ASUS Launches ROG Rampage IV GENE X79 mATX Gaming Board

The power of Intel® Socket LGA 2011/X79 Express Chipset CPUs joins game-optimized sound, better online performance, and digital power

Singapore (January 16, 2012) ― Rampage IV GENE continues the legacy of Republic of Gamers motherboards by delivering gamers with enhanced performance that places a premium on fidelity and speed. SupremeFX III™ EMI-shielded audio guarantees better in-game sound, Intel® Ethernet LAN and ROG GameFirst technology boost online multiplayer performance, while ROG Extreme Engine Digi+ II digital voltage regulation promotes improved overclocking. The board further uses Black Metallic capacitors and NexFET™ Power Block MOSFETs for added durability and heat resistance. Unlike budget micro ATX boards, it supports 2-way NVIDIA® SLI™ and AMD CrossFireX™.

SupremeFX III™ audio

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) remains a detriment to quality sound, causing distortion and loss unless properly mitigated. Rampage IV GENE uses a custom PCB “red line” layout which physically isolates SupremeFX III™ hardware from the rest of the motherboard to eliminate interference and generate clearer, more precise, and deeper audio. Better sound helps competitive gamers with improved positioning and spatial awareness, in addition to promoting greater immersion. SupremeFX III™ comes with its own steel shield, a 1500uF capacitor for stable audio power delivery, plus gold-plated audio jacks. The setup has been tested to 110dB SNR, ensuring lossless performance. EAX® Advanced HD 5.0, Creative® Alchemy, and THX® TruStudio™ PRO are all fully supported. Rampage IV GENE comes bundled with a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi MB2 suite, providing the finest game audio of any micro ATX board, with realistic sound effect reproduction, lifelike music, and theater-grade movie sound.

Lag-resistant online gaming and multi-GPU support

Intel® Ethernet reduces CPU utilization by as much as 35% when processing online activity compared to systems using standard LAN, which combats latency and boosts packet transmission. Better network performance presents an edge for gamers, with the overwhelming importance of global online multiplayer gaming requiring faster connections for a smooth and competitive experience. ROG-exclusive GameFirst contributes to achieving this goal, working as a connection supervisor to prioritize bandwidth availability and ensure games receive sufficient resources, even when downloading occurs in the background. To further accommodate gamers, Rampage IV GENE supports PCI Express 3.0 and 2-way SLI™/CrossFireX™ for increased future proofing and flexibility.

Greater overclocking through improved endurance and stability

Rampage IV GENE ships with the exclusive ROG Extreme Engine Digi+ II design, consisting of digital voltage regulators for refined tuning and higher power efficiency. Gamers can adjust voltages in more precise increments, which aids in overclocking. Supporting this, Black Metallic capacitors and NexFET™ Power Block MOSFETs easily surpass the capabilities of generic parts. They resist heat better, last up to five times longer, and can take up to 20% higher temperatures than generic components, culminating in a highly durable and long lasting board that reduces the likelihood of instability even when running high intensity applications.

First X79 board officially certified by the USB-IF

In addition to its many advantages, the Rampage IV GENE has also secured the honor of being the first Intel® X79-based motherboard formally authorized and certified USB 3.0-ready by the USB Implementers Forum. Certification speaks of the extensive testing and compatibility assurance ASUS puts into every board from early development to shipping. Always committed to advancing technology and giving consumers the best performance possible, ASUS has gone further and self-developed USB 3.0 Boost to accelerate data speeds beyond reference requirements. The multi-mode design of USB 3.0 Boost increases device connectivity for both the traditional BOT protocol and the newer UASP, and its inclusion on ROG boards offers gamers even better value than before.

Complete range of X79 gaming boards

The release of Rampage IV GENE follows the previous launch of Rampage IV Extreme and Rampage IV Formula Intel® Socket LGA 2011/X79 Express Chipset-based models. The three maintain ROG leadership in the gaming and overclocking motherboard segments, providing consumers with superior performance and the finest quality in a vibrant PC gaming scene where technical excellence is critical.

A few weeks ago, we attended an event by Promise technology, showing off it’s Thunderbolt NAS devices. As Apple is the only company that builds Thunderbolt capable notebooks, PC which is based on Intel processors and chipsets do not have motherboards which cater to this new transmission standard. According to Digitimes, Intel has recently notified its partners that the company will fully release its Thunderbolt technology in April of 2012 with several first-tier PC players already preparing to launch Thunderbolt-supported motherboards, notebooks and desktop PCs, according to sources from PC players.

Most board makers are still using third party USB 3.0 solutions while the Apple has it adopted into its products such as monitor, MacBook Pro, iMac, MacBook Air and MacBook Mini, it has strongly boosted demand. With the price of Thunderbolt technology dropping in 2H 2012, it is expected that board makers and notebook makers will adopt this technology onto to PC platform.

Currently Sony is expected to adopt Thunderbolt technology into its product lines with players such as Asustek Computer also expected to adopt the technology into their high-end notebook products. Gigabyte Technology, which has been aggressively adopting new transmission technology into its product line, is also expected to launch Thunderbolt-featured motherboard by April 2012 to compete against other brands.

Here is a link to the Promise SmartStor products which feature the Thunderbolt technology.

3D view of MSI X79A-GD45 Intel X79 Express Sandy Bridge-E motherboard

When it comes to AMD CPU vs Intel CPU, fan boys will sure be siding their favourite. In our review of the Gigabyte X79-UD7, we compared the Intel Core i7 3960X against the Core i5 2500K.

In addition, we would like to know how the new 6 core processor Core i7 3960X will fare against the Phenom II X6 1100 which sells for only 1/4 of the price of the 3960X.

Would it be worth paying 4X the price for the processor for just that performance ? Read our review with benchmarks and judge for yourself.

Read review here.

Introduction to Gigabyte X79-UD7
Bluetooth 22 Nov 2011

Last week, Intel launches it’s new series of processors based on the LGA 2011 Socket type. WE have already previewed the performance on launch date last week. Today, we will take at the the Gigabyte X79-UD7 motherboard. This new board features some interesting features that were never seen before on previous generation boards.

The X79-UD7 is based on Intel X79 Express chipset. It supports the Intel® Core™ i7 processors in the LGA2011 package. It has 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory. It employs a 4 channel memory architecture that supports DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules (DDR3-2400 is possible with OC). It supports non-ECC and XMP memory modules.

The board consists of 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIEX16_1, PCIEX16_2); 2 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8_1, PCIEX8_2)
* The PCIEX8_2 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16_2 slot. When the PCIEX8_2 slot is populated, the PCIEX16_2 slot will operate at up to x8 mode.
(All PCI Express x16 slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard.). There are 3 x PCI Express x1 slots (All PCI Express x1 slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)

The board support 4-Way/3-Way/2-Way AMD CrossFireX™/NVIDIA SLI technology and the PCIEX16 slots operate at up to x8 mode when 4-Way/3-Way AMD CrossFireX™/NVIDIA SLI is enabled.

In terms of expandability, the board has 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (SATA3 0/1) supporting up to 2 SATA 6Gb/s devices; 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors (SATA2 2/3/4/5) supporting up to 4 SATA 3Gb/s devices which support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10. In addition, there are 2 x Marvell 88SE9172 chips that supports 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (GSATA3 6/7/8/9) supporting up to 4 SATA 6Gb/s devices.

The Intel X79 Express chipset also support Up to 14 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (8 ports on the back panel, 6 ports available through the internal USB headers). There are 2 x Fresco FL1009 chips which supports Up to 4 USB 3.0/2.0 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header).

The audio on board is based on the Realtek ALC898 codec HDA and supports 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel, Dolby® Home Theater, S/PDIF Out. There is also a Intel GbE LAN (10/100/1000 Mbit) network port on board.

In addition, this new board features GIGABYTE 3D Power (patent pending)

GIGABYTE X79 series motherboards are the first to take advantage of the exclusive GIGABYTE 3D Power, an all new hardware and software-based Digital Power Engine for both the PWM and Memory that delivers unprecedented power delivery control.

All New Digital Power Control for the CPU and Memory
Utilizing a brand new Digital PWM controller, GIGABYTE’s 3D Power features precise Auto Voltage Compensation to deliver a steady flow of power to the CPU and memory no matter the loading. This all new, all digital power system provides enthusiast users with exceptional control over the overclocking potential of their GIGABYTE X79 motherboard.
GIGABYTE is the first in the industry to utilize digital memory controllers for not only the Memory, but VTT and VSA, for real-time monitoring and adjusting. Digital memory control allows users to monitor and record DDR power and current in real-time while gaming, overclocking or at idle. Users can also set OVP (Over Voltage Protection) to safeguard your memory, adjust memory Load-line Calibration to fix memory vdrooping for a quicker response time and adjust memory PWM frequency on-the-fly.

GIGABYTE 3D Power(patent pending) Utility

	Users can now enjoy a fully interactive 3D utility that facilitates adjustment of the 3 dimensions that control the power delivery to your CPU and Memory: Voltage, Phase and Frequency. These parameters are crucial to how the digital PWM supplies power to critical areas of the motherboard and can help users quickly obtain the highest, most stable overclock.
	3D Power: Voltage Control Voltage parameters can be modified within 3D Power, including load line calibration the of CPU. By adjusting load line calibration, Vdrooping can be avoided, maintaining optimal voltages levels despite increasing current levels. OVP (over voltage protection) can also be adjusted to change default protection range of the CPU, memory controller, VTT and system memory.
	3D Power: Phase Control Users can calibrate OCP (Over Current Protection) for the CPU, integrated memory controller and system memory power levels. This allows the Phase control to deliver even more power to the system when needed.
	3D Power: Frequency Control GIGABYTE’s digital PWM allows for adjustable frequency control via the International Rectifier (IR3567) PWM controller. 3D Power frequency control allows users to change the PWM controller frequency so that the CPU VRM can adjust power delivery speeds more quickly. Users can also adjust the PWM spectrum or maximum and minimum overall frequencies.

It also comes bundled with GIGABYTE Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi Card

With 2 kinds data transfer mode, GIGABYTE Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi Card providing spec 300 Mbps transfer rates, 802.11n supports the latest WiFi specifications for better signal coverage, and featuring the newest Bluetooth 4.0, you will not suffer from signal loss like before.

This morning, we sighted the Intel Core i7 3960X selling at Low Yat Plaza in Kuala Lumpur. There is no bundle (with board) pricing attached. This processor is priced at RM 3550 (~SGD1450, USD1122). The price is USD is definitely more than the suggested listed price of USD 990 by USD 132.

Gigabyte will soon release 3 new iOS apps for their motherboards.

THe first is a Picture Viewer. The 2nd is Cloud OC where you can now
access commonly used OC functions eg. Tuner, System INfo, Hardware Monitor etc.

Cloud BIOS is the third application and you can overclock, select boot disk, check PC status.

These few applications will be available once App Store approve it.

Android versions are on it’s way.

G.Skill launches its new RipjawsZ!

Extreme Performance Quad-Channel Memory kits certified exclusively for Intel X79 platform.

The world’s fastest 64GB kit: DDR3 2,133MHz 64GB(8GBx8) 1.5V XMP 1.3

The world’s fastest 32GB kit: DDR3 2,400MHz 32GB(8GBx4) 1.65V XMP 1.3

The world’s fastest 16GB kit: DDR3 2,500MHz 16GB(4GBx4) 1.65V XMP 1.3

Taipei-Taiwan, 14st November 2011. G.Skill has announced the development of its brand new RipjawsZ series quad-channel memory modules, designed specifically for Intel LGA2011 Sandy Bridge-E processors and X79 systems.

A World First in Super-Sized & Super-Speed

The new RipjawsZ builds on a history of Ripjaws world first performance boundaries and award-winning quality, by including extreme performance kits such as, DDR3 2,500MHz 16GB (4GBx4) 1.65V kit, and super size kits including DDR3 64GB (8GBx8) 2133MHz at only 1.5V, and the fastest ever 8GB DIMMs in the DDR3 2,400MHz 32GB(8GBx4) kit. The following screens show two RipjawsZ 2,400MHz 32GB(8GBx4) kits running together at 2400MHz 64GB and booting at breath-taking 2600MHz 64GB with ASUS Rampage IV Extreme motherboard.

*DDR3 2600MHz 64GB *DDR3 2400MHz 64GB Pi 32m 12P

XMP 1.3 Ready

Working closely with Intel and leading motherboard manufacturers, all high-end RipjawsZ memory kits (1866MHz and above) come with the latest Intel XMP 1.3 standard developed for the X79 platform. It provides PC enthusiasts an entirely trouble free overclocking experience to boost their X79 systems to extreme levels of performance, while retaining system stability.

Hand-tested in real-world PC setups

The G.Skill engineering team has closely worked with leading motherboard manufacturers, to qualify compatibility and performance reliability under these extreme conditions. It continues to strive to develop the best quad channel memory kits for Intel X79 platforms. All RipjawsZ memory kits are hand tested in a range of X79 motherboards according to G.Skill’s rigorous qualification procedure to ensure the maximum quality product.

The following is a specifications list for G.Skill RipjawsZ family. Specifications are subject to change without notice. For further details please check the G.Skill website at www.gskill.com.

All G.Skill memory products come with a lifetime warranty and the G.Skill technical team is always ready to provide consumers with complete technical support via online forums, telephone and email.

Intel Core i7-3960X LGA2011 and intel X79 Express chipset
bluetooth 14 Nov 2011

Today, Intel introduces it’s new Intel X79 chipset and Intel Core i7 Sandy Bridge-E processors. This new generation of processors and chipsets takes over the previous generation of Core i5/i7 as the highest end Intel 32nm architecture platform.

One of the most formiddable change on this new architecture is the introduction of quad channel memory support, supporting up to 256bits.

The Intel Core i7-3960X features 6 Cores, 12 therads. It is spotted in a Intel LGA2011 socket which is larger than existing Intel processors. It supports Intel Turbo Boost technology 2.0, Hyper threading, 15MB intel Smart Cache. It also has an integrated memory controller supporting 4 channels of DDR3-1600 (mostly overclockable to DDR3-2400/2500). Intel AVX, AES, SSE 4.1 and SSE 4.2 instructions are supported as well.

The Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme edition has an unlocked multiplier and has a base clock of 3.3GHz with Turbo Cache to 3.9GHz. It has 6 cores 12 threads, with 15MB Cache. TDP is 130W and it is priced at USD 990.

The Intel X79 Express chipset supports 14 hi-speed USB 2.0 ports, dual EHCI, GbE MAC, HDA, 8 PCIe 2.0 express lanes, 6 SATA ports (esata), Intel Rapid storage technology enterprise is optional.

As for the 2nd generation core i7 LGA2011 processor, it supports 40 lanes of PCIe 2.0. It supports different combinations including 2 x 16 + 1 x 8 or 1 x 16 + 3 x 8 or 1 x16 + 2 x 8 + 2 x 4. Although it is still indicated as PCIe 2.0, it actually will support PCIe 3.0 in future.

The X79 chipset does not have native USB 3.0 support. As for overclocking, previous generation calls it BCLK. On the Sandy Bridge-E it is renamed as DMICLK.

IN a few days time, end users will be able to purchase the new Intel Sandy bridge E processors from retail stores to pair them with their Intel X79 mainboards.

While waiting, let’s take a look at what MSI has in store with their MSI X79A-GD45 motherboard with this unboxing video.

The MSI X79 Big Bang-XpowerII is the board that will be well liked by overclockers, power users and gamers. Featuring 6 full length PCIe 3.0 slots, it offers the maximum expandability for graphics cards, supporting both Quad NVIDIA SLI or AMD Quad CrossFire X. It supports the next generation LGA2011 processor with quad channel memory architecture. The board also has 8 DIMM slots capable of supporting up to DDR3-2400(OC).

Multimedia capabilities wise, it supports X-Fi sound Loseless HD audio. It also has dual GbE LAN, USB Safeguard feature.

On board you will also find OC Genie, the auto overclocking button. There is also MultiBios, Debug LED on the left bottom corner of the board.

The components are Military class certified to last longer than others under extreme conditions.

BIOSTAR TPOWER X79 Motherboard
“The most powerful motherboard on the planet”

BIOSTAR Group, a world famous manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, industrial computing systems and computer peripherals, proudly announces the TPOWER X79 motherboard aimed at the most demanding over-lockers and enthusiasts.

The latest Intel SNB-E processor with LGA 2011 socket along with X79 chipset is officially released on 11/14, while BIOSTAR is announcing its TPOWER X79 motherboard which indicates extreme overclocking capability, rich functionalities as well as highest standard of quality. The TPOWER X79 has the advantages of integrated Heat-Pipe design, Three-way CrossFire SLI, Four-channel memory support, Eight USB 3.0 ports, and Nine-phase luxurious power supply design.

The BIOSTAR TPOWER X79 supports the latest Intel LGA 2011 processor, with luxurious nine-phase power supply, large heat-radiating fins and heat-tube radiation for better thermal conductivity.

The TPOWER X79 supports four-channel memory which located on the two sides of CPU socket. The memory frequency supports standard 1066/1333/1600MHz, and can be overclocked to 1866/2133/2400MHz.

The extension slots consist of three PCI-E x16, two PCI-E x1 and one PCI; and CrossFireX, SLI and PCI-E 2.0 support.

The TPOWER X79 provides a Debug LED indicating lamp, buttons for booting, restarting and CMOS emptying; USB 3.0 extension insertion pins; seven SATA disk interfaces; and heat-radiating fins on the main chipset to ensure extreme overclocking and excellent system heat radiation. Another important characteristic, through the approved THX theater sound effect, an impressive and lifelike home theater environment is already in place.

On the aspect of I/O interfaces, the TPOWER X79 provides one PS/2; six USB 3.0, two USB 2.0; one eSATA 3Gbps; RJ-45; Optical fiber; S/PDIF and six channel audio interfaces.

The spirit of BIOSTAR TPOWER X79 is designed for users who’s always pursing for higher limitations. Let’s wait for another world overclocking record from it!

Gigabyte 3D UEFI BIOS on Gigabyte X79 boards

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is cutting some 1,400 workers as a weak computer market and manufacturing delays have hurt the world’s second-biggest maker of microprocessors for PCs.

The layoffs announced Thursday amount to about 12 percent of the company’s 12,000 workers and are the first big move by AMD’s new CEO, Rory Read, who was hired from Lenovo Group in August. The cuts will unfold over the next five months.

AMD is struggling with an industrywide problem: PC sales growth, particularly in the U.S. and Europe, has been anemic because of the down economy and competition from smartphones and tablets.

Source

ASRock releases pictures of 4 models of Intel X79 boards – X79 Extreme4 M, X79 Extreme4, X79 Extreme7 and X79 Extreme9; X79 Extreme4 M – the first mATX X79 board

ASRock X79 Extreme4 M

So far we have seen a number of ATX boards. This is probably the first mATX board that we come across.

The ASRock X79 Extreme4-M looks very elegant in that Gold/Black colour scheme. With 3 full length PCIe 3.0 slots and 1 PCI slot on board, the PCIe  slots are capable of supporting either CrossFire X or SLI.

In terms of expansion, there are only 4 memory slots, 2 on each side of the socket LGA2011. DDR3-2400+ (OC) is supported as indicated on the mainboard.

On the board, we can also see the power on/off, reset, debug led. There are 6 SATA connectors on the front. The board also supports 1394a, USB 3.0.

On the back of the mainboard, we can see the PS/2 keyboard & mouse connectors, S/PDIF optical and digital out, USB 3.0, eSATA, GbE and audio ports.

The chipset is attached with a heatsink / fan powered by X-FAN.

More on next page

A reader of ours sent us a link on hwbot that report on the availability of the upcoming processor with board and heatsink bundle. That isn’t really a surprise as leaks are like that always happen in China. If you live in China, you can already buy your Sandy Bridge-E system.

Costs:

Intel Core i7 3960X @ +/_ USD $1200
Intel Core i7 3930K @ +/_ USD $900
Intel Core i7 3820 @ +/_ USD $550
MSI X79A-GD65 8D @ +/_ USD $470
Special Bundle: i7 3930K + MSI X79-GD65 8D + Corsair H60 @ USD $1200

Today, we just witnessed an overclocked LGA2011 processor. The processor runs on the Intel X79 Express chipset mainboard with a regular heatsink. We observe the temperature at IDLE, it reads around 45 degrees.

A check on the CPU monitor shows that the CPU is running at a multiplier of 41X with CPU CLK set to 120MHz. This gives us a reading of 4.92GHz. The memory was running DDR3-2400 at CAS 10. CPU Vcore was 1.51v.

From the readings, it looks like the new Core i7 would be a pretty good overclocker. Who cares about LN2 when you can achieve such high speeds even on AIR. The retail processor should do better.

INTC is trading at 24.71  +0.12 (0.49%)

Preview of ECS X79R-AX Intel X79 Mainboard
bluetooth 25 Oct 2011

Intel is scheduled to launch it’s new generation of processors November 2011. With the new chipset and new processor, it means a new motherboard for the larger processor with a new socket type LGA2011.

In the following pages, we will preview the upcoming board from ECS. This is the first SKU from ECS which features the Intel X79 Express Chipset. Below are pictures of the mainboard.

The Black Extreme X79R-AX is ECS’s gaming board.It supports Quad channel DDR3 memory with support of up to DDR3-2500 (OC). This board supports 4 way SLI or CrossFireX with 4 slots operating in PCIe x16 Gen3 bandwidth. (2 slots at x8 bandwidth)

X79R-AX also adds in USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps to complement the Intel X79 Express chipset. The SATA 6Gbps is suported by ASM 1061. There is also Dual GbE by Realtek RTL8111E and 8 ch audio by Realtek ALC892.

Other features of this board include 15u Gold contact, Bluetooth v2.1+ for faster dat transfer, QoolTech IV with three heat pipes that combines Thermolchromic technology with heatsinks. M.I.B X which allows users to save OC profiles in BIOS.

On board you will find Power on/off swtich, Debug LED, (4 x SATA3Gbps + 8 SATA 6Gbps)12 SATA ports on the front. On the PCB, there are also voltage measuring points.

The rear panel I/O consists of 4 USB 3.0, 6 USB 2.0, 2 eSATA 6Gbps, 1 PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse, 2 GbE, 1 WIFI dongle, 1 Bluetooth DOngle, 1 Clear CMOS button.

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) opened at $27.25. So far today, the stock has hit a low of $26.81 and a high of $27.34. MSFT is now trading at $26.83, down $.30 (-1.11%). Over the last 52 weeks the stock has ranged from a low of $23.65 to a high of $29.46. The stock is lower today ahead of the company’s earnings report after market close this afternoon. Analysts expect EPS of 0.68 on revenue of 17.25 billion. Microsoft is also in the news today for reportedly working with private equity firm Silver Lake Partners on a deal to acquire Yahoo (YHOO). Technical indicators for the stock are bullish and S&P gives MSFT a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking. If you are looking for a hedged play on MSFT the stock seems like it could be a candidate for a January out-of-the-money bear-call credit spread above the 30 range.

Source

Intel (INTC) is likely to launch their next generation processor and chipset in Mid of Nov 2011. This new generation of processors spot a new Socket type LGA 2011, larger than the current ones. The in built memory controller supports quad channel DDR3 which gives a memory performance boost compared to existing Intel X58 which employs a tri channel memory architecture.

Although the platform is not launched, motherboard makers are already leaking pictures of their boards on social networks and website while asking media to sign NDA.

From various sources, the new generation of boards will have difficulties with installation of heatsinks with the RAM slots on one side of the board.

While we already have information and information of the platform, we are not allowed to disclose too much of it. Do stay tuned to our forums, twitter, facebook for updates when the date gets closer.

INTC is now trading at $23.74 (-0.50 or -2.05%).