DFI 855GME-MGF Motherboard Review - Conclusion
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So, what do we make of this product? The board itself worked fine after updating to the latest BIOS revision. Initially there was a problem with the SATA bus lock, but that seems to have been solved. The board now appears stable at stock speeds, and even overclocked within reason.
The problems that I have with it are simply due to it not being a mature product for the desktop, which is to be expected. There is a severe bandwidth limitation due to the very slow front side bus speed compared to the performance internally of the processor. It's not DFI's problem; lay the blame on Intel's design. The only way to fix that is by overclocking, something I'm comfortable with but others might not be. And that's one area where recently DFI has been very good.
This board, however, lacks the necessary options to make that happen, with no extra Vcore or Vchipset. Perhaps most glaring is a lack of voltage to add to memory (to help correct the bandwidth limitations). Now, I've found ways around those stated problems with modifications to the board itself, and to be honest the thought of it makes overclocking fun again. But I don't think the average consumer after being coddled with copious options in BIOS, or worse, in Windows, will be happy with that. In today's market they probably won't be content with backward steps.
However, I believe this is again due to it being a new and different product. I would have been truly astounded to find a "perfect" product in their first attempt at something like this. As an OEM product, one to go in silent microATX home theatre boxes, its a win. As a potential miniature (yet powerful) server product, it's got my vote. As something that can be played with by hardcore enthusiasts willing to possibly break things, it will certainly delight; I'm very happy to have my hands on it. It also will make a killer LAN box for the mobile gamer.
I think where it will miss its mark is the general enthusiast market, the ones who aren't willing to add variable resistors, or would be put off by the inherent cost of the platform. This will remain true at least until they issue a "version 2.0" that includes things like a standard s478 heatsink retention frame and BIOS voltage options.
As I said above, the product itself can fulfill many roles. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to use it to replace my server, use it to replace my HTPC, or even keep it as my workstation/power box. But I think it's missing the boat as a general use PC platform, if that was ever even the intent for the product in the first place. I'm going to assume when the new Alviso/Sonoma platform shows up in Q1 '05 that you'll have an increase in options, particularly in ones that are a bit more polished for the general consumer since that chipset alone looks like it will solve some of the issues that the 855 has. Until then this is certainly an interesting platform to play with, and keep my new Dothan in good shape.
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