Foxconn has a long tradition in releasing motherboards for a wide range of applications. Recently, Foxconn released a new motherboard based on Intel's P965 Express chipset, the P9657AB motherboard. There are many other proposals in the same category on offer from various manufacturers, so choosing the right board for your needs can be a difficult task. We examine how well this board performs under various synthetic tests as well as in gaming performance, compared with other boards that have more or less the same features. Can this board be a true alternative solution for enthusiast users?

- Foxconn P9657AB

The Foxconn P9657AB is based on Intel's 965Express chipset, which supports IntelCore™2Extreme, Core™2Duo, Pentium4EE, PentiumD, Pentium4, CeleronD processors for Socket (LGA775). It features 1066/800/533MHz(FSB), dual-channel un-buffered DDR2 800/667/533 x 4DIMMs with a maximum of 8GB.

- Main features

	Supports Intel Quad Core Ready Intel Core™2 Extreme Quad-Core processors, manufactured using a 65nm silicon technology, are the latest high-performance CPUs. This cutting-edge processor offers significant performance boosts and provides a more energy efficient platform in overall terms. For extreme computing. Enjoy revolutionary levels of performance enabling vivid, high-definition experiences and multi-tasking responsiveness from state-of-the-art Intel dual-core and quad-core technologies.
	Supports Intel Core™ 2 Duo processors Intel Core™ 2 Duo processors set a new standard in desktop processor performance  and energy efficiency. Based on revolutionary Intel Core™ microarchitecture, the breakthrough Intel Core™2 Duo processor family is designed to provide powerful energy-efficient performance so you can do more at once without slowing down.With power-optimized dual-core technology and exceptional energy efficiency, the Intel Core™2 Duo processor excels running the most intense applications.
	Windows Vista Premium Certified Microsoft Windows Vista is designed to dramatically improve the computing experience of every kind of PC user—from people at home who use their PCs for simple web browsing, to business people who must organize and act on large volumes of data, to scientists who routinely perform complex mathematical analysis
	FOXONE ™ Technology Windows and BIOS based over-clocking and system control. automatically run your  machine faster or slower according to loading or manually overclock the system with ease.

Below we can see the major features of the motherboard:

- Intel Core2Quad, Core2Extreme, Core2Duo, Pentium EE, PentiumD, Pentium4, CeleronD processors
- SocketT(LGA775) -1066/800/533MHz(FSB)
- DualChannel DDR2 800/667 x4 DIMMs, Max 8GB
- 2xPCIe x16, 1xPCIe x1,3xPCI
- IDE x1, SATAII x5
- 7.1channelAudio
- 1x GbE LAN
- 10 USB2.0 ports

- Full specifications

Processor:	Intel® Core™2 Quad, Core™2 Extreme, Core™2 Duo, Pentium® EE, Pentium® D, Pentium® 4, Celeron® D processors , Socket T (LGA775)
Chipset:	Intel P965+ICH8R
Front Side Bus:	1066 / 800 / 533 MHz
Memory:	Dual Channel DDR2 800 / 667 x 4 DIMMs, Max 8GB
VGA on Die:	N/A
Expansion Slots:	2 x PCIe x16(run x16 + x4 mode, support dual graphics card technology), 1 x PCIe x1, 3 x PCI
IDE:	PATA 133 x 1 (To advance IDE transfer speed, you may install JMicron IDE-SATA RAID Drive. You can download the drive by clicking the "drive" icon at the left side.)
Serial ATA(SATA)/RAID:	4 x SATAII + 1 x eSATAII
Audio:	7.1 channel Audio with Realtek ALC883 (HDA)
LAN:	GbE LAN with Marvell 88E8056 (PCIe)
IEEE1394:	N/A
Back Panel I/O Ports:	1x Parallel port 1x Serial port (COM 1) 1x PS/2 keyboard port 1x PS/2 mouse port 1x S/PDIF Fibre out 1x S/PDIF Coaxial out optional 1x audio jack supports 5 jacks 4x USB 2.0 ports 1x RJ45 LAN jacks 1x External SATA Port
Internal I/O Connectors:	ATX 24-Pin power connector 8-pin ATX 12V power connector CPU / System / NB FAN connectors CD-in connector 1x Intel Azalia Header 1x ATA HD connectors 1x IRDA 1x Front panel connector 3x USB 2.0 connector support additional 6 ports 1x Floppy disk drive connector 4x SATA connectors 1x Buzzer
BIOS Features:	LPC 4MB, ACPI 2.0b, APM 1.2, PnP 1.0a, SMBIOS 2.3, USB 2.0
Support CD:	Drivers, DirectX, Adobe Reader, SuperUtilities, Norton Internet Security
Standards/Manageability:	PCI 2.3, USB2.0, DMI 2.0
Special Features:	SuperRecovery, SuperBoot, SuperBIOS-Protect, SuperStep, Fox Live Update, Superspeed, Ratio Free, Fox One
Form Factor:	ATX (12"x8.8")