Roundup tests of motherboards aimed at Intel Core 2 Duo processors
Intel D975XBX2 (i975X)
This motherboard needs to be reviewed in more detail, because it was not formerly tested at our lab. As a rule, Intel motherboards are not of much interest in terms of testing: they run absolutely reliably, have a stable BIOS, basic expansion options, and a complete lack of overclocking tools. The latter makes them absolutely not attractive to overclockers, and the high price (these boards are mainly aimed at system integrators) may scare the users away. However, D975XBX2 strongly stands out among the other items in Intel's assortment: it is aimed at PC enthusiasts and offers powerful overclocking tools. This motherboard was originally designed for that purpose, so we can expect very good overclocking results (because who else knows the features of Intel i975X chipset better than engineers at Intel?).
We should also note that the board is dubbed "Bad Axe", which has nothing to do with "poor". The English language has a number of own linguistic intricacies. In particular, in the American English the word "Bad" has a positive meaning. For example, "Bad Ferrari"means a powerful, aggressive and nice-looking Ferrari car".
The board's design is somehow nonstandard because of three PCI Express x16 slots. Note that the main (24-pin) and additional (8-pin) power connectors are positioned over the board's edges. The board operates only with 24+8 PSUs, whereas old PSUs are unsuitable! The additional 4-pin Molex connector is positioned near the rear panel. The cable is inconvenient to plug in, but that is recommended only when installing powerful video cards into the AMD/ATI Crossfire array.
On the board, there are two 3-pin and two 4-pin connectors for plugging in fans (the PCB design provides installation of one more connector which is unsoldered on our board). On of them is reserved for the CPU cooler, whereas the others are accessible to the user. The thing is, the cooling of the chipset is passive: on the north bridge, there is a massive aluminum radiator, on the south bridge - also an aluminum one but of much smaller size.
Under the CPU socket, there are 4 slots for memory modules. The first and second slots relate to the first memory channel, with the second and third - to the second channel. Therefore, to switch the memory to the dual-channel mode the modules should be fitted into slots of the same color.
Also, there are three PCI Express x16 and two "regular" PCI slots onboard.
The board offers the following expansion options: 4 Serial ATA II links which are supported by the south bridge ICH7R (black connectors),
plus 4 Serial ATA II links which are implemented with the Marvell 88SE6145 chip (blue connectors).
Therefore, the board allows plugging in up to 10 hard disks (8 SATA II and 2 PATA). Then, the board uses an Intel 82573 Gigabit LAN controller:
The board offers support for 8 USB 2.0 ports, 4 of which are mounted on the rear panel, with 4 more ports connected with brackets. Besides, the board supports two IEEE1394 (Firewire) ports, one of which is positioned on the rear panel, with the other is plugged in via a bracket. To support this feature, there is an additional TSB43AB23 controller onboard:
Finally, the board uses integrated 8-channel audio on the base of SigmaTel 9274D codec.
The configuration of the rear panel is practically standard, except the lack of the 2nd COM port (where the SP-DIF coaxial output is positioned instead).
Among the special features, we should note the button to start up the system.
The board's BIOS is based on Intel BIOS version.
The number of memory settings is standard; plus there is a feature for adjusting voltage on the memory.
The adjustment range is within 1.8 V to 2.8 V in 0.4 V increments. If we compare the table of specifications, we arrive at the conclusion that it is a very powerful overclocking tool.
The board also supports a complete set of memory frequency multipliers, including a reducing multiplier:
The memory settings and the set of system monitoring sensors are practically standard.
We note the feature for adjusting the rotational speed of the CPU cooler depending on the CPU temperature.
Besides, the board supports a standard (for all Intel motherboards) logging feature, and support for multilingual menus,
as well as a feature for saving the BIOS settings into a nonvolatile memory (supports only one kit of settings, or a profile)
Now on to the overclocking functions in more detail: But before that we turn to a 5-phased power supply module of the motherboard which contains four 1200 mkF and nine 560 mkF capacitors.
Note that on the power supply components there are small radiators resembling flame tips in shape. The board allows adjusting the FSB speed within 133 to 500 MHz (in the latest BIOS version), as well as a multiplier over all the admissible range.
The CPU voltage is adjustable within 1.8275V to 1.6V in 0.0125V increments.
Voltage on the chipset is adjustable within 1.5 V to 1.7 V in 0.025V increments.
Besides, the board is able adjusting voltage on the FSB within 1.2V to 1.5V in 0.025V increments.
As a result, powerful overclocking tools and the skills of engineers at Intel have brought the motherboard D975XBX2 to the category of best overclocker motherboards based on the i975X chipset: stable operation was preserved up to FSB=450 MHz.
Let's see how precise the board is at setting the nominal FSB speed: there is an overstatement by more than 1.5 MHz!
Conclusion: Intel D975XBX2 is absolutely different from all the previous Intel's top-end motherboards. It offers powerful expansion options, an exciting set of overclocking tools which are enhanced by real results. It seems like the only shortcoming of the motherboard is in the high price and OEM package bundle.
Pros:
- Excellent stability and performance;
- Three PCI Express x16 slots and support for the Crossfire technology;
- Support for USB2.0 (8 ports) and IEEE-1394 (Firewire; 2 ports);
- Support for SerialATA II / RAID (8 links);
- Support for ParallelATA (1 link);
- Integrated 8-channel audio and LAN (Gigabit Ethernet).
Cons:
- Scanty OEM package bundle.
Specific features:
- System power-on button (Power);
- Superb overclocking results (due to the powerful tools).
Intel DG965RYCK
After testing the motherboard Intel D975XBX2, I wondered if Intel changed the attitude to the overclocking tools, or if D975XBX2 is the only motherboard for enthusiasts in the assortment. To verify that, we bought a DG965RYCK in the nearest shop (the selection of G965 chipset is not accidental - I wanted to verify if there is drop of performance in the integrated graphic core with which we came across when testing Gigabyte 965G-DS3).
The PCB design is optimized for creation of both Full-ATX and Micro-ATX motherboards. The board has conveniently positioned main (24-pin) and additional (4-pin) power connectors. We also note that latches of the DIMM slots are blocked by an external video card.
There are two 3-pin and two 4-pin connectors for plugging in fans. The scheme of cooling the chipset is the same as it is in Intel D975XBX2.
Under the CPU socket, there are 4 slots for memory modules. The first and second slots relate to the first memory channel, with the second and third - to the second channel. Therefore, to switch the memory to the dual-channel mode the modules should be fitted into slots of the same color.
The board uses one PCI Express x16, three PCI Express x1, and three regular PCI slots.
The board offers the following expansion options: 4 Serial ATA II links which are supported by the south bridge ICH8 (black connectors).
Besides, there is a Marvell 88SE6101 chip to support one Parallel ATA link.
It is amusing that marketing people at Intel first gave up support for Parallel ATA in the chipsets and then upon awareness of the need for this protocol made the engineers install an additional chip (which adds to the price of the board). Therefore, the board allows plugging in 6 hard disks (4 SATA II and 2 PATA).
Then, the board uses an Intel 82566DC Gigabit LAN controller:
The board has 8 USB 2.0 ports, 6 of which are on the rear panel, with 2 more plugged in with a bracket (missing in the package bundle). Besides, the motherboard supports the Firewire with a TSB43AB22A controller made by Texas Instruments.
Finally, the board offers integrated 8-channel audio on the base of SigmaTel 9274D codec.
On the rear panel, there are no COM ports. Instead of one, there is a VGA output of the integrated video core, and instead of the second, to all appearances, there should be a DVI connector. In fact, the board does support one COM port with a bracket (missing in the bundle), with the respective connector positioned between the DIMM slots.
The board's BIOS is based on Intel BIOS version.
The user gets only the standard kit of memory latency timings,
and logging tools.
The remaining BIOS features are fully standard, with no overclocking tools.
In conclusion, let's take a look at the package bundle:
It is pretty scanty, but in view of the low retail price (starting with $105) we can rate it as good.
Conclusion: DG965RYCK is a typical workhorse and is aimed at office systems. However, the poor 2D quality prevents us from recommending this motherboard. As regards the drop of performance in 3D applications versus the chipsets i945G and i915G, there is nothing to worry about here. All the three chipsets are equally slow at modern games, and the low speed is caused by the shortcomings of the drivers (which will be fixed in the nearest future).
Pros:
- Excellent stability and performance with an external video card;
- Support for the USB 2.0 serial bus (8 ports);
- Support for ParallelATA (1 link);
- Integrated 8-channel audio and LAN (Gigabit Ethernet).
Cons:
- Poor quality of the 2D (integrated video core).
Specific features:
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Content: |
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Page 1 - Chipsets
Page 2 - Roundup table of motherboards
Page 3 - abit AW9D-MAX, abit AB9 Pro
Page 4 - ASUS P5W-DH Deluxe, ASUS P5W64-WS Pro
Page 5 - ASUS Commando, ASUS P5B Premium Vista Edition
Page - ASUS P5B Deluxe Wi-Fi, ASUS P5B-E
Page 7 - P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe, Striker, P5N32-E SLI, and P5N32-E SLI PLUS
Page 8 - ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium, ASUS P5N-E SLI
Page 9 - Gigabyte 965P-DQ6, Gigabyte 965P-DS4
Page 10 - Gigabyte 965P-DS3, Gigabyte 965G-DS3
Page 11 - Foxconn 975X7AB, Foxconn P9657AA-8EKRS2H
Page 12 - MSI P6N SLI Platinum, MSI P965 Platinum
Page 13 - MSI P965 Neo, MSI P965 Neo2
Page 14 - Intel D975XBX2 (i975X), Intel DG965RYCK
Page 15 - ECS NF650SLIT-A, ECS nForce 570 SLIT-A
Page 16 - ECS PN2 SLI2+, ECS P965T-A
Page 17 - Performance, conclusions
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