ASUS posted official BIOS updates for its socket LGA2011 motherboards, that let them support Intel Core i7 "Ivy Bridge-E" processors. The updates can be installed either using an old LGA2011 processor, or using ASUS USB BIOS Flashback, in the absence of an older processor. For ASUS' mainline P9X79 series, "Ivy Bridge-E" support is lent by BIOS version number 4301. The P9X79 series includes P9X79 LE, P9X79, P9X79 Pro, and P9X79 Deluxe. For ROG Rampage IV Extreme and Rampage IV Gene, it's version 4401, and for ROG Rampage IV Formula, it's 4402. For TUF Sabertooth X79 it's version 4309. Get your corresponding BIOS file here.

ASUS is excited to announce the world's first motherboard certified by Intel with Thunderbolt 2 technology, the Z87-Deluxe/Quad. Based on the new Intel Z87 chipset and ready for the latest 4th generation Intel Core processors, the ASUS Z87-Deluxe/Quad ATX motherboard has two Thunderbolt 2 ports which allow for up to 12 simultaneously connected devices. Each port is capable of up to a 20Gbit/s transfer rate and is backward compatible with first generation Thunderbolt.

"Z87-Deluxe/Quad has been subjected to a tremendous amount of compatibility, BIOS, as well as video/audio and other tests to verify its quality and design," said Joe Hsieh, ASUS Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Motherboard and Desktop System Business Unit. "Being the world's first certified motherboard for Thunderbolt 2 technology also means setting the standard for all of the upcoming products, which is something that ASUS has always done."

ASUS announced six new entry-level motherboards based on the Intel H81 chipset in ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX form factors. Designed for 4th generation Intel Core processors, the ASUS H81 Series features exclusive ASUS 5X Protection technology for superior reliability and is available in a range of specifications that cater for a variety of PC needs.

The ASUS H81 Series comprises the H81-Plus ATX motherboard; the H81M-Plus, H81M-A, H81M-C and H81M-E Micro-ATX motherboards; and the H81I-Plus Mini-ITX motherboard. All models feature two DDR3 (1600MHz) DIMM slots for up to 16GB RAM, one PCI-Express x16 (@x16) slot and two SATA 6Gbit/s ports. All models also include the latest ASUS UEFI BIOS, Realtek 7.1 audio and USB 3.0 with USB 3.0 Boost technology for data transfer rates up to 1.7 times faster than ordinary USB 3.0 with industry-standard UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol) devices.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced its new FM2+ motherboard lineup supporting the forthcoming 'Keveri' AMD APUs with support for existing socket FM2 Trinity and Richland APUs.

GIGABYTE A88X motherboards feature a number of features and technologies and also include the first AMD G1-Killer gaming motherboard, the G1.Sniper A88X which includes GIGABYTE AMP-Up Audio, a range of advanced audio technologies that are designed to give audio enthusiasts and PC gamers more control over their motherboard audio than ever before. GIGABYTE A88X series motherboards also offer unique GIGABYTE features, including UEFI DualBIOS, Digital Power delivery, as well Triple Display support.

Known more for its server and workstation motherboards; and rackmount server chassis; Supermicro dipped its toes into consumer (DIY) motherboards, announcing the C7Z87-OCE, a socket LGA1150 motherboard based on the Intel Z87 Express chipset. Built in the standard ATX form-factor, this board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, and 8-pin EPS connectors. It features a rather bland blue PCB, with seemingly basic heatsinks over the chipset and CPU VRM. In reality, the 22 nm-built Z87 Express PCH, with a 4.1W TDP can make do with a heatsink like that. The one on the VRM, on the other hand, is suspect. It appears to use a 6-phase digital PWM circuitry with driver-MOSFETs.

The LGA1150 socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/NC/NC, x8/x8/NC, x8/x4/x4). A trio of close-ended PCI-Express 2.0 x4 find room in between them. The board offers a total of eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, six from the Z87 PCH, two from a third-party controller. Also on offer, are eight USB 3.0 ports, four on the rear panel, four by headers. The board offers 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF output, a pair of gigabit Ethernet interfaces, Thunderbolt (which doubles up as mini-DisplayPort), dual-link DVI and D-Sub display outputs. Although driven by AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS, it features a classic keyboard-driven setup program UI. The company didn't release pricing. Find a complete review at the source.

The world-renowned motherboard manufacturer MSI announces that its 990FXA-GD80 motherboard supports AMD's new FX-9590 processor. With the MSI 990FXA-GD80 motherboard everyone can enjoy the excellent performance of the new AMD FX-9590 processor simply by updating the BIOS. The 8-core AMD FX-9590 processor is the first commercially available 5 GHz processor and designed to power next-gen Gaming.

The MSI 990FXA-GD80 is equipped with Military Class components and provides a long lifespan, unparalleled quality, extreme performance and ultimate efficiency. As a testament, the MSI 990FXA-GD80 set several world records for highest CPU speed, an assurance to run the world's fastest retail CPU rock stable. For further BIOS information, please visit this page.

MSI, the leading motherboard manufacturer announced today that the Z87-G43 has passed Microsoft Windows 8.1 official certification requirements! MSI Z87-G43 is the World's First motherboard completely compliant with Microsoft Windows 8.1, other MSI motherboards will soon follow in its footsteps. Not only bringing the best user experience, but also standing proof for the skill and dedication of MSI's R&D team. If you want to enjoy the full benefits of Microsoft's latest operating system, MSI motherboards are your best choice.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced Maximus VI Formula, an ATX gaming motherboard ready for the latest 4th generation Intel Core processors and packed with exclusive ROG features.

Based on the new Intel Z87 chipset, Maximus VI Formula is brimming with the kind of innovative and exclusive features that ROG fans expect. CrossChill hybrid air and water-cooling gives efficient heat dissipation for extreme overclocked performance, SupremeFX Formula onboard audio with a dedicated 600ohm headphone amplifier ensures immersive high-quality audio and a mini-PCIe Combo II card adds dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi for next-generation wireless networking. Maximus VI Formula also features Extreme Engine DIGi+ III technology and high-quality electronic components for precise power delivery with stable performance.

GIGABYTE announced its first socket LGA1150 motherboards based on Intel's new H81 Express chipset for entry-level desktop platforms, among the trio of H81-based motherboards launched today, are the H81M-DS2, H81M-D2V, and H81M-D3V. The three are based on a common compact micro-ATX PCB design measuring 226 x 170 mm, and differ with connectivity features. The H81 Express is basically B85 Express without SBA, and fewer SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and PCIe gen 2.0.

The H81M-DS2 has a focus on legacy connectivity, which could go well with POS (that's point-of-sale, but we won't disagree with what you made out) PCs that are wired to old LPT printers. Its legacy ports include an LPT parallel port, an RS232 COM serial port, separate PS/2 ports for mouse and keyboard. Its lone display output is a D-Sub (VGA). The H81M-D2V sheds LPT while retaining a the RS232 COM port, and a slightly more modern display connectivity that includes D-Sub (VGA) and DVI. It features a single, common PS/2 connector. The H81M-D3V has the least legacy connectivity, with just DVI and D-Sub for display outputs, no rear-panel COM or LPT ports, and a common PS/2 connector.

Over the past couple of months, motherboard vendors from across the industry offered BIOS updates for their motherboards based on Intel B85 Express and H87 Express chipsets, which enable CPU overclocking for Intel's unlocked Core processors denoted by "K" brand extension (Core i7-4770K, i5-4670K). This reportedly hasn't gone down well with Intel. Intel's Bxx and Hxx chipsets are significantly cheaper than its Zxx series chipset. Sensing a clear threat to its revenue, from the prospect of motherboard vendors coming up with high-end or overclocking-ready (strong CPU VRM) motherboards based on cheaper chipsets in the near future, Intel cracked down on them.

Intel is giving final touches to a CPU microcode update that restricts Core "K" Haswell processors from overclocking on chipsets other than Z87 Express. A microcode update can be deployed both through BIOS updates, and surreptitiously through Windows Update. Intel's used the tried and tested "stability" bogey to justify the update. While it's true that motherboards based on B85 and H87 tend to feature weaker CPU VRM, there's nothing to say that ASUS wouldn't have gone on to design its next ROG Maximus on H87 Express, and save on manufacturing costs. While it's purely hypothetical, something like that wouldn't be in Intel's commercial interests. What next? Intel will push this new microcode update on to motherboard vendors, instructing them to issue BIOS updates with it; and future batches of Intel "K" CPUs may not support overclocking. If that isn't enough to contain the problem, Intel may give Microsoft a ring, and ask it to push the update through Windows Update. It tried that once in the past.

ASUS today announced the new A88XM-A and A55BM-A/USB3 motherboards, the first from any manufacturer to support new Socket FM2+ APUs (Accelerated Processing Units) from AMD. The A88XM-A with AMD A88X chipset and A55BM-A/USB3 with A55 chipset are both Micro-ATX motherboards for existing AMD 'Richland' and 'Trinity' FM2 APUs, and are hardware-ready for upcoming AMD 'Kaveri' FM2+ APUs that support DirectX 11.1 and PCI Express 3.0 natively. ASUS is committed to supporting the latest in PC technology. The new FM2+ motherboards offer customers the very latest in motherboard design, with the added flexibility of both backward and forward compatibility with AMD APUs.

Motherboards running C2-stepping Intel 8-series chipsets should begin surfacing on the market in September 2013, according to a DigiTimes report. The C2-stepping addresses a design flaw in the 8-series chipset's integrated USB 3.0 host controllers, which causes connected devices to improperly reinitialize after the system resumes from a sleep state such as S3 (suspend-to-RAM), forcing users to unplug and replug such devices; which can particularly be an irritant for people running USB 3.0 external RAID boxes.

The USB 3.0 erratum came to public light a bit too late for Intel to delay the June launch of its 4th generation Core "Haswell" processors platform. By the time it emerged that Intel was working on the C2-stepping, production of socket LGA1150 motherboards were already on full-swing, and at the time it was predicted that motherboards with the rectified chipsets would fill up inventory by late-Q3 or early-Q4, 2013. This update point out at September checks out.

ASUS today announced that the latest UEFI BIOS for its motherboards based on Intel H87 and B85 chipsets unlocks previously inaccessible overclocking features for 4th generation Intel Core processors. Before this update, the overclocking features of new Haswell 'K Series' processors could be enjoyed only with motherboards based on the Intel Z87 chipset. Now, however, performance enthusiasts can exploit the power of Haswell K Series processors using ASUS 8 Series motherboards like the ASUS H87M-PRO and B85-PRO. The BIOS update is a free download for 10 ASUS motherboards - the H87-PRO, H87-PLUS, H87M-PRO, H87M-PLUS, H87M-E, H87I-PLUS, B85-PRO, B85-PLUS, B85M-E and B85M-G.

Once installed, the update enables frequency multiplier-based overclocking in one simple step for unlocked Intel K Series processors such as the Intel Core i7-4770K and Core i5 4670K. The BIOS also includes several features to make life simpler for PC users. A 'Last Modified' log makes it easy to determine when and how a particular setting was changed, and custom settings can be saved to a 'favorites' list for rapid switching to suit different applications.

ASRock unveiled the H87E-ITX/ac, its first mini-ITX motherboard featuring 802.11ac WLAN. Based on Intel's H87 Express chipset, the board seats Core "Haswell" processors in the LGA1150 package. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a 4-phase VRM. Up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory is supported through a pair of conventional 240-pin DIMM slots. A PCI-Express 3.0 x16 makes for the board's lone expansion slot, aside from the mPCIe that's populated by the WLAN card.

Connectivity on the H87E-ITX/ac include 802.11ac WLAN, based on Intel's i217V chipset, offering up to 867 Mbps of wireless bandwidth, gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth 4.0. It makes use of all SATA channels of the H87 PCH, offering five internal SATA 6 Gb/s, and an eSATA 6 Gb/s. 8-channel HD audio based on Realtek ALC1150 CODEC, with optical SPDIF, four USB 3.0 ports, a pair of USB 2.0/1.1 ports; and display connectivity that includes one each of DVI, DisplayPort, and HDMI, make for the rest of it. ASRock will begin shipping the board a little later this week.

BIOSTAR, maker of Embedded/IPC solutions, Graphics Cards, and Motherboards, has officially announced their complete range of Intel 8 series chipset motherboards, including H87, B85 and H81 have the CPU overclocking ability.

BIOSTAR has achieved the K series CPU overclocking by not only Z87, but as well as H87, B85, and H81 motherboards that giving all users an additional value and experiencing optimum overclcoking. Without any complicate setting, users just need to simply adjust the CPU ratio from BIOS setting. More importantly, BIOSTAR has once again offering an affordable solution to every overclockers.

Intel's first processors in the BGA (ball-grid array) package, arrive by the end of 2013, according to a leaked roadmap slide. Some of the first of these processors will span across entry-level market segments, covering the Celeron and Pentium brands. The term system-on-chip (SoC) better defines these chips than processors, as they completely integrate the processor as we know it, with the motherboard chipset. Motherboards with BGA processors come with the processors non-replaceable, and hard-wired to the board, with a stock fan-heatsink.

Intel's first SoCs for the desktop are based on the "BayTrail-D" silicon. These include the Celeron J1750, Celeron J1850, and Pentium J2850. Celeron J1750 is a dual-core part, with the CPU cores clocked at 2.41 GHz, GPU at 792 MHz, and a TDP rated at just 10W. Celeron J1850, on the other hand, is a quad-core part, with its CPU cores clocked at 2.00 GHz, and the same 792 MHz GPU. Pentium J2850 tops the series, being a quad-core part with CPU cores running at 2.41 GHz, and GPU at 792 MHz. Both these quad-core parts stick to 10W TDP. Being SoCs, these chips integrate connectivity otherwise handled by a PCH, into the processor package. According to an Intel roadmap slide, the three parts will spearhead Intel's BGA CPU lineup deep into 2014, at least as far as late-June.

Now your K-Series CPUs don't necessarily need to go along with Z-Series chipsets to experience the joy of overclocking. ECS recently announced that its motherboards with all Intel 8 Series chipsets, including H87, B85, and H81, have the CPU overclocking ability, giving non Z-Series motherboard users the benefit of additional performance through CPU overclocking.

ECS has achieved Non-Z Series CPU overclocking with H87, B85, and H81 motherboards by simply adjusting the CPU Ratio inside the BIOS, offering an extremely easy way of overclocking your CPU. More importantly, H87, B85, and H81 CPU overclocking ability provides an affordable solution for seasoned or casual overclockers at a wide range or price levels.

BIOSTAR, maker of embedded/IPC solutions, graphics cards, and motherboards, has introduced their latest motherboard that supports AMD's FM2 APU family (Trinity / Richland), the Hi-Fi A85W 3D. It comes with BIOSTAR's own in-house audio technology called "Hi-Fi 3D".

The Hi-Fi A85W 3D is an ATX form factor board that features AMD socket FM2 APU support and 4 DDR3 memory slots. It includes the usual high-end motherboard features like USB 3.0, HDMI and PCI-E slots. Additional utilities from BIOSTAR including: Watch Dog, BIO-Relife, BIO-Flasher, e-Hotline, BIO-Watch, T-Overclocker, GPU (Green power uitlity), and Smart Speed LAN.

EVGA launched its flagship socket LGA2011 motherboard, the X79 Dark (model: 150-SE-E789-KR). It made its debut at this year's International CES event. Designed for open-air benches, this motherboard requires a case that can seat E-ATX motherboards. It measures 304.8 x 263.5 mm (LxW). It draws power from a combination of a 24-pin ATX input, two 8-pin EPS inputs, and a 6-pin PCIe input, to stabilize bus-supplied power for add-on cards. The X79 Dark from EVGA comes with a plethora of features for CPU and VGA overclockers alike. In addition to onboard controls, EVBot support, consolidated voltage measurement points, EVGA deployed a brand new UEFI setup program interface, which debuted with some of its premium Z87-based motherboards.

EVGA X79 Dark features a 12-layer PCB. It uses a 12+2 phase VRM to power the CPU, a 4-phase VRM for the memory, and features power-gating to individual PCI-Express slots. On the expansion front, you get five PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, from which two are electrical x16-capable, and all five electrical x8-capable, depending on how the slots are populated. Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s internal ports, two of which are from the X79 PCH, four from third-party controllers; four SATA 3 Gb/s ports from the PCH, and two eSATA 3 Gb/s. The rest of its connectivity includes 8-channel HD audio, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces (both driven by Intel-made controllers), six USB 3.0 ports (four on the rear panel, two by header), Bluetooth, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports. EVGA X79 Dark bear a street-price of US $399.99.Many Thanks to Radrok for the tip

Who ever said that only K series CPUs and the Z-family platform are capable of being overclocked? The avant-garde company ASRock has broken this limitation with an exciting new feature named Non-Z OC! Via this feature overclockers may install their K series CPUs to ASRock's Fatal1ty H87 Performance or any other H87 B85 chipset motherboards and start overclocking immediately!

The first ASRock motherboard that implements the Non-Z OC feature is Fatal1ty H87 Performance, which is also the H87 motherboard with the most number of power phases in the market currently. Along with its powerful 8 Power Phase design, the CPU frequency can be effortlessly overclocked up to 26%! Simply update to the latest version of our UEFI, then you'll find the Non-Z OC feature sitting in the OC Tweaker page, select a frequency from a couple of preset settings, restart, kick back to enjoy your drink and voila!

EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is preparing a a new line of blocks for the latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX based ASUS DirectCU II series graphics cards and ASUS Republic of Gamers Z87 LGA-1150 motherboards:

ASUS Republic of Gamers Motherboards:

• ASUS Maximus VI Extreme
• ASUS Maximus VI Formula
• ASUS Maximus VI Hero
• ASUS Maximus VI Gene
• ASUS Maximus VI Impact

Graphics cards:

• ASUS GTX780-DC2-3GD5 GeForce GTX 780 3GB GDDR

ECS Reveals Its First AMD Kabini Motherboard - KBN-I

Elitegroup Computer Systems reveals its latest Mini-ITX motherboard family KBN-I featuring the world 1st Quad Core SoC (system-on-a-chip) processor with the newest "Jaguar" 28 nanometer architecture. The ECS KBN-I integrated AMD Quad Core A6-5200 APU with AMD Radeon HD 8400 Graphics, supporting new generation DirectX 11.1 graphics. The ECS KBN-I with official Windows 8 WHCK certification (Windows Hardware Certification Kit) allows users to take full advantage of the touch browser and function-oriented design of Windows 8. The KBN-I is optimized for home entertainment, general computing productivity, and multimedia applications.

Z87 MPOWER and Z87 MPOWER MAX, two of MSI's top overclocker-targeted socket LGA1150 motherboards, are joined by the company's new flagship motherboard, the Z87 XPOWER. Built in the XL-ATX (345 x 264 mm) form-factor, this board gets you the best MSI has to offer, and is ideal for both CPU and VGA overclocking benches. The CPU is powered by a gargantuan 32-phase digital-PWM power supply, which draws power from two 8-pin EPS connectors, in addition to the 24-pin ATX, and an optional 6-pin PCI-Express connector.

The CPU socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-3000+ memory, and a PLX PEX8747 PCI-Express gen 3.0 bridge chip, which gives out four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, two of which are x16 capable, all four of which are x8-capable. One of the five x16 slots, the second one from top, is directly wired to the CPU, and plugging a graphics card on that slot will bypass the bridge-chip. This slot is ideal for when you have just one card. Two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots take seat between the x16 slots, wired to the PCH. In addition to 4-way NVIDIA SLI and 4-way AMD CrossFireX, the board includes Lucid Virtu MVP 2.0 software.

Accidents happen, especially when you try to avoid them. But rest assured that ASRock's latest ATX sized OC Formula Series motherboards, including Z87 OC Formula/ac (with 802.11ac WiFi support) and Z87 OC Formula are protected by a special layer of Conformal Coating. As you've probably already heard, Conformal Coating protects the motherboards from conductive liquids, dust, corrosion and extreme temperatures*. And if you still feel skeptical about the lifespan of your overclocking oriented motherboards, fear not! ASRock guarantees 5 year warranty!

ASRock's Z87 OC Formula/ac and Z87 OC Formula are designed by the world famous overclocker Nick Shih. These two motherboards possess both hardware and software features for extreme overclocking, and they are also fully loaded with a set of lifestyle based features named A-Style. ASRock provides the five year warranty package as long as the malfunctions and defects occur under normal use conditions and aren't caused by misuse or abnormal operations**. If unfortunately the motherboard cannot be repaired, ASRock will replace the product with equivalent or next generation products.

First sighted in January, ASUS' P9X79-E WS socket LGA2011 motherboard is ready to take on the new breed of Core "Ivy Bridge-E" and Xeon "Ivy Bridge-EP" lines of processors, even if initial versions of its BIOS don't advertise that support. Based on Intel X79 Express chipset, the board is built in the 305 x 267 mm SSI-CEB form-factor. The LGA2011 socket is powered by a 10-phase VRM, with 2+2 phase memory VRM. The CPU socket is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots, four on its either sides, supporting up to 64 GB of quad-channel DDR3-2133 MHz memory. The board features a total of seven PCI-Express x16 slots. 4-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX are supported.

Storage connectivity on the P9X79-E WS includes two SATA 6 Gb/s ports from the X79 PCH, four SATA 6 Gb/s from a Marvell-made 4-port SATA 6 Gb/s AHCI/RAID controller, four SATA 3 Gb/s from the PCH, and an additional two eSATA 6 Gb/s from an ASMedia-made controller. There are just four USB 3.0 ports on offer, all ASMedia-made controllers. Other connectivity includes two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, both driven by Intel-made controllers, 8-channel HD audio, legacy connectivity such as PS/2 and RS232 COM (header), and a pinch of overclocker-friendly features in the BIOS and on-board. The P9X79-E WS from ASUS is priced at US $499.99.