MSI Adds PCIe 4.0 Support to Z490 Motherboards

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[Taipei, Taiwan] All of the MSI Z490 motherboards will be supporting PCIe 4.0 with the coming Intel 11th Gen Intel Processors. Through an update to the latest BIOS, MSI Z490 motherboards offer great bandwidth and performance for PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs and graphics cards.

To be PCIe 4.0 compatible, several components on the motherboards are necessary, including PCIe 4.0 ready clock generator, lane switch, redriver, PCIe slots, and M.2 connectors. Thanks to the complete PCIe 4.0 solutions, MSI Z490 motherboards provide the most stable design for PCIe 4.0 and unlock the full performance of PCIe 4.0 devices.

To enjoy the unlocked performance of PICe 4.0, please update the Z490 motherboards with the latest BIOSes optimized for PCIe 4.0.
MSI Z490 BIOSes optimized for PCIe 4.0 performance:

Find more details @ MSI

Intel Rocket Lake-S: Launching March 30th

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A duo of reports from the last two days has confirmed the Intel Rocket Lake-S launch for March 30th. We’ll see if, by some miracle, this doesn’t turn into an effective paper launch with a months long wait to get one of these chips. At the same time, WCCFTech has the full details on all of the Rocket Lake-S chips:

ASUS ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II – TechPowerUp

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While AMD has done a great job of maintaining motherboard compatibility with new generation processors, none of the previous-generation AM4 motherboards featured official PCIe 4.0 support, not even for the storage and PCIe controlled by PCIe 4.0 compatible CPUs. Enter B550, the more value-oriented little brother of X570. While the B550 chipset is PCIe 3.0 only, B550 motherboards support PCIe 4.0 from the CPU to the primary PCIe slot as well as the primary M.2 slot (dependent on a PCIe 4.0 ready CPU). With PCIe 4.0 support also came increased cost. PCIe 4.0 devices are still rare in 2021, so for those on a budget, the tried and true B450 chipset is the way to go. What B450 lacks in cutting-edge features it makes up for in value.

Read more @ TechPowerUp

Coming Soon: AMD AGESA 1.2.0.1 BIOS Updates

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AMD has confirmed that the AGESA 1.2.0.1 BIOS’ are coming, with several fixes. What fixes are we looking at? Well, here’s the list from AMD’s post:

1) Fix: False SMART errors on Hynix NVMe
2) Fix: Intermittent SSD detection for M.2 SATA devices
3) Improve L3$ bandwidth in AIDA64
4) Improve stability if user disables cores on 5600X/5800X with AMD Ryzen Master

If you’ve been hitting any of these issues, keep and eye out for a BIOS update for your motherboard.

ASRock Z590 Extreme WiFi 6E – TweakTown

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Z590 brings a sizable refresh to Intel’s enthusiast platform motherboards. Starting with the spotlight feature, PCIe Express Gen4, bringing Intel up to par with AMD on both the storage front allowing for incredibly fast NVMe storage to be deployed and GPUs that extra bandwidth. Additional features include support for Thunderbolt 4, USB4, USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (20Gbps), 2.5Gbe as standard equipment, and Intel CNVi for Wi-Fi 6 and 6e. All of this made possible with Intel doubling DMI link bandwidth to the chipset.

Read more @ TweakTown

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 – Review Roundup

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As with almost every launch in recent memory, yesterday NVIDIA’s RTX 3060 was released and…immediately gone. What else is new? In any case, if you’re in the market for a GPU upgrade at the “budget” end of the spectrum for the latest generation of NVIDIA cards, here is a fairly large list of reviews that have been released:

Inno3D GeForce RTX 3060 iCHILL X3 RED @ TweakTown
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Gaming @ ThinkComputers
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Black Gaming @ HotHardware
ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 STRIX Gaming OC @ Guru3D
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Gaming @ Guru3D
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Gaming X TRIO @ Guru3D
PALIT GeForce RTX 3060 DUAL OC @ Guru3D
ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3060 AMP WHITE @ Guru3D
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 GAMING X TRIO @ TweakTown
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Gaming X Trio @ ThinkComputers
PALIT GeForce RTX 3060 Dual OC @ TechPowerUp
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC @ TechPowerUp
ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3060 AMP White Edition @ TechPowerUp
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Gaming X Trio @ TechPowerUp
GIGABYTE RTX 3060 GAMING OC @ Vortez
GIGABYTE RTX 3060 GAMING OC @ KitGuru

ASRock B550 Taichi Razer Edition – TweakTown

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Taichi has been the pinnacle of ASRock motherboards platforms for years, and the B550 Taichi in itself is one of the more premium motherboards available on the market within the B550 lineup. For gamers wanting to build on a budget, B550 is fantastic, offering reliable connectivity and, admittedly, limited Gen4 capabilities. Still, enough to get your GPU and NVMe on the latest and greatest motherboard tech has to offer.

Read more @ TweakTown

ASRock Z490 Taichi: Physical Review – Steve’s Hardware

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Overall we were quite impressed with the hardware on this motherboard. We like the VRM very much, but what really impressed us is the feature count. For starters, ASRock’s approach to PCI-E 4.0 is more unique than we have seen, with a separate fourth M.2 slot just to be used with next generation CPUs. We also have USB 3.2 2×2 (20Gb/s), 2.5Gbit LAN, and a lot of USB internal and rear IO connectors. The aesthetics of the motherboard are also quite pleasing. Overall, the Z490 Taichi from ASRock once again fulfils the legacy of the product line and would make its predecessors proud.

Read more @ Steve’s Hardware

SuperMicro SuperO C9Z490-PGW / PG: Physical Review – Steve’s Hardware

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Don’t let its 6+2 phase VRM fool you, the C9Z490-PGW is loaded with high quality parts that are capable of taking your CPU to a very comfortable overclock without much hassle. The level of quality of the motherboard ensures excellent performance as well. The PEX8747 and the 10Gbit NIC are very nice additions, and pretty much make this a mixture between a high-end gaming/enthusiast motherboard and a workstation product.

Read more @ Steve’s Hardware

MSI MEG B550 UNIFY – Overclocking

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After focusing on several motherboards with X570 chipset and in particular the Crosshair VIII Dark Hero , today we are back with a model from MSI: the MEG B550 Unify. The “Unify” series was launched at the end of 2019 with the excellent MEG X570 Unify that we had the chance to test exclusively. The idea of ​​MSI, with this new series, was to offer a card that goes to the essentials, leaving aside the RGB backlighting, in order to concentrate on the overclocking aspect in particular . As a reminder, we also had the opportunity to review the B550 Tomahawk version built on the same chipset and whose price is below the 200 euros mark.

Read more @ Overclocking (French)