Premium socket LGA1150 motherboards shipping with Thunderbolt connectivity hardly surprise us, yet ASRock managed to do so, with a nifty little addition to its functionality. The company's Thunderbolt-equipped motherboards, namely Z87-Extreme4 TB4, Z87-Extreme9/ac and Z87-Extreme11/ac, feature a full-size DisplayPort input in addition to two Thunderbolt ports that each double up as mini-DisplayPort outputs wired to the processor's integrated graphics. This allows you to install a discrete graphics card of your choice, wire its DisplayPort output to the board's input, and get its digital display output relayed through the Thunderbolt ports, using which you can daisy-chain your high-resolution display with other high-bandwidth devices. On its specs sheets, ASRock is dubbing this implementation as an "experimental feature," and isn't making a song-and-dance about it. In any case, it sure gives ASRock a sharp edge over Thunderbolt-equipped motherboards from other brands, and in our opinion, is the best implementation of Thunderbolt to date.

ASUS announced its first Republic of Gamers (ROG) motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor, the Maximus VI Impact, which could go on to become choice number one for SFF gaming PC builders. Arguably the most feature-rich mini-ITX motherboard ever made, the Maximus VI Impact is a socket LGA1150 motherboard based on Intel Z87 Express chipset, which supports 4th generation Core "Haswell" processors.

The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, and conditions it using a 10-phase VRM that off-shoots into its own little PCB, with heatsink. The other three daughterboards on the Maximus VI Impact include the SupremeFX Impact, a sound-card with an audiophile-grade 115 dBA DAC, OPAMPs, and audio-grade capacitors; and an mPCIe combo card that lends it 802.11 ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0; and an ImpactControl card that gives overclockers POST diagnostic readouts and CMOS reset/restore at the push of a button, right from the rear panel.

MSI rolled out a trio of socket LGA1150 motherboards in the mini-ITX form-factor, Z87I, H87I, and B85I, based on Intel Z87, H87, and B85 chipsets, respectively. Pin-compatibility between the three chipsets means that the three boards are based on a common design. The three feature a 4-phase CPU VRM, two full-size DDR3 DIMM slots, a PCI-Express 3.0 x16, and a combination of 24-pin and 4-pin power connectors.

The Z87I and H87I are nearly identical, with VRM cooling, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0. The Z87I edges past the H87I with support for CPU overclocking, and a second gigabit Ethernet connection. The B85I lacks a VRM heatsink, and the wireless connectivity card. Instead, it gives you a vacant mPCIe slot. It offers 6-channel HD audio, instead of the 8-channel solution, on the other two. All three feature at least one gigabit Ethernet connection, DVI and HDMI display outputs, six USB 3.0 ports, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports.

In addition to the G1.Sniper A85X, GIGABYTE also showed off what could go on to become an HTPC builder favorite, the F2A85XN-WiFi mini-ITX motherboard. The board draws power from conventional 24-pin ATX + 4-pin ATX connectors, and uses a 6-phase VRM to power the APU. Built with the Ultra Durable 4 Plus construction, the board uses high-grade PowIRstage driver-MOSFETs and VRM controllers, made by International Rectifier. The FM2 socket is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-2133 MHz memory, and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. On the connectivity front, the F2A85XN-WiFi offers four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, four USB 3.0 ports, dual-link DVI and two HDMI display outputs, 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports.

At Computex, GIGABYTE showed off the first AMD platform motherboard in its coveted G1.Killer series, which targets gamers and overclockers, the G1.Sniper A85X. The board is based on AMD A85X FCH chipset, and comes with out-of-the-box support for AMD A-series "Richland" APUs, including the AMD A10-6800K quad-core APU, with the fastest integrated graphics in market. Built in the narrow ATX form-factor, the G1.Sniper A85X draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, and uses a 6-phase VRM to condition it for the APU.

The FM2 socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, which support up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-3000 MHz memory; and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. In addition, the board offers a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to the FCH), three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and two legacy PCI. The board shines in connectivity, where it offers eight SATA 6 Gb/s internal ports, a combination of DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI display outputs, Creative Sound Core3D audio with user-replaceable OPAMP and audio-grade capacitors, four USB 3.0 ports, and gigabit Ethernet. The board is driven by AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS, backed by GIGABYTE Dual-UEFI redundancy, and the new BIOS interface that made its debut with GIGABYTE's socket LGA1150 motherboards.

The world-renowned motherboard manufacturer MSI announces motherboards that are equipped with Intel's newest 8 series chipset today. There is the "GAMING" series that are wildly popular among gamers, which is equipped with the Killer network chip and Audio Boost, in which the Z87-GD65 GAMING motherboard was even awarded the Computex 2013 Best Choice Golden Award! This was the first time a motherboard won a Golden Award, which proves that MSI's GAMING series motherboards are definitely the best choice for gamers.

For overclocking enthusiasts, MSI continued using the design standards which have passed the OC certified tests, creating the all new "Overclock" series, which includes the Z87 XPOWER, the Z87 MPOWER MAX, and the Z87 MPOWER. The Z87 XPOWER has a 32-phase digital power design, and supports 4-Way SLI / CrossFire. The Z87 MPOWER MAX and Z87 MPOWER are suitable for heavy-duty overclocking enthusiasts. Not only did they all pass rigorous overclock burn-in tests (OC Certified), they also come with the Extreme Tuning Utility adjustment software which was developed in cooperation with Intel. These rich overclocking software features and hardware design, make it a must-have weapon to break world-records.

GIGABYTE Technology introduces today, in coordination with Intel's official launch, two initial models of single socket server/workstation motherboards designed for the brand new Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 V3 product family (former codename Haswell). Suitable for both rack and desktop tower integration, GIGABYTE introduces here ultra-flexible products featuring the latest technologies and built to deliver all the benefits and new features of this new CPU line in many professional application scenarios.

Still based on the 22 nm tri-gate lithography, this new generation of Xeon processors is built on Intel's latest microarchitecture and brings up to 15% computing power improvement and increased L3 cache across the line. In addition, this new generation also brings to the Xeon E3 family the support of 1600MHz ECC memory, Intel Trusted Execution and Virtualization technologies, as well as AVX 2.0 and TSX instructions. Last but not least, the Xeon E3-1200 V3 processors will include the latest Intel integrated graphics, which will bring the support of OGL3.2+, DirectX 11.1, and higher frequencies over the previous generation.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched its latest 8 series range of motherboards supporting Intel 4th generation Core processors. Equipped with a range of new features and technologies including industry-leading digital power delivery, advanced network and device charging, gold plated hardware, new designed UEFI DualBIOS, GIGABYTE App Center and killer good looks, GIGABYTE 8 series motherboards are the most compelling choice for your next rig.

"With these new 8 series motherboards we're adding more high-end features and technologies than ever before, blurring the traditional definitions of mainstream and high-end segments to offer our customers the ultimate platform," commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. "With great aesthetics, solid performance and more advanced features than ever before, GIGABYTE 8 series motherboards are setting the standard for excellence."

Welcome to a new class of high performance motherboards with the EVGA Z87 Classified, FTW, and Stinger. These platforms offer a return to greatness with a completely redesigned GUI BIOS interface, re-imagined power VRM that focuses on efficiency, and loaded with features such as up to 4-Way SLI, Creative Sound Core3D quad-core audio processor, Intel Gigabit LAN, native SATA 6G/USB 3.0 and more.

These motherboards are designed for the overclocker. Built from the ground up to give you all the essentials you need for overclocking, with a GUI BIOS that is focused on functionality, brand new software interface for overclocking in the OS, ultra high quality components, and robust PCI-E 3.0 and memory trace layout. With these features and more, it is clear that the EVGA Z87 motherboards are not engineered to just be the best, they are engineered to exceed the best.

In its 33rd year and as Asia's largest B2B (Business to Business) computer exhibition, COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2013 is kicking off on June 4. Today, the winning list of Best Choice Award, the official award of COMPUTEX TAIPEI, is unveiled. MSI's Z87-GD65 GAMING motherboard and Funtoro HD MOD (Media on Demand) vehicle infotainment system have proudly stood out from over 400 competitions. The only Golden Award winner in the IC & Components category, the Z87-GD65 GAMING motherboard literally sparkles in every way and proves MSI to be a true pioneer of mid-range/high-end motherboards.

The Best Choice Award has always focused on Functionality, Innovation and Market Potential as the main judging guideline. Bringing the Z87-GD65 GAMING to global gaming enthusiasts' attention, the Best Choice Golden Award also highlights the industrial and official affirmation toward MSI's technical innovation and design capabilities. Specifically designed for operators and passengers of long-distance coaches and high-end tour buses, the HD MOD System integrates infotainment and telematics in one pack and is clearly the top choice for multimedia entertainment on mass transportation.

We've had GIGABYTE's premium mainline socket LGA1150 motherboards, the Z87-UD4H and Z87-UD5H detailed last week. A little earlier, we've been through the company's gamer-centric G1.Sniper series, and Z87 OC Force. Below are pictures of the company's sub-$150 lineup based on the Z87 Express and B85 Express chipsets, the B85M-D3H, the Z87-D3HP, and the Z87-UD3H.

The B85M-D3H, as the name might give away, is based on Intel's B85 chipset that gives you most of the platform's feature-set, including Small Business Advantage, but excluding CPU overclocking features. Built in the micro-ATX form-factor, the board offers a simple 4-phase CPU power supply, four DDR3 DIMM slots, a single PCI-Express 3.0 x16, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4), two legacy PCI, four SATA 6 Gb/s and two SATA 3 Gb/s, four USB 3.0 ports (two rear, two by header), a combination of DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub display outputs; gigabit Ethernet, and 8-channel HD audio.

In addition to the Z87N-WiFi mini-ITX motherboard, GIGABYTE showed off a couple of its top ATX products from its mainline Z87X series, the Z87X-UD4H and Z87X-UD5H. The two mark GIGABYTE's complete breakaway from the blue color scheme, and lack the color even on their heatsinks. The Z87X-UD4H features a hot-rod red+silver+black color-scheme, while the Z87X-UD5H features gold+silver+black. Both boards are based on the company's Ultra Durable 5 construction. Both boards appear to offer overclocker-friendly features that are reserved for the high-end, such as redundant BIOS, diagnostic LEDs and measurement points for each power domain, and high-grade electrical components.

The Z87X-UD4H offers a 16-phase CPU power supply, three each of PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (electrical x16/x8/x4), PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and a legacy PCI. It offers eight internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports, two eSATA 6 Gb/s, ten USB 3.0 ports (six on the rear panel, four by headers), 8-channel HD audio, and display outputs that include DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort. The Z87X-UD5H, on the other hand, offers the same 16-phase CPU VRM and the same expansion slot layout as its sibling, but tops it up with ten internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports, dual gigabit Ethernet, a second DVI connector instead of D-Sub, and FireWire (by header). The two will most likely be part of GIGABYTE's first wave of socket LGA1150 motherboards, and could be priced above $150.

GIGABYTE unveiled the first mini-ITX motherboard based on Intel's upcoming Z87 Express chipset, ready for 4th generation Core "Haswell" processors in the LGA1150 package. The Z87N-WiFi from GIGABYTE takes advantage of the smaller package size of the Z87 PCH, to cram in every feature you'll need, on the space constrained form-factor. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin and 4-pin ATX connectors. It uses a 4-phase power supply for the CPU, which is wired to a pair of DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel memory, and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The only other expansion slot is an mPCIe, populated by the board's WiFi card. Storage connectivity on the Z87N-WiFi includes four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, all from the PCH. A pair of HDMI connectors, and dual-link DVI make for its display connectivity. Two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF, six USB 3.0 ports (four rear, two by header), and 802.11ac WLAN make for the rest of it. The Z87N-WiFi could be part of the first wave of LGA1150 motherboards by GIGABYTE.

Take a good minute to reminisce all the joy and fun you had on the internet. Good times, I tell you. Then take another solid minute to recollect those dark depressing moments when the connection was either slow or unstable. Images turning into rectangles with red crosses, laggy videos that took forever to load, downloads that tragically failed at the last few seconds, and it all seemed like the world was coming to an end. Rest assured that ASRock is bringing better Internet connections to the upcoming Intel 8 Series motherboards with A-Style: 2T2R Dual Band 802.11ac WiFi + Bluetooth v4.0.

ECS introduces the first Intel 8-Series Motherboards featuring the new 4th Generation Intel Core processor family for their new family of desktop motherboards Pro, Deluxe and Essentials.

The new ECS (Elitegroup Computer Systems) family of motherboards featuring the new Intel 8-series Chipset family with new designed specifically for the new 4th Generation Intel Core processor family of CPUs, which will be available and shipping worldwide in Q2 2013. The new chipset features support for full SATA III 6 Gb/s internal ports and PCI-Express Gen.3 x16 bus design. They also integrate USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, and enable responsiveness technologies like Intel Smart Response, Intel Smart Connect, and Intel Rapid Start.

If you've been following news of computing technologies, you've probably already noticed the presence of Thunderbolt technology. Now the maestros of motherboard manufacturing, ASRock is the world's first to add more of these wonderful Thunderbolt ports to the upcoming Intel 8 Series motherboards! What's more, the company's top-of-the-line Z87 Extreme9/ac motherboard is the world's first Intel 8 Series motherboard to pass the Intel Thunderbolt certification.

These Thunderbolt ports will come on ASRock's Z87 Extreme9/ac, which are allegedly arriving to the market very soon, along with dozens of other exciting new features, such as ASRock's A-Style. So, if you're looking forward to build a solid next gen desktop rig with insanely fast data transfer abilities and innovative new software or hardware features, keep your eyes open for this bad boy.

MSI proudly announced the release of its new EPIC embedded board?MS-98D1. The MS-98D1 is a compact EPIC size embedded board with Intel Atom Dual Core processor for low-power fanless solution. Featuring with dual core, fanless design, rich I/O, and wide input voltage of 9 to 36 VDC, the MS-98D1 is especially ideal for industrial applications that involve control and communications, or any industrial fields that require fanless embedded systems.

The dual Gigabit LAN built-in also benefit the target applications by providing broad-band communication capability that is required by many industrial fields. For some systems that need additional communication or I/O interfaces, the PCI-104 slot of MS-98D1 allows system integrators to stack more modules with no limits, offering more application possibilities with this small board. Moreover, 2 independent displays with VGA, DVI, and Dual LVDS outputs enable the MS-98D1 to be applied for remote monitoring and control systems as well.

Among the pile of new features motherboard makers are coming up with, for their next-generation socket LGA1150 motherboards, this one from ASRock is bound to stand out. Select ASRock 8-series motherboards will feature water-proofing. Why do you need it? Because the enthusiast crowd likes to use water-cooling, and custom-built water-cooling loops are prone to leaks and spills, if not done right. Water-proofing ensures the board is more resilient to coolant spills. ASRock doesn't guarantee protection from all kinds of liquid coolants, but at least it's a step in the right direction. Other innovations by ASRock include enhanced onboard audio, HDMI in (for video recording), 802.11 ac WLAN, and HomeCloud software.

ASRock is serious about breaking the 1 million motherboards-shipped mark for this year. The company is going into the emerging Intel Z87 chipset-based socket LGA1150 motherboard market with an extremely strong lineup covering a wide range of price-points. The company is preparing as many as three OC series models, two Fatal1ty series ones, and six Extreme series models. A defining feature of ASRock's lineup is the introduction of onboard 802.11 ac WLAN controllers on select models. The "/ac" brand extension denotes this feature.

Three of the company's top models based on the Z87 Express chipset include the Z87 Extreme11, Z87 Fatal1ty Professional, and Z87 OC Formula. The Z87 Extreme11, available with the /ac option, is the company's flagship socket LGA1150 motherboard, maxing out the platform's feature-set, and augmenting it with an additional PCI-Express lane budget, Thunderbolt, 802.11 ac, and a plethora of connectivity options. The Extreme series targets consumers who want the most connectivity. Other models in the series include the Z87 Extreme 9(/ac), Z87 Extreme6(/ac), Z87 Extreme 4, and the micro-ATX Z87M Extreme4.

At a media event held in its Taipei headquarters, GIGABYTE demonstrated its AMP-UP integrated audio solution that will feature on some of its upcoming motherboards. On that pretense, it even got to show of two of its top socket LGA1150 motherboards, built for Core "Haswell" processors, the G1.Sniper 5, and the G1.Sniper M5. Positioned in gamer-overclocker targeted G1.Killer series, the two boards are based on Intel Z87 Express chipset. The G1.Sniper 5 is the larger standard ATX motherboard; while the M5 is a compact micro-ATX offering. The pictures also confirm that socket LGA1150 retention module and bolt-spacing is identical to sockets LGA1155 and LGA1156.

The G1.Sniper 5 appears to feature a 16-phase VRM, which uses ferrite-core chokes, and the same International Rectifier PowIRstage components as Ultra Durable 5 motherboards from the previous generation. This time around, the CPU plays a greater role in voltage regulation. The driver-MOSFETs on the board are cooled by an active fan-heatsink, which also has a liquid channel running through it, so you could make it part of your CPU loop. Thankfully GIGABYTE didn't let its imagination run away with designs of the other heatsinks on the board, one of which cools the Z87 Express chipset, and the other we imagine, a PLX PEX8747 48-lane PCI-Express 3.0 bridge chip. This chip gets you 4-way SLI/CrossFireX support.

With Computex 2013 a little over a month away, alongside which Intel plans to launch its 4th generation Core "Haswell" family, motherboard manufacturers are gearing up for another summer of product launches, with compatible socket LGA1150 motherboards. Among these is MSI, which teased its flagship motherboard that targets overclockers and PC enthusiasts interested in taking the Core i7-4770K and Core i5-4670K for a spin. This motherboard falls inside the company's Big Bang series, bearing the name Z87 XPower. As the name suggests, it's based on Intel's Z87 Express chipset.

Not much is known about the Big Bang Z87 XPower, except what the teaser video (after the break) and a couple of corner-shots reveal. Expect a fancy new color scheme (probably a combination of gold and black), a new design scheme for the VRM and chipset heatsinks with a glowy "X" sign, the usual plethora of overclocking options MSI packs with its high-end motherboards, and what appears to be an mSATA or mPCIe slot, in one of the pictures.

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.

Even though nothing much about ASRock's next generation Intel 8 Series motherboards can be revealed yet, we simply can't restrain ourselves from spilling out the good news that ASRock's Z87 Extreme4 is the world's first Intel 8 Series motherboard to pass Windows 8 hardware certification. So, yeah, users may be ensured that ASRock's Z87 Extreme4 will support the latest operating system from Microsoft without any problems, and bear in mind that it's coming to you real soon.

ASRock is always striving for the most advanced hardware designs, as well as the latest software applications. The company is dedicated to offer users only the best cutting edge technology, which of course includes the latest Windows 8 operating system. Why settle for second place when you can be number one? Be the first to lay your hands on the 8 Series computers with ASRock.

Durathon from Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) exclusively delivers a hassle free computing experience by solving common PC hardware problems before they can even occur. A specially devised testing regime - far stricter than common industry standards and combined with the highest quality components, ensures that ECS Durathon motherboards can be relied on stability and reliability far into the future. Durathon derives from Durable and Marathon, which means each board runs through the strenuous testing cycle and guaranteed the ability of working flawlessly even under the most extreme environmental conditions.

For PC owners suffering crashes, instability and poor performance, ECS Durathon motherboards go above and beyond industry standards to ensure that your motherboard can now deliver the stability, reliability and performance that we promise. ECS Durathon comprises four interlocking tests and enhancements together to protect PCs and defeat many of the most common causes of hardware problems and system instability.

MSI, industry leader in motherboard and graphics card technology is happy to announce the availability of its complete Gaming motherboard lineup. At CeBIT 2013 the world got a first hands-on experience with the new models and the completely new look and feel of the motherboards and thanks to that we've received overwhelming positive reviews from gamers and media. As part of the 2013 series of motherboards, the new Z77 Gaming models will be available far into 2014. Together with the recently introduced Gaming Graphics Cards from MSI, they allow awe-inspiring PC builds from PC Gamers and Enthusiasts.

The MSI Z77 Gaming motherboards are designed to have as little lag as possible, to have the best possible input relay connections from your devices (mouse, keyboard and headset) and have the best audio set up integrated in the motherboard and have room for several graphics cards. These are but a few examples of how MSI has tried to perfect this Gaming motherboard for the enthusiasts who want the best hardware to get the best performance where it counts: in-game.