Features wise, the board is equipped with the necessary features. They include a PCIe x16 slot, 6 SATA II ports, GbE, USB etc. There are also a lot of overclocking options available in the BIOS. One of the interesting option is the GPU CLK which can be tuned from BIOS. We actually tested setting it to 600MHz. Yes indeed, tools like ATi Catalyst driver did recognize the GPU clk was default at 500 and mem clk at 400MHz.

[Update] With the new BIOS released on 29 Jan 2008, we were able to o/c the GPU clk to 700MHz and see substantial boost in performance levels. Please see this link for the update in performance.

As usual, the overvoltage options on Jetway boards  allow you to pump in more voltages that most boards don't. The CPUCLK range is also pretty wide. You can refer to the gallery for more information.

For overclocking, we managed to overclock the X2 5000+ (2.6GHz) to 3.3GHz by changing the multiplier to 16.5x. We managed to POST up to 350MHz x 6. This is done by increasing the CPU Vcore to 1.40v, HT Freq to 600MHz, Vdimm=2.2v.

In conclusion, Jetway has put up an interesting IGP solution for the AM2+ processor. The only regret would be no HDMI interface (you can use a converter). We will also have to wait for the official Hybrid CrossFire driver to be able to tap the power of IGP+Discrete. If you intend to build a HTPC capable of playing back Blu-Ray/HD-DVD in H.264/VC-1, this board with a X2 5000+ should be sufficient for your needs.

Discuss

Pros

• Excellent Image quality
• Low CPU Utilization when playing back VC-1
• Overclocking features
• Hybrid CrossFire support

Cons

• South Bridge is very hot
• Some BIOS options are undocumented

Ratings

Here are my ratings out of 10.