Published: 4/9/2008
Price at publication: $1,801.92
One of the hardest parts about building a new computer is deciding what to put into the system now and want to leave for later. Gaming systems really put a unique demand on computer hardware so it is important to include everything that you will need (within reason) at the time of assembly.
For this system we're going to be building a true to life CrossFire enabled system. We're starting out with an Intel P35 chipset, VisionTek 3850 video card, and a Core 2 Duo processor. The motherboard comes with a decent onboard sound option so to save some money we'll be suggesting that.
Being that this is a gaming/enthusiast rig we opted for 2 video cards of the ATI variety to round the system off.
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Manufacturer: DFI
We recently reviewed this motherboard from DFI and found it to be a very stable, with great performance and a great deal of overclocking headroom. Our only complaint is Intel's decision to support CrossFire over SLI but that is likely to change in the near future.
This motherboard will also accept several different forms of cooling from the stock HSF to a custom watercooler.
Be sure to check out our review of this motherboard for more information.
Quick Specs:
CPU Type Quad-core / Core 2 Extreme / Core 2 Duo / Pentium D / Pentium 4
FSB 1333/1066MHz
Chipsets Intel P35 / Intel ICH9R
Memory Slots 4×240pin
Memory Standard DDR2 800 Dual Channel
Maximum Memory 8GB
Expansion Slots: 3 PCI Express x16 slots (PCIE1 at x16, PCIE3 at x4 or x1 and PCIE4 at x1)
SATA 3Gb/s 6
SATA RAID 0/1/0+1/5 Matrix RAID
Onboard Audio Realtek ALC885 / 8 Channels
