The launch of Core 2 Duo (yet another redundant naming scheme in the world of technology) processors have sent motherboard manufacturers scrambling to develop a fully Core 2 Duo compatible motherboard that doesn't require the messy process of BIOS updates. Gigabyte's effort in the form of the Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 targets mainstream users and comes with several tweaks in the memory performance department as well as inclusion of the new ICH8 south bridge. The GA-965P-DQ6 is more than able to support all current processors being LGA775 and all, it is also Kentsfield-ready when the quad core processor is released later this year. The board has no native IDE support but it comes with a secondary on-board chip that offers another two SATA and a single IDE channel for a total of eight SATA ports. Other features include four USB 2.0 ports, integrated home theater quality 8-channel High Definition Audio, support for both Dolby and DTS high quality audio functions, as well as optimized PCI-E Gigabit LAN and IEEE 1394 connections. Overall the GA-965P-DQ6 is a well-featured Core 2 Duo-ready motherboard that costs slightly more than its counterparts for good reason.
Pros : Ready for quad core processors when released
Cons : Rather expensive
Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 Core 2 Duo Motherboard Source
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