http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2891
We witnessed very good performance results from the shipping 12/01 BIOS but we did run into a few issues such as the USB keyboard issue during RAID setup (sometimes it worked, other times not), the PC Health section in the BIOS would lock up occasionally, and we could not always depend on getting an additional couple of percent improvement in memory performance when setting the burst rate to 8 when dropping our latency timings. We have seen worse shipping BIOS releases and even worse production BIOS releases, but currently we are totally blown away by the beta 12/07 BIOS when it comes to extracting the best possible performance from this motherboard. However, with the new options comes a penalty: we just could not get into the BIOS during a warm reboot. We had to shutdown and clear the CMOS or cold reboot the board at least three times to even have a chance at entering the BIOS. Fortunately, DFI includes their CMOS reloaded program so our basic profiles are saved for quick retrieval. DFI is working around the clock to address these issues and others so we feel very confident in the future of this motherboard regarding technical support.
We hope our performance preview provided some necessary details and results about this unique motherboard. Our coming in-depth review will go over the BIOS in detail (once we have a non-beta version), provide performance settings for both stock and overclocked conditions, widen the scope of both application and gaming benchmarks, include quad core performance, and introduce the audio, networking, and complete storage options available to users. In the meantime, we would like to say that our audio testing has progressed very well and we did not notice any significant issues with our Creative X-Fi card while operating with or without RAID enabled. This also holds true for the included Karajan audio system although we wish Realtek would get EAX 2.0 working correctly again. The Marvell network controllers have not given us any grief nor have the USB or Firewire controllers with external storage solutions.
We expect to see retail availability of the ICFX3200 very shortly. However, we have no idea what the future brings from AMD/ATI, as the best may be yet to come or this may truly be a one hit wonder for the Intel market. Also, RD600 may not truly provide the most compelling platform for some people until R600 graphics cards become available and BIOS tuning is completed. Final street prices are also going to be important, considering the performance and value available from DFI's own 975X Infinity, but the LANParty UT ICFX3200-T2R/G definitely offers more in the way of tweaking and tuning options for the serious enthusiasts.
It has taken too long for this board to arrive to the market place but the extra time seems to have paid off with a board that while not perfect is very good. Stability and overall performance are very competitive, and overclocking at this point is among the elite; just remember, you will have to work for that performance but the satisfaction of having done so is well worth it - at least for the serious enthusiasts. We highly commend DFI for persevering and bringing a product of this caliber to market. For those of you looking for the ultimate flexibility in an Intel based motherboard along with excellent stability up to the board's limits, then we suggest you seriously consider the DFI LANParty ICFX3200-T2R/G.
Mais uma vez o Anando em cima do acontecimento...
Cumps.
