Disclaimer:

_{^The processor used is an engineering sample. Performance may vary according to overall user components and how they are configured.}

I. Introduction

The Intel® D975XBX is the first motherboard used by enthusiasts to really push processors based on on Intel® Core™ better known as Conroe or Core 2 Duo or C2D and C2 for the extreme variant of Intel® Core™. It is the best, the cream of the crop, best of the best, baddest motherboard in town during the early pre-release days of Conroe and second to none. This motherboard is not for everyone looking for value, this is geared towards the top end, only for those who have the courage and money to spend.

The original intent of the motherboard is to provide the much needed chipset for the then-top-of-the-line Intel® Pentium® Processor Extreme Edition, but later on, enthusiasts found out that this same motherboard also supports the newer Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor, paving the way for overclocking and breaking world records, and for the first time, brought the new processor from slumbering to an unrivaled new heights in performance.

Before going down and dirty with the motherboard, it is good that the intent of this article is not to review the motherboard but rather to investigate its characteristics when being used with an Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme processor but prior to that, I'll lay down highlights of this motherboard.

II. Specification

The Intel® D975XBX has the following specifications:

CPU
• Support for Intel® Core™2 Extreme Processor in an LGA775 socket with a 1066 MHz system bus
• Support for Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor in an LGA775 socket with a 1066 or 800 MHz system bus
• Support for Intel® Pentium® Processor Extreme Edition (in an LGA775 socket with a 1066 or 800 MHz system bus)
• Support for Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor Extreme Edition supporting Hyper-Threading Technology† (in an LGA775 socket with a 1066 MHz system bus)
• Support for Intel® Pentium® D Processor (in an LGA775 socket with a 800 MHz system bus)
• Support for Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology† (in an LGA775 socket with a 800 MHz system bus)
Chipset
• Intel® 82975X Memory Controller Hub (MCH) with Direct Media Interface
• Intel® 82801GR I/O Controller Hub (ICH7R) or Intel® 82801GH I/O Controller Hub (ICH7DH) supporting Intel® Matrix Storage Technology
• ATI* CrossFire* Multi-GPU Platform Support
Front Side Bus
• 1066MHz / 800MHz


Memory
• Dual Channel Support
• Four 240-pin DDR2 SDRAM Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) sockets
• Support for 667 and 533 MHz DDR2 DIMMs
• Support for up to 8 GB of system memory
• Support for ECC and non-ECC memory
Expansion Slots
• One Primary PCI Express* x16 (electrical x16 or x8) bus add-in card connector
• One Secondary PCI Express* x16 (electrical x8) bus add-in card connector
• One PCI Express* x16 (electrical x4) bus add-in card connector
• Two PCI Conventional bus add-in card connectors (SMBus routed to both PCI Conventional bus add-in card connectors)
Storage
• One parallel ATA IDE interface with UDMA 33, ATA-66/100 support
• Four Serial ATA interfaces with RAID support (four additional interfaces available with optional discrete RAID controller)
• One diskette drive interface
LAN
• Intel® 82573V or 82573L Gigabit Ethernet LAN controller with RJ-45 connector


Audio
• Intel® High Definition Audio codec (SigmaTel* STAC9221D)
• Up to 8-channel audio with jack sensing
USB
• 4x on the back panel
• 4x on the front panel via 2 internal headers
• Backward compatible with USB 1.1
BIOS
• Intel® Platform Innovation Framework for Extensible Firmware Interface
• 8 Mbit Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) device
• Support for SMBIOS
• Intel® Rapid BIOS Boot
• Intel® Express BIOS Update
Back Panel I/O Ports
• 1x parallel port
• 1x serial port
• PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports
• 4x USB ports
• 1x RJ-45 Ethernet connector
• 1x IEEE 1394a port
Internal I/O Headers
• 2x USB headers for 4x USB devices
• 2x5 onboard header for front panel audio
• CPU / Chassis / Power FAN connectors
• Chassis Intrusion
• 1x IEEE 1394a port
Power Connectors
• 24-pin ATX Power connector
• 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector
Support CD
• 1x Intel® Express Installer CD (Drivers and Software)


Accessories
• 1x Quick Reference Poster
• 4x Serial ATA cable
• 1x ATA 100/66 cable
• 1x Floppy cable
• Rear Panel USB 2.0 adapter
• Front Panel USB 2.0/IEEE 1394a/audio adapter
• 2x2 to 2x4 power supply cable adapter
• Intel® Matrix Storage RAID driver diskette
• Silicon Image* SATA Controller RAID driver diskette
• Configuration Label/li>
• Quick Reference Poster
• Integration Guide Poster
• Backplate I/O shield
Form Factor
• ATX (12.0 x 9.6 inches)


Overclocking Features
• CPU Multiplier Adjustment
• CPU Voltage Adjustment
• CPU vDroop Control
• Memory Voltage Adjustment
• Chipset Voltage Adjustment
• FSB Adjustment
• Bootstrap Adjustment
Other Features
• Hardware management/monitor
• Four fan sensing inputs used to monitor fan activity
• Remote diode temperature sensing
• Intel® Precision Cooling Technology fan speed control
• Voltage sensing to detect out of range values
Power Management
• Support for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)
• Suspend to RAM (STR)
• Wake on USB, PCI, PCI Express, PS/2, LAN, and front panel
Warranty
• 3-year limited warranty

Disclaimer:

_{^The processor used is an early engineering sample. Performance may vary according to overall user components and how they are configured.}