• Bus speed knocks out 400 megahertz
• RAM is an awesome 800 megahertz (for this segment)
• Stability is above-average when it’s pressed to its limits
• 16 Gigs of memory supportable
• 8 Channel audio
• Some hardcore game junkies would like RAIDsupport, but they pay a pretty penny for it often times
• It needs a dedicated firewire port
• Needs a processor heatpipe

It’s a mid-range motherboard and it’s going to, accordingly, have mid-range features, accessories and performance specs. That said, it’s fairly comparable to earlier model Intel or AMD-based Rampage models—which is saying a lot. And I might receive a seething scolding from Rampage fans, but that’s about what it boils down to.

That really sums it up. It’s worth repeating that it won’t satisfy hardcore gamers, but it’s a serious contender for the 80-100 dollar market range of motherboards. Some of the additional benefits that give it a little boost are: it’s easy to install, has a simple layout (for even the beginner gamer), and supports speeds that are very acceptable in this range.

Cost is what makes this motherboard really stand out. While a few of the nit-pickers will always scream about lacking a thing or two, this motherboard—with this price—is basically comparable to a Mercedes-Benz that costs $20k. How many products exist, that you know of, that can honestly live up to an analogy like that? At £169.40, it’s about as good as it gets.

For getting the most bang for your buck, this is a pretty sweet deal. Entering the more analytical piece of this review, however, there are a couple things that have to be considered—in fairness to objectiveness. This Express model, in contrast with the premium model, has a few missing articles—but for the price, they’re mostly overlookable. Here’s the breakdown of the not-so glamorous:

• Blue or white SATA cords aren’t included, which would only make finding your way around the myriad of cables easier

• The chipset’s heat pipe and the larger heatsinks that are not linked to the processor are lacking a superior cooling solution for hardcore gamers

With those two pet-peeves out of the way, all-in-all, this is more than a viable solution to even a hardcore gaming enthusiast. Sure, you can ramble on about a few missing features and accessories, but the price—I’m more than confident that ASUS only receives a bare profit margin off of something like this as it is. So, I give it a 97 in terms of the outstanding value you get.

The Rampage III continues a decade long legacy of delivering top-notch processing abilities. Coupled with the incomparable X58 (boasting—so far—count them, three (3) cores), two SATA 600 ports (operating at a very nice six gigs a second) and a whopping four PCI (x16) slots, this is one lean, powerful board. Also, the fact that it hosts so many PCI-Express lanes is sure to please even the veteran gamer.

The chipset, the i7-based 980x, is wonderment all in its own. The RAM alone is over-clockable to 2200Mhz, which was unfathomable by anyone’s standards just 10 years ago. Additionally, the two 3.0 USB ports make their way onto the stage with the ASUS—possibly signifying the future demise of 2.0.
Most Republic of Gamers fans will not accept anything less than a threshold motherboard such as this one. Adding to its superior performance is the ability to connect peripheral devices like cell phones and notebooks—thanks to its built-in ROG and Bluetooth support.

What you get with it:

• Motherboard
• Manual
• 6 Gb/s SATA cables (2)
• A Bluetooth RC kit
• A SLI bridge + 3-way
• Crossfire link
• Additional USB 2.0 ports along with the two 3.0’s

ASUS P5N-D Intel Motherboard

Known as the Number 1 motherboard in the world, ASUS has one of the world’s best research and development teams who keeps on pushing boundaries of technology to conceive features and components that have resulted in revolutionizing the motherboard industry globally. The computer business is awash with ASUS motherboards being reason enough for the company to be receive numerous awards for their product designs, quality, high performance and value.

The P5N-D, a NVIDIA 750i SLI based chipset motherboard has a combination of powerful performance plus excellent energy saving efficiency and comes with the world’s very first ASUS Energy Processing Unit (EPU) which allows the CPU supply of power to be digitally monitored and enhanced with VERM efficiency to help save energy and contribute to the environment. This motherboard is much stronger than similar ones in the same price range and has a serial ATA-300 and ATA-133 storage interface. Being able to support up to 8GB of RAM, this motherboard is also ideal for digital video editing and file transferring.

It is suggested that a LGA775 compatible processor be used with the P5N-D and if you really want to take full advantage of the on-board SATA controller, you should consider upgrading the existing IDE hard drives. It is also relatively inexpensive and suitable for those who are in the process of upgrading or replacing their existing motherboard.

Consumers seem pleased overall with the performance of this motherboard. The consensus is that this motherboard has everything you could possibly want or need in terms of gaming, video, audio and overclocking. It is extremely fast with a number of overclock options and fantastic features. Installation and setup is a breeze and it is a great deal for its cost. Those who have bought this motherboard are actively recommending it to their fellow enthusiasts.

ASUS has been voted the Best Motherboard in the world for six consecutive years and commands more than 40% of the market of the motherboard industry. Having also received a considerable number of awards for high quality design and best services to users, it is a generally accepted fact in the computer world these awards are well deserved in view of the ASUS product design, quality, performance and value. ASUS engineers have been able to conceive innovative technologies that have revolutionized the industry of motherboards in terms of power efficiency and stability.

It is in this backdrop that the ASUS M4N98TD EVO AM3 AMD motherboard has been able to deliver a number of new features in the long history of motherboards. It supports AMD AM3 multi-core processors with L3 cache which makes it possible to deliver better over clocking capabilities. Being able to support DDR3 2000 (O.C) which provides a quicker transfer rate of data and bandwidth, it increases computing efficiency with enhanced performance in 3D graphics and other memory applications.

Due to the ASUS Energy processing Unit (EPU) providing total system power by detecting the current PC loading and thereby moderating the power in real time, it has the ability to provide the required power usage for the CPU, hard drives, VGA card etc. and help save wastage of power and your money. Furthermore, in order to unleash the latest AM3 CPU’s potential, the ASUS M4 series motherboards have invented a brand new 8-phase VRM power design that deliver high power efficiency that can effectively lower the temperature of the system to ensure longer usage of the computer and its lifespan.

Overall, customers seem to have high marks for the ASUS M4N98TD EVO AM3 AMD motherboard. Some have gone as far as to call it the perfect motherboard. It works fabulously with the 965, black-edition, AMD Phenom II as explained one happy customer. Another customer related that the motherboard was simple to set up and use with the NVIDIA chipset. It runs smoothly and quickly even when double-booting Windows XP and Windows 7 operating systems.