GIGABYTE rolled out its newest entry-level socket FM2 motherboard, the F2A75M-DS2. With it, GIGABYTE established AMD A75 chipset and black PCB color as the new baseline for its AMD platform motherboards. Built in the compact micro-ATX form-factor measuring 174 x 226 mm, the motherboard seats AMD A-series APUs and Athlon processors in the FM2 package, with out of the box support for A-series "Richland" APUs.

The F2A75M-DS2 draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, a 4+1 phase VRM powers the APU socket, which is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-2133 MHz memory; and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. A PCI-Express 2.0 x1 and legacy PCI make for the rest of its expansion. Display outputs include dual-link DVI and D-Sub. Storage connectivity includes four SATA 6 Gb/s ports from the A75 FCH. Four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel two by header), 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports make for the rest of the connectivity. The board is driven by AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS, backed by GIGABYTE's dual-UEFI technology. Expect this one to go for around $60.

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.

Gigabyte rolled out the fifth revision to its 990FXA-UD3 socket AM3+ motherboard, which possibly heralds a series of upgrades to the company's existing socket AM3+ motherboard SKUs. The 990FXA-UD3 Rev. 4 features a host of changes over its UEFI-equipped predecessor, beginning with a refreshed 10-phase CPU VRM (Digital Power Engine), a different selection of chokes, capacitors, and MOSFETs, newer VRM and chipset heatsinks capable of handling higher thermal loads, and Gigabyte's newest UEFI setup program. The board is otherwise identical to the 990FXA-UD3 Rev 3.

Designed with support for AMD FX "Vishera" processors out of the box, the 990FXA-UD3 Rev. 4 features a split power-plane 10-phase CPU VRM, with chokes that don't whine under load, and lower footprint MOSFETs. The CPU socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-2133 MHz memory, and the AMD 990FX northbridge. This chip gives out two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, and two PCI-Express 2.0 x4 slots (physical x16). Two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and a legacy PCI make for the rest of its expansion. All six SATA 6 Gb/s ports from the SB950 southbridge are assigned as internal ports, while a Marvell 9172 controller handles two eSATA 6 Gb/s. The board offers a total of four USB 3.0 ports, driven by EJ168 controllers by Etron. 8-channel HD audio driven by Realtek ALC889 CODEC, and a gigabit Ethernet interface driven by Realtek 8111F, cover the rest of its connectivity. Since it's a revision to an existing SKU, we expect it to be priced the same, around $140.

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!

GIGABYTE created UEFI-equipped revisions of most of its socket AM3+ motherboards with the advent of FX "Vishera" processors last year, but held back with its flagship motherboard for the platform, the 990FXA-UD7. The company released an updated revision of the motherboard, dubbed 990FXA-UD7 Rev 3.0, completely skipping "Rev 2.0." While the new board is essentially laid out similar to its predecessor, a lot has changed.

To begin with, its based on GIGABYTE's newer (though not latest) Ultra Durable 4 construction. A 10-phase high-amperage VRM powers the AM3+ socket, which appears to be ready for AMD's FX-9000 series CPUs for overclockers. The CPU VRM uses driver-MOSFETs, although not quite the PowIRStage chippery we find on Ultra Durable 5 motherboards. A thicker, chunkier heatsink is used to cool these driver-MOSFETs and the AMD 990FX northbridge. This cluster of heatsinks is connected to the one that cools the AMD SB950 southbridge over a heat pipe. The AM3+ socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, which support up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-2000+ MHz memory.

Galaxy extended its top-end Hall of Fame (HOF) brand extension to motherboards, and unveiled its flagship socket LGA1150 motherboard, the Z87 HOF. The board uses two PEX8747 x48 bridge chips, probably chained, to give out four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, all four of which stay at electrical x16, no matter how you populate them. The board uses a 16-phase VRM to power the CPU, which draws power from two 8-pin EPS connectors, in addition to the 24-pin ATX. The board takes advantage of its unique PCI-Express configuration to support 4-way SLI and CrossFireX.

Sadly, the board doesn't impress quite as much with storage connectivity. You get four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, an mSATA/mPCIe, and an eSATA. DVI, HDMI, 8-channel HD audio, and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of it. The board gives you plenty of overclocking features, such as onboard OC controls, dual-BIOS, voltage measurement-points, an OC module, and a feature-rich UEFI setup program.

Phoenix Technologies Ltd., the global leader in UEFI firmware, products and tools, will preview major advances for BIOS technology and future developments at this year's Computex.

Phoenix next-generation BIOS featured on Intel's 2013 Ultrabook FFRD
As Intel's elected partner in developing the UEFI BIOS for next-generation devices, Phoenix is demonstrating its forward-thinking leadership in support of Ultrabook designs with a feature set that optimizes responsiveness, mobility, connectivity and power efficiency focused on delivering an extraordinary user experience. At Computex 2013, Phoenix will demonstrate Intel's next-generation Ultrabook FFRD featuring Phoenix SecureCore Technology 3.1 in certified compliance with Intel Rapid Start Technology, Smart Response Technology, Smart Connect Technology, Anti-Theft Technology and Identity Protection Technology.

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.

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."

An FTP server in Taiwan that could be publicly accessed, leaked the source code of AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS, including AMI's unique UEFI signing test key. The utterly irresponsible act of holding such sensitive data on public FTPs is suspected to be committed by motherboard vendor Jetway. In doing so, the company may have compromised security of every motherboard (across vendors) running AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS. Most socket LGA1155 and FM2 motherboards, and some socket AM3+ motherboards run AMI Aptio.

Among the leaked bits of software include the source code of AMI BIOS, Aptio, and AMI's UEFI test signing key, which is used by all its clients to sign their BIOS updates. Signing ensures that BIOS updating software verifies the update is genuine, and coming from the motherboard manufacturer. With this key out, malware developers can develop malicious BIOS updates, hack motherboard vendors' customer support websites, and replace legitimate BIOS updates with their malicious ones. Control over the system BIOS could then give hackers access to most ring-0 OS functions.

ASUS rolled out an optional video BIOS update for its GeForce GTX 680 graphics cards, which lends them GOP UEFI support, letting users take advantage of "Ultra Fast Boot" and "CSM disable" features. To use Windows 8 Secure Boot feature as intended, it's not enough that your PC motherboard supports UEFI, discrete graphics cards should support GOP (graphics output protocol) UEFI, as well. Very few graphics cards at the moment support it, and graphics card board vendors are making efforts on their side to add it.

ASUS' GOP UEFI VBIOS update ships as an executable that updates VBIOS from within Windows (provided it's being run with Administrator rights). ASUS tested the update only on its motherboards. Also, once updated to the UEFI-hybrid VBIOS, the graphics card can't be flashed back to the older legacy one. Risk takers can find the update here. Find more technical information at the source.

It turns out that MSI's Gaming Series begins with not just the Z77A-GD65 Gaming, but two other models; the Z77A-G43 Gaming, and Z77A-G45 Gaming. Like the Z77A-GD65 Gaming, the other two are nearly identical to their originals, except for a few differences: Killer E2200 low-latency network interfaces, Creative Sound Blaster Cinema audio, fancy VRM heatsinks with dragon head-shaped fins, themed PCH heatsinks, Gaming Series branding on the POST screen and a themed UEFI BIOS interface. With Z87-based LGA1150 motherboards being just three months away, MSI could rush these motherboards into the market.

MSI launched the X79A-GD45 PLUS socket LGA2011 motherboard, targeting the US $200~250 price-range. The board uses a 9-phase DrMOS VRM to power the CPU socket, which is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 128 GB of quad-channel DDR3-2400 MHz memory; and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (gray). The other two PCI-Express x16 slots (black) are electrical gen 2.0 x4, and wired to the X79 PCH. A lone PCI-Express 2.0 x1 finds some room in there.

The X79A-GD45 PLUS sticks to the chipset's feature-set, with very little third-party controller functionality. Storage connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s and three SATA 3 Gb/s, all of which are internal ports. The board features four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two by headers), 8-channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs, gigabit Ethernet, PS/2 mouse/keyboard, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports making up the rest of the connectivity. It is driven by an AMI UEFI BIOS, with a few overclocker-friendly features such as diagnostic LEDs, POST state display, accessible CMOS reset button, etc.

Gigabyte rolled out a new mini-ITX motherboard based on the AMD E350 "Zacate" APU, for entry-level PC and home-server builds, the E350N-WIN8. As the name might suggest, the board is designed to run Windows 8 with its entire feature set, including Fast Boot. It does that by replacing legacy AwardBIOS on older variants, with modern AMI UEFI, backed by Gigabyte's Dual-UEFI redundant BIOS technology that protects against failed BIOS updates. The E350N WIN8 uses a fairly big (SFF-safe) fan-heatsink to cool the APU, while a tiny heatsink cools its companion A45 FCH chipset.

The AMD E350 packs two x86-64 cores clocked at 1.60 GHz, with a maximum memory support of 16 GB, and AMD Radeon HD 6310D DirectX 11 graphics that rides on 80 stream processors. The APU is wired to two standard-size 240-pin DIMM slots. The lone expansion slot, sadly, is a legacy PCI. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin and 4-pin ATX connectors. Connectivity includes four SATA 3 Gb/s ports, eight USB 2.0/1.1 ports (four on the rear panel, four by headers), serial RS232 (COM) and parallel (LPT) ports, PS/2 mouse and keyboard connectors, and display outputs that include D-Sub (VGA) and HDMI (with 7.1-channel digital HD audio). Expect a sub-$100 price point.

ASUS augmented its socket FM2 motherboard lineup with the F2A85-V, a lite variant of the F2A85-V Pro the company kicked off its Trinity APU-compatible motherboard lineup with. The new F2A85-V trims down on a few things over the -Pro variant, such as simpler independent VRM and FCH heatsinks with no heat-pipe connecting them, fewer APU power phases, and a lighter expansion slot layout that isn't ideal for multi-GPU setups.

To begin with, the F2A85-V features a 6-phase APU VRM that draws power from a 4-pin ATX connector, compared to the 8-phase one drawing from an 8-pin EPS, on the F2A85-V Pro. The FM2 socket is connected to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting a maximum of 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory; and a single PCI-Express 2.0 x16. Other expansion slots include a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to the A85X FCH), two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and three legacy PCI slots.

In addition to the AP2021 all-in-one desktop, earlier today, MSI rolled out the A85XMA-P33 socket FM2 motherboard. Nearly identical to the recently-launched A75MA-P33, the A85XMA-P33 is proof that AMD overproduced the chipset, and it's up to board makers like MSI to somehow get rid of it. Even as the AMD A85X chipset features eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, the board only features six, there aren't even eSATA ports to make up. Supporting AMD A-Series APUs in the socket FM2 package, the board features a 5-phase VRM, one each of PCI-Express 2.0 x16, PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and legacy PCI; four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two by header), DVI and D-Sub display outputs, 6-channel HD audio, and gigabit Ethernet. It is driven by UEFI BIOS. We see no reason why the board should be priced any differently from the A75MA-P33.

When Gigabyte ported a bulk of its socket AM3+ motherboard lineup to the modern UEFI BIOS, back in October 2012, top models that support NVIDIA SLI, such as the 990FXA-UD5 missed out, with the 990FXA-UD3 leading the pack. The company made amends launching the 990FXA-UD5 Rev 3.0, which tosses out decades-old legacy BIOS for modern AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS, backed by the company's Dual-UEFI innovation, which protects against failed BIOS updates. The 990FXA-UD5 features a 12-phase VRM to power the CPU, five PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, supporting 3-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX, eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, two eSATA 6 Gb/s ports, four USB 3.0, 8-channel HD audio, and a single gigabit Ethernet interface. It is expected to be priced around US $160.

MSC Embedded Inc., manufacturer of highly integrated standard board level products and customer-specific boards and systems, today introduced a powerful, new COM Express Type 6 module family. This family, called MSC C6C-A7, is based on the AMD embedded R-Series processors also known as accelerated processing units (APUs). MSC C6C-A7 members are compact form factor computer-on-modules characterized by very powerful graphics and high parallel computing performance with low power dissipation.

The MSC C6C-A7 module family integrates AMD R-460L 2.0 GHz (2.8 GHz Turbo) or AMD R-452L 1.6 GHz (2.4 GHz Turbo) quad-core processors. The thermal design power (TDP) levels are 25 W and 19 W, respectively. The two dual-core versions are populated with the AMD R-260H 2.1 GHz (2.6 GHz Turbo) processor or the AMD R-252F 1.7 GHz (2.3 GHz Turbo) processor -- each featuring 17 W TDP. The processors support the AMD64 technology and the AMD-V virtualization technology. The AMD Fusion Controller Hub (FCH) A75 chipset was also selected. The main memory can be expanded to 16 GB DDR3-1600 dual-channel SDRAM via two SO DIMM sockets.

TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of AMD graphic cards, pioneers to offer UEFI ready graphics solutions to all gamers. As the industry-leading graphics brand, PowerColor dedicated itself to deliver innovative technology to all gamers. With newly announcement of Microsoft Windows 8, the whole new operating system amazes gamers with fantastic features such as fast boot technology.

To provide complete experience of the latest Windows 8 operating system, PowerColor develops new firmware with UEFI ready which enables fast boot implementation. By utilizing UEFI firmware, the latest Windows 8 systems can boot and resume activity faster than ever. Gamers can experience the speedy boot and resume times with PowerColor UEFI-capable graphics solutions, allows the unsurpassed user experience like never before.

Phoenix Technologies Ltd., the global leader in UEFI firmware technology, products and tools, announced today the release of its flagship UEFI BIOS product, Phoenix SecureCore Technology 3.0. The third generation of Phoenix SecureCore Technology UEFI BIOS features cross-device, cross-codebase compatibility with native EDK II and EDK 1117 support for both x86 and ARM based systems, saving customization and maintenance efforts while reducing time to market for PC and mobile device builders.

"We have redefined Phoenix SecureCore Technology to maximize BIOS reusability and portability," said Steve Chan, Phoenix's Chief Technical Officer. "Phoenix SecureCore Technology 3.0 inherits its popular clean code tree with fully modularized design from previous generations; in addition, we re-architected the core for a universal build system which will help firmware developers in transitioning to EDK II, the next generation foundation for the latest UEFI and PI specifications."

A renowned brand of graphics card maker - VTX3D, unfolds a might weapon to HD7870 series with VTX3D HD7870 Black Edition. The VTX3D HD7870 Black extends the benefits of VTX3D HD7870 series, but taking advantage of progressive GPU design, showing extraordinary performance than before.

The new model consists of ground-breaking feature which runs at a clock of 925MHz, and 6.0 Gbps for memory, even allowing higher frame rates in games by using AMD PowerTune with boost which overdrives core frequency to dynamically overclock up to 975MHz. Also, VTX3D HD7870 Black features 92mm ultra large fan and 3 heat pipes design, which can significantly reduce heats and keep the temperature low.

Club 3D unveils today its brand new Radeon HD 7870 jokerCard graphic card, the new premium graphic card of the acclaimed Club 3D Radeon HD 7870 Poker Series. The Club 3D Radeon HD 7870 jokerCard graphic card features the highly awarded CoolStream high performance cooling design, a Limited Edition of the Radeon HD 7870 GPU powered by 1536 Stream Processors and the memory running at an amazing clock speed of 6000 MHz. Prepare to be blown away by the incredible speed of the Radeon HD 7870 jokerCard in the hottest DirectX 11 and DirectX 11.1 games and Microsoft Windows 8 WDDM 1.2. Experience amazing graphics with Morphological Anti-Aliasing (MLAA 2.0) and Adaptive Anti-Aliasing technologies that help smooth out jagged edges without compromising performance.

ECS unveiled the NM70-TI, a slim Mini-ITX variant of the NM70-I, which was launched in October. The board is designed for extremely compact chassis, perhaps even those meant for nettops that latch onto monitors using VESA wall mounts. The board stays low profile thanks to a dense aluminum fin fan-heatsink, half-height connectors, and SO-DIMM memory slots that are arranged almost along the plane of the motherboard.

The NM70-TI integrates an Intel Celeron 807 single-core 1.50 GHz processor (Celeron 847 dual-core option available), wired to its low board-footprint NM70 PCH. In addition to two SATA 6 Gb/s ports, the board features a SATA 3 Gb/s, and an mSATA 3 Gb/s slot. The lone bus expansion slot is an mPCIe. D-Sub and HDMI make up display outputs. Gigabit Ethernet, and a few USB 2.0/1.1 ports on the rear panel, and by headers, make for the rest of it. The board is driven by UEFI BIOS. More details are awaited.

ASRock will soon be adding a new budget board to its portfolio, the A55 Pro model which is powered by AMD's A55 chipset and supports AMD FM1 processors. Seen below, this ATX board has a 4+1 power design, two DDR3-1866 memory slots, six SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, and two PCIe x16 and three PCIe x1 slots.

The A55 Pro includes 5.1-channel onboard audio, Gigabit Ethernet, UEFI BIOS, six USB 2.0 ports, plus D-Sub and DVI outputs and comes with support for multiple ASRock features like Instant Boot, Instant Flash, APP Charger, XFast USB, XFast LAN and XFast RAM. The board's price tag has not been announced.