Reviews for Intel DP965LT Desktop Motherboard - P965 Express Chipset - Socket T LGA-775 - 1 x Retail Pack

Rock Solid MOBO

Strengths: Rock solid Intel quality, 10 USB2.0 ports, Firewire, 4 SATA ports, DDR2 800 SDRAM support

Weakness: None

Installed a e6700 Core 2 Duo CPU, Zalman 9500 heat sink, 1GB(2x512MB) 667 DDR2 SDRAM, Sony DVD-RW, SATA hard drive with WinXP SP2 and a GeForce 7600GT. All went easily and without a hitch. I only installed the network drivers from the included disk and then went to the Intel website and downloaded the latest bios and drivers. Bios updated with no issues. Has been running stable since first boot.

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Intel Motherboard, BOXDP965LTCK

Strengths: Integrated Sound, Ethernet Connection, PCI-Express 16x, Holds up to 8 GB RAM

I am extermely happy with this motherboard. I used the the on board sound for two weeks, then switched over to a Creative sound card. I switched back to the on board sound this past week because the software was more user friendly and the sound clarity was better. I have 2 GB of RAM, but this board allows me to expand up to 8 GB. I don't have the need to go that high in memory, but it's nice to know that I can if I wanted to. When I first purchased the board, I wish it had another parallel ATA controller since all of my hard drives were IDE connections. However, since obtaining this board, I purchased a SATA hard drive and I'm happier with the SATA speed.

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Huh

Strengths: cheap for intel

Weakness: Bios Does not have settings for over clocking or dimm voltage settings.

Even with a 500 watt Antec NeoHE power supply the board provides only marginal voltage for the memory dimms. I can only install 2 Corsair 5-5-5-15T 800mhz 1gb dimms. Put in 4 and you get read/write errors and faults installing programs. Corsair only recommends 667mhz dimms for this board.

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Another fine Intel motherboard (but aren't they all?)

Strengths: Stability, features, price

Weakness: Ergonomics

Let me start by saying that I have been using Intel motherboards almost exclusively in PCs that I build for friends and family over the past few years. The simplest reason for doing so has been that the retail box versions come with a 3-year warranty. Motherboards do fail, so having a real warranty serviced by a U.S. company with nothing more than a phone call is worth a small price premium. And, I have taken Intel up on their warranty before, like I noted, with nothing more than a phone call.

So, I'm using the DP965LTCK in my and my wife's recently upgraded PCs. Our previous motherboard was the Intel D875PBZ and was certainly the finest Intel motherboard I'd ever used. Performance, stability, and ease of installation were all there. Unfortunately, upgrading means moving to Socket 775 and DDR2, so that means a new motherboard.

The DP965LTCK looked like the right board for the upgrade. It integrates things that were previously PCI cards with the D875PBZ, like sound and FireWire, and it supports all the important new technologies: Socket 775, DDR2 up to 800 MHz, multiple SATA ports, GbE, PCIe, and a slew of USB ports. The price was nice, too, around $108 shipped, a fair bit less than the D875PBZ.

Installation of this board was as easy as any other Intel motherboard. It's a full size ATX board, so it requires three rows of mounting holes. I actually prefer this kind of motherboard. Too many of the big Taiwanese vendors build a board that is just big enough to get by, and this usually means a board that mounts on two rows of holes/standoffs but has a substantial overhang that is unsupported by standoffs. This results in PCB flexing when things like ATX, PATA, or floppy cables are installed, which is not good for long-term reliability. No such problem on the DP965LTCK. The front edge of the motherboard where the ATX, PATA, and floppy connectors are mounted is fully supported by standoffs.

My only gripe about board ergonomics/installation is the position of the x16 PCIe retention clip. Like AGP boards in the past, the retention clip can sometimes be obstructed by other board components, complicating card installation and removal. The D875PBZ had no such problems. It was simple enough to slide a finger next to the retention clip in order to disengage it and remove the AGP card.

Not so with the DP965LTCK. Unfortunately, there is a decent size electrolytic capacitor about 1/2" away from the x16 PCIe retention clip. This makes it difficult to disengage the clip, which is a rocker style clip as opposed to the also common tension clip, when trying to remove a PCIe video card. It's especially a pain to get at the retention clip when the DP965LTCK is mounted vertically in a mini-tower case. Shame on Intel for not providing a good 1" of clearance around the retention clip as they did for the AGP slot on the D875PBZ.

Once the board is installed, software installation and set up is a snap, assuming you keep the SATA controller configured for legacy boot. Switching to AHCI prevents installation of Windows XP without a custom CD that includes Intel's AHCI driver. Windows Vista, OTOH, has no such problem. That said, AHCI offers no real improvements in performance, so stick with legacy mode for the SATA controller, and everything works fine.

In normal operation, the DP965LTCK is everything an Intel motherboard should be: fast and super stable. Sure, Intel doesn't support overclocking, but anyone who has a clue about how semiconductors work and how chip timing is specified (firsthand experience here working in chip design) knows that overclocking might as well be called stability Russian roulette. If you have a brain, you don't do it.

Overall, I'm fairly pleased with the DP965LTCK. If Intel would just pay attention to keeping the area around the retention clip clear of other components, all of their boards would get five stars from me, assuming the speed and stability Intel usually delivers aren't compromised. That said, the DP965LTCK gets high marks from me and a small demerit for the PCIe retention clip issue. If I could give it four-and-a-half stars, I would, but PriceGrabber only does whole stars, so four it is.

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