With its next-generation processors and APUs based on the "Zen" micro-architecture, AMD is integrating the chipset into the processor/APU die, making motherboards entirely chipset-free. This on-die chipset, however, is rumored to be facing issues with its integrated USB 3.1 controllers, according to industry sources. AMD sourced the design for the integrated USB 3.1 controllers from ASMedia. The company has a tendency of sourcing integrated controller IP from third-party manufacturers (eg: its SATA controllers and port-multipliers in the past have been sourced from Silicon Image).

Motherboard manufacturers are noticing significant drops in USB 3.1 bandwidths with increase in circuit distances (think wiring running from the AM4 socket to USB 3.1 front-panel headers on the bottom-right corner of a motherboard). Board designers are reportedly having to use additional retimer and redriver chips to get acceptable bandwidths over such ports, and in some cases even entire USB 3.1 controllers, eating into the platform's PCIe budget and escalating costs.

AMD at its pre-Computex media event, showed off the first next-generation socket AM4 processor based on the 14 nm "Summit Ridge" silicon. That processor wasn't alone, it also came with a platform demonstrator for the company's industry partners, behind closed doors. This includes a platform demonstrator motherboard by AMD. Earlier this year, a Chinese tech-site caught a glimpse of this board. There's never anything glamorous about platform demo boards (from either AMD or Intel), they tend to be a haphazard bunch of slots and ports that max out the platform's feature-set. The same applies to this AM4 board.

The picture reveals a few big things about the AM4 socket, and the platform in general. To begin with, the 1331-pin PGA socket is somewhat the same size as AM3+, but likely features finer pins. It features CPU cooler retention holes in a "square" layout, rather than the rectangular layout that AMD has been using way back since socket 754. It will be interesting to see if these mount holes are compatible with any of Intel's sockets. The second and perhaps the biggest change of this platform, of course, is that the chipset is completely integrated with the processor, and so there's no chipset on the board. The processor socket wires out all the connections a southbridge, FCH, or PCH normally would, plus all the I/O of a northbridge (PCIe, memory, etc). The platform supports dual-channel DDR4 memory, and PCI-Express gen 3.0 across its PCIe budget.

Supermicro launched the first socket LGA1151 motherboard featuring a PCIe bridge chip that expands the board's lane budget, something that not even the $600 ASUS Maximus VIII Extreme features. The new CZ170-OCE from the traditionally server/workstation motherboard maker is based on Intel Z170 Express chipset, and features a PCI-Express gen 3.0 x48 bridge chip (likely the PLX PEX-8747), which takes the PCI-Express 3.0 x16 PEG port from the CPU, and puts out 32 lanes, which are wired to the board's three PCIe 3.0 x16 slots.

The topmost slot runs at x16 full-time, while the middle and bottom slots are x8/x8 when both are populated (x16/NC/x16 or x16/x8/x8). The designers lavishly spent its remaining lane budget on two PCI-Express 3.0 x4 slots, and a 32 Gb/s M.2-22110 slot. Besides the 32 Gb/s M.2 slot, storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Other modern connectivity includes two USB 3.1 ports (one each of type-A and type-C), two gigabit Ethernet connections (one driven by Intel I219V and another by Intel I210-AT), HD audio, and four other USB 3.0 ports.

Here's the first picture of MSI's next premium socket LGA2011v3 motherboard targeted at overclockers, the X99A XPower Gaming Titanium. Likely positioned a notch below the X99A GODLIKE Gaming Carbon, and a successor to the X99A XPower AC, this board features MSI's signature metallic silver PCB, mated with silvery heatsinks denoting "Titanium." This scheme caught up with the company's recent Z170A XPower and Z170A MPower Gaming Titanium boards. The board is packed to the brim with the company's latest motherboard innovations, such as reinforcement braces along the eight DDR4 DIMM slots, five PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (which are ready for 4-way multi-GPU solutions), and a host of modern connectivity options, such as 32 Gb/s U.2, USB 3.1 (including type-A and type-C ports), and a 32 Gb/s M.2-22110 slot with NVMe boot support. The board comes with out-of-the-box support for Core i7 "Broadwell-E" processors.

MSI's drive to "carbonate" its Gaming Pro motherboard lineup is extending to the AMD platform, with the 970A Gaming Pro Carbon. Designed with the latest features available to this platform, this board resembles the 970A Gaming Pro, with the notable exception of faux carbon fiber patterns on the metal stickers heading the chipset and VRM heatsinks. You get quite a few modern features on this AMD 970+SB950 chipset based motherboard, such as dual-channel DDR3-2133 support out of the box, 20 Gb/s M.2 with NVMe support, two USB 3.1 ports (one each of type-A and type-C), and Intel gigabit Ethernet.

This could very well be the first picture of a socket LGA1151 motherboard based on Intel's upcoming 200-series chipset, which succeeds the 100-series. Named the Z2T0-Anniversary (is that a typo for Z270-Anniversary?), the board is likely based on the chipset that succeeds the Z170-Express (Z270-Express?), and will be timed with Intel's launch of the 7th generation Core "Kaby Lake" processors. MSI did not finalize the board's aesthetics (heatsink design, PCB markings), but the development board seems pretty loaded with features, that rival the current Z170A-Gaming M7 (we know this from the 6-layer PCB markings). MSI says that the board will be launched in November, 2016.

GIGABYTE showed off the Z170X-Designare motherboard. The company's second Designare series motherboard after the X99-Designare, this board brings some of GIGABYTE's latest board design and component elements to the LGA1151 platform, such as reinforced memory and PCIe slots; and the latest storage connectivity options. Its notable features include USB 3.1 with 100W power delivery over type-A and type-C ports; a 32 Gb/s U.2 port, an extra-long M.2 22110 slot with 32 Gb/s bandwidth and NVMe support; and the company's latest UltraDurable tech, including anti-sulphur resistors, anti-rust rear I/O.

CORSAIR, a world leader in enthusiast memory, PC components and high-performance gaming hardware today announced the latest addition to its industry leading range of XMP 2.0 certified DDR4 memory kits, the CORSAIR Dominator Platinum ROG Edition. Developed in collaboration with the ASUS Republic of Gamers team, the 16GB 4 x 4GB DDR4 kit is fitted with a unique Republic of Gamers Red and Black brushed aluminium finish, to perfectly compliment the celebrated ASUS Republic of Gamers line of motherboards.

Clocked at 3,200MHz for blistering high-bandwidth performance on Intel 100-series motherboards, CORSAIR Dominator Platinum ROG Edition also boasts a custom overclocked ROG XMP 2.0 memory profile only accessible with ASUS Z170 Republic of Gamers motherboards*, pushing the kit to an even faster 3,333MHz with just a single setting.

EVGA welcomes you to the next generation of ground-breaking performance: the X99 FTW K! The X99 platform redefines high-performance with the introduction of the first ever quad-channel DDR4 architecture fueled by Intel's Haswell-E/Broadwell-E CPU family for up to 128GBs of RAM running at a maximum memory speed of up to 3200MHz+ (OC), all made possible due to the 4-layer memory T-Routing design.

The X99 FTW-K is built with an 8-layer Hybrid Black PCB, featuring a CPU socket with 150% higher Gold content powered by an Advanced 8-phase Digital VRM (IR3563B+IR3350), providing industry-leading stability for all your applications. This board also features a Killer NIC E2400 Ethernet which helps to prioritize and reduce network latency to keep you at the top of your game.

MSI is proud to announce the latest X99 Performance GAMING motherboard, the X99A GAMING PRO CARBON, world's first motherboard offering front USB 3.1 Type-C. This new motherboard has been built from the ground up and has a completely new design for its heavy plated heatsinks and covers, based on the latest CARBON look & feel. Besides this totally new design, the X99A GAMING PRO CARBON motherboard also comes packed with several new and unique MSI features such as new Mystic Light with smartphone control over WIFI including a Mystic Light extension RGB cable and pin header.

Onboard Turbo U.2 is present to support the latest and greatest SSDs available in the market supporting NVMe. DDR4 Boost is accompanied by DDR4 Steel Armor to ensure the best memory performance. The X99A GAMING PRO CARBON is the first X99 model featuring Game Boost with 8 gears up to 5 GHz of one-second-overlocking! Last but not least, this model has been designed and optimized for next-generation Intel "Broadwell-E(P)" processors. So whether looking for extreme performance or endless customization, the new X99A GAMING PRO CARBON is sure to deliver.

The battle for multi-color LED lit motherboards intensifies, since apparently, having $1300 ten-core processors and a pile of overpriced reference-design next-gen graphics cards won't impress people at LANs as much as multi-color LEDs in your machine! Hot on the heels of ASUS ROG STRIX X99, MSI is readying the launch of its equally (or more) colorful X99 Gaming Pro Carbon. Slated for launch on May 13, this board is expected to feature the most modern connectivity, with a broad stroke of product design. The company posted a teaser video for the board.The teaser video follows.

ASUS and Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced ASUS Signature X99-Deluxe II, X99-A II and X99-E, and ROG Strix X99 Gaming from the latest lineup of ROG Strix series - all-new four ATX motherboards based on the Intel X99 chipset and loaded with exclusive technologies to maximize the potential of the latest LGA 2011-3 Intel Core i7 X-series processors.

Commenting on the new product line-up, Joe Hsieh, ASUS Corporate Vice President & General Manager of Motherboard Business Unit said: "Our X99 motherboards have won awards from many respected publications and editors around the world, with ASUS consistently praised as the number-one motherboard brand. We are keen to offer best-selling, easy-to-use, stable and trusted motherboards - that's why we call them BEST. And we're proud to introduce our all-new X99 motherboards allowing users to customize their experience and maximize performance in ways that simply aren't possible with any other brand of motherboard."

BIOSTAR proudly announces a new line up of motherboards featuring the new 14nm Intel Braswell Refresh SoC processors that feature many improvements from its older 22nm counterpart Baytrail SoC. The new 14nm processors offer a more efficient yet powerful experience than its predecessor whilst consuming less power and producing less heat. The various improvements also introduce new performance enhancements for both CPU and GPU guaranteeing a more refined visual experience.

With the new processor architecture comes new enhancements over the older-generation of processors. Besides improvements in processing speed, Braswell Refresh boasts a new 14nm fabrication process which gives the SoC a smaller die that needs less power (6w) and produces less heat. A heavily improved 8th-gen Intel HD Graphics processor with 12 Execution Units (EUs) is baked into the SoC compared to the 4 EUs of the older gen model. Connectivity is also improved with native support for DDR3L-1600 speeds, SATAIII and up to 4 USB3.0 devices.

Microsoft inadvertently bricked a vast number of PCs running Windows 7, by changing the priority of an erroneous software update. Earlier this month, Microsoft changed the priority of an obscure-sounding security update for Windows 7 from "Optional" to "Recommended," (which by default gets automatically downloaded and installed). This update, KB3133977, bricks machines running ASUS motherboards, in the UEFI mode.

Windows 7 inherently does not support Secure Boot, a feature introduced with Windows 8, which takes advantage of UEFI to provide users with a layer of system integrity throughout the boot process. With KB3133977 installed on Windows 7 machines that use UEFI boot, the motherboard senses a Secure Boot violation, and invalidates the boot device (refuses to boot from it). ASUS recommended a BIOS setting with which you can deactivate Secure Boot while making your motherboard continuing to boot in UEFI mode.

ASRock introduced the H110M-HDVP entry-level socket LGA1151 motherboard with additional legacy connectivity for office PC builds to cope with old peripherals. The board is built in the slim micro-ATX form-factor, drawing power from a combination of 24-pin and 4-pin ATX power connectors, conditioning it with a basic 3+1 phase VRM. The board features two DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel memory.

Expansion slots on the H110M-HDVP include one each of PCI-Express 3.0 x16, legacy PCI, and two PCIe 2.0 x1. Storage connectivity includes four SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Display outputs include one each of HDMI, D-Sub, and DVI. Among its legacy connectivity options are two RS-232 serial COM ( one on the rear panel, one via header), parallel LPT (through header), and separate PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports. Four USB 3.0 ports (two via headers, two on the rear panel), 6-channel HD audio, and gigabit Ethernet, make for its modern connectivity. Expect a sub-$80 price.

MSI, world leading in motherboards and most popular brand in the gaming market is pleased to announce two new C232 based motherboards, the E3 KRAIT GAMING V5 and E3M WORKSTATION V5. With the their ability to use the less expensive Intel Xeon CPUs make both models a promising solution for users who are looking to build a Xeon based gaming or workstation PC while demanding reliable and long term system stability.

More Reliable Platform of LGA1151
The Intel Xeon processors are designed for use in workstation, servers or datacenters which require high stability and reliability. The E3 KRAIT GAMINNG V5 and E3M WORKSTAION V5 motherboards support Intel E3-1200 v5 series processors with a lot of CPU power, lower cost and great level of stability. Moreover, these two motherboards support ECC memory, offering better compatibility & stability and catering to the industries preferred choice over general non-ECC DDR4 memory.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, proudly debuts its high-end gaming motherboard: the iGame Z170 Ymir-X for the latest 6th-generation Intel Core processors. As part of the iGame family of high-performance products intended for gamers and enthusiasts, this board sports the most sought-after features for the best gaming experience.

Sporting a rich arsenal of features, the iGame Z170 Ymir-X motherboard is built to let gamers experience the best from Colorful with powerful hardware built and designed for the most demanding gamers. Featuring 14-phase power delivery design for stable and reliable power delivery, complimented by 10K black gold solid caps and SANYO tantalum capacitors.

At its PAX East booth, GIGABYTE showed off three of its upcoming socket LGA2011v3 motherboards, which it plans to launch alongside Intel's Core i7 "Broadwell-E" processors. The three include the X99-Designare EX, the X99 Phoenix SLI G1, and the X99 Ultra Gaming (pictured in that order). The running theme on these boards, apart from their design-language that's similar to GIGABYTE's Z170-series motherboards, is 32 Gb/s M.2 slots, even U.2 slots in some cases, reinforced PCIe - and in some cases even memory - slots, and USB 3.1, besides out of the box support for the latest CPUs.

The X99-Designare EX features five PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, from which three can function at x16 speed and two U.2 ports. GIGABYTE is probably betting on NVMe SSDs with U.2 connectors heavily. The X99 Phoenix SLI G1 appears to be a slightly more toned down board in terms of features. It features just four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, wireless networking, and just one U.2 connector. Unlike the Designare, which is slotted in the company's mainline Ultra Durable lineup, this board is the company's new G1 Gaming offering for this platform. Then there's the X99 Ultra Gaming. This board is based on the same PCB as the X99 Phoenix SLI G1, lacks wireless networking, but features reinforced memory slots. The three boards could launch alongside Intel's new CPUs.

BIOSTAR proudly introduces its latest Hi-Fi series motherboard intended for gaming and multimedia enthusiasts. With a balance of features and performance, the BIOSTAR Hi-Fi B150S5 offers those looking for a foundation for their next movie and gaming system to get the most of out their experience.

With support for the latest 6th-gen Intel Core processors and support for PCI-e 3.0 devices, experience gaming like only BIOSTAR Hi-Fi can give with a full-immersive audio and visual experience powered by the latest processors and DDR4 memory up to a maximum of 32GB. The BIOSTAR Hi-Fi B150S5 highlights further its performance capabilities with options for utilizing high-speed storage via an onboard M.2 slot. With BIOSTAR Hi-Fi technology, immerse yourself in a truly unique visual and audio experience with BIOSTAR's premium audio solution, which provides clean and crisp sounds perfect for listening to music and in-game audio as well as watching movies.

BIOSTAR is proud to announce that all BIOSTAR RACING Series motherboards are designed with utmost protection in mind with the new BIOSTAR DUAL BIOS feature. There's numerous advantage to having multiple BIOS in a motherboard and BIOSTAR has carefully crafted the DUAL BIOS feature to meet the needs of enthusiasts and power users as well as everyday users.

With two physical BIOS chips, BIOSTAR motherboards allow two independent BIOS ROMs to be booted from. This provides a safety feature as well as a convenient tool for overclockers who might encounter system stability issues during system tweaking as well as troubleshooting possible issues caused by corrupted ROMs or a hardware failure. BIOS viruses that may attack the ROM are also mitigated as one can fall back to the secondary BIOS for system recovery. Users may run different versions of BIOS ROMs independently for maximum compatibility.

MSI, world leading in motherboards and most popular brand in the X99 motherboards market is pleased to announce that all current MSI X99 motherboards fully support the next generation LGA 2011-3 socket processors, also known as 'Broadwell-E'. BIOS updates are now made available for download via the official MSI website.

With these BIOS updates users can benefit from better performance and compatibility using the latest Intel extreme edition processors with more processor cores and higher frequencies. Highly acclaimed, MSI continues to push for outstanding performance, a unique and attractive look & feel and solid reliability for its X99 motherboards.

MSI is proud to announce the world's ultimate GAMING motherboard, the X99A GODLIKE GAMING CARBON, is now available in stores. Besides being the pinnacle of GAMING in terms of performance and features, the new X99A GODLIKE GAMING CARBON also raises the bar higher in motherboard aesthetics. The CARBON motherboards full black color scheme featuring the improved Mystic Light RGB LEDs controlled through your smartphone, it combines flashiness with sophistication that is sure to make your pc stand out. Besides its strength and futuristic looks, carbon-fiber is also very light to represent the ultimate performance the new GODLIKE CARBON motherboard delivers. Last but not least, the new X99A GODLIKE GAMING motherboard is ready for next-generation Intel 'Broadwell-E(P)' processors.

The most powerful gaming solution in the world just got better. The X99A GODLIKE GAMING CARBON Edition motherboard features the improved Mystic Light RGB LED feature, supporting up to 2048 colors and 8 LED effects to style your rig in any way possible. With Audio Boost 3 Pro, Killer DoubleShot-X3 Pro, Turbo M.2 connectivity, 2X Faster USB 3.1 Type-A & Type-C, the X99A GODLIKE GAMING CARBON Edition is the most powerful motherboard to serve you in battle. Besides gaming, the X99A GODLIKE GAMING motherboard already proved itself in the world's top overclocking ranks and carries a rich history of breaking world records inherited from MSI's legendary Overclocking motherboards.

GIGABYTE unveiled a new high-end socket LGA1151 motherboard, the X170-Extreme ECC. Positioned as a workstation motherboard for the high-end desktop crowd, this board is based on Intel C236 chipset, and comes with support for Intel Xeon E3-1200 V5 processors in addition to 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors. It also supports DDR4 ECC memory, which partly lends it its name. Built in the standard ATX form-factor, the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x8/x8 with both populated), a third PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical gen 3.0 x4, wired to the PCH), and three other PCIe 3.0 x1 slots.

A star attraction here is GIGABYTE's choice of an Intel-made 2-port USB 3.1 controller, which connects to the PCH over PCI-Express 3.0 x4, compared to most other USB 3.1 controllers in the market, which connect over PCI-Express 3.0 x2. This ensures consistent 10 Gb/s bandwidth dedicated to each of the two ports, without any bandwidth loss to overhead. The board offers one each of type-A and type-C ports, wired to this controller. The board offers an additional four USB 3.0 ports from the chipset and a Renesas-made hub chip. Also on offer is a 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 port, with DisplayPort 1.2 passthrough.

On its 30th anniversary as a motherboard maker, MSI unveiled a new premium socket LGA1151 board, the Z170A Krait Gaming 3X. This board features the white and black color-scheme distinctive of the Krait family of motherboards by the company, with bright white on the heatsinks and ports, contrasting the black PCB, and hints of red, reminding you of the "Gaming" family origins. Those aside, the Z170A Krait Gaming 3X is a performance-segment offering, built in the ATX form-factor. The board draws power from 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, and uses a 7-phase VRM to condition it for the CPU. It uses high-capacity "Titanium" chokes.

The LGA1151 socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR4-3600 memory, and two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots. Other expansion slots include a third PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical gen 3.0 x4), wired to the Z170 PCH, besides four other PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. Storage connectivity includes a 32 Gb/s M.2 slot, a 16 Gb/s SATA-Express port, and six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. The onboard AudioBoost 3 solution features dual headphones amplifiers, audio-grade capacitors, ground-layer isolation, Nahmic Audio Enhancer, and a 115 dBA SNR CODEC. Networking is care of an Intel I219-V GbE controller. Modern connectivity includes two USB 3.1 ports (one each of type-A and type-C on the rear panel), and six USB 3.0 ports. MSI didn't reveal pricing.

BIOSTAR recently concluded its first regional event for the official launch of its latest motherboard lineup: the BIOSTAR RACING motherboard series. BIOSTAR recently held a gathering to introduce its new lineup to Thai media and staying true to the RACING series tradition, the event was kicked-off with a racing challenge to the participants at the Easy Kart circuit. After a post-race celebration and awarding for the faster lap times, participants were introduced to the all-new BIOSTAR RACING series motherboards as well as the PRO series entry, the BIOSTAR H110 MD PRO and A68 MD PRO motherboards.

Attendees were given the chance to experience BIOSTAR products first-hand and experience the features of the BIOSTAR RACING series including the VIVID LED DJ which allows lighting customization of the onboard LEDs on the RACING series motherboards. On display were the available models of the BIOSTAR RACING series which includes the flagship RACING Z170GT7, the RACING B150GT5 and RACING H170GT3. All of which features the new Super 5 design of the BIOSTAR RACING series offering users a new level of quality and features from BIOSTAR.