Intel D975XBX2 Desktop Motherboard Review :: Setup and Usage

The first thing that I do whenever I install a new motherboard is check to make sure all the components for the motherboard are in the box. The 975XBX2 came as part of an Intel CPU test kit and therefore I could not verify the retail box contents. The board came with a QX6700 CPU which is Intel's new Quad-Core Extreme CPU clocked at 2.66GHz, the same as their E6700 Core Duo CPU. The 975XBX2KR can use every Intel LGA-775 CPU on the market today.

CPU Socket

CPU Socket opened

CPU installed

First installs are always fun, especially with a new CPU like the QX6700. The BadAxe2 board came with the CPU and heatsink already attached, so that part of the installation was easy. The memory was installed in two of the Purple DIMM sockets, allowing the board to run in Dual Channel Mode. The 7900GT we use for motherboard testing was inserted into the first PCI Express x16 slot. I hope with the purchase of ATI by AMD that Intel and NVIDIA turn on SLI capability in their drivers and BIOS, but at the moment, only ATI's Crossfire is supported.

At this point, I was ready for first boot. First boot is the minimum number of devices installed to get the system turned on. In this case, it is the CPU, the memory and the video card. The BadAxe2 board has a Power switch onboard, so the FP connectors weren't necessary to turn the computer on. The system went past the POST screen and I hit F1 to enter the BIOS Setup screen.

After setting the RAID controller to RAID mode, making sure the CPU temperature and memory was correctly recognized by the BIOS and changing the Primary Display Adapter to PCI Express, I was ready for the rest of the setup. After inserting the IDE cable the FDD cable and the SATA cables, I was ready for a full on boot. One thing about installing SATA HDDs in RAID mode, you need to be prepared with either a Slipstreamed XP CD or a F6 Floppy disk to enable RAID.

After hitting Ctrl+I to bring up the Matrix Storage Console menu, I deleted the old RAID array and created a new one with the two WD Raptor HDDs we use for motherboard testing. Booting off the Windows XP CD, I hit F6 and installed the RAID drivers off the floppy I prepared and proceeded to install Windows XP with SP2. Driver Install was easy as well, the Intel Driver CD that came with the kit had an Install everything option and I did so.

Bundle

Intel's board came as part of the QX6700 review kit sent out a month or two ago and the included hardware and software bundle may not have been representative of the bundle with the retail D975XBX2KR board. Having said that, I decided to discuss briefly what is included in the bundle, as it is quite extensive.

Hardware-wise, the retail bundle comes with a IDE/PATA cable, a FDD cable, a 4-pin to 8-pin CPU power cable, 4 SATA cables, 2-port USB 2.0 bracket and a Rear Panel I/O shield. This bundle is enough to get all but the most hardcore user started with their new motherboard purchase. Also included in the retail bundle are two F6 Driver Floppy disks for RAID installation.

The included Value-added software is extensive as any bundle on the market today. The retail bundle comes with Intel's Audio Studio Pro, Intel Desktop Utilities, Diskkeeper 9 Home Edition, Farstone RestoreIT, InterVideo MediaOne, InterVideo WinDVD, Norton Antivirus, Norton Internet Security, Premium VoIP Service Offers, Ulead Pocket DV Show, and Ulead Video Studio 9 SE DVD.