Thoughts, awards, where2buy, right2reply
Foxconn is positioning its P9657AA-8EKRS2H on price rather than a glut of features. An online selling price of £78 makes it one of the cheaper P965-based motherboards from the big-name manufacturers, and Foxconn adds in a nice touch by amalgamating eSATA on the I/O section. Other required features at the price point are catered for, with Gigabit LAN, high-definition audio and FireWire all present. Foxconn further rounds off the board by implementing its Fox One technology, allowing for reasonable OS-based tweaking by an easy-to-use GUI. The layout is clean and installation was a cinch.
Performance, too, was just where we'd expect a decent P965's to be, so we come away with the feeling that the P9657AA-8ERS2H is a sensible execution of Intel's Core 2 Duo/Quad-supporting chipset. It'll make a decent base for a powerful, non-multi-GPU setup, and the attractiveness of Intel's Conroe and Kentsfield processors is such that P965 is viewed as an attractive proposition by many. Couple this board with an E6400 Core 2 Duo, for example, and you can't go far wrong.
We'd like Foxconn to take note of a few observations, however. The bundle needs some work. We'd expect a full complement of SATA cables and the solitary one supplied is, well, cheapness beyond reason. Similarly, we'd like to see a proper manual devoted to the board and a USB2.0 bracket bundled in as well. The sample's inability to POST from a restart also needs addressing.
Our final take is that Foxconn has engineered a P965-based motherboard that will appeal to those readers who want Core 2 Duo on the cheap. The attractive street price is compromised by a poor bundle. Ultimately, if it was my money I'd find the extra £15 or so and opt for abit's better-featured AB9 Pro. The extra outlay buys you more in every area.
HEXUS Awards
The Foxconn P9657AA-8ERS2H is a decent proposition in most respects and the low street price is a definite selling point. abit's AB9 Pro does everything that little bit better and is worth the extra £15 premium.
Foxconn P9657AA-8EKRS2H
