The C51XEM2AA mainboard, the highest end model based on the new NF 590 SLI chipset for the AMD AM2 platform from Foxconn performs pretty well in most of the tests. Fed with Dual capabilities of Dual GbE, Dual 1394, Dual PCIe x16, this board is well designed.

As it is based on 590 SLI, it supports the LinkBoost technolog  which automatically increases the bandwidth of system buses when coupled with selected NV and 3rd party hardware. The dual GbE can also be configured for First packet prioritise network traffic for games or voip. You can also team up the two ports by teaming. Dual SLI x16 can be run on this board for best gaming performance.

With its dual PCIe x16, you can pair it up with two NV cards to run in SLI mode. Be it 7900GT or 7950GX2, this board is definitely a screamer in performance. In terms of overclocking, the board has the basic options like voltage for dimm and cpu, cpu freq range of up to 500MHz. In our overclocking test, we set the HT multiplier to 4x (800MHz) and set the CPU multiplier to 10x, CPU Vcore to 1.4v and push the CPU CLK to 280MHz. RAM set at DDRII-667 Guess what, the system went into WindowsXP  at 2.8GHz. It even POSTED at 2.9GHz (290x10).  See Gallery for more BIOS options.

One thing I find missing is the support of eSATA drives. I think that is the trend and Foxconn has not incorporated this into this mainboard. The position of the Southbridge also blocks the clips that fasten the VGA card, making it difficult to remove the graphics card. The plus point is the includsion of 1394b which most DV users will definitely find it useful.

Overall, the board performs on par with the other manufacturer's and it has one of the most comprehensive o/c bios you can find.

Pricing (US)

Pricing (UK)

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Pros

• Dual PCIe x16
• SATA II
• 1394b
• Dual GbE
• Debug LED

Cons

• No eSATA
• VGA clip blocked by MCP heatsink

Ratings

Here are my ratings out of 10.