In what is a repeat of the design issues Intel faced with its previous X79 Express chipset, over its integrated storage controller, leading to motherboard vendors redesigning their products with fewer SATA/SAS ports than the platform is capable of, the company is facing design troubles with its already-launched X99 Express chipset, which drives its latest Core i7-5xxx "Haswell-E" HEDT platform. Intel X99 Express is based on a common silicon, on which the company's enterprise C610 chipset is also based. On paper, it features as many as ten SATA 6 Gb/s ports. The storage controller has its own exclusive Rapid Storage Technology driver, marked "RSTe" on Intel's Download website.

Intel withdrew version 4.1.0.1046 of its RSTe drivers (even from the list of older drivers), and made its motherboard partners do the same. Replying to German publication Heise.de, ASUS explained that the driver was withdrawn because it doesn't support ATA TRIM command for SSDs striped in a RAID 0 array. The latest driver makes only six out of ten SATA 6 Gb/s ports visible to the operating system, and you can create RAID arrays using on these six ports. The other four ports become visible as part of a separate controller, only when a device is plugged into them. This controller is recognized by Windows' internal Standard AHCI controller driver. This also means that the four ports don't benefit from the SATA power management features the first six ports do, nor can they be part of a RAID array with drives plugged to the first six ports. Intel did not respond to the Heise article.

MAINGEAR, an award-winning custom PC builder known for custom gaming high-performance desktop, laptops and workstations revamps their popular VYBE desktop with a brand new chassis and features that offer the best hardware options in high-performance and cooling that is completely scalable for price and performance.

Performance:
Performing the very best is important to MAINGEAR and with the new VYBE, gamers will be able to build their dream systems that can range from a PC that is simple or outfitted to be maxed out in performance. Featuring Intel's 4th generation Core architecture or latest generation 6-core Extreme Edition processors, the new VYBE Z97 and X79 can be watercooled, overclocked and support 4k surround ready gaming.

EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce company's second complete all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solution, this time for ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition, a X79 Express based 4th generation Intel Core i7 LGA-2011 socket motherboard.

EK-FB ASUS R4BE Monoblock water block is a complete all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solution for Intel LGA-2011 socket Ivy Bridge-E CPU and ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard.

EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard water cooling solution, a X79 based 4th generation Intel Core i7 extreme overclocking LGA-2011 socket motherboard.

EK-FB KIT ASUS R4BE water block kit is a complete liquid cooling solution for ASUS Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard. The water blocks directly cools Intel X79 Express southbridge (PCH) as well as power regulation (VRM / MOSFETs) module. It is a high flow water block kit that can be easily used with systems using weaker water pumps.

ASUS today announced the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage IV Black Edition, an E-ATX gaming and overclocking motherboard designed to unleash the full potential of Intel LGA 2011 Core i7 Ivy Bridge-E processors is available for pre-order at select sites.

Based on the Intel X79 Express chipset, the Rampage IV Black Edition includes all of the best ROG technologies and innovations for unrivaled gaming and overclocking performance. With its four PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots, two PCI-E 2.0 x1 slots and eight DIMM slots supporting up to 64 GB of overclocked DDR3 DRAM, the Rampage IV Black Edition has near limitless expansion possibilities, including support for both 4-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX.

After the release of MSI's X79 BIOS with support for the 4th Generation Intel Core i7 Processors (codenamed Ivy Bridge-E) in August and the launch of the 4th Generation Intel Core i7 Processors in September it was bound to happen; hardware performance world records getting shattered.

Several overclockers worldwide broke in total 7 CPU based world records, demonstrating that the MSI X79 motherboards can push the CPU to its maximum. MSI's X79 flagship - Big Bang XPOWER II - was used by various enthusiast overclockers to push the 4th Generation Intel Core i7 Processors to new heights breaking 3 world records; wPrime 32m, wPrime 1024m and CineBench R11.5.

At the OC Main Event in San Francisco, co-hosted by ASUS, Corsair and Intel, the ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard was used to break five overclocking world records. Combining the Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard with ASUS GeForce GTX Titan graphics cards, the latest 4th generation Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition processors and Corsair Vengeance Extreme and Dominator Platinum DDR3 memory, world-renowned members of the international overclocking community worked with ROG engineers to claim new top scores with the 3DMark 11Entry, 3DMark 11 Performance, 3DMark Fire Strike, Cinebench, and quad-channel memory frequency.

"We are proud that previous ASUS X79 motherboards have dominated overclocking rankings by breaking 26 world records since the chipset launch," said Jackie Hsu, ASUS Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Worldwide Sales, Open Platform Business Group. "The accomplishments we demonstrated here at the OC Main Event San Francisco are a testament to what is achievable by combining world-class R&D with incredible talents from the enthusiast community." Xavier Laurent, Director of Product Marketing for Corsair adds "As a company that creates products by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, collaborating with like-minded partners ASUS and Intel to break world benchmarking records using Corsair Dominator Platinum and Vengeance Pro memory was a natural fit. The success of the OC Main Event San Francisco demonstrates the continued strength of the enthusiast community and validates our commitment to this portion of the ecosystem."

G.SKILL International Co. Ltd., the world's leading designer and manufacturer of extreme performance memory, proudly displays several engineering sample DDR4 modules at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF). The next generation of DDR memory is still under development, and G.SKILL is working to push the new technology to its limits in the future. G.SKILL also features a live demo of DDR3 3000MHz 32GB (8x4GB) with the Intel Core i7-4960X CPU and ASUS X79-Deluxe motherboard. Driving the new Ivy Bridge-E processor to new limits, G.SKILL looks forward to offer a wide range of high performance memory kits on the Intel X79 platform.A video presentation follows.

Gigabyte showed off an early version of its upcoming high-end socket LGA2011 motherboard, the G1.Assassin 3, at IDF. Based on the same Intel X79 Express chipset as its predecessor, this board is built in the standard ATX form-factor. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors. It uses a 9-phase VRM to condition power to the CPU socket, which uses PowIRstage driver-MOSFETs by International Rectifier. The CPU socket is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of memory, and four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots. A couple of PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots complete the expansion area.

Storage connectivity on the G1.Assassin 3 includes four each of SATA 6 Gb/s and SATA 3 Gb/s ports. Network connectivity includes two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, from which one is driven by an Intel-made controller, and an add-on card with 802.11ac WLAN, and Bluetooth 4.0. A hyped up feature here is its Creative Sound Core3D audio, with a high SNR DAC, audiophile-grade OPAMP circuitry with user-replaceable amps (Gigabyte calls this AMP-UP). Six USB 3.0 ports, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports make for the rest of it. Gigabyte didn't finalize heatsink designs for the VRM or PCH, and there's no word on when exactly the company plans to launch the thing.

G.SKILL International Co. Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and superior solid-state storage, has added 15 DDR3 quad channel memory kits to its award winning RipjawsZ family optimized for new Intel Core i7 processor family for socket LGA-2011 and X79 motherboards. Optimized for the new Intel Ivy Bridge-E Core i7 processors, RipjawsZ series pushes quad channel DDR3 memory to the bleeding edge with rated speed of up to 2933MHz 16GB(4x4GB) and 2666MHz 64GB (8x8GB). G.SKILL RipjawsZ boldly goes where no memory has gone before.

Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced they will be showcasing working DDR4 memory, XMP certified HyperX memory on a new Ivy Bridge-E based desktop, 2133 MHz SO-DIMMs for a Haswell based notebook and ECC memory in an Avoton based microserver at the Intel Developers Forum (IDF) 2013. IDF will be held at the Moscone center in San Francisco, California on September 10th - 12th.

During IDF 2013 Kingston will be showcasing four demo systems. The DDR4 memory demo will highlight 192 GB of working 2133 MT/s DDR4 Registered DIMMs at 1.2V operating on a future Intel reference platform. The Kingston HyperX demo will be showcasing the latest HyperX memory that has been validated through Intel's XMP certification process. The demos will be shown using an X79 motherboard and one of Intel's newest Ivybridge E processors. Our 2133 MHz SO-DIMM memory demo will be shown working on a Haswell based notebook. The Microserver demo will be demonstrating 1600 MHz 1.35V low voltage ECC SODIMM memory on an Intel Atom C2000-series "Avoton" microserver. Kingston's ECC SODIMM memory has been validated on the Intel "Edisonville" microserver system, and is posted on Intel's website.

The industry's leading brand, MSI, has officially released a new BIOS that allows its X79 chipset motherboards to support Intel's newest 22 nm LGA2011 processors (codename: Ivy Bridge-E) today. Users can experience the powerful performance from the newest 22 nm LGA2011 processors immediately by simply updating the BIOS from MSI's official website.

Reviews of Intel's Core i7-4960X may be all over the web, but each one we came across only pictures the chip itself, and not its retail packaging. It turns out that the i7-4960X will be the first "Extreme" tier Intel processor (well, since the decade-old Pentium 4 Extreme Edition anyway), to ship in a blue box, and not the premium black-colored one that's easy to spot at a store, or on a lengthy list online, should you decide to spend a grand on your next CPU. A Japanese store released these pictures of the Core i7-4960X retail box to Hermitage Akihabara.

The Core i7-4960X is a HEDT (high-end desktop) processor by Intel, in the socket LGA2011 package, and based on the 22 nm "Ivy Bridge-E" silicon. It features six cores, twelve logical CPUs enabled by HyperThreading, 15 MB of L3 cache, a quad-channel DDR3 integrated memory controller, and a 48-lane PCI-Express gen 3.0 certified root complex. It features a clock speed of 3.60 GHz, with 4.00 GHz Turbo Boost frequency. The chip should be supported on any socket LGA2011 motherboard based on the X79 Express and C608 chipsets, with a BIOS update in place; unless one supports it out of the box.

ASUS announced its first socket LGA2011 motherboard after Intel's Core i7 "Ivy Bridge-E" family launch. Sticking to the simplified model naming scheme introduced by its LGA1150 motherboard lineup, the board is named X79-Deluxe, and is styled just like them (black PCB, black expansion-slots, gold heatsinks). It is expected to ship with out of the box support for Intel's latest HEDT chips. The board is built in the standard ATX form-factor, drawing power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors. It uses a 10-phase VRM to power the CPU socket, which is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots, and four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots. A couple of PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots, wired to the PCH, make for the rest of its expansion.

Storage connectivity includes eight internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports, of which just two are wired to the X79 PCH, four SATA 3 Gb/s ports, and two eSATA 6 Gb/s. Out of the eight USB 3.0 ports on this board, you get six on the rear panel, two by header. The X79 Deluxe features the latest WiFi GO! module by ASUS, which lends it 802.11 ac WLAN, and Bluetooth 4.0 support. Of the two gigabit Ethernet ports on the board, one is driven by an Intel-made controller. 8-channel HD audio, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports make for the rest. Among the ASUS-exclusive features are USB BIOS Flashback, EPU, TPU II, ASUS SSD Caching, and USB 3.0 Boost. The X79 Deluxe from ASUS is expected to go for US $349.99. Find a comprehensive review at the source.

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 began rolling out BIOS updates to its socket LGA2011 motherboards based on the X79 Express chipset, which lets them support Intel's upcoming Core "Ivy Bridge-E" processors, namely the Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition, the Core i7-4930K, and the Core i7-4820K. The company's flagship LGA2011 motherboard, the ROG Rampage IV Extreme, gets support for these chips through BIOS version 4206. ROG Rampage IV Formula gets it through BIOS version 4004. The micro-ATX ROG Rampage IV Gene gets it through BIOS version 4206. Elsewhere in ASUS' LGA2011 lineup, the TUF Sabertooth X79 gets it with BIOS version 4104. The mainline P9X79 series gets it with BIOS version 4104. These updates are now available on ASUS support website.

Intel's next HEDT (high-end desktop) processors, Core i7 "Ivy Bridge-E," should launch in most global markets before September 11. The launch window for these chips opens on September 4th, and the last of the targeted markets should see these chips launched by the 11th. Among the parts launched, are the Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition flagship, the Core i7-4930K, and the Core i7-4820K.

The i7-4960X is a six-core part, with 3.60 GHz clock speed, 4.00 GHz maximum Turbo Boost, and 15 MB L3 cache; the i7-4930K is the other six-core part, which offers 3.40 GHz clocks, 3.90 GHz maximum Turbo Boost, and 12 MB L3 cache. The i7-4820K is the only quad-core part in the series, featuring 3.70 GHz clocks, 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost, and 10 MB of L3 cache. All three are based on the 22 nm "Ivy Bridge-E" silicon, are built into the LGA2011 package, feature unlocked BClk multipliers, and will run on existing motherboards based on the X79 Express chipset, with BIOS updates. It's also rumored that Intel could launch a new chipset for the platform, which offers more SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and integrated USB 3.0.

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

During the week of Computex 2013, 6 overclocking records were shattered by professional overclockers with G.SKILL extreme performance DDR3 memory. Established in 1989 by computer hardware enthusiasts, G.SKILL is a leading memory & Solid State Drive manufacturer based in Taipei, Taiwan. The company's top priority is quality. All of the products undergo a series of the most rigorous tests and strict quality control processes. In addition to a committed, qualified IC testing house to examine the products, all G.SKILL products are 100% tested to ensure the highest yield, reliability and quality.

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.

According to CPU World staff, who, by appealing to an unnamed secondary source, managed to confirm the validity of an earlier leak, we are now looking at Intel's desktop roadmap for the following twelve months. The slides reveal the Q3 launch of Intel's Ivy Bridge-E chips, the Core i7-4820K, i7-4930K and i7-4960X comprising the lineup. The new Extreme chips will make use of the existing X79 platform. Also in Q3 the Premium line will receive a new product, the Core i7-4771, which we do not know in what way differs from the currently available Core i7-4770, but a judicious appeal to wild speculation could point out an upgraded IGP.

The mid segments will get a platform upgrade in the form of a new H81 chipset, and six new processors, the Core i3-4130, i3-4330, i3-4340, as well as three new Ivy Bridge based Pentium chips, the G3220, G3420 and G3430. Celeron processors are in the pipelines for Q1 2014, while Q2 will follow with the Haswell refresh and the accompanying new platform based on the Z97 and H97 chipsets.

ORIGIN PC has officially launched their most powerful small form factor (SFF) chassis yet, the Silverstone SG10, to their award-winning desktops. Designed as the ultimate SFF with full support of standard size components such as ATX power supplies, full tower CPU coolers and up to DUAL NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690's in QUAD-SLI, the SG10 has the ability toplay any PC Game, including popular AAA titles CRYSIS 3 and METRO: Last Light at a visually stunning 2560x1600 resolution with buttery smooth frame rates.Who says power can't be achieved with at small footprint? With the new SG10 you can now experience the performance of a full-size desktop, but at a fraction of the size.

PC enthusiast "Toppc" with the Coolaler.com, with access to a Core i7 "Ivy Bridge-E" sample clocked to match specifications of the Core i7-4960X, wasted no time in comparing the chip to a Core i7-3970X "Sandy Bridge-E." The two chips share a common socket LGA2011 design, and run on motherboards with Intel X79 Express chipset. An MSI X79A-GD45 Plus, with V17.1 BIOS was used to run the two chips. Among the tests Toppc put the chip through, are overclocker favorites SuperPi mod 1.6, CPU Mark '99, WPrime 1.63, Cinebench 11.5, 3DMark Vantage (CPU score), and 3DMark 06 (CPU score).

The Ivy Bridge-E chip outperformed its predecessor by roughly 5-10 percent across the board. In Cinebench, the i7-4960X scored 10.94 points in comparison to the i7-3970X' 10.16; SuperPi 32M was crunched by the i7-4960X in 9m 22.6s compared to the 9m 55.4s of the i7-3970X; CPU Mark scores between the two are 561 vs. 533, respectively; 3DMark Vantage CPU score being 38,644 points vs. 35,804, respectively; and 3DMark 06 scores 8,586 points vs. 8,099 points, respectively. In WPrime, the i7-4960X crunched 32M in 4.601s, compared to its predecessor's 5.01s. Below are the test screenshots, please note that they're high-resolution images, so please open each in a new tab.

ASUS is working on a variant of its ROG Rampage IV Extreme motherboard for people who've had enough with the red+black color scheme. The Rampage IV Extreme Black, as the name suggests, dons a largely black appearance, with hints of dark-gray; use of red is reduced to a minimum. Components like alternate DIMM and PCIe slots use shades of gray to contrast black. It is otherwise identical to the original. The Black variant could be ASUS' competitive offering to EVGA X79 Black. Based on Intel X79 Express chipset, the ROG Rampage IV Extreme Black supports Core i7 processors in the LGA2011 package, up to 64 GB of quad-channel DDR3 memory, four-way SLI/CrossFire, and a suite of overclocker-friendly features. There's no word on pricing or availability.

Intel's Core "Haswell" processor family may be just around the corner (June 2013), but that isn't stopping enthusiasts from looking out for the next HEDT (high-end desktop) processor from Intel, codenamed "Ivy Bridge-E." The new lineup could look similar to the company's current Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E," in that it features a quad-core part in the $300-400 range, a six-core unlocked part in the $500-600 range, and an Extreme Edition six-core part around $1000. All three parts will be available in the LGA2011 package, and compatible with current X79 chipset-based motherboards (BIOS update could be needed). DDR3-1866 MHz could become the standard memory frequency for these chips.

The lineup will begin with Core i7-4820, a quad-core chip with a nominal clock speed of 3.70 GHz, Turbo Boost speed of 3.90 GHz, and 10 MB shared L3 cache. Moving on, there's the Core i7-4930K, a six-core chip with an unlocked BClk multiplier, nominal speed of 3.40 GHz, Turbo Boost speed of 3.90 GHz, and 12 MB shared L3 cache. The series will be topped off with the Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition, featuring an unlocked BClk multiplier, 3.60 GHz nominal clock speed, 4.00 GHz Turbo Boost speed, and 15 MB shared L3 cache. The Ivy Bridge-E silicon will be built on the 22 nm silicon fab process, and TDP for all three parts is rated at 130W. The three will be released some time in Q3, 2013.