Regardless of whether you'll be able to get an "Ivy Bridge" Core processor till the second week of April, motherboards that are compatible with it out of the box, based on Intel's Z77 chipset (successor to Z68), will start selling in early-April. Sources told OCWorkbench that most motherboard vendors have in fact begun shipping orders to their distributors, while some are waiting for the green light. Motherboards based on the Z77 chipset feature LGA1155 CPU socket, are compatible with today's "Sandy Bridge" Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors; and tomorrow's "Ivy Bridge" ones, out of the box. The new chipset offers features such as some native USB 3.0 ports, and support for certain Ivy Bridge-exclusive features, beyond which they're functionally identical to 6-series. Enthusiasts might not find the need to upgrade their motherboards to use Ivy Bridge, if their current motherboards have BIOS updates that let them support the new processors.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the world's first quad core Mini-ITX boards featuring the latest VIA QuadCore E-Series processor. The VIA EPIA-M900 and VIA EPIA-M910 are the first two Mini-ITX boards to feature the 1.2 GHz VIA QuadCore E-Series processor, offering enhanced multi-tasking and superb multimedia performance on the lowest quad core power budget for next generation embedded products.

The VIA QuadCore E-Series processor features a highly optimized, energy efficient multi-core architecture, which is natively 64-bit compatible and comes with a host of additional performance features including Adaptive Overclocking. To meet the low power demands of the embedded market, the VIA QuadCore E-Series processor offers industry-leading energy efficiency, with the VIA QuadCore E-Series 1.2+ GHz processor delivering a thermal design power (TDP) of only 27.5 W. The distributed power of the VIA QuadCore E-Series processor makes it ideal for handling the most demanding HD video formats for immersive multi-display applications and environments.

Gamers need so much more from their PCs! With this concept in mind, Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel worked closely with ASRock engineers to develop a well-featured motherboard based on the exciting Intel X79 chipset. Equipped with top-class components, the new ASRock/Fatal1ty X79 Professional was designed to exceed expectations of even the most dedicated gamer!

"This Fatal1ty motherboard was designed to bring your gaming performance to the highest level. The Fatal1ty X79 Professional comes with a Fatal1ty Mouse Port that delivers the precise control needed to elevate your game." said Fatal1ty. "In addition to gaming functions, the board packs 4 PCIe 3.0 slots, supporting up to 4-Way SLI and 4-Way CrossFireX. This combination will make you deadly and feared in the battlefield."

MSI announces today that MSI's Z68 (G3)/H61 (G3) series of motherboards offers official support of Intel's next-generation CPU based on the 22 nm manufacturing process. Users can download the corresponding BIOS listed below at no charge to upgrade their existing MSI Intel Z68/H61 motherboard, allowing a full experience of superior performance and powerful features found on the next-generation 22 nm Intel CPU.

MSI G3 motherboards also fully support the latest PCI Express Gen 3 specification, reaching twice the current bandwidth and maximizing performance from next-generation PCI Express Gen 3 video cards. Via MSI's unique intelligent update tool - Live Update - your computer will automatically download and update the latest BIOS for next-generation CPU compatibility, providing an immediate upgrade without spending extra money on a new motherboard purchase!

Apart from novelty mini-ITX motherboards, ZOTAC wants to put the expertise in motherboard design it gathered to use by getting into value motherboards segment, probably targeting only emerging markets. A example of this would be the ZT-H67D3 Expreview got its hands on. This micro-ATX form-factor motherboard is based on the Intel H67 chipset, and takes in Core i3/i5/i7 processors in the LGA1155 package. It uses a generous 6-phase VRM to power the CPU, which is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory. The VRM uses basic DPAK MOSFETs, but doesn't skimp out on the capacitors.

Expansion slots include one each of PCI-Express 2.0 x16, legacy PCI, and two PCIe x1 slots. SATA ports include two SATA 6 Gb/s (blue), three SATA 3 Gb/s (yellow), and one eSATA 3 Gb/s. Display connectivity includes one each of DVI, DisplayPort, and HDMI (surprisingly, no D-Sub). Other connectivity features include 8-channel HD audio and gigabit Ethernet. There are no USB 3.0 ports. This board is targeting a price point of 399 RMB (US $63).

Nearly a week after unveiling its first industrial-PC (IPC) motherboards, ASRock says it is vying for ODM orders from IPC makers. When well-marketed, IPC motherboards could substantially contribute to the company's revenue, since IPC motherboards have gross margins of at least 25%, higher than that of consumer PC motherboards.

ASRock targets motherboards for use in POS (point of sale) PCs, thin clients, kiosks, panel PCs, gaming PCs, signage and devices used in surveillance, information display and retail & hospitality, the company said. So far, the company scored orders from two ODMs, with shipments set to begin in Q2, 2012. ASRock aims to obtain ODM orders from IPC vendors such as Advantech, Adlink Technology and ICP Electronics, instead of competing with them for orders for system products, ASRock said. ASRock hopes that its IPC motherboard venture will benefit it starting 2013.

Chinese motherboard manufacturer that specializes in high cost-performance motherboard, ONDA, is working on a micro-ATX motherboard based on the Z77 chipset. Its pictures made it to the press. The board mostly sticks to the chipset's feature set, except using an additional PCIe-PCI bridge that gives out two legacy PCI slots. As a Z77-based motherboard, it should support both overclocking and Smart Response SSD caching. The LGA1155 socket, which supports today's Sandy Bridge and tomorrow's Ivy Bridge processors, is powered by a simple 4+1 phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory.

All of the chipset's SATA ports are wired internally, including two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. The board provides four USB 3.0 ports, two on the rear panel, two via header, all four are wired to the PCH. Apart from the two legacy PCI slots, we have one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 and one PCIe 2.0 x1. Display outputs include DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. 6-channel HD audio and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of the connectivity.

Two models from Intel's Desktop Board Executive series of motherboards for office PCs got pictured and detailed by VR-Zone. These socket LGA1155 motherboards are mostly based on Intel 7-series Q77 and B75 chipsets, that provide some manageability, and data security features over the feature-set of H77. Intel has three Executive series models planned, the DQ77MK, the DQ77KB, and DB75EN. Of these, the DQ77MK and DB75EN are built in the micro-ATX form-factor, while the DQ77KB is mini-ITX.

The two micro-ATX parts use a similar PCB layout, with some features differing between the two. The DQ77MK is pictured below, it has all the features a small-business PC will ever need. Expansion slots include one each of PCI-Express x16, PCI-Express x4 (open-ended), PCI-Express x1, and legacy PCI. Storage connectivity includes six SATA (one of which is mSATA, for SSD caching). The PCH gives out four USB 3.0 ports, which are wired two each on the rear-panel and via a header to the front-panel. It uses a simple 5-phase VRM that should be enough to run LGA1155 processors. The socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel memory. It has a variety of external connectivity.

ASRock has asserted that it is now a mature motherboard vendor, by releasing its first industrial PC (IPC) motherboards. IPC products are a more tell-tale sign of maturity than high-end PC or even enterprise ones, as IPC motherboards will be located on production-lines, where the slightest errors could cost the company a lot of production, or even endanger workers. ASRock released three products: the IMB-140, IMB-141, and IMB-142. The latter two share an identical board layout. All three models are driven by Intel Atom D2700.

The IMB-140 is heavy on connectivity, it includes three serial bus ports, dual-GbE interface, D-Sub, HDMI, and LVDS display outputs, two SATA 3 Gb/s storage interfaces, legacy PCI, and a plethora of other legacy connectivity. The IMB-141 and IMB-142 have slightly slimmer connectivity load outs, the two differ only with the latter having two GbE interfaces, while the former has one. The two have more USB interfaces, and one lesser serial bus (COM) port. The two also feature a mini-PCIe apart from a legacy PCI.

BIOSTAR, the world's famous manufacturer of mainboards, graphics cards, industrial computing systems and computer peripherals, proudly announces the BIOSTAR TZ77XE4 motherboards within the CeBIT 2012. The most frequent word combination in description of the new flagship lineup will be "for the first time" because the TZ77XE4 boards house a great deal of innovative technologies not found even in premium desktop solutions.

The TZ77XE4 boards are based on the latest Intel Z77 chipset, which for the first time incorporates tri-gate transistors manufactured using the 22-nm fab process which, for the first time, delivers a native support for the high-speed USB 3.0 interface and fast SSD caching with the Intel Smart Response Technology (SRT). Fully compatible with the second-generation Intel Core CPUs (Sandy Bridge), the new boards for the first time support the third generation Intel Core CPUs codenamed Ivy Bridge, also manufactured with the 3D-transistors using the 22-nm fab process and designed for the popular LGA 1155 socket.

Wondering what's going on with EVGA's SR-X motherboard? Well the board still isn't ready for release but EVGA has made progress on it, as is confirmed by a new image provided by the US-based company. This photo showcases the SR-X in a near final stage, equipped with an updated cooling solution made up of four heatsinks (covering VRM areas and chipsets).

As previously reported, the SR-X comes with two LGA 2011 sockets (it supports Sandy Bridge-E CPUs for single-processor setups and Sandy Bridge-EP CPUs for dual-chip configurations), 12 DDR3 memory slots (up to 96 GB of RAM are supported), two (one 8-pin and one 6-pin) power connectors per CPU, six SATA and four SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) ports, seven PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (SLI and CrossFireX support is included), PCIe disable switches, voltage read points, a debug LED, dual Gigabit Ethernet, two eSATA ports, 7.1 channel audio, Bluetooth, EVBot support, and six USB 3.0 connectors (four on the back plate, two via a header).

EVGA is promising more details about the SR-X (a price tag and an availability date maybe) 'soon'. CeBIT anyone?

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the VIA EPIA-M910 Mini-ITX board, the latest dual core Mini-ITX board featuring one of the richest I/O sets available for a wide range of embedded applications including ATM, kiosks, POS, digital signage, healthcare and digital media applications.

The VIA EPIA-M910 is available in both active and passive cooling configurations with the choice of either a performance oriented 1.6 GHz VIA Nano X2 dual core processor or a fanless 1.0 GHz VIA Eden X2 dual core processor and is paired with the VIA VX900 media system processor, which provides the ideal platform for today's HD-intensive applications.

Here are the first pictures of MSI's Z77A-GD55 motherboard. The GD55 is a notch below the GD65 in terms of its feature-set, and will likely hold a cost-benefit sweetspot. The motherboard is designed to support today's "Sandy Bridge", and tomorrow's "Ivy Bridge" Core processors in the LGA1155 package, and is based on Intel's Z77 "Panther Point" chipset. The CPU is powered by a lighter 9-phase VRM compared to the 12-phase VRM on the GD65. It retains the expansion slot layout of its elder brother, consisting of two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC or x8/x8), four PCIe x1, and one PCIe 2.0 x4 (physical x16).

The Z77A-GD55 has two fewer SATA 6 Gb/s ports compared to the GD65, all its internal ports are wired to the PCH. That's two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s. There are no eSATA ports. Further, there are no third-party USB 3.0 controllers, either. All four of the USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two via front-panel header) are wired to the PCH. Display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. 8-channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs, and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of its connectivity.

While it may be working away on 7 Series motherboards, Gigabyte still has some love for the 'old' 6 Series chipsets and is preparing more products based on them. One such product is the MSH61QI, a Mini-ITX board powered by the H61 Express Chipset.

Targeting embedded markets, the MSH61QI offers support for LGA 1155 processors, and features two DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM slots, two SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, one PCI-Express x16 and two (one full size, one half size) Mini-PCIe slots, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports, Line-In and SPDIF connectors, and a HDMI output. The board's availability and price tag have not been announced, yet.

Responding to increasing prices of key raw materials such as copper, and spiraling labor costs, motherboard manufacturers are planning price-hikes of their products by as much as 10%, which will take effect by the end of Q1, 2012. Vendors adopting these increased prices include major players such as ASUS and Gigabyte. Motherboard prices were earlier raised by 5-10% in early-2011 to tune in with increased material costs and the impact of labor shortages, and by 3-8% in April 2011 due to shortages and increased prices of components sourced from Japan, in the wake of the earthquake/tsunami disaster of 2011.

Intel has found another Cedar Trail supporter in Jetway as the Taiwanese company decided to use the new Atom platform for two motherboards for the IPC (Industrial PC) market. The two boards are named NF9C-2600 and NF9D-2700 and they both feature a Mini-ITX form factor, the NM10 Express chipset, two DDR3 SO-DIMM slots, a PCI slot, and a Mini PCIe connector.

The NF9C-2600 can be equipped with an Atom N2600 (1.6 GHz) or N2800 (1.83 GHz) processor and also packs one CFast card socket, one SATA 3.0 Gbps and two SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, Gigabit Ethernet, a Realtek ALC662 audio codec, three USB 2.0 ports, and a HDMI output. The N2600-powered version is said to cost $150.

The NF9D-2700 boasts an Atom D2700 (2.13 GHz) CPU, two SATA 3.0 Gbps and two SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet, a VIA VT1705 HD Audio Codec (5.1 channel), four USB 2.0 ports, and both D-Sub and HDMI outputs.

Having already confirmed its CeBIT presence, the JEHE-owned Giada crew has revealed its very first motherboard based around Intel's Cedar Trail platform. Named MI-D2700G, this Mini-ITX board comes equipped with one Atom D2700 (two cores @ 2.13 GHz, four threads) processor and with an Nvidia GF119 GPU backed by 512 MB of VRAM.

The MI-D2700G also features the NM10 Express chipset, two DDR3-1066 SO-DIMM slots, an active cooler, two SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, one mini-PCIe port, an mSATA connector, Gigabit Ethernet, an ALC662 5.1-channel codec, four USB 2.0 ports, and both D-Sub and HDMI outputs. The board's pricing or release date have yet to be announced.

Catering to the HTPC crowd, JEHE has developed and now launched (for starters in Japan), a Giada-branded Mini-ITX motherboard powered by AMD's A75 (aka Hudson D3) chipset, the MI-A75. This board supports FM1 processors (with a TDP of up to 65W) and features two DDR3-1600 memory slots (for up to 16 GB of RAM), four SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, one PCIe x16 slot (that's x8 electrical), one Mini PCIe port, and an mSATA connector.

The MI-A75 also has two USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1 channel audio, plus DVI and HDMI outputs, and is available for pre-order @ 10,300 yen (~ $133.7).

Catering to needs of all shapes and sizes, Taiwanese company Gigabyte has developed a little, mini-ITX motherboard which offers support for Intel's Sandy Bridge processors.

Called MSH61DK, the board in question is 17 by 17 cm, it makes use of the Intel H61 Express chipset and features two DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM slots (for up to 8 GB of RAM), two SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, two Mini PCIe slots, two USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, a Realtek ALC 887 audio chip, and a HDMI output. The MSH61DK complies with the Thin Mini-ITX standard so it can be used within Gigabyte's All-in-One barebone PCs.

After trying to avoid UEFI BIOS by sticking to "HybridEFI" workarounds to its existing AwardBIOS code on most of its socket LGA1155 and AM3+ motherboards, GIGABYTE reluctantly transitioned to UEFI with its socket LGA2011 motherboards, on which it fused its innovative Dual-BIOS technology with UEFI to come up with Dual-UEFI technology. One can imagine this to be particularly tough to implement on lower-end models, since UEFI with graphical setup program requires higher-capacity EEPROM chips, and since Dual-UEFI would need two, it would stress component costs, but GIGABYTE did it anyway.

In Japan, the company released the latest revision of the GA-H61MA-D3V (rev. 2.0), an entry-level socket LGA1155 motherboard based on the Intel H61 chipset, which features Dual-UEFI. Apart from this, the board also features GIGABYTE's Ultra-Durable 4 Classic component loadout, which consists of a new fiberglass fabric weave PCB that's more resistant to humidity that causes short-circuits, high ESD-resistance ICs, anti-surge ICs located on critical circuits, low RDS (on) MOSFETs, and a 100% high-grade solid-state capacitor design.

Intel's X79 chipset for Sandy Bridge-E platform was originally designed to have four SAS (serial-attached SCSI) channels apart from its usual loadout of SATA ports. Early prototypes of socket LGA2011 motherboards displayed at last year's Computex event (June), carried a large number of chipset-driven ports. However, Intel found the chipset-integrated SAS RAID controller (independent device from the SATA RAID controller) to have "unreliable performance", and hence changed its specification at the last moment. So the production specification of X79 ended up having the same SATA port loadout as P67 (two SATA 6 Gb/s + four SATA 3 Gb/s).

This specifications change did not result in a design change of the X79 PCH package, its die remained the same, so did its package and pin-map, which motherboard vendors had for nearly an year. So ECS decided to implement the SAS ports despite being out of specifications. LegitReviews discovered that its X79R-AX sample very much did have SAS ports wired to the PCH. With firmware of the SAS RAID controller and drivers, it could enable and use those ports. Although the SAS ports are physically present on the board, users have to enable them via the UEFI firmware setup program (BIOS).

Rampage IV GENE continues the legacy of Republic of Gamers motherboards by delivering gamers with enhanced performance that places a premium on fidelity and speed. SupremeFX III EMI-shielded audio guarantees better in-game sound, Intel Ethernet LAN and ROG GameFirst technology boost online multiplayer performance, while ROG Extreme Engine Digi+ II digital voltage regulation promotes improved overclocking.

The board further uses Black Metallic capacitors and NexFET Power Block MOSFETs for added durability and heat resistance. Unlike budget micro ATX boards, it supports 2-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX.

At this year's CES EVGA probably turned some heads with its upcoming power supply line but the company had more enthusiast eye candy on display, like the SR-X dual-socket motherboard. Teased a little last year, the SR-X seems to have the same HPTX form factor as its predecessor (the SR-2) but it offers support for the newest LGA 2011 Intel processors (Sandy Bridge-E for single-CPU setups, Sandy Bridge-EP for dual-CPU 'awesomesauce').

EVGA's dual-socket motherboard includes 12 DDR3 memory slots allowing for up to 96 GB of RAM, two (one 8-pin and one 6-pin) power connector per CPU, six SATA and four SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) ports, seven PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots for SLI or CrossFireX configurations, PCIe disable switches, voltage read points, a debug LED, dual Gigabit Ethernet, two eSATA ports, 7.1 channel audio, Bluetooth, EVBot support, plus six USB 3.0 connectors (four on the back plate, two via a header). The SR-X still hasn't been priced or dated.

ZOTAC showed off a pair of socket LGA1155 motherboards based on Intel's upcoming H77 "Panther Point" chipset, geared for compact desktops and HTPCs. These boards have not yet been named. The first one (pictured below), appears to be the more affordable of the two. It uses a simple 4-phase VRM to power the LGA1155 CPU, which is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3-1600 MHz memory. Its lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 3.0 x16. Storage connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s, two SATA 3 Gb/s, and an mSATA (probably 3 Gb/s). Its VRM uses cost-effective chokes, and LFPAK MOSFETs.

The more expensive-looking board of the two provides all the features of the other, while making room for an extra SATA 3 Gb/s port, higher-quality VRM that makes use of durable coils, and DriverMOSFETs (DrMOS), and DisplayPort connectivity. Other than the DisplayPort difference, both boards feature 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, wireless b/g/n (N 300) connection, USB 3.0, and display connectivity that includes DVI and HDMI.

Apart from the Z77H2-AX, ECS showed off a mainstream socket LGA1155 motherboard based on the H77 "Panther Point" chipset, in the micro-ATX form-factor. The H77 chipset has the same feature-set as the Z77, except it lacks Rapid Storage Technology, and overclocking features. Out of the box, this board supports next-generation "Ivy Bridge" Core processors.

The LGA1155 socket is powered by a 6-phase VRM. It is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory; and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. Other slots include a PCIe 2.0 x1, and two legacy PCI slots driven by an ITE-made bridge chip. Storage connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s, and four SATA 3 Gb/s, all wired to the PCH. Display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. Other connectivity includes 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, and four USB 3.0 ports (all driven by the PCH). The board uses cost-effective electrolytic capacitors on all circuits that don't deal with large currents, only the power conditioning circuits have solid-state capacitors.