Disclaimer:

_{^The processor used is an engineering sample. BIOS used is old, version is earlier than the date of this posting (i.e. I don't exactly know the BIOS version, too lazy to check). Performance may vary according to overall user components and how they are configured.}

I. Introduction

The Intel® D975XBX doesn't need any more introduction, it's been one of the enthusiasts' favorites not only because of native support for Conroe, but also Kentsfield. However, the most attractive feature of this board aside from the said CPU support is the ability of the motherboard to overclock sky high. As it stands right now, it is regarded up there with the big dogs in overclocking.

I will not be delving into the dirty details of the motherboard, as this has been tackled in earlier articles and will just discuss some of the author's findings when overclocking this board. Experience which started earlier last year when this board was given birth. I have been using this board for some time, and about two revisions after, I've come to appreciate both features and stability it offers. It started with 30% maximum allowable overclock, then long after, it has been given 50% allowable overclock from default.

It has also undergone many BIOS updates, and currently, I've seen rev305 of this board. It can support various make and model of memory without or very little issues if such exists. It can also support Intel® Viiv™, hence you can also transform this into an ultimate Home Entertainment PC. This motherboard is indeed the pinacle of Intel's Extreme Desktop offering to date.

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.}