CeBIT 2007: bit-tech Hardware Roundup

G33-based motherboards

Unusually, the Albatron PXG33 has two IDE ports, and rather spacious rear I/O that simply comes with VGA out for on-board video, on-board audio ports, USB, PS/2 and Gigabit Ethernet. The company has gone for a full ATX in order to include a pair of PCI-Express x16 slots, although there’s no information on whether these will be CrossFire compatible or not.

The ECS G33T-M is a mATX mobo with a typical ECS-purple PCB. It includes both DVI and VGA outputs as well as seven SATA 3Gbps ports. Instead of jumping to DDR3, ECS has opted to support DDR2-800 and there are four DIMM slots. After talking to some ECS folk, not everyone there is totally convinced about the purple PCB it seems; even though it differentiates ECS from other manufacturers, some echo the thoughts of many in online forums in not appealing to a market that is dominated by the male species.

The Asus P5K3-VM uses a combination of G33 and ICH9. Like ECS’ G33T-M, the P5K3-VM is based around an mATX form factor and supports six SATA 3Gbps, PCI-Express x16, 8-channel HD audio, Gigabit LAN and Firewire. However, unlike ECS, Asus has opted to support DDR3-1066 memory and the PCB is a rather sicky brown colour.

P35 Continued

Abit had two P35 boards on its stand: the IP35-E and IP35-Pro. These will fit in the same price bracket as the company’s current AB9 boards that are based around the P965 chipset. The IP35-Pro comes with more features like heatpipes, two PCI-Express x16 slots and a hex LED POST readout.

Foxconn’s P357AB-8EKRS2H comes with support for the new 1333MHz FSB Core 2 chips and DDR3 memory, but don’t fret, the P357AA is exactly the same motherboard but uses DDR2 instead. Foxconn also has included its FoxOne system control chip that makes overclocking a little simpler.

Need something for a workstation? Typically Asus had something on its stand and the P5K-WS fits the bill pretty well. It has all the usual P35 gubbins, but uses DDR2 and has a 64-bit PCI-X slot for those with special needs outside of the average consumer.