<p><span class="article-name"><font size="2">One doesn&rsquo;t have to be big to be efficient &ndash; this saying perfectly described Asus Rampage Gene II mainboard.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mainboards/display/asus-rampage-ii-gene.html">Read more...</a></font></span></p>

<span class="content"> <p><font size="2">We recently previewed the 785G chipset and had to stop testing as the early beta drivers were not mature enough to provide a full performance analysis. We have since received two updated sets of drivers and are glad to report that significant progress has been made in enabling a variety of features missing in the first set. However, a full NDA is in effect on the chipset now so that is about as far as we can take it today. </font></p> <p><font size="2">In the meantime, AMD is allowing limited press coverage (pictures with just a few words of text) on the 785G motherboards. We still have boards from MSI, Biostar, ECS, and ASRock coming along with additional models from Gigabyte and ASUS that we hope to provide a quick glimpse at before the NDA lifts next month.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=625">Read more...</a></font></p> </span>

<span class="content"> <p><font size="2"><strong><em>pro-gres-sive</em></strong> - 1 a: of, relating to, or characterized by progress b: making use of or interested in new ideas, findings, or opportunities... The introduction of the first uATX P55 based motherboard by Gigabyte indicates progressive thinking on their part. I have to admit it, I am a big fan of the uATX form factor. So my enthusiasm about this particular product has me acting like a kid on Christmas morning. We did not know if Gigabyte would proceed forward with this design or not. However, we are excited they did and can now show what was displayed to us at Computex 2009. </font></p> <p><font size="2">I was excited to see the X58 uATX form factor boards launch earlier this year and now that we have the EVGA board in-house for testing, expect to see a X58 mini-roundup in the near future. That said, I really think the P55/Lynnfield setup is a better choice for the uATX form factor than the X58/ICH10R/i7 combination due to the single chip design, lower power consumption numbers, cost, and of course performance that is almost on par if not better at times than its big brother. We cannot discuss the actual performance of the GA-P55M-UD4, but it will ship with a BIOS that is performance oriented. Based on the components utilized and board design, expect it to perform like its ATX siblings.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=624">Read more...</a></font></p> </span>

<span class="content"><span class="content"><span class="content"> <p><font size="2">The upcoming launch of the Intel P55 and associated S1156 based processors is starting to resemble the buildup we noticed before the P965/Core 2 launch. We are swamped with motherboard samples for early first looks. In fact, revisions are occurring on an almost daily basis as each manufacturer tweaks their final product designs in hopes of capturing your hard earned dollars. </font></p> <p><font size="2">While aesthetics, features, and colors are an integral part of the motherboard design, ultimately how well it performs is based on the quality of components and BIOS design. We also happen to rate warranty and customer support at the top of this list but eventually it always comes back to performance or price for most users. </font></p> <p><font size="2">When it comes to performance, Gigabyte is usually a name that always comes up in the course of a conversation when discussing motherboards. They typically have extremely solid products and occasionally will hit one of those grand slam home runs with a product like the GA-EP45-UD3P, a board that offers the right blend of features, performance, support, price, and character. </font></p> <p><font size="2">The reason we bring this up is that the GA-P55-UD6 is already invoking the same feelings for us. Well, all except price as this will be Gigabyte's premium P55 offering. We expect to see a price tag somewhere north of $200 when it launches in a few weeks. However, this board offers a lot for the money and is certainly targeting the enthusiast. Obviously, we cannot discuss performance yet, but the i5 is going to surprise a lot people, especially those buying into the lower end i7 market.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=622">Read more...</a></font></p> </span></span><span class="content" /></span>

<span class="content"> <p><font size="2">Ahhh&hellip;. summer is upon us and so is a new Intel product release in the near future. The </font><font size="2">Lynnfield</font><font size="2"> processor series and P55 chipset will be arriving in the next couple of months. As such, we are already receiving various P55 motherboard samples from a variety of companies for early first looks and opinions. We really do not have anything new to report on Lynnfield and P55 since our early </font><font size="2">preview</font><font size="2">, except that final silicon spins will be ready by the end of this week according to various sources. </font></p> <p><font size="2">ASUS has delivered one of the first P55 boards to our labs and granted us permission to provide an early look at it as long as performance numbers were not generated and we kept the BIOS options private. We know, this will be about as fun as playing with a stack of wet blankets on a cold day, but at least we can start the process of providing first looks at products that will be on sale shortly. </font></p> <p><font size="2">The first motherboard of many to come is the ASUS P7P55D EVO that is destined for the mid-range of ASUS&rsquo; extensive P55 lineup that covers every market sector from entry level to the enthusiast level ROG boards. Final pricing is not yet available but based on chipset pricing and market conditions, expect to see P55 boards starting around $120 and rapidly hitting the $239 mark at launch. This particular motherboard will probably end up in the $160~$180 sector based on the feature set and options. </font></p> <p><font size="2">Before we get to the board layout and options, we need to state that this color scheme is not the final design based on conversations with ASUS today. However, the layout/features checklist is final and any comments you might have about those two areas are welcome. We should have a press photo of the final color scheme shortly, but it features an all black and dark blue color palette. This is good news as we had more than a few choice words with ASUS over the holiday weekend after we opened the box.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=614">Read more...</a></font></p> </span>