MSI makes use of Intel's Z77 Thunderbolt support

Motherboard Maker MSI has released its first Thunderbolt motherboard based on Intel's Z77 chipset.

Intel's Z77 Panther Point chipset has largely the same features as its Z68 chipset, however one startling addition was support for two Thunderbolt channels. Intel told journalists that it didn't expect many motherboard vendors to make use of this, but MSI has with its Z77A-GD80 motherboard.

MSI's Z77A-GD80 motherboard is, for the most part, a bog standard Z77 motherboard with support for Intel's Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge LGA1155 processors, four DIMM sockets, three PCI Express Gen 3 slots supporting three-way Crossfire and two-way SLI, plus four SATA3 ports and four SATA2 ports. However the firm's standout feature is the 10Gbit/s Thunderbolt controller it has tacked on.

Intel's Thunderbolt technology has been implemented by Apple and while few other vendors have gone down this route so far, it is likely that the Z77 marks a push by Intel to move the technology away from just being seen as an Apple exclusive. Intel's 10Gbit/s Thunderbolt interface that uses the PCI-Express bus can be used to drive monitors or storage devices, but there are relatively few of either around at the moment, so MSI also includes mini-Displayport, HDMI and D-Sub video outputs.

MSI's stab at bundling Thunderbolt in its Z77A-GD80 motherboard is commendable, as the interface is particularly useful for mass storage devices, but without motherboard makers supporting it, devices are likely to remain rare and cost a considerable premium over ones that use USB.

Source: Theinquirer

Tags: Motherboards, MSI, Z77, Ivy Bridge

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Intel Ivy Bridge laptops: top laptops with Intel’s third gen chips

Leading computer manufactures have announced new line of laptop s with Intel Ivy Bridge, Intel’s third gen chips

Chip maker behemoth Intel has just showcased some models of its third generation Core-i chips, codenamed the Ivy Bridge. The high performing and energy efficient chips are soon to appear in a set of advanced computers, laptops and Ultrabooks. For your information, Intel has already unveiled Ivy Bridge models like Core i7-3920XM, Core i7-3820QM, Core i7-3720QM, Core i7-3612QM and Core i7-3610QM. Other models will soon hit stores.

Anyway, many leading manufacturers have already launched their latest computers with the Ivy Bridge chips. Here we review a few laptops from a variety of computer makers, which are announced to get the Icy Bridge processors.

Dell Alienware M14x, M17x & M18x
Leading computer maker Dell has revamped its famous Alienware gaming laptop series with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 600 series graphics cards and Intel Ivy Bridge processors. Dell made the announcement soon after the release of Intel’s new chips. The new line of Alienware gaming laptops namely the M14x, M17x and M18x come with the Intel Ivy Bridge chips and also keep the AlienFX lighting and styling. The expected price for the Dell Alienware goes like $1099 for M14x, $1499 for M17x and $199 for M18x at $1999.

Acer V3 series
The Taiwan tech maker has announced two models of its V3 series with the new Ivy Bridge processors. The 14-inch and the 15.6-inch models come with 2.3GHz Core i7 quad-core chips, Nvidia GeForce GT 640M GPUS and 750GB HDD. The 14-inch version of the V3 series is to hit stores for $1,198.

Samsung Series 7 Gamer
Samsung Series 7 or Samsung Series NP700G7C is a thin 17.3-inch gaming laptop with Ivy Bridge processor and advanced Nvidia graphical card. The device will mount an Intel Core i7-3610QM processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M GPU, 16GB of memory and an amazing 1.5TB (7200 rpm) HDD and so on. Amazon is to sell this powerful gaming laptop for $1899.99.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y480 and ThinkPad Edge E430
The Chinese laptop maker has already announced a set of Ivy Bridge-based laptops including the much-touted IdeaPad Y480 and ThinkPad Edge E430. The IdeaPad, which will come with GeForce GT 640M GPU, is aimed at consumers; while the ThinkPad Edge with GeForce GT 630M is meant for business users. The devices will soon hit stores with the high performing Intel Ivy Bridge processors.

Asus G75VW and Asus G55VW
ASUSTeK’s G75VW and G55VW gaming laptops will also be in the list of first laptops to get the Ivy Bridge processors. The machines will be among the first laptops to get Nvidia Kepler graphics with the powerful GeForce GT 660M card. The laptops will mount standard Intel Core i7 3610QM processors. Asus is to sell the 17-inch 3D-capable G75 for $1499.99. The device will have 16GB of RAM and 750GB of HDD. An equally spec’ed 15.6-inch G55 will come for a price around $1449.

Origin EON11-S, EON15-S and EON17-S
Leading custom PC maker Origin has announced three models of laptops with the Ivy Bridge processors. The new models are the 15.6-inch EON15-S, the 17.3-inch EON17-S and the 11.6-inch EON11-S. All the models will come with Intel Ivy Bridge processors and Nvidia 650M or 675M GPUs. The EON11-S will come for $999, the EON15-S for $1561, and the EON17-S for $2541. Origin directly sells all the devices.

HP Pavilion DV6
HP’s Pavilion DV6 is to come with the Intel Ivy Bridge chips and advanced graphical processors. What is best with the device is that it the best option for a laptop with matte full-HD display. Certainly, it might be one of the first Ivy Bridge-based laptops from Hewlett-Packard.

MSI GT60MSI GT60 and GT70
MSI has also announced a pair of gaming laptops; the 15-inch GT60 and the 17.3-inch GT70 to come with Intel Core i7-3610QM processors and Nvidia’s GeForce GTX670M GPUs. The MSI laptops are to come with colorful bodies and Steelseries-designed keyboards with different backlighting modes and ultimate customization options. A whopping 32GB of RAM, SSD RAID configurations and other features will make the laptops outstanding. The GT60 is to be priced at $1499 and GT70 for $1549.99.

Source: Novnews

Tags: Ivy Bridge, Laptop, Ultrabook, MSI, Samsung, Sony, Lenova, HP, Origin, Asus, Acer, Dell, Alienware

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MSI Launches its Most Powerful Graphics Card, the GeForce GTX 690

Graphics card and mainboard manufacturer, Micro-Star International (MSI), has launched its most powerful graphics card, the GeForce GTX 690, adopting dual GeForce GTX 600 GPUs with 3072 CUDA Cores and 4 GB/512bits GDDR5 memory.

Dual GPUs Provide Double Performance

MSI GeForce GTX 690 graphics card is equipped with dual 28 nm GeForce GTX 680 GPUs with 3072 CUDA Cores (1536units x2) and 4 GB/512bits (256bits x2) GDDR5 memory, supports the latest PCI Express Gen 3 standard and DirectX 11 technology delivering the most powerful performance on earth. Through Quad SLI technology, the ultimate performance of dual graphics cards can definitely satisfy the demands of any enthusiast gamer.

Power Limit Control by Afterburner

The MSI GeForce GTX 680 graphics card supports Nvidia's GPU Boost technology that allows the core clock to be adjusted on the fly for optimal gaming performance. When used with MSI's Afterburner overclocking utility, gamers can control the power limit and clock offset for better overclocking capability. The card is also equipped with advanced fans speed control based on GPU temperature.

Afterburner supports the free video/audio capturing function Predator and can even use smart phones to control the graphics card in desktop machines. When combined with the Kombustor burn-in testing function, it is an indispensable tool for enthusiasts looking to get the most out of their graphics card.

Run 3DVision Surround with a Single Card

MSI GeForce GTX 690 graphics card features three dual-link DVI and one mini DisplayPort connector. With just one GeForce GTX 690 graphics card, users can experience vivid 3D games with 3D glasses and use three 120 Hz monitors through advanced 3DVision Surround technology from Nvidia.

Additionally, support for up to four displays driven by one graphics card allows gamers to make the most of multiple-monitor gaming configurations.

Tags: MSI, Graphic Cards, Nvdia, GeForce GTX 690

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MSI GT60 and GT70 Gaming Laptops Announced

MSI announced the 17.3-inch GT70 and 15.6-inch GT60 gaming laptops, featuring the Intel HM77 Chipset, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670M graphics processing unit (GPU), Killer E2200 Game Networking, Steel Series backlit keyboard, and more. Designed with the serious gamer in mind, both notebooks provide ample power.

The GT70 comes with 17.3-inches of Full HD anti-reflective display to maximize visual experience under all lighting conditions, a Steel Series full color backlit programmable keyboard with 1000 customizable color combinations, amplified gold plated audio connections for crisper sounds, 12 GB of DDR3 for superb speed, and more. For gamers looking for even more power, the GT70 is also available with 16 GB of DDR3, BD Burner, and MSI's Super RAID 0 configuration, a unique combination of 128GB (2*64GB) of SSD RAID 0 and 750GB at 7200RPM for unprecedented storage capacity.

With similar power but more mobility, the 15.6-inch GT60 also comes equipped with Full HD Non Reflection Display and an array of performance focused components, including dual HDD's in RAID 0 for a combined storage space of 1TB, 12 GB DDR3 memory and more.
Features of both models:

• NVIDIA GeForce GT670M -- Latest generation GPU immerses audiences in superb graphics without the need to sacrifice performance and speed
• Intel HM77 Chipset -- Maximize all your gaming performance with the latest generation of Intel chipset featuring Core i7 processors
• Killer E2200 Game Networking -- High-performance, Gigabit Ethernet tuned for gaming, HD video and high-quality streaming audio
• Audio Boost -- Gold flashed audio connectors combine with an AMP produces high fidelity sounds directly into the headset
• Dynaudio Speakers with THX Surround Sound -- Professional quality speakers with built-in sub-woofer to accurately reproduce THX's TruStudio Pro sound experience
• Steel Series Full Color Backlit Programmable Keyboard -- Accurately responds to 10 simultaneous key actions with over 1,000 color combinations for a powerful and customizable experience in your hands
• MSI's Exclusive Turbo Drive Engine (TDE) Technology: Provides an instant boost in graphics performance to accelerate video decoding
• MSI Cooler Boost Technology -- Increases airflow at the touch of a button to stay cool in the heat of the battle

Price and Availability

• MSI GT60 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop → $1,499.99
• MSI GT70 17.3-inch Gaming Laptop → $1.549.99

Specifications

Tags: MSI, Laptop, MSI GT60, MSI GT70

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MSI Z77A-GD65 Motherboard Preview - Intel Z77 w/ Sandy Bridge

It's not often that we can preview a motherboard before the official launch of the chipset, but today we have exactly that for you. The MSI Z77A-GD65 is based on the upcoming Intel Z77 chipset. The Intel Z77 chipset uses the Intel LGA1155 socket and will support the latest 22nm processors from Intel. From what we can tell, the only real design change between the Intel Z68 chipset and the Intel Z77 chipset is the addition of SuperSpeed USB 3.0. There may be a few other design changes in the chipset, but we don't have the full details about the Intel Z77 chipset just yet. Those much more specific details will be released with the official launch of the Intel 'Ivy Bridge' platform later this year. For now though, what we have is the opportunity to look at the MSI Z77A-GD65 Intel Z77 'Ivy Bridge' motherboard. Unfortunately, we don't have an Intel 'Ivy Bridge' processor in our greedy hands just yet, the good news however is that the Intel Z77 chipset will support all of the existing Sandy Bridge processors so we will be using our Intel Core i7 2600K Sandy Bridge processor for testing today.

As I mentioned above, we have the opportunity to take an early look at the MSI Z77A-GD65. While the Intel Z77 chipset doesn't launch for some time, we can see that at least one company already has boards out in the wild. With that detail alone, I would imagine that the Intel 'Ivy Bridge' launch is coming up quick for those who are waiting for it. Once we hit the official launch for the Intel Z77 chipset and the new Ivy Bridge processors we will likely be coming back to this board to compare the numbers at some point. For now, let's take a look at what makes the MSI Z77A-GD65 tic.

For starters at the heart of the MSI Z77A-GD65 is the new Intel Z77 chipset. Like the previous Intel Z68/P67 chipsets the Z77 features a total of 16 PCI Express Gen3 lanes for the graphics cards. On the MSI Z77A-GD65 we can run one card at x16, two cards at x8 (x8, x8), or one card at x8 and two cards at x4 (x8, x4, x4). The MSI Z77A-GD65 will support both NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX. The key point to the MSI Z77A-GD65 is the SuperSpeed USB 3.0. Now that the Intel Z77 chipset supports SuperSpeed USB 3.0 MSI didn't need to use the NEC/Renassas SuperSpeed USB 3.0 controller on the Z77A-GD65 like they have on their previous motherboards.

The MSI Z77A-GD65 mainboard uses Military Class components. Though MSI has recently updated their boards to Military Class III components. The Military Class III components are comprised of DrMOS II, Hi-C Caps, Super Ferrite Chokes, and Solid Capacitors. Each of the four parts of the Military Class III technology play a vital role in the capabilities of the MSI Z77A-GD65. The DrMOS II is comprised of three components on one chip. The Driver IC, top MOSFET, and the Bottom MOSFET were originally combined in the original DrMOS by MSI a few years ago. Today nearly all motherboard manufacturers have switched over to their own variant of this design. Stepping up to DrMOS II, MSI has raised the bar even further. The have added active protection for your motherboard. The MSI DrMOS II has added the ability to monitor and prevent damage from pushing the system to far by adding in double thermal protection. The double thermal protection first informs the user if the operation temperature hits 115 degrees Celsius, at 130C the system automatically shuts down. The Hi-C capacitors (Highly-Conductive polymerized capacitor) offer a high themal stability, ultra low ESR, and no mechanical issues. Another great advantage to the Hi-C capacitors is the life span. The Hi-C capacitors have a life span of up to 8 times that of the more traditional solid capacitors still found on many boards today. The SFC or Super Ferrite Chokes offer 10% higher power efficiency, stability and better overclocking. The solid capacitors that are used on the MSI Z77A-GD65 offer a life span of more than 10 years under a full load. All of the Military Class III components have passed the testing to be certified by the MIL-STD-810G standard.

MSI Z77A-GD65 'Ivy Bridge' Motherboard Specifications

Processor Support	3rd Generation Intel Core i7/i5/i3/Pentium/Celeron Processors in LGA1155
Chipset	Intel Z77 Chipset
Memory Support	4x DDR3 DIMMs Support DDR32667/2400/2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 DRAM 32GB Maximum
LAN	10/100/1000 Fast Ethernet by Intel 82579V
Audio	Integrated HD Audio Codec by realtek ALC898 8-Channel audio with jack sensing Compliant with Azalia 1.0 Spec
SATA	4x SATA 6Gb/s ports -SATA 1-2 by Intel Z77 -SATA 7-8 by ASMedia ASM1061 4x SATA 3Gb/s ports -SATA 3-6 by Intel Z77
RAID	SATA 1-6 Support Intel Rapid Storage Technology enterprise (AHCI/ RAID 0/ 1/ 5/ 10) by Intel Z77
USB 3.0	2x USB 3.0 Rear I/O ports by Intel Z77 1x USB 3.0 Internal Connector by Intel Z77
Multi-GPU	Supports ATI CrossFire Technology Supports NVIDIA SLI Technology Supports Lucid Virtu Universal MVP
Back Panel	1x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Port 1x Clear CMOS Button 1x Coaxial SPDIF-out Port 1x Optical SPDIF-out Port 4x USB 2.0 Ports 2x USB 3.0 Ports 1x LAN Port 6x Audio Ports 1x HDMI port 1xDVI-D Port 1x VGA Port
Onboard	3x USB 2.0 Connectors 1x USB 3.0 Connectors 1x IEEE 1394 Connector 1x Multi BIOS Switch 1x TPM Connector 1x Front Panel Audio Connector 1x Chassis Intrusion Connector 1x Voice Genie Connector 1x MultiConnect Panel Connector 1x V-Check Points Set
Expansion Slots	3x PCIe 3.0 x16 Slots 4x PCIe 2.0 x1 Slots

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