Roundup: Six Core 2 Motherboards Under $100

[regilsolon]

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a bit info for those will not even know.

LGA-775’s Last Hurrah?

A new architecture for Intel’s latest Core i7 processors may be relegating LGA-775 components to the budget market, but using previous-generation components isn’t a dead-end for value seekers, either. Intel never planned to use its new LGA-1366 in the mainstream market, and its next-generation mainstream socket is still at least a couple of quarters away. Buyers should expect today's crop of previous-generation parts to be viable for at least two more years.
But what is value, really? Buyers who define performance as the "bang" in "bang for the buck" would be sorely disappointed to find out that most motherboards offer similar performance. Overclockers get greater value from low-cost components through increased clock speeds, while gamers might consider the graphics-performance capabilities of a pair of low-cost HD 4830 graphics cards in CrossFire mode. And for true entry-level budgets, buyers who need a system now but can’t afford a good graphics card just yet will surely benefit from a board that supports both onboard and add-in graphics solutions.
Today’s selection of low-cost LGA-775 motherboards covers buyers who'd be interested in any of the above scenarios, so be sure to check out the six boards in today's roundup.



for full story click this link:


(http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...core,2110.html)

thanks, happy reading .!!! hehehe

[grss1982]

How about P45 boards at $80?

I mean I5 and I7 are already here..give us 775 users a break already Intel!!!!!

[regilsolon]

so far , wala pa ko ka kita naay tag $80 p45 mobo's .

[simoko]

mga EMAXX or ECS P45 mobos now range from 4.8-5.5k petot...

[dmelsie]

yup barato na ang ecs,msi og emaxx for an average user ok na kaayo na nga mobo

[regilsolon]

how about pc chips bro ? naa mo idea. cheap sad daw ni.

[dexlimp]

ASRock P45XE



For around $95, ASRock’s P45XE is the only sub-$100 motherboard we could find with "proper" support for AMD CrossFire technology. The critical difference is that while cheaper "quasi-CrossFire" motherboards endow the second slot with x4 pathways using bandwidth-restricted PCI Express (PCIe) 1.1 technology, the P45XE is able to provide either x16 mode to a single card or x8 mode to dual cards, using bandwidth-doubling PCIe 2.0 technology. The performance difference is huge, while the competition’s use of v1.1 x4 slots has dire consequences. From the CrossFire perspective, ASRock has already taken a clear leadership position before our testing even begins.

But ASRock’s CrossFire advantage doesn’t stop at the P45XE’s ability to "do it right," as the motherboard is also capable of "doing it easily." While several higher-cost products require manual selection for single or dual graphics cards via paddle cards or jumper blocks, the P45XE provides the convenience of electronic mode-switching.
Intelligent layout decisions include proper support for up to seven expansion cards, as even the uppermost PCIe x1 slot has enough clearance for cards up to 6.625" long. Competitors typically limit their products to six slots, or restrict the top slot to super-short cards with an over-sized northbridge sink.
The P45XE even locates its front-panel audio header half-way up its rear edge for easier cable routing to top-panel jacks, and that leaves us with very few things to complain about. It would be a disservice for us not to point out the few inconveniences or otherwise deceptive features. First of all, Windows XP users who would like to add AHCI drivers during installation might be a little disappointed to find the floppy header located below the lowest PCI slot. Second, while the eight-pin ATX12V/EPS12V-compliant power connector might be sensibly located from a circuit-designer’s point of view, wrapping its cable around the CPU cooler is something most builders prefer not to be forced to do. Finally, the P45XE is only slightly narrower than a full-ATX design, and since it doesn’t quite extend to a third column of standoffs, the unsupported end will flex significantly when memory is installed.

We did, of course, use the word deceptive, and that comes from the ASRock-standard of providing eSATA ports by using pass-through connectors. To enable these, builders are expected to run two cables from the orange SATA connectors at the bottom edge of the P45XE to the top rear corner. Not only does this prevent systems with windowed cases from appearing as professionally-assembled, but it also requires running those cables over or around every expansion card. Furthermore, this design reduces signal strength by putting two extra connections on every pathway.
But using the Intel ICH10 southbridge for eSATA gave ASRock an idea that has escaped most or all of its competitors: the P45XE supports the Safely Remove Hardware option for all AHCI drives. This includes internal drives, which means users of hot-swap SATA hard drives can plug and unplug drives at will without going through the hassle of disabling drive cache and using Remove Hardware from the device manager. This is the first Intel chipset motherboard that this author has seen that supports the Safely Remove Hardware icon, which until now had been limited to Nvidia chipsets. Furthermore, the feature is enabled through BIOS and doesn’t even require a special driver. Bravo!
ASRock P45XE (Revision 1.07)
Northbridge
Intel P45 Express
Southbridge
Intel ICH10
Voltage Regulator
Four Phases
BIOS
1.40 (11/10/200
333.3MHz (FSB1333)
333.5 MHz (+0.13%)
Clock Generator
ICS 9LPRS918JKLF
Connectors and Interfaces
Onboard
2x PCIe 2.0 x16 (Modes: One x16 or Two x
3x PCIe x1
2x PCI
2x USB 2.0 (2 ports per connector)
1x USB 2.0 / WiFi Card Header (2-ports)
1x SerialPort header
1x Floppy
1x Ultra ATA (2 drives)
6x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s
2x SATA to eSATA Pass-Through Connectors
1x Front Panel Audio
1x CD-Audio In
1x S/P-DIF Out
1x Fan 4 pins (CPU)
1x Fan 3 pins (Chassis)
IO panel
2x PS2 (keyboard + mouse)
2x Digital Audio Out (S/P-DIF optical + coaxial)
2x External SATA Pass-Through Connectors
1x RJ-45 Network
6x USB 2.0
6x Analog Audio (7.1 Channel + Mic-In + Line-In)
Mass Storage Controllers
Intel ICH10
6x SATA 3.0Gb/s
VIA VT6415 PCI-E
1x Ultra ATA-133 (2-drives)
Network
Realtek RTL8111C PCI-E
Gigabit LAN Controller
Audio
Realtek ALC888 HDA
7.1 + 2 channel Multi-Streaming Output

Rear-panel port selection will trick many buyers into thinking the P45XE is a more expensive product, but while the previously-mentioned built-in SATA to eSATA adapter is almost deceptive, the dual-format digital audio outputs function without requiring installation tricks.
Zoom
A good reason for thinking of the P45XE as a lower-cost mainstream-performance board would be its legitimate CrossFire support, but other things, such as a USB header between slots three and four that supports a WiFi card hint at an actual performance-mainstream variation.
ZoomZoomZoom
With a rated signal-to-noise ratio of 97:1 decibels, Relatek’s ALC888 codec is more than sufficient as a low-cost onboard audio solution.
A Realtek RTL8111C Gigabit Network controller requires little system overhead, while its PCIe interface provides more than twice the needed bandwidth.
Who needs Ultra ATA any more? With SATA optical drives priced well below $20, few new systems will require the VIA VT6415 controller. ASRock likely retains it for the upgrade market.

ASRock P45XE - Review Tom's Hardware : Roundup: Six Core 2 Motherboards Under $100

kini less dan $100..mang hunting ko ani na mobo..

[quinne]

That article is almost a year old...

[dexlimp]

yeah but prices for mobo w/ p45 chipsets is still high..

[regilsolon]

That article is almost a year old...

mao jud bro. almost a year nah. last year pila toy price sa mga P45 mobos. ? murag dili paman affordable for the masses ang P45 mobos. bisag naa nay P55.hehehe