Foxconn 975X7AA: Fox One debuts

Rounding things up...

Foxconn's 975X7AA is a generally solid 975X implementation, but it doesn't come without its quirks. The north bridge fan can be loud at times, especially when the motherboard runs under heavy load. The layout is generally good, aside from the placement of the 8-pin ATX 12v connector, which can be a little awkward when using the board in conjunction with a large heatsink-fan solution.

The board's featureset is good - it's possible to run both single card and also in CrossFire mode, meaning that Intel fans can also appreciate the fruits of high resolution, high detail gaming. However, this solution is less than optimal in comparison to competing AMD-based CrossFire Xpress 3200 and 1600 motherboards - you will see lower frame rates, that could quite possibly lead to lower detail settings in order to attain the same smooth gaming experience.

The BIOS is a step forward for Foxconn, but we feel that there is still work to be done in order to grab the attention of bleeding-edge enthusiasts. There just aren't enough tweak options available at the moment. The board overclocked reasonably well: we managed to get the board running stable at a 310MHz front side bus. At that speed, our CPU was running at over 4.34GHz. Stability was also very good too: it managed to put up with the abuse for longer than the DFI CFX3200-DR, but wasn't quite as stable as the ABIT AN8 32X. The 975X7AA was the complete opposite to Biostar's TForce4 U 775 in the stability department.

Foxconn's Fox One software application is quite neat and allows for a reasonably good amount of control over the 975X7AA motherboard from within Windows. However, there are some things that we would like to see added. The first being adjustment for memory timings, and the second being a system skin.

We feel that most enthusiasts that are looking to overclock from within Windows aren't after a flashy piece of software - they're just after something that works. Adding a system skin option into the application would give it that feel. It wouldn't look as flash, but then not every enthusiast is looking for flashy-looking software.

Value:

The Foxconn 975X7AA motherboard is available at Scan for £152.74 including VAT. Based on the price of other 975X-based motherboards, this seems to fit right in the middle of the road. The ASUS P5WD2-E Premium board is available for under £150, while Gigabyte's GA-1975X is going to set you back about £156 after Gordon Brown takes his cut.

Both the ASUS P5WD2-E Premium and Gigabyte GA-1975X boards do virtually the same as the Foxconn 975X7AA, but obviously they don't include Fox One technology. ASUS' mobo will allow you to run higher memory bus speeds, as it officially supports up to 1067MHz via memory dividers.

Final Thoughts...

Foxconn is not a brand that most would associate with enthusiasts, but the company is trying to make a move into this market sector. It has a long history of being one of the largest manufacturers of computer components, and it is looking to use its expertise to deliver high quality motherboards designed for enthusiasts.

The 975X7AA is a good first effort from Foxconn, but there are some issues that would probably turn us away from this particular board. The board overclocked well, but we were unable to get any of the DDR2 memory modules running at or above 800MHz in this board. This is a bit of a shame because there are a lot of very fast overclocking-friendly memory modules coming out on the market from the likes of Corsair, OCZ et al.

If you're looking for a stable, solid motherboard and you're new to overclocking, this might just be the board for you. There are enough features to satisfy the Intel enthusiast looking to get their feet wet in the overclocking world, but enthusiasts looking for a plethora of tweak options should look elsewhere.