Verdict: Support for AGP and PCI-E graphics cards, but it's slow and not very overclockable

The Foxconn motherboard, like the Asus P5GPL, is based on the 915PL chipset, which is a stripped-down version of the already basic 915P.

The main difference between the two chipsets is that the 915PL isn't compatible with DDR2 memory and only supports two DIMM sockets. It still supports dual-channel memory, though, and has all the other benefits of 915P. Oddly, considering that this is a budget board, Foxconn has paired the 915PL Northbridge with the high-end ICH6R Southbridge, so it's one of the few motherboards in this Labs test with S-ATA RAID.

A quick glance at the PCB might leave you a little confused, as it has both PCI-E and AGP slots. This isn't officially supported on the 915PL chipset, so some magic is going on behind the scenes. However, with an AGP GeForce 6800 GT, the performance level was between 10 and 15 per cent lower than we'd expect it to be, so it's only really worth using your old AGP card until you can afford to buy a new PCI-E card. It's worth noting that VIA will release a chipset with native AGP and PCI-E support in the near future, so this might be worth waiting for if you desperately want to combine an LGA775 CPU with an AGP card.

The rest of the specification is fairly standard, with three PCI slots, a single 1x PCI-E slot, Gigabit LAN and 8-channel Intel HD Audio provided by a Realtek ALC880 chip. There are no complaints regarding the layout, although we're not particularly enamoured with the seaweed-inspired chipset heatsink.

When it comes to overclocking, the Foxconn is well below par, managing a feeble 215MHz FSB. However, it recovered well after being pushed too far. Foxconn bundles some overclocking software, which we tried, but the motherboard still wouldn't run stably with the FSB set higher than 215MHz. This is disappointing, considering there is a wide range of voltage controls in the BIOS, none of which will be needed.

At £72, the Foxconn is very cheap, but it's a poor overclocker. Unless S-ATA RAID is high on your list of priorities, you'd be much better off buying the Asus P5GPL, which has very similar features, overclocks a lot further and is cheaper.

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