..:: Introduction ::..

It’s hard to believe it’s been so long since we were last able to take a thorough look at a motherboard. In our return to the world of motherboard products, as well as reviews, we’ll be examining Foxconn’s latest i975X motherboard, the 975X7AB-8EKRS2H. The AB version of this board supports Conroe core processors and comes equipped with several improvements from the original AA version. Does this board follow in the footsteps of the previous high-end boards? Has Foxconn moved back to supplying high-end boards with all of the features of previous generations? Read on to find out.

..:: 975X7AB-8EKRS2H Specifications ::..

Processor

• Designed for Intel® LGA775 Processors w/800/1066MHz FSB
• Supports Core 2 Duo Processors
• Supports Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Chipset

• North Bridge : Intel i975X
• South Bridge : Intel ICH7-R
• Dual Marvell Gigabit Ethernet Controllers
• TI IEEE1394a Controller
• Realtek ALC882 HD Audio CODEC

Memory

• 4 DDR-II DIMM Slots
• DDR-II 533/667/800MHz RAM
• Max: 8GB

Expansion Slots

• 2 x PCI-E x16
• 2 x PCI-E x1
• 2 x PCI
• 2 x UDMA/133/100/66
• 1 x FDD
• 4 x SATA
• 8 x USB 2.0 (Total)

Back Panel I/O Ports

• 1 x Parallel, 1 x External SATA, 1x IEEE1394a
• 1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 Mouse
• 6 x Audio I/O, 1 x Coax Audio Out, In
• 4 x USB 2.0, 2 x RJ-45 Ports