The results show marginal differences across the boards and to be honest it would be hard to choose between them. Still a strong result from Foxconn showing the C51 is an excellent performer.
Overclocking the C51XEM2AA proved to be a rewarding experience no doubt thanks to the excellent BIOS with comprehensive tweaking and voltage options. The FSB is adjustable from 100 to 500 MHz and processor voltage to a scorching 1.85 volts - ouch! Memory voltage is generous with 2.5 volts and more than enough for the current crop of extreme performance DDR2 on the market.

A quick bump of voltages and 270Mhz showed a healthy overclock for our system. More time spent tweaking the BIOS would no doubt resulted in even better gains but extra speed for a few seconds work is a real sweetner and shows just how easy the Foxconn C51 takes to overclocking. Looking round the internet and users have reported 300+ with this board using the nTune software showing it's a solid platform for overclockers.

The Bottom Line

Foxconn have produced a winner with their C51 nForce 590 SLI motherboard. Top performance and plenty of features make it an attractive prospect. At £119 including VAT it's one of the more affordable AM2 solutions on the market but don't let the low price fool you. This is premium quality stuff with enough expansion to meet future demands beit office or gaming use. In fact the only thing we really didn't like was the name - C51XEM2AA 8EKRS2H. Try saying that after a few pints down at your local!