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Although Taiwanese motherboard maker ASRock has been present in the international market for a few years, it says it is only now starting to act independently of ASUS. After all, ASUS originally created Asrock as a budget brand. Its product line is beginning to expand from the bottom end of the motherboard arena to include higher-level segments as well. However, high-end boards are not in the cards - for now.
At the ASRock booth we found a full line-up of motherboards based on all of Intel's current chipsets including the P45 and X48. The Nvidia-based motherboards with their support for HybridSLI were the more interesting products to us, though, since we haven't had a chance to test them yet in greater detail. The K10N78FullHD-hSLI is based on Nvidia's integrated GeForce 8200 graphics core which can be considered the direct competitor to AMD's 780G chipset. The AMD part has already proved its worth as a full-fledged HD aficionado, as it can play back Full-HD video content even with a simple Sempron processor.
Nvidia's chipset goes a step further with its HybridSLI functionality, though. On the one hand, it also allows users to add another PCIe graphics card and combine it with the on-board GPU to form an SLI setup, increasing 3D performance. ASRock showed a demo of this principle in operation, combining a GeForce 8400GS and the on-board 8200 GPU of the K10N78FullHD-hSLI to increase the 3DMark06 score from 2030 to 2475 .
The other innovation is that the add-in card can be deactivated in 2D mode so that the system only uses the integrated graphics unit, saving power. While the power savings that can be realized by turning off a GeForce 8400GS like the one used in ASRock's demo are rather slim, the concept certainly has its merits.
Tom's Hardware is the leading destination for hardcore computer enthusiasts. We cover everything from processors to 3D printers, single-board computers, SSDs and high-end gaming rigs, empowering readers to make the most of the tech they love, keep up on the latest developments and buy the right gear. Our staff has more than 100 years of combined experience covering news, solving tech problems and reviewing components and systems.
