Foxconn 955X7AA, Intel LGA 775 Motherboard Review - Conclusion
(Page 8 of 8 )
Conclusion
This motherboard has been fun to review. It is a great all-around package, with features such as integrated RAID support for PATA and SATA and SATA II, 8-point surround sound audio, dual Gigabit LAN, feature-rich BIOS, etc. It is easy to install and figure out.
This board really shines when it comes to the extras in the BIOS and the included software. The BIOS setting for Optimal Reference overclocking is awesome. It makes this motherboard ideal for complete novice overclockers or people who just want a fast, easy, and stable overclock without thinking or testing. You don't need to know anything about overclocking to get a good performance jump. The included software, Norton Internet Security and Word Perfect, helps to get a new system off to a quick start. These parts of the board may not be attractive to power users, but they do offer a lot of value to all the people deciding to build their own systems.
As far as cost, this Foxconn motherboard is very reasonable. It sells online for about $160. It doesn't get much more reasonable than that for a modern board. For anyone buying a new processor, you'll need a rather new LGA 775 chipset, such as the 955x and 975x. Older ones may not have built-in support for the 65-nm chips, like the Presler. Even some 955x ones need to have the BIOS updated using an old Celeron or Pentium chip, then upgrade to the 65-nm chip (which is a huge pain if you don't have an old LGA 775 CPU). This Foxconn may be inexpensive, but you will not run into any of this trouble.
The only cheaper motherboard widely available is the ASUS P5WD2 (non-Premium). It's only $7 cheaper, and it has issues. It doesn't have support for any new 65nm processors without BIOS updates, and has other common complaints about its design. Foxconn's is the cheapest motherboard that lives up to the expectations of the high end 955x Intel chipset. We here at Dev Hardware recommend it for anyone buying a new system and are looking for bang-for-the-buck.
Highs
- Optimal Reference overclocking feature is awesome and easy.
- Overclocked settings benchmark very well.
- Feature packed.
- 8 GB maximum for DDR
- Bundled with good software package.
- Priced very well for a good Intel 955x motherboard, especially good in price for performance.
Lows
- Drivers are not validated for Windows, which may or may not cause problems for different systems.
- Design of motherboard could be a problem if you have a big video card. It could block the top PCI slot and the memory slot clips.
Thank you for reading the Dev Hardware review of the Foxconn 955X7AA 8EKRS2. Many thanks to Foxconn too for giving us the chance to review their motherboard. For more details on this and other products, please visit Foxconn's official website. If you would like to discuss this board, please join us in the Dev Hardware Forums.
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
| Recommended by Dev Hardware |
|---|
|
