Intel Micro-ATX Roundup - May 2009 @ DH

***craig5320*** · May 22, 2009, 11:28 AM

Intel Micro-ATX Roundup
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Since the release of Core-i7 there has been a steady release of performance motherboards which allow consumers the opportunity to create a great high specification system. In the past getting the best performance always meant using ATX boards even though technology in just about every other area has been getting more compact.

In the past few months that has changed though and today we have two very impressive looking X58 boards on our test bench which are micro-ATX based...and still manage to fit in features like support for 6 memory sticks and SLI/CrossFire. In addition to that we have a third product which proves that Socket 775 Core2 users are not being left behind and that it is possible to create a high performing yet cost effective micro-ATX system on the last generation processors.

Mac Daddy · May 22, 2009, 12:22 PM

Excellent review and 3 nice looking motherboards. The ASUS Rampage 2 Gene certainly shined in the testing the DFI board also performed very well. I noted the BIOS flash issue on the DFI board and hope they implement something down the road.

lepel · May 22, 2009, 12:38 PM

Nice review. Little typo on last page: The other boards use the Core-i7/X58 platform and as a result it costs a significant amount to build a high specification sustem around them. and ...which make using their larger boards such as good experience.

Very good review. I like the idea of a small yet powerful i7 pc.

procupine14 · May 22, 2009, 02:42 PM

Very nice review! The only real issues I see with a board this small is that once you start running crossfire/sli I hope you don't have plans to populated the PCI or PCIex1 slots because that might be an issue. But planning ahead never hurt anyone I suppose. One thing I really appreciate is the ability to reset your BIOS without opening the case. Very handy if you're an OCer. I'm secretly hoping this becomes a standard feature on the majority of boards eventually.

**kris23** · May 23, 2009, 02:53 AM

so tiny....

comp_ali · May 23, 2009, 09:20 AM

Impressive review , covered almost all the potentials . It is nice to see some core2 boards perform very close to the Core i7 instead of the CPU ,memory limitation.

May 22, 2009, 11:28 AM	#1
*craig5320* HH Administrator Join Date: May 2002 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 6,296 Rep Power: 303 System Specs	Intel Micro-ATX Roundup - May 2009 @ DH Intel Micro-ATX Roundup _____________________ Since the release of Core-i7 there has been a steady release of performance motherboards which allow consumers the opportunity to create a great high specification system. In the past getting the best performance always meant using ATX boards even though technology in just about every other area has been getting more compact. In the past few months that has changed though and today we have two very impressive looking X58 boards on our test bench which are micro-ATX based...and still manage to fit in features like support for 6 memory sticks and SLI/CrossFire. In addition to that we have a third product which proves that Socket 775 Core2 users are not being left behind and that it is possible to create a high performing yet cost effective micro-ATX system on the last generation processors. __________________

May 22, 2009, 12:22 PM	#2
Mac Daddy DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,950 Rep Power: 65 System Specs	Re: Intel Micro-ATX Roundup - May 2009 @ DH Excellent review and 3 nice looking motherboards. The ASUS Rampage 2 Gene certainly shined in the testing the DFI board also performed very well. I noted the BIOS flash issue on the DFI board and hope they implement something down the road. __________________ "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." - Tim Allen

May 22, 2009, 12:38 PM	#3
lepel HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Belgium Posts: 548 Rep Power: 27 System Specs	Re: Intel Micro-ATX Roundup - May 2009 @ DH Nice review. Little typo on last page: The other boards use the Core-i7/X58 platform and as a result it costs a significant amount to build a high specification sustem around them. and ...which make using their larger boards such as good experience. Very good review. I like the idea of a small yet powerful i7 pc.

May 22, 2009, 02:42 PM	#4
procupine14 Why is it Beeping!?!?! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA, Missouri Posts: 1,292 Rep Power: 35 System Specs	Re: Intel Micro-ATX Roundup - May 2009 @ DH Very nice review! The only real issues I see with a board this small is that once you start running crossfire/sli I hope you don't have plans to populated the PCI or PCIex1 slots because that might be an issue. But planning ahead never hurt anyone I suppose. One thing I really appreciate is the ability to reset your BIOS without opening the case. Very handy if you're an OCer. I'm secretly hoping this becomes a standard feature on the majority of boards eventually. __________________ Laptop: HP dv6000 - Windows 7 Pro 64bit - AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60(2.0GHz) - NVIDIA GeForce Go 7200 256MB - 4GB Kingston DDR2 667 (2x2GB) - 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive HTPC: Vista Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Athlon 5200+ x2 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 (2x2GB) - 250GB Seagate Barracuda - Samsung EcoGreen 1TB - Hauppauge single tuner HD - ASUS Radeon HD4550 512MB - ECS RS485M-M mobo - Creative X-fi soundcard - Seasonic 300W SFX PSU Other PC: Windows 7 Pro 64-bit - AMD Athlon 4200+ X2 - 1x 2GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 - 250GB Seagate Barracuda - HIS 4850 512MB - DFI Infinity NF570 SLI-M2/G - CoolerMaster 400W PSU

May 23, 2009, 02:53 AM	#5
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,374 Rep Power: 75 System Specs	Re: Intel Micro-ATX Roundup - May 2009 @ DH so tiny.... __________________ Driverheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (9/4/09) New i5 systems with more to come! Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

May 23, 2009, 09:20 AM	#6
comp_ali Sniper Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Egypt Posts: 5,539 Rep Power: 152 System Specs	Re: Intel Micro-ATX Roundup - May 2009 @ DH Impressive review , covered almost all the potentials . It is nice to see some core2 boards perform very close to the Core i7 instead of the CPU ,memory limitation.