Introduction

With the release of the X58 chipset around 10 months ago, a lot has changed in the world of computer hardware. Suddenly, gamers and hardcore enthusiasts were able to purchase a motherboard which supported both SLI and CrossFire, were able to run memory in an all-new triple-channel scenario and last but not least, make use of the awesome performance the i7 series processor offered. Although many would have liked to upgrade to the X58/i7 platform, doing it inexpensively was one of the largest roadblocks caused by this new technology.

Fortunately, ASUS and a few other motherboard manufacturers cottoned onto the crisis hardware enthusiasts were experiencing and decided to shred features that many users didn’t need from their top-end motherboards in order to make more affordable versions. This opened a new window of opportunity for enthusiasts to migrate from their current systems to the performance driven i7/X58 combinations without breaking the bank.

One of the most popular X58 motherboard which supports the i7 processor series is the ASUS P6T board. In many reviews and tests it has delivered outstanding performance and has proven to be a favourite amongst overclockers. ASUS immediately became aware of this success and developed the ASUS P6T SE (Second Edition). The SE was designed to be a cheaper alternative to the original P6T and was made possible by removing SLI support (so CrossFire only), downgrading the capacitors and removing a couple of needless features. Today we hope to find out if the £25 price difference between the P6T SE and its elder brother is money worth saving. Let’s see how the sibling performs…

About ASUS

“ASUS comes from the last four letters of Pegasus, the winged horse in Greek mythology that represents the inspiration of art and learning. ASUS embodies the strength, creative spirit and purity symbolized by this regal and agile mythical creature, soaring to new heights of quality and innovation with each product it introduces to the market.”

]]> http://tech-reviews.co.uk/reviews/asus-p6t-se-x58-i7-motherboard-review/feed/ 0 http://tech-reviews.co.uk/reviews/zotac-ion-a-series-itx-motherboard/ http://tech-reviews.co.uk/reviews/zotac-ion-a-series-itx-motherboard/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:54:24 +0000 Rhys http://tech-reviews.co.uk/?p=1215

Introduction

ITX motherboards have been around for long time now. The problem is, they’ve been so far behind in technology and with such high price tags it makes them an option not even worth considering. However, with the release of the Intel Atom processor, a series of ITX motherboards using the processor have been released. Some people say these are the new generation of motherboards. Built with onboard processors, graphics and power supplies, you can easily build a low cost energy efficient computer system for around £200-250.

The motherboard we’ll be reviewing today is manufactured by Zotac, a quickly expanding company. It’s built using the Nvidia ION graphics platform which supports even DirectX10. The Intel Atom processor used in this system is the Dual Core based Atom N330. Costing less than £200, these specifications are certainly quite impressive. Let’s see if the Zotac ION A-Series’ performance is as good as its specifications might suggest….

About Zotac

“ZOTAC International (MCO) Limited was established in 2006 with a mission to deliver superb quality of NVIDIA graphic solutions to the industry. It has strong backup from parent group, PC Partner Ltd. Headquartered in Hong Kong, factory in Mainland China and regional sales offices in Europe, Asia Pacific and North America. The support ZOTAC provides is currently the largest of its kind around the world.”

Features

• NVIDIA ION GRAPHICS PROCESSOR
• NVIDIA PUREVIDEO HD
• NVIDIA CUDA TECHNOLOGY
• GIGABIT LAN
• WiFi
• HD AUDIO
• SATA RAID

Specifications