14 DAY TRIAL // Motherboards that cause ripples in the media are usually the ones with overkill features, the sort that end up selling less than many platforms that barely, if at all, make it in the news. So we decided to check out a “normal” motherboard this time.
Called Hi-Fi B85S2G, it was made by Biostar and is based on the B75 chipset from Intel. As far as consumer desktop chipsets go, it is the most modest, after the Z87 and H87.
The chipset can't handle processors with TDP (thermal design power) of 95W, neither does it support Devil's Canyon Core-series units (the latest chips with K suffix). In fact, it does not support overclocking at all (only the Z87 chipset has that honor now).
That still leaves plenty of strong chips that are compatible with the new motherboard though, from not only the Core i3, i5, and i7 series, but the Pentium series as well, so long as they possess the LGA1150 socket.
Dual-channel DDR3 RAM can be installed (two DDR3 DIMMs), and Biostar also gave the Hi-Fi B85S2G two PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (one wired in x4 mode), one PCI Express x1 slot, and three legacy PCI slots.
Biostar figured that the Hi-Fi B85S2G would be used in office PCs and in other roles as part of business IT departments, so it helped to have all possible expansion capabilities.
On that note, there are a bunch of USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports/headers included as well, plus not one, but two Gigabit Ethernet ports (Dual Gigabit LAN as it were).
You can even opt for using both LAN connections in the same network, via “Load Balancing,” for network aggregation, merging the connections for better and versatile performance. In a nutshell, the bandwidth goes from 1 Gb to 2 Gb.
Even business PCs could be used to occasionally watch a movie though or for other kinds of entertainment, so Biostar included support for Direct3D 11.1 audio and HDMI. Blu-ray audio DRM is included as well, with higher audio output of 24 bit/ 192KHz instead of the 16 bit/ 48KHz of typical motherboards.
Finally, the Biostar Hi-Fi B85S2G will last a long time without wearing down or losing stability thanks to 100% solid capacitors. Other assets include Intel Rapid Storage Technology (Intel RST, for fast system boot and application load time by using an SSD for caching and holding the OS), and Intel Small Business Advantage (Intel SBA, for after-hours virus scans and data backup, etc.).
Finally, whatever PC you install the newcomer in, you will be able to set up the Windows 8 OS and easily manage the PC and system BIOS via the Biostar BIO-Remote2 and BIOS Online Update feature, plus the Charger Booster function (charges phones/tablets/gadgets faster than usual). The price, unfortunately, is unknown, as is the shipment date.
