Items tagged with motherboards
All of those Encyclopedia Brown books I read as a youngster are now paying off. How is that? Well, MSI posted a partially cryptic image on Twitter that, if you don your detective cap like I have done, reveals itself to be a teaser of one of the company's unreleased X570 motherboards for AMD's upcoming Ryzen 3000 series processors. Let's look at the evidence, shall we? Before we get to the image, here's what we know: AMD is prepping a new round of Ryzen processors based on its third-generation Zen architecture, called Zen 2 (the previous two generations include current Zen+ and last generation Zen). AMD plans to at least talk about Zen 2 (and Navi, on the GPU side) during Computex next month,...
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AMD is planning to at least talk about its upcoming Ryzen 3000 series of desktop processors in a few weeks at Computex, and the expectation is that it will be launching the new CPUs at that time. As that date draws closer, motherboard makers are prepping for the event with new models based on the upcoming X570 chipset. What about existing 300 and 400 series motherboards? At least one company has begun rolling out BIOS updates. That company is ASUS, and it has already made available BIOS updates for around three dozen X470, B450, X370, and B350 motherboard models. "ASUS will release BIOS updates for its 300 and 400 series motherboards to add support for next-generation AMD Ryzen CPUs. The latest...
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Today we are going to take a look at Gigabyte’s Z390 Designare motherboard, one of the company's more recent Socket 1151-based boards for Intel's 8th and 9th Generation Coffee Lake-based processors. This board has a lean and mean look about it, even menacing in a way, with its mostly black aesthetic with silver highlights scattered about. Its VRM heatsink even carries a yin-yang motif, with the black sink at the top and silver to the left of the CPU socket. This color palette provides a clean, sharp look with its M.2 slot sharing the same light and dark offset and the PCH sink providing a final accent. The board carries a bevy of features targeted at creative professionals....
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AMD is expected to launch its Ryzen 3000 desktop processor family this summer. Otherwise known as Matisse, the upcoming chips are based on AMD's 7-nanometer Zen 2 architecture, which yields faster clockspeeds and an improved IPC for better overall performance. The new chips will also be accompanied by a new X570 chipset, and we are starting to see motherboard models based on that chipset leak out. If you plan on building a PC around a Ryzen 3000 series processor, an X570 motherboard makes the most sense—the upcoming chipset is said to offer PCI Express Gen 4 support and will likely include other goodies not found on the current batch of X470 motherboards. That said, Ryzen 3000 processors...
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Back at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su held up an early sample of a Ryzen 3000 series processor based on AMD's Zen 2 (Matisse) CPU architecture. It will still be several months until Zen 2 chips start shipping to consumers, though in the meantime, motherboard makers are getting ready with next-gen boards based on AMD's upcoming X570 chipset. We suspect there will be a ton of motherboard leaks in the upcoming weeks and months, especially as AMD's Ryzen 3000 series draws closer to release. In fact, it has already started to happen. The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) website lists a bunch of unreleased ASRock motherboards based on X570. They include: ASRock...
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EVGA showed off a new motherboard at CES simply called the Z390 Dark. This board was designed with an emphasis on performance and overclocking, and it was recently used by Finland Overclocker Juhani Luumi to set a new 8-core CPU world record on Cinebench. True to its name, the Z390 Dark motherboard is predominantly black, but the board is accented in gold. Thermal performance of the board was a key focus of this boards design, and EVGA placed large heatsinks over the Z390 chipset and the power regulation circuitry. There are a total of 17 digital VRM power phases on the board, all but one of which are devoted to the CPU to ensure a stable flow of power. The board has several overclocking features...
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Are Super Micro server motherboards safe from Chinese spies? A recent audit has determined that the Super Micro motherboards are indeed free of malicious microchips, running contrary to an explosive Bloomberg Businessweek article that made waves in early October. The company sent a letter to its customers and assured them that “no evidence” has been found of wrongdoing. A report from Bloomberg claimed that that Chinese spies had planted malicious microchips on Super Micro motherboards. These microchips supposedly created a “stealth doorway into any network that included the altered machines”. They were reportedly placed by agents of the People’s Liberation Army,...
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Gigabyte's latest motherboard makes it a little easier to incorporate a custom liquid cooling loop into your setup. That's because its new Z390 Aorus Xtreme Waterforce comes with a fitted all-on-one monoblock that you attach to the motherboard. The advantage of a solution like this is that it blends in with Gigabyte's design aesthetic, so it doesn't look like an external piece. You still have to install the monoblock, as it doesn't come already attached to the motherboard. That said, the process outlined in the user manual looks easy enough—connect the LED cables to the LED_CPU and LED-PCH headers on the motherboard, then place the monoblock on the motherboard and fasten the CPU backplate....
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Gigabyte continues to flesh out its line of Z390 motherboards designed around Intel's latest chipset. The total number of Z390 motherboards in Gigabyte's stable now stands at a dozen, with the addition of the Z390 Designare and Z390 Aorus Xtreme. Both are high-end motherboards with dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, but they're aimed at different audiences. Let's start with the Z390 Aorus Xtreme. This one stands as Gigabyte's top-shelf Z390 motherboard and has a price tag to match—$549.99 MSRP (ouch!). That price will put it out of reach of the typical mainstream shopper, and certainly those looking for a bang-for-buck solution, with Gigabyte seemingly targeting enthusiasts and overclockers who...
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Forget about overclocking, if you really want to make your shiny new processor run faster, you need RGB lighting on your motherboard! We're kidding, of course, though if RGB lighting is your thing, you will find it in abundance on Gigabyte's new Z390 Aorus Xtreme for Intel's brand-spanking-new 9th generation Core processors. You don't actually have to forget about overclocking, either. The Z390 Aorus Xtreme is a high end 8-layer PCB with a 16-phase power design and an "extreme thermal design," which is Gigabyte's fancy way of saying there are plenty of heatsinks scattered about to the board. It also features a fixed I/O shield, which we think should be a standard amenity on every motherboard....
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We are getting oh-so-close to the launch of Intel's 9th generation Core processors, and as that date approaches, motherboard makers appear to be bursting at the seams with excitement. ASRock has come out and formally introduced its Z390 lineup, while ASUS, EVGA, and MSI have all taken to social media to tease their upcoming motherboards. "The leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, is pleased to announce the launch of the new Intel Z390 motherboard series, and also the Phantom Gaming Motherboards, the latest addition to the company's popular Phantom Gaming line up. These versatile new motherboards support the latest 9th Generation Intel Core™ processors with socket 1151," ASRock...
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We already knew that MSI was planning on launching more than half a dozen motherboards based on Intel's upcoming Z390 chipset, but we have not seen the full lineup, apparently. Yet another Z390 motherboard has leaked to the web, this latest one being MSI's MEG Z390 ACE, which will sit alongside the company's MEG Z390 Godlike on top of the product stack. MSI is taking aim at enthusiasts and overclockers with its MEG boards. For those who do not want to go all out on the MEG Z390 Godlike for whatever the asking price ends up being, the MEG Z390 ACE will offer similar features but at a presumably more palatable price. Exactly what it ends up costing remains to be seen, though. The ACE up MSI's sleeve...
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We're starting to go cross-eyed looking at the all the Z390 motherboards that have leaked out before officially launching. Our affliction won't stop more leaks from happening, though, a fact that is underscored by a fresh batch of press renderings showing several of Gigabyte's upcoming Aorus-brand Z390 motherboards. The focus this time around is on the Z390 Aorus Master, Z390 Aorus Ultra, Z390 Aorus Pro, and Z390 Aorus Elite. As we have mentioned in the past, Gigabyte is changing up its naming scheme this time around, replacing its Gaming designations with the new terms. It can be a little confusing if you're used to the old naming scheme. Here's a chart that might help... The new naming scheme...
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One thing that has become clear in recent weeks that anyone who is planning on building or upgrading a PC around one of Intel's upcoming 9th generation Core processors will not have a lack of new motherboard options to choose from. We have seen leak after leak of new Z390 motherboards in recent weeks, including a fleshed out lineup from ASUS. As it turns out, though, ASUS has even more Z390 motherboards on tap, than what was previously leaked. Just last week, what looked to be official press renders of nearly a dozen Z390 motherboards from ASUS found their way to the web. Among them were several ROG Maximus XI models, including the ROG Maximus XI Code, ROG Maximus XI Formula, ROG Maximus XI Hero,...
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Intel might as well go ahead and release its 9th generation Core processor lineup right now, because unless it has something up its sleeve that has not already been leaked, there will not be any surprises. This applies to the crop of Z390 motherboards waiting in the wings, too. In the latest batch of leaked images, we see more than half a dozen Z390 motherboard models from MSI, including its MEG Z390 Godlike board. There is no doubt that the Meg Z390 Godlike is a beastly motherboard. While we don't have detailed specs to share, we can see in the press render that it has four reinforced PCI Express x16 slots with three M.2 slots sandwiched in between them. Most users probably don't plan on running...
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Intel will be rolling out its 9th generation Core processor family in October, though we can't say for sure exactly when—we've heard both October 1 and October 8 thrown around. Either way, Intel's hardware partners are ready with a whole bunch of new motherboards based on the company's accompanying Z390 Express chipset. Many of the upcoming boards have already been leaked, including a wide range of Z390 motherboards from ASUS. Based on the latest leak, ASUS will have no less than 11 new Z390 motherboards on tap for Intel's 9th generation Core processors. According to fresh batch of leaked fresh renders, four of them will be Republic of Gamers (ROG) Maximus XI models and three will fall...
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If you know where to look, there is much more to find on the Internet than the latest development in the ongoing Machine Gun Kelly versus Eminem dispute. Really, there is. For example, followers of Gigabyte's AORUS Twitter account will have spotted a teaser clip that appears to show off an upcoming motherboard, presumably based on Intel's Z390 chipset. AORUS, as you might already know, is Gigabyte's "premium gaming" brand, just as ASUS maintains a Republic of Gamers (ROG) division for its enthusiast products. Based on some of the leaks we have seen so far, Gigabyte will market and sell Z390 motherboards under both its main brand and its AORUS division. What we have here is an AORUS motherboard,...
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Is it October yet? No? Well that stinks! It's not that we're trying to speed up time and hasten our brief (in the cosmic sense) stay on this rock, we're just looking forward to Intel finally launching its 9th generation Core processor line, if for no other reason than to stop being flooded with related leaks. Many of them have been in relation to upcoming motherboards based on Intel's Z390 Express chipset. As we head into the homestretch, it would appear that ASRock's entire lineup of Z390 boards has leaked to the web. Just last week, an official-looking press render of ASRock's Z390 Phantom Gaming 9 motherboard started making the rounds. Speculation is that it will be ASRock's flagship Z390...
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If the rumors and leaks have been accurate, then we're now just weeks away from Intel rolling out its 9th generation Core processor family, otherwise known as Coffee Lake Refresh. The new round of processors is expected to debut in October. There will be new Z390-chipset motherboards as well, several of which have leaked to the web already. Here's a look at yet another one. This time around, it's two of MSI's upcoming MAG and MPG models (one each). Like Gigabyte recently did, MSI is using the Z390 launch as an opportunity to introduce a new naming scheme. At the top of the stack, MSI's MEG models will take aim at enthusiasts and overclockers who want all of the bells and whistles, while the MAG...
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Sometime in the what we believe to be the near future, Intel will finally roll out its 9th generation Core processor family, which is rumored to include two 8-core CPU models. We'll have to wait and see about that. Until then, Intel's hardware partners are gearing up for the launch with supporting hardware. Specifically, Gigabyte is waiting in the wings with multiple new motherboards based on Intel's upcoming Z390 Express chipset. Gigabyte has not announced anything yet, of course, but there are multiple leaked press renders of the company's upcoming motherboards. The newest one depicts a Gigabyte Z390 Gaming SLI motherboard. This one looks to be sold and marketed under Gigabyte's own brand,...
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If you build it, they will come. We learned that lesson in Field of Dreams, and it applies to the technology sector too, not just baseball fields out in the middle of nowhere. So what exactly is being built? Intel has put together a new Z390 chipset for its upcoming 9th generation processor launch, and Gigabyte appears ready to roll with at least one Z390 motherboard (more likely several) from its Aorus division. Otherwise known as Coffee Lake Refresh, the upcoming 9th generation Core processor launch is rumored to include up to 8-core CPU options, bringing parity (in core and thread counts) with AMD's Ryzen processors to the mainstream market. Some of the SKUs (up to 6 cores) have already been...
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Top tier motherboard makers have started rolling out new products based on AMD's X399 chipset, presumably in anticipation for second-generation Ryzen Threadripper chips that are right around the corner. That includes the beastly slice of silicon with 32 cores and 64 threads that AMD has been teasing since Computex. Starting with ASUS, the company did not announce any new motherboards, but did introduce a cooling kit for its existing ROG Zenith Extreme. The cooling kit consist of a small fan, bracket, SOC heatsink, and set of screws. It is intended to keep vital parts of the motherboard from overheating when running a second generation Threadripper chip, and will probably help with overclocking....
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