Product Reviews

Intel's X38 chipset forms the basis for this feature-packed Socket 775 motherboard, with support for the latest 1,600MHz FSB and 45nm Core 2 processors. Only the much pricier DDR3 DIMMs are supported (DDR2 won't do), and other legacy interfaces also suffer (one IDE and no floppy). There's little else this board won't do, though, with three PCI Express slots (for CrossFire setups), 802.11bgn WLAN built-in and two e-SATA ports on the backplane. There's even an embedded Linux installation, which comes with versions of Firefox and Skype preinstalled. Booting in five seconds, it's a compelling if inevitably limited alternative to the multiminute Windows option. If you're after everything in one, this is a great choice, but it's only good value if you'll use all its features.