Motherboards that work with Kentsfield
by Wesley Fink on September 29, 2006 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Gigabyte
Gigabyte provided an extensive list of models that would support Kentsfield. However, all of these models are Revision 2 boards that will be released in mid- October. Gigabyte made it very clear that all Revision 2.0 boards below will fully support Kentsfield.
Gigabyte also advised AnandTech that some current P965 Revision 1 boards would also support the Intel Core 2 Quad with a BIOS upgrade. Gigabyte will be providing a compatibility list of current boards that support Kentsfield as soon as testing and BIOS updates are complete. We previously reported that Gigabyte's new lineup of P945 boards would support Kentsfield. However, as of 10-02-2006 Gigabyte engineering has confirmed that none of their 945P boards will support Kentsfield.
ECS
ECS is in the final stages of testing BIOS revisions that will support Kentsfield. The Intel Core 2 Quad will be supported by:
Biostar
Biostar has advised that the only model they will have in production that supports Intel Core 2 Quad will be the TForce P965. Production of that model has been delayed and the final release, with Kentsfield support, will be in November.
Our Take
It appears that most Intel 965 and many Intel 975 boards will support the upcoming quad core Kentsfield with just a BIOS upgrade. Existing motherboards based on other chipsets did not make any of the Kentsfield compatibility lists provided by the motherboard manufacturers. Kentsfield is still over a month away from introduction and there will likely be further developments in motherboard compatibility. For the latest information on what works with Kentsfield always check with the manufacturer's website.
Gigabyte provided an extensive list of models that would support Kentsfield. However, all of these models are Revision 2 boards that will be released in mid- October. Gigabyte made it very clear that all Revision 2.0 boards below will fully support Kentsfield.
| Gigabyte Kentsfield Compatible Motherboards | |
| Model | Platform |
| GA-975X-DS5 | Intel 975X |
| GA-965P-DQ6 | Intel P965 |
| GA-965P-DS4 (Not Available in Americas) | Intel P965 |
| GA-965P-DS3 | Intel P965 |
| GA-965P-S3 | Intel P965 |
| GA-965G-DS4 (Not Available in Americas) | Intel G965 |
| GA-965G-DS3 | Intel G965 |
| GA-965GM-DS2 | Intel G965 |
Gigabyte also advised AnandTech that some current P965 Revision 1 boards would also support the Intel Core 2 Quad with a BIOS upgrade. Gigabyte will be providing a compatibility list of current boards that support Kentsfield as soon as testing and BIOS updates are complete. We previously reported that Gigabyte's new lineup of P945 boards would support Kentsfield. However, as of 10-02-2006 Gigabyte engineering has confirmed that none of their 945P boards will support Kentsfield.
ECS
ECS is in the final stages of testing BIOS revisions that will support Kentsfield. The Intel Core 2 Quad will be supported by:
| ECS Kentsfield Compatible Motherboards | ||
| Model | Platform | BIOS Revision |
| ECS PX1 | Intel 975X | 9/27/06 or later BIOS |
| ECS P965T-A v.1.0B | Intel P965 | 9/27/06 or later BIOS |
Biostar
Biostar has advised that the only model they will have in production that supports Intel Core 2 Quad will be the TForce P965. Production of that model has been delayed and the final release, with Kentsfield support, will be in November.
Our Take
It appears that most Intel 965 and many Intel 975 boards will support the upcoming quad core Kentsfield with just a BIOS upgrade. Existing motherboards based on other chipsets did not make any of the Kentsfield compatibility lists provided by the motherboard manufacturers. Kentsfield is still over a month away from introduction and there will likely be further developments in motherboard compatibility. For the latest information on what works with Kentsfield always check with the manufacturer's website.
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Rys - Monday, October 2, 2006 - link
As subject!ket777 - Saturday, October 21, 2006 - link
Strangely, article didn't mention any Intel-made motherboards...Or Intel is not considered anymore as a big motherboard supplier
(compared to Abit, ECS etc..)?
ejv - Sunday, October 1, 2006 - link
I'm very surprised that even the 945 chipset is supported, so problably my ConroeXFire-eSATAII is supported.Madellga - Saturday, September 30, 2006 - link
I would be very disappointed with Gigabyte says otherwise....Rev. 2 boards 2 months after release for a CPU that was on the roadmap? Bitte my....Same goes for DS4, it's not written on the box but come on, all Asus from the same range do support it. It should be the same for the all new P965 mobos.
Madellga - Friday, October 13, 2006 - link
Just saw on Gigabyte's website, the DQ6/DS4/DS3 all support Quad Core with F6 bios or higher !!Heidfirst - Friday, September 29, 2006 - link
"Biostar has advised that the only model they will have in production that supports Intel Core 2 Quad will be the TForce P965. Production of that model has been delayed"strange as the Tforce 965 is available in Europe ...
pygo - Friday, September 29, 2006 - link
Any chance on giving Shuttle a call to see if they plan for Quad support with there newly released SD37P2 that runs a 975x chipset? I realize Shuttle buyers only represent a small group of users but many of us would love to know.Thanks
yyrkoon - Saturday, September 30, 2006 - link
You probably could call them yourself, would be a good indication if they have good phone skills . . .Hulk - Friday, September 29, 2006 - link
Or will XP Home work?Missing Ghost - Friday, September 29, 2006 - link
Yes XP home will work. The license works with the amount of sockets, not the amount of cores. Home is okay for anything that fits in a single socket.