Foxconn MARS, and abit IP35 Pro (Intel P35)
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Date: 08.10.2007 |
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Performance
While determining the starting FSB speed, we found that the abit board detects it at a high precision, while the Foxconn board overstating it a bit.
In our test setup, we used the following hardware:
Let's first take a look at the results of synthetic benchmarks.
Now on to the gaming benchmarks.
ASUS Striker is based on the NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI chipset, while P5B Premium Vista Edition - on the P965.
Final Words
Currently, there are just a few motherboards which are able providing a stable operation at FSB >= 550 MHz. These are three to four ASUS motherboards based on P35 and a couple of Gigabyte boards based on X38 and P35. Certainly, as the BIOS is improving, the number of such boards will be going up, but Foxconn MARS is already now a member of the "550 MHz club". The board has not yet arrived in the retail and is able making the most of the CPU! Unlike the MARS, abit IP35 Pro is not yet able doing that and requires the BIOS polishing (of course, if the board's capabilities allow for that). Therefore, Foxconn MARS beats the rival on its field, which a mere a year ago would seem an absolute fantasy.
Now let's look at the package bundles. At that part, the Foxconn board is better because it includes power supply adapters for SATA devices and, by an large, does not require repeated visits to the shop for varied petty items. However, the mark for the package bundle is in direct dependence on the retail price which is not yet set for these two boards.
The rating mark for expansion options also depends on the product's price. We are not putting a mark for that now, but note that the superiority is with the abit IP35 Pro which offers one SerialATA link as more. On the abit board, there are 2 Gigabit LAN controllers, whereas only one on the Foxconn board.
At the other parameters, there is a conditional parity. Both the boards offer an additional chip (uGuru - in abit, FoxOne - in Foxconn), the buttons to power-on, reboot, and BIOS reset. However, the abit board also offers a 7-stage POST indicator and greater number of connectors for plugging in fans.
Both the products offer an equally high quality of the BIOS features implementation. We note it specially that both Foxconn and abit have implemented a feature for retaining and loading the BIOS profiles, which essentially makes the lives of computer enthusiasts much easier. But abit has done a bit better job of that, and the system monitoring in the IP35 Pro board is among the best in its class!
Now regarding the shortcomings. We found no technical issues in both of the boards. The only thing where we can find fault is the minor flaws in the proprietary utilities by abit and Foxconn, and part of them simply won't start up. But you've got to be aware that these boards have not yet arrived in the retail, and release of new software versions is regular enough for both the companies.
abit IP35 Pro, and Foxconn MARS
Conclusion
Pros of abit IP35 Pro:
- high stability and good performance level;
- two PCI Express x16 slots;
- support for SerialATA II/RAID ( 8 lines; ICH9R + JMB363);
- support for one P-ATA link (JMB363);
- Integrated 8-channel audio and two LAN (Gigabit Ethernet) controllers;
- support for USB2.0 (12 ports) and IEEE-1394 (Firewire; 2 ports);
- additional uGuru chip + utilities (FanEQ, BIOS profiles, OC Guru, etc.);
- the most advanced system monitoring and support for the uGuru Panel;
- 7-stage POST indicator;
- passive system for cooling the chipset and the power supply module.
Cons:
The board's specific features:
- good results of overclocking the CPU (FSB = 504 MHz) and the memory.
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Pros of Foxconn MARS:
- high stability and good performance level;
- two PCI Express x16 slots;
- support for SerialATA II /RAID ( 7 links; ICH9R + JMB361);
- support for one P-ATA link (JMB363);
- integrated 8-channel audio and Gigabit Ethernet LAN controller;
- support for USB2.0 (12 ports) and IEEE-1394 (Firewire, 2 ports);
- additional FoxOne chip + utilities (BIOS profiles, AEGIS Panel);
- attractive package bundle;
- passive/active system for cooling the chipset and the power supply module.
Cons:
The board's specific features:
- superb results of overclocking the CPU (FSB = 552 MHz) and the memory.
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- Discuss the material in a conference
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