Press Release
Intel® X38 chipset solution includes enhanced performance, connectivity and digital entertainment featuresBeijing, China, October 10th 2007 – FOXCONN today officially announced the launch of the X38A motherboard, based on the enthusiast-class Intel® X38 chipset. This high-end desktop motherboard is the latest product in Foxconn's Digital Life segment, which aims to bring more connectivity and digital entertainment capability to enthusiast motherboards.
"Digital Life is about giving users better capability to utilize their PC in the home environment, not just sat in the corner of a home office or being used as a high-end enthusiast rig" enthuses Eric Chu, Digital Life Product Manager.
"We wanted to combine the performance and overclocking features found on enthusiast motherboards with some additional connectivity capabilities, which will provide for a more adaptable computing platform" Chu continues.
Supporting the latest platform technologies
The X38A fully supports the latest industry technologies; with three PCIe x16 slots (including two slots supporting ATI® CrossFire™ running at dual x16 bandwidth), PCIe Generation 2.0 support for future high-performance graphics cards, Dual DDR3 1333MHz memory and support for forthcoming Intel® 45nm processors.
Combo memory capability
With support for both DDR2 and DDR3 memory, the X38A is more versatile than standard X38 chipset solutions. Up to 8GB of DDR2 1066/800/667MHz memory or 4GB of DDR3 1333/1066/800MHz memory can be installed, providing more flexibility for PC assemblers and enthusiasts who don't want to upgrade to DDR3 memory immediately.
Engineered for performance computing
The X38A has been engineered for high-performance computing with long-term operating stability. A 100% SOLID Capacitor and Ferrite Choke design improve component reliability and enable operation at higher frequencies with less heat generation; a key factor in overclocking performance.
Foxconn's proprietary Cool Pipe design effectively removes heat from the critical NB, SB and VRM areas, and with an optional low-noise fan on the NB heatsink and Cool Fan control in the BIOS, you can easily configure your system for an effective combination of passive and active cooling.
Other enthusiast features include onboard CMOS and On/Off/Reset buttons, FoxOne™ Windows-based system monitoring and overclocking utility, and extensive BIOS tuning capability via the Fox Central Control Unit (FCCU) BIOS menu.
Enhanced connectivity and digital entertainment capabilities
Foxconn Digital Life motherboards provide additional capability for connecting to other devices and greater multi-media potential.
Foxconn's Dual Digital Audio feature provides high-quality sound output via digital or analogue I/O, and allows users to split two sound sources to independent outputs. Audio from a movie and a game, for example, could be split via Digital Fibre and Coaxical S/PDIF outputs for professional home cinema equipment, or via analogue 7.1 channel audio and the front panel headphone output.
Dual Gigabit LAN enables users to connect to 2 independent networks without speed loss, or share an internet connection with another computer.
Dual eSATA ports are located on the rear I/O along with the proprietary Foxconn Digital Connector (FDC) which provides the link to future Foxconn Digital Life products, designed for enhanced digital entertainment and communication.
The X38A also provides an array of USB2.0, Firewire (1394a) and SATAII ports, along with RAID functions and Intel® Matrix Storage Technology which delivers more flexibility in configuring RAID set-ups for security and/or increased access speeds.
X38A Specification Detail
|
Specification |
|
|
CPU Support |
Skt775 for
Intel® Core™2 Quad, Core™2 Extreme,
Core™2 Duo, Pentium® Dual-Core E2xxx,
Celeron® 4xx, Pentium® D, Pentium® 4 processors.
|
|
FSB Support |
1333/1066/800MHz |
|
Memory |
Dual |
|
Expansion |
3* PCIe x16 with
2* PCIe x1 slots |
|
Connectivity |
6* SATAII, 2* eSATA, 2* IEEE1394a, 8* |
|
RAID |
RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1, Intel® Matrix
Storage Technology™ and Intel® Rapid Recover |
|
Audio |
7.1channel HD with Dual Digital Audio |
|
Networking |
Dual Gigabit |
|
BIOS &
Special Features |
100% SOLID Capacitor design |
|
Accessories |
EZ
Installation Guide User
manual 6*
SATA cables + power cables 1*
FDD + IDE cable 1* 2
x 1*
FAN (optional for NB) Utility
CD including Symantec Anti-Virus |
|
Form Factor |
|
Pricing & Availability
X38A will be available in the channel from November. Reference retail price is around the £120 - £130 plus VAT.
