4-Way Intel P35 Motherboard Overclocking Roundup

Motherboards/Intel S775 by massman @ 2007-11-26

In this group test we compare the overclocking capabilities and performance of 4 motherboards based on the mid-range P35 Intel chipset. From the low cost Asus P5K, affordable Foxconn P35AP-S and MSI Platinum Combo to the expensive DFI P35 Lanparty, which one will come out on top? Find out in this article.

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DFI P35 Lanparty: Box, bundle and board

Pictures

Next, we arrive at the DFI, the second entry in our P35 motherboard round-up.

Madshrimps (c)


The box itself has a quite clean design, nothing fancy.

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On the back, we can find a variety of information, going from the basics of the Intel P35 chipset to the 8 phases Digital PWM and dual gigabit LAN with teaming function. All in all, basic information.

When we open the box, we find the motherboard enclosed in a hard plastic cover (also seen with the Asus blitz series) to ensure the safety of the board.

Madshrimps (c)


The other two boxes contain the extra accessories and the TransPiper, but we'll discuss that feature later on this page. First of all: the accessories.

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Just like MSI, DFI offer a very large packet of extra's

  • 4 sata cables
  • 1 molex to sata power converters
  • 1 sata splitter
  • I/O backplate
  • Ide cable
  • Floppy cable
  • Sound card
  • Driver disk for both XP and Vista
  • Motherboards manual
  • A quick start guide

    But of course, the motherboard itself has the leading role in this review.

    Madshrimps (c)


    As you can see, DFI chose to swap the yellow color it has used in the past for a green shade. Let me guide you through the different aspects of the motherboard, beginning with a clear shot of the socket area.

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    As you can see, digital PWM! One of the biggest advantages of this board when comparing the others should be this, as 8 phase digital PWM should keep the voltages very stable. For the subzero cooling users: this board is very easy to insulate, almost too easy. There's really nothing around the socket to worry about.

    Let's move on to the external I/O connections.

    Madshrimps (c)


    We can clearly see that this is an enthusiast motherboard, everything obsolete was left out. What we have left is:

  • PS/2 keyboard and mouse
  • 6 x USB 2.0
  • 2 x Gigabit lan
  • IEEE1394

    Note that the audio is delivered by a sound card which you need to plug in on the motherboard. While minimalism can be favorable for reducing cost and clutter, some useful extras were left out, like eSATA which can come in handy; the external I/O is limited in options, no Firewire either. The heatsink you see in the middle is part of the TransPiper system.

    Next up, the PCIe area.

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    Three (3!) PCIe x16 slots for graphical power, of which 1 is really performing at x16, whereas the others perform at respectively 4x/1x and 1x. For the gamers, the system can provide 2 crossfire video cards and an extra physics card.

    Madshrimps (c)


    The internal I/O connections consist of:

  • Connector for an external COM port
  • Connector for an IEEE 1394 port
  • Connector for the Bernstein audio module
  • Front audio connector (on the Bernstein audio module)
  • CD-in connector (on the Bernstein audio module)
  • S/PDIF connector (on the Bernstein audio module)
  • IrDA connector
  • CIR connector
  • 8 Serial ATA connectors
  • IDE connector
  • Floppy connector
  • Front panel connector
  • 6 fan connectors
  • Diagnostic LED
  • EZ touch switches (power switch and reset switch)

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    Diagnostic led and EZ touch switches


    Next up, the memory slots.

    Madshrimps (c)


    Nothing special to mention here, except for the limited space between the memory slots and the PCIe lane. If you have a long video card (such as the 8800Ultra), install you memory first.

    Finally we arrive at DFI's newest addition : the TransPiper heatsink system.

    Madshrimps (c)


    The box consist of:

  • A quick install guide
  • The TransPiper heatsink
  • A tiny bit of cooling paste
  • The equipment to attach the TransPiper

    There are two options: attach the TransPiper to the cpu through the heatsink system in the middle of the I/O connections, or attach it to the southbridge. We chose the last option.

    Madshrimps (c)


    The installation is really simple and very well documented in the quick install guide, so we won't spend time on how we installed it. Does it work? We didn't find any improvements using the southbridge attachment, however, we suspect that attaching it directly to the cpu could have a bigger effect.

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    Comment from Rutar @ 2007/11/26
    the madshrimps roundup attack on motherboard reviews, I'd be affraid if I was still writing the outdated one motherboard reviews


    Foxconn really works on their street cred with that board
    Comment from geoffrey @ 2007/11/26
    Owning a P5K myself, good performance considering its price, and not too overloaded with BIOS features which hardly make a difference and are too complicated to understand for people who just jumped in.

    Liked the article btw
    Comment from Sidney @ 2007/11/26
    Can't beat the Asus P5K board in both price and performance.
    Comment from Massman @ 2007/11/27
    You can by overclocking
    Comment from jmke @ 2007/11/27
    if you overclock,how will you beat the price/performance value? since FSB OCing hardly has any effect in real world applications
    Comment from Rutar @ 2007/11/27
    I think it would be more noticable with a Quadcore, where the Vdrop is more important.
    Comment from Massman @ 2007/11/27
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jmke View Post
    if you overclock,how will you beat the price/performance value? since FSB OCing hardly has any effect in real world applications
    You and me have different definitions of overclocking . I see it as benching, you as cost-effective performance tweaking. In other words, I am willing to pay 45€ extra for a board which is faster, you're not.
    Comment from thorgal @ 2007/11/28
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Massman View Post
    You and me have different definitions of overclocking . I see it as benching, you as cost-effective performance tweaking. In other words, I am willing to pay 45€ extra for a board which is faster, you're not.
    I can second that, so am I But the majority of people are not, unfortunately for the hardware vendors
    Comment from jmke @ 2007/11/28
    but Massman, as a reviewer you'll have to look at both sides of the overclocking approach
    Comment from Massman @ 2007/11/28
    That's why the Price/Perfomance winner =/= High-end winner
    Comment from jmke @ 2007/11/29
    nope
    Comment from Kougar @ 2007/12/02
    45nm support on 975X chipsets is iffy, best to check on a individual board by board basis. Some sites have run 45nm chips on 975X ASUS boards however.

    Interesting review! Am I correct that the ASUS P5k only has 3 vRegs? That's pitiful, no wonder there are reports that Quadcores would kill the thing. Does explain the 0.1v vdroop problem too, my own 3vReg DS3 had about that same vdroop also with a E6300. To bad Gigabyte didn't show up to the party.

     

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