.5lbs) easy to move around All in One PC allows companies to improve overall productivity and security, reduce downtime caused by power interruptions and greatly reduce energy costs.

The EUROCOM Uno 3.0 has an integrated battery pack, which provides backup power in case of electrical failure, or unstable incoming electrical current, while also allowing for easy relocation without system shutdown. When AC power suddenly shuts down, backup battery can keep you working for up to 70 minutes and/or allow users to save uncompleted documents.

An FTP server in Taiwan that could be publicly accessed, leaked the source code of AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS, including AMI's unique UEFI signing test key. The utterly irresponsible act of holding such sensitive data on public FTPs is suspected to be committed by motherboard vendor Jetway. In doing so, the company may have compromised security of every motherboard (across vendors) running AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS. Most socket LGA1155 and FM2 motherboards, and some socket AM3+ motherboards run AMI Aptio.

Among the leaked bits of software include the source code of AMI BIOS, Aptio, and AMI's UEFI test signing key, which is used by all its clients to sign their BIOS updates. Signing ensures that BIOS updating software verifies the update is genuine, and coming from the motherboard manufacturer. With this key out, malware developers can develop malicious BIOS updates, hack motherboard vendors' customer support websites, and replace legitimate BIOS updates with their malicious ones. Control over the system BIOS could then give hackers access to most ring-0 OS functions.

The issue with USB 3.0 controllers integrated into Intel's upcoming "Lynx Point" 8-series core logic can be addressed only with new hardware (modifying the silicon), according to a new Hardware.info report. Intel decided against delaying launch of the 4th generation Core "Haswell" family to address the issue, and instead opted to address it in a future revision of the chipset.

A design flaw causes devices connected to Lynx Point's integrated USB 3.0 controller to be disconnected when the system wakes up from S3 (suspend-to-RAM), forcing users to reconnect them. This could mean you'd have to mount your USB 3.0 hard-drives/flash-drives again, although no data is lost. If you're editing files stores on such a storage device, you might have to save your work before the system is put to S3 sleep.

After giving its Dark Knight SD1283 a pitch-black color-scheme with the Nighthawk Edition released last April, XIGMATEK announced availability of its polar opposite color scheme, the Frostbourne Edition. The aluminum-alloy fin tower-type heatsink's fins, three 8 mm-thick U-shaped heatpipes that make direct contact with the CPU, and the included fan, bear a matte white finish. The fins feature XIGMATEK's Stealth ceramic coating, which works to increase surface area for heat dissipation. The cooler is designed to handle TDP of up to 160W.

Measuring 120 x 50 x 159 mm (WxDxH) heatsink-only, and weighing 406 g, the Dark Knight SD1283 Frostbourne Edition includes an XOF-F1251 120 mm fan with 4-pin PWM connector. It spins in the range of 800 and 1,400 RPM, pushing up to 60 CFM of air, with a company rated noise output under 16 dBA. The cooler supports nearly all modern client CPU socket types, including Intel LGA2011, LGA1155/LGA1156, LGA775; AMD AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2, and FM2/FM1. The Dark Knight SD1283 is expected to be priced around the $50 mark.

A little earlier today, MSI announced it would be integrating the Bigfoot Killer NIC, a latency optimized network controller that is designed to help online gaming, into some of its gaming notebooks and motherboards. We're hearing that MSI plans to carve out an entirely new gamer-centric motherboard brand extension, along the lines of ASUS Republic of Gamers, Gigabyte G1.Killer, and ASRock Fatal1ty series. MSI transferred branding over from its G-Series gaming notebooks over to create the new motherboard series, one of which was teased to the press earlier today.

Pictured below is a section of a new socket LGA1155 G-Series motherboard. According to sources, the board pictured below looks essentially identical to the Z77A-GD65, with a few obvious changes: color scheme changed to black and red with swanky VRM and chipset heatsinks; and Bigfoot Killer E2200 network controller by Qualcomm-Atheros. The NIC works to minimize latency to game servers, and lets you prioritize available bandwidth to specific apps. One could expect MSI's G-Series motherboard line to be out by Cebit (March, 2013), with a lot more of such teasers along the way.

Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH, the European subsidiary of Shuttle Inc., one of the leading developers and manufacturers of compact PC solutions such as the world-renowned XPC Mini-PC Barebones, expands its range of All-in-One PCs with integrated monitors and adds a 46.7 cm (18.5") version to its original 39.5 cm (15.6") machines.

As well as offering a larger display, the new Shuttle All-in-One Barebone X70S also provides significantly more power. For the first time conventional Intel desktop processors can be used for the LGA1155 socket, e.g. Intel Core i3/i5/i7 (up to 65 W TDP, heatpipe-cooled). DDR3 RAM up to a total of 16 GB can be installed in the two SO-DIMM slots. The 5.7 x 46.8 x 36.4 cm (DWH) chassis of the X70S also has space for a 2.5" drive (SSD/HDD) as well as expansions via the Mini-PCIe slot, which can be fitted, for example, with an mSATA module.

Axiomtek announced the launch of the MANO872, a Mini ITX motherboard designed for the new 22nm 3rd Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processors in the LGA1155 socket with Intel Q77 Express chipset. With features of Intel Active Management Technology (iAMT), Intel Small Business Advantage solution, Intel Smart Response Technology, and Intel Rapid Storage Technology, the high-performance MANO872 delivers maximum security and manageability. This industrial-grade Mini ITX motherboard also supports 16 GB DDR3 1333/1600 system memory, PCI Express x16 Gen3, USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s with RAID, and Trusted Platform Module 1.2. With the new Intel HD Graphics with DX11 support, the embedded board features powerful graphic processing and three independent displays using the DisplayPort, DVI-I, and LVDS connectors on board. This platform is ideal performance for high-end industrial applications, such as storage server, POS, kiosk, medical, gaming, digital signage, and surveillance security monitoring.

Axiomtek's MANO861 industrial-grade Mini ITX motherboard based on the Intel H61 Express chipset is designed for the 3rd Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processors in LGA1155 socket. The high performance MANO861 comes with two DDR3 1333/1600 MHz SO-DIMM slots with up to 16 GB memory capacity. This cost-effective motherboard supports dual-view capability through DVI-D, VGA, and LVDS interface. It also reserved one PCI Express Mini Card slot and one PCIe x4 slot to provide for flexible applications. With a small footprint of only 170 x 170 mm, the embedded board offers a full feature set of I/O which allows system integrators to deploy their solution with this platform easily. The MANO861 is designed for customers in the industrial automation, gaming, kiosk, POS and signage markets, who are looking for advanced performance in both computing and graphics and cost optimized solution.

ASRock joined the likes of ASUS, Gigabyte, and others, in missing its motherboard sales target for 2012. According to the latest figures with DigiTimes, the company shipped 7.5 million motherboards in 2012, which is quite a bit short of its modest target of 9 million, given its 2011 shipments of 8 million.

According to industry analysts, the Pegatron subsidiary is expected to see a flat performance at best, in 2013, despite the fact that Intel is launching a brand new socket (LGA1150), prompting higher motherboard sales. In 2012, Intel retained its LGA1155 socket from the 2011-launched "Sandy Brige" platform, and inter-compatibility between its 2nd and 3rd generation Core processors may have stunted sales of its 7-series chipset products.

MSI expanded its entry-level socket LGA1155 motherboard lineup with the B75MA-G43, featuring Intel Small Business Advantage. The micro-ATX board is positioned to be a notch below the B75MA-G45. It features a simpler 5-phase CPU VRM. The CPU socket, which supports 32 nm "Sandy Bridge" and 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" processors, is wired to four DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory, and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16. Other expansion slots include a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to PCH), and two legacy PCI.

Storage connectivity on the B75MA-G43 includes one SATA 6 Gb/s, and five SATA 3 Gb/s ports. The chipset gives out four USB 3.0 ports, two of which are given out by a standard header, and two at the rear panel. Display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, PS/2 combo, LPT and COM (by headers), and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports make for the rest of it. The B75MA-G43 is expected to be priced under $60.

Gigabyte launched the Z77X-UD4H, a new socket LGA1155 motherboard model designed to fill the gap between the $155 Z77X-UD3H and $190 Z77X-UD5H. It is built with Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 4 construction, featuring 2 oz copper layer, temperature, humidity, and electrostatic protection features. The LGA1155 socket is powered by a 11-phase VRM that draws power from an 8-pin EPS connector. The socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (electrical x16/NC/NC, x8/x8/NC, x8/x4/x4, depending on how they're populated). 3-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX are supported. Other expansion slots include three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and a legacy PCI.

Straightaway, you'll notice that Gigabyte did away with the mSATA slot featured on the Z77X-UD3H and Z77X-UD5H. In addition to the two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s ports that the Z77 PCH provides (all of which are wired as internal ports), Gigabyte added two additional 2-port SATA 6 Gb/s controllers, which provide two each of internal SATA 6 Gb/s, and eSATA 6 Gb/s. The board features a total of eight USB 3.0 ports, six on the rear panel, and two by headers. In addition to the four ports the Z77 PCH provides, a 4-port VLI-made host controller is used.

Gigabyte announced a pair of new socket LGA1155 motherboards for the sub-$50 market segment, which feature digital display outputs. Based on the older Intel H61 Express chipset, the H61M-DS2 DVI and H61M-DS2 HDMI pack the edge that other motherboards in its price-range lack: digital display outputs, dual-UEFI BIOS (redundant BIOS), and Ultra Durable 4 Classic construction (fiber-weave PCB, anti-surge IC, etc.) Both models feature 4-phase CPU VRM, all-PCIe expansion area with PCI-Express 2.0 x16, 2x PCIe x1 slots, four SATA 3 Gb/s ports, 6-channel HD audio, and gigabit Ethernet.

Gigabyte is currently preparing the release of a new mini-ITX motherboard, a model called GA-B75N which is powered by Intel's B75 Express chipset and supports LGA1155 socket processors. Seen below, the board has a black PCB, two DDR3-1600 memory slots, one SATA 6.0 Gbps and three 3.0 Gbps ports, one PCI-Express x16 slot, dual Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1-channel audio, UEFI DualBIOS, two USB 3.0 ports, and one DVI and two HDMI outputs.

The GA-B75N can be found on pre-order priced as low as € 79.58.

Gigabyte rolled out the B75M-D2V entry-level micro-ATX motherboard. Supporting Intel Core/Pentium/Celeron "Sandy Bridge" and "Ivy Bridge" processors in the LGA1155 package, the board is driven by Intel B75 Express chipset, featuring Intel Small Business Advantage. The board's feature-set barely goes beyond that of the B75 PCH. To begin with, the LGA1155 socket is powered by a 3+1+1 phase VRM, which draws power from a 4-pin CPU connector. The socket is wired to two DIMM slots supporting up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory, and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. Two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots, wired to the PCH, make for the rest of the expansion.

In terms of connectivity, the B75M-D2V provides one SATA 6 Gb/s, and five SATA 3 Gb/s ports; four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two by headers), DVI and D-Sub display outputs, 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports, and legacy PS/2 mouse/keyboard connectors. The board is driven by UEFI BIOS. Expect the B75M-D2V to be priced around US $60.

Korean PC cooling components maker Thermolab introduced LP53, a new low-profile CPU cooler. Measuring 100 x 94 x 53 mm (WxDxH), and weighing 410 g (owing to its material), the cooler is made of a dense copper fin stack that is arranged along the plane of the motherboard, to which heat drawn from a copper CPU base is conveyed by two 8 mm-thick copper heat pipes. The heatsink is ventilated by a 92 mm PWM-controlled fan, which spins at 1,000~2,000 RPM, with 16~27.1 dBA noise output. The cooler supports Intel LGA115x mount hole spacing, which makes it fit for LGA1156, LGA1155, and future LGA1150 socket types. It is priced around US $50.

Several high-end mini-ITX cases these days ship with two expansion slot bays. To take advantage of that, ECS introduced the H61H2-MV. The company was careful enough to label it a micro-ATX motherboard, although its PCB length and mounting screw layout is suggestive that you could install in on one of those high-end mini-ITX cases, and end up with two expansion slots to play with. Sadly for ECS, this socket LGA1155 motherboard is based on entry-level Intel H61 Express chipset, with extremely basic connectivity.

The LGA1155 socket is powered by a 3+1+1 phase VRM, it is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1600 MHz memory; and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. The second expansion slot on the board is a PCI-Express 2.0 x1, wired to the PCH. There's enough room on the board to wire out all four SATA 3 Gb/s ports from the PCH as internal ports. Connectivity includes 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, and D-Sub display output. Some variants are said to come with DVI and HDMI display outputs. The board is driven by UEFI BIOS. Expect its price to be well under $100.

By early 2013, Intel's "Ivy Bridge" micro-architecture will have finally trickled down to the most-affordable (and one of the largest) market-segments. The company is planning to launch three new Celeron socket LGA1155 processor models based on the 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" silicon. The three include the class-leading Celeron G1620, affordable Celeron G1610, and its energy-efficient variant, the Celeron G1610T. The three are dual-core chips that lack HyperThreading, and are configured with 2 MB of L3 cache, DDR3-1333 MHz memory clock limit, and 650 MHz iGPU clock.

The Celeron G1610 is the most affordable of the three, it is clocked at 2.60 GHz, with a TDP of 55W. The Celeron G1620 is the fastest among the three, with 2.70 GHz clock speed, and the same 55W TDP. The Celeron G1610T achieves a TDP of just 35W, with a significantly lower clock speed of 2.30 GHz. The three will occupy sub-$100 price-points. The three will by compatible with current 6-series and 7-series chipset-based socket LGA1155 motherboards.

ASUS released the P8Z77-I Deluxe/WD, a variant of the P8Z77-I Deluxe socket LGA1155 motherboard based on the Intel Z77 Express chipset, in the mini-ITX form-factor. Essentially identical to the original, its WLAN controller features Intel Wireless Display Technology (WiDi), which lets you stream high-definition video to displays and projectors wirelessly. The P8Z77-I Deluxe/WD features a 10-phase Digi+ CPU VRM, two DDR3 DIMM slots, a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, two each of SATA 6 Gb/s and 3 Gb/s ports, and connectivity that includes 6-channel analog and 8-channel digital audio, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort display outputs, and a number of USB 3.0 ports. ASUS could charge a small premium over the original's US $199 price-tag.