AMD gamers looking to build a new system might want to start with the latest release from Asus, the 970 Pro Gaming/Aura ATX motherboard. It’s the first board based on the new AMD 970+SB950 chipset and not only supports two-way, quad-GPU CrossFireX configurations, but two-way, quad-GPU Nvidia SLI setups as well. The board even sports Aura RGB lighting, providing your build brilliant color and special effects.
The specifications show that the new 970 Pro Gaming/Aura provides four dual-channel DIMM slots for a maximum of 32GB DDR3 memory clocked at 2,133MHz. There are also two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, two PCIe 2.0 x1 slots, and two standard PCI slots. Storage consists of six SATA 3 ports and one M.2 socket.
On the audio front, the board comes packed with the company’s proprietary SupremeFX eight-channel audio technology, with 115dB BNR stereo output. Asus says the audio portion of the board features a shielded design including an electromagnetic-interference cover and a voltage-protected 5V power supply. Backing the audio is the Realtek ALC1150 codec and an illuminated red-line shielding.
For PC gamers, Asus has tossed in “tournament-level” Intel Gigabit Ethernet, promising fast, lag-free gaming. Added to the mix is Asus’s LANGuard capacitors and components for better connections and protection against power surges, and the companys GameFirst technology that allocates more bandwidth to games and prioritizes game-related packets.
As for input and output, the board provides an optical S/PDIF-out port on the back panel. There are also two USB 3.1 Type-A ports on the back, two USB 3.0/2.0 ports mid-panel, eight 2.0/1.1 ports on the back, and six USB 2.0/1.1 ports mid-board. There’s also an Ethernet port, audio jacks, a PS/2 port. All of this is backed by a corrosion-resistant stainless-steel panel.
Asus says the new motherboard provides a dedicated onboard water-pump header, RAMCache technology for quick program loading, the Digi+ voltage-regulator module, durable capacitors, and DRAM Overcurrent Protection with resettable fuses. Also included is a special Sonic Radar II software overlay for quickly pinpointing the origin of sounds heard in-game.
The new motherboard is compatible with the latest FX/Phenom II/Athlon II/Sempron 100 processors for the AMD AM3+ socket. Asus hasnt provided pricing or an actual ship date yet. Still, there seems to be a lot of goodness packed into this board, and the support for Nvidia SLI as well as CrossFireX is an added plus PC gamers shouldnt ignore.
From maximumpc
