MSI is readying yet another socket AM3 motherboard that features the Lucid Hydra chip, called the 870A Fuzion Power Edition. MSI had earlier launched a motherboard with nearly the same features called the 870A Fuzion. The 'new' motherboard from MSI uses the AMD 770 northbridge with the SB850 southbridge, a confusing name. The Lucid Hydra LT22102 chip that lets you pair two different ATI or NVIDIA graphics cards in ATI+ATI, NVIDIA+NVIDIA, and ATI+NVIDIA configurations. What's new with this board, however, is that a few components have been relocated, and the CPU VRM has been upgraded to 10+1 phases with high-C capacitors.

Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (full-bandwidth), three PCI-E x1, and one PCI. Connectivity includes 8-channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF connectors, USB 3.0 (one on the rear panel, one internal port), gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. With the SB850 southbridge the motherboard has six internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports. The pricing of this board is expected to be around the 170 EUR mark, which is about 45 EUR more than that of the 870A Fuzion.

MSI is readying the 770-G45 motherboard, which supports socket AM3 Phenom II and Athlon II series processors from AMD. This is the third in the series of motherboards recently launched by MSI, to be based on the AMD 770 chipset, albeit being the most feature-rich of the lot. The other offerings being 770T-C45, and 770-C35. The motherboard makes use of AMD's SB710 southbridge, and hence supports the ACC feature. The more important feature however, is the provision of two PCI-Express x16 slots, supporting ATI CrossfireX. The second slot however, seems to be wired to the southbridge, and electrical PCI-Express x4.

The CPU is powered by a simple 6 phase VRM circuit, supporting the Active Phase Switching feature, it is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots to support dual-channel memory. All six SATA 3 Gb/s ports are internal. A PCI-E x1 and three PCI slots make for the rest of the expansion. Connectivity includes gigabit Ethernet, a serial port, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. The OC Switch feature aims to simplify overclocking. Ideally, this motherboard should make it around the $100 price point, though the price isn't known at this point.

MSI is working on yet another addition to its AM2+ socket motherboard lineup, this time the 770T-C45. This mainstream ATX motherboards draws more than just its layout from the recently announced 770-C35, and the AM3-based 770-C45, in fact an identical board layout with the addition of a few features. This board is uses an AM2+ socket with support for DDR2 memory, with the AMD 770 + SB710 chipset, which provides support for AMD OverDrive Advanced Clock Calibration feature. The CPU is powered by the same 4+2 phase design featured on the older model. An important difference is that this model features Active Phase Switching, which turns off redundant power phases when the load is low. Another change is the colour scheme for the expansion slots connectors, and heatsinks. It will be priced in the sub-$100 range.

Jetway announced its newest line of mainstream motherboards for the AMD processor platform: XBLUE series. The two models currently part of the lineup include XBLUE-78GA3 (AMD 780G) and XBLUE-77A3 (AMD 770). Jetway used an identical PCB design for the two, with a few components' presence determined by the chipset. The core idea is to provide support for the entire range of processors right from AM2 to AM3. The board features two DDR2 (supports up to DDR2-1066 standard) and two DDR3 slots (supports up to DDR3-1333). For AM3 processors, either kind of memory can be used, while for AM2 and AM2+ ones the DDR2 slots have to be used.

On both the boards, Jetway implemented ATI Crossfire, not by using external PCI-E switching for the PCI-E x16 slot, but rather providing a PCI-E x4 slot powered by the SB700 southbridge. The XBLUE-78GA3 even packs SidePort memory for the IGP. Its output options include DVI, D-Sub and HDMI. The XBLUE-77A3 relies on discrete graphics. Other features include six SATA II ports, and six-channel HD audio. The company is yet to announce pricing and availability.

With its new 790FX-GD70 receiving good reviews at the high-end AMD segment, MSI is quietly filling up its AM3 socket lineup. Its newest entry is the 770-C35. The board is MSI's first AM3 offering based on the RX780 (AMD 770) chipset. It is paired with the SB710 southbridge, that retains most of the SB750's feature-set except some RAID modes. Advanced Clock Calibration is supported. Four DDR3 DIMM slots support DDR3 memory at speeds of up to 1600 MHz. A single PCI-Express 2.0 x16, two PCI-E x1, and three PCI slots provide expansion. The SB710 southbridge provides support for six SATA devices. The 770-C35 should release soon, at a sub-$100 price-point.

The year 2009 could be very decisive for AMD, with a fleet of desktop processors awaiting launch within H1, 2009. The company will also be preparing supportive core logic for compatibility with AM3 socket CPUs. Listed, are the highlights for the chipset division's product plans, as compiled by industry observer DigiTimes:

• The introduction of a value-oriented IGP chipset in January 2009, the AMD 760G, based on the RS780 architecture. This is expected to replace AMD 740G. It offers a DirectX 10 IGP without support for UVD, Hybrid Crossfire or DisplayPort. To be accompanied by AMD SB710 southbridge.
• The introduction of high-end AMD 790FX and 790GX chipsets that have been upgraded with native AM3 socket support, in May or June. To be accompanied by AMD SB750 southbridge.
• The company will introduce the RX780-based AMD 770, which also gets its share of changes that bring in AM3 socket compatibility, in July or August. To be accompanied by SB710.
• A next generation IGP-based RS880 northbridge would be introduced in May or June, also accompanied by SB710.
• Finally in September, the company will launch a proper successor to the 790FX, in the form of RD890, and the introduction of the new SB800 southbridge.

Following the introduction of the exciting new series of chipsets from AMD, SAPPHIRE Technology has just strengthened its mainboard offering with the introduction of two new products - the PI-AM2RS780G based on the AMD 780G chipset and the PC-AM2RX780 based on the AMD 770 chipset.

FOXCONN today announced the A78AX family of discrete motherboards based on the AMD 770 chipset with SB700 southbridge - providing a low-cost, low-power solution for the latest AMD processors. As the first motherboard manufacturer to use the SB700 southbridge across its entire AMD 7-Series chipset range, the A78AX has been configured to provide 6 SATAII connectors with RAID functionality, up to 10 USB2.0 ports, HyperTransport 3.0 technology and full support for AM2+ Phenom processors and socket AM2 Athlon and Sempron models.

BIOSTAR Microtech, a professional manufacturer of motherboards, has launched T-Series TA770 A2+ based on the latest AMD 770 chipset. The model supports the upcoming AMD Phenom series multi-core processors, which support Dual Channel DDR2-1066, bigger L3 cache and offer optimized overclocking ability. TA770 A2+ is designed for performance, scalability, and personalization, which are coupled with innovative and efficient design incorporating brand new technologies. TA770 A2+ is also featuring HyperTransport 3.0 Technology and PCI Express 2.0 to get the performance you need for immersive gaming, rich multimedia, and multi-tasking.

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