Encores: Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R And MSI P35 Neo Combo
Two formerly-reviewed motherboards that support the builder’s choice of DDR2 or DDR3 configurations make their return for performance retest : Gigabyte’s GA-P35C-DS3R and MSI’s P35 Neo Combo :
The GA-P35C-DS3R proved itself a formidable contender in its performance debut, while the P35 Neo Combo sacrificed some overclocking capability while meeting lower-cost demands typical of the broader upgrade market.
Test Setup
| System Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Socket 775 Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo E6700(Conroe 65 nm, 2.67 GHz, 4 MB L2 Cache) |
| RAM | Corsair Dominator TWIN2X2048-8888C4DF2x 1024 MB DDR2-1111 (CL 4.0-4-4-12) |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital WD1500ADFD-00NLR1, Firmware : 20.07P20150 GB, 10,000 RPM, 16 MB cache, SATA/150 |
| Graphics Card | Foxconn GeForce 8800GTX, P/N : FV-N88XMAD2-ODNVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX - 768 MB |
| Power Supply | OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI - 700W |
| System Software & Drivers | |
| OS | Windows XP Professional 5.10.2600, Service Pack 2 |
| DirectX Version | 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904) |
| Platform Drivers | Intel INF 8.3.0.1013 |
| Graphics Driver | NVIDIA Forceware 158.19 |
Everyone wants to see how the new P35 Express chipset compares to competing parts, including the P965 Express chipset it replaces. Representing the P965 is Asus’s top-overclocking P5B Deluxe WiFi-AP Edition motherboard, updated to BIOS 1101 (03/09/2007).
Of course Intel isn’t the only name in the Core-2 supporting chipset game : Nvidia’s 650i SLI chipset is represented by MSI’s top-overclocking P6N SLI Platinum.
Anyone who wants to see how the P6N Platinum stacked up to Nvidia’s high-end 680i chipset should enjoy our 650i Motherboard Comparison.
