Chipsets & Motherboards

2 June 2008 - BIOSTAR is launching a top of the line model for Intel platform – TPower I45. The TPower I45 is made of 100% solid capacitors, supports 8+2 Channel HD audio, two PCI-Express x16, goes with TPower utility, new thermal solution called Cooler Harbour and the best overclocking range to bring the best value for the users.

30 May 2008 - Foxconn will introduce the Quantum Force Denube at Computex 2008 Taipei, a LAN Party Console Station. Making the most in terms of space and power, 4 Ultra low power Foxconn G Motherboards get stacked in 69 configurations within a single case and powered by a single power supply. Very appealing to Console players who enjoy multi-player gaming from a single station, it is a single station most ideal for LAN Parties, Cyber Cafes, or just in a Gamers’ Dormitory.

16 May 2008 - ASUS today has issued an official statement to clarify on the recent spat of rumors accusing ASUS of making baseless claims on their motherboard features. Of course, the presentation was done internally by Gigabyte to a group of media recently but was unfortunately leaked out in the internet. "It has come to our attention that a certain Taiwanese Motherboard Manufacturer has made false claims against ASUS motherboards. These claims have given rise to false information being communicated in both the mainstream media and technology channels. ASUS wishes to clarify the issues and so avoid any further confusion.After investigation, it is clear that this company in question made use of a sponsored gathering of local and international media to deliberately spread information that we consider both untrue and without credible verification. This “disinformation” is not only extremely damaging to ASUS but also completely misleading to the consumers.ASUS reserves the right to take legal action against any individual, organization or corporation which creates or spreads such rumors."

12 May 2008 - BIOSTAR TPower N750 offers Hybrid SLI technology, based on SLI technology, delivers multi-GPU benefits when a TPower N750 motherboard GPU is combined with an NVIDIA discrete GPU. BIOSTAR TPower N750 Hybrid SLI increases graphics performance with GeForce® Boost and provides intelligent power management with HybridPower™.

6 May 2008 - The P45 chipset based boards war is heating up as we speak as motherboard manufacturers are gearing up to launch their boards. Gigabyte has unveiled their EP45-Extreme specially for the enthusiasts with features such as Hybrid-Silent Pipe - a combination of air and water cooling, DES Advanced that phase switch even during overclocking, hardware overvoltage control chip that provides more voltage control options.

25 April 2008 - In 2004, 20-50 million tons of e-waste was produced worldwide, according to research carried out by Greenpeace. This will equal the total waste produced in Taiwan in 2 to 6 years time. In light of this, inappropriate disposal of IT-waste will no doubt cause irreparable damage to the earth we live on. At a press conference in commemoration of Earth Day (22nd April), ASUS and Intel, together with electronics retailer Tsann Kuen Enterprise, have announced plans for a collaboration to help the environment through a “PC Recycling for a Brighter Future” program – showing how the IT industry has taken the initiative to work together for collection and recycling of old laptops, PCs and LCD monitors in a bid to help the environment.

18 April 2008 - Sapphire is pleased to announce that the new high end, 125W Phenom CPU’s just released by AMD (Model numbers 9750 and 9850) are fully supported across the latest range of SAPPHIRE mainboards, including the high end PC-AM2RD790 - PURE CrossFireX 790FX, the new mainstream CrossFire board PC-AM2RX780 - PURE CrossFireX 770, and the microATX Hybrid CrossFire board with integrated graphics, PI-AM2RS780G - Hybrid CrossFire 780G.

11 April 2008 - Biostar has informed us that their TA780G M2+ board is able to run the Phenom 9850 without any hiccups. However, Biostar cautioned that certain areas like PWM and chipset do get pretty hot after prolong load condition so make sure your case is well ventilated. Gigabyte told us their 780G has no problems with Phenom 9850 while ASUS is revising their boards to support that 125W CPU.

1 June 2008 - Appearing at VR-Zone's doorstep in a nice yellow DHL delivery box, is Biostar's latest board, the TFORCE I45 which is targeted at both mainstream users and enthusiasts on a budget. We bring you some pictures as testing gets underway...

26 May 2008 - ASUS and Gigabyte have entered into a legal tussle officially and below is the statement issued by ASUS : ASUS condemns the defamatory and false accusations raised by our competitor, Gigabyte. Gigabyte, without a full understanding of ASUS´ engineering design and methods, has made false accusations against ASUS motherboards´ EPU features and the quality of ASUS´ motherboards´ components. Also, in a press briefing presentation, Gigabyte used a photograph with blown-up (exploded) capacitors and led the audience to believe it was an ASUS product, to support its false allegations that ASUS uses questionable quality components. However, the image was found to be taken from a photograph of a VGA card manufactured by another vendor. The action of misrepresenting a third party product to be an ASUS product is truly defamatory and clearly outside the realm of decent competition.

13 May 2008 - The enthusiasts have been waiting for Intel's latest chipset revision, the P45 Express chipset with glee. Codenamed "Eaglelake", the P45 promises a 1600MHz FSB update and a PCI-E 2.0 refresh. Read on to find out more about the features, while we work hard on overclocking and benchmarking the board.

8 May 2008 - With the focus now shifting towards making more energy-efficient products, motherboard manufacturers such as ASUS have come up with technologies to keep power consumption (and heat output) down. Read on to find out more about the ASUS EPU as we put the ASUS P5E3 Premium to the test.

6 May 2008 - ASUS has announced the new ASUS P5Q series of motherboards; which feature the new ASUS EPU-Six Engine. This new version of the EPU is able to detect current PC loadings in real time and automatically moderate the power supply for complete system level power savings. With automatic power management for components, the EPU-Six Engine provides the most appropriate power usage via intelligent acceleration and overclocking – helping users achieve the ultimate in energy savings. The P5Q energy conserving series of motherboards consists of the P5Q Deluxe, P5Q-E, P5QC, P5Q PRO and the P5Q, and will be available in the second quarter of this year.

23 April 2008 - Nvidia is planning to release the cheaper SLI capable chipset for AMD platform this month end. The NVIDIA nForce 740a SLI SPP includes 2×8 PCI Express 2.0 lanes (configurable as 1×16) and 2×1 PCI Express 1.0 lanes, 12 USB ports, six SATA ports, and single GigE.

15 April 2008 - DFI issued a warning earlier this week about imitation of their motherboards in Indonesia. Ironically, DFI doesn't even carry those imitated models; MCP78V and MCP68PV. We learned that an Indonesian company by the name of TIGA is said to be distributing these imitations using DFI branding and the OEM maker of these boards is J&W from China. DFI has already contacted the alleged party to cease and desist the act and have commissioned the legal department to take action to stop the authorized behavior. Update : J&W today issued a statement clarifying the whole situation.

1 April 2008 - VIA today announced the new VIA VX800 Series of digital media IGP chipsets featuring the latest video, graphics and connectivity performance in a single chip measuring just 33 x 33mm. The VIA VX800 Series comprises two primary digital media IGP chipsets, the VIA VX800 for ultra thin and light notebooks, mini PCs and embedded devices, and the ultra low voltage VIA VX800U for the fast-expanding ultra mobile market, including the rapidly-emerging mini-note, UMPC and UMD markets. The VIA VX800 Series chipsets will start shipping in April 2008.