While rival manufacturers flooded CeBIT with their Z77 motherboards, EVGA has been rather low key and only today decided to give us a look at what it's preparing for next's month's Ivy Bridge launch. Seen below is one high-end LGA 1155 board EVGA is currently working on. There's no name to go with the image (best guess is Z77 FTW) but plenty of specs can be identified like, well, the Ivy-ready LGA 1155 socket, four DDR3 memory slots, 10-phase power, two 8-pin power connectors to 'feed' the processor plus two 6-pin PCIe plugs catering to graphics cards, a PCIe bridge chip (likely made by PLX), and five PCI-Express x16 slots (at least two should be PCIe 3.0) providing SLI and CrossFireX capabilities.

EVGA's incoming motherboard also includes PCIe disable switches, a debug LED, an angled 24-pin ATX power connector, four SATA 6.0 Gbps and four SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, Gigabit Ethernet, an undetermined number of USB 3.0 ports, Power, Reset and Clear CMOS buttons, 7.1 channel audio, and it seems even a Thunderbolt port. Now where's that 'Like' button?

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.

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.

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.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced the release of new enhanced IOPS firmware (v1.13) for the Octane SATA 3.0 Series SSDs. The random write performance has been significantly improved, in some capacities over double that of the previous specifications, for users looking to push their SSD performance to new heights.

For all Octane SATA 6Gb/s models, the improved IOPS made possible by this new firmware allow for greater transactional performance, especially during small file and random access speeds in everyday computing applications. When compared to the previous revision, random write IOPS performance doubles across nearly all capacities when tested in IOmeter 2008:

Besides the MSH61DK mentioned earlier today, Gigabyte Technology has recently unveiled another Mini-ITX motherboard, one M7V90PI which is based around VIA's VX900 chipset and is equipped with one Nano U3300 (1.2 GHz) single-core processor.

Aimed for the embedded market, the M7V90PI also packs (just) one DDR3 SO-DIMM slot, Chrome9 HD (DirectX 9) integrated graphics, a VIA Vinyl VT1708S audio codec, two SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, one PCIe x1 slot, Gigabit Ethernet, six USB 2.0 connectors, and D-Sub, plus DVI outputs.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the latest addition to its SSDNow family, the SSDNow V+200. The new Kingston SSDNow V+200 solid-state drives are the ideal high-performance upgrade solution for the performance minded yet cost-conscious business or home user.

The SSDNow V+200 features the second-generation high-speed SATA 3.0 (6 Gb/s) SandForce SF-2281 Processor and outstanding sequential read and write speeds of up to 535 MB/s and 480 MB/s. The SSDNow V+200 enables fast system start-up, rapid data access and speedy copying of large files such as videos, presentations and graphics illustrations.

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and a channel manufacturer, today launches the ZOTAC D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme - a next-generation mini-ITX platform for DIY home theater PC users. The ZOTAC D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme combines the latest energy-efficient Intel Atom processor with world-class NVIDIA GeForce graphics processors for superior energy-efficiency and stunning high-definition video playback.

The latest generation Intel Atom D2700 CedarTrail processor with dual cores and Intel HyperThreading technology enables the ZOTAC D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme to deliver snappy multitasking responsiveness for everyday computing tasks. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 graphics processor equips the ZOTAC D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme with hardware-accelerated Blu-ray 3D playback capabilities and HDMI 1.4a technology for the ultimate 3D high-definition experience.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs), today launched the Indilinx Everest-based Octane SATA 3.0 and SATA 2.0 SSD series, striking the ideal balance between capacity, physical size, and speed. In addition to being the world's first SSD to achieve up to a 1TB capacity in a compact 2.5 inch format, OCZ's Octane SSD series combines high-speed data transfer rates with record-breaking access times to provide a superior user experience and improved application performance.

"OCZ has reached an important milestone in the development of its own controller technology," said James E. Bagley, Senior Analyst with Storage Strategies NOW. "The high sustained performance, even with compressed files, the rapid boot feature and high access speeds using SATA 3.0 protocol puts their controller technology in the major league."
"Until now SSDs have been tailored for specific applications, forcing users into a product which maximizes performance for a narrow band of applications, but is significantly lacking in others," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "The Octane Series solves this problem by providing the highest level of performance across varied workloads including mixed file sizes and mixed compressible and uncompressible data, all while nearly doubling NAND flash endurance."

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today the industry's first 6G SSD upgrade for the 2011 Apple MacBook Air 11.1" and 13.3"models. The new OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSDs combine award-winning SandForce technologies and Tier 1/Grade A Toggle Synchronous NAND to deliver data rates that are more than 3x faster and capacities that are up to 4x greater than factory available SSD options. Currently available in two sizes--120GB and 240GB--the new 6Gb/s SATA 3.0 Revision models continue OWC's position as the only alternative to factory SSD options for the 2010-2011 MacBook Air. 3G speed models from OWC are also available in capacities of up to 480GB.

The OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G offers 2011 MacBook Air owners a cost-effective SSD upgrade path that delivers higher performance, functionality, and reliability over the factory installed SSD. Because the Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD is SATA Revision 3.0 (6Gb/s) compatible, it can take advantage of the 2011 MacBook Air's built-in 6Gb/s SATA data bus to deliver peak, sustained data rates over 500MB/s, versus the factory installed SSDs, which are limited by SATA Revision 2.0 (3Gb/s) capability.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today unveiled the Indilinx Everest SATA 3.0 SSD platform. The Everest platform features support of 6Gbps interface speeds, high transactional performance that is optimized for compressed files, and maximum capacities up to 1TB.

"The new Indilinx Everest platform is a complete customizable solution that delivers superior storage performance, features, and capabilities designed to exceed the needs of the most demanding SSD applications," said Bumsoo Kim, President of Indilinx. "Combining a 6Gbps SATA Revision 3.0 host interface, a dual-core CPU, and support for the latest, most advanced NAND Flash memory technology available, Everest offers SSD manufacturers unparallel flexibility in optimizing their designs for both performance and cost."

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced their next generation SSD, the TeraDrive PT3.
Featuring the SandForce 2200 processor, SATA 6 Gb/s interface, and Double Data Rate, ONFiTM flash, the new TeraDrive PT3 offers a significant leap in performance over drives offered just a few months ago. The union of these 3 new technologies has forever changed the storage landscape. Right out of the gate, this new generation SSD stretches well within the new found bandwidth promised by the SATA 3.0 bus and breaks the 500MB/s barrier in both Read and Write scores. The comparisons between SSDs and HDDs just became a little harder to justify.

The only SSD processor to compress data before writing, SandForce's unique set of technologies enables the new TeraDrive PT3 to offer enhanced performance, flash durability and data integrity. Add to that the introduction of ONFi, double data rate flash, and the SATA 6 Gb/s interface, and we have one of the largest incremental leaps in performance that the storage market has ever seen.

Mushkin, Inc., a global leader in high-performance computer products, today announced "Chronos", a new solid state drive series based on the SandForce SF-2281 processor. This series will be Mushkin's first utilizing the SATA Revision 3.0 protocol, providing 6 gigabits per second of bandwidth. The Chronos Series is comprised of two types of products: "Chronos" and "Chronos Deluxe". Chronos Deluxe SSDs utilize high-speed NAND flash memory and are ideal for enthusiasts or those in audio/video production who require the greatest possible bandwidth. Chronos SSDs offer asynchronous flash memory and provide users with eye-opening SSD speed and functionality at a value-oriented price.

"This new series of SSDs is the latest in Mushkin's long history of solid state storage products. This is an area in which we have made great strides and our Chronos SSD line will continue this tradition. Users who are ready for SATA 6 Gb/s now, or are planning to upgrade down the road, will not find a better drive in terms of performance and price." - Brian Flood, Mushkin director of product development.

AMD today launched its 9-Series chipset line-up today, helping PC builders to develop next generation high performance desktop platforms. The company also unveiled its 2011 HD Tablet Platform, based on the AMD Z-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), enabling vivid media display and content creation capabilities for the fast-growing market of Microsoft Windows-based tablets. These new AMD products are designed to enable more immersive digital experiences for the PC and tablet markets.

"As consumer appetites for more compelling, lifelike visual experiences increase, there is greater need for high performance, smooth, vibrant graphics as well as unparalleled computing power," said John Taylor, product marketing director, AMD. "From tablets to desktops, AMD is making powerful computing accessible to everyone."

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and the world's largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today unleashes the Z68-ITX WiFi and Z68-ITX WiFi Supreme - a pair of mini-ITX platforms designed for the most adventurous and demanding enthusiasts. The ZOTAC Z68-ITX WiFi series enables users to take advantage of all features of 2nd Generation Intel Core family processors including integrated graphics, overclocking and Intel Quick-Sync Video technology.

Powered by the latest Intel Z68 Express chipset, the ZOTAC Z68-ITX WiFi series enables adventurous enthusiasts to extract every ounce of performance available from 2nd Generation Intel Core while maintaining use of Intel GMA HD 2000/3000 series integrated graphics processors. Support for Intel Quick-Sync Video technology enables lightning-fast video transcoding for virtually instant video conversions to popular portable media players with the ZOTAC Z68-ITX WiFi series.

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the world's leading motherboard, graphics card, barebone system, and notebook manufacturer is pleased to announce the latest AMD AM3+ support motherboard - ECS Black Extreme A990FXM-A. Coming with unbelievable gaming power, ECS Black Extreme A990FXM-A is going to bring about the storm of next gaming generation.

ECS Black Extreme A990FXM-A motherboard support 8-Core AMD CPU with AM3+ socket enables users to experience the most-core CPU of next generation. ECS Black Extreme A990FXM-A also supports 3-way AMD ATI CrossFireX and even 3-way NVIDIA SLI technology to support NVIDIA graphic cards to empower graphics ability firing up your gaming accelerating speed. Moreover, ECS A990FXM-A supports DDR3 2133(OC) with two sets of dual channel architecture up to 32GB.

MSI, the global leading brand in motherboards, announced the upgraded version of IM-QM67 which is powered by the 2nd generation Intel Core processor family, Intel Sandy Bridge processor, and Intel QM67 Express chipset. IM-QM67 supports multiple display outputs in a mini-ITX form factor board and utilizes Intel's 32nm process technology products to give the competitive advantage through the performance enhancements and scalability.

MSI debuts the IM-QM67 based on the Intel Core i7, Core i5 and Core i3 processors to offer lower power consumption and enhanced graphic and media performance. The IM-QM67 is equipped with dual-channel DDR3 1067/1333/1600 MHz memory up to a maximum of 16 GB in dual SO-DIMM slots and is ideally suited to applications requiring multi-tasking capabilities, high computing power. This combination of CPU, chipset and memory provides the MSI IM-QM67 with improved power efficiency and high-speed data transfer for performance-driven industrial applications, such as industrial control, automation, digital signage, kiosk, POS, gaming, ATM and medical electronic.

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and the world's largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today introduces three new do-it-yourself friendly mini-ITX platforms - the new ZOTAC ION-ITX R, S and T-series. The new ZOTAC ION-ITX R, S and T series reinvigorates the ION-ITX series with an added boost of graphics power.

Next-Generation NVIDIA ION graphics and a dual-core Intel Atom D525 processor combine to deliver a perfect balance of performance and energy-efficiency in the new ZOTAC ION-ITX R, S and T series. High-definition video playback capabilities enable the ZOTAC ION-ITX R, S and T series to deliver a premium multimedia experience with hardware decode acceleration for smooth playback of high-definition Blu-ray 3D and streaming Internet video content.

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and the world's largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, today kicks off the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show with the H67-ITX WiFi - a miniature 2nd Generation Intel Core platform. The ZOTAC H67-ITX WiFi takes the mini-ITX form factor to new heights of performance, energy-efficiency and integrated graphics capabilities.

Equipped with the Intel H67 Express chipset, the ZOTAC H67-ITX WiFi supports the latest LGA1155 2nd Generation Intel Core family processors including 2000 series Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. The ZOTAC H67-ITX WiFi goes beyond the capabilities of the 2nd Generation Intel Core platform and accommodates processors up to 130-watt TDP - above the 95-watts required by the fastest Intel Core i7 processor - for additional overclocking headroom that appeals to the most demanding enthusiasts.

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and the world's largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today revolutionizes the award-winning ION platform with the processing power of Intel consumer low-voltage, or CULV, processors for new platforms with superior performance capabilities while maintaining class-leading energy-efficiency. The new ZOTAC ION platforms powered by Intel CULV processors include the new ZBOX HD-ND22, HD-NS21 mini-PCs, ION-ITX N series and ION-ITX P series mini-ITX platforms.

An Intel Celeron SU2300 processor powers the ZOTAC ZBOX HD-ND22 and ION-ITX P series with dual-cores clocked at 1.3 GHz for multi-threaded processing power that delivers unprecedented performance levels in an energy-efficient mini-PC for demanding users. A Single-core Intel Celeron 743 processor powers ZOTAC ZBOX HD-NS21 and ION-ITX N series platforms for outstanding single-threaded CPU performance.

Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking and network and direct attached storage solutions, today announced a refresh of the highly popular DriveStation Duo and DriveStation Quad, formerly DriveStation Quattro, representing the latest generation of high-performance direct attached storage solutions. Combining performance and reliability, these new multi-drive external hard drives, equipped with NovaBACKUP Business Essentials, are ideal for small servers, creative professionals, offices and consumers requiring redundant and high performance external storage. Also announced today is the new DriveStation Axis, a single drive storage solution combining unique features and simplicity with Buffalo's distinguished reliability for an exceptional value.

"Consumers and businesses alike have become quite savvy when it comes to protecting mission-critical or personal data such as file backups, work documents, music, photos and videos," said Ralph Spagnola, vice president of sales at Buffalo Technology. "Buffalo has always recognized this need and has once again put forth best-in-class storage solutions providing a perfect blend of reliability, performance and flexible features at affordable prices."

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, today announced that it has started shipping its new Spinpoint MT2 1 terabyte (TB) 2.5" internal mobile hard disk drive. It is ideally suited for use in portable storage solutions, such as the newly released Samsung S2 Portable 1TB USB Drives. Other applications include digital TVs, home media systems and set-top boxes, where quiet and cool operations are important.

Employing industry-leading 333GB per-platter technology, the new Spinpoint MT2 drive offers up to an enormous 1TB for personal digital collections such as photos, music, video and work files. Running at 5400rpm speed, the MT2 has a 12.5mm form factor and utilizes Samsung's proprietary SilentSeek and NoiseGuard technologies to minimize noise levels during drive operation.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, today introduced the first solid state drive (SSD) utilizing high-performance toggle-mode DDR NAND. The new 512 gigabyte (GB) SSD provides electronic data processing application designers with advanced performance and reliability for notebooks with premium value.

"The highly advanced features and characteristics of our new SSD were obtained as a direct result of an aggressive push for further development of our NAND flash technology, our SSD controller and our supportive SSD firmware," said Dong-Soo Jun, executive vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Electronics. "Early introduction of this state-of-the-art toggle DDR solution will enable Samsung to play a major role in securing faster market acceptance of the new wave of high-end SSD technology," he added.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, announced that it is now shipping the Spinpoint F4, the newest model of its Spinpoint F series drives. The superior performance and high-reliability Spinpoint F4 is engineered for high-end computing in PCs, Macs, high-end workstations and server applications.

"Higher performance combined with increasing capacities continues to accelerate demand for 3.5" drives in desktops storage," said In-Chul Park, vice president of sales, storage systems division, Samsung Electronics. "The one-head platform of the new 7200rpm Spinpoint F4, packing up to 320GB of storage capacity per one head in half platter, delivers added reliability that our customers have come to expect from Samsung."

Synology Inc. today launched the Synology DX510, an expansion unit to increase the capacity of Synology DS1010+ and DS710+ on the fly. When the Synology DS1010+ or DS710+ is running out of capacity, the Synology DX510 scales up its capacity by an additional 5 hard drives immediately. The RAID volume on the Synology DiskStation can be expanded directly without having to reformat the existing hard drives, ensuring the Synology DiskStation continues its service during the capacity expansion. When created as a separate volume, the Synology DX510 provides a great solution for backing up the Synology DiskStation.

The Synology DX510 is connected to the Synology DiskStation using an eSATA cable with custom-designed connectors on both ends, ensuring a reliable connection and maximum throughput. The eSATA 3.0 Gb/sec definition allows the hard drives in the connected Synology DX510 to operate as they are the internal ones of the Synology DiskStation.