Introduction

X48 has certainly earned a name for itself now. While Intel has been at the back end of adapting new technologies that actually work (forget the Rambus incident), the X38/X48 chipsets are somewhat ahead of their time.

First to market with PCI Express 2.0 compatibility on its Northbridge, as well as support for CrossfireX even before AMD has its own chipsets out for it, Intel has really started to make good on the entire platform front. Core 2 processors are better than ever on the Penryn architecture, and with an X48 chipset powering it, there is no stopping the possibilities.

With the chipset in full swing, we are now seeing many new boards coming out. So far we have had MSI and GIGABYTE grace us along with ASUS; today one of the biggest players in the bling bling for PC markets brings out their new weapon, that being DFI's new LANParty board based around the X48/ICH9R combo. It looks good, but does it have what it takes to impress? Let's move on and see.