CPUs|Motherboards

Intel's latest mainstream processor architecture isn't a massive upgrade but Haswell does boast some performance gains, new/refined features, and improved energy efficiency, the latter most useful in the mobile chips running Windows 8.

The Intel DQ77KB is the first of its kind to hit retail channels, an energy efficient mini-ITX motherboard powered externally and supporting a selection of Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge based CPUs.

AMD's new flagship processor offers a decent boost in speed over its predecessors but without significantly improved energy efficiency or pricing, it fails to alter the desktop CPU landscape.

Though not based on the latest and greatest A85X chipset, the Gigabyte GA-F2A75M-D3H doesn't give up much, and its attractive price makes it a natural complement to the value offered by AMD's Trinity APU lineup.

The AMD A10-5700 APU's 65W TDP makes it the preferred Trinity option for a quiet or SFF PC, but clocked 400 MHz slower and costing only US$5 less than the flagship A10-5800K, its value is difficult to gauge.

Like many previous AMD motherboards, the F2A85-M Pro offers a vast set of features at a reasonable price. It's a nice complement to the versatility of AMD's Trinity APUs, combined with Fan Xpert 2, a feature previously found only on high end ASUS Z77 boards

AMD's new Trinity processor micro-architecture drives new APUs powered by 2nd gen Bulldozer (Piledriver) CPU cores and updated graphics chips for value systems on the new FM2 socket.

The high core temperatures of Ivy Bridge CPUs have been a lively topic for debate since the new Intel chips were released. Poor quality TIM has been deemed the culprit. SPCR forum member graysky put this idea to the test by removing the integrated heat spreader from his i7-3770K to try a proven, high quality TIM, and later, lapped both the IHS and the heatsink base to check for any further cooling improvements. His systematic, empirical testing is well worth reading.

The Asus P8Z77-V Pro is a full-featured Sandy/Ivy Bridge motherboard with five independently controllable fan headers and Asus' new FAN Xpert 2 utility.

The update to Sandy Bridge brings 22nm fabrication technology, a souped up integrated graphics chip, and a host of minor improvements to LGA1155. Best of all, Ivy Bridge is backwards compatible with series 6 motherboards and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

The DZ77GA-70K is a high-end motherboard from Intel designed to fulfill the potential of the new Ivy Bridge processors. We take a look at its huge array of features and its performance with Sandy Bridge while awaiting the Ivy Bridge news embargo to lift.

The Jetway NF9C-2600 mini-ITX motherboard is powered by a revamped Intel Atom processor with a PowerVR-sourced GPU that supports H.264 acceleration. Though the connectivity options are suited for industrial/commercial rather than home use, the board gives us a taste of what the latest iteration of Atom offers.

The Core i7-3960X is Intel's flagship processor for their new Sandy Bridge Extreme (LGA2011) platform. This extravagantly priced US$990 chip is based on Sandy Bridge and has six cores, 15MB of L3 cache, a quad channel memory controller, and a souped up version of TurboBoost.

Bulldozer is AMD's latest CPU architecture featuring an overhauled 32nm chip design, updated instruction sets, and up to eight processing cores. The FX-8150 sports a maximum clock speed of 4.2 Ghz while retaining the 125W TDP of most of the Phenom II X4/X6 line.

The Gigabyte A75M-UD2H is a mainstream microATX FM1 motherboard for the new AMD APUs that is both feature-rich and affordable. It sports an all solid-state capacitor design, USB 3.0, SATA 6 Gbps, eSATA, FireWire, and both HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, all for a street price of just US$100.