Motherboards

ASUS Unveils first TUF Series Motherboard

News — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:12:12 GMT

ASUS Unveils first TUF Series Motherboard

-- SABERTOOTH 55i Offers Exceptional Utility, Stability, and Durability --

Fremont, CA; September 30, 2009 - ASUS today unveils the first in its newly-developed “TUF” (The Ultimate Force) Series motherboards, the SABERTOOTH 55i - meeting power users’ heavy computing demands and operating under the harshest conditions. TUF Series motherboards undergo more stringent testing than what most motherboards currently undertake. Solidly constructed and equipped with resilient components that pass demanding military-style testing, the TUF Series triumphs over intense operating conditions to deliver robust performance. The debut SABERTOOTH 55i model, designed around a "Marine Cool" concept, incorporates the Intel P55 chipset and “tough” features for an especially solid and stable computing platform.

Ultimate Heatsink Cooling with Unique CeraM!X Microfin Coating
The ASUS SABERTOOTH 55i, equipped with new CeraM!X heat sinks, cools active components exceptionally well even under intense operating conditions. Replacing traditional anti-oxidant compounds with advanced ceramics-based composition—commonly used in the aerospace industry for heat insulation—the SABERTOOTH 55i dissipates heat rapidly using microfin surface texture. This rough surface offers an expanded area for heat induction into the surrounding air. As a result, more heat is drawn away from the active system—allowing previously unattainable levels of stability.

Direct Memory Cooling with CoolMem! Fan Frame
Optimal memory operation relies on good cooling. The SABERTOOTH 55i CoolMem! Fan Frame encloses most standard 40mm or 50mm fans. Passing air directly over the memory modules, users can significantly stabilize memory operation.

Resilient Performance from Military-certified Capacitors and MOSFETs
The SABERTOOTH 55i incorporates only high-grade, rigorously-tested components. These excel in performance even under the most demanding conditions. All capacitors undergo thermal shock tests, ensuring continuous, stable operation during rapid temperature changes in the 60°C range. The SABERTOOTH 55i’s capacitors and VRM MOSFETs are certified for military-level use through stringent testing.

Optimal Power with E.S.P.
The SABERTOOTH 55i delivers E.S.P. (Efficient Switching Power) to the CPU, memory, PCI-e x16 expansions slots and IC. This results in cooler, more reliable operation. E.S.P. converts power at 90% efficiency compared to conventional linear designs that are 60% efficient.

Built for tough performance, the SABERTOOTH 55i—and ASUS TUF Series—incorporate breakthroughs in heatsink composition and high-grade, military-tested components to enable the most solid and stable DIY systems around ever created. The SABERTOOTH 55i is available now at authorized ASUS resellers with an MSRP of $219 USD.

P7P55 WS SuperComputer Specifications:

Model	SABERTOOTH 55i
CPU	LGA1156 socket for Intel® Core™ i7/Core™ i5 Processors
Chipset	Intel® P55 Express Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
Memory	4 x DIMM, max. 16GB, DDR3 2000/1800/1600/1333/1066MHz, non-ECC, unbuffered memory Dual channel memory architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Expansion slots	2 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (single at x16 or dual at x8/x8 mode)
	3 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 (2.5GT/s)
	2 x PCI
Multi-GPU	Supports NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI™ Technology and ATI® Quad-GPU CrossFireX™ Technology
Storage	Intel® P55 Express Chipset - 6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports (black) - Intel Matrix Storage Technology supports RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 JMicron® JMB363 SATA & PATA controller: - 1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66 for up to 2 PATA devices - 1 x External SATA 3Gb/s port (SATA On-the-Go) JMicron® JMB322 (DriveXpert Technology) : - 2 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports (orange and white ) - Supports EZ Backup and SuperSpeed functions
LAN	Realtek® 8112L PCIe Gigabit LAN controller featuring AI NET2
Audio	VIA® VT2020 10-channel High Definition Audio CODEC - Absolute Pitch BD192/24 featuring ENVY HD - DTS Surround Sensation UltraPC - Supports Jack-Detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking - Optical S/PDIF out port at back I/O - ASUS Noise Filter
USB / IEEE1394a	14 x USB 2.0 ports (6 ports at mid-board, 8 ports at back panel) VIA® 6308P controller supports 2 x IEEE 1394a ports (one at mid-board; one at back panel)
TUF Exclusive Features	Power Design 12-phase CPU Power, 2-phase Memory Power, 2-phase VTT_CPU Power, Efficient Switching Power Design for 3VSB/1.8V/1.05V, TUF Capacitors and MOSFETs (certified military-standard) Thermal Solution CeraM!X Heatsink Coating Tech, CoolMem! Fan Frame, T.Probe Technology, ASUS Fan Xpert, Guardian feature MemOK!, DriveXpert, ESD Guards, EMI Eliminator
Form Factor	ATX Form Factor, 12 inches x 9.6 inches ( 30.5cm x 24.4cm )

ASUS Maximus II Gene Motherboard Review

News — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:01:30 GMT

Although the Core i7 and X58 combo is a proven performance leader, there are still plenty of Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad CPUs out there in the wild. The Core 2 is still a very capable processor with many models costing less than half the price the cheapest Core i7 processor, the Core i7 920. Thus, systems based around the P45 chipset are still a viable option for getting good, if not great, performance at a vastly more affordable price.

Up until now, when users thought of a micro-ATX board, they typically expect find a slimmed down version of a full sized product, minus some of the bells and whistles and perhaps sacrificing some of the enthusiast-friendly features of their larger brethren. Recognizing a need for high performance, yet smaller form-factor motherboard, ASUS stepped in with two offerings: the Rampage II Gene for Core i7/DDR3 owners, and the Maximus II Gene we are reviewing today, with support for Core 2 Duo/Quad processors and DDR2 memory. Both of these boards fly under the 'Republic of Gamers' flag, and we intend on seeing if the Maximus II Gene can live up to its namesake...

ASUS Maximus II Gene Motherboard

MSI to Unleash Big Bang Gaming Series Mainboards

News — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:41:52 GMT

MSI to Unleash Big Bang Gaming Series Mainboards

[City of Industry, CA] MSI, a leading high-performance mainboard company, unveil its first gaming series mainboards in Intel P55 platform featuring awe-inspiring graphics and audio functionality to offer serious gamers immersive gaming experience.

The state-of-the-art gaming line is inspired by the mighty Big Bang. Unique and innovative, the all-new Big Bang series will deliver the shock and awe of unprecedented experiences and expand into its own collection of galaxies.

The first Big Bang branded mainboard, Trinergy is designed with eye-catching features such as NVIDIA SLI technology and QuantumWave audio processing with the latest THX TruStudio PC and Creative EAX ADVANCED HD 5.0 plus exclusive performance boost design from MSI.

Powered by NVIDIA nForce 200 SLI processor, the Trinergy offers extreme gamers the most powerful graphics-intensive capability up to triple graphics configuration. Aimed at gamers and enthusiasts seeking cinematic enjoyment, QuantumWave audio card is designed to plunge you into the heart of the action, delivering the fullest audio experience for games, music and movies while remaining true to the source.

The Big Bang Trinergy also features cutting-edge 100% Hi-c Cap to maximizing system performance. This supreme component adopted for gaming machines can guarantee server-grade operation stability in an extreme condition. Besides, it is equipped with an external OC Dashboard that gives extreme gamers on-the-fly overclocking to optimize FPS without interrupting your session. If you’re into a little of amateur overclocking, with MSI’s exclusive chip-driven OC Genie, you can enjoy the convenience and hugely improved performance with a simple press of a button.

Big Bang Fuzion
The upcoming Big Bang Fuzion mainboard features the powerful Lucid HYDRA engine, designed to support different Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) within a single system. This provides the first viable alternative to offerings from current graphics card vendors that offer identical multi-GPU specific solutions. It will be revealed before the end of 2009.

Asus Reading SATA 6G and USB 3.0 Intel Motherboards

News — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:26:05 GMT

We've just received some interesting images and information regarding a couple of motherboards Asus has coming down the pipeline. The two motherboards you see pictured below are the P7P55D-E Premium and the P6X58D Premium, for Intel's Lynnfield (Core i5, Core i7 800 series) and Bloomfield (Core i7 900 series) platforms, respectively.

As its name suggests, the P7P55D-E Premium is built around Intel's P55 Express chipset and sports an LAG1156 socket for Core i5 and Core i7 800 series processors. Alternatively, the P6X58D Premium features Intel's X58 Express chipset and an LGA1366 socket, for more powerful Core i7 900 series processors.

It is not the core logic on these products that differentiates them from other motherboards, however. It is their implementation of SATA 6G and USB 3.0 support. Both SATA 6G and USB 3.0 build upon their respective base technologies by offering vastly increased bandwidth--up to 6Gbp/s for SATA 6G and 4.8Gb/s for USB 3.0.

Both of these motherboards feature a Marvell 9123 6G SATA controller, which powers a pair of white SATA ports on the boards. In addition, instead of connecting the controller directly to the PCIe Gen 1 lanes available in the P55 chipset, the Marvell 6G SATA controller is linked to the chipset via a PLX8613 PCI Express Gen 2 bridge. The PLX8613 is connected to the P55 via four Gen 1 PCIe lanes, but links to the Marvell controller via single Gen 2 lane, offer up to 500MB/s of peak bandwidth.

The same is true of the NEC USB 3.0 controller found on both boards. The USB 3.0 controller passes through the PLX8613 as well.

According to Asus, the SATA 6G and USB 3.0 implementations on the P7P55D-E Premium and P6X58D Premium motherboards eliminates a potential performance bottleneck that could occur with the controllers connected directly to the chipset via a single PCIe x1 lane.

We hope to have both of these motherboards in the lab soon, and will keep you posted as more information becomes available.

gigabyte Ga Ma770-DS3

grayhoose — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:47:06 GMT

just wondering if anybody else here has one or any questions i can answer...l like it

The Ultimate Motherboard Help Needed

mojo8850 — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:14:59 GMT

Hi Friend's.. New Here..

Looks good, Let me explain what I am typing this post.
I am intrested in building a new PC.. But before I do, to me the motherboad and CPU is very important as these are the
Heart of the new PC..

There is so many new board that I am confused, So a little assistance for you great members will be awesome..

What I require in a motherboard :-

Motherboard must be able to do Extreme processors
Must be able to hold Ultimate Ram (Maximum)
Must be CROSSFIRE & SLI Compatible
Compatibale for Fan cooling & Water cooling

So many out there cant make mind up so I require help.. Please post.. :)

NVIDIA Clarifies Chipset Positioning; Product Focus

News — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:42:36 GMT

There's been a rumor buzzing around, in the wake of NVIDIA's GPU Technical Conference last week, that the company intends to shut down its chipset division. After a bit of sleuthing, Hot Hardware has confirmed that this is not the case. NVIDIA fully intends to continue designing its own core logic, but the scope and purpose of its chipsets will be different going forward than in years past.

NVIDIA does not intend to continue developing chipsets for current or future processors based on Nehalem, despite earlier assurances that the company would do so. Company CEO Jen-Hsun Huang was ready to box Intel on the topic as recently as last February, but OEM interest in NVIDIA-built solutions is rumored to have waned sharply once the twin spectres of litigation and compatibility raised their ugly heads. Intel's dominance of the chipset market inevitably means that OEMs who want to stay in the company's good graces pay close attention to whatever tune Santa Clara might be humming.

NVIDIA will continue to build budget AMD chipsets. According to NVIDIA PR manager Ken Brown, "The truth is, our chipset business for AMD has very high volumes overall. MCP 61-based platforms continue to be extremely well positioned in the entry-level segments where AMD CPUs are most competitive vs. Intel," Brown said. "We will continue to sell MPC 61-based platforms as long as there is a market for them."

The company's plans could leave enthusiasts who prefer NVIDIA/AMD combinations out in the cold, at least in the long term. The motherboard developer has no plans for any future enthusiast-oriented AMD chipsets, noting that AMD's current position vis-à-vis Intel made such boards a poor investment.

That leaves NVIDIA's nForce 700 and NF900 (rebadged 700). The two chipsets are as feature-rich as anything else on the market; MSI even builds one board in each series that supports DDR3 at up to 1600MHz. Unless NVIDIA issues at least one additional refresh, however, features like USB 3.0 and SATA 6G will be available only via add-on card. Then again, considering how long it's going to be until either feature offers a general practical benefit, this may not be an issue.

ION-Driven Design -

NVIDIA's chipset R&D is now neither driven by Intel nor AMD. With both first-generation ION products and Tegra shipping, Team nForce has more than enough to keep its hands full when it comes to building the next generation of products. Features like GPU-accelerated Flash, jointly announced by NVIDIA and Adobe today, should offer real benefits to anyone considering an NVIDIA-based solution.

NVIDIA's willingness to shift its focus in response to changing market conditions has historically been one of the company's strengths. NVIDIA's original nForce chipset was initially seen as the answer to the prayers of would-be Athlon users who found themselves stuck on VIA chipsets. The nForce architecture didn't really catch on until the nForce 2 launched roughly a year later, but various iterations of the NF product line were the backbone of AMD launches for several years running.

Now that the company's desktop and mobile chipset options are more limited by threats of litigation on one side and AMD's own chipset division on the other, NVIDIA has engineered its own competitive platform for Intel's darling of the moment, and is in the midst of designing a second iteration of that platform that will also support VIA processors. Tegra, meanwhile, gives NV a platform and processor whose design it controls from start to finish; a luxury that's probably a nice change of pace for a company that has never found itself beholden to the roadmaps of others.

It seems rather premature to carve Requiescat in pace above the lintel of the NVIDIA chipset division.

MSI's P55-GD80 Used To Overclock 2.8GHz Core i7 To 5.39GHz

News — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:15:53 GMT

With a little knowledge, a sprinkle of liquid nitrogen and a few BIOStweaks, the sky really is the limit when it comes to overclocking. Ifyou don't believe us, maybe you'll believe MSI. The company has justannounced that its P55 mainboard series (the P55-GD80) has helped toset a world record of over 5.3GHz.

Specifically, the Xtreme Speed P55 was used by Coolaler in order tooverclock an Intel Core i7 860 processor (2.8GHz in its stockperformance), and the results were obviously impressive. All told, theCPU hit a whopping 5.39GHz, which is 92% past its set frequency. So,anyone up for giving this guy a challenge?

World-renown mainboard and graphics card manufacturer, MSI, hasattracted the attention of major worldwide media and power users sincethe launch of its Xtreme Speed P55 mainboard series. Not only does thisseries boast a total feature set and specs, but the Xtreme Speed P55features many MSI-exclusive performance enhancing designs. The serieshas received wide media acclaim for its outstanding overclockingcapabilities, especially the P55 series’ flagship product, theP55-GD80. Featuring DrMOS, SuperPipe and OC Genie, this mainboard'soverclocking capabilities are truly amazing. The Taiwan overclocker,Coolaler, was able to overclock the Intel Core i7 860 CPU (2.8GHz)to5.39 GHz with MSI’s P55-GD80 mainboard, breaking the world record andpushing the processor 92% past its set frequency. This performancesurpasses the competition, and beautifully demonstrates MSI's P55series overclocking prowess.

The MSI P55-GD80 owes much of itsoutstanding overclocking ability to its equipped MSI-exclusivetechnologies, such as the one second auto-overclocking feature OCGenie, the SuperPipe cooling system that effectively drops theoperating temperature by 50°C, and 1>4 phase total DrMOS powersupply design. Other features include the real-time overclockingfunction Direct OC, BIOS update and backup feature M-Flash, Power eSATAthat acts as both a power source and an eSATA port, etc. These featurescoupled with the mainboard's spec set and performance make the MSIP55-GD80 the hottest P55 product around.

For more detailed information, please visit the URL below:
http://www.ripping.org/database.php?cpuid=1078
http://valid.canardpc.com/show_oc.php?id=724460

EVGA P55 Classified 200 Motherboard Sneak Peek

News — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:30:49 GMT

We have shown you a myriad of P55-based motherboards over the last few months and featured a trio of high-end offerings in our coverage of the official Lynnfield launch from a couple of weeks back. The latest P55-based motherboard to hit the HotHardware labs, the EVGA P55 Classified 200, differentiates itself from every other P55-based mobo we've seen with a host of unique features.

A few of the features that make the EVGA P55 Classified 200 so interesting are its 10-phase digital VRM, gold-infused CPU socket, its expansion slot configuration, and the board's myriad of overclocking / tweaking related options.

As you can see, the EVGA P55 Classified 200 is built around a dark colored PCB with black and read accents. There is a large heatsink covering the digital VRM and a smaller EVGA-braded heatsink on the chipset itself. A third heatsink rests atop the nForce 200 PCIe switch that enables the board's expansion slot configuration.

EVGA P55 Classified 200 Motherboard, Click Images For Larger View

You'll also notice if you look closely around the CPU socket area, that the EVGA P55 Classified 200 has mounting holes for both LGA775 and LGA1156 compatible coolers--should come in handy for upgraders. There are other unique touches almost everywhere you look around this board though. For example, the LED POST code error reporter doubles as a CPU temperature sensor once the system has fully booted, there are a bank of jumpers to disable PCIe lanes, there are power, reset, and clear CMOS buttons right on-board, and an additional clear CMOS button in the I/O backplane.

The CPU socket itself is also home to a couple of cool features. For one, the socket's gold content is 300% higher than most other boards for better electrical conductivity. And Low Inductance Ceramic Capacitors (LICC) are used in the socket for increased efficiency. The EVGA P55 Classified 200 also sports three BIOS EPROMS, and a switch that gives users the ability to choose between them, should users want to save different profiles, or even experiment with multiple BIOS revisions.

At the upper edge of the board, just behind the DIMM slots, EVGA has also incorporated something it calls "Show Volt". For lack of a better explanation, the Show Volt feature is essentially an integrated volt meter--the LED screen will read-out voltages probed from the contact pads along the top edge of the board. Of course, the board's all PCI Express slot configuration, with 6 physical x16 slots (5 x PCIe x16 / x8, 1 x PCIe x4, 1 x PCIe x1) is also unique amongst other P55s.

This board still has more to offer, namely EVGA ECP V2 and EVBot controllers, but we'll have to save some details for the full review. For now, enjoy the preview, and stay tuned to HH for more in the coming weeks.

PCI Express 3.0 Spec Delayed Until 2010, Products Until 2011

News — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:58:56 GMT

So, there's good news for those hoping to make their existing machinelast a little bit longer. And there's bad news for those always lookingfor the next big leap in computing technology. The PCI SIG, the workinggroup responsible for the forward movement of the PCI bus, has justconfirmed that the release of PCIe 3.0 will be delayed by a significantamount.

The standard was originally expected to be ratified by the end of thisyear, yet now the specification isn't apt to be passed off until Q22010. You might say that Q2 2010 doesn't feel that far away, and in oureyes, you'd be right. But remember, that's the date that thespecification will be passed off; it'll be some time yet before actualPCI Express 3.0 products are produced after the coding is signed offon. In fact, some estimates suggest that it could be late 2011 beforePCIe 3.0 wares are on sale to the general public, which means that PCIe2.0 just got a new lease on life.

If you're curious about the reasons behind the delay, the answer ispretty simple: the PCI SIG wishes to perfectly maintain backwardscompatibility with PCIe 1.0 and 2.0. Also of note, it's taking a longtime to verify products in the lab, and honestly, we'd rather theseguys and gals get things right than push out a buggy protocol thatcauses all sorts of issues with expansion cards. So yeah, it'llprobably be 2011 before you buy your first PCIe 3.0 GPU, but at leastyou can snag up that GTX 295 now without worrying over it become evenmore outdated even quicker.

Dream of upgrading to a Quad core one day

starwhite — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 04:20:20 GMT

I built a System in 2005. Intel server board with 2 single core Xeons @ 3.8 GHz, 4 GHz DDR2 RAM. Nice. It can and is running Windows 7 nice. One day I KNOW I'll have to upgrade! Maybe I'll wait for the new 32 nanometer chips! I have heard they will have 6 cores. Anyway I can probably make due with this bad boy for a while more. Just don't have extra to buy new hardware at this time. This system does everything I need it to anyway.

MSI's OC Genie Makes OC'ing Super Easy

News — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:23:06 GMT

Poor langauge translation tools notwithstanding, MSI has a crazy one on deck today. The same company that decided it wise to implant an Instant-On OS module onto a motherboard (Winki) has now determined that what the world needs most is yet another way to overclock your machine. And comically enough, we think we agree.

Let's face it -- educated overclocking is exhilarating, and oftentimes the performance increases push your enjoyment factor from "so-so" to "ooh yeah!" The device, which is aptly named the OC Genie, it a sort of Houdini for overclocking, if you will. We're not so sure we'd call it the "most advanced overclocking technology in the world," but it certainly is a fresh take on an old trick.

Recently, the OC Genie was installed on an MSI P55 motherboard in the OA European Final in Germany, which places a special OC'ing processor onboard and gives users a "one-button" approach to kicking their system up a notch. There is no hardware modification necessary and no BIOS tweaking required; so long as OC Genie is in there, it can automatically detect the best overclocking setting, implement it and keep your machine from melting. As MSI puts it, you can have your rig safely overclocked in "one second."

MSI isn't spilling too many release details just yet, but it has assured us that it will eventually beavailable on other mainboards, AMD-supportive ones included.

Which Mobo Should I Use Asus P5Q-E or ABIT IP35 Pro LGA - With Q6600, 8GB Vist64

tankman1989 — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:26:01 GMT

I have 2 computers and I forget which mobo is better. I want to run Vista Business 64bit. I currently have the Abit running with an E6750 and I bought a Q6600 for the Asus. Now the person whom the Q6600 was for does not want it so I can mix and match.

Which would be the fastest setup? I am going to make a Linux server out of the other one.

Thanks!

Also, I have 2 WD 74Gb Raptors which I might run in RAID1. Would the speed be much better than running 2 WD 500YS's in RAID1?

ASUS Introduces P7P55D Series Motherboards With P55 Express Chipset

News — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:52:44 GMT

Today, ASUS introduced the P7P55D Series motherboards featuring theIntel P55 Express chipset and support for the latest LGA1156 socket for Intel Core i7 and Core i5 processors. The motherboards comewith Hybrid Processor, which gives users intelligent performance enhancement; HybridPhase, which provides active cooling; and Hybrid OS for rapid online access. Readon for additional details regarding all of the new motherboards, including the P7P55DPremium which natively supports 6Gbps data transfer bandwidth with the latestSATA storage interface.

ASUS Hybrid Motherboards Deliver Fast Performance and UncompromisedStability

ASUS P7P55D Series Feature the Latest Intel Chipset, 48 Hybrid PhasePower, and SATA 6Gbps Connectivity

Fremont, CA, Sept. 8th, 2009 - ASUS, the leading innovatorof advanced motherboard solutions, today launches the ASUS P7P55D Series motherboards.Featuring the Intel® P55 Express chipset, the P7P55D Series supports the latestLGA 1156 socket for Intel® Core™ i7/Core™ i5 Processors for maximum performance.The P7P55 Series is based on groundbreaking “Xtreme Design”, a winning designformula drawn from many years of engineering innovation, to optimize overallsystem performance and hardware reliability. It also includes the latest HybridTechnology—Hybrid Processor, Hybrid Phase, and Hybrid OS—to give usersintelligent performance enhancements, active cooling, and rapid online access.

Achieving 6GbpsStorage Bandwidth with Exclusive Expansion Bridges

Equipped with a specially-designed onboard chip, the P7P55D Premiumis the first motherboard to natively support 6Gbps data transfer bandwidth withthe latest SATA storage interface. The P7P55D Premium’s expansion bridge nearlydoubles the throughput on the latest SATA devices, - enabling 50% fasterreading and writing of disk data. For other P7P55D Series models, ASUS alsoprovides an expansion card to achieve the same results.

Optimizing Efficiencywith Revolutionary Hybrid Phase Power Delivery

Users can expect maximum power efficiency, extremely cooloperation, and enhanced component longevity from the P7P55D Series. With its HybridPhase Technology—combining ASUS Xtreme Phase with ASUS T.Probe—the seriesdelivers maximum efficiency and extremely stable power. ASUS T.Probe is theworld’s first active cooling technology that detects and balances power phaseloadings and temperatures in real time. A new frequency conversion technologyfurther improves efficiency by maximizing energy utility. High-grade materials enhancecomponent longevity and further minimize power loss.

Enhancing Performancewith an Intelligent Hybrid Processor

The P7P55D Series lets users achieve superior overclockingperformance with the latest Intel CPU and the ASUS Hybird Processor: TurboVEVO. Both novice and advanced overclockers can easily boost system performancewith TurboV EVO’s intuitive interface and three easy-to-use tools. Auto Tuningautomatically overclocks and self-tests the system to an extreme yet stablestate. ASUS OC Profile offers the best overclocking settings for differentscenarios. ASUS Turbo Key assigns keyboard hotkeys for instantaneousoverclocking. ASUS TurboV Remote* allows users to adjust performance settings froma convenient controller.

Hybrid OS DeliversExpress Gate and Windows 7 Benefits

Hybrid OS integrates Windows® readiness and ASUS ExpressGate onto the ASUS P7P55D Series for more flexibility. Users can upgrade toWindows® 7 and have better security and faster performance, while Express Gate deliversrapid access to common online applications—within five seconds.

Warranty and Service

ASUS offers a no-strings attached 3 year warranty on allP7P55D Series models. Additionally, many models qualify for ASUS PremiumService, offering cross-ship replacement for minimal downtime. For moreinformation about APS, visit: livesupport.asus.com/aps/

Specifications

	P7P55D Premium	P7P55D Deluxe	P7P55D EVO	P7P55D PRO	P7P55D	P7P55D LE
CPU Socket	LGA1156 socket for Intel® Core™ i7/Core™ i5 Processors
Chipset	Intel® P55 Express Chipset
Memory	DDR3 2133 (O.C.) /1600 /1333 /1066 MHz			DDR3 2000 (O.C) /1600/1333MHz
Power Phase	48 Hybrid Phase**	24 Hybrid Phase**	16 Hybrid Phase**	16 Hybrid Phase**	16 Hybrid Phase**	8+2 Phase
PCIex16 Slots	2	3	3	3	2	2
Multi-GPU	CrossFireX/SLI	CrossFireX/SLI	CrossFireX/SLI	CrossFireX/SLI	CrossFireX	CrossFireX
Gbit LAN	x2	x2	x2	x1	x1	x1
Audio	10-ch HD, DTS	10-ch HD, DTS	8-ch HD, DTS	8-ch HD, DTS	8-ch HD, DTS	8-ch HD, DTS
Storage	6x SATA 3Gb/s	9x SATA 3Gb/s	8x SATA 3Gb/s	7x SATA 3Gb/s	7x SATA 3Gb/s	6x SATA 3Gb/s
	1x eSATA (by bracket)	1x eSATA (by bracket)	2x eSATA (one by bracket)	2x eSATA (one by bracket)	1x eSATA	1x eSATA
	1x Ultra DMA	1x Ultra DMA	1x Ultra DMA	1x Ultra DMA	1x Ultra DMA	1x Ultra DMA
	2x SATA 6Gb/s			2x SATA 6Gb/s (Add-on-card)***
USB	12 (8 ports at back panel, 4 ports at mid-board)			14 (8 ports at back panel, 6 ports at mid-board)
1394a	2 ports (One at mid-board, one at back panel)			N/A
MSRP	$279	$229	$199	$179	$155	$139

* Available only in the P7P55D Premium and Deluxe models
** Hybrid Phase = Xtreme Phase * T.Probe. Hybrid Phaseequates power efficiency achieved in other power phase designs
*** The PCIE GEN2 SATA 6G card is sold separately.

Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Pleasevisit usa.asus.com for more details.

MSI Comes Clean With Lynnfield-Compatible Xtreme Motherboards

News — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:01:01 GMT

Not sure if you heard, but Intel finally let the whole Lynnfield Core i7 and Core i5 cat out of the bag today, and MSI's not wasting a second in getting official with a new range of motherboards designed to suit those very pieces of silicon. The new Xtreme Speed mainboard series is engineered to work with the P55 chipset and support both new CPU lineups, and they also integrate quite a few MSI mainstay features.

OC Genie, which helps users easily and safely overclock their rigs, is onboard, as is SuperPipe cooling and DrMOS. As for SuperPipe, that's a specially made heat-pipe designed for optimal chilling, while the DrMOS power supply offers up enhanced power saving and stability. In fact, the mobo is chock full of sweet features, so we'll let MSI take it from here:

OC Genie: Auto OC to boost performance in 1 sec
Generally speaking, the major considerations when customers purchase mainboards are the overclocking ability and performance. However, traditional overclocking methods are too complicated for the general public to master. With over 20 years of R&D experience, MSI has released OC Genie technology to make overclocking more accessible; simply by pressing the OC Genie button, the OC Genie automatic overclocking chip detects and sets performance-optimized CPU, RAM, and chipset settings within one second, for easy performance expansion that gets the most out of every part.

DrMOS: 400% faster phase switching, 90% better power efficiency
To provide customers with superior products, MSI has been equipping DrMOS since the introduction of its P45 mainboards. DrMOS technology combines a Driver IC?a Top MOSFET and a Bottom MOSFET into one chip. The shorter distance between every component provides 4 times faster phase switching speed and over 90% better power efficiency. The design not only decreases the working temperature, but also increases the stability of the power supply – especially in high frequencies. For the best stability, DrMOS is essential for professional overclockers and power users. Having become a mainboard manufacturer renown for its performance and overclocking capabilities, MSI's implementation of DrMOS into its high-end mainboards proves that DrMOS is leading the industry in power supply design!

V-Kit
V-Check Points combines with V-Switch's V-Kit to provide power measurement pins and on/off switch. Users can measure the CPU and RAM voltages with a multimeter, while the V-Switch feature provides the maximum system voltage within a definite range in one switch. The feature can help save advanced overclockers valuable time by eliminating the need for manual circuit modification. These combined features can be indispensable during overclocking competitions.

APS (Active Phase Switching)
APS (Active Phase Switching) can dynamically detect and shift the number of PWM Phases During heavy loading, all phases will be turned on to offer maximum performance; but in light/middle loading, the unused phases will be turned off for more than 93% power saving. Combined with DrMOS power design, it can reach the best energy use efficiency!

Winki 2.0
Winki 2.0 is a free Linux-based O/S which is based on the Linux core. With an ultra-fast booting speed and a multi-language interface, the built-in Winki 2.0 provides an easy-to-use internet environment that includes the most popular functions such as internet surfing, web mail, instant messaging, picture browsing, and more. It's the most practical way to be online in the shortest time.

Direct OC
Direct OC is attractive function for ultimate overclockers - by pressing the +/- buttons, users can instantly adjust the CPU frequency on-the-fly. Its pure hardware design allows Direct OC to work in any situation without restriction, and, when coupled with OC Genie technology, offers a noticeable performance increase.

True Blu-ray Audio
Audio sampling without Blu-ray protection support downgrades sound quality to the CD 16bit/48KHz level. However, MSI's True Blu-ray Audio provides high definition, 7.1 channels of quality 24bit/192KHz audio sampling to satisfy a home theater enthusiast's needs!

Power eSATA
Power eSATA improves the traditional eSATA standard with a new power supply feature. This feature allows cuitumers to directly use low-power eSATA devices without having to plug-in an extra power cord. Similar to USB, this feature makes eSATA even more convenient without sacrificing any of its high-performance advantages.

USB Safeguard
USB Safeguard can prevent mainboards and USB devices from being damaged by short-circuit and ESD (Electro-Static Discharge) with Anti-ESD chips built-into the mainboards. Additionally, the safeguard can protect against such dangers multiple times, and greatly improves product lifespan.

Easy Button 2
Overclockers and power users often need to turn on/off or reset their PC without any chassis installed. Easy Button 2 equips power, reset and clear CMOS touch-sensitive keys directly on the mainboards, so users have immediate access to these functions immediately.

Good motherboard for Phenom II 940?

imAcpufan — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:09:13 GMT

Hi everyone, I'm looking at rebuilding my system with a Phenom II X4 940. I was wondering what motherboard you guys would recommend. I've looked at this one, the Gigabyte MA790GP-UD4H 790GX, but if there are any other ones that are better, such as one by Asus, that be great to know. I was looking for something under $150, but I could go a little higher if necessary.

Thanks

Trying to understand what ASUS means on the RAM specs for the P6T7 WS Supercomputer

Dactron — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:54:16 GMT

I'm interested in the new P6T7 WS Supercomputer MB but, it seems that it isn't as easy to understand the spec sheet anymore. I remember they just put the type it could use and be done with it. Now I look at the specs for this board on NewEgg and they put DDR3 2000(O.C). Does that mean that you can only use the 1333 and have to OC it to 2000 or do you buy the 2000 and have to go to the BIOS and set the voltage and all that to get the RAM to hit the speed it's suppose to reach? Or do I have it completely sideways? I'm so confused lol.

Here's the specs from NewEgg

Model
Brand	ASUS
Model	P6T7 WS Supercomputer
Supported CPU
CPU Socket Type	LGA 1366
CPU Type	Core i7 / Core i7 Extreme Edition / Xeon 3500 Series / Xeon E5502/E5504/E5506
FSB	QPI 6.4GT/S
Chipsets
North Bridge	Intel X58
South Bridge	Intel ICH10R
Memory
Number of Memory Slots	6×240pin
Memory Standard	DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1800(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333 /1066
Maximum Memory Supported	24GB
Channel Supported	Triple Channel
Expansion Slots
PCI Express 2.0 x16	3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (@ x16 or x8) 3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (@ x8) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (@ x16)
Storage Devices
SATA 3Gb/s	6
SATA RAID	0/1/5/10 Matrix RAID
Onboard Audio
Audio Chipset	ADI AD2000B
Audio Channels	8 Channels
Onboard LAN
LAN Chipset	Realtek 8111C
Second LAN Chipset	Realtek 8111C
Max LAN Speed	Dual 10/100/1000Mbps
Rear Panel Ports
PS/2	1
USB	6 x USB 2.0
eSATA	2 x eSATA 3Gb/s
S/PDIF Out	1 x Optical, 1 x Coaxial
Audio Ports	6 Ports
Onboard USB
Onboard USB	3 x USB connectors support additional 6 USB ports
Onboard 1394
Onboard 1394	1x 1394a
Physical Spec
Form Factor	CEB
Dimensions	12.0" x 10.5"
Power Pin	24 Pin
Features
Features	NVIDIA nForce 200 X2 CUDA Parallel computing supported ATI CrossFireX & NVIDIA Geforce SLI Support Ext Marvell 88SE6320 SAS controller - 2 x SAS (RAID 0,1)

Asus Debuts P6T7 WS SuperComputer Motherboard

News — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:33:38 GMT

Calling this motherboard one fit for a "supercomputer" is probably stretching things, but we've no doubt that Asus' latest mainboard is built for serious abuse. The P6T7 WS SuperComputer Workstation Motherboard (catch all that?) is billed as the "most revolutionary and powerful Parallel Computing solution available to date." The board is equipped with seven (yes, seven!) PCI-Express Gen2 x16 slots and is certified for NVIDIA Tesla GPU computing. Specifically, it'll handle up to three Tesla cards and one NVIDIA Quadro card, which amounts to a grand total of 960 parallel processing cores that provide 4 teraflops of processing power.

Asus claims that this board is the perfect foundation for creating your own "personal supercomputer," and judging by the specifications, we can understand that sentiment. Four of those PCI-E slots can even be set to run in x16 link mode simultaneously, and it also natively supports both 3-way/2-way SLI and CrossFireX-on-Demand on the same motherboard. In other words, owners of this device can install up to three 3-way SLI-capable GeForce graphics card alongside a CrossFireX setup -- which is wild, any way you slice it. Additionally, the P6T7 WS SuperComputer sports onboard SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) ports, and the included Express Gate module gives desktop users access to an Instant-On operating system. Asus has yet to reveal a price, but we'll go ahead and tell you it won't be cheap.

Specifications

CPU	LGA1366 socket for Intel® Core™ i7 Processor Extreme Edition / Core™ i7 Processor LGA1366 socket for Intel® Xeon® processor 3500 Series LGA1366 socket for Intel® Xeon® processor E5502/E5504/E5506
Chipset	Intel® X58 / ICH10R NVIDIA® nForce200 x2
QPI Speeds	Up to 6.4GT/s; Intel® QuickPath Interconnect
Memory	6 x DIMM, max. 24GB, DDR3 2000 (O.C.)/1866(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz, ECC/non-ECC un-buffered memory, triple channel architecture
Expansion Slots	3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (@ x16 or x8) 3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (@ x8) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x16
CUDA support	Supports 3 NVIDIA Tesla cards + 1 NVIDIA Quadro card up to 960 cores, each delivering 1 teraflop of processing power
Multi-GPU support	Supports NVIDIA GeForce® 2-Way and 3-Way SLI; ATI CrossFireX™ technology, up to Quad CrossFireX™ (Supports up to 4 dual-GPU graphics cards)
Storage	- Intel ICH10R controller: 6 x SATA 3Gb/s RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5 and JBOD - Marvell 88SE6320 Ext SAS controller: 2 x SAS ports supporting RAID 0, 1 - Marvell 88SE6121 Ext SATA controller: 2 x eSATA 3Gb/s RAID 0, 1
Audio	ADI 2000B, 8-channel High Definition Audio CODEC
LAN	Realtek 8111C Dual Gb LAN (Teaming)
USB 2.0	12 x USB 2.0 / 1.1 ports

Asus P7P55D Premium Lynnfield Motherboard Sneak Peek

News — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:25:38 GMT

As we creep ever closer to the official launch of Intel's Lynnfield platform, more news and information regarding the processors, motherboards, and chipset seems to be hitting the web almost daily. The latest piece of interesting Lynnfield-related information we have for you comes in the form of Asus' high-end P7P55D Premium P55-based motherboard.

The Asus P7P55D Premium packs some interesting features to compliment Intel's upcoming Core i5 and Core i7 socket 1156 processors...

Asus P7P55D Premium Motherboard

As you can see, the board sports a dark PCB, with some aggressive looking heatsinks on the VRM and chipset. An interesting note about the VRM design on this board is that it has a hybrid 32+3 phase configuration, where 32-phases are dedicated to the processor core and three to the CPU's integrated memory controller. In addition, the VRM is made up of low RDS (on) MOSFETs, Ferrite core chokes, and 100% Japanese-made, high quality conductive polymer caps. There's even a heat-plate on the underside.

Other interesting features of the P7P55D Premium include an integrated Asus T.Probe chip which detects and balances power phase loads and temperatures in real-time. According to Asus, T.Probe allows the components in the VRM to run cooler with more even power distribution across phases, which should extend the board's lifespan while offering more stable power ouput as well.

The P7P55D Premium also sports Asus' Turbo V EVO chip for real-time overclocking and tweaking assistance. And the Turbo V EVO chip is complimented by the Turbo V Remote, which gives users the ability to overclock / underclock and adjust EPU settings directly from the controller, without having to exit whatever application may be loaded on the system.

Source: Asus

Another noteworthy feature of the P7P55D Premium in the integration of a Marvell 9123 6G SATA controller. Instead of connecting directly to the PCIe Gen 1 lanes available in the P55 chipset though, the Marvell 6G SATA controller is linked to the chipset via a PLX8613 PCI Express Gen 2 bridge. The PLX8613 connected to the P55 via four Gen 1 PCIe lanes, but links to the Marvell controller via single Gen 2 lane. Although the 500MB/s available with a single Gen 2 PCIe lane is 100MB/s lower than the SATA 6G spec, Asus notes, "The 600MB/s is the theoretical transfer rate. Due to the limitation of current SATA 6Gb/s HDDs, the 500MB/s is quite Enough for the SATA 6Gb/s HDDs."

We'll be taking an in-depth look at the P7P55D Premium in the not too distant future, so be sure to come back after the Lynnfield launch for the full scoop.

Gigabyte EP45-UD3P problem with the reset button!

tcuong — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:08:33 GMT

hi guys, can you please help me with this:

I got my new EP45-UD3P and hooked it with my old components (6 months old), I noticed the CPU fan does not start as soon as I press the Power button, but a few seconds later. however, the system seems to perform well, but there were some problems:

- When I pressed the Reset button, the CPU fan also started later this time, and when it starts, the system shuts down, a few seconds after that, the system starts and shuts, and starts and shuts continuously. I had to unplug my PSU and pluged it in again, start the system, and it turned on just fine. the problem is that when I use the reset button, the above thing repeats.

- I used Everest 5.02 (cracked) and it cannot identify my mainboard, while other softwares such as CPU-Z and PCWizard can.

I checked my installations and noted:
- I only got 1x4pin power plugged into the mainboard (other than the 24pin), while the board seemed to require 8pin.
- My Power and Reset pins were connected properly to the buttons (white wires as negative pins).
- My CPU, RAM and VGA seemed to perform well (checked via CPU-Z and GPU-Z)

Can you guys please advise me whether I got anything wrong about this, and whether I need to check other components (in fact, I re-hooked my system alreasy)?

Thank you very much in advance.

Gigabyte Invitational Editor's Day 2009 - Lynnfield / P55

News — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:12:03 GMT

As details of upcoming Lynnfield processors and P55 chipset-based motherboards hit the scene, there is a growing buzz within the industry about the effects of bringing Nehalem down into the mainstream market segments. While X58 and Core i7 performance dominates, complete system pricing has kept some average consumers looking to upgrade wistfully on the fence. That roadblock will likely been cleared by P55 as the companies involved eagerly expect to see widespread adoption of the high performing and relatively affordable platform.

On August 18, 2009, Loews Hotel in Santa Monica, California was host to Gigabyte's Invitational Press Day. The affair promised to provide an informative look at Intel's Lynnfield processor, along with the P55 platform. Representatives from Gigabyte, Intel, and Kingston were available to provide demonstrations and answer questions on their upcoming technology and product line-ups.

Gigabyte Invitational Editor's Day 2009 - Lynnfield / P55

EVOC Intros Atom-Powered Mini-ITX Motherboard

News — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:49:50 GMT

You know what the world needs? Another Mini-ITX mainboard. And you know what the world is getting courtesy of EVOC? Another Mini-ITX mainboard. With the eco-friendly crowd growing larger and more vocal by the day, it makes sense for EVOC to cater to that audience with a new mainboard designed specifically for small, living room PCs that can play back Internet content and maybe even tune into an OTA station or four.

The EC7-1812CLDNA, which is impossibly named, was recently launched over in China as a low-cost embedded motherboard complying with Mini-ITX SBC standard. It's based on Intel's Atom N230 CPU and 945GC + ICH7 chipset, and it supports VGA+LVDS display, 1 x 10/100/1000M network port, 6 x COM port, 1 x parallel port, 6 x USB port and PCI expansion. While it can operate just find in industrial applications such as information kiosks and POS terminals, we see it of interest to small form factor HTPC builders, carputer builders and those in need of a cheap, low-power secondary PC.

Unfortunately there's no word on a price just yet, but that information should certainly be coming soon.

asus turbo key

ricky0819 — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 06:56:10 GMT

hi guys,

i have an asus MoBo p5qpl-am and it has trubo key. I install the turbo key when i activate it then if i click the power button it gives me a message inside the circle that is says the current overclocking setting is higher try to choose other profile

something like that can i add or change the overclock profile?

EVGA P55 board

bob_on_the_cob — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:39:23 GMT

I have been checking out the P55 stuff, but I am honestly not that excited about it, but this is one of the best looking boards I have seen since Saphire's red and white board years ago

MotherBoard

martisun — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:33:35 GMT

Hello,
I want to know about each every part on motherboard or can say to study motherboard deeply. so is there any book which include such a description or any website which describe motherboard with diagrams(pictures) of all parts.