Details of several new motherboards with support for PCI Express 3.0 from ASRock have turned up, including specs of a couple of upcoming models. The most exciting model is the feature packed Z68 Extreme7 which has been given quite a makeover since Computex, not in terms of features, but in terms of looks. Although four new models have shown up, only two are actually new, as all four models have the Gen3 moniker tacked on the end. The two boards that don't appear to have changed much is the P67 Extrem4 Gen3 which has been given an overhaul with regards to the choice of colours and of course PCI Express 3.0 switches for the x16 PCI Express slots has otherwise not changed at all from what we can tell. The same goes for the Z68 Extreme4 Gen3, which got the same treatment as the P67 Extreme4 Gen3.

http://www.pohrani.com/f/1O/Im/2kEhexZR/asrock.jpg

The Z68 Etreme3 Gen3 is a brand new model though that slots in between the Z68 Pro3 and the Z68 Extreme4. Unlike the previous two models, this one has been given a set of new chipset heatsinks as well which look rather quite stylish. It's quite hard to see any details from the tiny picture though, but the specs give us an idea of what's on offer. The board has a pair of x16 PCI Express slots that operate in dual x8 mode when both are in use, two x1 PCI Express slots and two PCI slots. Around the back the board has what we think is four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, an eSATA port, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1-channel audio and a D-Sub, HDMI and DVI port. The board also features power, reset and clear CMOS buttons, but for everything else we're going to have to wait until it launches.

http://www.pohrani.com/f/3D/sI/1LA0K...ock-boards.jpg

Finally we have ASRock's new flagship board, the Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 and although there was a version on display at Computex, the revised version doesn't look anything like it. ASRock has gone for a design that has ended up somewhere between Gigabyte's UD7 and Asus' ROG series of boards, although there are a few things that could've been better in our opinion. The new heatsinks and gold capacitors look very modern and high-tech though, even though they are unlikely to offer any extra benefits over more regular looking components. The slot-layout is far from ideal and ASRock has kitted out the board with an nForce 200 chip which enables 3-way SLI and according to the spec sheet the top slot is the only x16 PCI Express 3.0 slot, whereas the other four x16 slots are stuck at PCI Express 2.0. There's also a single PCI Express x1 and a single PCI slot on the board. A very strange setup, but at least it's something unique to this board.

ASRock has gone feature crazy on the Z68 Extreme7 with no less than four additional SATA 6Gbps ports, an eSATA controller, three USB 3.0 host controllers and a pair of Gigabit Ethernet controllers. Due to lack of PCI Express lanes from the chipset, ASRock has as such had to add a PLX bridge chip to handle all the peripheral controllers. The board also has headers for eight USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a FireWire port. Around the back, unless ASRock has changed things around since Computex, there are two USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, two Ethernet ports, a FireWire port, an eSATA port, 7.1-channel audio with optical S/PDIF and a full set of display connectivity options which consist of a DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI and D-Sub connectors. Finally we have power, reset and clear CMOS buttons alongside a POST 80 debug LED. The real question is how much this board will cost, as we expect this to be the most expensive motherboard ASRock has ever launched to date.

Exclusive hands on, pictures of ASRock's new Gen3 motherboards

http://www.pohrani.com/f/z/Ra/3gRcTXJq/asrock.jpg

Intel Leaks Core i7-2700K

Yesterday, Intel updated their Material Declaration Data Sheets (MDDS) with product code for i7-2700K. The exact product code is: BX80623I72700K SR0DG. Lets break down the product codes. The first two letters, "BX", stand for boxed unit. After that, there is a five number code "80623". This is a specific code for all boxed desktop Sandy Bridge CPUs. Finally we get to the processor number which is the most interesting part and in this case, revealed the i7-2700K. There is still a separate spec code after the processor number and it's processor specific as well.

The specs of i7-2700K are unknown though. It's also a question whether there will be i7-2700 and i7-2700S or not. However, we would expect i7-2700K to carry similar specs as i7-2600K (four cores, Hyper-Threading, unlocked multiplier, 8MB L3...), but a slightly higher default frequency. Given Intel's history, 100MHz (one multiplier) increase sounds likely, making i7-2700K's stock frequency 3.5GHz with up to 3.9GHz Turbo. Price wise i7-2700K should also replace i7-2600K, making its price ~$317.

There is no word on the availability of i7-2700K. Leaked roadmaps suggest something equal or better than i7-2600K between Q3'11 and Q1'12. Considering that Intel just released new CPUs a few days ago, it seems unlikely that the release is imminent. On the other hand, it makes no sense to release i7-2700K just before Ivy Bridge, thus our guess would be Q4'11, around the same time as AMD's Bulldozer hits the shelves.

Izvor: AnandTech

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