MSI teased us with a few tidbits on that awesome Big Bang mainboard at the end of September, and I really want one. MSI has issued a new press release that gives more details on the mainboard and promises that it will launch soon, but MSI gives no specific date for the board to hit market.
VIA’s Nano-ITX boards have already acquired something of a following among people building tiny embedded computers, HTPC-style media streamers or other compact gadgets, but what happens if you want to take your media-PC-in-a-toaster to the nearest desert or mountain top? Step forward the VIA EPIA N700-10EW, an unassuming name for a low-power board capable of running in temperatures from minus 20-degrees centigrade to plus 70-degrees.
In case you can’t read the helpful legends in the image below, you’re looking eye-to-port at what promises to be the first motherboard with dual SuperSpeed USB 3.0. The ASUS P6X58 Premium is designed for Intel’s Core i7 CPU range, and has six DDR3 memory slots, three PCI Express 2.0 slots and the usual bevy of USB 2.0 ports and headers; however, ASUS have also thrown in a pair of USB 3.0 ports capable of a theoretical 4.8Gbps transfer rate.
Motherboards may not often be the most exciting of components, but you won’t get far with your PC build without one. ASUS have announced their latest “Xtreme Design” series ‘board, the P6TD Deluxe, and while the box design may be sober the spec-sheet certainly isn’t. Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme CPU compatibility, up to 24GB of DDR3 2000 RAM supported over six DIMM slots and three PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots make for a capable, compact motherboard.
ASUS‘ latest motherboard for AMD Phenom II processors has been announced. The ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) Crosshair III Formula uses the AMD AM3 socket platform, together with CPU Level Up real-time overclocking and bundling a SupremeFX X-Fi sound card.
VIA have announced a new media server Mini-ITX board, the VIA VB8002, running the company’s 1.6GHz Nano processor and offering HDTV output and 7.1 HD surround sound. The VB8002 uses VIA’s CX700M2 media system processor, and should be able to connect with pretty much any display you have, digital or analog: ports include DVI, S-Video, component and composite, together with coaxial and optical S/PDIF for digital audio.
VIA have announced the VIA IVP-7500 board, what it’s calling the first in a series of dedicated x86-based in-car PC platforms. Based on a fanless 1.0GHz VIA Eden CPU and supporting up to 1GB of DDR2 memory, the IVP-7500 measures 114 x 185.5mm and can be embedded in the dashboard, fitted to a one- or two-DIN radio-sized box, or hidden in the seat or headrest.
VIA are no stranger to compact mainboards, and their latest is aimed at those for whom ports are prime. The VIA Em-ITX measures 12 x 17cm and is 30-percent more compact than the Mini-ITX standard; however because of its rectangular shape and board layout, it has 200-percent more I/O space, with ports running down each of the longer edges.
Toradex have begun sampling their latest COM Express module, just 84 x 55mm in size, which uses Intel’s Z5xx Atom processor range. The Toradex Robin (shown here on the right, to scale – but not actual size – with its Toradex Woodpecker sibling, announced last year) has seven USB 2.0, gigabit ethernet, a microSD slot and a SATA connection, and is suitable for highly-compact embedded applications.
MSI have announced what they’re calling the most affordable mainboard for Intel’s latest Core i7 processors. The MSI X58 Pro has Intel’s X58 Express chipset, along with an ultra-high bandwidth QPI (Quick Path Interconnect) transmission system and support for high-speed 3-channel DDR3 RAM. There’s also a 3GB/s eSATA port for fast, easy storage expansion.
JP
