In the wake of Gigabyte’s USB 3.0/SATA 6Gbps announcement, ASUS has announced today the impending launch of P55 mainboards sporting the same connectivity options.

ASUS today announces a range of enhanced motherboard solutions that deliver true USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s data throughput. The ASUS Xtreme Design P7P55D-E Series motherboards feature onboard support while the ASUS Xtreme Design P7P55D Series utilize ASUS U3S6 PCIe x4 expansion cards to deliver the latest USB and SATA data transfer capabilities. Equipped with the Intel® P55 Express chipset, the P7P55D-E / P7P55D Series support the latest LGA 1156 socket for Intel® Core™ i7/Core™ i5 Processors. Additionally, they also feature exclusive Hybrid Technology—Hybrid Processor, Hybrid Phase, and Hybrid OS—offering intelligent performance enhancements, active cooling, and rapid online access.

With two of the world’s largest mobo makers preparing products with the new I/O specs, it seems nobody is interested in waiting on Intel which has delayed USB 3.0 support until 2011.

Netflix integration in Windows Media Center 7

The HTPC, or Home Theater PC, has been an elusive beast. For years, people have bandied about the concept of building a PC that is a dedicated home entertainment hub rather than a general-purpose computer. Up until very recently, building an HTPC has been a difficult journey to find the sorcerous combination of parts and software that would enable exactly everything one wanted the PC to do.

Luckily, everything has recently started coming together. Retail availability of key technologies such as efficient power supplies, cool and quiet processors, HDMI-enabled and 1080p-capable GPUs, massive storage capacities, and–perhaps most importantly–an HTPC-optimal OS have all come together in a ballet of technology which can provide a seamless and graceful HTPC experience.

We have put together an amazingly high performance and relatively low cost HTPC just in time for the 2009 holiday season. While we did operate with a liberal cost philosophy when it came to component choices, we feel that this remains an affordable project for those in the market for a full-featured home entertainment hub.

(more…)

Mobo maker Gigabyte has announced today that the company has refreshed its lineup of Intel P55 motherboards with a SATA 6Gbps controller and USB 3.0 ports.

The company has tacked the new features, which it calls “GIGABYTE 333 onboard acceleration,” onto seven boards in the GA-P55 series. The “333″ refers to USB 3.0, third-generation SATA, and USB 3.0’s new voltage profile which can power external devices without an AC adapter. We’ll give their marketing team the last one.

Whereas the company’s lineup of USB 2.0/SATA 3Gbps boards carry the P55 name, the seven new motherboards can be identified by their P55A branding.

The Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD6

USB 3.0 functionality is provided by an NEC uPD720200 controller, while a Marvell 88SE9128 controller has been tossed in for SATA 6Gbps support.

In a report filed by TheInquirer’s Rob Kerr, it appears as though Asus has put its first USB 3.0-equipped motherboard — the P6X58 — into the circular file, never to return.

An Asus spokesperson was particularly coy in telling TheInq that the board wasn’t deep-sixed for “any particularly interesting reasons.”

Speculatively, the firm could be waiting for a better USB 3.0 chip, a better board on which to intro the new USB spec, or it may simply be twiddling its thumbs to see what competitors shovel onto the public.

Once esteemed motherboard manufacturer ABIT is set to permanently close on December 31 when its backer, Universal Scientific Industrial, pulls funding.

The closure is the unceremonious end to a hideous backslide that began in 2005 with the dismissal of executives for questionable finance practices. The ensuing years spelled a lost of top engineers which left ABIT struggling to compete not only with newcomers, but their past selves. No longer the paragon of enthusiast potential with boards like the KX7-333R or the NF7-S 2.0, the company also lost significant mind and market share.

Based on the current financial climate and ABIT’s struggles, USI has elected to pull the plug on the company at the end of the year.

Oh, what might have been if their top execs had never engaged in fuzzy money.

Gigabyte explains what’s behind their Ultra Durable 3 technologies.

DFI’s Auto Boost System makes overclocking easy for novices and experts alike.

The GF8200A Black Edition is another solid budget AMD motherboard from ECS.

TweakTown tests the ASUS EPU 6 vs MSI DrMOS vs GIGABYTE DES Advanced to see who has the best power savings technology.

Hexus reviews the AMD 790GX chipset-sporting Gigabyte M790GP-DS4H.

Check here and here for a “twofer” of Gigabyte EP45T-DS3R motherboard reviews.

AMDZone reviews the Gigabyte GA-EG45M-DS2H Intel mATX board.