Conclusion

It is obvious that Foxconn went all out to make the BlackOps the ultimate LGA775 motherboard for overclockers and hardware enthusiasts. It really shows in the thought and effort they put into the motherboard design and even the accessories they included.

First of all, the Foxconn BlackOps was designed from the ground up to both work inside a chassis as well as as a standalone testbed. The inclusion of onboard Power, Reset and Clear CMOS buttons, as well as the Quantum Lap motherboard tray makes it just as easy to use outside the case as it is inside one.

It was also designed with water cooling and extreme cooling in mind. The 4-in-1 Quantum Cooler allows you to switch between passive cooling, active air cooling, water cooling and extreme cooling using liquid nitrogen or dry ice with ease. It would be hard for other motherboard manufacturers to beat that kind of innovation.

Less obvious but no less important are Foxconn's use of only solid capacitors and an 8-phase digital PWM. Not only are solid capacitors leak-free, they last a lot longer and can withstand much higher operating temperatures. The 8-phase digital PWM, on the other hand, allows for better power efficiency as well as faster and more stable responses to any change in the load.

Finally, Foxconn promises the ultimate overclocking BIOS in the form of their Quantum BIOS. Practically everything that can be tweaked is offered in the BIOS. This is truly the ultimate BIOS for the hardware enthusiast. On the other hand, such a BIOS will be overwhelming and even dangerous for casual users and newbies.

If you are an avid overclocker or hardware enthusiast, then the Foxconn BlackOps X48 motherboard is absolutely a motherboard you must at least consider. Tech ARP, for one, will be using this motherboard in our testbed. However, we would not recommend it to casual users or newbies. This motherboard is not for the inexperienced or the faint-hearted!

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