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MSI Introduces the X299M-A Pro

MSI has decided to target the “mid” level HEDT buyers with a new board, the X299M-A Pro. Limited to the Kaby Lake-X processors, namely the i7-7740X and i5-7640X, this motherboard sits in a really weird spot in the market. Thanks to Intel’s… unique… product lineup, this X299 based board is compatible with only two CPU SKUs. This LGA2066 board is in the Micro-ATX form factor, and features three physical PCIe x16 slots. However, Kaby Lake-X’s PCIe lane limitation means that the X299M-A Pro is limited to a total of 16 lanes across all three slots. These could be in x16/ x0/ x0, …

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AMD and Co Love PC!

For the first time, SFFN had direct access to an AMD press conference, instead of hoping that our feeble home internet connections (well, apart from myself with 100/30 fibre – take that, US-based staff!) could cope with streaming their live event. Joshua, Craig and I were on-location yesterday at the event, which was held at the Westin Taipei hotel in Taipei during Computex 2017. Eagerly waiting for news on a Vega Nano, Ryzen APUs and ThreadRipper, we planted ourselves in the crowd and noted the following from Lisa Su (AMD’s CEO) and her team. First up was a happy birthday of sorts …

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Intel Reportedly Readying Xeon Gold Processor Line

In what could be seen as a ‘throw enough stuff at the wall and hope something sticks’ reaction to AMD’s Ryzen (which also may explain the i3-7350K), TechPowerup is reporting (based on a Canard PC tweet, which is known to be a reputable source) that Intel is readying a new line of processors aimed at creative professional workstations. The new Xeon Gold processors will be based on the Skylake-EP architecture, and seemingly is targeted at those who desire server ‘reliability’ in their workstations. TechPowerup reports the first of these processors will be the Xeon Gold 6150, a 18 core, 36 thread (!!) SKU, …

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Intel’s Next HEDT Platform, Basin Falls, is Being Readied

It seems that the LGA2011 family is nearing the end of it’s life, Intel is readying a replacement – LGA2066. The extra 55 pins will be there to support the X-Series “Basin Falls” platform, consisting of Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X, and new chipset based on Intel’s 200 series. As is typical for Intel’s HEDT platform (High End Desktop), the processors will be devoid of integrated graphics, but will include cores in their multiples (4,6,8 and 10 to be exact), more PCI-E lanes and higher memory bandwidth. [mks_separator style=”blank” height=”2″] Interestingly, ‘Basin Falls’ will come in two flavours. As above, these …