The novelty from ASUSTeK Computer – the TUF X299 Mark 2 motherboard – is based on the Intel LGA2066 socket and the X299 logic set. Manufactured in the ATX form factor, this card is equipped with long-life electrical assemblies.



ASUS TUF X299 Mark 2 features eight slots for the DDR4-4133 RAM (up to 128 GB capacity), three PCI Express 3.0 x16 interfaces, supporting multi-GPU configurations according to the x16/x16/x8 scheme (on top Skylake-X processors), a single PCI-E 3.0 x4 and a couple of PCI-E 3.0 x1. Drives can be linked via six SATA 6 Gbps ports and two M.2 (32 Gbps) connectors.


On the rear panel one can see four USB 2.0, four USB 3.1 Gen1, two USB 3.1 Gen2 ports, a PS/2 connector, a gigabit network RJ45 interface and a few audio jacks. The audio subsystem is built on the Realtek ALC S1220A audio codec. Like many other boards by this Taiwan vendor, TUF X299 Mark 2 ia supplied with the Aura Sync LED backlighting.


The ASUS TUF X299 Mark 2 motherboard costs around …

Following the release of Urban S31 PC chassis, Thermaltake put its best foot forward to introduce one more representative of Urban series – Urban S41. This is a mid-tower case of a minimalistic design, with totally black exterior and interior. The model is vested in SECC steel coverage and will be available in two framework variations: with a large side-facet window and without it. In its entirety, the chassis features 516x220x520 mm dimensions and weighs 8.9 kg.



Thermaltake Urban S41 is ready to welcome all contemporary motherboards of ATX and micro-ATX standard. Despite its mid-tower framework nature, its internal capacity does not yield to some full-tower case species. Therefore, it positions four external drive bays of 5.25-inch format, five internal bays for 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drives, and seven slots for PCI expansion cards. Additionally, the case is equipped with an external top-facet dock for the installation of drives with SATA interface (HDD/SSD). The frontal I/O …

Last year Gigabyte released a flagship graphics card from Super Overclock series, entitled Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 SOC (codename: GV-N680SO-2GD). The card was differentiated by the increased clock frequencies, as compared with the etalon model. These days the company has introduced one more representative from Super Overclock series – model GeForce GTX 680 (codename: GV-N680WF5-2GD). It differs from the predecessor by keeping the etalon GPU clock frequencies (1006 MHz – nominal and 1058 MHz – boost) and by optimizing memory clock frequencies (1550 MHz – nominal, 6200 MHz – effective).



The greenhorn is based on Nvidia GK104 GPU, featuring 1536 CUDA cores, and is furnished with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory modules (256-bit interface). The incorporated PCB employs a brand Ultra Durable VGA+ technology that stipulates the increase of copper in some layers. In addition, it implies the employment of an improved hardware layout, including metallic and ferrite chokes, polar Low …