Foxconn and Gigabyte: Opposite ends of the Intel P965 mobo spectrum

piotke · 18th September 2006, 22:53

THE MARKET FOR CORE 2 motherboards is starting to fill out, and enthusiasts now have plenty of options to choose from at a variety of price points. Intel's new P965 chipset has proven to be a surprisingly popular option for budget offerings and high-end boards alike, so it was really only a matter of time before we pitted boards from opposite ends of the spectrum against each other for a little market segment warfare.

In the budget corner, we have Foxconn's P9657AA-EKS2H, a board whose $100 price tag makes it one of the cheapest P965 offerings on the market. The P9657AA-EKS2H has everything you'll need, including Gigabit Ethernet, High Definition Audio, and a decent array of overclocking and fan speed control options, making it a potential bargain.

For twice the cost of the Foxconn board, you could also have Gigabyte's GA-965P-DQ6. In addition to everything you'll need, the GA-965P-DQ6 has a few things you might want, like a second PCI Express x16 slot, Core 2 multiplier control, fancy heatpipe cooling, and a handful of extra goodies.

The obvious question, of course, is whether all those extras are worth the $100 premium. Can a budget board really keep up with a high-end offering? Read on for the surprising answer.

Rutar · 19th September 2006, 00:15

just great, they completly FUBARED the overclocking testing since Conroe does not always work well with the 965 chipset

18th September 2006, 22:53	#1
piotke [M] Reviewer Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 5,039	Foxconn and Gigabyte: Opposite ends of the Intel P965 mobo spectrum THE MARKET FOR CORE 2 motherboards is starting to fill out, and enthusiasts now have plenty of options to choose from at a variety of price points. Intel's new P965 chipset has proven to be a surprisingly popular option for budget offerings and high-end boards alike, so it was really only a matter of time before we pitted boards from opposite ends of the spectrum against each other for a little market segment warfare. In the budget corner, we have Foxconn's P9657AA-EKS2H, a board whose $100 price tag makes it one of the cheapest P965 offerings on the market. The P9657AA-EKS2H has everything you'll need, including Gigabit Ethernet, High Definition Audio, and a decent array of overclocking and fan speed control options, making it a potential bargain. For twice the cost of the Foxconn board, you could also have Gigabyte's GA-965P-DQ6. In addition to everything you'll need, the GA-965P-DQ6 has a few things you might want, like a second PCI Express x16 slot, Core 2 multiplier control, fancy heatpipe cooling, and a handful of extra goodies. The obvious question, of course, is whether all those extras are worth the $100 premium. Can a budget board really keep up with a high-end offering? Read on for the surprising answer. __________________ .

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19th September 2006, 00:15	#2
Rutar Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2,267	just great, they completly FUBARED the overclocking testing since Conroe does not always work well with the 965 chipset