ASRock presents you with a somewhat dated 680i chipset, but throws in the kitchen sink.

INTRODUCTION

ASRock focus in the past has been on the value market segment, often releasing boards utilizing defunct chipsets to provide low cost solutions. However, as of late, ASRock has been setting its sights on the enthusiast market.  In keeping pace with this new focus, ASRock sent in a board capable of three-way SLI, the Penryn1600SLIX3-WIFI.

While this board is based on the somewhat aged 680i chipset, it supports a slew of unique features including support for 1600/ 1333 FSB processors (Penryn-based quad core Yorkfield and dual core Wolfdale) and solid capacitor design. It’s questionable if some 680i boards on the market today will be able to offer the before mentioned processor support. Also, 16x, 16x, and 8x PCIE slots are present to provide for three-way SLI. The Penryn1600SLIX3-WIFI includes a Wi-Fi module right out of the box. In the audio department, the board supports 7.1 channel HD Audio consisting of a DAC with 110dB dynamic range support (ALC890 Audio Codec).

             

To continue along the enthusiast theme track, ASRock bundles in a hardware monitor to keep track of temperatures and voltages. To teak the system the ASRock OC Tuner is included in the mix. ASRock OC Tuner allows you to overclock CPU/PCI frequency and multipliers, and modify CPU, DRAM, VTT, NB and SB voltages from within the Windows environment.

OK, let's take a closer look at the specifications of the ASRock Penryn1600SLIX3-WiFi ...