Guide to Building a HTPC, Workstation and Server - Page 6

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Table of Contents
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• Preface

1. Overview of Recent Chipsets for the Intel Platform
2. Intel 865 Chipset Motherboards
3. Intel 945/946 Express Chipset Motherboards
4. Intel 975X Express Chipset Motherboards
5. Intel 965 Express Chipset Motherboards
6. Intel 3 Series Chipset Motherboards
7. Intel 4 Series Chipset Motherboards
8. Intel Tylersburg/Summitlake Chipset Motherboards
9. NVIDIA nForce4 Series for Intel Chipset Motherboards
10. NVIDIA nForce 500 Series for Intel Chipset Motherboards
11. NVIDIA nForce 600i Series Chipset Motherboards
12. NVIDIA nForce 700i Series Chipset Motherboards
13. NVIDIA GeForce 7-Series GPU and nForce 6-Series MCP Motherboards
14. NVIDIA GeForce 9-Series mGPU and nForce 7-Series MCP Motherboards
15. ATI Chipset Motherboards
16. SiS Chipset Motherboards
17. VIA Chipset Motherboards
18. Mobile Intel 945 Express Chipset Motherboards
19. Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset Motherboards

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Preface
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For those who are interested in building a Core 2 system, I collected a list of motherboards (ATX and microATX) supporting Core 2 processors. This part begins with a preliminary section: a brief overview of chipsets for the Intel platform. Then a list of motherboards follows. Motherboards are classified by chipset and then form factor. Each motherboard is hyperlinked to the manufacture's website. A brief description of specifications is included. To make the description concise and readable, I assume the following specifications are standard for today's desktop motherboards:

• FSB 1333 MTps support
• Dual-channel memory controller supporting DDR2-800, 4 DIMMs, 4GB maximum
• 1 x VGA for a microATX board
• 1 x PCI Express x16 (x16 electrically), 1 x PCI Express x1, 2 x PCI
• 1 x PATA, 4 x SATA at 3.0Gbps
• RAID 0/1/01 or 10/5, NCQ, Hot-Plug
• 8 x USB 2.0
• 1 x PCI Express Gb LAN
• 7.1 Ch. HD Audio
• 1 x coaxial S/PDIF out and/or 1 x optical S/PDIF out
• 2 x IEEE 1394

Part of the specifications that does not meet the above is written in bold letters. I also used bold letters elsewhere if a special attention is needed. I included a few overclocking options in BIOS for those who are interested in overclocking the system. Links to review sites and user forums are also included if any. Information on the actual availability in US retail stores is included. The link to Newegg.com is often included for your convenience.

Conventions

A name in italic letters like Bearlake is a codename. In motherboard lists, I used various abbreviations:

Specs

• Active/Passive means that the cooling method of northbridge/southbridge is active/passive (i.e. heatsink with fan/heatsink only), etc.
• PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1/3* means that there are two PCI Express x16 slots, each of which can run at the maximum speed of x16, x4 respectively (but may not run at that speed concurrently), one PCI Express x 1 slot, and 3 PCI slots, and one of the PCI slots cannot be used when a two-slot video card is installed, etc.
• PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/4/2 means that the number of PATA controllers is 1 (so 2 PATA devices), the number of SATA ports is 4 and the number of external SATA ports is 2, etc.
• RAID implies NCQ and Hot-Plug and vice versa for Intel and NVIDIA chipsets. So I won't write them for brevity. SiS, Uli, VIA southbridges are different. I did not mention RAID capability of additional storage controllers.
• No S/PDIF means no onboard S/PDIF header. No S/PDIF (need an optional bracket) means that there is an onboard S/PDIF header, but a bracket is not included in the retail package.

BIOS

• FSB: 600MHz means that the maximum selectable FSB frequency available in the BIOS setup is 600MHz, etc. The front side bus transfers data four times per cycle (the technology called QDR, quadruple data rate, or quad pumping), thus FSB can be expressed in two units
  • MHz (mega hertz)
  • MTps (mega transfer per second)
  with the simple conversion formula: MTps = 4 x MHz. The default value of FSB depends on the processor you use. Currently three default values of FSB are available:
  
  • 200MHz = 800MTps
  • 266MHz = 1066MTps
  • 333MHz = 1333MTps
  The CPU frequency and the effective DRAM frequency are calculate by the following formulas:
  
  • CPU frequency = (FSB in MHz) x (CPU multiplier)
  • DRAM frequency = (FSB in MHz) x (FSB-DRAM ratio) x 2
• CPU: 1.725V means that the maximum CPU voltage available in BIOS is 1.725V, etc. The default CPU voltage is around 1.3V, depending on each CPU core.
• DRAM: 2.1V means that the maximum DRAM voltage available in BIOS is 2.1V, etc. The default voltage by the JEDEC DDR2 DRAM specification is 1.8V.
• NB: 1.25–1.65V means that the northbridge voltage can be adjusted from 1.25V to 1.65V in BIOS, etc. The default voltage depends on chipset and motherboard.
• Max FSB: 300MHz (E6400, x8, VR-Zone) means that the maximum stable FSB reported in VR-Zone is 300MHz, with Core 2 Duo E6400 and multiplier x8, etc.
• FSB: — means that there is no FSB adjustment option in BIOS, etc.
• FSB: ? means that I have not been able to confirm FSB yet, etc.

Spreadsheet

You can also view a list of motherboards in the Excel worksheet format:

• Attachment 94708

This includes complete description of storage, LAN, audio and IEEE 1394 controller names, and more detailed BIOS options.

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1. Overview of Recent Chipsets for the Intel Platform
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Intel
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Intel has been producing chipsets for its own chips. Each Intel chipset consists of the traditional two chips:

• MCH (or GMCH): (Graphics and) Memory Controller Hub, so called northbridge, that includes CPU interface, DRAM controller, external graphics interface (and internal graphics controller).
• ICH: I/O Controller Hub, so called southbridge, that includes the PCI and PCI Express interface, PATA, SATA, LAN, Audio, USB and other I/O functions.

Desktop Chipsets

Recently a new desktop chipset family is introduced every year, around June. Chipset families that may support Core 2 are:

1. Intel 865 with ICH5, with or without integrated graphics Extreme Graphics 2
   
   Released in May 2003. Features FSB 800MTps, dual-channel DDR, AGP 8X, and integrated SATA. There is an extreme version Intel 875P.
   
   
2. Intel 915 Express with ICH6, with or without graphics media accelerator GMA 900
   
   The 1st generation of Express chipset family released in June 2004, along with the new socket LGA (Land Grid Array) 775. Introduced revolutionary technologies: dual-channel DDR2, PCI Express and HD audio. There are two extreme versions, Intel 925X Express and Intel 925XE Express.
   
   
3. Intel 945 Express with ICH7, with or without graphics media accelerator GMA 950
   
   The 2nd generation of Express chipset family launched in June 2005. Supports the higher FSB 1066MTps and the higher DRAM frequency DDR2-667. There are two extreme versions, Intel 955X Express (enhanced memory controller) and Intel 975X Express (two PCI Express graphics controllers supporting ATI CrossFire Technology).
   
   
4. Intel 965 Express with ICH8, with or without graphics media accelerator GMA X3000/GMA 3000
   
   The 3rd generation of Express chipset family launched in June 2006. Supports Core 2 Duo/Quad/Extreme processors, DDR2-800 and has an integrated Gb LAN controller. Intel 946 Express, launched at the same time, is considered as its value segment.
   
   
5. Intel 3 Series with ICH9, with or without graphics media accelerator GMA 3100/GMA X3500
   
   The 4th generation of Express chipset family released in June/August 2007. Supports FSB1333 and Penryn processors and supports both DDR2 and DDR3 SDRAM. PCI Express 2.0 is introduced in the high-end chipset.

Northbridge of each family usually includes

1. xxxG or Gxxx: an integrated graphics chipset
2. xxxP or Pxxx: a discrete graphics chipset
3. xxxX or Xxxx: an extreme edition, discrete graphics

where xxx is a three-digit number like 965 (two-digit number for 3 Series) and G = "graphics", P = "performance" (perhaps because it is coupled with a performance external graphics). Southbridge comes in four flavors

1. ICHx: ICHx Base
2. ICHxR: ICHx RAID
3. ICHxDH: ICHx Digital Home
4. ICHxDO: ICHx Digital Office

where x is the generation number like 7, 8. All of ICHxR, ICHxDH and ICHxDO support RAID. More details come in later sections.

Mobile Chipsets

Mobile processors are used in the notebook PC. However Intel also chose them instead of desktop processors for digital entertainment center (Intel Mobile on Desktop, MoDT) combined with Intel Viiv technology because of low power consumption and heat dissipation and hence reduced system noise. Although high power consumption and heat dissipation do not apply to the new desktop processors Core 2 any longer, Intel is pushing this trend further in the next year. So I have included Intel mobile chipsets and motherboards.

A new mobile chipset family is usually introduced half a year later than the latest desktop chipset family. It is a low power consumption version of the desktop chipset (that implies lower FSB, lower frequency of internal graphics and lower SATA speed). Recent mobile chipsets are:

1. Mobile Intel 855 with ICH4-M, with or without graphics media accelerator Mobile Extreme Graphics 2
   
   Part of the 1st-generation Centrino platform Carmel launched in March 2003. FSB 400MTps.
   
   
2. Mobile Intel 915 Express with ICH6-M, with or without graphics media accelerator Mobile GMA 900
   
   Part of the 2nd-generation Centrino platform Sonoma launched in January 2005. FSB 533MTps.
   
   
3. Mobile Intel 945 Express with ICH7-M, with or without graphics media accelerator Mobile GMA 950
   
   Part of the 3rd-generation Centrino platform Napa launched in January 2006. Supports Core Duo/Solo (Yonah), Celeron M (Yonah), Core 2 Duo (Merom). FSB 667MTps.
   
   
4. Mobile Intel 965 Express with ICH8M, with or without graphics media accelerator Mobile Intel GMA X3100
   
   Part of the 4th-generation Centrino platform Santa Rosa launched in May 2007. New Socket P and supports FSB 800MTps.
   
   
5. Cantiga with ICH9M
   
   Part of the 5rd-generation Centrino platform Montevina to be launched in Q2 2008. Supports Penryn processors. FSB 1066MTps.

Northbridge of each family includes

1. xxxGM or GMxxx: an integrated graphics chipset
2. xxxPM or PMxxx: a discrete graphics chipset

where M = "mobile" obviously. Mobile southbridge comes in three flavors except for ICH8M:

1. ICHx-M: Mobile ICHx Base
2. ICHx-M DH: Mobile ICHx Digital Home
3. ICHx-M DO: Mobile ICHx Digital Office

ICH8M comes in two flavors:

1. ICH8M: ICH8 Mobile Base
2. ICH8M-E: ICH8 Mobile Enhanced

Integrated Graphics Device (IGD)

Intel is the largest graphics manufacturer because most Intel systems come with integrated graphics. However the performance of Intel IGDs has been poorer than IGDs from ATI and NVIDIA. Besides that, one needs to note the following facts:

1. The current Intel IGD provides
   
   
   • 1 x VGA (Video Graphics Array)
   • 2 x SDVO (Serial Digital Video Out)
   
   An SDVO port can support a variety of display types including DVI, HDMI, Analog CRT, TV-Out, but requires a third-party SDVO device such as ADD2 (Advanced Digital Display 2) card that occupies the x16 PCI Express connector and TMDS transmitter. You may find a retail ADD2 DVI or HDMI card. Other than that implementation of SDVO ports is up to the motherboard's manufacturer. Several motherboards have an integrated DVI and/or HDMI transmitter. Please see the motherboard spreadsheet for a list of such motherboards.
   
   
2. An external PCI Express x16 graphics card cannot work concurrently with IGD. This is in marked contrast to NVIDIA and ATI IGPs.

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NVIDIA
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NVIDIA entered the chipset business with the nForce chipset series for the AMD platform in June 2001. However NVIDIA chipsets came into the Intel platform only lately when NVIDIA and Intel signed a cross-license agreement in November 2004.

Chipsets with Discrete Graphics

1. nForce4 for Intel (codenamed Crush 19 or simply C19)
   
   The first NVIDIA chipset family for the Intel platform released first in April 2005 for SLI x8 and then SLI x16. Later versions with a new southbridge were released for SLI x8 and non-SLI.
   
   
2. nForce 500 Series for Intel
   
   Released in June 2006. Full support for Core 2 Duo along with a bunch of new features. SLI x8 and SLI x16 versions are available.
   
   
3. nForce 600i Series (codenamed C55)
   
   Released in November 2006. Support for Kentsfield. Overclocking abilities are greatly improved. SLI x16, SLI x8 and non-SLI versions are available.
   
   
4. nForce 700i Series (codenamed C72 and C73)
   
   To be released in Q4 2007. Support for 45 nm processors and PCI Express 2.0. Two SPPs are planned, one featuring FSB 1333MTps and DDR2-1066 and the other featuring FSB 1600MTps and DDR3-1600, each has SLI x8 and SLI x16 variants.

Chipsets with Integrated Graphics

1. GeForce 7-Series GPU and nForce 6-Series MCP (codenamed MCP73)
   
   Released September 25, 2007. NVIDIA's first integrated graphics chipset for Intel. A single-chip solution with single-channel memory controller. NVIDIA was once developing an IGP for the Intel platform, codenamed C60 (AnandTech), but canceled it later (the Inquirer). NVIDIA resumed the project as customer demand was increasing and the merged AMD-ATI was leaving the IGP market for the Intel platform, thus creating a void to be filled. However, due to poor specs of the chipset (single-channel memory controller and the lack of PureVideo HD), MCP73 has not been highly sought after by mainboard manufacturers.
   
   
2. GeForce 8-Series mGPU (codenamed MCP7A)
   
   To be released in April 2008. An upgraded version of MCP73, with dual-channel memory controller and support for PureVideo HD Gen 3.

Just like Intel chipsets, every NVIDIA chipset for Intel, except for MCP73 and MCP7A, consists of

• SPP = System Platform Processor (northbridge)
• MCP = Media and Communications Processor (southbridge)

This is in contrast to the single chipset solution for AMD. As the Athlon 64 chip includes a memory controller, the only functions of the northbridge was the CPU and graphics interface. So NVIDIA chose to combine the northbridge and the southbridge into a single chip in nForce3 and nForce4. This trick has not worked for the Intel chips that have no memory controller and NVIDIA had to go back to the traditional solution and developed a northbridge codenamed C19 that is used in all of nForce4 and nForce 500 Series chipsets. C19 had been aging with limited support for newer DRAM and poor overclockability. Hence an SPP codenamed C55 was developed and used in the latest nForce 600i Series chipsets. Further two new SPPs, C72 and C73 are planned supporting higher FSB and higher DDR2 memory speed or DDR3 memory. On the other hand southbridge is common to both AMD and Intel, CK804 (nForce4), MCP51 (nForce 430), MCP55 (nForce 500 Series) or MCP72 (nForce 700 Series). Unlike Intel chipsets, NVIDIA northbridge and southbridge are called only by codename that makes it difficult to see what chips are actually used. I will explain NVIDIA chipset codenames later.

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ATI
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ATI entered the PC chipset market in 2002 with the integrated graphics chipset family called Radeon IGP & IXP for value to mainstream desktop and notebook PCs both for AMD and Intel, where

• IGP = Integrated Graphics Processor (northbridge)
• IXP = Integrated Communications Processor (southbridge)

They were geared toward the OEM market. A shift occurred in late 2004 with the release of ATI Radeon Xpress 200 Series for AMD K8 processors. The current chipsets for the Intel desktop platform are:

Northbridge

1. ATI 400 Series with integrated Radeon X300 graphics core
   
   
   • ATI Radeon Xpress 200 for Intel Processors (codename RS400/RC400/RC410), first released on March 11, 2005
   • There is no discrete graphics version.
   
   
2. ATI 600 Series with or without integrated Radeon X700 graphics core
   
   
   • ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 (codename RS600), the integrated graphics version featuring HDMI and partial HD hardware decode, was released on August 29, 2006. This is the equivalent of RS690 for AMD.
   • ATI CrossFire Xpress 3200 (codename RD600), the discrete graphics version featuring dual PCI Express x8 graphics, was released on September 27, 2005. This is the equivalent of RD580 for AMD.

Southbridge

Each northbridge can be coupled with southbridge

1. ATI SB400 (IXP 400)
2. ATI SB450 (IXP 450)
3. ATI SB460 (IXP 460)
4. ATI SB600 (IXP 600)

via A-Link Xpress (PCI Express x2) or A-Link Xpress II (PCI Express x4). As A-Link Xpress (II) is backward compatible with PCI Express links, they can also be coupled with any third-party southbridge that relies on PCI Express links to connect to northbridge such as

1. ULi M1573
2. ULi M1575

Because of the acquisition of ATI by AMD in 2006, these chipsets will be the last ATI products supporting Intel platform.

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SiS
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Silicon Integrated Systems Corp. (SiS) has been producing chipsets for Intel since 1990 and for AMD since 1999 (?). The current desktop chipsets for the Intel platforms are

• Northbridge SiS6xx with southbridge SiS96y

where xx = 48, 49,...,72, y = 2,3,...,8. They come with/without integrated graphics. They are considerably cheaper than Intel chipsets with less features. SiS662 or above supports Core 2 Duo. SiS will soon release chipsets supporting FSB 1333MTps and quad-core processors.

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VIA
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VIA has been producing chipsets for AMD and Intel for a long time. The current VIA chipset series for the Intel platform is

• P4 Series northbridges with VIA southbridges

They are considerably cheaper than Intel chipsets with less features. However they support Core 2 and they are unique in that some of them support both DDR and DDR2 and both AGP and PCI Express graphics.

VIA switched its focus from third party chipsets (i.e. for Intel and AMD) to chipsets for its own C7 processor platform in Q4 2007 (source).

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References
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• The Tech Report – Core 2 chipsets compared (975X Express, P965 Express, nForce4 SLI X16, nForce 570 SLI) (September 21, 2006)

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3. Intel 945/946 Express Chipset Motherboards
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Chipset
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Models

• Intel 955X Express for performance users, released in May 18, 2005
  
  
• Intel 945G Express for mainstream users, released on May 27, 2005
• Intel 945P Express for mainstream users, released on May 27, 2005
  
  
• Intel 945GZ Express for corporate users, released on January 6, 2006
• Intel 945PL Express for corporate users, released in October 2005
  
  
• Intel 946GZ Express for corporate users, released on June 6, 2006
• Intel 946PL Express for corporate users, released on June 6, 2006
  
  
• Intel 945GC Express, released in Q1 2007
• Intel 945GC Express (A2), released in Q2 2007

Currently the 945 Express chipset family is defined as model for entry level. In addition to simplify the product line, there has been released a 945GC chipset to replace the 945G/P, 945GZ/PL and 946GZ/PL chipsets. The A2 stepping supports up to FSB 1066MT/s processors. It will be eventually replaced by the 3 Series chipset family for 45 nm CPU support.

• 955X —› 975X —› X38
• 945G/945P —› 945GC —› G33
• 945GZ/945PL —› 946GZ/946PL —› 945GC —› G31/P31

Northbridge

• 955X MCH
  • FSB 1066/800MTps
  • DDR2-667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max, ECC or Non-ECC
  • 1 x PCI Express x16 Graphics
  • TDP 13.5W
• 945G/945P (G)MCH
  • FSB 1066/800/533MTps
  • DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max
  • 1 x PCI Express x16 Graphics
  • TDP 22.2W/15.2W (GMCH/MCH)
  
  
• 945GZ/945PL (G)MCH
  • FSB 800/533MTps
  • DDR2-533/400, 4 DIMMs, 2GB max
  • 1 x PCI Express x16 Graphics for 945PL
  • No PCI Express x16 Graphics for 945GZ
  • TDP 22.2W/15.2W (GMCH/MCH)
  
  
• 946GZ/946PL (G)MCH
  • FSB 800/533MTps
  • DDR2-667/533, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max
  • 1 x PCI Express x16 Graphics
  • TDP 26W/16W (GMCH/MCH)
  
  
• 945GC GMCH
  • FSB 800/533MTps
  • DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max
  • 1 x PCI Express x16 Graphics
• 945GC GMCH (A2)
  • FSB 1066/800/533MTps
  • DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 4GB max
  • 1 x PCI Express x16 Graphics

Southbridge

• ICH7
  • 1 x PATA, 4 x SATA at 3.0Gbps
  • No RAID, no AHCI
  • 4 PCI Express lanes (1 of them is usually reserved for Gb LAN)
  • Integrated 10/100Mbps LAN controller, HD Audio, 8 x USB 2.0
  • TDP 3.3W
• ICH7R/ICH7DH
  • 1 x PATA, 4 x SATA at 3.0Gbps
  • RAID (0/1/10/5, up to 4 drives), AHCI (NCQ, Hot-Plug, but no eSATA)
  • 6 PCI Express lanes (1 of them is usually reserved for Gb LAN)
  • Integrated 10/100Mbps LAN controller, HD Audio, 8 x USB 2.0
  • TDP 3.3W
  • Intel Viiv and Quick Resume Technology (QRT, ICH7DH only)

Integrated Graphics

• GMA 950 (945G, 945GZ, 945GC only)
  • 400MHz core clock, 224MB video memory
  • Vertex Shader/Pixel Shader/Texture Mapping/Render Output Units: 0/4/4/?; DirectX 9.0c Vertex/Pixel Shader Model: 3.0 (sw)/2.0
  • VGA: 2048 x 1536, DVI/TV (1080i/p) via an ADD2 card
  • MPEG-2/VC-1/H.264: hw/sw/sw
• GMA 3000 (946GZ only)
  • 667MHz core clock, 256MB video memory
  • Vertex Shader/Pixel Shader/Texture Mapping/Render Output Units: 0/?/?/?; DirectX 9.0 Vertex/Pixel Shader Model: 3.0 (sw)/2.0
  • VGA: 2048 x 1536, DVI/TV (1080i/p) via an ADD2 card
  • MPEG-2/VC-1/H.264: hw/sw/sw

Remarks

1. 945G suffers from incomplete PCI Express lock (that is related to the existence of IGP). Because of this the maximum FSB of 945G is limited to around 350 MHz.

References

• Intel 945G/945GZ/945P/945PL Express Chipset Family Datasheet
• Intel 945G/945GZ/945P/945PL Express Chipset Family Thermal and Mechanical Design Guidelines
• Intel 946 Express Chipset Family Datasheet
• Intel 946 Express Chipset Family Thermal Mechanical Design Guide
• Intel ICH7 Family Datatsheet
• Intel ICH7 Thermal Design Guide
• Intel GMA 950 Product Brief
• AnandTech – Intel 925X/915: Chipset Performance & DDR2 (June 19, 2004)
• AnandTech – Integrated Graphics: Xpress 200 vs. GMA 950 (May 26, 2005)
• Digit-Life – R-r-revolutionary Intel 915/925 Express Family for Socket 775 (May 24, 2004)
• Digit-Life – Intel 945/955 Express Chipsets — Brief Specifications (May 27, 2005)
• HKEPC Hardware – New Intel 945GC chipset for entry level market (September 26, 2006)
• The Tech Report – Intel's 915G and 925X chipsets (June 21, 2004)
• The Tech Report – Intel's Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 3.46GHz processor and 925XE chipset (October 31, 2004)
• X-bit labs – Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 and Intel 915G: New Generation of Integrated Graphics (July 12, 2004)
• X-bit labs – Fastest Pentium 4 Platform: Performance of i925, i915, i875 and i865 with DDR2-533, DDR2-400, DDR533 and DDR400 SDRAM (August 4, 2004)

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ATX Motherboard
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abit

1. abit IL9 Pro (Global site) or abit IL9 Pro (USA site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1*/3, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, optical S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: +0.45V, NB: +0.15V, Max FSB: —
   • Reviews: Club Overclocker, Motherboards.org, Noticias 3D, Pro-Clockers.com, Virtual-Hideout
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $84.99

Albatron

1. Albatron PX945P (V2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 5.1 Ch. AC'97 Audio, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. Albatron PX945P (V3.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, AC'97 Audio, coaxial S/PDIF in & out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The PCB design is completely different from V2.0.
   
   
3. Albatron PX945PL (V3.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, AC'97 Audio, coaxial S/PDIF in & out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The board is the same as PX945P (V3.0) apart from the northbridge.

ASRock

• CrossFire

1. ASRock 775XFire-eSATA2+
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7R. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533, 4 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1*/3, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/4/2 (eSATA sharing controller with SATA), RAID 0/1/10/5, 10/100Mbps LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: High (1.90V?), NB: High, Max FSB: ?
   • Reviews: Motherboards.org (non +), OCWorkBench (non +), PCSTATS (non +), Phoronix (non +), techPowerUp! (non +)
   
   
2. ASRock ConRoeXFire-eSATA2
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1*/3, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/4/2 (eSATA sharing controller with SATA), RAID 0/1/10/5, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 350MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: 1.9V, NB: 1.50–1.70V, Max FSB: 300MHz (E6400, x8, VR-Zone)
   • Notes: This is an improved version of 775XFire-eSATA2+ with the same PCB. Supports higher FSB, memory, LAN, and IEEE 1394.
   • Reviews: Hardware Zone, OCWorkBench, OCWorkBench (Vcore mod guide), Pro-Clockers.com, VR-Zone
   • Forums: Hardware Upgrade Forum (Thread Ufficiale AsRock ConRoeXFire-eSATA2)
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $81.99
   
   
3. ASRock ConRoe1333-eSATA2
   
   
   • Specs: 945P/945G + ICH7R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1*/3, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/4/2 (eSATA sharing controller with SATA), RAID 0/1/10/5, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: High, NB: High, Max FSB:
   • Notes: This is a higher FSB version of ConRoeXFire-eSATA2 with a small revision of the PCB.

• Non-CrossFire

1. ASRock ConRoe945PL-GLAN
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: High (1.90V?), NB: High, Max FSB: ?
   • Availability: Yes. Mwave.com: $62.00
   
   
2. ASRock ConRoe1333-GLAN
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC (A2) + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: High, NB: High, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: This is an improved version of ConRoe945PL-GLAN with the same PCB, supporting higher FSB and memory speed.

ASUS

• Standard Series

1. ASUS P5LD2 (R2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3/3*. PATA/SATA: 3/4, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 450MHz, CPU: 1.7V, DRAM: 2.3V, NB: 1.50–1.65V, Max FSB: 345MHz (Newegg.com Customer Reviews)
   • Reviews: Tom's Hardware (R1.02)
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $86.99
2. ASUS P5LD2 SE (R2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, AD1986A 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, coaxial S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 450MHz, CPU: 1.55V, DRAM: 2.0V, NB: 1.50–1.6V, Max FSB: ?
   • Reviews: IT-review.net (Core 2 Duo MBO Round-up: Part 3)
   
   
3. ASUS P5L 1394
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/4/1, no RAID, Attansic L1 PCI-E Gb LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, coaxial S/PDIF out, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 450MHz, CPU: 1.60V, DRAM: 2.0V, NB: 1.50–1.6V, Max FSB: ?
   
   
4. ASUS P5PL2-E
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 4 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, AD1986A 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, coaxial S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 450MHz, CPU: 1.55V, DRAM: 2.0V, NB: 1.50–1.6V, Max FSB: ?

• X Series

1. ASUS P5LD2-X
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, coaxial l S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: ?, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   
   
2. ASUS P5LD2-X/1333
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC + ICH7R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333(OC)/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, coaxial l S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: ?, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Notes: Apart from FSB 1333 support with 945GC, this board is identical with P5LD2-X.

BIOSTAR

• Revision A

1. BIOSTAR 945P-A7A (8.x)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 5.1 Ch. AC'97 Audio, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: 1.6V, DRAM: 2.0V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $78.99
   
   
2. BIOSTAR 945PL-A7A (8.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 5.1 Ch. AC'97 Audio, no S/PDIF (need a bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?

• Revision B

1. BIOSTAR 945P-A7B (6.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: 1.6V, DRAM: 2.0V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: This is identical with 945P-A7A (8.0) except that the audio is HD.
   
   
2. BIOSTAR 945PL-A7B (1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF (need a bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: This is identical with 945PL-A7A (8.0) except that it supports FSB1066MTps and the audio is HD.

• T-Series

1. BIOSTAR TForce 945P
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, 5.1 Ch. AC'97 Audio, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 400MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.2V, NB: 1.50–1.8V, Max FSB: ?
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $80.99
   
   
2. BIOSTAR TForce 945P SE
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 400MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.2V, NB: 1.50–1.8V, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The only difference between the vanilla and the SE is AC'97 vs. HD Audio codec.

ECS

1. ECS 945P-A (V3.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1*/3, supporting SDGE (Scalable Dual Graphics Engine) and ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 5.1 Ch. AC'97 Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 500MHz, CPU: 1.6V, DRAM: 1.9V, NB: 1.50–1.65V, Max FSB: ?
   • Reviews: Digit-Life
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $72.99
   
   
2. ECS 945PL-A (V3.0) (Intel PAT V2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1*/3, supporting SDGE (Scalable Dual Graphics Engine). PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, 5.1 Ch. AC'97 Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394. Support for Intel Platform Administration Technology
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
3. ECS 945PL-A (V5.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1*/3, supporting SDGE (Scalable Dual Graphics Engine). PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 5.1 Ch. AC'97 Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?

Foxconn

• Revision D

1. Foxconn 945P7AD-8EKRS2H
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 2/4/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial S/PDIF out, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. Foxconn 945P7AD-8KS2H
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 2/4/1, no RAID, coaxial S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The board is the same as 945P7AD-8EKRS2H except for RAID and IEEE 1394.
   
   
3. Foxconn 945P7AD-8EKRS2HV
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 2/4/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial S/PDIF out, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
4. Foxconn 945P7AD-8KS2HV
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 2/4/1, no RAID, coaxial S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The board is the same as 945P7AD-8EKRS2HV except for RAID and IEEE 1394.

• Revision E

1. Foxconn 945P7AE-8KRS2HV
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, RAID 0/1/10/5, optical S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: 945P7AE is a stripped version of 945P7AD, with only 2 memory slots and no additional storage controller.
   
   
2. Foxconn 945P7AE-KS2H
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 5.1 Ch. AC'97 Audio, coaxial S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
3. Foxconn 945PL7AE-8KRS2HV
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7R. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, RAID 0/1/10/5, optical S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
4. Foxconn 945PL7AE-8KS2HV
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, coaxial S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The board is the same as 945PL7AE-8KRS2HV except for RAID and S/PDIF out.
   
   
5. Foxconn 945PL7AE-KS2H
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 5.1 Ch. AC'97 Audio, coaxial S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?

GIGABYTE

There are 8 types of PCB design for GIGABYTE 945/946 Express chipset motherboards:

• S3 (rev. 1.0)-type: 3 phase power with semi-open inductors, 1 system fan header, no heatsink on the southbridge, ALC883 5.1 Ch. HD Audio
• S3 (rev. 2.0)-type: 6 phase power with shielded inductors, 3 system fan header, ALC888 7.1 Ch. HD Audio
• S3 (rev. 3.3)-type: Identical with rev. 2.0 except that it is able to boot with FSB 1333MTps processors (but runs at a lower speed).
• S3 (rev. 6.6)-type: Identical with rev. 2.0 except that it supports FSB 1333MTps processors (by overclocking).
  
  
• DS3 (rev. 2.0)-type: 3 phase power with shielded inductors, all solid capacitor design, 3 system fan header, ALC888 7.1 Ch. HD Audio
• DS3 (rev. 3.3)-type: Identical with rev. 2.0 except that it is able to boot with FSB 1333MTps processors (but runs at a lower speed).
  
  
• S3E (rev. 2.0)-type: 3 phase power with shielded inductors, 1 system fan header, 2 DIMMs, PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/5*, ALC888 7.1 Ch. HD Audio
  
  
• 946-S3-type: 6 phase power with shielded inductors, 3 system fan header, ALC889A 7.1 Ch. HD Audio

• S3 (rev. 1.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945P-S3 (rev. 1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio (need an optional bracket for 7.1 Ch.), no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.4V, NB: —, Max FSB: 350MHz (E6700, x10, hardCOREware.net)
   • Reviews: hardCOREware.net, IT-review.net (Core 2 Duo MBO Round-up: Part 5), matbe.com
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $79.99
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-945PL-S3 (rev. 1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 4 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio (need an optional bracket for 7.1 Ch.), no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.4V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   • Reviews: PCSTATS, SysOpt.com
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $70.99

• S3 (rev. 2.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945P-S3 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.5V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-945PL-S3 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 4 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.5V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

• S3 (rev. 3.3)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945P-S3 (rev. 3.3)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.5V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-945PL-S3 (rev. 3.x)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 4 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.5V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

• S3 (rev. 6.6)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945PL-S3P (rev. 6.6)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC (A2) + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333(OC)/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.5V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: Despite the chipset, the board lacks a VGA out.

• DS3 (rev. 2.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945P-DS3 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.5V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-945PL-DS3 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 4 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.5V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

• DS3 (rev. 3.3)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945P-DS3 (rev. 3.3)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.5V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

• S3E (rev. 2.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945PL-S3E (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/5*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: ?, DRAM: 2.2V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

• 946-S3-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-946-S3
   
   
   • Specs: 946GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: 2.5V, NB: +0.3V, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: Despite the chipset, the board lacks a VGA out.

Jetway

1. Jetway 945P4-G (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. No/None. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, 7.1 Ch. AC'97 no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: 2.15V, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. Jetway 945PCAP (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, AC'97 Audio, coaxial S/PDIF in & out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: 1.6V, DRAM: 2.15V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
3. Jetway 945PLCAP (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, AC'97 Audio, coaxial S/PDIF in & out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 350MHz, CPU: 1.6V, DRAM: 2.15V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

MSI

• Neo

1. MSI 945PL Neo-F (PCB 2.2) (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066(OC)/800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/4. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, AC'97 Audio, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 500MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?

• Neo3

1. MSI 945P Neo3-F (Global site) or MSI 945P Neo3-F (USA site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/4. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, AC'97 Audio, no S/PDIF , no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 500MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $76.99
   
   
2. MSI 945PL Neo3-F (PCB 2.3) (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066(OC)/800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 4 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/4. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, AC'97 Audio, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 500MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The only difference from 945PL Neo-F is 4 DIMM slots.

• Neo5

1. MSI 945P Neo5-F (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945P + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 500MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The PCB design is completely different from the 945P Neo3.
   
   
2. MSI 945PL Neo5-F (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066(OC)/800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 4 DIMMs, 2GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 500MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The same PCB design as 945P Neo5.
   
   
3. MSI 945 Neo5-F (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 500MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The same PCB design as 945P/PL Neo5.

GIGABYTE

There are several types of PCB design for GIGABYTE 945/946 Express chipset microATX motherboards:

4 DIMMs

• 945GM-S2 (rev. 1.0)-type: 3 phase power with semi-open inductors, 4 DIMMs, PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*, RTL8111B PCIe Gb LAN, ALC883 5.1 Ch. HD Audio
• 945GM-S2 (rev. 2.0)-type: Identical with rev. 1.0 except for ALC888 5.1 Ch. HD Audio
• 945GM-S2 (rev. 3.x)-type: Identical with rev. 2.0
  
  
• 945GM-DS2 (rev. 2.0)-type: Identical with the 945GM-S2 (rev. 2.0)-type except for all-solid capacitors, shielded power inductors and 7.1 Ch. HD Audio
• 945GM-DS2 (rev. 3.x)-type: Identical with rev. 2.0
  
  
• 946GM-DS2 (rev. 2.0)-type: Identical with 945GM-DS2 (rev. 2.0)-type except for 4 phase power

2 DIMMs

• 945GZM-S2 (rev. 1.0)-type: 3 phase power with semi-open inductors, 2 DIMMs, PCIe x1/PCI: 0/3, 88E8001 PCI Gb LAN, ALC883 5.1 Ch. HD Audio
• 945GZM-S2 (rev. 2.1)-type: Identical with rev. 1.0 except that it is able to boot with FSB 1066MT/s processors (but runs at FSB 800MT/s) and comes with shielded power inductors, ALC888 7.1 Ch. HD Audio
• 945GZM-S2 (rev. 3.x)-type: Identical with rev. 2.1 except for RTL8110SC PCI Gb LAN
• 945GZM-S2 (rev. 6.6)-type: Identical with rev. 3.x except that it supports FSB 1066MT/s processors
• 945GZMX-S2 (rev. 6.6)-type: Identical with rev. 6.6 except that PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/2* and it is able to boot with FSB 1333MT/s processors (but runs at FSB 1066MT/s).
• 946GMX-S2 (rev. 1.0)-type: Close to 945GZMX-S2 (rev. 6.6)-type.
  
  
• 945GZM-DS2 (rev. 2.1)-type: Identical with the 945GZM-S2 (rev. 2.1)-type except for all-solid capacitors
• 945GZM-DS2 (rev. 3.x)-type: Identical with the 945GZM-S2 (rev. 3.x)-type except for all-solid capacitors

• 945GM-S2 (rev. 1.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945GM-S2 (rev. 1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio (need an optional bracket for 7.1 Ch.), no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Reviews: PCSTATS, SysOpt.com
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $79.99
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-945GMF-S2 (rev. 1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio (need an optional bracket for 7.1 Ch.), no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Notes: Identical with GA-945GM-S2 (rev. 1.0) except that it has IEEE 1394.

• 945GM-S2 (rev. 2.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-946GM-S2 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 946GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio (need an optional bracket for 7.1 Ch.), no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —

• 945GM-S2 (rev. 3.x)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945GM-S2 (rev. 3.x)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio (need an optional bracket for 7.1 Ch.), no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —

• 945GM-DS2 (rev. 2.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945GM-DS2 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-945GMF-DS2 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Notes: Identical with GA-945GM-DS2 (rev. 2.0) except that it comes with IEEE 1394.

• 945GM-DS2 (rev. 3.x)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945GMF-DS2 (rev. 3.x)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Notes: Identical with GA-945GMF-DS2 (rev. 2.0).

• 946GM-DS2 (rev. 2.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-946GM-DS2 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 946GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —

• 945GZM-S2 (rev. 1.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-8I945GZME-RH
   
   
   • Specs: 945GZ + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1@4/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio (need an optional bracket for 7.1 Ch.), no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Reviews: PCSTATS
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $69.99
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-945PLM-S2 (rev. 1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. No VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio (need an optional bracket for 7.1 Ch.), no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   
   
3. GIGABYTE GA-945PLM-S2 (rev. 1.1)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. No VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio (need an optional bracket for 7.1 Ch.), no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Notes: Rev. 1.1 has a heatsink on the southbridge.

• 945GZM-S2 (rev. 2.1)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945GZM-S2 (rev. 2.1)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1@4/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $59.99
2. GIGABYTE GA-945PLM-S2 (rev. 2.1)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. No VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
3. GIGABYTE GA-945GCM-S2 (rev. 2.1)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

• 945GZM-S2 (rev. 3.x)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945GZM-S2 (rev. 3.x)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1@4/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-945GZMT-S2-DB (rev. 3.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1@4/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: Supports Truste Platfrom Module.
   
   
3. GIGABYTE GA-945PLM-S2 (rev. 3.x)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. No VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
4. GIGABYTE GA-945GCM-S2 (rev. 3.x)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

• 945GZM-S2 (rev. 6.6)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945GZM-S2 (rev. 6.6)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1@4/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-945GCM-S2 (rev. 6.6)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC (A2) + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: 2.2V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

• 945GZMX-S2 (rev. 6.6)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945GCMX-S2 (rev. 6.6)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC (A2) + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/0/2* supporting CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: 2.2V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: Problems are reported for FSB 1333 processors. However it works fine with FSB 1333 processors at FSB ~320MHz.

• 946GMX-S2 (rev. 1.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-946GMX-S2 (rev. 1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 946GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/0/2* supporting CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: ?, DRAM: 2.2V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

• 945GZM-DS2 (rev. 2.1)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945GME-DS2 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $72.99
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-945PLM-DS2 (rev. 2.1)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. No VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

• 945GZM-DS2 (rev. 3.x)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-945GME-DS2 (rev. 3.0)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-945PLM-DS2 (rev. 3.x)
   
   
   • Specs: 945PL + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. No VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

Intel

1. Intel D945GCL (BOXD945GCLL, Coryville, Essential Series)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, STAC9220 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Availability: Yes. PriceGrabber.com: $82.55 (Retail)
   
   
2. Intel D946GZAB (BOXD946GZABL, Alton Bay, Essential Series)
   
   
   • Specs: 946GZ + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533, 2 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, STAC9227 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Availability: Yes. PriceGrabber.com: $93.40 (Retail)
   
   
3. Intel D946GZIS (BOXD946GZISSL, Isleton, Essential Series)
   
   
   • Specs: 946GZ + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 2 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, STAC9227 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Notes: The difference between AB and IS is the support for DDR2-800 in IS and the LAN controller (82562GX vs. 82562G).
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $82.99 (Retail)
   
   
4. Intel D945GCCR (BOXD945GCCRL, Coconut Creek, Essential Series)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $69.99 (Retail)
   
   
5. Intel D945GCNL (BOXD945GCNL, Newberry Lake, Essential Series)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC (A2) + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Availability: Yes. Buy.com: $78.99 (Retail)
   
   
6. Intel D945GCPE (BOXD945GCPE, Plum Creek, Essential Series)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC (A2) + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 0/0/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 2 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Availability: Yes. Buy.com: $61.99 (Retail)

Jetway

1. Jetway 946GZDMS (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 946GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, no S/PDIF?, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. Jetway 945GCDMS (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
3. Jetway 945GZDMS (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1@4/0/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
4. Jetway 945GCDMS-6H A2 (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC (A2) + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The 6H version supports only 6 Ch. audio.
   
   
5. Jetway 945GCDMS-6H (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
6. Jetway 945GZDMS-6H (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1@4/0/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
7. Jetway 945GCDMG A2 (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC (A2) + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The DMG version supports Gb LAN.
   
   
8. Jetway 945GCDMG (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/2*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?

MSI

• Revision 3

1. MSI 945GM3-F (Global site) or MSI 945GM3-F (USA site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 300MHz?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: 220MHz (E4300, x9, a user at Newegg.com)
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $72.99
   
   
2. MSI 945GZM3-L (PCB 2.2) (Global site) or MSI 945GZM3-L (USA site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1@4/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, AC'97 Audio, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 300MHz?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $58.99

• Revision 4

1. MSI 945GM4-F (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 4 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 300MHz?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?

• Revision 5

1. MSI 945GM5-F (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945G + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 300MHz?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. MSI 945GCM5-F (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 300MHz?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
3. MSI 945GCM5-F V2 (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GC (A2) + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 300MHz?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: V2 features improved memory support and internal optical S/PDIF out.
   
   
4. MSI 945GZM5-F (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. No PCI Express x16, PCIe x1/PCI: 1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 300MHz?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
5. MSI 945GZM6-F (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 945GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-533/400, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/0/3*. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 300MHz?, CPU: —, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?

• 946GZ

1. MSI 946GZM-L (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: 946GZ + ICH7. Passive/Passive. FSB 800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533, 2 DIMMs, 2GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?

PC Partner

1. PC Partner 946GZAS7-AA9G
   
   
   • Specs: 946GZ + ICH7. Passive/None. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-667/533, 2 DIMMs, 4GB max. 1 x VGA. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, 10/100Mbps LAN, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?

___________________________________
5. Intel 965 Express Chipset Motherboards
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Chipset
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Models

• Intel G965 Express for mainstream users, released on June 6, 2006
• Intel P965 Express for mainstream users, released on June 6, 2006
• Intel Q965 Express for corporate users, released on June 6, 2006
• Intel Q963 Express for entry-level corporate users, released on June 6, 2006

All chipsets are manufactured with 90 nm technology.

Northbridge

• G965/Q965/P965 (G)MCH
  • FSB 1066/800/533MTps
  • DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max
  • 1 x PCI Express x16 Graphics, supporting ATI CrossFire
  • TDP 28W/19W (GMCH/MCH)
• Q963 GMCH
  • FSB 1066/800/533MTps
  • DDR2-667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max
  • No PCI Express x16 interface
  • TDP 28W

Southbridge

• ICH8
  • No PATA, 4 x SATA at 3.0Gbps
  • No RAID, no AHCI
  • 6 PCI Express lanes (2 of them are usually reserved for Gb LAN and IDE controller)
  • Integrated Gb LAN Controller, HD Audio, 10 x USB 2.0
  • TDP 3.3W[/b]
• ICH8R/ICH8DH/ICH8DO
  • No PATA, 6 x SATA at 3.0Gbps
  • RAID (0/1/10/5, up to 4 drives), AHCI (NCQ, Hot-Plug, eSATA)
  • 6 PCI Express lanes (2 of them are usually reserved for Gb LAN and IDE controller)
  • Integrated Gb LAN Controller, HD Audio, 10 x USB 2.0
  • TDP 4.1W
  • Intel Viiv and Quick Resume Technology (QRT, ICH8DH only), Intel vPro and Active Management Technology (AMT, ICH8DO only)

Integrated Graphics

• GMA X3000 (G965 only)
  • 667MHz core clock, 384MB video memory
  • Vertex Shader/Pixel Shader/Texture Mapping/Render Output Units: 0/1.6/3.2/?; DirectX 9.0c Vertex/Pixel Shader Model: 3.0/3.0
  • VGA: 2048 x 1536, DVI/HDMI/TV (1080i/p) via an ADD2 card
  • MPEG-2/VC-1/H.264: hw/sw/sw. Support for Intel Clear Video Technology
• GMA 3000 (Q965/Q963 only)
  • 667MHz core clock, 256MB video memory
  • Vertex Shader/Pixel Shader/Texture Mapping/Render Output Units: 0/?/?/?; DirectX 9.0 Vertex/Pixel Shader Model: 3.0 (sw)/2.0
  • VGA: 2048 x 1536, DVI/TV (1080i/p) via an ADD2 card
  • MPEG-2/VC-1/H.264: hw/sw/sw

Remarks

1. G965 suffers from incomplete PCI Express lock and the absence of PCI lock (that are related to the existence of IGP). Because of this the maximum FSB of G965 is limited to around 320 MHz.

References

• Intel 965 Express Chipset Family Datasheet
• Intel 965 Express Chipset Family Specification Update (Information on C2 Stepping)
• Intel 965 Express Chipset Family Thermal Mechanical Design Guidelines
• Intel ICH8 Family Datasheet
• Intel ICH8 Family Thermal Mechanical Design Guidelines
• Intel – GMA X3000 and 3000 White Paper
• Digital-Daily – Intel 96x chipsets: frames for the Core 2 Duo diamond (July 8, 2006))
• Digit-Life – Intel 965 Express Chipsets with Official Support for Core 2 Duo/Extreme ( September 14, 2006)
• Phoronix – Intel GMA 3000 Q965 Graphics Performance (October 21, 2006)
• AnandTech – Intel G965: microATX Performance Update (March 16, 2007)
• The Tech Report – Intel's G965 Express chipset (April 7, 2007)

____________________
ATX Motherboard – P965
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abit

1. abit AB9 (Global site) or abit AB9 (USA site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive-heatpipe/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/6, no RAID, support for Dolby Digital Live, optical S/PDIF in & out, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 1.725V, DRAM: 2.3V, NB: 1.25–1.45V, Max FSB: ?
   • Reviews: CPU3D, Overclock3D.Net, Phoronix
   • Forums: Universal abit USA Forums
   • Availability: Yes. ZipZoomfly.com: $129.99
   
   
2. abit AB9 Pro (Global site) or abit AB9 Pro (USA site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/2. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/9/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, dual Gb LAN, support for Dolby Digital Live, optical S/PDIF in & out, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 1.725V, DRAM: 2.3V, NB: 1.25–1.45V, Max FSB: 436MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Reviews: AnandTech (Preview), AnandTech, AnandTech (P965 Roudup 1), Boot Daily (975/965 Round-up), Digital-Daily, Digital-Daily (A roundup of motherboards for Intel Core 2 Duo processors), ExtremeTech (Four Mainstream Core 2 Motherboards), Hard|OCP, HEXUS.net, Hot Hardware, IT-review.net (Core 2 Duo MBO Round-up: Part 1), Motherboards.org, Neoseeker, Noticias 3D, PC Perspective, PC Pro, The Tech Report (ABIT's AB9 Pro and AW9D MAX motherboards), Toms' Hardware (Seven P965 Motherboards Compared), TweakTown (Intel P965 Shootout Part 2), Viper Lair, XTreview.com (Conroe Motherboard P965 Chart Review)
   • Forums: Universal abit USA Forums
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $145.99
   
   
3. abit AB9 Wi-Fi (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive-heatpipe/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/6, no RAID, wireless LAN, support for Dolby Digital Live, optical S/PDIF in & out, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 1.725V, DRAM: 2.3V, NB: 1.25–1.45V, Max FSB: ?
   • Forums: Universal abit USA Forums
   
   
4. abit AB9 QuadGT (Global site) or abit AB9 QuadGT (USA site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1/2. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/6/2, RAID 0/1/10/5, PCI Gb LAN, optical S/PDIF in & out, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 1.9250V, DRAM: 3.000V, NB: 1.25–1.70V, Max FSB: 515MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Reviews: AnandTech, AnandTech (Test Lab Update), Neoseeker, TweakTown
   • Forums: Universal abit USA Forums
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $159.99
   
   
5. abit IB9 (Global site) or abit IB9 (USA site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/2. PATA/SATA: 2/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, optical S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Forums: Universal abit USA Forums
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $84.99

Albatron

1. Albatron PXP965
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/1/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 1.8V, DRAM: 2.2V, NB: 1.25–1.55V, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The board is the same as BIOSTAR TForce 965PT.
   
   
2. Albatron PXP965 (V2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/2*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/6, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, coaxial S/PDIF in & out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The PCB design is completely different from the original version.

ASRock

1. ASRock 4Core1333-Viiv
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8DH. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1/3. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/6/1 (eSATA sharing controller with SATA), RAID 0/1/10/5, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), IEEE 1394. Support for Intel Viiv
   • BIOS: FSB: 500MHz, CPU: High, DRAM: Highest, NB: High, Max FSB: 380MHz (E6300, x7, OCWorkBench)
   • Reviews: OCWorkBench

ASUS

There are three types of the PCB design:

• P5B vanilla-type: 3 phase power design with open inductors, 3 system fan headers, PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3/3*, Realtek or Attansic LAN, VIA IEEE 1394 controller
• P5B Deluxe-type: 4/8 phase power design with semi-enclosed inductors, 6 system fan headers, PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2/1/3*, Marvell LAN, TI IEEE 1394 controller, Stock Cooler 2 (additional metal layer), Power LED
• Commando

The motherboards belonging to each type are:

• P5B vanilla-type: P5B, P5B/TeleSky, P5B-E, P5B-Plus, P5B-Plus Vista Edition
• P5B Deluxe-type: P5B-E Plus, P5B Deluxe, P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP, P5B Premium Vista Edition
• Commando: Commando

• P5B vanilla-type

1. ASUS P5B
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3/3*. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/5/1, no RAID, AD1988A 7.1 Ch. HD Audio, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 650MHz, CPU: ?, DRAM: 2.1V, NB: —, Max FSB: 440MHz (E6400, x7, XtremeSystems Forums)
   • Reviews: Digital-Daily, GamePC (Core 2 Duo Platforms From ASUS - A Top To Bottom Comparison), Hardware Secrets, IT-review.net (Core 2 Duo MBO Round-up: Part 3)
   • Forums: XtremeSystems Forums (Asus P5B (vanilla) Overview)
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $122.99
   
   
2. ASUS P5B/TeleSky
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3/3*. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/5/1, no RAID, AD1988A 7.1 Ch. HD Audio, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: This is the same as P5B apart from the TeleSky Kit.
   
   
3. ASUS P5B-E
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3/3*. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/7/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, Attansic L1 PCI-E Gb LAN, AD1988B 7.1 Ch. HD Audio, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 1.7V, DRAM: 2.45V, NB: 1.25–1.70V, Max FSB: 520MHz (E6300, x7, 1.02G, AnandTech)
   • Reviews: AnandTech (C1 vs. C2), AnandTech (P965 Roundup 1), Bjorn3d.com, Digital-Daily, ExtremeTech (Overclocking Core 2 Motherboards), Hard|OCP, Motherboards.org, PCSTATS, XTreview.com (Conroe Motherboard P965 Chart Review)
   • Forums: XtremeSystems Forums (ASUS first C2 motherboard)
   • Notes 1: The difference between P5B and P5B-E is that in P5B-E the southbridge is ICH8R, the LAN controller is Attansic L1 and IEEE 1394 is added.
   • Notes 2: Revision 1.01G comes with either C1 or C2 stepping, that does not allow MCH/ICH voltage adjustments. Revision 1.02G comes with C2 stepping and allows MCH/ICH voltage adjustments.
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $145.99
   
   
4. ASUS P5B-Plus
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3/3*. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/7/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, Attansic L1 PCI-E Gb LAN, AD1988A 7.1 Ch. HD Audio, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 650MHz, CPU: 1.7V, DRAM: 2.45V, NB: 1.25–1.55V, Max FSB: 500MHz (E6600, x7, XtremeSystems Forums), 480MHz (QX6700, x7, XtremeSystems Forums)
   • Notes: The revised version of P5B-E. The difference between P5B-E and P5B-Plus is that in P5B-Plus the PCB color is black, the capacitors are all solid, and TPM is supported, but the HD Audio header ADH was removed.
   • Forums: XtremeSystmes Forums (ASUS P5B-PLUS ASUS Accelerated Propeller Vista Edition)
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $139.99
   
   
5. ASUS P5B-Plus Vista Edition
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3/3*. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/7/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, Attansic L1 PCI-E Gb LAN, AD1988A 7.1 Ch. HD Audio, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 650MHz, CPU: 1.7V, DRAM: 2.45V, NB: 1.25–1.55V, Max FSB: 550MHz (E6600, x6, XtremeSystems Forums), 480MHz (QX6700, x7, XtremeSystems Forums)
   • Notes: The Vista Edition supports AI Remote, ASAP and AP Trigger. USB 2.0 ports 9 and 10 are reserved for ASAP.
   • Forums: XtremeSystmes Forums (ASUS P5B-PLUS ASUS Accelerated Propeller Vista Edition)

• P5B Deluxe-type

1. ASUS P5B-E Plus
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/1/3*. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/7/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, AD1988A 7.1 Ch. HD Audio, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 650MHz, CPU: 1.7V, DRAM: 2.45V, NB: 1.25–1.65V, Max FSB: 590MHz (E6600, x6, XtremeSystems Forums)
   • Reviews: Au-Ja!, matbe.com, Overclock3D.Net, TweakTown
   • Forums: XtremeSystems Forums (ASUS P5B-E Plus Mainboard), XtremeSystems Forums (P5B-E Plus de FSB)
   • Notes: All solid capacitors
   • Availability: This model is not available in US.
   
   
2. ASUS P5B Deluxe
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1/3*, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/7/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, dual PCI-E/PCI Gb LAN, AD1988B 7.1 Ch. HD Audio supporting DTS Connect, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 650MHz, CPU: 1.7V, DRAM: 2.45V, NB: 1.25–1.65V, Max FSB: 525MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $178.99
   
   
3. ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1/3*, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/7/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, dual PCI-E/PCI Gb LAN, wireless LAN, AD1988B 7.1 Ch. HD Audio supporting DTS Connect, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 650MHz, CPU: 1.7V, DRAM: 2.45V, NB: 1.25–1.65V, Max FSB: 525MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Reviews: AnandTech (Conroe Buying Guide), AnandTech (Update), bit-tech.net, Digital-Daily, Digital-Daily (A roundup of motherboards for Intel Core 2 Duo processors), FiringSquad (ASUS Core 2-ready Motherboard Roundup), GamePC (Core 2 Duo Platforms From ASUS - A Top To Bottom Comparison), Hard|OCP, Hardware Zone, Hardware.Info (Intel 965/975 mainboards for Core 2 Duo tested), HardwareLogic, Legion Hardware (ASUS P5W DH Deluxe & P5B Deluxe), matbe.com, MaXit, Motherboards.org, Neoseeker, OCWorkBench, PC Perspective, PCSTATS, Phoronix, SysOpt.com, The Tech Report (Three Core 2 motherboards from ASUS), TheThirdMedia Hardware, Toms' Hardware (Seven P965 Motherboards Compared), TweakTown (Intel P965 Shootout Part 1), Virtual-Hideout, VR-Zone, XTreview.com (Conroe Motherboard P965 Chart Review)
   • Forums: AnandTech Forums (Official ASUS P5B / P5B Deluxe Thread), XtremeSystems Forums (Asus P5B-Deluxe; Problems & Fixes), The Tech Repository (Asus P5B Deluxe: Overclocking and Tweaking Guide by Tony)
   • Notes: The difference between P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP and P5B Deluxe apart from WiFi-AP is that CHA_FAN4 and CHA_FAN5 are available only for the WiFi-AP version.
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $192.99
   
   
4. ASUS P5B Premium Vista Edition
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1/3*, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/7/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, dual PCI-E/PCI Gb LAN, AD1988B 7.1 Ch. HD Audio, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, 6 x USB 2.0, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 650MHz, CPU: 1.7V, DRAM: 2.45V, NB: 1.25–1.65V, Max FSB: 525MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Notes: All solid capacitors. The board supports ScreenDUO, AI Remote, ASAP, AP Trigger and TPM. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4 are reserved for ScreenDUO and IR receiver, USB 2.0 ports 9 and 10 for ASAP.
   • Reviews: Bjorn3d.com, Hardware Zone, PC Pro
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $229.99

• Commando

1. ASUS Commando
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive-heatpipe. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/0/4*. PATA/SATA: 1/6, RAID 0/1/10/5, AD1988B 7.1 Ch. HD Audio, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 650MHz, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: 515MHz (X6800, x6, Hardware Zone)
   • Reviews: bit-tech.net, ExtremeTech (Overclocking Core 2 Motherboards), Hard|OCP, Hardware Zone, HEXUS.net, t-break, TweakTown, VR-Zone, X-bit labs
   • Forums: XtremeSystems Forums (Commando Results by Tony and Andre)
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $206.99

BIOSTAR

1. BIOSTAR P965 775 (1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/1/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. BIOSTAR TForce P965 Deluxe
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/1/3. PATA/SATA: 1/6, RAID 0/1/10/5, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 500MHz, CPU: 1.8V, DRAM: 2.2V, NB: 1.50–1.80V, Max FSB: 500MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Reviews: AnandTech (Conroe Buying Guide), AnandTech (P965 Roundup 1), Hard|OCP, Hardware Zone, matbe.com, PCSTATS, PC Modding Malaysia, Reg Hardware, Toms' Hardware (Seven P965 Motherboards Compared), TweakTown (Intel P965 Shootout Part 2), XTreview.com (Conroe Motherboard P965 Chart Review)
   • Forums: XtremeSystems Forums
   
   
3. BIOSTAR TForce 965PT
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/1/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 1.8V, DRAM: 2.2V, NB: 1.25–1.55V, Max FSB: 505MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Reviews: AnandTech (P965 Roundup 2)
   • Notes: The only difference from TForce P965 Deluxe is the southbridge ICH8 instead of ICH8R and a slightly different BIOS.
   
   
4. BIOSTAR TForce P965
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/1/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The only difference between TForce P965 and TForce 965PT is audio codec (ALC888 vs. ALC883).
   • Reviews: XTreview.com
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $104.99

DFI

1. DFI INF. P965-S
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/2*/3, supporting CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/6, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: , CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $99.99

ECS

1. ECS P965T-A (V1.0B)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/2*/3, supporting SDGE (Scalable Dual Graphics Engine). PATA/SATA: 1/5, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 333MHz, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Reviews: ChileHardWare (ECS P965T-A vs MSI P965 Neo), Futurelooks, Hardware.Info (Intel 965/975 mainboards for Core 2 Duo tested), Overclockers Online, MADBOXPC.COM, SysOpt.com, Viper Lair
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $74.99
   
   
2. ECS PX1 (V1.0B)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8DH. Passive-heatpipe/Passive-heatpipe. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/2*/3, supporting SDGE (Scalable Dual Graphics Engine). PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/7/1, dual PCI-E/PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), IEEE 1394 . Support for Intel Viiv
   • BIOS: FSB: 366MHz, CPU: +0.15V, DRAM: +0.35, NB: —, Max FSB: 345MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Reviews: AnandTech (P965 Roundup 3), Digital-Daily, FastSilicon.com (Preview), FastSilicon.com (Final Verdict), Hard|OCP, matbe.com, Motherboards.org, OCWorkBench, The Tech Report, XTreview.com (Conroe Motherboard P965 Chart Review)
   • Availability: Yes. ZipZoomfly.com: $123.99

Foxconn

1. Foxconn P9657AA-8EKRS2H
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/1/3*. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/6/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, optical S/PDIF out, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: +0.3V, DRAM: +0.6V, NB: +0.24V, Max FSB: 343MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Reviews: Digit-Life, Digital-Daily, Digital-Daily (A roundup of motherboards for Intel Core 2 Duo processors), hardCOREware.net, Hardware.Info (Intel 965/975 mainboards for Core 2 Duo tested), HEXUS.net (First Look), HEXUS.net, PC Pro, TweakTown (Intel P965 Shootout Part 1), XTreview.com (Conroe Motherboard P965 Chart Review)
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $92.99
   
   
2. Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/1/3*. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/4/1, no RAID, optical S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: +0.3V, DRAM: +0.6V, NB: +0.24V, Max FSB: 343MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Reviews: AnandTech (P965 Roundup 4), ExtremeTech (Four Mainstream Core 2 Motherboards), Overclockers Online, PCSTATS, SysOpt.com, Technic3D, The Tech Report (Foxconn and GIGABYTE: Opposite ends of the Intel P965 mobo), Toms' Hardware (Seven P965 Motherboards Compared)
   • Forums: AnandTech Forums
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $99.99
   
   
3. Foxconn P9657AB-8EKRS2H
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1*/3. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/6/1, RAID 0/1/10/5, optical S/PDIF out, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: +0.3V, DRAM: +0.6V, NB: +0.24V, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The PCB design is completely different from the P9657AA, with 2 PCIe x16 slots and a coaxial S/PDIF out in the real panel.
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $94.99 (after mail-in rebate)
   
   
4. Foxconn P9657AB-8KS2H
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/1*/3. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/4/1, no RAID, optical S/PDIF out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: +0.3V, DRAM: +0.6V, NB: +0.24V, Max FSB: ?

GIGABYTE

There are six types of the PCB design:

• DS3 (rev. 1.0)-type: 3 phase power with semi-open inductors, 1 system fan header, PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3
• DQ6 (rev. 1.0)-type: 6/12 phase power with semi-open inductors (DS4) or enclosed inductors (DQ6), 2 system fan headers, PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2/3*/2, IEEE 1394 support
  
  
• DS3 (rev. 2.0)-type: 6 phase power with enclosed inductors, 3 system fan headers
• DQ6 (rev. 2.0)-type: 6/12 phase power with enclosed inductors
  
  
• DS3 (rev. 3.3)-type: FSB 1333 support
• DQ6 (rev. 3.3)-type: FSB 1333 support

The motherboards belonging to each type are:

• DS3-type: GA-965P-(D)S3, GA-965G-DS3
• DQ6-type: GA-965P-DS3P, GA-965P-DS4, GA-965P-DQ6, GA-965G-DS4

Rev. 3.3 is the current version.

• Useful Threads •

• Hard|Forum – Gigabyte P965-XXX overclocking and BIOS tweaking Guide
• Overclockers UK Forums – GIGABYTE DS3/DS4/DQ6 Guide
• XtremeSystems Forums – Forward: official GIGA 965P-S3/DS3/DS4/DQ6 beta BIOSs
• XtremeSystems Forums – GigaByte DS3, DS4 and DQ6 memory thread

• DS3 (rev. 1.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 (rev. 1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/6, no RAID, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.4V, NB: +0.3V, Max FSB: 455MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Reviews: AnandTech (P965 Roundup 2), Boot Daily (975/965 Round-up), FastSilicon.com, X-bit labs
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/6, no RAID, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.4V, NB: +0.3V, Max FSB: 505MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Notes: The only differences from GA-965P-S3 are that GA-965P-DS3 comes with all solid capacitor and its LAN controller is 88E8053 instead of 88E8056.
   • Reviews: AnandTech (BIOS Mania), AnandTech (P965 Roundup 1), AnandTech (Lab Testing Update), Club Overclocker, Digital-Daily, Digital-Daily (A roundup of motherboards for Intel Core 2 Duo processors), Hard|OCP, hardCOREware.net, Hardware Secrets, Hardware.Info (Intel 965/975 mainboards for Core 2 Duo tested), HardwareLogic, Hardware Zone, Legion Hardware, Legit Reviews, matbe.com, MaXit, MaXit (ASUS P5W DH Deluxe vs GIGABYTE GA 965P DS3 Conroe Motherboard Shootout), Motherboards.org, Neoseeker, Overclockers New Zealand, PC Perspective, PCSTATS, Sharky Extreme, SysOpt.com, Toms' Hardware (Seven P965 Motherboards Compared), TweakTown (Intel P965 Shootout Part 2), VR-Zone
   • Forums: AnandTech Forums (Official Gigabyte P965-DS3 Thread), Overclockers UK Forums (Official GIGABYTE DS3 Owners Thread), Hard|Forum, XtremeSystems Forums (Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3, Pretty good start), XtremeSystems Forums (GIGABYTE DS3 FAQ by CrazyJohn)

• DQ6 (rev. 1.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS4 (rev. 1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive-heatpipe. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/3*/2, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/8, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.375V, DRAM: 2.575V, NB: +0.75V, Max FSB: ?
   • Reviews: IT Reviews
   • Forums: Overclockers UK Forums (GIGABYTE DS3/DS4/DQ6 Guide)
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DQ6 (rev. 1.0)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive-heatpipe. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/3*/2, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/8, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.375V, DRAM: 2.575V, NB: +0.75V, Max FSB: 443 (X6800, x6, TweakTown)
   • Reviews: AnandTech (Conroe Buying Guide), BCCHardware, bit-tech.net, ChileHardWare, CPU3D, Digit-Life, Digital-Daily, Digital-Daily (A roundup of motherboards for Intel Core 2 Duo processors), ExtremeTech (Four Mainstream Core 2 Motherboards), FiringSquad, Hard|OCP, Hardware Zone, Hardware Zone (Overclocking Performance Update), Hardware.Info (Intel 965/975 mainboards for Core 2 Duo tested), HardwareLogic, HardwareLogic, HEXUX.net, Hot Hardware, IT-review.net (Core 2 Duo MBO Round-up: Part 2), Legion Hardware, matbe.com, MaXit, Neoseeker, Noticias 3D, OCWorkBench, OCWorkBench (rev. 2.0), Overclockers New Zealand, PC Pro, PCSTATS, Technic3D, The Tech Report (Foxconn and GIGABYTE: Opposite ends of the Intel P965 mobo), Toms' Hardware (Seven P965 Motherboards Compared), TrustedReviews, TweakTown (Intel P965 chipset examined), TweakTown (Intel P965 Shootout Part 2), VR-Zone, XTreview.com (Conroe Motherboard P965 Chart Review)
   • Forums: Overclockers UK Forums (GIGABYTE DS3/DS4/DQ6 Guide), XtremeSystems Forums

• DS3 (rev. 2.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/6, no RAID, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.4V, NB: +0.3V, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: In rev. 2.0 the audio codec was changed from ALC883 to ALC888.

• DQ6 (rev. 2.0)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3P (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/3*/2, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/8, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.375V, DRAM: 2.575V, NB: +0.75V, Max FSB: ?
   • Reviews: TechSpot
   • Notes: The board is the same as DS4 (rev. 2.0) except for Silent-Pipe.
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS4 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive-heatpipe. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/3*/2, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/8, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.375V, DRAM: 2.575V, NB: +0.75V, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: Apart from semi-open vs. enclosed power inductors, the difference between rev. 1.0 and rev. 2.0 is LAN controller (88E8053 vs. 88E8056) and audio codec (ALC883 vs. ALC888).
   • Reviews: Hardware Zone
   
   
3. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DQ6 (rev. 2.0)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive-heatpipe. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/3*/2, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/8, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.375V, DRAM: 2.575V, NB: +0.75V, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The only difference between rev. 1.0 and rev. 2.0 is LAN controller (88E8053 vs. 88E8056).

• DS3 (rev. 3.3)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 (rev. 3.3)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/6, no RAID, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.4V, NB: +0.3V, Max FSB: 455MHz (E6300, x7, AnandTech)
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $104.99
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 3.3)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/6, no RAID, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.0V, DRAM: 2.4V, NB: +0.3V, Max FSB: 510MHz (Silent PC Review)
   • Reviews: Silent PC Review
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $122.99

• DQ6 (rev. 3.3)-type

1. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3P (rev. 3.3)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/3*/2, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/8, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.375V, DRAM: 2.575V, NB: +0.75V, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS4 (rev. 3.3)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive-heatpipe. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/3*/2, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/8, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.375V, DRAM: 2.575V, NB: +0.75V, Max FSB: ?
   
   
3. GIGABYTE GA-965P-DQ6 (rev. 3.3)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive-heatpipe/Passive-heatpipe. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/3*/2, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/8, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 600MHz, CPU: 2.375V, DRAM: 2.575V, NB: +0.75V, Max FSB: ?
   • Reviews: TweakTown
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $209.99

Intel

1. Intel DP965LT (BOXDP965LTCK, Lemont, Classic Series)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/3*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/4, no RAID, STAC9227 5.1 Ch. HD Audio, no S/PDIF, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: —, CPU: —, DRAM: —, NB: —, Max FSB: —
   • Forums: AnandTech Forums
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $109.99 (Retail), Newegg.com: $104.99 (Bulk)

Jetway

1. Jetway 965PDAG (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/2*/2. PATA/SATA: 1 (with an IDE-SATA adapter)/3, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, coaxial S/PDIF in & out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: 1.6V, DRAM: 2.15V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
2. Jetway 966PDAG (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/2*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/3, no RAID, coaxial S/PDIF in & out, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: 1.6V, DRAM: 2.15V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
3. Jetway 966PDAGE (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/2*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/3, no RAID, coaxial S/PDIF in & out, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: 1.6V, DRAM: 2.15V, NB: —, Max FSB: ?
   
   
4. Jetway HI01-GE (USA site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/2*/2. PATA/SATA/eSATA: 1/8/2, no RAID, coaxial S/PDIF out, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: —, Max FSB: ?

MSI

1. MSI P965 Neo-F (Global site) or MSI P965 Neo-F (USA site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/2*/3. PATA/SATA: 1/5, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 333MHz, CPU: —, DRAM: 2.4V, NB: —, Max FSB: 333MHz (X6800, x11, Hardware Zone)
   • Reviews: BCCHardware, ChileHardWare (ECS P965T-A vs MSI P965 Neo), Digital-Daily, Digital-Daily (A roundup of motherboards for Intel Core 2 Duo processors), Hardware Zone, Hardware.Info (Intel 965/975 mainboards for Core 2 Duo tested), Rbmods.com, TweakTown (Intel P965 Shootout Part 1)
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $86.99
   
   
2. MSI P965 Neo2-FI (Global site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1/1*/2. PATA/SATA: 1/5, no RAID, PCI Gb LAN, no S/PDIF (need an optional bracket), IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Notes: The PCB design of the P965 Neo2 is completely different from the P965 Neo.
   
   
3. MSI P965 Platinum (Global site) or MSI P965 Platinum (USA site)
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8R. Passive/Passive. FSB 1333/1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x1/PCI: 2@(16,4)/2*/2, supporting ATI CrossFire. PATA/SATA: 1/7, RAID 0/1/10/5, coaxial & optical S/PDIF outs, IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: 500MHz, CPU: +0.7875V, DRAM: 2.45V, NB: 1.21–1.69V, Max FSB: 484MHz (X6800, x6, TweakTown)
   • Reviews: AnandTech (P965 Roundup 3), Boot Daily (975/965 Round-up), ChileHardware, Digital-Daily, Digital-Daily (A roundup of motherboards for Intel Core 2 Duo processors), Hard|OCP, Hardware Secrets, Hardware Zone, Hardware.Info, Hardware.Info (Intel 965/975 mainboards for Core 2 Duo tested), HEXUS.net, IT-review.net (Core 2 Duo MBO Round-up: Part 2), Neoseeker, PCSTATS, Technic3D, The Tech Report (MSI's P965 Platinum and 975X Platinum motherboards), Toms' Hardware (Seven P965 Motherboards Compared), TweakTown, Viper Lair, XTreview.com (Conroe Motherboard P965 Chart Review)
   • Forums: XtremeSystems Forums (preview)
   • Availability: Yes. Newegg.com: $134.99

Supermicro

1. Supermicro PDSBE
   
   
   • Specs: P965 + ICH8. Passive/None. FSB 1066/800/533MTps. DDR2-800/667/533, 4 DIMMs, 8GB max. PCIe x16/PCIe x4/PCIe x1/PCI: 1/1*/1/4. PATA/SATA: 0/4, no RAID, no S/PDIF, no IEEE 1394
   • BIOS: FSB: ?, CPU: ?, DRAM: ?, NB: ?, Max FSB: ?
   • Availability: Yes. PriceGrabber.com: $160