Asus starts the ball rolling
AS OUR Theo mentioned a few days
ago , mobos based on Intel P35 Bearlake have surfaced.
Eagerly awaiting the 65 nanometre, supposedly more overclockable, chipset, I've just got two of these for such endurance tests, the Asus twins named P5K3 Deluxe (DDR3-based) and P5K Deluxe (DDR2-based).
As you can see from the photos of both together, the boards are interface-rich - down to full wi-fi inclusion, with free antenna thrown in - and very well endowed in the heat pipe department, with Asus showing some favouritism towards the DDR3 version, its heat pipe labyrinth matches the one from the top-end Striker Extreme board.
Even the DDR2 version is not to ignore, though - the boards can also use extra fans on top of all the hot copper. What cooling gadgets will then their X38 'Republic Of Gamers' board show off in June?
Now, here's something of a disappointment. As a person who consistently promoted non-reliance on interrupt-poluted, CPU-hogging USB for basic user input devices, I was quite teed off by the 'backside surprise' on the boards.
While the keyboard PS/2 input was still there, no trace of the green mouse PS/2 jack - instead, two more USB ports.
And, I hear, more vendors are following suit.
Of course, there are now "zillion-dpi, million movements per second" mice for, maybe, hardcore gamers whose own hands vibrate at MHz rhythms but for us, old-fashione guys who prefer pure performance and stability/compatibility, bring back the full PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo.
Not only will you be giving the customers a choice, but also, in some cases, something for the enthusiasts using the upcoming X38 and Nforce follow-on to the 680i - the system may end up a very tiny bit faster.
The INQuirer
Linear Mode
