Intel Motherboards
After all of the AMD coverage, we finally come to the Intel platforms. The big problem with Intel platforms is that the Core 2 Duo launch is right around the corner, and all of the enthusiasts know it. If you need a replacement motherboard, however, there's no reason to wait. One big question that remains: which socket 775 motherboards will officially support Core 2 Duo once it becomes available? We're hoping to provide some answers to that question in the near future, but for now we would advise caution. All that should really be necessary is a BIOS update and proper VRM support, but things are still a bit murky in terms of seeing the future and figuring out which motherboards are guaranteed to run Conroe.
Starting at the top of Intel's chipset offerings, we have the i975X offerings and the i955X boards they replaced. The i975X motherboards are about at the same price point that the i955X formerly occupied, though we are seeing a couple 955X motherboards that continue to carry nearly the same price. We highly suggest you skip over the 955X based boards and head on over to the 975X chipset, and if you're willing to take a gamble there's at least a chance that the 975X boards will support Core 2 Duo. The ASUS 975X P5WD2-E Premium [RTPE: P5WD2-E Premium] is going for about $240 shipped, and if there's one company out there that can pull off a BIOS update in order to support Intel's next-generation processors, we would have to say it's ASUS. Still, there's no guarantee yet.
The i945P based motherboards are excellent performers for the budget minded folks. We recommend staying within the lower-end of the spectrum because as you slowly increase into the higher-end models, you gradually get closer to the i975X motherboards which offer more performance for your money. 975X motherboards also offer support for dual video cards and ATI's CrossFire technology, so for high-end ATI gaming performance on an Intel platform they are presently the only choice.
The major difference between 945P and 945G is that the latter includes Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics. While the Intel solution is outperformed by both the ATI and NVIDIA IGP solutions, we feel we can still recommend some of these motherboards for the users who do not need any special graphics capabilities. Any one of the motherboards found in the above chart should prove to be sufficient for basic office applications and the like. Going with a motherboard with integrated graphics can save builders the cost of having to purchase an add-on card that is unnecessary for many basic applications. If you hope to run Windows Vista in the future, however, we would strongly recommend that you at least get a motherboard that has a PCI-E X16 slot.
After all of the AMD coverage, we finally come to the Intel platforms. The big problem with Intel platforms is that the Core 2 Duo launch is right around the corner, and all of the enthusiasts know it. If you need a replacement motherboard, however, there's no reason to wait. One big question that remains: which socket 775 motherboards will officially support Core 2 Duo once it becomes available? We're hoping to provide some answers to that question in the near future, but for now we would advise caution. All that should really be necessary is a BIOS update and proper VRM support, but things are still a bit murky in terms of seeing the future and figuring out which motherboards are guaranteed to run Conroe.
Starting at the top of Intel's chipset offerings, we have the i975X offerings and the i955X boards they replaced. The i975X motherboards are about at the same price point that the i955X formerly occupied, though we are seeing a couple 955X motherboards that continue to carry nearly the same price. We highly suggest you skip over the 955X based boards and head on over to the 975X chipset, and if you're willing to take a gamble there's at least a chance that the 975X boards will support Core 2 Duo. The ASUS 975X P5WD2-E Premium [RTPE: P5WD2-E Premium] is going for about $240 shipped, and if there's one company out there that can pull off a BIOS update in order to support Intel's next-generation processors, we would have to say it's ASUS. Still, there's no guarantee yet.
The i945P based motherboards are excellent performers for the budget minded folks. We recommend staying within the lower-end of the spectrum because as you slowly increase into the higher-end models, you gradually get closer to the i975X motherboards which offer more performance for your money. 975X motherboards also offer support for dual video cards and ATI's CrossFire technology, so for high-end ATI gaming performance on an Intel platform they are presently the only choice.
The major difference between 945P and 945G is that the latter includes Intel's GMA950 integrated graphics. While the Intel solution is outperformed by both the ATI and NVIDIA IGP solutions, we feel we can still recommend some of these motherboards for the users who do not need any special graphics capabilities. Any one of the motherboards found in the above chart should prove to be sufficient for basic office applications and the like. Going with a motherboard with integrated graphics can save builders the cost of having to purchase an add-on card that is unnecessary for many basic applications. If you hope to run Windows Vista in the future, however, we would strongly recommend that you at least get a motherboard that has a PCI-E X16 slot.
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Boushh - Monday, June 26, 2006 - link
Asus is offering the P5WDH Deluxe (based on the 975X chipset) and the P965 based P5B and P5B Deluxe. All offering Core 2 Duo/Extreme support. One Dutch etailer is offering the P5WDH for 211 Euro (including VAT, excluding shipping), delivery in 2-3 days.Your text is not clear about Core 2 Duo capable boards. On the one hand you say: 'If you need a replacement motherboard, however, there's no reason to wait.'. Suggesting that Core 2 Duo boards are available, but they are not listed in the price guide !! And on the otherhand you say: 'One big question that remains: which socket 775 motherboards will officially support Core 2 Duo once it becomes available?'. Saying that you actualy don't know which boards can support the Core 2.
It would have been nicer if you would list the boards that absolutely DO support the Core 2 (like the above mentioned Asus boards), and list the boards that MAY support the Core 2 (the list of 975X boards).
JarredWalton - Monday, June 26, 2006 - link
"One Dutch retailer..."That's the problem: we know there are some boards that are scheduled for retail availability very shortly, including the ASUS board you mentioned, but they're really not shipping in any reasonable fashion yet. It's also a little unnerving that no motherboard manufacturers are coming out beating the drum and saying how great their motherboards are because they offer Conroe support. We may see something like the 945/955 product launch where even though it was technically possible to run dual core chips on older chipsets, the only way to officially get such support was to buy one of the new motherboards.
Personally, there's no way I'm going to spend over $200 on an Intel motherboard right now unless I am absolutely certain it will support Core 2 Duo. The motherboard manufacturers all have test chips internally by now (and have for some time), so I'm a little curious as to why no one has been able to come forth stating which boards can support Conroe. Perhaps they are just under strict NDA from Intel and are not allowed to make such statements until the official launch has passed? If so, Intel certainly isn't doing any of the motherboard manufacturers any favors.
Boushh - Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - link
I see what you mean.Asus says that it supports: 'LGA775 socket for Intel Core2 Duo, Core2 Extreme and next generation Mulit-Core CPU'. But if you look at the CPU support, the list is empty. So that means that the Core 2 would fit in the socket, but without the CPU support list it's unclear if it will actualy work.
And with the Core 2 officially still a month away, I do understand your point for not adding these boards to the list (just yet) ;-)
JarredWalton - Tuesday, June 27, 2006 - link
They'd be added to the list if we could find them at US retailers. :) Probably another week or so....Quiksel - Monday, June 26, 2006 - link
This doesn't imply that C2Duo boards are out, it merely states that if you have a dead board, you probably need a replacement, hence, no reason to wait... Sure, some might not want to use their dead computer for a couple of months, but I know I would want it up and running.As for C2Duo support on existing mobo's goes, it is certainly fair to say that we aren't sure what will end up being supported since the procs aren't out and tested just yet. No reason not to be on the safe side, especially these guys when they are recommending products. Certainly they would not want to be on the receiving end of an angry customer finding out a board that Anandtech said would work with Conroe ends up being not compatible in the end. Let's just reserve judgment when the chips arrive, shall we?
shabby - Monday, June 26, 2006 - link
Why dont these charts ever appear correctly when you click on print this article?JarredWalton - Monday, June 26, 2006 - link
Probably an error in the code that generates the tables. I have passed it on to our website administrator to have him look at it.