MSI unveiled a unique new feature it is introducing with its next-generation socket LGA1151 motherboards, called the M.2 Shield. This is an aluminium heatspreader that acts as a full-length cover over the motherboard's M.2-2280 slots, hinged near the M.2 interface. The heatspreader has non-conductive thermal padding on the inside, letting it make contact with the drive's hot components (controller, NAND-flash chips, etc), and pushing heat over to the heatspreader. MSI claims that this lowers temperatures, and reduces throttling on some of the high-performance M.2 PCIe SSDs. Some of the faster M.2 SSDs such as the Samsung 950 Pro have indeed earned the notoriety of heating up to levels that reduce performance. It remains to be seen how much a thin sheet of aluminium changes that.

The ROG STRIX Z270G Gaming is the first leaked motherboard that fills customers' needs in the microATX form factor (making it one of the more interesting ones), featuring an impressive metallic black / silver color scheme on the LGA 1151 socket, which I personally find beautiful. ASUS went with an aggressive heatsink design that features their AURA RGB technology for a full LED illuminated color showcase. The STRIX line inherits much of the other features of the Maximus line of motherboards, though they universally do away with the black and red color scheme.

ASUS' ROG Maximus IX Code, the company's step-down product from the already detailed Maximus IX Formula, has also been leaked. Like the Formula, it's in the ATX form factor with the red and black colors of the ROG line; the difference between the ROG Maximus IX Code and the IX Formula stands in that the Code is absent from the Formula's integrated water-cooling solution, which puts it in a somewhat lower tier in product placement, and, we expect, pricing.

With the ever-closer release of Intel's Kaby Lake family of CPUs, details and leaks are becoming more and more difficult to stem. As such, the ASUS ROG Maximus IX Formula, ASUS's high-end offering for the Z270 chipset and LGA 1151 socket, has been detailed.

The board features the ATX form factor, with the solid red and black colors that are ROG's identity, with red LEDs spread throughout the board - part of the new Aura RGB lightning which offers 3+2 independent on-board LED areas that can be customized by users. The board comes with a 8+2+2 Phase Digital power design that features 10K black metallic capacitors, MicroFine Alloy Chokes, NexFET PW (Power) block MOSFET and DIGI+ Power Control Utility for real-time adjustments. All of these components are part of the new ASUS Extreme Engine Digi+ technology that improves CPU stability and overclocking, with power being fed through a single 8-Pin connector.

Here are some of the first pictures of a production version of an ASRock Z270 Fatal1ty-branded motherboard. While there's no picture of the board in full, Expreview scored pictures of its key sections, including its CPU VRM area, showing us prominent "Z270" badging on a VRM heatsink, a Fatal1ty logo on the PCH heatsink and its print on the PCB; and an Intel Gigabit Ethernet on the rear I/O hood, and Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 3 logo on the audio area hood; all pointing to this being a production version.

The rear I/O picture reveals two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, provision for a WLAN card, four USB 3.1 ports (of which one is type-C), two USB 3.0 ports, 8-channel HD audio with a TOSLINK connector; and display outputs including DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. Storage appears to include eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and at least one M.2 slot (with Intel Optane support out of the box). Not much else is revealed by these pictures. Intel 200-series chipset motherboards are expected to launch alongside 7th generation Core "Kaby Lake" processors, in January 2017.

GIGABYTE is planning to expand its subsidiary AORUS into motherboards and graphics cards. The company currently sells gaming notebooks and gaming peripherals, including keyboards and mice, under the AORUS brand. This could be GIGABYTE's third attempt at establishing a premium motherboard/VGA brand that rivals ASUS Republic of Gamers and MSI Gaming Series; besides its G1.Gaming and Xtreme Gaming extensions under its main brand. AORUS is a brand unto itself, with products lacking any prominent GIGABYTE markings.

The first AORUS branded motherboards will be socket LGA1151, based on Intel's upcoming 200-series chipset, with out of the box support for 7th generation Core "Kaby Lake" processors. The motherboards will hit the shelves in January 2017. The first AORUS-branded graphics cards will launch when AMD and NVIDIA launch their next high-end GPUs (think NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti and AMD "Vega"). Last we heard, the GTX 1080 Ti is headed for a January 2017 launch.

ASUS signs off the AMD socket AM3+ platform with a motherboard that's built to last, the TUF Sabertooth 990FX R3.0, its third TUF series motherboard based on the AMD 990FX chipset. The board could be the ideal upgrade for AMD FX processor users wanting to hold on to their builds a few years longer, as it features cutting-edge connectivity, such as four 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 ports (including a type-C port), eight additional 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 ports (of which four are via headers), a 20 Gb/s M.2 slot with NVMe support, and the very latest VRM innovations ASUS made for the TUF series.

The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, and uses a 10-phase VRM to condition it for the CPU. The board supports 220W TDP AMD FX-9000 series CPUs. The CPU socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, and the AMD 990FX northbridge. Expansion slots include four PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, of which three are wired to the 990FX chip, and run at x16/NC/x16 or x16/x8/x8 depending on the way they're populated; while the fourth slot is wired to the SB950 southbridge, and runs at gen 2.0 x4. Storage connectivity includes five SATA 6 Gb/s ports besides the M.2 slot. 8-channel HD audio and gigabit Ethernet (Intel i211V controller) make for the rest of it. The board is driven by UEFI BIOS, and features Windows 10 certification. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Ahead of their launch later this year, to cater to the 7th generation AMD A-series "Bristol Ridge" APUs, with support for next-generation "ZEN" processors due in 2017, two GIGABYTE socket AM4 motherboards smiled for the camera. The two appear to be based on either AMD's entry-level A320 or mid-range B350 chipsets. Since the AM4 chips are true-blue SoCs with complete integration of chipsets, including what you'd normally call a southbridge or FCH; the "chipsets" in the AM4 platform are merely chips that add to the PCIe lane budget of the platform, and provide additional SATA and USB connectivity.

The first of the two GIGABYTE AM4 boards is built in the narrow micro-ATX form-factor; featuring a single PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, two DDR4 DIMM slots, four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and basic connectivity that includes 6-channel HD audio, one gigabit Ethernet connection, and 4-6 USB 3.0 ports. The second board is better endowed, and is likely a variation of the socket AM4 board that was earlier pictured this September. It features two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 ports (the second one could be electrical x4); and comes with two additional SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0 ports compared to the other board.

The two prestigious families of MSI and 2K GAMES have joined forces to present you a bundle you can't refuse. By purchasing any of the eligible MSI Intel GAMING X99/Z170/H179/B150 Motherboards or Windows 10 GAMING Desktops, you will get the MAFIA III game for free! Six years in the making, MAFIA III is the latest masterpiece by 2K GAMES and Hangar 13. Presenting a vast Open-World gaming experience with the legendary cinematic narrative the MAFIA series are known for. Featuring incredibly vivid facial animations and tense action, MAFIA III pledges to provide the most engaging gaming experience yet.

Fierce gunfights, close quarters combat and nail-biting car chases form some of the most thrilling chapters of this action masterpiece. MSI GAMING Motherboards & Desktops will keep you at the edge of your seat with Audio Boost 3 providing supreme audio components to support 8-channel HD audio output. While Military-class audio enhancer NAHIMIC will fully immerse you into the heart of the action with a full 3D surround experience. Gamers will feel the explosions, the gunshots and the screams of enemies biting the dust like they are there in person.

ASRock's 100-series motherboards support Next Generation socket 1151 Intel Core Processors. Via a new BIOS update, ASRock Z170, H170, B150 and H110 series motherboards are resurrected. With only a few clicks, users are able to update the BIOS and enjoy the outstanding performance of next generation Intel processors.

Not only to those high-end and mainstream motherboards, ASRock also takes the latest BIOS to those entry level ones. From the Z170, H170, B150 series to the H110 series, users may expect more powerful processing speed yet enhanced capabilities by Intel's new processors. To download the latest BIOS updates, visit the ASRock website.

ASRock unveiled the Z170M-PIO2, a micro-ATX socket LGA1151 motherboard with a unique angled PCI-Express gen 3.0 x16 slot that lets you install a graphics card parallel to the plane of the motherboard. It takes away the need for PCIe riser cables in certain PIO form-factor compliant SFF chassis. The PIO form-factor is an emerging standard of compact SFF cases that you mount along the VESA wall-mount bolts of your display. Technically, the board conforms to the uDTX form-factor, but is compatible with micro-ATX and PIO form-factors.

Its star-attraction aside, the Z170-PIO2, as its name suggests, is based on the overclocking-ready Z170 Express chipset. It supports up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory with its two memory slots. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 4-pin CPU power connectors. Besides the angled PCIe x16, you get an mPCIe slot (for WLAN cards), and one 32 Gb/s M.2 slot. Four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, 6-channel HD audio, four USB 3.0 ports, and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of its connectivity.

Here are some of the first pictures of a socket AM4 motherboard by GIGABYTE. Positioned as an entry-mainstream offering by the company to launch with AMD's 7th generation A-series "Bristol Ridge" APUs, while being ready for upcoming "ZEN" based CPUs and APUs, this board appears to be based on AMD B350 chipset, the company's mid-tier socket AM4 chipset alongside the entry-level A320 and enthusiast-segment X370. This board appears to feature a rectangular CPU cooler retention-module like older AMD sockets. Could the "square" bolt-type RM we spotted on OEM boards, as well as AMD's own platform demonstrator board not make it to the DIY segment?

This unnamed (label not clearly pictured) motherboard is built in the micro-ATX form-factor, drawing power from 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors. It uses a 7-phase CPU VRM. AMD appears to have introduced new voltage domains with AM4, probably because these are full-fledged SoCs, with core-logic completely integrated. The board features four DDR4 DIMM slots, and PCI-Express gen 3.0 slots. The B350 chipset wires to the SoC over PCI-Express gen 3.0, and puts out additional downstream general-purpose PCIe gen 3.0 lanes, besides additional SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.1 ports.

Here is perhaps the first picture of a socket AM4 motherboard up close. The HP "Willow" is a micro-ATX motherboard custom-designed by the company to deploy on several of its upcoming desktop PC models, offered initially with AMD A-series "Bristol Ridge" socket AM4 APUs. Since this is custom-built for desktops that will probably be sold under $500, the board is built to a cost. The board features AMD A320 chipset.

The picture reveals socket AM4 to have extremely fine pins, and feature a square bolt-type cooler retention mechanism similar to that of contemporary Intel sockets. It does away with the rectangular layout. The advantage of a square layout is that it allows you to orient your cooler in any direction. Since the core-logic is moved to the APU/CPU package, the remaining rump of what AMD refers to as "chipset," is just a PCIe multi-function chip that puts out additional SATA and USB ports. With its TDP under 5W, this chip can make do without a heatsink. Other noteworthy features include two DDR4 DIMM slots, a PCIe gen 3.0 x16 slot, a short M.2 slot, a couple of SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and basic connectivity.

BIOSTAR is pleased to announce its latest and greatest motherboard to join the prestigious RACING series motherboard family with the unveiling of the BIOSTAR Z170GTN mini-ITX motherboard. Everything that makes the RACING series motherboards from BIOSTAR now comes in a tiny form factor giving you all the power you need without compromising size and space. Gamers who want unrestricted performance but want a compact machine for their entertainment and gaming needs, the BIOSTAR RACING Z170GTN delivers everything you need.

The BIOSTAR RACING Z170GTN allows full control of your system with support for unlocked 6th-generation Intel Core processors allowing you to fully maximize the capability of your system and increase performance. Support for memory speeds up to DDR4-3200 allows high-speed memory to compliment the overclocked system for improved responsiveness. The Intel Z170 chipset allows a full array of connectivity including rich USB3.0 connection and high-speed storage via built-in U.2 connector with up to 32Gbps bandwidth for next-generation storage allowing users to utilize the fastest storage platforms of today for super-fast access to data so games load faster so you can get to the action quicker.

MSI is proud to announce the new Z170A GAMING M6 motherboard for the enthusiast gamers. Premiering two significant new features, Lightning USB and the next generation Killer networking technology, the Z170A GAMING M6 adopts evil gray as its major color scheme, bringing a whole new look and feel to the game table. This motherboard also offers Twin Turbo onboard M.2, Audio Boost 3 and a plethora of other game enhancing features.

The traditional ASMedia 1142 USB 3.1 controller chip on current motherboards is connected via either PCIe Gen2 x2 (10Gb/s) or Gen3 x1 (8Gb/s) which limits the USB 3.1 Gen2 transfer rates (10Gb/s). MSI is now proud to introduce the first ever motherboard to have the next generation Lighting Asmedia 2142 USB 3.1 Gen2 controller chip which runs at PCIe Gen3 x2 (16Gb/s) which is twice as fast. In combination with MSI's exclusive USB Speed Up there is no faster USB 3.1 Gen2 solution on the market. The PCIe Gen3 connection will also help to boost transfer speeds enormously when using two USB 3.1 Gen2 devices at the same time. The MSI Z170A GAMING M6 comes with both an USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-C interface.

BIOSTAR proudly announces its latest product to join the BIOSTAR PRO series of motherboards, the BIOSTAR TB150 PRO designed to be the most stable and durable foundation for cryptocurrency mining. The new BIOSTAR PRO series focuses in these key aspects and adopting it to cryptocurrency mining reduces potential risk in downtime caused by maintenance issues stemming from unstable motherboards due to extended usage. The BIOSTAR TB150 PRO addresses these issues by utilizing BIOSTAR's PRO series advantage.

Crypto-currency mining like Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrency require dedicating a system that can run for long periods of hours under stress which can easily deteriorate motherboard components. With BIOSTAR PRO series motherboard, this deterioration is slowed down and rate is slowed down allowing lesser maintenance cost which gives you the benefit of improved ROI. BIOSTAR achieves this by using its expertise in developing high-endurance and stable components for this application.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards is proud to announce today, a new collection of GIGABYTE Motherboards that have been certified for Intel's Thunderbolt 3 technology. GIGABYTE is the leader in developing this technology as many devices in the market were created using GIGABYTE Motherboards as the golden sample.

Shortly after its release of the new Designare and ultra gaming motherboards GIGABYTE is announcing that many of these newly released boards have Thunderbolt 3 technology available to the users. Updating the BIOS and a simple software upgrade is all that is required of users to enable this feature. With a 40 Gb/s bandwidth, along with its ability to transmit data, video, audio, and power all in one cable, Thunderbolt technology is highly sought after for its rapid transfer speeds and ability to simplify cables around the computer. Users are able to daisy-chain up to six devices per port with an additional monitor at the end.

In addition to the X99A-SLI, MSI today unveiled the 970A Gaming Pro Carbon socket AM3+ motherboard. The board is based on AMD 970 + SB950 chipset, and is based on a new PCB design. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with an 8-phase VRM. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x8/x8 when both are populated), three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and one legacy PCI. The x16 slots feature metal reinforcement braces. The board features chunkier heatsinks over the VRM and the AMD 970 northbridge, than what we're used to seeing on older boards by MSI on this platform.

The 970A Gaming Pro Carbon gets its name from RGB LED lighting on the SB950 southbridge heatsink, and the PCB ground-layer isolation trace that separates the onboard audio area from the rest of the PCB. Storage connectivity includes a 20 Gb/s M.2 slot, and six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Modern connectivity includes two USB 3.1 ports (both type-A), four USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, and a high-grade onboard audio solution that includes a 115 dBA SNR CODEC, ground-layer isolation, heasdet OPAMP, and audio-grade capacitors. The board is driven by UEFI BIOS, and supports NVMe booting.

BIOSTAR proudly announces the latest product to become part of the RACING series family of motherboards: the BIOSTAR B150GTN mini-ITX motherboard. This ultra-compact motherboard features all the best from the BIOSTAR RACING series with some new additions and packs them in its small form factor, perfect for gamers looking for a high-performance build with a small footprint, ready to take on the new games of today.

The BIOSTAR RACING B150 GTN makes building powerful gaming PCs in the mini-ITX form factor more expressive and powerful thanks to the latest 6th-generation Intel Core processors, the RACING B150 GTN enables gamers to have the latest technology powering their systems for the best experience when they play. Next-generation storage via high-speed U.2 enables support for the fastest storage platforms of today to allow super-fast access to data so games load faster so you can get to the action quicker.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, proudly announces its feature-packed gaming motherboard: the iGame Z170 Ymir-G for the latest 6th-generation Intel Core processors. The latest part of the iGame family of high-performance products intended for gamers and enthusiasts, the iGAME Z170 Ymir-G motherboard boasts features for any and all kinds of gamers from modders to streamers.

The COLORFUL iGAME Z170 Ymir-G motherboard loads everything a gamer needs and more into a single motherboard. Supporting 6th-generation Intel processors for the LGA1151 socket, this motherboard supports processors up to 125w and delivers solid power to the CPU thanks to its 14-phase power delivery design which also helps in stable overclocking. The motherboard features rich connectivity options including a wide range of internal expansion and external I/O: high-speed storage via 32 Gb/s M.2 port, 16 Gb/s SATA Express ports, 10 Gb/s USB3.1 as well as USB Type-C, quick charge USB ports and dual-LAN support with both Intel i211 and Killer E2201 chips onboard.

MSI today announced the X99A Tomahawk motherboard. This socket LGA2011v3 motherboard is based on the Intel X99 Express chipset, and supports Intel Core i7 "Broadwell-E" processors out of the box. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, and uses an 8-phase VRM to power the CPU. The board supports up to 128 GB of quad-channel DDR4 memory. Expansion slots include three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, and two PCIe 3.0 x1.

Storage connectivity on the X99A Tomahawk includes one 32 Gb/s M.2 slot, one 32 Gb/s U.2 port, one 16 Gb/s SATA-Express, and eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports. USB connectivity includes two USB 3.1 ports (one each of type-A and type-C), eight USB 3.0 ports, and eight USB 2.0/1.1 ports. Network connectivity includes two gigabit Ethernet interfaces driven by Intel-made controllers.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards is proud to announce today, a promotion with EK Water Blocks, the world's top liquid cooling manufacture. This promotion will begin on August 1st, 2016 and will be held throughout Europe. GIGABYTE and EK Water Blocks promotion bundle includes an award winning GIGABYTE motherboard, GIGABYTE's X99-Ultra Gaming or Z170X-Gaming 7, paired with a limited edition nickel monoblock engraved with a custom G1 design or limited edition EK-Supremacy EVO X99 water block.

GIGABYTE and EK Water Blocks worked together in designing and engineering the EK-FB GA-Z170X Monoblock for the Z170X-GAMING 7-EK motherboard. This monoblock uses the award winning EK-Supremacy EVO cooling engine to ensure the best possible performance in CPU cooling. Not only does the monoblock help keep the CPU cool, but it also covers the power regulation (MOSFET) module allowing water to flow directly over all critical areas of the motherboard ensuring the highest possible overclocks.

Giada Technology, the industry leader in embedded systems and expert in server technology, today officially announces the N60E-O compact server for warm cloud storage applications powered by Intel Xeon-D processors which offer scalable performance on a tiny form factor.

Balancing value, performance and integration, the Giada N60E-O features an onboard Broadwell-DE based Xeon-D processor which is intended for entry-level enterprise storage applications particularly warm data storage. The Xeon D-1540 features 8-cores with 16 threads with an impressive TDP rating of 45W offering a great balance of performance and power draw making for a highly efficient setup.

BIOSTAR is proud to announce the release of the latest motherboard intended for people pursuining cryptocurrency mining. The new BIOSTAR TB85 motherboard features multiple expansion slots to allow usage of multiple cards simultaneous for maximum efficiency for cryptocurrency mining.The board supports Intel 1150 processors and features the B85 chipset. The MSRP for the BIOSTAR TB85 motherboard is $69.99 giving it a quick and high ROI.

The BIOSTAR TB85 supports 4th-generation Intel processors and allows home users, gamers and businesses to take advantage of its wide feature set for work or play. Support for Intel Rapid Storage Technology (Intel RST) for fast boot-ups and application load times, and Intel Small Business Advantage (Intel SBA), which delivers business-centric security protection, such as after-hours virus scans and data backup, and blocks recognition of unwanted USB drives. With up to 6 PCI-e slots, you can maximize this motherboard for cryptocurrency mining and earn back your investment quickly.

MSI, world leading in gaming hardware design, is thrilled to announce two new M-ATX GAMING motherboards, the B150M BAZOOKA PLUS & B150M MORTAR ARCTIC. With Turbo M.2 (32 Gb/s, Gen3 x4) and USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C offering more connectivity options and a plethora of features improving your gameexperience, these new Micro-ATX motherboards are designed for gamers looking for a small gaming PC while getting the best performance & gaming experience. DDR4 Boost technology is available, providing maximum performance and stability while also offering improved memory compatibility. Audio Boost and GAMING LAN ensure you have upper hand on your enemies on the battlefield, ready to finish on top.

The B150M MORTAR ARCTIC is not only a better version of the regular MORTAR model, this special edition comes in a full white PCB design and features a stunning Arctic camouflage styled heatsink and IO cover design. With great attention to detail, the B150M MORTAR ARCTIC not only delivers in terms of specs & features, but manages to bring something truly unique to the B150 motherboard segment. Featuring a new design with a stronger heatsink, more black & white colors, and upgraded specs such as Steel Armor, Turbo M.2 and USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C, the new BAZOOKA PLUS motherboard is ready to set a new standard in the B150 Micro-ATX gaming motherboard segment. With Audio Boost & GAMING LAN offering dedicated gaming features tailored to the most demanding gamers, the BAZOOKA PLUS is sure to satisfy any gamer.