ASRock 960GC-GS FX Share Experience

I got this motherboard a month ago and it runs great so far. I bought it because I had a Phenom Quad Core 9500 2.2GHz in one of our old computers that wasn't being used. I installed that CPU in this mobo and it started up with no problems along with the DDR2 RAM. It worked fine with that CPU, internet browsing and streaming online videos was now a breeze especially on Netflix. 

Yesterday I received my new AM3+ 6300FX black edition CPU and installed it with some new RAM DDR3 8GB Kingston Hyperx 1600MHz at first it didn't start so I thought it was defective memory module but tried them in my other computer but it booted up fine so I reseated them and I had to push them in a little more with a bit of force and it booted up just fine. I also had to take out my Geforce GT610 graphics card also for it to boot I don't know why but I read on a forum somewhere that could be the problem for it not to boot up. I will update this if anything should happen.

My setup:
ASRock 960GC-GS FX Motherboard (of course)
AMD 6300 FX 8-3.5 GHz Black Edition unlock
HyperX DDR3 1600
Sapphire R7 260X 2GB GDDR5 OC
Western Digital 1TB HDD
Corsair CX600M watt PSU
Cooler Master G-Elite 430 Black Mid-Tower ATX Case

ASRock 960GC-GS FX Support | Drivers Download | Manual | CPU Support List | Memory QVL

Update:

I've had this board for two months now still running great. I got a new graphics card last week, a new Sapphire R7 260x 2gb GDDR5 overclock edition. I installed in with the drivers from the cd that came with it and is working awesome. I first bought this mobo just to use my older parts from an older computer but I ended upgrading everything, making it into a decent computer. So far I've really enjoy it and I can even play Farcry 3 on ultra settings...no joke. For my ram to run 1600mhz I went to BIOS and adjusted there. I do not intend to use this motherboard that long for gaming I just wanted something now. In the near future I plan on getting a MSI 970 gaming motherboard or a Gigabyte 990FX series motherboard but have to save up for that first. Overall I do enjoy this motherboard for internet browsing, Netflex, and playing Farcry 3 cause that's the only game I got right now lol.

Specifications

General
CPU	- Support for Socket AM3+ processors - Support for Socket AM3 processors: AMD Phenom™ II X6 / X4 / X3 / X2 (except 920 / 940) / Athlon II X4 / X3 / X2 / Sempron processors - Support for Socket AM2+ / AM2 processors: AMD Phenom™ FX / Phenom / Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core / Athlon X2 Dual-Core / Athlon 64 / Sempron processor - Supports 8-Core CPU - Supports AMD OverDrive™ with ACC feature (Advanced Clock Calibration) - Supports AMD's Cool 'n' Quiet Technology - FSB 2600 MHz (5.2 GT/s) - Supports Untied Overclocking Technology - Supports Hyper-Transport 3.0 (HT 3.0) Technology
Chipset	- Northbridge: AMD 760G - Southbridge: AMD SB710
Memory	- Dual Channel DDR3/DDR2 Memory Technology* - 2 x DDR3 DIMM Slots** - Supports DDR3 1866(OC)/1600(OC)/1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory - Max. capacity of system memory: 16GB*** - 2 x DDR2 DIMM Slots**** - Supports DDR2 1066*****/800/667/533 non-ECC, un-buffered memory - Max. capacity of system memory: 8GB*** *DDR3 and DDR2 are supported separately. **DDR3 memory is only supported by installing AM3/AM3+ CPU. ***Due to the operating system limitation, the actual memory size may be less than 4GB for the reservation for system usage under Windows® 32-bit OS. For Windows® 64-bit OS with 64-bit CPU, there is no such limitation. ****DDR2 memory is only supported by installing AM2/AM2+/AM3 CPU. *****Support with AM3 / AM2+ CPU.
BIOS	- 16Mb AMI legal BIOS - Supports "Plug and Play" - ACPI 1.1 compliance wake up events - Supports jumperfree - SMBIOS 2.3.1 support - CPU, VCCM, NB Voltage multi-adjustment
Audio, Video and Networking
Graphics	- Integrated AMD Radeon 3000 graphics - DX10 class iGPU, Pixel Shader 4.0 - Max. shared memory 512MB - Supports D-Sub with max. resolution up to 2048x1536 @ 60Hz
Audio	- 5.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC662 Audio Codec)
LAN	- PCIE x1 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s - Realtek RTL8111G - Supports Wake-On-LAN - Supports LAN Cable Detection - Supports Energy Efficient Ethernet 802.3az - Supports PXE
Expansion / Connectivity
Slots	- 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2 @ x16 mode) - 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slot - 2 x PCI Slots
Storage	- 6 x SATA2 3.0 Gb/s Connectors, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10 and JBOD), NCQ, AHCI and Hot Plug
Connector	- 1 x ATA133 IDE Connector (Supports 2 x IDE devices) - 1 x Floppy Connector - 1 x IR Header - 1 x Print Port Header - 1 x Chassis Intrusion Header - 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin) - 1 x Chassis Fan Connector (3-pin) - 1 x Power Fan Connector (3-pin) - 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector - 1 x 4 pin 12V Power Connector - 1 x CD In Header - 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector - 1 x SPDIF Out Connector - 3 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 6 USB 2.0 ports)
Rear Panel I/O	- 1 x PS/2 Mouse Port - 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Port - 1 x Serial Port: COM1 - 1 x D-Sub Port - 4 x USB 2.0 Ports - 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED) - HD Audio Jack: Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone
Other Features / Miscellaneous
Unique Feature	- ASRock OC Tuner - ASRock Intelligent Energy Saver - ASRock Instant Boot - ASRock Instant Flash - ASRock OC DNA - ASRock APP Charger - ASRock XFast USB - ASRock XFast LAN - ASRock XFast RAM - ASRock X-Boost - Hybrid Booster: - CPU Frequency Stepless Control - ASRock U-COP - Boot Failure Guard (B.F.G.) - ASRock AM2 Boost: ASRock Patented Technology to boost memory performance up to 12.5%
Support CD	- Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software (Trial Version), CyberLink MediaEspresso 6.5 Trial, Google Chrome Browser and Toolbar
Accessories	- Quick Installation Guide, Support CD, I/O Shield - 2 x SATA Data Cables
Hardware Monitor	- CPU/Chassis temperature sensing - CPU/Chassis/Power Fan Tachometer - CPU Quiet Fan - CPU Fan multi-speed control - CASE OPEN detection - Voltage Monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, Vcore
Form Factor	- Micro ATX Form Factor
OS	- Microsoft® Windows® 8 / 8 64-bit / 7 / 7 64-bit / Vista™ / Vista™ 64-bit / XP / XP Media Center / XP 64-bit compliant
Certifications	- FCC, CE, WHQL - ErP/EuP ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)

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Difference Between SATA II and SATA III

SATA is a hardware connection standard that provides data transfer between hard drives and a computer's motherboard. The current standard is SATA III as of December 2012; SATA I was supplanted by SATA II around 2006. SATA connectors have been the default way of connecting hard drives to motherboards since around 2004 The first SATA hard drives were released in 2003 and had significant performance increases.

Transfer Speeds

The primary difference between SATA II and SATA II is the transfer speed, which is measured in gigabits per second. SATA II has a peak transfer rate of 3 Gbps, SATA III has a peak transfer rate of 6 Gbps. One Gbps is roughly 100 megabytes per second pulled from the drive.

Connectors and Cables

SATA ports on motherboards and the cables that connect hard drives use a different interface than the older IDE standard; this simplified assembling computers, and the cables are both less expensive and more durable. Regardless of the generation of SATA being used, the cables are identical and using an old SATA cable does not impact the data transfer speed.

Compatible Drives and Ports

If an SATA II device is plugged into a SATA III port, the port detects the slower device, and the data transfer rate is dialed down to match. To get maximum performance, always make sure that your hard drive's SATA generation matches the SATA ports on the motherboard of the computer you're building.

Nomenclature Change

In 2010, the standards organization behind SATA broke away from using Roman numerals to designate SATA generations, and lists them by their transfer rates in Gbps. SATA II became SATA -- 3.0 gigabit -- and SATA III became SATA -- 6.0 gigabit.

What is the difference between SATA I, SATA II and SATA III?

SATA I (revision 1.x) interface, formally known as SATA 1.5Gb/s, is the first generation SATA interface running at 1.5 Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 150MB/s.

SATA II (revision 2.x) interface, formally known as SATA 3Gb/s, is a second generation SATA interface running at 3.0 Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 300MB/s.

SATA III (revision 3.x) interface, formally known as SATA 6Gb/s, is a third generation SATA interface running at 6.0Gb/s. The bandwidth throughput, which is supported by the interface, is up to 600MB/s. This interface is backwards compatible with SATA 3 Gb/s interface.

SATA II specifications provide backward compatibility to function on SATA I ports. SATA III specifications provide backward compatibility to function on SATA I and SATA II ports. However, the maximum speed of the drive will be slower due to the lower speed limitations of the port.

Example: SanDisk Extreme SSD, which supports SATA 6Gb/s interface and when connected to SATA 6Gb/s port, can reach up to 550/520MB/s sequential read and sequential write speed rates respectively. However, when the drive is connected to SATA 3 Gb/s port, it can reach up to 285/275MB/s sequential read and sequential write speed rates respectively.

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AMD FX-6200 CPU Review

AMD has had a rough time of it lately when it comes to CPUs. Early last year when we saw the performance of the low power Bobcat architecture, we thought 2011 would be a breakout year for AMD. Bulldozer was on the horizon and it promised performance a step above what Intel could offer. This harkened back to the heady days of the original Athlon and Athlon 64 where AMD held a performance advantage over all of Intel’s parts. On the graphics side AMD had just released the 6000 series of chips, all of which came close in performance to NVIDIA’s Fermi architecture, but had a decided advantage in terms of die size and power consumption. Then the doubts started to roll in around the April timeframe. Whispers hinted that Bulldozer was delayed, and not only was it delayed it was not meeting performance expectations.

The introduction of the first Llano products did not help things. The “improved” CPU performance was less than expected, even though the GPU portion was class leading. The manufacturing issues we saw with Llano did not bode well for AMD or the upcoming Bulldozer products. GLOBALFOUNDRIES was simply not able to achieve good yields on these new 32 nm products. Then of course the hammer struck. Bulldozer was released, well behind schedule, and with performance that barely rose above that of the previous Phenom II series of chips. The top end FX-8150 was competitive with the previous Phenom II X6 1100T, but it paled in comparison to the Intel i7 2600 which was right around the same price range.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment for many users was the launch of the FX-6100. This chip originally sparked a lot of interest as it was a 3 module/6 core product with a 95 watt TDP for under $200 that promised to be something of a budget enthusiast’s dream. When performance figures came out, the chip did not hold up to the lofty expectations held by users. At a stock 3.3 GHz, it was simply outclassed by products such as the i5 2500 and 2500K variants, which were again in the same price range. Even though the processor had a maximum Turbo Core of 3.9 GHz, it just could not keep up in most applications with the smaller and less power hungry Intel Sandy Bridge based products.

Hope springs eternal though, and when news leaked out that AMD would be introducing refreshes for the FX-4000 and FX-6000 chips people were expecting there to be an improvement in thermals and perhaps even a minor revision update to the design. The chatter turned to potential per clock improvements, better overclocking headroom, and a couple of products under $200 that could hold their own against Intel’s mighty Sandy Bridge. Then the actual details came out. These chips were of the same revision as the previous parts, and the speed increase they saw was due to the TDP ceiling being raised from 95 watts up to 125 watts. Still, there was hope that these products could more than hold its own against the i3 and i5 in the same price range. Does the FX-6200 succeed? I guess we are about to find out.

The FX-6200

Ryan and I have covered the Bulldozer architecture in previous articles, so I will not go over the finer details here. I will discuss some of the basics of the chip and the architecture.

The FX-6200 is based off of the same Bulldozer revision as the previous FX series of parts that was released last October. There may have been some minor changes along the way, but they would have more to do with manufacturing rather than any kind of base silicon or extreme metal layer change. The product is still built by GLOBALFOUNDRIES on their 32 nm HKMG SOI process. The chip is a native 4 module/8 core product, but one of the modules has been fused off and is unavailable for unlocking. This leaves 3 modules/6 cores for the processor to work with. Each module features 2 MB of L2 cache to be shared between the two integer units and the single FPU/MMX/SSE/AVX unit, for a total of 6 MB of L2 for the entire CPU. The L3 features the full 8 MB of cache that is available on fully enabled CPUs.

The full meal deal of a retail/boxed processor. The 3 year warranty and heatsink/fan are likely worth it to most users.

The base clock is now set at 3.8 GHz, which is faster than the 3.6 GHz stock clock for the FX-8150. To achieve this clock AMD raised the TDP to 125 watts, which is up from the 95 watts of the FX-6100. The max Turbo Core speed of the FX-6200 is 4.1 GHz. AMD did raise the Northbridge/L3 cache speed on the FX-6200, and it runs at 2.2 GHz rather than the 2.0 GHz that the FX-6100 was set to. The memory controller is heavily revised from the previous Phenom II generation of parts, and it can handle official speeds up to DDR-3 1866 MHz.

The retail package comes with a pretty hefty heatsink and fan combination that should be able to handle the extra thermal load that the 125 watt CPU provides. The CPU has a standard 3 year warranty for the boxed version, while a tray chip has a 30 day warranty. The boxed product retails for $169 US, but can often be found cheaper with instant rebates and sales.

The FX processors are all unlocked so it makes them very easy to overclock. Most retail motherboards cover all of the settings needed to increase the multipliers on the CPU and overclock the chip. Success of any overclock is not guaranteed and the choice of motherboard will also directly affect the ability of the chip to reach higher speeds.

via pcper

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AMD FX 8370 and 8370E Review

AMD is launching three new 8-core processors in the hope they can lift along with the Haswell-E release hype from Intel. Looking and comparing the two would not be fair. The AMD FX 8370 series launch at 200 USD, the Core i7 5960X is a 999 USD processor.That said, the multi-core awareness in applications is picking up, and opposed to two years ago 8-core processors make a lot more sense these days. Gaming with the per-core performance that the octacore AMD series offers remains tricky to explain. My generic advice here is that if you stick to mainstream PC gaming (and do not use high-end graphics cards or Crossfire/SLI), only then you are OK with an AMD FX processor as tested today.

The PileDriver based FX 8370(E) processors from AMD does what was expected of it, and that's increase performance, albeit that statement is relative for the new 95W E model with its lower the power draw (and thus performance). Other then that it's the FX 8350 with a couple of tweaks. Overall these CPUs are based on a very a sound architecture if we lived in a world where all games and application would make use of massive multi-threading then AMD would be competing very well with Intel. And though things slowly change most often applications use up-to four cores, and that's why Intel with its higher per core performance will win time after time. It's simple per physical CPU core Intel is twice as fast over the AMD FX CPU core. But again, with Windows 8 things are slowly changing and the overall performance you can't complain about. You get a fast and responsive PC and operating system with fast apps and program responsiveness. Gaming however will remain a bit of a conundrum with a high-end graphics cards as games often only use two to four cores, and a faster per physical CPU core performance remains incredibly relevant if you are not GPU bound.

Multi Threading

AMD has set the strategy to pursue processors with as many CPU cores as possible. The benefit here is that massively threaded applications really like that very much. Look at the Handbrake (multi-threaded video transcoding application) results and content creation with MAXON's animation software CINEMA 4D. But yeah, the hardware needs the software in order to shine. Times are slowly changing though, I mean we had the single core to dual-core revolution, quickly followed by four, six and thus now eight cores. So where multi-threaded applications are programmed right AMD really starts to shine with the FX series.

Real World Usage

So the opposite effect of AMDs offering is that with applications that prefer say one or two CPU threads and thus utilize only one or two cores, that's where the FX series have a really hard time as the per core performance starts to hinder AMD very much. I've been using the FX 8370E processor for a couple of days now though and granted the overall experience with this processor is once again great. The OS responds more than fast enough and for you everyday usage you'll have a hard time noticing any difference to say a Core i5 processor. Once you start up applications that allow for it, multi-threading kicks in really nicely performance will quickly see high-end grade performance.

Gaming

In games we see similar behaviour but the FX remains relatively weak on most games due to its very average per core performance. But if you take for example a Radeon R9 285, then it would be in good symbiosis with the processor performance. Overall in the higher resolutions you'll be GPU dependant more then CPU dependant. So gaming at Full HD with an AMD FX 8370 series processor will be absolutely fine. Once you go Crossfire / SLI or use a high-end dedicated graphics card, that where you would like to have a faster per-core performing product. But for mainstream gaming / usage the processor will be totally fine.

Video encoding and Decoding

For the ones that use their PC for content creation and video transcoding, well this processor kicks in very nicely, and for a reasonable price you get impressive multi-threaded performance. Considering that the FX 8750 will cost merely 199 USD we can state that the processor offering great value, under the condition that you use multi-threaded encoders. Video playback is not an issue, the per core performance is fast enough to deal with any Blu-ray or 1080P content stream.

Energy Consumption

Power consumption wise we are a little reserved in judgment, the platform with this processor uses just under 100W in idle yet when we stress the CPU cores all at once, we peak closer to 200W. That's not bad, but it certainly isn't excellent either. Power consumption is platform dependant though, so your motherboard might be responsible for a lot more or less. Overclocking wise we think the FX series will offer a lot of fun but power consumption there rises quickly when you apply CPU voltage tweaks. With a decent air cooler, 4.5~4.6 GHz should be a viable target to achieve, 4.7 to 5 GHz on proper liquid cooling should be achievable as well but will require a lot of CPU voltage.

Pricing

We mentioned pricing a couple of times already, the FX-8150 when it was released it costed around 244 USD/EUR at launch. The new FX 8370 and 8370E will be introduced at 199 USD. Honestly that is good value.

Final Words

Concluding then. I'll keep saying this, personally I would have preferred a faster per core performing AMD quad-core processor rather then an eight-core processor with reduced nice per core performance. However we do have to be clear here, we have been working with the FX 8370E processor for a while now and it simply is a great PC experience overall. Your system will be fast and responsive. The main Achilles heel simply remain single threaded applications. The bigger problem here is that it effects game performance quite a bit, especially with high-end dedicated graphics cards and that's why in it's current form the FX series simply is not that popular among the gaming community. Good for AMD that Mantle popularity seems to be growing, this will greatly help AMD get freed from CPU bottleneck performance issues.

Overall the AMD FX 8370 or 8370E is a processor we can recommend in the mid-range PC gaming and desktop space. The FX 8370 with eight CPU cores is hip in a PC desktop environment with the many threads you can fire off at it, and if you love to compress, transcode or use your PC as a workstation then it will bring heaps of performance and fantastic value. I think that the 95 Watt E model has to forfeit a bit too much in performance, but the regular FX 8370 at its current price level will be a steal. And if you want to go even cheaper, just pick up the cheapest unlocked 8-core FX model you can find like thje 8150. They start around 170 bucks already. You can easily tweak them to the performance levels shown today. Even though today's release is merely a step forward we do say the FX processors deserve a lot more credit then they have gotten thus far. At a price of 199 USD the AMD FX 8370 is a really fun 8-core mainstream segment processor to work with.

via guru3d

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Asus M5A78L-M LX V2 Review

This motherboard supports AMD® AM3+ multi-core processors with unique L3 cache and delivers better overclocking capabilities with less power consumption. It features dual-channel DDR3 memory support and accelerates data transfer rate up to 5200MT/s via HyperTransport™ 3.0 based system bus. This motherboard also supports AMD® CPUs in the new 32nm manufacturing process.

Unleash True Core Performance Intelligently

ASUS Core Unlocker simplifies the activation of a latent AMD® CPU—with just a simply key. Enjoy an instant performance boost by simply unlocking the extra cores, without performing complicated BIOS changes.

Specifications

CPU	AMD AM3+ FX™/Phenom™ II/Athlon™ II/Sempron™ 100 Series Processors Supports CPU up to 125 W AMD Cool 'n' Quiet™ Technology
Chipset	AMD 760G (780L)/SB710
Memory	2 x DIMM, Max. 16GB, DDR3 1866(O.C.)/1600(O.C.)/1333/1066 MHz ECC, Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory Dual Channel Memory Architecture * Refer to www.asus.com or user manual for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists). * Due to OS limitation, when installing total memory of 4GB capacity or more, Windows® 32-bit operation system may only recognize less than 3GB. Install a 64-bit Windows® OS when you want to install 4GB or more memory on the motherboard. * AMD FX Series CPU on this motherboard supports up to DDR3 1866MHz as its standard memory frequency. * AMD AM3 100 and 200 series CPU support up to DDR3 1066MHz.
System Bus	Up to 5.2 GT/s HyperTransport™ 3
Graphic	Integrated ATI Radeon™ HD 3000 GPU VGA output support : RGB port - Supports RGB with max. resolution 2560 x 1440 @ 75 Hz Maximum shared memory of 1024 MB Hybrid CrossFireX™ Support *1 Supports DirectX 10
Expansion Slots	1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 1 x PCI
Storage	AMD SB710 controller : 6 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), blue Support Raid 0, 1, 10, JBOD
LAN	Realtek®, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s)
Audio	Realtek® ALC887 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC *2
USB Ports	AMD SB710 controller : 10 x USB 2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, black, 6 at mid-board)
ROG Exclusive Features	Overclocking Protection : - ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)
Special Features	ASUS Power Design : - ASUS EPU-4 Engine Turbo Key Core Unlocker ASUS Exclusive Features : - Ai Charger - Anti-Surge ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution : - ASUS Q-Fan ASUS EZ DIY : - ASUS EZ Flash 2 - ASUS MyLogo 2
Back I/O Ports	1 x PS/2 keyboard (purple) 1 x PS/2 mouse (green) 1 x D-Sub 1 x LAN (RJ45) port(s) 4 x USB 2.0 1 x COM port(s) 1 x Parallel port(s) 3 x Audio jack(s)
Internal I/O Ports	3 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 6 USB 2.0 port(s) 6 x SATA 3Gb/s connector(s) 1 x CPU Fan connector(s) 1 x Chassis Fan connector(s) 1 x S/PDIF out header(s) 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s) 1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s) 1 x Front panel audio connector(s) (AAFP) 1 x Internal speaker connector(s) 1 x System panel(s)
Accessories	User's manual I/O Shield 2 x SATA 3Gb/s cable(s)
BIOS	16 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI v2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS V2.5, ACPI V2.0a
Support Disc	Drivers ASUS PC Probe II ASUS Update Anti-virus software (OEM version)
Form Factor	uATX Form Factor 9.6 inch x 8 inch ( 24.4 cm x 20.3 cm )

Asus M5A78L-M LX V2 Drivers & Tools Download here.

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Gigabyte J1800N-D2H Dual Core 2.41GHz Celeron Mini-ITX Review

Excellent value Gigabyte J1800N-D2H motherboard with Passively Cooled Dual-Core 64-bit 2.41GHz Celeron J1800 Bay Trail 22nm processor with VT-x support and integrated Intel HD Graphics. Up to 8GB of system memory; 2x SATA 3Gb/s; PCI-Express x1 and Half Mini PCI-Express Slots; Realtek Gigabit Ethernet; Realtek ALC887 High Definition 7.1 Channel Audio. DirectX 11 support and full Windows 7/8/8.1 32/64-bit driver availability.

Rear Panel: Mouse PS/2 port; Keyboard PS/2 port; 1x VGA (supporting up to 2560 x 1600) ; 1x HDMI (supporting up to 1920 x 1200); 1x USB 3.0 port; 4x USB 2.0 ports; 1x Gigabit Ethernet; 3x 3.5mm audio connectors (Line In, Line Out, Mic In).

Board Connectors: 1x 24pin ATX Power Connector (either 20pin or 24pin ATX will work); 1x 12v P4 connector (needs to be connected); 2x SATA 3Gb/s ports; 2x USB 2.0 connectors on 1x 9pin header; PCI-Express x1 slot; Half Mini PCI-Express Slot; 2x DDR3 SODIMM sockets (up to 4GB per socket); 1x Serial port header; 1x Parallel port header; 1x Debug card header; 1x System Fan Header; 1x Processor Fan Header; 1x Front Panel Connector; 1x S/PDIF Out header; 1x Clear CMOS jumper; 1x Chassis Intrusion header.

Unique Features: Support for @BIOS; Support for Xpress Install; Support for APP Center; Support for ON/OFF Charge.

UEFI BIOS: This board uses a UEFI BIOS. To enter the BIOS press Delete on your keyboard during startup. If you enter the EFI shell (commmand prompt) type "exit".

Case compatibility. The J1800N-D2H has a standard height heatsink and low power requirements. A 20pin or 24pin ATX connector can be used but the 12V P4 connector must also be connected. Check individual case descriptions and add the Molex to P4 Power Cable option where necessary. All our Mini-ITX cases will fit the board including but not exclusively Jou Jye 528i/568i/526i, CFI Chassis, Noah 3988, Chenbro NAS, Venus 669, Nexus Psile, M200/M300/M350 (with a picoPSU fitted with a 12V P4 output), Travla C146, T1200, C159, Thin Clients, Travla C158 (inc CD drive), Compact and Lockable Wall Mount Cases.

Downloads: BIOS, Documentation and Drivers.
http://www.gigabyte.my/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4881#overview
http://www.gigabyte.my/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4881#specification

M350/M5X Compatibility: The J1800N-D2H wwill work with the M350 (if the Extended Power/LED Cables are used) or with the M5X (picoPSU-90, 60W or 80W AC Adapter recommended), or the M5XP (version of M5X with included power supply).

Box contents: Motherboard, 2x SATA cables, Product Guide, I/O Shield.

Memory: The J1800N-D2H supports up to 8GB DDR3 memory on 2x DDR3 DIMMS. This is not compatible with DDR2 memory.

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Asus C60M1-I AMD Fusion Mini-ITX Snap Review

Fanless Asus C60M1-I AMD Fusion motherboard with Dual-Core 1.0GHz AMD C-60 processor. Featuring fanless operation, integrated AMD Radeon HD 6290 DirectX 11 / OpenGL 4.1 graphics and AMD Hudson-M1 FCH (Fusion Controller Hub) chipset. Up to 8GB of system memory; Realtek 8111F Gigabit Ethernet; VIA VT1708S High Definition 8 Channel Audio.

Rear Panel: Combined Mouse/Keyboard PS/2 port; 6x USB 2.0 ports; VGA (up to 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz); DVI-D (up to 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz); Gigabit Ethernet; 3x 3.5mm audio connectors.

Board Connectors: PCI Express x16 slot (x4 bandwidth); 6x SATA 6Gb/s ports; 6x USB 2.0 connectors on 3x 9pin headers; 2x DDR3 DIMM sockets; 1x 24pin ATX Power Connector (either 20pin or 24pin ATX will work); 1x 12V P4 connector (needs to be connected); 1x Front Panel Connector; 1x System Fan Header; 1x Processor Fan Header.

Downloads: BIOS, Documentation and Drivers
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/C60M1I/overview/
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/C60M1I/specifications/

ASUS Special Features: AI Suite II; Ai Charger; Anti-Surge; Network iControl; ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution: ASUS Fan Xpert; ASUS Q-Fan 2; ASUS EZ DIY: ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3; ASUS EZ Flash 2; ASUS MyLogo 2; 100% All High-quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors

Case compatibility. The C60M1-I has a standard height heatsink and low power requirements. A 20pin or 24pin ATX connector can be used but the 12V P4 connector must also be connected. Check individual case descriptions and add the Molex to P4 Power Cable option where necessary. All our Mini-ITX cases will fit the board including but not exclusively Jou Jye 528i/568i/526i, CFI Chassis, Noah 3988, Chenbro NAS, Venus 669, Nexus Psile, M200/M300/M350 (with a picoPSU fitted with a 12V P4 output), Travla C146, T1200, C159, Thin Clients, Travla C158 (inc CD drive), Compact and Lockable Wall Mount Cases.

C1/C2/C3-RACK compatibility: Backplates are available designed for use with the C1-RACK, C2-RACK and C3-RACK (Dynatron K2 1U Side blower heatsink recommended).

Box contents: Motherboard, 2x SATA cables, User manual, Support CD, I/O Shield.

Memory: The C60M1-I supports up to 8GB DDR3 memory on 2x DDR3 DIMMS. This is not compatible with DDR2 memory.

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Asus C8HM70-I/HDMI Dual Core Celeron 847 Mini-ITX Review

The C8HM70-I/HDMI offers great value for money with a highly efficient Dual Core Sandy Bridge ULV Celeron processor. The Integrated Graphics processor is based on the Intel HD2000 DirectX 10 IGP with full 64-bit driver support. The Intel NM70 chipset delivers SATA 6Gb/s and supports up to 16GB of memory. The 1.1Ghz Celeron 847 processor supports Intel virtualisation extensions (VT-x) and benchmarks over 50% faster than an Atom D2550. This board also has a PCI Express slot, a rarity amongst most Atom/Celeron boards.

Rear Panel: PS/2 Keyboard or Mouse port; 4x USB 2.0; 2x USB 3.0; 1x HDMI; 1x VGA; 1x Gigabit Ethernet; 3x 3.5mm Audio Connections..

Board Connectors: 1x 24pin ATX Power Connector (either 20pin or 24pin ATX will work); 1x 12v P4 connector (needs to be connected); 1x PCI Express 2.0 x16 connector; 2x DDR3 SODIMM sockets; 1x SATA 6Gb/s port (white); 1x SATA 3Gb/s port (blue); 1x 9pin USB 2.0 headers (supporting up to 2 USB ports); 1x Chassis Intrusion header; 1x CPU Fan connector (in use by CPU cooler); 1x System Fan connector; Front-Panel Header; 1x Internal Speaker Connector.

Downloads: BIOS, Documentation and Drivers
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/C8HM70I/overview/
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/C8HM70I/specifications/

Package Contents: C8HM70-I/HDMI motherboard, Driver Disk, User Manual, 2x SATA Cables, I/O Shield.

Cooling: The C8HM70-I/HDMI motherboard is actively cooled by a 40mm fan and low-profile heatsink.

Compatible cases: The C8HM70-I/HDMI has low power requirements. A 20pin or 24pin ATX connector can be used but the 12V P4 connector must also be connected. Check individual case descriptions and add the Molex to P4 Power Cable option where necessary. All our regular Mini-ITX cases will fit the board including but not exclusively Jou Jye, CFI Chassis, Noah 3988, Chenbro NAS, Compact Wall Mount, M350/M5X (with a picoPSU fitted with a 12V P4 output), M5XP, 1U chassis.

Memory: The C8HM70-I/HDMI supports up to 16GB DDR3 memory on 2x DDR3 SODIMMS. This is not compatible with DDR2 memory.

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Asus J1900I-C Quad Core 2.42GHz Celeron Mini-ITX Review

Great value Asus J1900I-C motherboard with Passively Cooled Quad-Core 64-bit 2.42GHz Celeron J1900 Bay Trail 22nm processor with VT-x support and integrated Intel HD Graphics. Up to 8GB of DDR3L system memory; 2x SATA 3Gb/s; PCI-Express x1 slot; Realtek Gigabit Ethernet; Realtek ALC887-VD 8-Channel Audio. DirectX 11 support and full Windows 7/8/8.1 32/64-bit driver availability.

Rear Panel: Combo Mouse/Keyboard PS/2 port; 4x USB 2.0 ports; 1x Gigabit Ethernet; 1x USB 3.0 port; 1x HDMI (supporting up to 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz); 1x VGA (supporting up to 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz) ; 3x 3.5mm audio connectors (Line In, Line Out, Mic In).

Board Connectors: 1x 24pin ATX Power Connector (either 20pin or 24pin ATX will work); 1x 12v P4 connector (needs to be connected); 2x SATA 3Gb/s ports; 2x USB 2.0 connectors on 1x 9pin header; 1x TPM connector; 1x LPT connector; PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slot; 1x Half Mini-PCI Express slot; 2x DDR3L SODIMM sockets (up to 8GB per socket); 1x Serial port header; 1x System Fan Header; 1x CPU Fan Header; 1x Front Panel Connector; 1x Front Panel Audio Connector;1x System panel; 1x Clear CMOS jumper; 1x Buzzer.

ASUS Special Features: ASUS Exclusive Features : AI Suite 3; Ai Charger; Anti-Surge; ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface; Network iControl; USB 3.0 Boost ASUS Quiet Thermal Solution : ASUS Fan Xpert ASUS EZ DIY : ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3; ASUS EZ Flash 2; ASUS MyLogo 2. 100% All High-quality Conductive Polymer Capacitors.

Manageability: WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, PXE.

UEFI BIOS: This board uses a UEFI BIOS. To enter the BIOS press Delete on your keyboard during startup. If you enter the EFI shell (commmand prompt) type "exit".

Downloads: BIOS, Documentation and Drivers
http://www.asus.com/my/Motherboards/J1900IC/overview/
http://www.asus.com/my/Motherboards/J1900IC/specifications/

Case compatibility. The J1900I-C has a standard height heatsink and low power requirements. A 20pin or 24pin ATX connector can be used but the 12V P4 connector must also be connected. Check individual case descriptions and add the Molex to P4 Power Cable option where necessary. All our Mini-ITX cases will fit the board including but not exclusively Jou Jye 528i/568i/526i, CFI Chassis, Noah 3988, Chenbro NAS, Venus 669, M200/M300/M350 & M5X (with a picoPSU fitted with a 12V P4 output), M5XP, Travla C146, T1200, C159, Thin Clients, Travla C158 (inc CD drive), Compact and Lockable Wall Mount Cases.

M350/M5X Compatibility: The J1900I-C will work with the M350 or with the M5X (picoPSU-90, 60W or 80W AC Adapter recommended), or the M5XP (version of M5X with included power supply).

Box contents: Motherboard, 2x SATA cables, Product Guide, I/O Shield.

Memory: The J1900I-C supports up to 8GB DDR3L memory on 2x DDR3L SODIMMs. This is not compatible with DDR2 memory.

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