Friday 24 July 2015

Speed Up with ASRock's Front USB 3.1 Panel and U.2 Kit

TAIPEI, Taiwan, July 16, 2015 – We've already seen plentiful amounts of motherboards that have USB 3.1 ports built into the rear I/O, but I bet you've never seen this new interface appear on the front panel of your computer case. Apparently not, because ASRock is the world's first to support front Type-A and Type-C USB 3.1 ports with their Front USB 3.1 Panel. Additionally, the innovative company has also announced the birth of U.2 Kits, add-on cards that may support the latest and fastest Intel® SSD 750 Series.
Not only does USB 3.1 boast 10Gb/s data transfer rates, the new Type-C interface also doubles the charging speed of other devices, and even features a miraculous reversible design for those who always get the wrong orientation. That said, trying to plug USB devices all the way to the back of the case is still as hard as pinning a tail on a donkey. So ASRock has come out with a Front USB 3.1 Panel, which may be connected to your vacant SATA Express port and transform it into a pair of USB 3.1 Type-A and Type-C ports.
For even faster speeds, ASRock presents the U.2 Kit. A tiny add-on card that may be installed into the onboard PCIe Gen3 x4 Ultra M.2 slots, and then support the fastest Intel® SSD 750 Series. To add icing on top, the U.2 Kit also breaks limitations allowing PCIe SSDs to create RAID 0 arrays for ludicrous speeds. ASRock's lab has demonstrated building RAID 0 with three Intel® 750 SSDs connected to U.2 Kits and without question, an ASRock motherboard. The results were insane as you could have imagined, 3561 MB/s read speed and 3245 MB/s write speed!
ASRock's U.2 Kit is compatible with any motherboard, as long as it has a functioning PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 slot for installing this gizmo. On the other hand, ASRock's Front USB 3.1 Panel will work seamlessly on any motherboard with a SATA Express connector.
For more information, please go to:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/spec/card.asp?Model=U.2%20Kit
http://www.asrock.com/mb/spec/card.asp?Model=Front%20USB%203.1%20Panel

Turn your smart phone into a universal remote controller with ASRock Gaming G10 Router

TAIPEI, Taiwan, July 22, 2015 – Remember that time when you had to perform a sort of sword dance ritual with your dysfunctional TV remote in order to make it work? To refresh your memory, it involved fanatical waving, twisting your arms into unfathomable yoga positions, and lots and lots of cursing. Those barbaric days of the dark past are almost over, pretty soon you can use ASRock Gaming's new router G10 to turn your smart phone into a universal remote controller!

ASRock Gaming's G10 is the combination of the internet of things and a powerful router. It learns the infrared signals of let's say your TV remote, and assigns it to your smart phone with the ASRock Router APP, which is soon arriving to both Google Play and App Store. Then you may use your smart phone to command your G10 router through WiFi or 3G/4G, and make it remotely control the TV through infrared signals. Power it up, flip through channels, crank up the volume without even bothering to point your phone towards the telly.

In addition, ASRock Gaming G10's sovereignty isn't limited to only televisions. As long as the device you wish to control is paired with an infrared signal remote control, such as game consoles, air conditioners, heaters or whatever, G10 will learn the signals in a snap and allow you to control them anywhere.

Best Motherboards for Budget and Performance PCs

By , PCWorld
When you're shopping for a motherboard for your custom-made PC, look for a few important features. First is support for USB 3.0, which prepares you for the future. Second is 6-gbps SATA ports, which will support faster data-transfer rates on newer hard drives and on solid-state drives (not to mention the fact that more SATA ports will allow room for attaching more devices). Third, if you’re using a Sandy Bridge CPU such as the Core i5-2500K or Core i7-2600K, you’ll need a motherboard with the 1155 Socket.

Budget

Intel: ASRock P67 Pro ($99)
For a budget Sandy Bridge-based computer, I recommend the ASRock P67 Pro. This motherboard is built on the P67 chipset, which takes advantage of the overclocking potential of the unlocked Core i5-2500K, but doesn’t support the CPU’s integrated-graphics features. (If you’d rather not have a graphics card but want to keep costs low, you’ll need to select a motherboard with the H61 chipset instead.)
This motherboard offers four DIMM slots to accommodate a maximum of 32GB of RAM, and it supports overclocked RAM at speeds up to 2133MHz. You’ll also find a pair of 6-gbps SATA ports, as well as four 3-gbps SATA ports. The ASRock P67 Pro supplies six USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports, as well, but only a single PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot; this arrangement limits you to one graphics card, but that should suffice for a budget PC.
Gigabyte GA-970A-D3; photograph by Robert Cardin
AMD: Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 ($90)
For systems using AMD processors, motherboards with the AM3+ socket are the way to go. Although the Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 is inexpensive, this motherboard doesn’t scrimp on features. Built on the AM3+ socket, the GA-970A-D3 offers four DIMM slots to hold up to 32GB of RAM, with support for memory overclocked to speeds of up to 2000MHz. It also provides a pair of PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots, six 6-gbps SATA ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 3.0 ports. For just $90, you’re getting an excellent package here.

Performance

Intel: Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 ($204)
For a high-performance PC, select a board with at least one PCI-Express 3.0 slot. Currently, not too many products take advantage of PCI-E 3.0’s extra bandwidth, but you’ll want the capability in the future.
My choice is the Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 (yes, that name just rolls off the tongue). It’s built on the new Z68 chipset, which essentially combines the P67’s overclocking support and the H61’s integrated-graphics support. The latter gives you access to Intel’s Quick Sync technology, which speeds up video-conversion tasks immensely. The integrated graphics also can step in when your graphics tasks are less strenuous--say, when you’re watching a YouTube video--allowing your discrete graphics card to power down, and saving a bit of energy. On top of that, the chipset supports Intel’s Smart Responsetechnology, which lets you section off part of an SSD to serve as a cache for a conventional hard drive, speeding up performance.
This motherboard has four DIMM slots for up to 32GB of RAM, and it supports overclocked RAM at speeds up to 2200MHz. Notable features include two PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots (which makes room for two graphics cards working in tandem); four 6-gbps SATA ports and four 3-gbps SATA ports; Bluetooth, VGA, DVI, and HDMI ports; two USB 3.0 ports; and six USB 2.0 ports. Among my favorite features are the built-in power and reset switches, which are helpful for troubleshooting when you’re tinkering inside the PC.
Asus Crosshair V Formula; photograph by Robert Cardin
AMD: Asus Crosshair V Formula ($219)
You can find lots of motherboard options for high-end PCs built on AMD CPUs, but I like the Asus Crosshair V Formula. It too packs four DIMM slots for up to 32GB of RAM, and it supports memory overclocked to speeds of up to 2133MHz. You get six 6-gbps SATA ports, 12 USB 2.0 ports, and six USB 3.0 ports. This board adds a third PCI-E 2.0 slot; the slots support x16 data-transfer lanes, but the board throttles power down to x8 lanes when two or more graphics cards are installed. You can use that third slot for a third graphics card, a Wi-Fi adapter, or a TV-tuner card.

RAM: A Great Bargain for Any PC

As you're selecting components for your tailor-made PC, you'll probably find that settling on the amount of memory is the easiest decision you'll have to make. Since RAM has become incredibly cheap, you have little reason not to grab a hefty amount.
G Skill Ripjaws 1600MHz DDR3; photograph by Robert Cardin
G Skill Ripjaws 1600MHz DDR3, 8GB ($50)
The G Skill Ripjaws are speedy, and equipped with heat spreaders to regulate temperatures. The modules themselves happen to look great, too (if RAM turns you on, that is). More important, you can find 8GB of this memory for as little as $50. Faster RAM is available on the market, but if you’re simply looking to minimize multitasking bottlenecks, this choice of RAM is a steal.

ASUS Rampage IV Formula Motherboard - high price high value!

ASUS Rampage IV Formula Motherboard

ASUS Rampage IV Formula Motherboard

Price on amazone Rs-/ 37,500.00
  • AMD 4-way CrossfireX and Nvidia 4-way SLI support
  • 4 x SATA 6 GB per second port(s)
  • 6 x USB 3.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, 2 at mid-board )
  • 2 x power eSATA 6 GBps port(s)
  • 1 x gigabit LAN featuring Intel chipset
  • SupremeFX III, built-in 8-channel high definition audio CODEC
  • 12 x USB 2.0 port(s) (6 ports at back panel, 1 for ROG connect; 6 ports at mid-board).

Product Description

ASUS Rampage IV Formula features the Intel X79 chipset supporting the Intel LGA2011 2nd generation Intel Core i7 processors. ASUS offers top-tier Republic of Gamers (ROG) platform-leading solution with the exclusive Extreme Engine Digi+ II technology. Fully ready for true PCIe 3.0, built to be future-proof with PCIe 3.0 switching IC for NVIDIA SLI support and future PCIe 3.0 peripherals. With 4-Way AMD CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI support, the ASUS Rampage IV Formula provides scalable graphics performance for the gaming and computer enthusiast. SupremeFX III delivers true-to-life HD audios for the quality sounds with innovative SupremeFX Shielding Technology. Extreme gamers will appreciate the GameFirst feature which allows users to prioritize packets for games.
 

Product Information

Technical Details
BrandAsus
SeriesASUS
Item Height9.7 Centimeters
Item Width31.8 Centimeters
Item Weight2.4 Kg
Product Dimensions40.4 x 31.8 x 9.7 cm
Item model numberRampage IV Formula
RAM Size32000 MB
Computer Memory TypeDDR3 SDRAM
Number of USB 2.0 Ports

Highest price mother board in Intel

Intel DZ7 7RE-75K Extreme Series LGA1155 Socket MotherBoard

Intel DZ77RE-75K Extreme Series LGA1155 Socket MotherBoard
    Price Rs/-26,599.00
on Amazon.com

Product Description

The first Intel® Desktop Board with Thunderbolt technology and also best in a series of Intel® Desktop boards optimized for the Intel® K family of processors, the Intel® Desktop board DZ77RE-75K sets a new standard when it comes to performance that gamers, overclockers, digital media enthusiasts, and ultimate multi-taskers need most. Thunderbolt technology is a revolutionary I/O technology which brings never-seen before performance, simplicity, and flexibility to system designs. In addition, the new Intel® Visual BIOS offers graphical interface and animated controls which allow you to configure settings faster and take full advantage of your Intel® K processor.
 

Product Information

Technical Details
BrandIntel
Item Weight499 g
Product Dimensions36.4 x 31.4 x 9.6 cm
Item model numberBOXDZ77RE75K
Computer Memory TypeDDR3 SDRAM
Number of USB 2.0 Ports4
 5 Grams

Intel DX79TO Motherboard

Intel DX79TO Motherboard
Price on amazon.com: 25,900.00.

Product Description

Need a machine that can handle your complex workload? The DX79TO is the machine for you. Whether rendering, doing animations, gaming, or crunching data, today's power user needs a computing platform that delivers maximum multi-threaded CPU support. The Intel® Desktop Board DX79TO is designed to provide the power you need. The massive data throughput and support for the Intel® CoreTM i7 processor Extreme Edition runs more applications simultaneously, with less wait time. Not only fast but secure, the Intel® Trusted Platform Module (Intel® TPM) provides extra platform integrity and security. SuperSpeed USB 3.0, SATA 6.0 Gb/s, quad channel DDR3 memory, and full support for AMD CrossFireX* and NVIDIA SLI* technology are just a few of the many features supported on this board. Compatible Processors Intel® High End Desktop i7-3960X | Frequency: 3.30 GHz Intel® High End Desktop i7-3930K | Frequency: 3.20 GHz Intel® High End Desktop i7-3820 | Frequency: 3.60 GHz Intel® Xeon® E5-2680 | Frequency: 2.70 GHz Intel® Xeon® E5-2670 | Frequency: 2.60 GHz Intel® Xeon® E5-2660 | Frequency: 2.20 GHz Intel® Xeon® E5-2650 | Frequency: 2.00 GHz Intel® Xeon® E5-2620 | Frequency: 2.00 GHz Intel® Xeon® E5-2609 | Frequency: 2.40 GHz Intel® Xeon® E5-1620 | Frequency: 3.60 GHz.
 

Product Information

Technical Details

BrandIntel
Item Height9.4 Centimeters
Item Width31.5 Centimeters
Item Weight1.8 Kg
Product Dimensions36.3 x 31.5 x 9.4 cm
Item model numberBOXDX79TO
RAM Size64 GB
Computer Memory TypeDDR3 SDRAM
Number of USB 2.0 Ports4
Number of Firewire Ports1

HIGHEST PRICE MOTHER BOARD IN ASUS

Asus SABERTOOTH X79 Intel Motherboard

Asus SABERTOOTH X79 Intel Motherboard
Price on amazone.com: Rs46,887.00

Product Description

The TUF series delivers a "tough" image. With the unique design & high quality components (military-standard), TUF series is born for pursuing the preeminent stability, all-round compatibility, and extreme durability.Ultimate COOL! Thermal SolutionThermal ArmorTotal Airflow-Boosting Heat DissipationNew generation TUF Thermal Armor kicks cooling up a notch with dual integrated Turbo Engine fans. This enhances the original TUF thermal design, helping direct heat away from MOS area components and out the case via the rear I/O section. Special heat pipes propel dissipation from critical components and make sure temps stay low across the board. The Thermal Armor also provides modders and LAN party goers an extra-cool dress up option to show off their creativity and dedication to performance.Thermal RadarReal Time Temp Detection and Heat RemovalThe TUF Thermal Radar monitors temps in critical parts of the motherboard in real time, automatically adjusting fan speeds to make sure the system maintains high stability without overheating. It consists of multiple sensors for various components on the motherboard, giving users the ability to monitor each one individually. The Thermal Radar automatically calculates ideal fan speeds based on different parameters selected by users for each component, keeping everything cooler and longer lasting.TUF ENGINE! Power DesignNew DIGI+ Power ControlAll-New Digital Power Control for both CPU and DRAMASUS X79 motherboards include New DIGI+ Power Control with three digital voltage controllers, including all-new DRAM controllers that offers ultra-precise memory tuning in addition to ultra-precise CPU voltage control. This evolution of innovative, industry-leading ASUS technology provides the best in class control for better efficiency, stability and performance.

Product Information

Technical Details

BrandAsus
Item Height33 Millimeters
Item Width30.5 Centimeters
Item Weight1.9 Kg
Product Dimensions36.6 x 30.5 x 3.3 cm
Item model numberSabertooth X79
RAM Size64000 MB
Computer Memory TypeDDR3 SDRAM
Number of USB 2.0 Ports4
Number of Firewire Ports2
Lithium battery Weight5 Grams

Best motherboard: 9 top boards reviewed and rated

Best motherboard: 9 top boards reviewed and rated
Introduction
Motherboard reviews
Verdict
All
Not all that long ago, the CPU contained an execution core, maybe two cores if you were really lucky. And that was it. Everything was onboard and that made your choice of board super critical.
Then AMD wheeled out the Athlon 64 in 2003 and nothing was the same again. The Athlon 64 half-inched the memory controller and a few other functions such as system I/O from the northbridge chip. Since then, the steady creep of migrating features has left the motherboard twiddling its thumbs and thinking up ways to justify its existence.
All Intel's current CPUs, have a memory controller, graphics, PCI Express and more integrated on-die. The end-game here is the system-on-a-chip (SoC), but we're some way off that for PCs. Even if we had reached that point, motherboards would still definitely matter. This is because sockets and wiring cost money, so cheaper boards won't bother with wiring everything up - but that's the future.
In the now, the motherboard still contains some critical features, such as storage interfaces, USB controllers and more. Then factor in things like BIOS quality and functionality and you can forget any notion that mobos no longer matter.
Let's kick off with the assumption we've sold you on the basic notion that motherboards still matter in this brave new age of integration. Then follow that up by dropping a bit of a mind bomb on proceedings.
When it comes to Intel's latest desktop tech, it's actually the platform parts that are arguably more interesting. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the new Intel Haswell family of processors are a bit of a blowout as desktop chips. The CPU part is barely any better than its Ivy Bridge predecessor at stock clock speeds and it looks like its overclock isn't that tasty either.
Yes, Haswell has much improved graphics. The top Iris 5300 graphics with 128MB eDRAM looks particularly intriguing for laptops and maybe even tablets, but integrated graphics on the desktop? Get real. You still want a dedicated GPU if you're even remotely bothered about a spot of gameage.
Which is where motherboards come in. Haswell CPUs may be a bit of a bummer, but they do bring with them the new LGA1150 socket and the new Intel 8 series chipsets. Cue much rejoicing. Well, we say chipsets. The reality is more accurately characterised as merely 'chip'. Namely the platform controller hub or PCH chip. Ye olde northbiridge chip has essentially been assimilated into the CPU.
So what's in the 8 series PCH? Anything exciting? Anything new? Let's begin with the 8 series chipset that's most likely to grab your attention: the Z87 (the replacement for our previous fave, the Z77). The fun starts with up to six native USB 3.0 ports. To that you can add up to 14 USB 2.0 ports.
Then there's a sextet SATA 6Gbps of storage ports. On the one hand, we're grateful for the all-6Gbps spec. On the other, storage throughput is arguably the one area where we're already straining at the leash for more oomph. Pretty much all modern SSDs bump up against the limits of SATA 6Gbps already. Admittedly, drives with PCI express-derived interfaces aren't yet commonplace, but a motherboard ought to be ahead of the curve. You need to have a platform ready and waiting for the latest peripherals, rather than buying a fancy PCI-e SSD and then having to wait for a motherboard to plug it into.
Thus, it's a pity we'll have to hang about at least another couple of years for Intel chipsets and motherboards with native support for something quicker than SATA 6Gbps. Still, you do get Intel Rapid Storage tech with TRIM-enabled RAID functionality. So the overall package is about as SATA as it gets.
There's one other snag with all this native USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps goodness, and that's the feeble DMI 2.0 interface that connects the PCH chip with Haswell CPUs. Yup, it's the same DMI 2.0 interface seen on Intel's last two mainstream platform (you know, the one that maxes out at 20Gbps). Remember, a single USB 3.0 connection can hit 5Gbps. So, that's six of those, six SATA 6Gbps ports and anything non-graphics attached via PCI express (more on that in a moment) sharing 20Gbps. Yeah, that's some fairly major suckage.
Next up, graphics. While the PCI express lanes for graphics are actually in the CPU, it's the mobo chipset that effectively exposes them. In the case of the Z87, you get the lot. So, that's 16 lanes in either 1x 16-lane single-GPU or 2x 8-lane dual GPU configuration.
But hold on; because it's PCI express 3.0, it doubles the bandwidth per lane and means the dual-card graphics on a Z87 board has as much bandwidth as a full dual 16-lane arrangement has with PCI express 2.0. Nice.

Cheap as chipsets

Z87 Chipsets
Elsewhere there's Intel HD audio and a gigabit ethernet interface. Oh, and up to eight spare PCI express lanes for peripherals. As for the digital display interfaces, they've actually migrated on the CPU die with Haswell. That said, you'd still find variation in terms of the actual ports motherboard makers choose to hook up. Finally, as with the old Z77, the Z87 is the only chipset in the new 8 series range that gives you full access to overclocking features in the K series chips.
So that's the elevator pitch for the Z87. What about the other new 8-ers? The B and Q variants are for office rigs, systems for deskbound wage slaves in other words. So, we'll ignore those. Instead, it's the H87 and H81 that might just generate a considerable blip on your personal motherboard-buying radar.
So what do you lose out on with the more mainstream motherboard chipsets? Well, both drop multi-GPU support, meaning you can only run a single discrete graphics card. Meanwhile, with the H81, you can only drive two displays off the on-CPU graphics, compared with three for the Z87 and H87 chipsets. Next up, neither the H87 or H81 officially support overclocking - although that hasn't stopped Asus or MSI from offering just that on their H87 motherboards. Although the fear is that this could be turned off by Intel at a later date.
Then there's Intel's Rapid Storage tech complete with RAID support, which isn't available on the H81. Same goes for Intel's quick-booting smart response tech. The H81 also limits USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps connectivity to two ports each. At this stage, the H81 looks like a bit of a chump. It might make for a cheaper mobo, but it scrimps on far too many features for our liking.
What about the H87? If you're dead set against overclocking your chip, then you're going to lose very little. The same goes for grabbing some hot multi-GPU action. The danger, of course, is that you may change your mind in future. If that happens, a Z87 board has you covered, an H87 leaves you cold. It all comes down to how you judge the value proposition.

And what of AMD?

AMD motherboard
If you've read this far you might be wondering if we even realise AMD exists. All this talk of Intel Haswell processors, Intel 8 Series chipsets, Intel LGA1150 sockets. Intel, Intel, Intel.
But what about poor old AMD, ah? That's a very tricky question. AMD hasn't brought out a truly new chipset in yonks. The current AMD 9 Series chipset has been knocking about since 2011. For high performance variants, the chip at its heart is the SB950. Frankly, it's not an advance over the SB850 that preceded it or the SB750 before that.
None of them, for instance, have native USB 3.0 support. Intriguingly, however, AMD chipsets for its fusion processors or APUs do have USB 3.0 support. Ultimately, that's indicative of where AMD is headed: it's all about APUs. That's why the much-mooted AMD 1000 Series chipsets - including the 1090FX - were expected to appear in 2012, but remain nowhere to be seen.
Hard facts on AMD's current plans are hard to come by, too. Some sources indicate that AMD next major desktop CPU, Steamroller, will be moved to the FM socket family used by its APU products. Then again, some reckon Steamroller will never make it to the desktop. Likewise, in the long run, features like PCI Express 3.0 support become less critical.
If your plan is to integrate the CPU and GPU, you don't need to worry about providing bandwidth to dedicate graphics cards. In fact, AMD's strategy appears to pretty much assume the elimination of the motherboard chipset in favour of a system-on-a-chip based around AMD's fabled HSA architecture.
So, does all this really mean the end of AMD motherboards as we know them? Probably. Does it mean the end of AMD motherboards altogether? We at PCFormat doubt it very much.