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Abit bounces back with their IX38 motherboard ... featuring Intel's X38 chipset and support for DDR2 ram.

INTRODUCTION

Abit have finally released their X38 based motherboard, and our CPU3D review team is pleased to bring you an exclusive look at the Abit IX38 Quad GT motherboard. Abit have decided to stay with DDR2 on the IX38 ... and I don't blame them, as DDR3 is still very expensive and only offers a marginal increase in performance over DDR2. I think Abit have made the correct decision in this case as the festive season is fast approaching ... and motherboard upgrades could be one of the top presents on everyone's shoopping list. Why not Use your existing DDR2 ram, and just change your motherboard. Easy.

I've been trying to figure out what the "Quad GT" stands for. I thought it might be something to do with the IX38 Quad GT feature list ... like's Gigabyte's Quad DQ6 series. But NO. In the end, I think it's only a name of the product, and has no reference to any of the features offered by the motherboard. Oh ... wait, I know. It supports Quad core processors ... that's it!

Our previous Abit motherboard we've tested was the IP35 Pro (Intel P35 chipset), which we thought was a very good performer. In this review, we will be taking a look at the Abit IX38 Quad GT motherboard which uses Intel's X38 chipset, and offers support for 1600FSB, DDR2 ram, 45nm Penryn processors and features their new Digital PWM. We're expecting similar results when compared against others in its class.

Other features that will attract a lot of users include the following:

 - Features 100% solid state capacitors
 - Digital PWM giving you precise and consistent voltage supply (needed for overclocking)
 - Silent OTES chipset cooling
 - New generation PCIe v2.0 for Crossfire setups
 - External clear CMOS switch
 - Internal power-on and reset switches
 - Abit's uGuru overclocking BIOS

In the past, overclockers have always preferred Abit motherboards for overclocking. Most find their motherboards are just right, and don't contain all those unecessary extras that can "clog" up their system. For the extreme overclocker ... Why would they wants onboard wireless LAN, extra USB ports, Skype feature ?!? ... just give them the bare board! But seriously, if you are an overclocker, there's good news. The Abit IX38 Quad GT features a new Digital PWM giving you precise and consistent voltage supply, which is essential for overclocking. We will be seeing how well we can overclock our Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor.

I must admit, over the past couple of months of testing motherboards using DDR3 ram against those using DDR2 ram ... there are differences, but not significant enough to warrant a complete upgrade, which will cost $$$$s. The debate over DDR3 vs DDR2 will continue to rage on for months. My predictions were wrong, DDR3 prices still haven't dropped and are currently still very expensive. DDR2 ram however, are widely available and I believe will still have at least 2 years shelf-life. The question remains  ... stay will DDR2 or invest in new DDR3?

Ok, let's not waste any more time and take a closer look at the specifications.