In the world of custom PC’s, there are an unlimited amount of options when building your own rig. With that freedom and creativity comes potential compatibility issues. But it’s nothing this particular type of crowd can’t figure out. On that note, PC enthusiasts have a new toy mere weeks from release — Sandy Bridge. This new line of processor and motherboard hardware provides some decent improvements in performance. Naturally, pc hardware manufacturers are primed and ready to unleash a slew of new hardware into the market once Intel makes it official. Today’s highlight: The MSI Big Bang Marshal.

This board’s claim to fame is a jaw dropping 8 x16 PCI slots. However, we must note that of those 8 slots, 4 are true x16 while the other 4 actually operate at x8. Nevermind the fact that 8 x16 slots would completely overwhelm the motherboard. But MSI’s Big Bang mobo makes use of the Lucid Hydra chip which theoretically allows you to mix and match GPU’s on the same mobo. However, in this instance the chip is implemented on the bridge making cross-GPU compatibility unlikely. The Hydra was used solely for its bandwidth properties.

Nevertheless, the Big Bang Marshal is a beast. Look for more information in the near future as currently, the Marshal still lacks a price or release date, not to mention a finalized design and spec.

Via: DailyTech