Price: £119 inc vat Supplier: Foxconn
Manufacturer: Foxconn

Foxconn were one of the first off the mark with a motherboard solution when AMD announced their AM2 socket processors and this nForce 590 SLI chipset based motherboard shows their committment to high performance, top quality and feature packed boards for demanding enthusiasts. Gone are the days of cheap and cheerful component manufacturer. Foxconn have set their sights on showing the industry innovators just how it should be done with premium products and innovative designs. Based around the NVIDIA reference motherboards, Foxconn have packed in loads of features to make a perfect platform for any AM2 system. With full support for nTune software, SuperBoot to reduce computer boot times and all the benefits of the 590 chipset such as linkboost, SLI memory for higher levels of system performance, dual gigabit ethernet, media shield with 3 sata controllers running at 3.0 GB/s and high definition audio, on paper the C51 has lots going for it.

nTune is NVIDIA's tweaking software that allows manufacturers to offer all sorts of fun stuff like adjustable motherboard settings, GPU settings, dynamic BIOS access, automated system tuning, dynamic overclocking and Foxconn gives you the lot. Impressive when you consider rivals such as Asus only offer limited support for nTune on their motherboards.

On to the eyecandy - Flash 8 required!

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As you can see, the C51XEM2AA is a well laid out motherboard. Simple, understated and functional. No tacky gimmicks. Just practical design. We did notice a few quirks with the floppy drive connector being placed away from the more conventional location next to the IDE and power connector. Also the use of black connectors across the board. Colour coding USB, Firewire, SATA connectors and the like makes installation much easier for the untrained.

The box is a bit minimal in the artwork department - a departure from the normal plastering of logos, sexy clad female warriors and other such artwork that seems to adorn most products these days. However the packaging is full with plenty of cables and accessories - in fact everything you could possibly need for the most fully loaded of systems. The handy quick install manual is a welcome reference along with a more detailed manual for those with more patience. It's the little extra attention to details like this that shows somebody at Foxconn cares about the products.