Preview - Foxconn P35A (Intel P35 + ICH9)
Foxconn's P35A is in all ways an introductory budget offering based on the new Intel P35 chipset. However, it does come with a full set of features that includes dual PCIe x16 slots for CrossFire capabilities, an unusual implementation for a low-end board no doubt. Check out our preview right here.
Foxconn P35A - Budget Ace
So far, we've been reviewing high-end, enthusiast motherboards based on the latest Intel P35 chipset. Recently however, we received a package from Foxconn that turned out to be a budget P35 motherboard that we felt was interesting enough not to be passed on. While we initially wanted to perform a full review on the Foxconn P35A, we understood that the board sent was an engineering sample with a very raw BIOS that wasn't ready for some serious benchmarking. Thus, we decided that it would be best to just give you, our readers an early preview of the Foxconn P35A.
Now, if you know your motherboard manufacturers, you'd know Foxconn's usual naming convention for their boards. For those in the dark, Foxconn motherboards have two parts to their name. The front part being its model number and the chipset it is running on. The second part is usually a string of numbers and letters, each denoting additional features available on the board, such as RAID. So, when something comes in as short as the P35A with no suffix, it's going to be a pretty basic motherboard.
True enough, the P35A is based on the P35 chipset paired with the vanilla ICH9 Southbridge, which lacks AHCI and RAID capabilities. As expected, the board is designed only for DDR2 memory support, which is a shame, since a hybrid DDR2/DDR3 design like the MSI Neo Combo would have greatly improved its upgrading options and lifespan.
Nevertheless, the P35A is still quite a surprising board for a Foxconn budget offering. It comes with dual PCIe x16 slots to support CrossFire multi-GPU configurations, which means the Foxconn P35A could become a hot item for anyone looking for CrossFire on the cheap. Do remember that the Intel P35 chipset is still a single GPU chipset and the two PCIe x16 slots operate on a fixed x16/x4 mode. Other than this, the P35A features also include S/PDIF output and eSATA as well, which gives it a well rounded feature set for a board of its class in addition to the full functions of the P35 chipset.
The Foxconn P35A is a simple mainstream motherboard designed to be a budget upgrade towards the new Intel P35 chipset with some powerful options. The strong points of the P35A include CrossFire support, eSATA and 1333MHz FSB.
Like many first generation P35 motherboards, initial memory support that you'll most likely see will be DDR2 only, though a hybrid DDR2/DDR3 design would have given the P35A much more retaining value.
Unlike many P965 motherboard, it seems that even mainstream P35 implementations will be utilizing a dual PCIe x16 design. Foxconn furnishes the board with three PCI, but slot configuration could have been better as the singular PCIe x1 slot onboard would probably be blocked by the primary graphics card.
The P35A will only come with simple passive heatsinks to cool the chipset and MOSFETs. From our own experiences with the new P35, we'd say that this setup should be enough for most users. We did try to power up the board for some preliminary tests and the P35A only got mildly warm to the touch.
With a simple onboard cooling solution, the P35A seems to be a breathe of fresh air with a decent amount of space available for CPU cooling.
More of the P35A
Foxconn plays the enthusiast game by including power and reboot buttons on the PCB right next to the easily reached CMOS reset jumper as well. Perhaps the P35A may be a decent budget overclocker?
The Foxconn P35A might be a mainstream motherboard offering, but it still comes with a full 8-channel HD Audio CODEC.
The P35A will offer one Gigabit LAN port powered by a discreet PCI Express LOM chipset - the Realtek RTL8111B.
The Foxconn P35A only makes use of the ICH9 Southbridge and not the 'R' variety. This means that the board will not support AHCI or RAID. It also seems that there will only be four SATA connectors internally. The green headers on top are all USB 2.0 headers; the P35A does not have FireWire support.
In order to provide the P35A with a legacy IDE port, Foxconn makes use of a JMicron JMB361 controller that provides one IDE and one SATA 3.0Gbps channel for use. The IDE port can be located internally, while the SATA port is routed to be used as eSATA.
Simple, yet packed with sufficient modern connections such as an eSATA port and also comes with coaxial S/PDIF, which is a welcome sight in a mainstream motherboard.
As soon as Foxconn is able to provide us with a working retail motherboard or BIOS for the P35A, you can be sure we'll put it through its paces. If the P35A can prove to be a stable motherboard with decent overclockability, the combination of multi-GPU gaming could give Foxconn a gaming underdog this year.
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