GIGABYTE introduced the B360 M Aorus Pro, a gaming-grade micro-ATX motherboard part of its new Aorus branding. The board features a quasi-premium feature-set that passes on savings from a more cost-effective CPU VRM to additional features, such as a more premium onboard audio, or WLAN. Built with a 240 mm x 240 mm PCB that maximizes the micro-ATX form-factor, the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS, and conditions power for the CPU with a 4+2 phase VRM that's cooled by enlarged heatsinks. The CPU socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, and a reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The second slot is electrical gen 3.0 x4, and wired to the PCH.

Despite its size, the B360 M Aorus Pro packs three M.2 slots: an M.2-22110 with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 wiring and heatsink, an M.2-2280 slot with PCI-Express 3.0 x2 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, and a third E-key 30 mm slot with x1 wiring for CNVi 802.11ac Wave2 2T2R WLAN cards. USB connectivity includes two USB 3.1 gen 2 ports (including a type-C port), and four USB 3.1 gen 1. Networking is care of a 1 GbE interface pulled by an Intel i219-V controller. The onboard audio solution combines a Realtek ALC892 CODEC with audio-grade capacitors and ground-layer isolation. The board features a unique in-PCB RGB LED diffuser, GIGABYTE didn't reveal pricing, although we expect it to go for around $90.

GIGABYTE began shipping its second socket AMD TR4 motherboard since 2nd generation Ryzen Threadripper launch, the X399 Aorus Pro. If you've been paying attention to GIGABYTE's new nomenclature for Aorus, the "Pro" SKU is slotted between what was "Gaming 3" and "Gaming 5," making this GIGABYTE's most affordable TR4 motherboard, positioned below the X399 Gaming 7, and a far cry from the range-topping X399 Aorus Xtreme. The board ships with out-of-the-box support for 2nd generation Ryzen Threadripper processors. GIGABYTE appears to have reused the same exact PCB as the X399 Gaming 7, but with aesthetic updates and cost-cutting. The board's design scheme (I/O shroud and heatsink designs) are somewhat aligned with its newer generation design aesthetic introduced with its Z390 Aorus family.

Cost cutting over the X399 Gaming 7 comes in the form of the I/O shroud no longer running the entire length of the PCB, only one out of three M.2 slots getting a SSD heatsink, only two out of five PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots getting full metal reinforcement, and the lack of a WLAN module. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, and 4-pin ATX, and uses an 8-phase VRM to power the CPU. Expansion slot layout is unchanged from the Gaming 7, with two x16 slots running at x16, and two taking 8 lanes from them. A fifth x16 slot is gen 2.0 x4. All three M.2 PCIe slots are wired to the CPU. The onboard audio solution is carried over, with Realtek ALC1220 CODEC, WIMA capacitors, and ground-layer isolation. The sole networking interface is a 1 GbE pulled by an Intel i211-AT controller. Available now, the GIGABYTE X399 Aorus Pro is priced at $270, a whole Benjamin cheaper than what the Aorus X399 Gaming 7 launched at.

The "sustained chill in the crypto mining sector" is, according to Taiwan-based sources cited at DigiTimes, one of the leading reasons motherboard and graphics cards makers will face a bleak scenario in the next few months. According to those sources, other factors such as the US-China trade war doesn't help a situation on which NVIDIA new RTX family hasn't helped due to the high price of those GPUs. ASUSTeK Computer and Gigabyte Technology have seen their inventory levels drive up, "causing their revenues for the peak season to fall under expectations".

These problems now join the ones Intel is facing with its shortage of processors, and according to DigiTimes, revenue prospects for the fourth quarter are further dimmed by lingering sluggish demand from the DIY market among other things. To counteract these problems those companies could actually be could be further adversely affected: "Nvidia and Intel likely to raise their chip prices to maintain profitability", a move that could lead to a bleak profitability period starting in 2019.

With multi-GPU on the decline, AMD Ryzen platform buyers are drawn to the mid-range AMD B450 chipset-based motherboards as the chipset still offers CPU overclocking features not available on its Intel counterpart, the B360 Express, helping buyers save money over X470-based products. Motherboard vendors, seeing a potential for enthusiasts seeking out B450, have each launched quasi-premium motherboards based on the chipset, such as the GIGABYTE Aorus B450 Pro, MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon, and ASUS ROG Strix B450-F Gaming. ASUS is taking this concept further with the better-endowed new ROG Strix B450-E Gaming. This product is interesting, because ASUS hasn't yet launched a Strix-E SKU based on the AMD X470. The company included a mention of the product in its launch reveal for its AMD B450 motherboard series, and is beginning to roll the product out.

The ASUS ROG Strix B450-E Gaming features a more premium CPU VRM than even the Strix X470-F, with a "12-phase" (likely blind-doubled 8-phase CPU with either blind-doubled 4-phase vSOC or 2+1+1), compared to the B450-F, with its 8-phase (4 CPU + 4 SOC) design. The component quality is a step up from the Strix B450-F, and so are the VRM heatsinks. ASUS added metal reinforcement for two of the board's three PCI-Express x16 slots, although the second and third slots are x4. You also get two M.2-2280 slots, one of which comes with SSD heatsink. Intel i211-AT wired 1 GbE and Intel 9260 802.11ac + Bluetooth 5 WLAN, take care of networking. The onboard audio solution is unchanged from the Strix B450-F. The ROG Strix B450-E Gaming is priced around 149.99€.

ASUS today announced that its motherboards meet ambitious energy-efficiency standards laid down by the California Energy Commission (CEC), and due to come into force on January 1, 2019.

From this date, most new computers, monitors and signage displays sold or offered for sale in California must adhere to strict new power-consumption standards, with the aim of reducing energy use across the state and ultimately nationally. The regulations are expected to result in energy savings of up to 2,332 GWh annually, and reduce the cost of utility bills by up to US $373 million.

Under the new regulations motherboards are classed as computers. All existing and new ASUS and ASUS ROG motherboards will meet the CEC's tier-one specification for typical energy use (TEC) for computers.

GIGABYTE today introduced the B450M Gaming, a low-cost socket AM4 motherboard based on AMD B450 chipset, designed to be priced under $100. Built in the compact micro-ATX form-factor (205 mm x 244 mm), the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS, and uses a 4+3 phase VRM to power the AM4 SoC. A large VRM heatsink dominates the main MOSFET block, which also covers up a portion of the rear I/O area. The AM4 socket is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel memory, the board's sole M.2-2280 slot, and the PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot with metal reinforcement. Two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots wired to the B450 chipset make for the rest of the expansion area.

Storage connectivity includes one M.2-2280 slot with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, and four SATA 6 Gbps ports. USB connectivity includes four USB 3.1 gen 1 type-A ports on the rear panel, and two USB 3.1 gen 1 ports via header. Networking, interestingly, is a 1 GbE interface driven by Realtek Dragon 8118AS controller, which was originally launched as Realtek's competitor to the i219-V (comes with various performance enhancements). Audio is a basic 6-channel fare driven by Realtek ALC887, somewhat improved with ground-layer isolation and electrolytic capacitors.

GIGABYTE today announced its almost-flagship socket LGA2066 motherboard, the X299 Aorus Master. The Master brand-extension, if you'll recall, is positioned just a notch below the flagship Aorus Xtreme, which makes this board a successor to the X299 Aorus Gaming 7. The X299 Aorus Gaming 9 and Designare-EX remain the company's flagship LGA2066 products, until they're succeeded by a new Aorus Xtreme product. There's still plenty to go around with the new X299 Aorus Master, beginning with its updated design scheme that's in sync with the company's latest Z390 motherboard lineup. It ships with out-of-the-box support for Core X 9000-series processors. The board is wider than ATX, although not quite E-ATX. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, two 8-pin EPS, and an optional 6-pin PCIe power. A 12-phase VRM powers the CPU, cooled by a 2-stage heatsink. Expansion slots include four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC/x16/NC or x16/NC/x8/x8 or x8/x8/x8/x8). The DIMM and PCIe slots feature metal reinforcement.

Storage connectivity on the GIGABYTE X299 Aorus Master includes three M.2 slots with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 wiring, each with heatsinks; and eight SATA 6 Gbps ports. Networking includes a 2.5 GbE wired interface driven by Realtek Dragon 8125AG controller, a 1 GbE driven by Intel i219-V controller, and 802.11 ac + Bluetooth 5 interface driven by Intel 9260 WLAN card. USB connectivity includes four USB 3.1 gen 2 ports (two on the rear panel including a type-C, two by header), driven by a combination of ASMedia ASM1142 controller and the X299 PCH. The onboard audio solution is quite something. An ESS Sabre 9218 DAC (130 dBA SNR!) drives the main front + headphones channel with Ti Burr Brown OPA2111KP OPAMPs and WIMA capacitors; while a 120 dBA SNR Realtek ALC1220VB pulls the remaining channels. Manually-switchable dual-BIOS, 7-segment POST code readout, USB flash-back, and a boatload of other overclocker-friendly features complete the board. Expect it to be priced around USD $399.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, announced the release of the Z390 DESIGNARE motherboard with full support for the newest 8-core Intel Core i9-9900K processors. The newest addition to the GIGABYTE DESIGNARE series is a feature-packed motherboard that provides content creators the fastest and most efficient tools to showcase their creativity and craftsmanship. GIGABYTE DESIGNARE Series motherboards bring out the best in workstation graphics cards, maximize M.2 SSD and DDR4 RAM performance, and fully support powerful CPUs such as the newest 8-core Intel Core i9-9900K CPU. With built in USB Type-C Thunderbolt , and native USB 3.1 Gen 2 to provide 40Gb/s transmission speed, the board is designed with effective storage performance as a key feature. GIGABYTE Ultra-Durable Technology and exclusive software also bring additional value for digital content creators and design professionals.

"Today's content creators are seeking faster and more efficient performance from their PCs. GIGABYTE created the DESIGNARE series a few years back to fulfill these user demands," stated Jackson Hsu, Deputy Director of the GIGABYTE Channel Solutions Product Development Division. "Z390 DESIGNARE is the newest addition to this constantly evolving content creation focused series and is loaded with features that enable content creators to express their artistic creativity through their PCs with excellent performance and efficiency."

GIGABYTE introduced the X299-WU8, a high-end desktop motherboard being sold as a quasi-workstation-class board, in the CEB form-factor (305 mm x 267 mm). Based on Intel X299 Express chipset, it features out-of-the-box support for Intel's socket LGA2066 Core X 9000-series processors, in addition to existing Core X 7000-series. A design focus with this board is on PCIe connectivity. The board employs two PLX PEX8747 PCIx gen 3.0 x48 bridge chips, which convert two gen 3.0 x16 links from the processor to four downstream x16 links, which can further be switched to x8. All seven expansion slots are PCI-Express 3.0 x16 physically, which are electrically "x16/NC/x16/NC/x16/NC/x16" or "x16/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8." The topmost slot stays x16, while the other six share three x16 links depending on how you populate them. The board has certifications for 4-way SLI and CrossFireX.

The GIGABYTE X299-WU8 draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and two 8-pin EPS connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with an 8+1 phase VRM. An additional 6-pin PCIe power input, which is optional, stabilizes slot power delivery to the graphics cards. The CPU socket is flanked by eight DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 128 GB of quad-channel DDR4 memory. Storage connectivity is surprisingly sparse, with just one M.2-2280 slot that has PCIe 3.0 x4 wiring, and eight SATA 6 Gbps ports. USB connectivity includes USB 3.1 gen 2 (including a type-C port), a number of USB 3.1 gen 1 ports, both on the rear panel and via headers; high-end onboard audio including an ALC1220 CODEC and headphones amp; and two 1 GbE networking interfaces. Expect this board to be priced around $600, given that the PEX8747 isn't cheap these days, and this board has two of it.

GIGABYTE today revealed its Z390 AORUS XTREME motherboard. Built around Intel's Z390 chipset with support for the company's latest and greatest CPUs under the 9th Gen Core series, the Z390 AORUS Extreme brings with it a slew of features and top-tier specs that make it one of the most complete motherboard offerings in the market. From 10 GbE Aquantia LAN, a 16-phase DRM, 802.11ac WiFi, audio powered by the premium ESS SABRE 9018K2M DAC... and RGB.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and high-performance storage solutions is proud to announce the launch of its latest motherboard featuring the Intel Z390 chipset. The new COLORFUL iGame Z390 Vulcan X joins the family of high-performance, gamer-inspired products of the COLORFUL iGame family. The new motherboard will support the latest Intel 9th-gen processors as well as 8th-gen processors in LGA1151 package. Designed to bring the best platform for gamers, the new COLORFUL iGame Z390 Vulcan X is geared with the most innovative technology from COLORFUL to improve both performance and stability to give gamers the best gaming experience.

Intel's newest 9th-gen offers up to 8-cores with the brand new Core i9 series which aims to deliver the best performance for gamers, content creators, power users and professionals. The iGame Z390 VulcanX is equipped with a 14-phase digital power design to deliver stable power to the processor and allow overclockers to unleash the full potential of the new 9th-gen Intel Core processors. COLORFUL has engineered the VRM for the best stability equipped with high-quality components including full tantalum capacitors.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, teamed up with Intel to successfully overclock the Intel Extreme Core Count (XCC) processor past 5GHz across all cores during the Intel Keynote at COMPUTEX 2018. Even without liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooling, the combination of a GIGABYTE motherboard and Intel XCC processor managed to shatter records for single processor socket overclocking. Following Intel's announcement of its Xeon W-3175X processor, GIGABYTE will launch compatible products in the near future.

Multi-core computing has long been instrumental in many different fields of science and technology such as in Physics, Aerospace Technology, Meteorology models/simulations by providing great computing power with impressive accuracy and efficiency. It has also played a huge role in AI development, data mining, and the vastly growing, big data analysis. In the business field today, multi-core computing is also highly useful for financial analysis, stock market analysis, etc. with its fast, accurate calculation abilities. With ultra-high stability, reliability, expert refinement, along with support for the Intel XCC processors, GIGABYTE motherboards are the perfect platform for research institutions, educational institutions, as well as big data centers.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a leader in the manufacture of industrial motherboards and embedded systems, announces the new MI995 in mini ITX form factor (170x170 mm) based on the latest 8th Gen Intel Core / Xeon E family processors and Intel CM246/QM370 mobile chipset.

The MI995 low-power Mini-ITX delivers stunning graphics and media performance and supports up to three independent displays in eDP, HDMI 2.0a, DVI-D and DisplayPort outputs, which makes it ideal for gaming/entertainment, digital signage and POS applications. The motherboard has two DDR4-2666 SO-DIMM sockets accepting up to 32GB memory with ECC. Apart from enhanced performance of CPU and graphics, the MI995 features optimized I/O with onboard 6x USB 3.1, 4x USB 2.0, 4x COM, and up to 4x SATA III to empower real-time IoT and data-intensive applications.

ASUS expanded its Workstation motherboard series with the new WS Z390 Pro, a socket LGA1151 board based on Intel Z390 Express chipset, featuring out-of-the-box support for 9th generation Core processors. Built in the ATX form-factor, the board draws power from a combination of one 24-pin ATX, two 8-pin EPS, and an optional 6-pin PCIe power. A 10-phase VRM (likely 8+2 phase incorporating smart-doubling on the Vcore side). This board appears to be using a PCI-Express 3.0 x48 bridge chip to convert 16 gen 3.0 lanes from the CPU to two x16 downstream slots, which are further split to four x8 slots, depending on how you populate the slots. The slot configuration options are x16/x16/NC/NC or x16/x8/x8/NC or x8/x8/x8/x8. An additional open-ended x4 slot wired to the PCH makes for the rest of the expansion.

Storage connectivity includes two each of M.2-22110, and U.2 ports, each with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 wiring; and six SATA 6 Gbps ports. Networking interfaces include two 1 GbE ports, one of which is driven by Intel i219-LM, and the other Intel i210-AT. USB connectivity includes six USB 3.1 gen 2 ports on the rear panel, from which one is type-C, two additional USB 3.1 gen 2 ports by header, and a USB 3.1 gen 1 2-port header. The 8-channel onboard audio solution combines an EMI-shielded Realtek ALC S1220A codec with audio-grade capacitors, a headphones amp, and ground-layer isolation. We expect a price of around $350 for this board.

MSI drew more than a few eyeballs at Computex 2018 when it showcased the X399 MEG Creation motherboard for AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors. With the advent of "new" Skylake-X Refresh processors by Intel, the company has a new high-end motherboard with the X299 MEG Creation. MSI appears to have toned down on the design from its X399-based product, although you still see the metal waveform design along the chipset heatsink that's contiguous with M.2 SSD heatsinks, the VRM heatsink, and the rear I/O shroud. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, and two 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the LGA2066 processor with a 14-phase VRM.

Expansion slots on the MSI X299 MEG Creation include four PCI-Express 3.0 x16, from which three are wired to the CPU, and the fourth one to the PCH. Between them are three M.2-2280 slots with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 wiring, each. You can add up to four more M.2-2280 SSDs with the included M.2-Xpander Aero accessory, which is a 4-slot M.2 riser with air-cooling, which made its debut with the X399 MEG Creation. Another star attraction with this board is Realtek 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, alongside an Intel i219-V powered 1 GbE interface, and an 802.11 ac + BT 5.0 WLAN. Another interesting accessory is the ThunderboltM3, a Thunderbolt 3.0 card with two type-C ports, and two DisplayPort connectors, for daisy chaining your displays. Storage connectivity, besides the seven M.2 slots, includes eight SATA 6 Gbps ports, and a U.2 port. This board could be priced around the $500-mark.

Intel's high-end desktop platform raises the stakes with updated Intel Core X-Series processors that boast a lot more of everything, including cores, cache, bandwidth, and more. The additional processing power plows through CPU-intensive tasks, while the extra bandwidth lets you add more GPUs and NVMe SSDs to accelerate a wider range of workloads.

Anchored by the X299 platform, this upper echelon scales up to 18 cores with the new Core i9-9980XE. It's now joined by an even more exclusive chip with 28 cores and an entirely separate platform that redefines extreme desktop PCs. We have new motherboards designed to exploit the strengths of each CPU. The Prime X299-Deluxe II gives professionals and power users a flexible foundation for serious work and it is not alone, ROG engineers are also working on a new Rampage motherboard geared toward hardcore gamers and overclockers, while the ROG Dominus Extreme shows what's possible when our engineers have the freedom to go beyond traditional boundaries

Almost exactly one year after introducing six-core Coffee Lake processors alongside Z370 motherboards, Intel is back with more cores, higher clocks and the new Z390 chipset. The new 9th Generation Intel Core processor family offers up to eight cores and 16 threads of parallel processing horsepower that's perfect for content creation, heavy multitasking, and other demanding workloads. With clock speeds as high as 5GHz on the flagship Core i9-9900K, these new processors also raise the bar for gaming performance, especially if you're streaming, recording, and chatting simultaneously.

ASUS is excited to support this new generation of Intel processors with a wide variety of new motherboards based on the Intel Z390 chipset. The collection is led by a diverse cast from the Republic of Gamers that elevates gaming and overclocking to new heights. ROG Strix offers more streamlined alternatives that include a mighty Mini-ITX model, while TUF Gaming focuses on the essentials to hit more affordable price points. Outside the gaming sphere, the Prime family serves up signature ASUS features in a professional package, and the WS sets the stage for serious workstations and prosumer builds.

The Intel Z390 chipset is built for the extreme performance of Intel's first 8-Core processor for desktop motherboards. EVGA Z390 boards are designed for the purpose of everyday tasks, exceptional performance, hardcore gaming, and, of course, overclocking. Featuring EVGA's latest GUI BIOS with OC Robot and in-BIOS stress testing, the ability to flash the BIOS without a CPU, and EVGA Nu Audio, these boards offer a little something new for everyone. Although the EVGA Z390 FTW is the first board available, you should always be careful of what's waiting in the Dark….

NZXT today announces the N7 Z390, its newest motherboard designed around Intel's Z390 chipset and supporting the latest Intel 9th Gen CPUs. With the new N7 everything you need to build a stunning and powerful gaming PC is available right out-of-the-box.

All the essentials are included, along with built-in wireless and Bluetooth connectivity, digital fan control, and HUE 2 integrated RGB lighting channels. Get the N7 into your build even faster with an integrated rear I/O shield. The N7's signature all-metal motherboard cover returns to perfectly match the color and finish of your case, creating a visually seamless backdrop for your components. Additionally, NZXT's CAM software gives you full control over your system's lighting, cooling, and performance straight from your desktop.

MSI, a world leader in motherboard design and manufacturing, is proud to announce the availability of new motherboards with the Intel Z390 chipset alongside the launch of 9th Generation Intel Core Processors. Beginning this generation, MSI motherboards will follow revamped naming rules that align products with feature segments. Overclockers, gamers, content creators, and professionals can now more easily make the perfect choice from the MEG, MPG or MAG series as well as the existing PRO Series.

MEG Series motherboards go beyond hardcore gaming with designs built for tremendous scalability, extreme overclocking, and maximum performance. This new category name succeeds the past MSI Enthusiast GAMING classification. Untold power can be obtained from two Z390 motherboards in the MEG series - GODLIKE and ACE.

ASRock today announced their Taichi family of Z390 motherboards. The new Taichi motherboards (whose branding has garnered somewhat of a cult following among PC component enthusiasts due to their build-quality and reliability) are being placed in the top of the heap for ASRock's Z390 push.

The 8th and 9th Gen supporting motherboards feature the same 12-phase power delivery design for outstanding power delivery, as well as some other features such as an integrated M.2 shield and ASRock's Polychrome RGB lighting solution. Hyper BCLK Engine II also makes an appearance on both motherboards, for higher overclocking stability and capabilities. Other added features include ASRock's Purity Sound 4 with Realtek's ALC1220 audio codec. The Taichi Ultimate, however, ups the ante by delivering an Aquantia Ethernet solution (AQtion) with 10 Gbps throughput for the ultimate experience - though you'll need to make sure your infrastructure supports these speeds, and that you have a Cat6 Ethernet cable handy.

The leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, is pleased to announce the launch of the new Intel Z390 motherboard series, and also the Phantom Gaming Motherboards, the latest addition to the company's popular Phantom Gaming line up. These versatile new motherboards support the latest 9th Generation Intel Core processors with socket 1151.

A Blazingly Fast Gaming Network Experience
Fast internet will be the trend of the future, it is certain that the old-fashioned 1 Gbps Ethernet with soon be replaced by the more advanced 2.5 Gbps LAN interface, giving network performance boost to up to 2.5x the speed of old-fashioned gigabit Ethernet. The Z390 Phantom Gaming motherboards will be the first to adopt this new industry standard and provides blazing fast 2.5 Gbps LAN, supporting next generation networking standards, for an unbeatable experience. The intelligent Phantom Gaming 2.5Gb/s LAN platform is designed for the demanding requirements of home networking, content creators, online gamers and users of high-quality streaming media. Also ASRock's Phantom Gaming network software is able to automatically accelerate critical gaming network traffic ahead of other data to provide smoother, stutter-free game performance and give gamers the ultimate competitive edge.

The leak train for Intel's latest and greatest mainstream CPU platform is showing no signs of stopping before hitting the final stop when Intel formalizes it officially. Yesterday, we had MSI do a long preview video with everything but the Z390 branding visible, and today we got word of Newegg Canada deciding it could do better. Indeed, searching for "Z390" on their website shows up, at the time of this post, 15 Z390 motherboards from MSI and Gigabyte alike.

Noting that these are in Canadian dollars, the respective Z370 offerings from the same website are priced 30-40% lower at this time where applicable courtesy of some sales but also a direct MSRP-to-MSRP comparison. Keep in mind also that the features may not be identical, and that may contribute also to the pricing strategy we see employed here. These do not look to be placeholders either, given the precision down to two decimal points, but we will have to wait for USD prices to know if this is price gouging from a retailer or a blanket increase worldwide. In anticipation of these links being taken down sooner than later, we just saved a web archive of the page that can be seen here.

In a recent live stream, MSI gave a sneak peek at their next generation of motherboards. The first one shown was a new red and black themed Gaming Plus model reminiscent of the early days in the MSI Gaming brand. It features a few quality of life improvements one of which is an enlarged PCIe latch making GPU removal a bit easier in cramped environments or when you happen to have a beefy air cooler. Keep out zones were also highlighted on the back of the motherboard giving users a visual cue to make sure other components, standoffs, screws etc do not come into contact with those particular regions. Furthermore, they also included an angled slot in the board's design for easier access to both the SATA ports and USB 3.0.

It's been a busy past 48 hours at EVGA, with the launch of the B360 Micro motherboard, unveiling of the NVLink bridges, and now a teaser of what could very well be the company's Z390 DARK motherboard, targeted at professional overclockers. K|ngp|n shared this teaser image of the board on social media, revealing a socket LGA1151 motherboard that's laid out like an LN2 overclocker's dream - memory slots north of the CPU sockets, CPU VRM to its west and south, and power drawn from a combination of 24-pin ATX and two 8-pin EPS connectors angled away toward the east. A cluster of 7-segment LED displays put out diagnostic codes. The designers seem to have opted for an expensive 8~10-layer PCB that's rich in copper. We'll hear more about this beauty as the Z390 platform launches later this month.