Next to MSI, ASUS as well released a Intel Thunderbolt certified motherboard, the P8Z77-V PREMIUM. Based on Intel Z77 chipset, this new ATX motherboard supports for LGA1155 processors and features four DDR3 DIMM memory slots (up to 32GB RAM), four PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slots, two PCIe 2.0 x1 slot, WiFi and Bluetooth V4.0. Connectivity-wise, it has six SATA 6.0 Gbps, three SATA 3.0 Gbps, one mini-SATA 3.0 Gbps with onboard 32GB SSD, two Gigabit Ethernet, six USB 3.0, six USB 2.0, one Thunderbolt, one DisplayPort and one HDMI. Unfortunately, there

ASUS expanded its line of ATX motherboards by launching the P8C WS. Based on Intel C216 chipset, the board supports for LGA1155 processors and has four DDR3 DIMM memory slots (up to 32GB RAM), two PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8) slots, two PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode) slots, one PCIe 2.0 x1 slot and one PCI slot. In terms of connectivity ports, it offers two SATA 6.0 Gbps, four SATA 3.0 Gbps, four USB 3.0, ten USB 2.0 and dual Gigabit Ethernet. The P8C WS is priced at $249. [ASUS]

The DZ77RE-75K is near identical to the DZ77GA-70K, although we spotted at least one change beyond the Thunderbolt port. On top of that, it's also quite an expensive motherboard, more so than MSI's Z77A-GD80 as vrzone reports:

So the major difference between the DZ77RE-75K and it's more affordable sibling, the DZ77GA-70K is the inclusion of a mini DisplayPort connector which is also the standard interface for Thunderbolt and of course the Cactus Ridge Thunderbolt chip. Sadly Intel cheaped out on it first Thunderbolt motherboard and used the DSL3310

MSI just released their Z77 GD 80 with Thunderbolt, we have one on the lab actually. Gigabyte will release 3 new models of motherboard supporting Thunderbolt. For those who have been waiting, Thunderbolt will finally appear on PC desktops.

For those unfamiliar with Thunderbolt, it is a technology existing on Apple and it is by Intel. Although it didn

MSI announces the availability of the new MSI Z77A-GD80 mainboard with Intel Thunderbolt technology. With MSI's true integrated Thunderbolt design you don't have to worry about losing bandwidth or placing additional add-in cards as it is the most simple Thunderbolt solution available. Of course, the renowned Military Class III components are again available to deliver the highest quality and most stable components. OC Genie II boosts your overall CPU, Memory, Disk and Graphics performance and thank to its power saving hardware features such as Active Phase Switching (APS) and DrMOS II, the MSI Z77A-GD80 can combine its CPU performance with best power saving.

MSI equipped the Z77A-GD80 with the groundbreaking Thunderbolt technology. Thunderbolt is the fastest data connection available for your PC, running at 10 Gbps. Thunderbolt technology delivers two communications methods, or protocols, on a single cable: PCI Express for data transfer and DisplayPort for displays. MSI has integrated the Thunderbolt controller on the mainboard, ensuring that Thunderbolt is a hassle-free solution that not requires additional cards, cables and configuration issues because external Thunderbolt controllers steal bandwidth from other devices. Thunderbolt is an easy technology and should not add to your PC complexity!

Fastest Data transfers
Data transfers for backup, sharing, and editing are faster with Thunderbolt technology, significantly reducing times to complete these tasks. Running at 10 Gbps, Thunderbolt technology on the MSI Z77A-GD80 can transfer a full-length HD video in less than 30 seconds and backup 1 year of continuous audio playback in just over 10 minutes.

Cable management without clutter
Thunderbolt technology delivers great responsiveness with data and display transfers - in each direction, at the same time - using a single cable to connect devices. It's no longer needed to connect multiple devices directly to your PC. Using multiple connection in a daisy chain, the amount of cables directly attached to your PC will be reduced while maintaining maximum throughput

Intel announced the release of a beta graphics driver for Windows 8 to support the 2nd and 3rd generation Core processors:

Intel beta graphics drivers for the Microsoft Windows 8 Consumer Preview are now available to support 3rd generation Intel

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) is pleased to introduce uniquely-designed, gold plated Super Alloy Chokes. While the current industry standard is to use iron or ferrite materials for the magnetic cores of the chokes, ECS has created market-leading chokes that not only maximize performance and stability thanks to the Super Alloy core, but also prevent corrosion from damaging your system with the gold plating. These innovative Super Alloy chokes are available on three motherboards in the H77 and Z77 chipset series, the X77H2-A3, Z77H2-AX, and Z77H2-A2X.

For PC users troubled by inexplicable crashes, poor stability or disappointing performance, Elitegroup's innovation delivers the solution that other PC motherboard manufacturers only promise, with the new Super Alloy Choke. This much-needed upgrade to a critical

Some official product photo's on the Socket 1155 based MSI Z77A-GD80 have surfaced on the web. The motherboard comes with a 22-phase VRM, Military class III components, four USB 3.0 ports, four SATA 6G / four SATA3G. You'll spot three PCIe x16 slots and four x1 slots.

The four memory DIMM slots support 2666 Mhz memory.

We review the ECS Z77H2-AX motherboard which screams gold and features. The Z77H2-AX is gold plated everywhere. The changes for Z77 primarily can be found in native USB 3.0 support as well as an upgrade towards PCie gen 3 PCIe x16 slots.

ECS however really pimped out the motherboard with a lot .. seriously LOT of extra's with even embedded WIFI and Bluetooth.

Read the review right here.

With Ivy Bridge announcedlets take a look at next year's motherboard chipsets for the Shark Bay platform, as reported by vrzone:

Intel's upcoming LGA-1150 Haswell CPUs will be quite different from the current Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge CPUs and Intel will as such have to offer a range of suitable chipsets to go with these changes and so far we've only known the new chipsets as Lynx Point.

As you might already have been able to deduct, Intel is simply moving to the 8-series of chipsets. No big models changes have taken place and as such the desktop platform will get the Z87, H87 and Z85 models for your average consumer, as well as the Q87, Q85 and B85 chipsets for the various corporate and SMB platforms. There's also the C228 chipset for Intel's LGA-1150 based Xeon processors which is the replacement for the C216 chipset.

One thing that is changing compared to the current line-up is that the Z85 chipset will lack support for RAID, something that might not be a great loss, but it's nonetheless a peculiar change. Intel is also updating its Rapid Storage technology in the 8-series chipsets and give the user some basic control over the hard drives/SSDs. Simply put there will be three different settings, power efficiency, maximum performance or a balanced setting. Another new addition is Fast Boot which is a sneaky feature that allows the system to detect the boot drive quicker and as such help improve the overall Boot experience. However, this only works if there's an Intel SSD in the system, which almost sounds like an anti-competitive feature.

We'll be doing some more digging to try and find out some additional details about what else is new with Intel's 8-series chipsets. We're already expecting additional USB 3.0 ports and a full set of SATA 6Gbps ports according to earlier leaks, but we don't know which chipsets will get what features at this point in time. 

EVGA delivers the Z77 FTW, a new motherboard based on Intel's Z77 chipset. Full specifications at EVGA, they're offering it for pre-order at $329.99.

The perfect combination of features and performance has arrived with the EVGA Z77 FTW motherboard. With 3rd generation Intel Core processor support, full PCI-E 3.0 and 4-Way SLI Support, this motherboard is ready for the future of high performance computing.

The EVGA Z77 FTW is engineered from the ground up for the enthusiast. Robust overclocking features and BIOS settings allow you to maximize your performance and maintain stability.

The EVGA Z77 FTW takes performance to the next level with native USB 3.0 and SATA 6G support, enabling the next generation of external devices. Features
Performance is not the end of the story. 100% native USB 3.0 and SATA 6G, 4-Way SLI on PCI-E 3.0, dual Gigabit NIC

ECS of course will offer a good variety of Z77 products as well, today we preview the Z77H2-AX, a board that is going to surprise you. Dr. Evil's 'GOOOOOOOOOLD' will continuously pop into you mind whilst browsing through this review. The Z77H2-AX is gold plated everywhere.

The motherboard of course is intended for Intel's 22nm processors that will be coming out later this year based on Socket LGA1155 however the motherboard also supports Sandy bridge processors like the Core i7 2600K. With this preview we are able to give you a closer look at the motherboard itself -- and really the pictures alone are worth it.

Read the article here.

The ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) has launched its Maximus V Series motherboards with the Maximus V GENE. This micro-ATX powerhouse is built using the latest Intel Z77 chipset, which supports Intel's latest LGA1155 processors. Featuring full PCI-Express Gen-3 capabilities with Intel's 3rd Generation processor the Republic of Gamers team equips the Maximus V GENE with exclusive features such as the Extreme Engine DIGI+ II power control design, SupremeFX III gaming audio, Intel Ethernet with ROG GameFirst software and the newly added mPCIe Combo card.

The mPCIe Combo card is a new innovation by the ROG team, combining the twin functions of mPCIe with mSATA into a single, extensible add-in card that still allows full use of the PCI-Express slots for multi-GPU graphics. With the addition of an mSATA SSD for use with Intel Smart Response Technology or simply installing the entire OS, this frees up standard SATA ports for other uses. The combination of a standard mPCIe socket on the other side allows unique upgrades such as WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G/4G, GPS and other connectivity.

The Maximus V GENE is true to the Republic of Gamers core, as a motherboard built for overclocking. Featuring the upgraded Extreme Engine DIGI+ II that includes 8+4+2 phase (CPU, iGPU, DRAM) and precise digital power control from two DIGI+ controllers combined with ROG UEFI BIOS functions, such as the new pre-configured memory IC profiles, yield a fantastic overclocking experience for enthusiasts.

Its 10k Black Metallic capacitors offer a 5x longer lifespan with 10k hours at 105C, and 20% better low temperature endurance - specifically selected for extreme cooling scenarios. The DRAM trace layout has also been further optimized over the previous Maximus IV generation to allow even higher frequencies as well.

SupremeFX III Sound - Premium Gaming Audio That Takes SNR To The 110dB Redline

Designed to bring gamers the best possible integrated audio, the SupremeFX III sound is a wholly separate sound PCB, identified by its 'redline' adjoining the main GENE motherboard. SupremeFX Shielding technology maximizes the audio quality by further isolating the audio processing from EMI, encasing the chipset under an aluminum cap. Combined with a large 1500uF buffer capacitor to provide sufficient energy to even the loudest sounds, SupremeFX III attains a lossless audio of up to 110dB SNR.

The addition of X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity, EAX Advanced HD 5.0, Creative Alchemy and THX TruStudio PRO complete the lineup of audio technologies on offer.

Intel Ethernet, ROG GameFirst and LucidLogix Virtu MVP

Intel Ethernet and ROG GameFirst software combines up to 35% saving in CPU usage with network traffic prioritizing, while LucidLogix Virtu MVP support enables a new hybrid graphics mode that boosts overall GPU performance by up to 60%.

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the world's top 3 motherboard maker, today reveals their first production of Z77 Black Extreme Series - Golden Limited Edition. Available in two models, Z77H2-AX and Z77H2-A2X, they are the top-of-the-line motherboards in the ECS Black Extreme Series, which enriches the series' themed slogan -- 'My Game, My Rules'.

The ECS Z77 Black Extreme Series - Golden Limited Edition features triple-thickness gold plated connectors and has passed the strictest quality tests, giving power users the security that the gold plating won't wear out after extensive component upgrades, safe guarding the board from the threat of corrosion.

The individually-numbered, handcrafted motherboards are stunningly outfitted in cool black with dazzling gold plated key components, giving both the Z77H2-AX and Z77H2-A2X a sophisticated and classy appearance that is unprecedented in the PC motherboard industry. Key features include: ATI CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI graphics support with next generation PCI Express 3.0 to achieve the ultimate in 3D gaming performance and visual quality, QoolTech IV visible temperature technology to protect your valuable PC components, and support for the fastest 3rd generation Intel Core processors.

To ensure maximum reliability and customer satisfaction ECS has enhanced its already stringent quality control procedures by increasing the testing cycle for each of these very special boards to three times longer than the industry standard and by raising the burn in testing temperature to 125% of the industry standard.

The Z77 Black Extreme Series boards are the first to provide full support for Intel's next-generation Ivy Bridge CPUs for cutting edge performance, but they still maintain compatibility with older socket 1155 CPUs to provide an easy upgrade path. The new Intel Z77 chipset at the heart of these motherboards is the first to include USB 3.0 support without external chips, bringing greater performance, expandability and reliability. Moreover, the Z77H2-AX and Z77H2-A2X are the first generation with official support for PCI Express 3.0 add-on card technology, to get the most out of future generations of graphics cards as well as today's most powerful models. The new Lucid Virtu MVP chip gives consumers both the high performance of add-on graphics cards and the economical power saving of integrated graphics - by switching between them seamlessly and automatically.

The Z77H2-AX is at the forefront of the performance desktop PC market with support for three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, providing astonishingly realistic high speed graphics and physics performance for the latest games and entertainment. The Z77H2-A2X has two PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, as well as a mini PCI Express slot. Both models provide enormous expansion capacity with an additional 2 PCI Express 2.0 slots, and even 2 PCI slots to support older add-on cards.

The ECS Golden Edition Z77H2-AX and Z77H2-A2X both incorporate the Mini PCIe feature that provides mini SATA or mini PCIe interface in order to support Intel Smart Response / Intel Smart Connect / Intel Rapid Start technologies, enabling better power saving as well as system longevity with greater responsiveness.

ECS' Z77 Black Extreme Series - Golden Edition provides huge capacity for ultra high speed storage. The Z77H2-AX is equipped with eSATA x2 (6Gb) and SATA x6 (6Gb/s x4 + 3Gb/s x2), while the Z77H2-A2X has eSATA x1 (3Gb) with DVI output. It is worth to mention that the Z77H2-AX model features the PLX ExpressLane PEX 874 Multi-Graphics Solution Chip, effectively doubling PCI Express 3.0 support to 2x16, enabling the user to take advantage of all 3 PCIe slots and the possible combinations of x16 and x8 channel cards.

Both the Z77H2-AX and Z77H2-A2X models offer Wireless LAN, Bluetooth, USB 3.0 x6 and USB 2.0 x6 support, 3-way NVIDIA SLI or ATI CrossFireX support, EZ charger and 1 Gigabit LAN to boost stronger Internet connectivity functions and expansion ability to your computer.

For overclockers and modders, ECS' Black Extreme Series - Golden Limited Edition provides a wealth of tweaking, control and adjustment features. Solid long-life capacitors in all critical areas guard against failure even in the most challenging conditions. Triple thickness gold plating on CPU, memory and add-on card sockets ensures these two models always provide a reliable connection, even with heavy use and in hostile environments. Thor Ultra Protection guards against component damage from static electricity in dry climates. And in a sea of lookalike products, the distinctive gold and black Z77H2-AX and Z77H2-A2X boards are undoubtedly the best-looking motherboards around.

The Z77H2-AX and Z77H2-A2X models are initially available in the US market in a very limited quantity: 200 pcs. Each of these high-end Z77 Black Extreme Series - Golden Limited Edition motherboards is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity personally signed by the General Manager of ECS, emphasizing the company's determination to guarantee quality, performance and ultimate reliability to its customers.

MSI, the manufacturer of World's fastest mainboard and graphics card is happy to announce the availability of the new MSI Intel 7 Series mainboards for the LGA1155 socket, powered by MSI's renowned Military Class III components.

The new Intel Z77, H77 and B75 chipset based mainboards support both 2nd Generation Intel Core CPUs as well as the upcoming 3rd Generation Intel Core CPUs. Built on this basis of Quality components and technology the MSI Intel 7 series mainboards have overclocking features to match with OC Genie II. Not only does OC Genie II enhance CPU, Memory and hard-drive speed but now, in combination with Lucid Virtu MVP, also Discrete DirectX 11 Graphics performance can be boosted! Well-known for its power saving hardware features such as Active Phase Switching (APS) and DrMOS II, MSI Intel 7 series mainboards can combine its performance with best-in-class power saving. MSI's Intel 7 series mainboards are truly one of the most well-rounded mainboards ever created and will surely find its way in many PC builds.

MSI's exemplary Military Class III Components honor the "Top Quality and Stability" slogan. DrMOS II (DriverMOSFET) is the latest edition to the Military Class family and enhances efficiency, reduces temperatures and provides Thermal Protection for extreme overclocking scenarios. The Hi-C CAP is an extremely efficient Tantalum based capacitor with a Nobel-prize winning automatic recovery function and Super Ferrite Choke (SFC) provides 30% more power at 10% higher efficiency compared to chokes used on other brand motherboards. The Japanese made Solid Capacitors provide a long lifetime under gaming loads compared to older liquid capacitors. All MSI Military Class III mainboard components have passed the stringent tests of the U.S. Department of Defense MIL-STD-810G deserving its name Military Class III components.

MSI OC Genie II is world's easiest overclocking technique and allows a complete performance overhaul with a simple push of a button. On the MSI's Z77, H77 and B75 series mainboards this leads to the ultimate performance experience. Pushing the OC Genie Button will push the CPU to 4.2 GHz for 18% better performance, overlock the system memory to 1866 MHz, speed ups hard-disk performance up to 4,5 times in combination with Intel ISRT SSD Caching Technology and now exclusively upgrades the performance of your Graphics card! My OC Genie is a new feature that allows end-users to customize their OC Genie II experience through MSI's unique ClickBIOS II interface. ClickBIOS II has received unanimous praise from worldwide media for its intuitive interface, design and availability as both an UEFI BIOS interface and Windows application. With the forward looking ClickBIOS II interface, MSI is ready for Windows 8 Certification.

MSI Z77, H77 and B75 series mainboards are equiped with an advanced integrated USB 3.0 controller which offers greatly improved transfer speeds versus 3rd party controllers. The MSI Z77A-GD80 will also rock the market as the first announced mainboard with Intel Thunderbolt support. With up to 10 Gbps of bandwidth and integrated power delivery it allows connectivity to a wide range of devices like high-res displays and high capacity external storage devices. With the MSI Z77A-GD80 with Thunderbolt you can satisfy the needs of any workstation or video editing storage bandwidth requirement.

MSI Intel Z77, H77 and B75 series mainboards support the new PCI Express Gen3 standard to deliver up to 32 GB/s of bandwidth to PCI Express cards. With this bandwidth you can enjoy GPU performance boosts and massive amounts of storage bandwidth for PCI Express based storage controllers. Memory on the MSI Intel Z77, H77 and B75 series mainboards support frequencies up to DDR3-2933 MHz.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched their long awaited 7 series motherboards designed to deliver the ultimate performance for 3rd generation Intel Core processors. Combining the world's first Dual UEFI BIOS, a new and unique All Digital power design, and the latest GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 4 technologies, GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards offer an extremely compelling case for a system upgrade.

"The new GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards are designed to offer a seamless upgrade for enthusiast PC DIYers by providing specifications and features that will be compatible with future CPUs, VGA cards, memory, SSDs, and wireless protocols for years to come," commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. "It makes sense then for us to aggressively transition to GIGABYTE Z77 and H77 motherboards so that enthusiasts can purchase them in anticipation for the release of Intel's highly sought after 3rd Gen Core

A leaked marketing slide from AMD reveals the company's Trinity APU promises 29 percent higher productivity and 56 percent faster visuals than Llano. AMD claims mobile devices based on this platform can achieve a resting battery life of over 12 hours.

Apart from these, the slide claims Trinity to be optimized for Windows 8 (with AVX, AES-NI, SSE4.2, and DirectX 11.1 graphics, it could very well be). The processor is said to feature third-generation auto-overclocking technology, TurboCore 3.0. The mobile version of the chip will be designed to offer over 12 hours of resting battery-life. Lastly, there's mention of new media-acceleration features. AMD is expected to launch its new line of APUs in this quarter (before July).

Gigabyte released a video of its new 3D BIOS that will launch with the company's LGA2011 motherboard lineup. This new interface promises a more polished, function-oriented user interface than many of Gigabyte's rivals.

DigiTimes reports that Intel plans to launch its 7-series chipsets and its own-brand Z77-based motherboards on April 8th.
Intel has already unveiled several own-brand Z77- and H77-based motherboards including DZ77GA-70K, DZ77BH-55K and DH77KC, while some motherboard vendors are adding Thunderbolt technology to their high-end products to boost their attraction.

Intel is expected to announce Z77, H77, Z75 and B75 chipsets on April 8 with prices at US$48, US$43, US$40 and US$37, respectively and will launch Q77 at US$44 and Q75 at US$40 on May 13. The site also received word that Ivy Bridge processors including the Core i7-3770K will arrive late this month.

It's the weirdest release ever, as you can already purchase Z77 mothebroards in the stores.

ASUS-subsidiary ASMedia made its mark as a vendor of high cost/performance 2-port USB 3.0 SuperSpeed host controllers, 2-port SATA 6 Gb/s controllers, and PCIe-PCI bridge chips, with good adoption by PC motherboard vendors. The company now eyes the emerging Thunderbolt-IO market. Thunderbolt will begin seeing adoption by the PC market starting this year, and the adoption of the interconnect by data storage device manufacturers, particularly of fast external storage, for use in the content-creation industry.

Thunderbolt host controllers are yet to receive widespread adoption due to three factors:

• Cost of the controller. Intel is yet to bring its Thunderbolt host controllers down to an a reasonable price.
• Deficiency of alternative controller providers, high scope for price-reductions the moment there are alternative providers
• A looming transition from Thunderbolt copper-electric to fiber-optic medium, which could make current 10 Gb/s-over-copper standard obsolete

ASMedia could address at least two factors here, it could provide an alternative to Intel-made controllers, and could offer a competitive price (or at least price-performance ratio). ASMedia president Lin Che-Wei told DigiTimes that his company will be ready with Thunderbolt-compatible SATA 6 Gb/s controllers, by the second half of 2012.