ASUS Maximus V Gene - mATX (intel Z77 chipset) specifications revealed!

Asus does it again! Beautiful and a lot of features on a micro ATX (mATX) motherboard for the latest Intel Core i7/i5/i3 3nd generation processors (LGA1155 socket), that even fits in compact gaming PC case! It's the ASUS Republic of Gamers motherboard based on upcoming Intel Z77 chipset.

Credits: (maximum-tech.net)

ASUS ROG Maximus V GENE LGA1155 Z77 Motherboard Details:

 
 Specifications:

- LGA1155 socket for 3nd generation Intel Core procesor-based platform and 2nd Generation Core i7/ i5/ i3/ Pentium/ Celeron processors
- 8 phase CPU power design + 4 -phase iGPU power design Extreme Engine DIGI+ II power design
- 4 DIMM, Dual-channel DDR3 2600+ MHz (O.C.)
- 2 x PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots
- 1 x PCI-Express 2.0 x4 slot
- 1 x mPCIe combo add-on card
- supports both NVIDIA SLi and AMD Crossfire
- 2 x SATA 3Gb/s (Black)
- 4 x SATA 6Gb/s (Red)
- 1 x eSATA 2 Gb/s
-  2 x USB 3.0 (blue)
- 4 x USB 2.0 (1 for ROG Connect)
- 1 x Clr CMOS switch
- 1 x ROG connect button
- 1 x S/PDIF out (Optical)
- Intel Gb LAN
- 7.1 channel HD audio I/O (SupremeFX III circuitry).

It comes with an HDMI and a DisplayPort for display connectivity.
 

One of new interesting features is called a mPCIe COMBO! 

 

Video: How To Use The Maximus V GENE mPCIe Combo card

Finally some impressive mATX motherboard! Really like the arrangement on this motherboard. It looks much better than the Gigabyte Z77 G1. Sniper M3.

The exact pricing details and release dates are unknown, but we could expect them to be released soon!

By: Air T.

Asus shows off X79 motherboards "LGA 2011"

 Asus images and some specs of motherboards that support Intel's new Sandy Bridge E chips. Asus has three of its upcoming X79 products, P9X79 DELUXE, P9X79 Pro and Rampage IV Extreme

 ASUS P9X79 DELUXE

Picture source: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk

ASUS P9X79 Pro 

The biggest difference between P9X79 Pro and Deluxe is the 16+2+2+2 VRM setup on the Deluxe over the 8+2+2+2 setup on the Pro. The higher amount of power phases means that overclocking ability should be a little better on the Deluxe version. The DELUXE board has Triple card SLI / CrossFireX making it that little bit more enthusiast orientated. It has another Gigabit networking port with two extra USB 3.0 ports and a new BT V3.0 GO similar to P8P67 DELUXE - BT GO V2.1.
Another interesting feature is USB 3.0 Boost. Asus claims a performance increase of up to "170%".More about USB 3.0 boost you can find here: (vr-zone.com) - Asus-launches USB 3.0 speed booster UASP support for ASMedia

ASUS RAMPAGE IV EXTREME

Picture source: http://www.tweaktown.com


The ASUS Rampage IV Extreme looks to be one of the best ROG boards to date from the company.

The Rampage IV Extreme is a overclocking motherboard and it's going to be "expensive". This is going to be one of the most hardcore options on the market and any true ROG fan is going to absolutely love what ASUS has brought to the table.

All of Asus boards will support UEFI BIOS and one-touch USB BIOS "flash" updates. It allows you to flash the BIOS of a motherboard with literally nothing in the system. It gets handy if you get a motherboard and a brand new CPU that wasn't supported on the shipping BIOS. With a USB flash drive you can get to the latest BIOS without the need of getting an older compatible CPU.


Intel's X79 brings support for four memory channels resulting in a possible eight DDR3 DIMMs, plus USB3, AMD Crossfire and Nvidia SLI support.

Intel is expected to release its Core i7 39XX range of chips in the coming weeks, which are set to replace the LGA1366 Core i7 Nehalem chips that launched the Core-series chips back in 2008. Socket LGA2011 mainboards will also support the so-called Sandy Bridge E chips, which are Core i7 processors marketed for workstations.

While pictures are out, Intel's NDA still hasn't expired so there's no official word on pricing, but expect both Asus and Gigabyte to price their X79 boards from £200, with the RoG and Assassin boards coming in at £300 or above.

 More news, pictures on: 

(expertreviews.co.uk) Asus-motherboards show off
(tweaktown.com) Asus P9X79 Pro and Deluxe motherboard preview
(tweaktown.com) Asus_RAMPAGE IV EXTREME_motherboard_preview

Time to get excited! Gigabyte X79 motherboards "LGA 2011"

New Gigabyte images and some specs of motherboards that support Intel's new Sandy Bridge E chips. Gigabyte has four of its upcoming X79 products, G1.Assassin 2, X79-UD7, X79-UD5 and X79-UD3.

These LGA 2011 boards make use of 3-way digital power technology, and have four or eight (only UD5) DDR3 memory, slots, up to ten SATA ports (both 6.0 Gbps and 3.0 Gbps), three (G1.Assassin 2, X79-UD5) or four (X79-UD7, X79-UD3) PCI-Express x16 slots, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1 channel audio, USB 3.0 connectivity, and various other, model-specific goodies. The G1.Assassin 2 for example includes a Killer 2100 NIC and a Creative X-Fi audio processor, while the X79-UD7 boasts with two SATA port connectors and overclocking buttons.

Expect an official announcement from Gigabyte in the coming weeks.

G1.Assassin 2 

GA-X79-UD7

GA-X79-UD5

 

GA-X79-UD3

Picture source: http://sinhardware.com

Some quick info about Gigabytes BIOS/UEFI on screenshots from (anandtech.com):First looka at Gigabytes UEFI setup on X79

I'm not an ASUS fanboy either. But if you compare these boards to ASUS! You can see an instant change. ASUS includes 8 DIMMS on every motherboard, and their SLI support increases as the boards become higher-spec. ASUS's layouts make much more sense than Gigabytes.

Facebook page:
GIGABYTE USA page:
http://www.facebook.com-Gigabyte X79

Intel's X79 brings support for four memory channels resulting in a possible eight DDR3 DIMMs, plus USB3, AMD Crossfire and Nvidia SLI support.

Intel is expected to release its Core i7 39XX range of chips in the coming weeks, which are set to replace the LGA1366 Core i7 Nehalem chips that launched the Core-series chips back in 2008. Socket LGA2011 mainboards will also support the so-called Sandy Bridge E chips, which are Core i7 processors marketed for workstations.

While pictures are out, Intel's NDA still hasn't expired so there's no official word on pricing, but expect both Asus and Gigabyte to price their X79 boards from £200, with the RoG and Assassin boards coming in at £300 or above.

Asus "ultra-portable" U36

ASUS has launched its ultra-portable U36 laptop in the UK, priced at £699 including VAT.

Powered by a standard-voltage Intel Core i5 CPU, the U36 - with its 19mm thick chassis - is billed as the world's thinnest laptop and is manufactured from a lightweight magnesium alloy with nanometer coating. ASUS tells us that the U36 can therefore stand its ground against dirt, water and fingerprint marks.
Powering the 13.3in display are graphics capabilities - including Optimus technology - from NVIDIA, and ASUS claims that battery life extends up to 10 hours. What's more, the U36 can apparently tease the 11.5 hour mark, thanks to the ability for users to disable USB 3.0 functionality.
Available in black or silver colour options, the U36 wraps-up with 802.11 b/g/n wireless functionality, 500GB storage capacity, and a weight of 1.44kg.

Source: http://www.hexus.net