Advantages: Cheap and up to date, Takes new gfx card Disadvantages: built in graphics are basic
FOXCONNMOTHERBOARD
The Foxconn K8M890M2MA-R2SH is a really cheap and cheerfull Socket AM2 motherboard. There's only one way that a manufacturer can come up with a motherboard that sells for such a low price, and that's by using every feature that the chipset has to offer without bolting on any extra gadgets.
The chipset in on this board is the VIA K8M890 which includes VIA/S3G DeltaChrome graphics (cheap and nasty) and a VT8237R Plus Southbridge.
There are two DDR2 memory slots so you get dual channel memory support, and if your a gamer and the integrated graphics aren't sufficient you can plug a proper graphics card into the PCI-E x16 slot provided.
There is also a PCI-E x1 slot and two PCI slots. The Southbridge supports RAID 0 or 1 for the pair of SATA connectors and there are four USB 2.0 ports on the I/O panel ...
Advantages: Large space around CPU socket, Good overclocking and overall, a very stable motherboard Disadvantages: Slow boot up time, Quite expensive.
Purchased this item quite recently and I have to say its a definite improvement over previous motherboardsI have owned, Especially the P5Q3 Deluxe. Currently Running the OCZ Platinum 1600mhz 2GB set with it, and an E8500 and runs like a dream. Although I had a few problems at the start getting it stable at the right memory frequency, it only took a couple of hours to get it running fine. I only played around with overclocking when I first bought it, but from what I remember it was very good. Space around the CPU socket was also a concern when I bought the motherboard, but once recieving it I found that It perfectly accomedated the Zalman 9700 .
I only have one bad thing to say about this board, and I am unsure if this is just to do with my setup, but I found load up times to be slightly slower than I have seen before. But ...
The Foxconn Core4 Series P35a motherboard offers everything a intermediate gamer could need. With prices ranging from £ 75 - £80 this enables you to purchase that duo/quad core processor everyone is after. This product is Microsoft Vista Compatable.
Size
ATX Form Factor 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm
Compatible Processors:
Pentium 4
Pentium D
Core 2 Duo
Core 2 Extreme
Core 2 Quad
Pentium Dual Core
Celeron 400 sequence
Now for the geeky Bit
Processor Socket: LGA775 Socket
Multi-Core Support: Dual-Core / Quad-core
Chipset Type: Intel P35 Express / Intel ICH9
Max Bus Speed: 1333 MHz
Storage Controller: ATA-133, Serial ATA-300, eSATA port
Power Connectors: 24-pin main power connector, 8-pin ATX12V connector
Processor installed Qty: 0 (Max Supported: 1 )
Supported RAM Technology: DDR II SDRAM
RAM Installed: 0 MB (8 GB max ...
2 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45
2 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
1 x audio - line-In - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
1 x audio - line-out - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
1 x audio - line-out (centre/subwoofer) - mini-phone 3.5mm
1 x audio - line-out (rear) - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
1 x microphone - input - mini-phone 3.5mm
1 x audio - SPDIF output
Additional Connectors (Optional)
6 x Hi-Speed USB
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories
SONAR audio card
Certified for Windows Vista
Certified for Windows Vista software and devices have undergone compatibility tests for ease-of-use, better performance and enhanced security.
Manufacturer's product description
BLACKOPS delivers the ultimate in computing power for today's most demanding applications, and enables greater agility and control through specialist hardware and BIOS features. Based on the Intel x48 chipset and supporting processors up to 2000MHz FSB (via overclocking), BLACKOPS is designed for high-performance computing 3 PCIe x16 Gen2.0 slots with CrossFireX support enable powerful graphics configurations, whilst unique enthusiast features such as the 4in1 Quantum Cooler enable air / water / LN2 cooling of NB, SB and VRM areas. The highly-configurable Quantum BIOS reveals a huge range of performance settings and tuning capabilities, and coupled with the robust 8 phase Digital PWM, enthusiasts can take their PC to the overclocking heights! The dedicated SONAR daughter card provides high-quality 7.1 channel HD audio, whilst Dual Gigabit LAN, eSATA, FireWire, USB 2.0 and SATA RAID are all integrated onboard.
Related tags for Foxconn BLACKOPS - motherboard - ATX - iX48 »
