In for testing today is the Foxconn AHD1S-k. Foxconn is one of the largest makers of computing components in the world so their AMD Fusion ITX board should prove interesting. Under that big aluminium heatsink is a single chip, an AMD E-350 APU which is top of the AMD E-series line up. Inside the APU it bundles a CPU, GPU and DDR3 memory controller. The TDP of 18W makes for a very low power setup and with the passive heatsink, hopefully a very quiet system. The investigation begins!

Specifications

Form factor: Mini-ITX 6.7×6.7 inch
APU: AMD E-350
Chipset: AMD Hudson D1
Memory: Single channel DDR3 1066, 2 slots 8GB max
Expansion slots: 1x PCIe X16 slot
Storage: 2x SATA II ports
Back panel connectors:
1x PS/2 keyboard port.
1xVGA port
1xDVI Port
1xHDMI
6x USB 2.0 ports.
1x Gigabit RJ45 LAN jack.
3x audio jacks
Front panel headers:
1X Front panel header
1X Front Audio header
1xTPM header
1x IR/CIR header
1x S/PDIF out header.
1x Speaker header
2x Serial ATA connectors.
2x USB 2.0 headers
1x Intrusion Alarm header
1x COM header
Bios: 8Mb flash EEPROM

Features

Easy overclocking – I couldn’t find any options for overclocking
Easy BIOS updates – this includes software bios updates and in BIOS update options
BIOS Rescue – allows you to insert a Floppy disk and reboot to rescue a corrupt BIOS
Smooth Overclock – for precision overclocking apparently but I couldn’t find any
CPU Protection – complete protection to ensure the APU doesn’t overheat.
Exclusive Graphics Power – exclusive power channels; better graphics performance and system stability
Smart Boot Menu – allows quick choosing of the boot device
SuperBIOS Protect – hardware and software BIOS locking to ensure protection from Viruses and BIOS corruption
Super Clockfree – Unlimited CPU multiplier for better and easier overclocking, another feature this board doesn’t actually have
Smart fan control – Automatic fan adjustment, being passively cooled, this may not be the most useful feature.

Welcome to the world of motherboards! This is a place where cheap alternatives often beat the most expensive flagships. Creating a competitively priced but well performing product is the goal. With that in mind, here’s Gigabyte’s new AMD AM3+ socket motherboard, the GA-990FXA-UD7, based on the AMD 990FX chipset. The AM3+ socket is backwards compatible but is introduced rather early this year to be the base platform for the upcoming Zambezi CPU’s, based on the Bulldozer architecture.

Today we will be looking at the UD7 as a sneak-peak of the greatness this motherboard holds for the Zambezi CPU’s, as to date AMD has yet to release these puppies in the wild.

What does Gigabyte tell us about the GA-990FXA-UD7?

“The 990FXA-UD7 motherboard is designed to offer a stable, high-speed platform for delivering amazingly fast data transfer via the GIGABYTE 333 onboard acceleration technologies. Featuring the USB3.0 controller, AMD 900 series motherboards allow users to take advantage of super fast USB transfer rates of up to 5Gbps, delivering 10x faster data transfer compared to USB 2.0. Utilizing the industry’s first Serial ATA Revision 3.0 solution via AMD SB950 chipset, GIGABYTE AMD 900 series motherboards offer native 6 ports of next generation high speed data storage devices support with data transfer speeds of up to 6 Gbps with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10. The AMD 900 series motherboards introduce a unique hardware design with lower resistance fuses for ensuring lower voltage drops and providing more stable and plentiful power delivery. All USB ports also benefit from a 3x power boost for better power delivery to power hungry USB devices.”

Specifications

• CPU: AM3+ Socket
• Support for AMD AM3+ FX processors
• Support for AMD AM3 Phenom™ II processors / AMD Athlon™ II processors
• Chipset: North Bridge: AMD 990FX
• South Bridge: AMD SB950
• Memory: 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB Support for DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules
• Audio: Realtek ALC889 codec, High Definition Audio 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel, Support for Dolby Home Theater, Support for S/PDIF Out
• LAN: 1 x Realtek RTL8111E chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)
• Expansion Slots: 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16, 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x8 ,2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x4, 1 x PCI slot
• Storage Interface: 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (SATA3_0~SATA3_5) supporting up to 6 SATA 6Gb/s devices, Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID5, RAID 10 and JBOD, 2 x Marvell 88SE9172 chips, 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors, 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s connectors (including 1 eSATA/USB Combo connector) on the back panel, Support for RAID 0 and RAID 1
• South Bridge: Up to 14 USB 2.0/1.1 ports (8 ports on the back panel, including 1 eSATA/USB Combo connector, 6 ports available through the internal USB headers)
• 2 x Etron EJ168 chips: Up to 4 USB 3.0/2.0 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header)
• IEEE 1394VIA VT6308 chip: Up to 2 IEEE 1394a ports (1 port on the back panel, 1 port available through the internal IEEE 1394a header)
• Internal I/O Connectors: 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector, 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector, 1 x PCIe power connector, 8 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors, 1 x CPU fan header, 2 x system fan headers, 1 x power fan header, 1 x front panel header, 1 x front panel audio header, 1 x S/PDIF Out header, 3 x USB, 2.0/1.1 headers, 1 x USB 3.0/2.0 header, 1 x IEEE 1394a header, 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header, 1 x clearing CMOS jumper, 1 x clearing CMOS button, 1 x power button, 1 x reset button
• Back Panel Connectors: 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port, 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector, 1 x coaxial S/PDIF Out connector, 1 x IEEE 1394a port, 7 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports, 2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports, 1 x eSATA/USB Combo connector, 1 x eSATA 6Gb/s connector, 1 x RJ-45 port, 6 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out/Rear Speaker Out/Side Speaker Out/Line In/Line Out/Microphone)
• BIOS: 2 x 32 Mbit flash, Use of licensed AWARD BIOS, Support for DualBIOS™, PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 1.0b, Support for @BIOS, Support for Q-Flash, Support for Xpress BIOS Rescue, Support for Download Center, Support for Xpress Install, Support for Xpress Recovery2, Support for EasyTune, Support for Easy Energy Saver, Support for Smart Recovery, Support for Auto Green, Support for ON/OFF Charge, Support for Cloud OC, Support for 3TB+ Unlock, Support for Q-Share, Bundle Software, Norton Internet Security (OEM version), Form Factor, ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 26.3cm.

Sapphire are GPU manufacturers at their heart, but they’ve been known to dip into other markets in the past few years; perhaps one of the most interesting ones being  motherboards. Today I’m looking at their latest foray into the mobo game, the Sapphire Pureblack P67 Hydra. It’s got 4 PCIe ports, an onboard post and CPU temperature readout and some nice onboard power switches. Lets get investigating.

Specifications

CPU: Intel LGA1155: Intel Core i7/i5/i3
Chipset: Intel® P67 Express Chipsatz
BIOS: AMI BIOS, 16 MB Flash ROM
Memory: 4 slots 240-Pin 240 800/1066/1333/1600+ Non-ECC
Expansion Slots: 4 x PCI Express 2.0 x16
Storage: 4 x Serial ATA III 6 Gb/s, 3 x Serial ATA II 3 Gb/s
Audio: Realtek ALC892 HD Audio CODEC mit 8-Kanal Audio
Ethernet LAN: Marvell 88E8057 PCI-Express Gigabit LAN
Rear Panel I / O: 8 x USB 2.0, port 2 x USB 3.0, port 1 x 1394a port, 1 x SPDIF Coaxial OUT, 1 x Audio I/O ports, 1 x SPDIF Optical Out, 1 x Support für Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR mit Atheros AR3011, 1 x e-SATA port, PS/2 KB/Maus-Kombo-Port
Front Panel-Header: SPDIF In/Out-Header, 1 x 1394a Header, 2 x USB 2.0 Headers

Introduction

Zotac is a company that muscled their way onto the graphics card scene in 2006, but they’ve not stayed stagnant. In the past couple of years they opened up their market to mini PCs and even ITX motherboards. Today that’s what we’re taking a look at the, M880G which packs an AMD Turion CPU.

Let’s see how it holds up.

Specifications

Introduction

While Sandy Bridge chips may only be starting to leak out of Intel’s fabrication facilities, one of the things we can do in the mean time is have an ogle of the motherboards we’ll be using as soon as we can get a hold of these new CPUs. Today Foxconn have sent over their H67MP-S board for us to have a quick preview of. While we can’t give this a full review, we’ll be taking a look at its features and physical properties.

Features

Some of the features the box touts include:

• East Install Bios with "one key press".
• System power LED details errors
• BIOS rescue utility
• Smooth overclocking
• Unlimited CPU multiplier
• Hardware and software double BIOS
• Assign different storage devices for quick hot-key start-up boot selection
• Inclusive power channels for graphics cards
• Automatic fan speed adjustment

Specifications

Introduction

The introduction of a new platform is always a rather secretive affair but as the i5 launch date nears, P55 chipset motherboard previews are coming through thick and fast. Although whispers of high overclocks and unrivalled performance are usually rumoured with a new socket, the i5 series seems to appeal more to the average user as a mid range CPU rather than full out performance for hardcore enthusiasts that the i7 can provide.

Early indications also seem to point towards the LGA1156 motherboards being much more affordable than the X58’s but we can’t be totally sure as of yet.

Today, we’ll be taking a quick look at the ASUS P7P55D Deluxe motherboard from the P7 series of boards. Unlike older ASUS motherboards, the chipset is now included in the name so as to avoid confusion with the series so let’s take a quick look.

Introduction

MSI are a big brand when it comes to motherboards and they’ve received world wide regard for their P35 motherboards. Since then, not everything has gone their way, though, with some critics disappointed with their P45 range in part down to the BIOS configuration.

However, MSI have never been one to roll over and they have come fighting back with their AM3 boards. Although AMD’s 45nm processors and DDR3 memory has now been out for a while, they are still very much ‘new’ and the launch of MSI’s 770-C45 motherboard coincided nicely with the release of the new hardware.  

AMD, although perhaps not fully competing with Intel on performance, have introduced some great bang for buck CPUs which coupled with the plummeting price of DDR3 seem like a great combination. That then begs for a suitable motherboard to step forward and be counted. Enter MSI’s 770-C45. Although looking down the list of specifications, it might look a little thin on the ground in term of features, if the hype is anything to go by, this could be a great piece of kit.

Features

Click to enlarge

Specifications

Introduction

With Intel’s dominance throughout the CPU market, many users are making the obvious decision of choosing the big ‘I’ over AMD. Also with the success of ATI’s latest graphics cards, most enthusiasts are going for either an ‘Xx8’ or ‘Px5’ series of motherboard.

One such motherboard which uses the P45 series chipset is the Foxconn DigitaLife ELA. Despite the odd sounding name, this board is specifically designed for performance and digital connectivity. Let’s take a look shall we.

Features

• Intel® Core™2 Quad, Core™2 Extreme, Core™2 Duo, Pentium® Dual-Core, Pentium® Dual-Core processors, Socket T (LGA775)
• Supports Intel® next generation 45nm Multi-Core processors 
• 1600(oc**)1333/1066/800 MHz (FSB) 
• Dual channel DDR2 1066(oc**)/800/667 x 4 DIMMs, Max. 8GB
• 3* PCIe2.0 x16, 2* PCIe2.0 x1, 2* PCI 
• 1* ATA133, 2* 1394a, 6* SATA II, 2* eSATA 
• 7.1 channel HDA, Realtek® ALC888SDD
• Gigabit LAN, Realtek® RTL8111C
• 12 USB 2.0 ports

Specifications

The specifications for this motherboard are quite extensive. For a full specification list, please visit the Foxconn website here.

Introduction

Over the last few years, Intel have completely dominated the enthusiast CPU market, and thanks to recent problems with nVidia chipsets, Intel based mobos have become common place in the high end enthusiast and gamer system. To cater for this wider audience the Intel boards are appealing to, they have two ranges of boards the Xx8 boards for the overclockers, and the Px5 boards for the more mid-range enthusiasts. Today MSI have sent over their P45 Platinum board for us to take a look at. Let’s see how it does.

Features

The feature list for the P45 Platinum is quite extensive. For a full list please view the MSI website here.

Specification

For a full specification list, please visit the MSI website here.

Introduction

With the introduction of HDMI pumping graphics cards, the motherboard market has jumped on the band wagon, with many featuring full HDMI output con audio. The abit AN-M2HD with it’s GeForce 7050PV and nForce 630a chipset is one such example, but today I have AMD/ATI’s reply; the Biostar TA690G AM2. As the name implies, this mATX motherboard uses the AMD 690G with onboard X1250 graphics.

Both accept AM2 processors, both have 4 RAM slots and similar connectivity, but which is the choice of the media lover? Lets find out…