Abit AX78

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Posted by fransiscus

CPU
Supports Socket AM2/AM2+ 940 Processor with HT3.0 5200MT/s (Full Duplex) system bus using Hyper Transport™ Technology - AMD Cool 'n' Quiet Technology
Chipset
AMD 770 / SB600 Chipsets
Memory
4 X 240-pin DIMM sockets support max. memory capacity 8GB - Supports Dual channel DDR2 1066/800/667 Un-buffered Non-ECC memory
LAN
Gigabit Ethernet
Audio
On board 7.1 CH HD Audio CODEC
Auto Jack Sensing and Optical S/P DIF out
Expansion Slots
2 x PCI-E X16 (1 X 16; 1X4 bandwidth) , 1 x PCI-E X1, 3 x PCI
Internal I/O
1 x Floppy Port supports up to 2.88MB - 1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33 IDE Connector - 3 x USB 2.0 headers (support 6 ports) - 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors - 1 X HDMI Audio header
Back Panel I/O
1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 Mouse - 1 x EZ CCMOS Switch - 1 X S/P DIF Out - 7.1 CH Audio connector (Front, Line-in, MIC-in, Center/ Subwoofer, Surround, Rear Surround) - 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x RJ-45 LAN Connector
Serial ATA
4 x SATA (RAID) 3 Gb/s - Supports SATA RAID 0/1/0+1
Form Factor
ATX form factor 305 x 245mm - PCB Color: Orange
RoHS
100% lead-free process and RoHS compliant

Abit I45D

Posted by fransiscus

CPU
LGA755 Socket for Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme/ Core™ 2 Duo/ Pentium® Dual-Core/ Celeron® Dual Core Processors with 1333*/1066/800/533 MHz FSB *(FSB1333 CCPU will operate in over-clocking mode. Under this situation, PCIE frequency will also be over-clocked to 115MHz.) - Supports Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology
Chipset
Intel® 945GC/ ICH7 Chipset
Memory
2 x 240-pin DIMM sockets support max. memory capacity 4GB*,*(Due to the chipset limitation, the actual memory size may be less than 4GB for the reservation of system usage under Windows® XP and Windows® Vista™) - Supports Dual channel DDR2 667/ 533*/ 400 Un-buffered Non-ECC memory *(Due to the chipsets’ limitation, when using FSB1333 CPU, the DDR2 533 memory module will run at 500MHz.)
LAN
On board 10/100 Ethernet controller supports
Audio
On board 5.1CH HD Audio CODEC
Expansion Slots
1 x PCI-E X16, 1 x PCI-E X1, 3 x PCI
Internal I/O
1 x Floppy Port supports up to 2.88 MB - 1 x ATA 100 IDE connector - 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors - 2 x USB header (support 4 ports) - 1 x FP-Audio
Back Panel I/O
1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 Mouse - 5.1 CH Audio connector - 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x RJ-45 LAN connector Serial ATA
4 x SATA 3Gb/s through Intel® ICH7
Form Factor
ATX form factor 305 x 183mm - PCB Color: Orange
RoHS
100% lead-free process and RoHS Compliant

Abit IP35 Pro XE

Posted by fransiscus

CPU
Support Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme/Duo/Quad processors with 1600/1333/1066/800MHz FSB - Support Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme/Quad/Duo & Pentium® Dual Core Processors
Chipset
Intel® P35 Express / ICH9R Chipset
Memory
4 X 240-pin DIMM sockets support max. memory capacity 8GB - Supports Dual channel DDR2 1066/800/667 Un-buffered Non-ECC memory
LAN
On board Dual Gigabit LAN controller supports 10/100/1000M Ethernet
Audio
On board 7.1 CH HD Audio CODEC - Supports auto jack sensing and optical S/PDIF In/Out - HDMI ready header (SPDIF header)
Expansion Slots
1 x PCI-E X16, 1 x PCI-E X16 (x4 bandwidth), 1 x PCI-E X1, 3 x PCI
Internal I/O
1 x Floppy Port supports up to 2.88 MB - 1 x ATA 133/100/66/3 IDE connector - 6 x SATA 3Gb/s connector - 2 x IEEE1394, 3 x USB header (support 6 ports) - 1 x FP-Audio
Back Panel I/O
1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 Mouse - abit Silent OTES™ - 1 x S/P DIF In, 1 x S/P DIF Out - 2 x eSATA - 7.1 CH Audio connector (Front, Line-in, MIC-in, Center/Subwoofer, Surround, Rear Surround) - 4 x USB 2.0 - 1 x RJ-45 LAN connector - EZ CCMOS Switch
Serial ATA
6 x SATA 3Gb/s offer by Intel® ICH9R support Intel® Matrix Storage Tech(AHCI & RAID0/1/5/10) - 2 x eSATA 3Gb/s through JMicron® JMB363 support 0,1JBOD RAID function
IEEE 1394
Supports 2 Ports IEEE 1394 at 400Mb/s transfer rate.
Form Factor
ATX form factor 305 x 245mm
PCB Color: Blue
RoHS
100% lead-free process and RoHS compliant
abit Engineered
abit µGuru™ Technology - abit Silent OTES™ Technology - 100% Japanese made Low ESR and high ripple conductive polymer aluminum solid state capacitor - 100% Japanese Capacitor - EZ for CCMOS

Abit IX38 QuadGT

Posted by fransiscus

CPU
Supports Intel® Core™ 2 Duo / Quad processors with 1600/1333/1066/800MHz FSB, Supports Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme/Quad/Duo & Pentium® Extreme Edition, Pentium® D, Pentium® 4 Processors, Pentium® Dual Core - Digital PWM Designation provide high quality and efficient power

Chipset
Intel® X38 Express / ICH9R Chipset

Memory
4 X 240-pin DIMM sockets support max. memory capacity 8GB - Supports Dual channel DDR2 1066/800/667 Un-buffered Non-ECC memory

LAN
On board PCI Gigabit LAN controller supports 10/100/1000M Ethernet

Audio
On board 7.1 CH HD Audio CODEC - Supports auto jack sensing and optical S/PDIF In/Out - HDMI audio ready header (S/P DIF header)

Expansion Slots
2 x PCI-E X16 (support PCI Express 2.0), 1 x PCI-E X16 (x4 bandwidth), 1 x PCI-E X1, 2 x PCI

Internal I/O
1 x Floppy Port supports up to 2.88 MB - 1 x ATA 133/100/66 IDE connector - 6 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors - 1 x IEEE1394, 4 x USB header (support 8 ports) - 1 x FP-Audio

Back Panel I/O
1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 Mouse - abit Silent OTES™ - 1 x S/P DIF In, 1 x S/P DIF Out - 2 x eSATA -7.1 CH Audio connector (Front, Line-in, MIC-in, Center/Subwoofer, Surround, Rear Surround) - 1 x 1394, 4 x USB 2.0, 1 x RJ-45 LAN connector - Clear CMOS Button

Serial ATA
6 x SATA 3Gb/s offer by Intel® ICH9R support Intel® Matrix Storage Tech(AHCI & RAID0/1/5/10) - 2 x eSATA 3Gb/s through JMicron® JMB363 support 0,1JBOD RAID

IEEE 1394
Supports 2 Ports IEEE 1394 at 400Mb/s transfer rate.

Form Factor
ATX form factor 305 x 245mm - PCB Color: Blue

RoHS
100% lead-free process and RoHS compliant

abit Engineered
abit µGuru™ Technology - abit Silent OTES™ Technology 100% Low ESR and high ripple conductive polymer aluminum solid state capacitors - New Generation digital PWM - EZ for CCMOS - On board LED Lighting - Quick Power On/Off & Reset buttons - right angle SATA connectors

EVGA e-7050/610i GPU Motherboard

Posted by fransiscus

Performance
Based on nForce 610i/ GeForce 7050 chipset - Supports Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium EE, and Pentium processors - 1066/800 Mhz Front Side Bus

Memory
2 x 240-pin DIMM sockets - Single Channel DDR2 - Maximum of 4GB of DDR2 533/667MHz

Expansion Slot
1 x PCIe x16, 1 x PCIe x1, 2 x PCI - 2 x 32-bit PCI, support for PCI 2.1

Storage I/O
1 x UltraDMA133 - 4 x Serial ATA 300MB/sec with support for RAID 0, RAID 1 - 1 x Floppy disk drive connector

Integrated Peripherals - 7.1 RealTek HD - 10/100
Multi I/O - 1 x PS2 Keyboard - 1 x PS2 Mouse - 8 x USB2.0 ports (4 external + 4 internal headers) - Audio connector (Line-in, Line-out, MIC)

Form Factor
mATX Form Factor - Length: 8.5in - Width: 9.5in

www.evga.com

EVGA nForce 680i SLI 775 Black Pearl

Posted by fransiscus

Performance
Based on NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Chipset chipset - Supports Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium EE, and Pentium processors - 1066/1333 Mhz Front Side Bus

Memory
4 x 240-pin DIMM sockets - Dual Channel DDR2 - Maximum of 8GB of DDR2 533/667/800/1200MHz SLI-Ready memory

Expansion Slot
2 x PCIe x16, 1 x PCIe Graphics expansion slot, 2 x PCIe x1, 2 x PCI - 2 x 32-bit PCI, support for PCI 2.1

Storage I/O
1 x UltraDMA133 - 6 x Serial ATA 300MB/sec with support for RAID 0, RAID1, RAID 0+1 - 1 x Floppy disk drive connector

Integrated Peripherals
7.1 Channel, Azalia (HDA) - 2 x 10/100/1000

Multi I/O
1 x PS2 Keyboard - 1 x PS2 Mouse - 1 x Serial Ports - 10 x USB2.0 ports (6 external + 4 internal headers) - Audio connector (Line-in, Line-out, MIC)

Form Factor
ATX Form Factor - Length: 12.0in - 304.8mm - Width: 9.6in - 243.6mm

www.evga.com

EVGA nForce 790i Ultra SLI 775 A1 Version

Posted by fransiscus

Performance
Based on NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI Chipset chipset Ÿ- Supports Intel Core 2 Extreme, Intel Core 2 Quad, Intel Core 2 Duo, Pentium EE, and Pentium processors Ÿ- 800/1066/1333/1600 Mhz Front Side Bus

Memory
4 x 240-pin DIMM sockets -Ÿ Dual Channel DDR3 Ÿ- Maximum of 8GB of DDR3 1066/1333/1600/2000 MHz
Expansion Slot
3 x PCIe x16, 2 x PCIe x1, 2 x PCI -Ÿ 2 x 32-bit PCI, support for PCI 2.1

Storage I/O
1 x UltraDMA133 -Ÿ 7 x Serial ATA 300MB/sec with support for RAID 0, RAID1, RAID 0+1, RAID5, JBOD Ÿ- 1 x Floppy disk drive connector

Integrated Peripherals
7.1 Channel, Azalia (HDA) Ÿ- 2 x 10/100/1000

Multi I/O Ÿ
1 x PS2 Keyboard Ÿ- 1 x PS2 Mouse Ÿ- 1 x Serial Ports Ÿ 10 x USB2.0 ports (6 external + 4 internal headers) -Ÿ Audio connector (Line-in, Line-out, MIC) -Ÿ FireWire 1394A (1 external, 1 header)

Form Factor Ÿ
ATX Form Factor Ÿ Length: 12.0in - 304.8mm Ÿ Width: 9.6in - 243.6mm

MSI P45 Diamond

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Posted by fransiscus

Chipset
• Intel® P45 Chipset
- Supports FSB 800/1066/1333/1600* (OC) MHz.
• Intel® ICH10R Chipset
- Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0) controller, 480Mb/sec, up to 12 ports.
- 6 SATAII ports with transfer rate up to 3Gb/s.
- PCI Master v2.3, I/O APIC.
- ACPI 2.0 compliant.
- Serial ATA RAID 0/1/5/10.
- Integrated AHCI controller.
Slots
• Two PCI Express x16 slots (PCI Express Bus SPEC V2.0 compliant; supports CrossFire Technology)
- When using two PCIE x16 slots, the PCIE x16 lanes will auto arrange from x16/ x0 to x8 x8.
• Two PCI Express x1 slots. (support PCI Express Bus specification v1.0a compliant)
• Two 32-bit v2.3 master PCI bus slots.
- Support 3.3v/5v PCI bus interface.
On-Board IDE/SATA
• One Ultra DMA 66/100/133 IDE controller integrated in JMicron® 363.
- Supports PIO, Bus Master operation modes.
- Can connect up to two Ultra ATA drives.
• SATAII controller integrated in ICH10R/JMicron® 362/363 chipest
- Up to 3Gb/s transfer speed.
- Supports six SATAII ports by ICH10R
- Supports two SATAII ports by JMicron 363.
- Supports two eSATA ports by JMicron 362.
- Supports AHCI controller with SATA RAID 0/1/5/10 by ICH10R.

Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2

Posted by fransiscus

NVIDIA GeForce 7100 / nForce 630i Chipset
1. Supports Intel Core 2 multi-core processors with FSB1333
2. Solid capacitors design in CPU VRM
3. DDR2 800 for outstanding system performance
4. Integrated NVIDIA CineFX 3.0 graphics
5. Ultimate graphics performance with PCI-E x16 interface
6. Integrated SATA 3Gb/s with RAID function
7. Features high speed Gigabit Ethernet
8. Integrated 6-Channel High Definition audio
9. Integrated DVI interface with HDCP

Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L

Posted by fransiscus

Intel^® P35 + ICH9 Chipset

1. Revolution energy saving design with Dynamic Energy Saver technology.
2. Supports Intel^® Core™ 2 multi-core and 45nm processors
3. Supports DDR2 1200* memory for outstanding system performance
4. Features PCI Express x16 for outstanding graphics performance
5. Integrated SATA 3Gb/s interface
6. Features high speed Gigabit Ethernet
7. All solid capacitors design.
8. 8 Channels High Definition Audio

MSI K9MM-V Motherboard

Friday, June 6, 2008

Posted by fransiscus

Big performance at a small price! That’s what this new MSI K9MM-V AM2 micro-ATX motherboard offers the cost-conscious, dual-core system builder. Designed for AMD Athlon 64, 64FX, 64X2 processors up to 800 MHz (1600 MT/s), this innovative board is a perfect fit for fast, powerful gaming, multimedia or business systems. Based on the VIA K8M800 chipset, the MSI K9MM-V supports HyperTransport technology, 2 DIMMs with DDR2 800 up to 2GB, AGP 8X, PCI, USB 2.0, 6-channel audio, 10/00 LAN, SATA, ATA133 and S3 Graphics Unichrome 2D/3D Graphics. Ideal for the Microsoft Windows Vista OS, the MSI-K9MM-V will seamlessly deliver Vista’s enhanced security, a vivid new graphic user interface and astonishing multimedia features. For peerless performance and value, order the MSI K9MM-V Socket AM2 motherboard.

www.tigerdirect.com

EVGA NVIDIA 790i SLI Ultra

Posted by fransiscus

Watch out Intel - NVIDIA's just broken out the big guns and this time they're not holding anything back. Coming out firing with both barrels blazing, the nForce 790i (Ultra) SLI promises to provide users with the ultimate platform for high-intensity, adrenaline-pounding gaming when it comes to combining NVIDIA multi-GPU 3D graphics and the power of today's most advanced Intel desktop microprocessors. Probably sounds a little over the top, but this time we reckon an nForce chipset for the Intel platform will live up to the hype.

Aiming to steal as much attention as possible from the ongoing coverage of the many looming product releases based on Intel's upcoming X48 Express chipset, 790i makes no apologies for what it is: one of the fastest gaming platforms we have ever tested. In the past, less than impressive processor and memory overclocking capabilities - especially when running data-hungry quad-core CPUs - made it difficult to recommend an NVIDIA-based system to anyone other than those looking for the absolute maximum in gaming performance. After spending sometime with the nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboards from ASUS and EVGA, we're not so sure we can say that anymore.

Much like we have seen in the past, the initial NVIDIA offerings will consist of near immediate, worldwide product availability from the usual suspects - EVGA and XFX - as well as a few non-reference designs from vendors such ASUS, DFI, Gigabyte and MSI. For instance, we have the ASUS Striker II Extreme, which fortunately landed in our hands a little earlier this month allowing us additional time to test this platform. Squarely targeted at the serious gamer and extreme benchmarking enthusiast looking to squeeze every last ounce of 3D performance from their systems, motherboards based on 790i are the next big step in NVIDIA's quest for absolute dominance in the discrete graphics marketplace.

The NVIDIA nForce 790i SLI chipset is comprised of two parts. First is the System Platform Processor (SPP), analogous to Intel's Memory Controller Hub (MCH) or "Northbridge", and second is the Media and Communications Processor (MCP) that provides nearly the same functionality as Intel's I/O Controller Hub (ICH) or "Southbridge." Together these processors form the foundation needed to experience the very latest in NVIDIA multi-GPU SLI technology. Current 780i-based motherboard owners should note with approval the absence of the nForce 200 sub-processor from this line-up as the functionality (PCIe 2.0) formerly provided by this chip is now natively supported by the improved 790i SPP. As a side note, the nForce 200 is nearly the same chip employed on Intel Skulltrail motherboard, which allows enabling SLI-accelerated graphics. (Skulltrail uses the nForce 100, a first generation part that supports only PCIe 1.x link speeds.)

The SPP contains bus control logic required to interface with the Central Processing Unit (CPU) via Intel's now well-aged Front Side Bus (FSB) in addition to a single, scalable HyperTransport Technology (HTT) link - licensed for use from AMD - which interfaces with the MCP. One of the major changes over the 780i SLI MCP is the integration of NVIDIA's newly-designed DDR3 memory controller capable of addressing up to 8GB of unregistered, non-ECC DDR3 memory. Add to this the incorporation of complete PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 bus support and we can see that 790i is more than just a simple upgrade from 780i. Those looking to swap their current board for one featuring the 790i should find more than enough reason to consider the change.

In order to retain their platform's competitive edge, NVIDIA has pulled out all the stops. They provide the required next-generation 45nm Intel LGA775 dual-core and quad-core CPU compatibility with official FSB 1600 support. Beyond that, we get DDR3 with EPP2 and two x16 PCIe 2.0 slots along with a third providing an additional full x16 PCIe 1.x link for second-generation tri-SLI graphics acceleration. Quad-SLI (using two GeForce 9800 GX2 cards) is also supported. Finally, the platform provides a tight integration of on-the-fly system control and monitoring courtesy of the Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA).

We will be taking an in-depth look at the 790i based ASUS Striker II Extreme shortly and providing a full benchmark test suite with comparisons to other NVIDIA chipsets. As for today, let's take a closer look at what the new nForce 790i platform has in store for the serious gamer and overclocker - besides the cost of a new motherboard and a kit of expensive DDR3 performance memory.

www.anandTech.com

MSI K9A2 Platinum

Posted by fransiscus

Special Features
12 in.(L) x 9.75 in.(W) ATX - 4 DIMMs w/ DDR2 1066+ up to 8GB - 4 PCI-E 16X (Support 16X+16X in Dual CrossFire, 16X+8X+8X in Triple CrossFire, 8X+8X+8X+8X in Quad CrossFire); 1 PCI-E X1; 2 PCI; 10 USB - Realtek 7.1 CH HD audio - Gb LAN; IEEE 1394, RAID(0, 1, 0+1); SATA2; eSATA; SAS; ATA133 - Live Update; Dual Corecell; MSI Dual CoreCenter; DOT
CPU
Supports 64-bit AMD® Phenom X4 / Phenom X3 processor (Socket AM2+) - Supports 64-bit AMD® Athlon™ 64 / Athlon 64FX / Athlon 64 X2 / Sempron processor (Socket AM2) - Supports AMD CPU with 140W power requirement
Chipset
• AMD 790FX (AMD RD790) Chipset
HyperTransport connection to AMD Phenom/Athlon processor - HyperTransport supporting speed up to 2.6GHz (5200mt/s) - Supports 4 PCI-E x 16, & 1 PCI-E X 1
• ATI SB600 Chipset
Supports SATAII controllers for four drives - Supports single channel Ultra DMA 66/100/133 master mode EIDE controller - ACPI & PC2001 compliant enhanced power management - Supports Hi-Speed (USB2.0) controller 480 mbsec transfer rate up to 10 ports
Main Memory
Supports 4 240-pin DDR2 SDRAMs up to 8GB memory size - Supports Dual Channel DDR2 800/1066(only for AM2+) DDR2 SDRAM - Supports 1.8v DDR2 SDRAM DIMM

ASUS P5E3

Posted by fransiscus

The P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP@n is an Intel® X48 chipset-based motherboard that combines powerful performance with great energy efficiency; and supports DDR3 2000MHz dual-channel memory architecture and Dual PCI Express 2.0 x16 lanes for extreme graphics performance. It also comes with the world’s first ASUS EPU (Energy Processing Unit), allowing the CPU power supply to be digitally monitored and fine-tuned with improved VRM efficiency in heavy or light loadings – attaining the best possible power efficiency and energy savings to help save the environment. The P5E3 Premium/WiFi-AP@n also supports 802.11n WiFi specifications onboard for faster data transfers, and ASUS Express Gate – an optional Linux OS bootup for instant access to the Internet in 5 seconds.

www.asus.com

Gigabyte MA-790FX-DS5

Posted by fransiscus

AMD CPUs have taken a backseat to the Intel juggernaut as of late. The latest AMD Phenom X4 9850 does not have the performance to match the latest Intel Core 2 Quad CPUs. AMD has been forced to compete in price/performance and even there they are fighting a losing battle as the Intel Q6600 outperforms the 9850 but offers the same price online today.

AMD announced their Spider platform last year with the launch of their 790FX motherboard chipset and the Phenom 9600 series. Unfortunately due to a TLB error, and subpar performance compared to Intel equivalents this platform was not as successful as it could have been. With the release of the Phenom B3 revision, the platform and CPU performance has come up to par with the Intel equivalently priced CPU. Gigabyte is a Tier-1 motherboard manufacturer based in Taiwan. They are well known for their high-end motherboards, video cards and other computer components. They have motherboards based upon virtually every known motherboard chipset from AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, VIA and S3. Today’s board review is based upon the AMD 790FX chipset and the board is the Gigabyte MA-790FX-DS5.

www.motherboards.org