Foxconn P35A and ECS P35T-A: two novelties on a new chipset
BIOS
The BIOS of both the motherboards is based on the AMI BIOS version.
The section in charge of memory operation settings looks like this:
The next important parameter that affects the performance is setting the memory operating frequency.
The ECS board offers only two values: 667 MHz and 800 MHz. The capability of the Foxconn motherboard is much higher due to the Strap selection feature (dubbed as the "Fox Ratio Select" feature by the engineers):
Both the motherboards support all Intel's modern technologies:
Now look at the system monitoring section.
Both the motherboards display the current temperatures for the CPU and the system, keep track of the current voltage levels and rotational speeds of the two fans. There is also the feature for adjusting the rotational speed of the CPU cooler depending on the CPU temperature.
Also, the user of the Foxconn motherboard can keep track of the readings of the system monitoring from within Windows. For that, there is the FoxOne utility.
The utility Fox LiveUpdate meant to update the drivers, utilities and BIOS firmware works with the motherboard:
Overclocking and stability
Before we move on to overclocking, let's look at the power converters. The PWM of the Foxconn board uses a 4-phase power scheme, in which there are four 331 mkF and eleven 561 mkF capacitors. The power supply module of the ECS board uses a 4-phase power scheme, in which there are four 1800 mkF, four 680 mkF, and two 560 mkF capacitors.
All the PWM power components on the motherboards are closed with radiators, which improves the cooling efficiency and stability in overclocking.
Now on to the overclocking features.
| Motherboard |
Foxconn P35A |
ECS P35T-A |
| Multiplier adjustment |
+ |
- |
| FSB adjustment |
within 200/266 to 750 MHz (1) |
within 200/266 to 500 MHz (1) |
| Vcore adjustment |
within 0 to +0.787V (0.0125V) |
within 1.1V to 1.5V (0.5V) |
| Vmem adjustment |
within 1.665V to 3.0V (~0.045V) |
within 1.85V to 2V (0.05V) |
| Vdd adjustment |
within 1.1574V to 1.6267V (0.0313V) |
within +0 to +12% (4%) |
| Vsb/Vpcix adjustment |
within 1.3875V to 1.95V (0.0375V) |
- |
| Vtt adjustment |
- |
- |
| PCI-E adjustment |
- |
- |
Note that the overclocking features on the Foxconn motherboard have been made much better; the BIOS contains information on the current values on the CPU, memory, and the north bridge. Besides, the adjustment ranges are wider, the adjustment increment, with more features. The feature for raising voltage on the memory is implemented in a very special way: the values of the standard range can be raised by the rate 1.28 or 1.13. Therefore, the maximum possible Vmem is 3V!
Now let's look at the practical results of overclocking. The maximum stable FSB speed in the Foxconn board is 500 MHz; that for the ECS board - 375 MHz.
Of note is the fact that Foxconn P35A allows adjusting the CPU multiplier, which lets us determine the board's overclocking capability. ECS P35T-A cannot adjust the multiplier, and the real limit of stable FSB speed remains unclear (the overclocking is restricted by the capability of the specific specimen of the tested CPU).
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