ASUS M4A79 Deluxe Motherboard

AMD and Intel are in a heated battle for control of the CPU market. Intel has taken the lead as of late with the launch of their Core 2 platform which completely blew away the competition from AMD. The launch of the AM3 CPU has introduced some features into the AMD platform that have been missing like support for DDR3 memory and the transition into the 45nanometer process node.

ASUS manufactures a wide variety of computer related equipment including motherboards, video cards, and cell phones. They are a favorite of mine and Doc's who use ASUS computer equipment whenever possible in the main computers in the house. Today I'm reviewing the ASUS M4A79 Deluxe motherboard which supports the new AMD Phenom II processors and is based upon AMD's 790FX chipset.

Gigabyte MA-790FXT UD5P Motherboard

The AMD platform for motherboards has evolved into a split into the AM2+ market and the AM3 market, the former for those wanting to update the motherboard without updating the CPU and memory the latter for those wanting the latest and greatest without spending the extra money that a Core i7 platform would entail. AMD has released the full gamut of AM3 CPUs including a 3.2GHz Black Edition called the Phenom II X4 955 which is the best of the best from AMD.

Gigabyte has been around making video cards, motherboards, and many other computer accessories for over 23 years. They have over 7000 employees and aim to "Upgrade Your Life" as their motto. They have innovated in recent times with the launch of the M1022 Booktop, 2oz Copper PCB, the swivel screen mobile PC (M912) and many other innovations that are designed to bring new features to motherboards or video cards. Today's review is on the Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P motherboard based upon the AMD 790FX chipset with support for the AM3 CPUs.

EVGA X58 3X SLI Classified Motherboard

Intel has dominated the CPU space recently with the launch of the Core 2 series and the Core i7 series of CPUs last year. The performance of these CPUs outstrips that of the fastest AMD CPU. To go along with the launch of the Core i7 Intel introduced a new series of motherboard chipsets called X58. X58 allowed motherboard manufacturers to include up to six DIMM Sockets instead of the four found on the older X48 chipset.

EVGA has released a few motherboards based upon NVIDIA and Intel motherboard chipsets over the last few years. They recently launched their X58 board, the X58 3X SLI Classified which is the motherboard I'm reviewing today. This is the first EVGA motherboard to support both Crossfire and SLI on the same board, due to the use of the X58 chipset. It should be an interesting review as every previous motherboard from EVGA has been NVIDIA based.

ASUS Crosshair III Formula Motherboard

Buying a new motherboard has many advantages for the hardware enthusiast including updating the chipset, higher overclocks and a new warranty and support for new technologies. ASUS has traditionally targeted the hardcore enthusiast with their high-end motherboards. They have a whole lineup of motherboards targeted towards the gamer: The Republic of Gamers line. This lineup includes the CROSSHAIR, the Maximus, the Rampage, and the Striker series of motherboards. Some of the exciting features of these boards include CPU Level Up, MemOK and a copy of 3DMark06 to show off the power of the new motherboard. Today the board on the review bench is the ASUS CROSSHAIR III Formula, the latest motherboard from ASUS.

ASUS P6T7 WS Supercomputer Motherboard

The power of the modern computer really shines when compared to the power of a supercomputer from years ago. The Cray 2, the world's most powerful supercomputer from 1989 had a theoretical performance of 3.9 GigaFLOPS. The modern video card such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 has a theoretical computing performance of 933 GigaFLOPS, approaching the performance in computing power of the fastest supercomputer from 1996.

NVIDIA has released their Tesla supercomputer on a video card a year or so ago. With the use of CUDA and their TESLA video cards you can build a supercomputer with the right motherboard. A few months ago I reviewed the ASUS P6T6 Revolution motherboard with six PCI Express x16 slots. A short while ago I reviewed the ASRock X58 Supercomputer with four PCI Express slots that could take up to three Tesla video cards and a Quadro CX card so the idea of a supercomputer based on Intel Core i7 chipset is nothing new. Today marks the debut of ASUS's P6T7 WS Supercomputer motherboard which has no less than seven PCI Express x16 slots!

Acer B223W B bmzdr 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor

$230.99

The Acer 22" wide-screen B223W B bmzdr is ideal for a home office or business setting. Reliable performance, solid value and a look you'll be proud to disaply make this monitor agreat choice for any professional. It includes VGA and DVI (HDCP) signal connectors plus integrated speakers and easy height, tilt and swivel adjustments.

AOC 917SW 19" Widescreen LCD Monitors

$126.99

The AOC 917SW 19" Widescreen LCD Monitor is a stylish, reliable display that adds value to any office. The combination of quality and affordability sets the AOC 917SW 19" widescreen LCD apart from its competitors. It comes with 3000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 300cd/m2 brightness and 5ms response time. These features will sure to deliver vibrant and blur-free images. It also comes in a piano-black glossy finish that will add beauty and style to your desk at home or office. It has earned the Works with Microsoft Windows Vista logo compliance.