The GA-965GM-S2 is based on the Intel 965 chipset with support for all current versions of the LGA 775 processor including 1066 FSB (front side bus) processors. If you are keen on running Windows Vista, this motherboard is certified Vista ready. The GA-965GM-S2 packs a lot of features into a small microATX package, including:

LGA 775 processors
DDR II 800/677/533 memory (4 slots up to 8GB)
Marvel 10/100/1000 NIC
Realtek 8 channel High-Definition audio
Connected to the ICH8 Southbridge is (1 floppy controller, (4) 3GBs SATA ports)
Connected to the Onboard Gigabyte chip (1 EDI controller, (2) 3GBs SATA ports w/RAID capabilities (for a total of 6 SATA devices)
PCI-e x16 slot
PCI-e x1 slot
(2) Standard PCI slots
Integrated Intel graphics

About the only thing separating this Gigabyte motherboard from its full-fledge brethren is an extra PCI-e x16 slot. Given some of the current video card offerings, a single card solution isn’t a bad choice and can offer some significant gaming performance.

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Article Index
Gigabyte GA-965GM-S2
Test Setup and SiSoft
3DMark06 and PCMark05
Cinebench and Quake 4
Conclusion