The X79 Extreme9 shares the spotlight with the newly released X79 Professional which is under the Fatal1ty line. The Extreme9 has the features and options that the hard-core overclocker and enthusiast will look for in a new board to play around with. It begins with the 16+2 power phase configuration along with high-end caps and full featured AXTU overclocking software. But the overclocker isn’t the only people Asrock is aiming the Extreme9 at. There are the gamers as well. But what is it in for them? Read on and find out.

For the gamer there is the great G1.Assassin2, for the bencher there is the X79-UD7 and for the enthusiast there is the X79-UD5. But for those that are a little bit more budget minded there is the X79-U3. At about $260, the UD3 has quite a bit of wanted features like SLI/X-Fire support, high quality components and decent overclocking abilities. Just what one would want without having to broke the bank.

The Rampage III Black Edition offers more than what would normally come with a motherboard. First, there is the ThunderBolt add-in card that gives the user the Killer E2100 chipset as well as outstanding Xonar audio with headphone amp. Is that alone enough to charge the heavy price tag the motherboard caries? OK, what if we told you the motherboard supports four GPUs, out-of-this-world overclocking capability; as well as BlueTooth, Wi-Fi, and ways to enable or disable PCIe slots in real-time to do things like graphics hot-swapping? Well then, if that still didn't manage to impress you then read on and find out what else this motherboard has to offer.

[Update: Heaven benchmark images fixed, conclusion is on Page 11]
What we get to look at today is our first motherboard that supports AMD's new A- and E2-Series of "Llano"-based APUs, all thanks to our friends over at ASRock. They have sent over the A55 Pro3 board, which as the name implies is based on AMD's A55 FCH chip (or Fusion Controller Hub if you remember it first being mentioned back in the E350M1 review), and is the little brother to the A75 FCH. Both of these are what make up AMD's Lynx desktop platform and it is aptly named we think. The base specs on the A55 offer goodies like six SATA-II ports, fourteen USB2.0 connections, Gigabit Ethernet controller, among others. ASRock have also thrown in their own mix into this recipe for "awesome", which for a teaser includes support of DDR3-2400, so read on to find out just how this stacks up!

The Z68XP-UD5 is obviously based on Intel’s Z68 chipset and is designed to take your Sandy Bridge processor to the next level. Designed with Intel’s own iGPU, the user can overclock it as well as the CPU. Gigabyte upgraded the Z68XP-UD5 to include an HDMI connection, something the original Z68X-UD5 did not have. These few features along with Gigabyte’s transition to an all-black PCB, along with the SLI and CrossFire, support the new and improved Z68XP-UD5 looks to be a winner.

Today, we will take on the Sapphire Pure Platinum H67. Yes, Sapphire is making motherboards again. If you weren't aware of this, then we suggest taking a look at our exclusive on their P67 offering here. Getting back to the matter at hand, the Pure Platinum H67 takes advantage of everything the H67 chipset has to offer like SATA III, PCIe 2.0, built-in graphics and support for the Sandy Bridge processor. Sapphire is entering every phase of motherboard manufacturing, but lets see if the Pure Platinum H67 is worthy of your dollar bills.

ASRock are back at it with a new motherboard, this time based on the Intel Z68 chipset. Being built on Intel’s latest chipset is not the motherboard’s claim to instant fame, but it is labeled as the first motherboard to offer Generation 3 PCIe bandwidth. As of now there aren’t too many video cards that can push the 2nd PCIe bandwidth offering to its edge. So, it is a matter of being prepared when the time comes because it is coming, sooner or later.

The Z68 Pro3 M is an abridged version of the Pro3. Bother motherboards offers four DIMM slots, a single PCIe x16 slot, RAID support and amongst of common features. But the Pro3 M shaved off some weight and size. The Pro3 M is a mATX board that also offers what the Z68 is known for and that is Lucid’s Virtu video support and Intel’s Smart Response technology. The Z68 chipset in a microATX form could be the beginning of an ultimate HTPC system.

There is a lot offered by the Maximus IV Extreme in addition to the support of Intel's Sandy Bridge processor and SATA-III, thanks to the P67 chip. It also packs incredible cooling, extreme performance and an over-abundance of overclocking options (if there is such a thing). For those that have the budget for such a powerful motherboard like the Maximus IV Extreme, the sky truly is the limit. We can't wait to put the board through it's paces, so lets get on with the show!

Today, we will be taking a look at Gigabyte's mid-range Z68 board entitled the Z68X-UD3H. Granted, the Z68 is not much more than hyped up hybrid version of the P67+H67 chipsets, but unlike most things you think of that are hybrid it is not some scaled back product. No sir, it pulls no punches and takes full advantage of what people have come to know the the P67 and H68 chipsets for, but also offering some new goodies like Intel's Smart Response Technology and the new Lucid Virtu software. Read on as we explore one of Gigabyte's entrants to the Z68, while see if it stacks up to all we hope and expect from it.