Overclocking and final thoughts
Default performance, as expected, between the 3 boards, hasn't been a decisive factor when considered from an enthusiast's point of view. All three boards could literally be substituted for one another in a test system and you wouldn't be able to discern the visual performance difference. Overclocking, though, may shed some light on which board is best for you.The usual caveats apply when discussing overclocking. Each sample is different, so the results obtained here may or may not be indicative of AW8-MAXs, Royals, or D955XBKs as a retail whole. Overclocking tests were carried out by using a semi-unlocked Pentium 4 670 (3.8GHz, 200MHz FSB). Its native 19x multiplier was dropped to 14x, system memory was dropped to run synchronously (1:1), and both CPU and chipset voltage was raised a touch. We already know that each board is ratified to run with 266MHz FSB CPUs, so just how high would they go?
Intel's D955XBK was ommited from the results due to a lack of fine-tuning within the BIOS. What's pleasing is that both ABIT and Gigabyte boards managed to hit 300MHz FSBs with basic air cooling. It seems as if ABIT's Silent OTES and Gigabyte's U-PLUS DPS systems work well. We're adamant that retail examples will manage similar FSBs.
Final thoughts
What makes a good i955X motherboard. From what we've seen in this review, it's a combination adding a number of useful discrete features to boost a i955X-equipped motherboard to deluxe standard. All three motherboards here carry additional SATA support from Silicon Image, FireWire800 connectivity, and in the case of the ABIT AW8-MAX and Gigabyte Royal boards, dual PCIe Gigabit LAN ASICs from Broadcom. Both also add in enthusiast-specific features, with ABIT opting for heatpipe northbridge cooling and Gigabyte running with a potential 8-phase power supply.
Let's take each motherboard in turn. Intel's D955XBK falls way short of the partner duo by offering a BIOS that's not really geared up towards the gamer/enthusiast. Further, the lack of a second Gigabit ASIC is conspicuous in this high-end comparison. Intel, somewhat strangely, also goes with the older Silicon Image PCI-riding 3114 SATA 4-port controller when both ABIT and Gigabyte opt for the newer 2-port PCIe version. The D955XBK package is solid rather than spectacular, and £150 or so demands that it be just that, spectacular. CrossFire compatibility will only become a feature when ATI finally gets its SLI-like technology out of the door.
Moving on to the Gigabyte 8I955X Royal. The features count is impressive enough, as is the general layout, thanks to colour-coded ports and sockets. Basic performance and overclocking performance are both pretty hot for an i955X motherboard. The 'Royal makes a compelling enough case to be put on a shortlist of i955X motherboards, we feel. It's strong in the areas where it counts most. We can see many users opting for the Royal with a high-end, dual-core Intel CPU.
ABIT's AW8-MAX is scarily similar to Gigabyte's board in most respects. Both use company-specific features to boost stability at higher FSBs, both contain dual Gigabit LAN ASICs from the same manufacturer, run with discrete SATA from Silicon Image, and both opt for a combination of FireWire400/800 connectivity from Texas Instruments. ABIT's board, however, shines in the BIOS department, thanks to its uGuru technology, making it most appealing i955X mainboard from an enthusiasts' perspective.
What we've learned today is that retail i955X motherboards are all much of a muchness. Similar discrete features are married to a core logic that's evolved over time and which now carries decent onboard audio. The question that a prospective i955X buyer really needs to answer isn't which board should I opt for? Rather, it's whether investing in a high-priced i955X motherboard makes the most sense. Take another look at our benchmarks and see just how close, relatively speaking, an i945G board is to our trio's performance. Whilst it may not carry quite the deluxe feature-set found on these three models, retail boards will be significantly cheaper.
Another fly in the i955X ointment is the lack of SLI or CrossFire support (available on the D955XBK, apparently) for all boards that ship without 2 x16 slots. It will be amalgamated into the upcoming i975X chipset, yet NVIDIA's nForce4 SLI Intel Edition appears to match the i955X on the performance front and has the added goodness of built-in SLI support right here, right now. We also expect ATI to have a CrossFire-compatible Intel Xpress 200 out imminently, too, making some i955X's non-support that much more of an issue, especially when you're spending in the region of £150. Speaking of gaming, we cannot also ignore the fact that an equivalent AMD setup, be it single- or dual-core, would be faster.
If i955X still appeals to you, we can recommend both the ABIT AW8-MAX and Gigabyte 8I955X Royal as decent examples of what retail, high-end i955X implementations are all about. Given a straight choice between the two and appreciating that we tend to err on the side of the enthusiast, ABIT's AW8-MAX, we reckon, is the best of the trio.
