Asus just announced that it is releasing a new gaming motherboard that supports multi-GPU setups, along with Intel’s next generation of desktop processors.
It’s called the Maximus VII Formula, and this Socket 1150-based motherboard sports Intel’s Z97 chipset, which you can use to slot in either 4th-generation or upcoming 5th-generation “Broadwell” CPUs.
On top of that, Maximus VII Formula has two PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, so you can slot in more than one graphics card. There also will be a single PCIe 2.0 x16 slot, three PCI 2.0 x1 slots, and a single mini-PCIe 2.0 x1 slot. On top of that, you’ll also get 10 SATA ports, two SATA Express ports, and an M.2 slot. With four DIMM slots, you can outfit your Maximus VII Formula-based system with up to 32GB of RAM. In short, there’s plenty of room for upgrades here.
Around back, you’ll find eight USB ports, six of which are of the 3.0 variety, along with DisplayPort, HDMI, audio, and S/PDIF connections. This ATX motherboard measures 12 x 9.6 images, so make sure that you get a case that supports this form factor.
You can get the Asus Maximus VII Formula for $319 once it’s released. Starting sometime next week, you’ll be able to get it for $369 from Newegg and TigerDirect, and it’ll come with a copy of Watch Dogs.
This is an interesting time to be building a PC. Yes, if you can afford them, you can outfit your rig with a powerful 4th-gen Intel processor. However, Intel’s next batch of chips, code-named Broadwell, are due for release sometime around the end of this year. That’s why, if you’re thinking about building a system, you should consider getting a motherboard like what Asus just announced, which supports Intel’s next generation of CPUs.
You can learn more about the Asus ROG Maximus VII Formula motherboard here.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.