Intel 9-series chipsets may not be backwards compatible with Haswell

Intel's current generation of 'Haswell' processors, as well as the upcoming 'Broadwell' processors, will share the same LGA1150 CPU socket. However, the upcoming 9-series chipsets designed specifically for Broadwell may not be backwards compatible with Haswell, and the current 8-series chips designed for Haswell may not support Broadwell, which could cause a headache for motherboard manufacturers.

According to documentation obtained by VR-Zone, there are slight changes in the implementation requirements of the two processor families. Specifically, Broadwell processors require slightly different connections between the socket and chipset, mostly to facilitate a new power source called VCCST. If motherboard manufacturers implement these changes in their boards with 9-series chipsets, Haswell processors will likely be incompatible.

Asus launches Z87-Deluxe/Quad motherboard, first with Thunderbolt 2

It was only in June that Intel finalized Thunderbolt 2, the second generation of their data interconnet technology, with Intel promising it would enter production by the end of the year. In keeping with that promise, Asus has announced the first Thunderbolt 2-certified motherboard, the Z87-Deluxe/Quad.

Asus full lowdown, claims 70% market share on X79 motherboards, future products and more

We've been covering Asus products, especially components like motherboards and graphics cards for years now, and you know they are good. Since their stunning success with netbooks however, they have become a more prominent brand for other consumer devices like laptops and tablets. You may still be surprised to hear their latest X79 series motherboards currently hold a 70 percent share of the global sales market for the recently introduced Sandy Bridge Enthusiast LGA 2011 platform.

The figures speak for themselves: two out of every three X79 series motherboards sold are Asus branded. Also, according to the company’s latest figures, published by DigiTimes, the Z68 and P67 series motherboards have also reached a global market share of approximately 50-60 percent each as well.

Asus shipped 23.5 million motherboards during 2011 and has set targets of 25 million units for this year. They announced they will begin shipping motherboards based on Intel’s new Ivy Bridge platform in late February. The firm also confirmed that recent reports suggesting motherboard production would slowdown were false, they went on to say their inventory levels are normal and they have no plans to slow down production in the first quarter.

On the tablet front the firm has confirmed they plan to offer upgrades to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for their entire tablet range, which will be available for download on January 12.

Those curious about Windows 8 tablets should be covered as well – they plan to launch a new tablet PC using Intel’s Clover Trail-W platform and ARM-based versions in the fourth quarter of 2012. Pricing is rumored to be at least $599 for the Intel-based tablet, and at least $459 for the ARM version, though it could well be subject to change as release is a long way off.

Finally, Asus disclosed plans to employ 100 more staff dedicated to Android at its Software R&D sites, and once Windows 8 tablets have been launched will then expand Windows staff further as well.

Gigabyte issues BIOS update for fire-prone motherboards

Overclocking isn't the game of Russian roulette it used to be. Component makers have embraced the practice by enhancing quality control, designing simple interfaces, implementing failsafes, expanding warranties and more. Although you're less likely to experience catastrophic failure, disaster can and does strike occasionally as one Taiwanese enthusiast recently learned.

Last week, YouTube user "japan0827" uploaded a video of his overclocked testbed releasing a plume of smoke (skip to 3:45 or so). Mourning his loss, the overclocker shared his experience around various Asian message boardswith detailed pictures identifying his Gigabyte motherboard as the culprit. More specifically, a MOSFET in his Gigabyte X79-UD3's CPU VRM.

Unfortunately, this isn't an isolated incident. Gigabyte released a press release this week acknowledging that it has received similar complaints from other overclockers who own the GA-X79-UD3, GA-X79-UD5 and G1.Assassin 2 -- the company's main LGA2011 products. Gigabyte blames the issue on a combination of poor quality PWM components and bad firmware.

To solve the problem, the manufacturer has released a BIOS update (version F7) that throttles the CPU during extreme loads. This should protect your VRM from going haywire, but it will also foil your attempts to overclock. You can update your BIOS with the package provided in the download section of your motherboard's product page (UD3, UD5, G1.Assassin 2).

If you're afraid to flash your own BIOS, Gigabyte will do it for you. The company is also offering an unconditional return policy if you'd rather replace your board. The press release mentions a lifetime warranty for the above-mentioned motherboards, but we imagine it's not all-encompassing and only covers this specific PWM issue (Google Translate isn't crystal clear).

Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD4 Motherboard Review

The new Intel P67 chipset lies at the heart of the Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD4, and Gigabyte has utilized it to great advantage with full support for Intel's SandyBridge Processors. While the GA-P67A-UD4 sits in the middle of Gigabyte's P67 lineup, there is no shortage of innovation and design. As part of the Ultra Durable 3 series, the GA-P67A-UD4 uses 50,000 hour solid capacitors and a 2oz copper circuit board used in conjunction with 12 phase power design for cooler board temperatures and longer life. Gigabyte's 333 design incorporates USB 3.0, 6Gbs SATA 3 and 3X typical USB power, now adding Turbo XHD to its SATA 3.0 options. Turbo XHD offers automatic setup for RAID 0, offering 4X the speed of a conventional SATA 2.0 HDD. The 3X USB power incorporated in the GA-P67A-UD4 offers 1500mA to USB 2.0 ports and 2700mA to USB 3.0 ports. This means faster charging for peripherals (such as cell phones and mp3 players) and many times relieves the need for external power or USB Y-connectors for higher powered USB devices. Power to the USB ports is always present on the GA-P67A-UD4 regardless of the computers boot state making USB charging always readily available.

Overview

With the release of the new 32nm Intel Sandy Bridge processors, including the Core i3, i5 and i7, many users are interested in finding out more about the new P67 Express Chipset motherboards, which can push the latest K series processors to unbeliveable frequencies. The GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD7 motherboard we just reviewed was designed for Extreme Gamers, Film and Video Editors and Overclocking Enthusiasts, providing the users with features that only a smaller percentage of users actually need, though the ones that do are sure to appreciate them. In this review, we'll take a look at the GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD4 motherboard, which is more suitable for enthusiast users who don't want to push their hardware to stratospheric levels.

While the UD7 will be the most reliable and stable motherboard of GIGABYTE's P67 lineup, the GA-P67A-UD4 will fit perfectly for those looking at upgrading their older Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad or even recent Nehalem-based i3, i5, and i7 processors. It will also be a good board for users transitioning from AMD based motherboards. The P67A-UD4 motherboard offers plenty of features that enthusiasts and gamers are looking for, like USB 3.0, SATA III, SLI and CrossFire X support, as well as excellent high-quality PCB and component design with overclocking features that will make applications fly using the latest Core i5 and i7 LGA1155 socket Sandy Bridge processors. The Sandy Bridge K-series processors combined with high end P67 motherboards like the GIGABYTE P67A-UD4 provide excellent overclocking features while maintaining a low power consumption and low temeprature output.

GIGABYTE still continues to include the same features that brought their products such acclaim, like the Ultra Durable 3 design, ON/OFF Charge and 333 Onboard Acceleration. With the new P67 Chipset Motherboards, GIGABYTE has also upgraded their VRM design by using Driver MOSFET packages over regular MOSFETs. These Driver MOSFETs deliver higher power transfer rate and increase efficiency at higher switching frequencies. The Driver MOSFET's also provide lower power loss, lower temperatures, and a smaller footprint over regular MOSFETs

Current Intel chipsets support PCI-Express 2.0 at a lower 2.5GT/s, which limits each direction of a lane to a maximum of 250MB/s. With USB 3.0 and 6Gbps SATA interfaces connected to PCI-Express x1 slots, devices connected to these interfaces will be limited to the 250MB/s speeds. A nice change on the P67 lineup of motherboards allow the PCI-Express slots to operate at a stunning 5GT/s, providing up to 500MB/s of bandwidth in each direction. This adds up to 1GB/s bidirectional bandwidth.

Another very nice improvement on the P67 Express Chipset with the proper BIOS allows users to take advantage of 3TB hard drives in their systems, as opposed to the 2TB-2.2TB limitation from X58 based motherboards. The GIGABYTE P67A-UD4 motherboard updated to the latest BIOS supports 3TB hard drives.

Also, some manufacturers like ASUS are slowly making the move to the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) BIOS instead of the traditional 32-bit BIOS on their P67 motherboards. The UEFI provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for the BIOS, making it possible to not only use the keyboard, but also the mouse to adjust system settings. This is also easier on the eyes, especially for users not used to the DOS like systems. Unfortunately, at the moment GIGABYTE does not offer support for UEFI.

The P67A-UD4 has full overclocking potential when paired with the appropriate unlocked K-Series processor, including an unlocked memory multiplier. The H67 architecture motherboards unfortunately have a locked memory multiplier, but can take advantage of Intel's integrated graphics that are built into all Sandy Bridge CPUs, whereas the P67 boards cannot. This is why there are several video outputs on the H67 lineup of motherboards and none on the P67. Right now it seems that there will not be a hybrid solution for the Intel Sandy Bridge built-in GPU to work together with dedicated video cards, but this is not definite and could change in the future.

The GIGABYTE P67A-UD4 will be running for an affordable MSRP of $199.99, not the $239.99 MSRP that we first expected. While it is not the cheapest motherboard on the market, it sounds like a fair price for its features and quality.

Thank you for AcousticPC.com for providing us with a quiet, jet powerful water cooling setup to test out the overclocking portion of the board.