ASRock could enter the graphics card market, according to a report by Taiwan-based industry observer DigiTimes. The company is reportedly enamored by the GPU-accelerated crypto-currency mining boom, and could develop a graphics card lineup that's mostly, if not entirely, based on AMD Radeon graphics processors. AMD Radeon GPUs are generally regarded as being more efficient at mining popular crypto-currencies.

This could indicate that ASRock's graphics card designs could be frugal, and purpose-built for mining. Like all other add-in board (AIB) partners, the company could start off with some reference-design cards, and then launch custom-designed ones. The company has seen success in recent times as a formidable high-end PC motherboard brand across both Intel and AMD platforms; in addition to its low-cost motherboard core business. It also diversified into industrial PC components, server motherboards, and consumer networking products, such as Wi-Fi routers.

AMD's next iteration on their very positively received Zen microarchitecture is preparing for take-off in the coming months, and as we draw ever close to the release date, more details are trickling in. This time, it's the appearance of a Ryzen 7 2700X (which supersedes the original Ryzen 7 1700X) on Futuremark's 3DMark database. The Ryzen 7 2700X was paired with an ASRock X370 Taichi motherboard (still considered one of the best ever to grace AMD's new AM4 platform), and its 8 cores and 16 threads are locked into a 3.7 GHz base and 4.1 GHz turbo clocks (respectively 300 MHz higher base and turbo clocks that the 1700X's).

The usage of AMD's XFR 2.0 (eXtended Frequency Range) and Precision Boost 2.0 could mean that the CPU is able, in certain scenarios, to turbo over the specified limit of 4.1 GHz, up to 4.2 GHz, thus delivering an even bigger boost to its performance. The usage of a 12 nm process means AMD has taken the power savings and increased frequency potential that comes from shrinking their original Zen microarchitecture, and put those to increased frequencies across the board, thus increasing their CPU's single-thread performance. Being an X chip,. AMD has kept the package TDP at a still respectable 95 W, much like its 1000 series Ryzens, though we know that this 95 W figure doesn't really spell out just how energy efficient these AMD CPUs really are.

ASRock updated its DeskMini GTX line of compact desktops with support for 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" processors in the LGA1151 package (up to 65W TDP). At the heart of this machine is the new Z370M-STX MXM motherboard, which is slightly longer than the mini-ITX form-factor, to accommodate a PCIe gen 3.0 MXM slot. ASRock is selling the DeskMini GTX in three main variants based on the factory-installed discrete GPU, the DeskMini GTX 1060, the DeskMini GTX 1080, and the DeskMini RX 580. These use MXM cards of the GTX 1060 3 GB, GTX 1080, and the RX 580 8 GB, respectively, along with a fan-heatsink. The DDR4 SO-DIMM slots now support high-frequency modules up to 4000 MHz. This is still a bare-bones PC in which you add your own CPU, memory, and storage devices. The company didn't reveal pricing.

EK Water Blocks, the Slovenia-based premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer is releasing a new Socket TR4 based monoblock made for several ASRock X399 motherboards. The EK-FB ASRock X399 RGB Monoblock has an integrated 4-pin RGB LED strips which make them compatible with ASRock RGB LED, thus offering a full lighting customization experience!

EK-FB ASRock X399 RGB Monoblock
This is a complete all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solution for three ASRock AMD X399 Chipset based motherboards that support AMD Socket TR4 AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors. This monoblock is compatible with the following ASRock motherboards:

• ASRock X399 Taichi
• ASRock X399M Taichi
• ASRock Fatal1ty X399 Professional Gaming

ASRock today announced that it has posted motherboard BIOS updates for its socket AM4 motherboard product lineup, which enables support for AMD Ryzen 3 2200G and Ryzen 5 2400G APUs based on the "Raven Ridge" silicon. The company posted BIOS updates for all 18 of its AM4 motherboard models, based on AMD X370, B350, and A320 chipsets. To get your BIOS update, visit the downloads section of the product page of your motherboard model on ASRock company website.

In related news, it looks like AMD has standardized a new label for use by motherboard manufacturers on their product boxes to denote out of the box support for AMD Ryzen 2000 series processors, on newer batches of their AMD 300-series chipset motherboards. Motherboards without this label likely won't support chips such as the 2200G or 2400G out of the box, and will require a BIOS update using a supported Ryzen "Summit Ridge" processor first. Motherboards based on the upcoming AMD 400-series chipsets, which should launch in Q2-2018, will support "Raven Ridge" and upcoming "Pinnacle Ridge" processors out of the box, including backwards-compatibility for existing "Summit Ridge" processors.

ASRock was just informed by Intel that they disclosed the reboot issue on the former microcode released earlier. To fix the security vulnerability (SA-00088), ASRock is still waiting for Intel's further support and we're committed to work closely with them to develop and update new BIOS for our 8/9/100/200/Z370/X99/X299 motherboard series. To mitigate this issue promptly and constructively, we will keep our customers posted on our official website, please refer to this page. For Intel's official announcement, please refer to this page.

ASRock is aware that the current Intel microcode version might be defected by security vulnerabilities. We recommend users update their systems by flashing the latest BIOS once the revision microcode is released from Intel. To mitigate this issue promptly and constructively, please refer to below links for more info and stayed tuned.DOWNLOAD: Latest ASRock BIOS Updates

ASRock introduced a pair of mini-ITX desktop motherboards implementing Intel's new Celeron "Gemini Lake" SoCs. The ASRock J4105-ITX and J4105B-ITX, as their names suggest, are powered by Celeron J4105 "Gemini Lake" SoCs, which combine a quad-core "Goldmont Plus" CPU ticking at 2.50 GHz, with new Intel UHD 600 Graphics. The integrated graphics features hardware-acceleration of 10bpc HEVC video encoding and decoding in addition to new DRM standards, which should enable Netflix 4K, and other on-demand video services at 4K UHD resolution. The J4105-ITX and J4105B-ITX are similar, but for the latter featuring legacy connectivity such as LPT and RS232 COM ports, replacing 8-channel HD audio with 6-channel, and a DVI port. While the former has a PCIe x1 slot, the latter has an x16 slot with x2 wiring.

The board draws power from a 24-pin ATX connector. The SoC is cooled by a fan-less heatsink, and is wired to DDR4 SO-DIMM slots, supporting up to 8 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2400 memory. The 22 mm M.2 slot that has x1 wiring, is recommended only for a WLAN card. Storage connectivity includes four SATA 6 Gbps ports on the J4105-ITX, and two ports on the J4105B-ITX. Both boards come with gigabit Ethernet. Display outputs include DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub on the J4105-ITX; while the J4105B-ITX features D-Sub and HDMI. Both boards are expected to be priced around $170, given that the SoC itself costs $107.

ASRock introduced the Ultra Quad M.2 Card, an add-on card that lets you easily set up an M.2 NVMe RAID array with up to four drives with 32 Gbps bandwidth for each drive. In principle, this product does exactly what ASUS Hyper M.2 x16 Riser card does, but better. The first benefit is shorter traces- while the ASUS card has M.2 slots arranged horizontally along the plane of the card, with the topmost slot being farthest away from the PCI-Express interface, the ASRock card has them arranged diagonally, in a way that ensures each slot is close to the PCIe bus. ASRock also claims better thermals with a larger 50 mm fan (vs. 40 mm of the ASUS card) and longer thermal pads (110 mm vs 80 mm), power stability with a 6-pin PCIe power input, and software control over the fan. The card supports NVMe RAID on both Intel X299 and AMD X399 platforms. The card is expected to be priced around USD $69.99.ASRock presentation slides follow.

ASRock today unveiled the industry's first micro-ATX form-factor motherboard for AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors, the X399M Taichi. The board supports a full-featured Threadripper HEDT build. Drawing power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, it uses an 8-phase VRM to power the CPU. MOSFETs of this VRM vent heat onto both a smaller primary heatsink, and a larger secondary heatsink, via a heat-pipe. The TR4 socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting quad-channel DDR4 memory; and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (from which at least two run at full x16 bandwidth at all times).

Storage connectivity on the ASRock X399M Taichi includes three 32 Gb/s M.2 slots, one 32 Gb/s U.2 port, and eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Networking connectivity includes 802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.x WLAN, and two 1 GbE interfaces. USB connectivity includes eight USB 3.0 and two USB 3.1 (including a type-C) ports on the rear panel, and four USB 3.0 ports via headers. ASRock deployed its highest-grade onboard audio solution, which takes advantage of a 120 dBA SNR CODEC, audio-grade capacitors, and ground-layer isolation. The company will showcase this board at the 2018 International CES.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is announcing the world's fastest performance 64GB DDR4 SO-DIMM memory running at DDR4-3466MHz CL17-17-17-37 at 1.35V with a 4x16GB kit configuration. Constructed with rigorously hand-selected Samsung B-die DDR4 IC components, this new Ripjaws DDR4 SO-DIMM memory kit elevates the computing power of small-form-factor (SFF) PCs to a whole new realm of memory performance, allowing you to design a miniature powerhouse system for virtually any tasks ranging from content creation to gaming.

The Perfect Trio: High Capacity, High Frequency, Low Timings
The need of faster and larger capacity memory kits continue to rise as modern day workloads increases in both capacity and weight. To tackle this need, G.SKILL is expanding the delivery of maximum memory performance across all memory capacities; and by using 16GB SO-DIMM modules, high-end machines and workstation PCs can now be built in the size of a SFF system that can fit into a shoebox. Shown in the following screenshot is the high capacity 64GB SO-DIMM memory kit running at DDR4-3466MHz CL17-17-17-37 and being tested for over 6 hours on the ASRock X299E-ITX/ac mini-ITX motherboard with the Intel Core i9-7900X processor.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is announcing the world's highest performance DDR4 SO-DIMM memory running at DDR4-4000 MHz CL18-18-18-38 32 GB (4x8 GB) at 1.35V. Combining high frequency and ultra-low timing, this Ripjaws DDR4 SO-DIMM memory kit is capable of achieving the new high level of performance through rigorously hand-binned Samsung B-die DDR4 IC components.

Just two months ago, G.SKILL announced the high performance DDR4-3800MHz CL18-18-18-38 Ripjaws DDR4 SO-DIMM kit. Aiming to push memory limits to yet another level, G.SKILL strives to deliver the best memory performance possible on current systems, and this time for small form factor (SFF) PCs. With this new SO-DIMM memory kit, SFF PCs can now unlock the full potential of memory performance, as shown in the following screenshot, where this new memory kit is tested for over 6 hours on the ASRock X299E-ITX/ac mini-ITX motherboard with the Intel Core i9-7900X processor.

Cooler Master, a leader in PC components and peripherals, introduces RGB enabled all-in-one liquid cooling: MasterLiquid ML240L RGB and MasterLiquid ML120L RGB. Both models have full RGB effects on both the fan and pump, which comes with a controller and RGB splitter cable for quick setup or alternatively sync seamlessly with ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte and ASRock motherboards.

The ML240L RGB and ML120L RGB comes with the dual chamber RGB pump for increased reliability and provide a perfect balance of low noise levels at optimal performance. The aesthetic design of the low resistance radiator shows premium build and attached is the MasterFan MF120R RGB (2 included for the M240L RGB). The double layer tubing with sleeved on the outside and FEP on the inside for robust usage.

EK Water Blocks, the Slovenia-based premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer is releasing its very first monoblock for X299 based ASRock motherboards. The EK-FB ASRock X299 RGB Monoblock has an integrated 4-pin RGB LED strips which make them compatible with ASRock RGB LED, thus offering a full lighting customization experience.

A complete all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solutions for several ASRock Intel X299 Chipset based motherboards that support new Intel Core X-series LGA-2066 socket processors. This monoblock is compatible with the following ASRock motherboards:

• ASRock X299 OC Formula
• ASRock X299 Taichi
• ASRock Fatal1ty X299 Professional Gaming i9
• ASRock X299 Killer SLI/ac
• ASRock Fatal1ty X299 Gaming K6

ASRock formally launched the XE (extreme edition) variants of its X299 Taichi and X299 Professional Gaming i9 motherboards, denoted by the "XE" suffix in their model names. The boards are identical to the models they're derived from, but come with heavier CPU VRM heatsinks, increased voltage limits across several power domains, and are targeted at enthusiasts with Core i9-7980XE and i9-7960X HEDT processors. On both boards, the CPU VRM heatsinks have been extended from the main heatsink to a secondary heatsink over the rear I/O area, connected by a heat pipe, while getting rid of the rear I/O shroud. The two could sell at a slight premium over the models they're based on.

ASRock Rack, a new division of ASRock which deals with enterprise-grade motherboards, introduced the C3758D4I-4L, a mini-ITX motherboard based on the Atom C3758 "Denverton" SoC that embeds an 8-core CPU clocked at 2.20 GHz, 16 MB of cache, and a dual-channel DDR4 integrated memory controller supporting up to 256 GB of ECC memory, topped off with a 25W TDP. These specs lend Denverton quasi-enterprise credentials. The C3758D4I-4L can be used for low-cost rack-mount web-servers, or even high-end DIY NAS or home-server builds.

The C3758D4I-4L comes with a factory-fitted fan-heatsink cooling the pre-installed Atom C3758 BGA SoC. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors (including a 4-pin connector for external 12V). The SoC is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 128 GB of dual-channel ECC memory; and a PCI-Express 3.0 x8 slot. Storage connectivity includes a staggering 13 SATA 6 Gbps ports, five on board, eight via two mini SAS connectors. An ASPeed AST2500 provides display, legacy I/O, and remote management. The board features a staggering five 1 GbE connections with teaming, PXE, and NCSI support. The company didn't reveal pricing.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is thrilled to announce the release of a new high performance DDR4 Ripjaws SO-DIMM series for small-form factor (SFF) platforms, at DDR4-3800 MHz CL18-18-18-38 32 GB (4x 8 GB) at 1.35V, making this the world's fastest SO-DIMM memory kit. In addition, 3 new specifications will be added to the Ripjaws DDR4 SO-DIMM family, including DDR4-3600 MHz CL16-16-16-36 32 GB (4x 8 GB), DDR4-3200 MHz CL16-16-16-36 32 GB (4x 8 GB), and DDR4-3200 MHz CL16-16-16-36 64 GB (4x 16 GB). Such extremely high speed on SO-DIMM modules are achieved with the use of the ultra-high performance Samsung B-die DDR4 ICs.

At Computex 2017 in June, G.SKILL demonstrated high-speed Ripjaws SO-DIMM series at DDR4-3466 MHz, and we are now once again raising the speed of the fastest SO-DIMM memory kit to the intense mind-bending speed of DDR4-3800 MHz. Validated on the latest ASRock X299E-ITX/ac motherboard and the Intel Core i9-7900X X-series Processor, extreme memory performance is now a reality with small-form factor workstations.

Size matters! For years, Big powerful and tons of expandability has been the golden rule for high-end motherboards especially for Intel X299 Platform, but powerful machine doesn't have to be huge and bulky, ASRock has successfully crammed all amazing spec and features into a Mini-ITX sized motherboard, the world's first Mini ITX X299 motherboard is here.

The ultimate Mini-ITX has to have everything, X299E-ITX/ac was built on a X299 platform to give ultimate processing power, dual Intel Gigabit Lan along with dual band 2.4/5GHz 802.11ac WiFi provides the best connectivity, USB3.1 Gen2 Type A+C are also available at the rear of the motherboard, more amazingly this little beast also supports quad channel memory up to DDR4 4000 MHz(OC), stunning performance on such a small motherboard.

Normally, motherboards go on shelves at the same time as processors do. In this occasion, Intel has confirmed that their Coffee Lake processors will launch on October 5. As per tradition, images of some of the upcoming motherboards from various brands have been leaked on the web. Meanwhile, we know that many of you are already planning your future Z370 builds or deciding on which motherboard to accompany your PC upgrade. If you're a fan of ASUS products, we have a treat for you. From what VideoCardz have gathered so far, ASUS plans to release sixteen different models from their Republic of Gamers (ROG), The Ultimate Force (TUF), Strix and Prime series.

The ROG line will father five Maximus X models: Apex, Formula, Code, Hero with Wi-Fi AC, and Hero. There is no mention of an Extreme model, but our experience tells us that model usually comes at a later date. It's also possible that it may never see the light of day for this generation. From what we can make of the images, the Maximus X Hero will employ a 10-phase digital VRM design. The motherboard retains the black and grey theme with RGB illuminated heatsinks just like its predecessor. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality were present on the Code models and above in the previous generation. We're happy to see ASUS offering a Hero variant this time with those two functionalities.

ASRock today introduced its new flagship socket LGA2066 motherboard, the X299 Taichi XE, recommended for Core i9 processors. This board is quite similar to the X299 Taichi, but features a completely redesigned CPU VRM, which is rated for higher current, and draws power from two 8-pin EPS connectors, instead of one 8-pin EPS on the original X299 Taichi. The CPU VRM heatsink is heavier, and offloads some of its heat onto a secondary heatsink that doubles up as a sort of I/O shroud, using a heat-pipe. This is in contrast to the ASUS ROG Strix X299-E vs. X299-XE, which are practically identical, but for a heavier VRM heatsink on the latter.

Everything south of the CPU VRM on the ASRock X299 Taichi XE is identical to the X299 Taichi, including the 4-phase memory VRM, four reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, three 32 Gb/s M.2 slots, ten SATA 6 Gb/s ports, networking that includes Intel-made 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, and gigabit Ethernet controllers; and the onboard audio solution. The rear I/O shroud no longer spans the entire length of the board, and shrouds only the I/O, and an aluminium fin-stack heatsink. ASRock could charge a small premium for the X299 Taichi XE, even though the original X299 Taichi can very much run Core i9 "Skylake-X" processors, including the flagship i9-7980XE.

The Intel Z370 chipset launch provides a thrilling end to an exciting year of technology breakthroughs for computer enthusiasts. As the CPU competition heats up, there's never been a better time to buy or upgrade, with an unprecedented range of power and performance options to choose from. ASRock understands that many users are looking to a new Z370 motherboard to provide extreme performance, maximum overclocking ability, and limitless expandability. ASRock promises to deliver all that, and more.

To support the increase of core count on the 8th Generation Intel Core Processors, ASRock has upgraded its CPU VRM design to provide more power phases than ever. More cores can demand more power when overclocking, and so, with up to twelve power phases, the ASRock power system is designed for maximum overclocking ability and stability. While the spotlight is focused on CPU and graphics performance, less glamorous subsystems are just as important. These new ASRock motherboards feature Hyper DDR4 design to provide outstanding memory overclocking ability - up to an insanely fast DDR4 4333 MHz

Unlike other motherboards that are designed by engineers who don't have adequate experience in extreme overclocking or have never participated in an OC event, X299 OC Formula is the only motherboard in the market that is designed by a genuine overclocker, Nick Shih, who is hands down one of the most talented overclockers alive. ASRock is confident to say that X299 OC Formula is ideally focused on overclocking exclusively, without any other useless features, designs or gimmicks.

Take full control of your system. Hardware components are incredibly the most important. There're plenty of attractive sweeteners to make the newborn X299 OC Formula a more enticing upgrade. A rock-solid CPU VRM design which boasts a whopping 13 power phase to offer unmatched overclocking capabilities and enhanced performance with the lowest temperature. An additional 2 power phase that ensure memory area's stability. Dr. MOS solution that is optimized for monitoring current and temperature of each phase, thus delivering neater and smoother power to the system. An integrated Hyper BCLK Engine III controller that provides a wider range of frequency and more precise clock waveforms. XXL Aluminum Alloy Heatsink/Heatpipe design that effectively take away heat from the MOSFET, thus allowing this mainboard to support up to 450W CPU with airflow condition.

Here are some of the first pictures of upcoming motherboards by ASRock based on Intel Z370 Express chipset, which are designed for 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" processors. Among the boards pictured, are the Z370 Killer SLI/ac, the Z370 Extreme4, the Z370 Pro4, the Z370 Taichi, the Z370M Pro4, and the Z370M-ITX/ac.

The Z370 Taichi appears to be leading the pack, with the most connectivity options, the strongest CPU VRM, etc. The Z370 Extreme4 is similar in connectivity options to the Z370 Taichi, although it's based on a different PCB. The Z370 Killer SLI/ac and Z370 Pro4 make up the entry-level of the segment. The Z370M Pro4 and the Z370M-ITX/ac, make up the micro-ATX and mini-ITX options, respectively. There still seems to be room for higher segment motherboard in ASRock's lineup. Intel is expected to launch the 8th generation Core processor desktop lineup a little later in Q3-2017.

[Pictures removed at request of ASRock]

Intel is rushing in its 8th generation Core mainstream-desktop (MSDT) processor lineup, codenamed "Coffee Lake," later within Q3-2017. The first four of these will be six-core SKUs, which while built in the "LGA1151" package, the same ones as the 7th generation "Kaby Lake" and 6th generation "Skylake," will not be compatible with motherboards based on the older 100-series and 200-series chipsets, for reasons unknown. Upcoming motherboards based on the 300-series chipset, could support not just 8th generation "Coffee Lake" processors, but also older LGA1151 processors. The chipset lineup consists of the Z370 Express, which features support for CPU overclocking and 2-way multi-GPU; and the mid-range B360 Express chipset, which could launch either in late-2017 or early-2018, alongside the first Core i3 "Coffee Lake" chips. The first wave of motherboards to go with "Coffee Lake" processors will hence be Z370-based. VideoCardz compiled a partial, but growing list of motherboards which could make up the first wave.

The leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, is pleased to announce is pleased to announce the X10 IoT router, a unique next generation smart IoT hub that is designed as an integral part of a smart home environment and essential part a secure domicile. As an IoT router, the ASrock X10 is well equipped to control various "Smart Home" devices, including light systems like smart lighting devices, smart locks, smart water meters, television, air-conditioning units and much more without requiring any additional hubs thanks to its ZigBee controller and advances mesh networking technology.

"We believe a qualified digital l ife is built on a well-connected and user-friendly environment, that's why ASRock created the X10, an all-round Wi-Fi router that integrates IR and ZigBee functions." says Jason Chou, vice president of the ASRock R&D division. "The ASRock X10 will serve your simple and smart life perfectly."

Redditor "callingthewolf" has posted what is an awe-inspiring result for AMD's Ryzen Threadripper 1950X (that's an interesting username for sure; let's hope that's the only similarity to the boy who cried wolf.) The 16-core, 32-thread processor stands as the likely taker for the HEDT performance crown (at least until Intel's 14-core plus HEDT CPUs make their debut on the X299 platform.) With that many cores, highly thread-aware applications naturally look to see tremendous increases in performance from any frequency increase. In this case, the 1950X's base 3.4 GHz were upped to a whopping 4.0 GHz (@ 1.25 V core) and 4.1 GHz (at 1.4 V core; personally, I'd stick with the 4.0 GHz and call it a day.)

The feat was achieved under a Thermaltake Water 3.0 liquid cooler, on a non-specified ASRock motherboard with all DIMM channels populated with 8 x 8 GB 3066 MHz DIMMs. At 4.0 GHz, the Threadripper 1950X achieves a 3337 points score on Cinebench R15. And at 4.1GHz, the big chip that can (we can't really call it small now can we?) manages to score 58391 points in Geekbench 3. While those scores are certainly impressive, I would just like to point out the fact that this is a 16-core CPU that overclocks as well as (and in some cases, even better than) AMD's 8-core Ryzen 7 CPUs. The frequency potential of this Threadripper part is in the same ballpark of AMD's 8-core dies, which speaks to either an architecture limit or a manufacturing one at around 4 GHz. The Threadripper 1950X is, by all measurements, an impressively "glued together" piece of silicon.