Motherboard Review Roundup - EVGA, Gigabyte, XFX & More

• Bigbruin: ECS GF8200A Black Series GeForce 8200 Motherboard Review:
  
  

  “The ECS GF8200A Black Series GeForce 8200 motherboard wound up surprising me. After reviewing the A780GM-A motherboard I knew that ECS was headed in the right direction with their Black Series, but that only so much can be done while trying to maintain a low price point. My initial thoughts were that the GF8200A would be about the same as the A780GM-A, but with an NVIDIA chipset in place of one from AMD. Both are attractive, well laid out, and perform similarly, but the GF8200A offers other refinements that make it even more appealing to me.”

  
  Click here to read the full review.
  
  
  
• Bjorn3D: XFX nForce 750a SLI (MD-A72P-7509):
  
  

  “The XFX 750a is packed with features and functions for a mainstream motherboard. At cost of $149.00, it is not skimming too much on the features. You still get SLI support (although only in two x8 configurations), onboard reset/power/clear CMOS buttons, 10 USB ports, and VGA/HDMI/DVI connector. In terms of its performance, it is on par with the AMD 790FX based motherboard with the exception of USB transfer rate and the integer x16 where 750a chipset has a clear advantage.
  
  One of the biggest limitations for the XFX 750a is probably the lack of supports for 140W AMD processor. Also, the limited overclocking option is a bit disappointing. And the five SATA ports can limit expandability, especially considering the two ports may be blocked if you are using a large GPU.”

  
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• HardwareLogic: EVGA 750i FTW Motherboard Review:
  
  

  “Finally there is a 7-series motherboard for the masses! With the cost of motherboards steadily rising, its great to come across one like the EVGA 750i SLI FTW. For under $200, you will get a well designed mainboard with a lot of features found on more expensive alternatives along with excellent stability and overclocking headroom. The BIOS is simple and effective with enough options to allow for killer clock speeds. With EVGA's lifetime warranty, support and step up options, its difficult to go wrong with this motherboard. But that leads us to....
  
  The biggest problem the 750i SLI FTW faces is from other board makers using the same chipset. EVGA's product is currently the highest priced 750i board on the market.”

  
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• Sharky Extreme: Gigabyte GA-MA790FX-DS5 Motherboard Review:
  
  

  “We really like the Gigabyte GA-MA790FX-DS5 motherboard and the AMD 780FX chipset that powers it. This is as good as you can get for a high-end Phenom X4 platform, as it offers a nice combination of excellent performance and a great feature set. There are some layout concerns, but that's the same for any motherboard, and Gigabyte has also been quick with the BIOS updates, ensuring full support for any new AMD processors. A quality product mixed with solid support is a killer combination, and Gigabyte continues to impress with its latest motherboards.”

  
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• Virtual-Hideout: ECS P45T-A Black Motherboard Review:
  
  

  “In short, this inexpensive motherboard is fast, stable, and features a ton of opportunities for expansion. While the lack of firewire is indeed a disappointment, I believe that this can be taken as a non-issue for gamers. Considering the features present, the speeds attained, and the stability of the system overall during the testing procedures, I feel that this motherboard is a good buy if a user is looking to assemble a low cost, reliable gaming machine. It’s just a shame that this product doesn’t have what it takes to break free of just what it was meant to do, but given the fact that it costs just shy of $110 – or rather, is shockingly cheap, I would say this is a good candidate for the great value award!”

  
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• Virtual-Hideout: GIGABYTE GA-X48-DQ6 Motherboard Review:
  
  

  “There's really no denying that the Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6 is an excellent DDR2 motherboard. Prices start about $285.00 USD from various E-Tailers like Newegg. Comparably equipped motherboards "officially" supporting 1600 MHz Front Side Bus and 1200 MHz DDR2 memory frequencies cost a bit more. As far as I'm concerned, this DDR2 motherboard offers the best balance between cost and performance for serious enthusiasts. It will definitely humble your Intel QX series processor. Stability, dependability, performance, and overclocking. Need I say more?”

  
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• X-bit Labs: EVGA nForce 750i SLI FTW Mainboard Review:
  
  

  “Those users who would like to build an SLI graphics subsystem have very limited options when it comes to choosing mainboards for LGA 775 processors. Nvidia nForce 6 series doesn’t support contemporary Intel processors, NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI and nForce 750i SLI run very warm and unstable during overclocking. You could take an NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI based board, but it is hard to spend $300-350 on a mainboard alone. By the way, EVGA offers their EVGA nForce 750i SLI FTW for almost $200. Not too cheap as well…”

  
  Click here to read the full review.