DFI PW65-E i810E ATX

AnandTech Motherboard Rating

Performance

DFI's PW65-E gets a slightly higher than average grade in performance because its performance is almost identical to the rest of the i810E's. Because it is near the top of the pack, it gets a 5.5.

Price

DFI's cost-cutting was apparent with this board but it was not extremely detrimental -- it allowed DFI to manufacture a relatively inexpensive board, cheaper than the larger manufacturers.

Stability

The PW65-E was extremely stable. In fact, stability was almost identical in overclocked and non-overclocked situations. Because this board was solid in our tests, it is a very suitable solution for an i810E system.

Quality

The decent number of capacitors and quality design which led to high stability also led to an above average mark here.

Features

The were not many added features on this board other than the plentitude of FSB speeds. The lack of adjustable core voltage, only two DIMM slots, and lack of ISA slots lead to a slightly below average mark. With more added features, the DFI board could be a very solid competitor.

Layout

The power, IDE and floppy drive connectors are all optimally located on the board, preventing cable clutter and allowing easy installation. The fact that the fan connectors are located in different places on the board, the front panel LED and switch connectors are bent to allow full length PCI cards demonstrates that the board is well designed on the whole.  

Availability

The DFI was relatively easy to find in online stores including the large online retailers. This along with inclusion in local stores makes it above average in retail availability. 

Documentation & Software Bundle

The documentation and software bundle were more than adequate. The software bundle did not include any additional programs but the documentation was sufficient and more that most motherboard companies have been including.