In our review of the ASRock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional-M, we discovered something odd with the USB 3.0 performance. In our tests, we have used the latest BIOS and Intel USB 3.0 and ASmedia USB 3.0 driver on the same board to test it’s performance. In the results below, we also tested the same SSD, a Kingston SNB 425 Vseries SSD using the external Sunbeamtech USB 3.0 docking station.

Here are our results with the docking station attached to the ports. We first tested it using SiSoft Sandra 2012 Physical disk test.

Using the ASmedia USB 3.0 support ports

We get a read performance of 202.15MB/s. This is consistent with our tests of the SSD on the docking station months ago on the older platforms using ASmedia or Etrontech controllers.

Using the on board Intel Z77 supported USB 3.0 ports

To ensure everything is working correctly, we checked the device manager and also ensure that the latest driver (available from the ASRock support website) is installed.

We were astonished that the USB 3.0 performance read tests give us only 41MB/s. That is way below the normal performance of a USB 3.0.

On page 2, we used CrystalDiskMark to verify our results :

Although Intel Z77 board was released a couple of weeks ago, most were disappointed that Thunderbolt wasn’t integrated into the chipset although this technology has been on the Mac.

PC users wait is over as Intel’s DZ77RE-75K motherboard comes with the Thunderbolt interconnect, allowing faster transfer than before. USB 3.0 has transmission speeds of up to 5 Gbit/s, which is 10 times faster than USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/s) and Thunderbolt is up to 10 Gbit/s.

The board’s Thunderbolt Technology Interface is supported by an Intel® L3310L CIO 10 Gb Controller.

The Thunderbolt controller connects a PC and other devices, transmitting and receiving information for both PCI Express and DisplayPort* protocols. The Thunderbolt controller switches between the two protocols to support communications over a single cable.
Thunderbolt technology is implemented on Intel Desktop Board DZ77RE-75K as a plug and play interface. No software drivers are required. A PCI Express x4 is linked from the Intel Z77 PCH to support the high bandwidth transfer of Thunderbolt.

Below is a picture of the box and motherboard.

If you have been browsing around for reviews on the Intel Z77 chipset mainboards and it’s processors, you would have noticed that manufacturer’s poster boy always posts excellent scores in overclocking.

This time round, the emphasis is all on the memory overclocking portion of the processor. If you noticed, most of the CPU-Z screen shots reveal that these tests were all done using Engineering Samples aka (ES).

Well, different CPUs are slightly different, perhaps a MALAYSIA differs from COSTA RICA.

The fact is that, retail products we have on hand doesn’t seem to overclock even at DDR3-2400 even with the most relaxed timings. The same ES is able to do so.

This is not conclusive though. My advice is that testers be equipped with retail processors. Try it out and see the difference if any.

Looks like every manufacturer is trying to beat the rest in leaking overclocking results of it’s memory.

In this case, the anonymous user tested thee Intel Core i7-3770k on the ASUS Maximus V Gene.

The memory is clocked at DDR3-3153 on boot up and adjusted upwards to DDR3-3256. See the video below for more info :

Intel Ivy Bridge processors will be officially launched on 23 Apr 2012 9am US PST

We have received information that the current processors will be announced but may not be readily available in various markets on 23rd Apr 2012 9am PST.

The models include :

Core i7-3770K, i7-3770, i7-3770S, i7-3770T, i5-3570K, i5-3550, i5-3550S, i5-3570T, i5-3450, i5-3450S.

It is known that the core i5 series processors should go on sale in Singapore by 29 Apr 2012 but the Core i7, especially the highly sought after Core i7-3770K will be seen on the shelves in May.

LG AND INTEL SIGN STRATEGIC ALLIANCE FOR
INTEL WIRELESS DISPLAY (WiDi) TECHNOLOGY
LG and Intel Collaborate on Intel WiDi to Enhance Content
Accessibility of CINEMA 3D Smart TVs

SEOUL, Dec. 15, 2011 – LG Electronics (LG) and Intel entered into a strategic alliance to adopt and jointly promote Intel? Wireless Display (WiDi) technology. Intel WiDi will be embedded into next year’s LG CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, making them the first in the TV industry to feature Intel WiDi technology. Intel WiDi is a wireless connectivity inter-face which allows for instant, high-definition viewing of content stored in notebooks and other external mobile devices on large screen TVs, projectors or monitors.

“Through this strategic alliance, CINEMA 3D Smart TV users will be able to access a wider variety of content in a more convenient manner,” said Seog-ho Ro, Senior Vice President of LG Home Entertainment Company’s TV Business Unit. “Intel WiDi will be one of several features that will enhance the user convenience of our CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, further differentiating our products from the competition.”

“Intel is planning to expand Intel WiDi technology to various devices to provide con-sumers the seamless, smarter usage experience,” said Hee-Sung Lee, Country Manager of Intel Korea. “Through this collaboration with LG Electronics, LG CINEMA 3D Smart TV users could also benefit from Intel? WiDi without the need to purchase an ex-ternal adapter.”

Intel WiDi not only enables sharing of stored content, it also transfers onto CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, projectors and monitors a spectrum of online contents – such as YouTube videos and streaming TV shows from broadcast websites – that are accessible through notebooks and other mobile devices. Users can view such contents through the expan-sive and immersive high-definition CINEMA 3D display.

Like wired connectivity standards, such as HDMI and USB cables, Intel WiDi does not require an active wireless internet or WiFi connection to transfer content between exter-nal mobile devices and CINEMA 3D Smart TVs. Intel WiDi establishes a direct connec-tion between the WiFi chips embedded in the external mobile devices and the CINEMA 3D Smart TVs.

Furthermore, Intel WiDi does not tie down the mobile device during real-time content sharing. Users may perform other tasks on their notebooks and tablet PCs while simul-taneously streaming content to a CINEMA 3D Smart TV, projector or monitor.

LG and Intel would undertake co-marketing activities and Intel WiDi-enabled LG CINEMA 3D products will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month in Las Vegas.

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.

Dow Jones reports that AMD is cutting its revenue and gross margin guidance citing manufacturing problems at its foundry, Globalfoundries. The recent APUs “LIano” are also in shortage due to Globalfoundries not able to meet the high demand of such APUs.

The news sent AMD shares down 8.6% to $5.62 in after-hours trading. The Sunnyvale, Calif., company designs semiconductors that serve as calculating engines in computers, servers and game consoles.

On the other hand, there is also no confirmation of it’s highly anticipated 8 Core Bulldozer processor.

Intel Corporation announced that its Board of Directors have approved a 16% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to $0.21 per share ($0.84 per share on an annual basis), beginning with the dividend that will be declared in the third quarter of 2011.

Intel Corporation announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Fulcrum Microsystems Inc., a privately held fabless semiconductor company that designs Ethernet switch silicon for data center network providers. Fulcrum Microsystems designs integrated, standards-based 10GbE and 40 Gigabit Ethernet (40GbE) switch silicon that have low latency and workload balancing capabilities while helping provide superior network speeds. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In a surprise announcement at Computex in Taiwan, AMD unveiled its plans to produce a Bulldozer-based APU, codenamed Trinity. The company also launched its Z series chips, aimed at Windows tablets, and announced the official branding for its Llano APUs. (“APU” is AMD-speak for a processor that combines CPU and GPU cores on a single die.)

Not much was revealed about the 32nm Trinity chip apart from the codename, the fact that it combines Bulldozer cores with a GPU, and the fact that the GPU supports DX11. This would definitely pose a big challenge to the Intel Sandy bridge which has a weaker GPU.

AMD also launched it’s Z series APUs targeting tablets. The Bobcat-based Z series parts will have a 6W TDP, which is much higher than Intel’s Moorestown (which is in the 1W range, depending on what you’re doing), and certainly not even close to being in the same league as the sub-1W ARM competition. With the higher power draw, the Z series would most likely see itself on netbooks rather than on a tablet.

AMD announced the official VISION branding for Llano today, dubbing it the A series of APUs. The three tiers in the Llano family are A4, A6, and A8, which means that the recently leaked slides showing these codenames were legit. As was shown in the leaked presentation, AMD will be aiming Llano squarely at Intel’s current Sandy Bridge lineup.

For a preview of the benchmark performance of the A series LIano against the Intel Sandy bridge, please click here.

Source

Last week, early pictures of this board was leaked on the net. Today, the actual specifications of the board is out from Gigabyte themselves.

The GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD and GA-Z68XP-UD3 are boards based on the INTEL Z68 chipset. They both support the LGA1155 socket 2nd generation Core processors.

Something unique about it’s design is the connector at the centre of the board. That is where the Intel mSATA 20GB SLC SSD 311 will fit in. With that SSD in there, the system can be configure to run in Intel smart response technology to boost up the system speed. The other model with iSSD does not come with the Intel SSD 331.

Both boards supports Lucid Virtu, 3X USB, SATA3, USB3.0, Dolby, Easytune etc.