Conclusion

I believe it is wrong to sum up the article in the last few paragraphs of the conclusion section for those who normally read only introduction and conclusion. This “reading” is counterproductive, you can’t get the essence and learn the details. You have to read the entire article to get a clear idea of the product and understand the conclusions. So, let’s sum up just a few things for ourselves, recall the major things about this mainboard that will help us make a fair and correct verdict.

Overall, Foxconn BloodRAGE mainboard makes a very good impression. It comes with a very rich even excessive accessories bundle, boasts excellent looks and broad functionality. The mainboard layout is extremely successful, we can’t really list all engineering solutions that will make your experience with Foxconn BloodRAGE not only effective but also pleasant. The first few that come to mind are doubled retention holes around the CPU socket, contact pads for voltage monitoring, very conveniently organized work with two BIOS chips… This list can be very long, so let us mention practically the only serious drawback – memory DIMM slots located too close to the CPU socket. We can easily come up with an example when a large CPU cooler and (or) a memory module with a tall heat-spreader will simply not fit.

As for BIOS Setup, it has its advantages and drawbacks, but most importantly the developers continue improving their code, expanding its functionality and eliminating drawbacks. The reserve BIOS chip features an early P02 version in it and I have to tell you that it is dramatically different from the current P07 one in looks as well as functionality. So, we hope that Foxconn BloodRAGE will work even better with the time, although today already its BIOS has everything necessary for system fine tuning and overclocking.

After our tests we had quite a few comments about the practical aspects of Foxconn BloodRAGE operation. We are extremely concerned with very high power consumption in nominal mode. As for overclocking, the mainboard reaction to user actions lacks precision and perfection. The complex internal connections between different parameters make overclocking more difficult, while in theory it should be fast, easy and obvious. The saddest thing is that despite all our efforts we couldn’t push our CPU to its maximum frequency.

Well, summing up everything I have just said, let’s think what users Foxconn BloodRAGE may be best fit for? Of course, the board works just fine in nominal mode, but it is not fit for those users who prefer nominal modes with default settings, because of its high power consumption and not the lowest price. Actually, I was very surprised to find out that a mainboard based on a flagship Intel X58 Express solution that boasts extended functionality and very rich accessories bundle goes not for $500, not for $400 but for less than $300! Impressive! I would say that Foxconn BloodRAGE is probably the No. 1 mainboard in terms of price-to-features and functionality ratio. However, a mainstream user will probably be able to find a less ambitious and less expensive mainboard.

Obviously, Foxconn BloodRAGE mainboard, like all other Foxconn boards from Quantum Force series, is primarily targeted at overclockers. However, the board is not quite suitable for those overclocking fans who care mostly about the final result, namely, who need to overclock the system quickly and start using it right away. Overclocking on Foxconn BloodRAGE is too complicated and unpredictable, you will spend too much time searching for most optimal and stable system configuration. Even though Foxconn may disagree with me, I still want to say that this board is unfit for extreme overclockers and record setters. The board didn’t let us overclock our CPU to the maximum frequencies that we managed to hit on other mainboards before.

I believe that Foxconn BloodRAGE will be a perfect fit only for true overclocking lover, for those who really enjoy the process and not just the result. These users will get if not an unlimited field for experiments then at least a very big one, a ton of opportunities for exciting experiments aimed at finding the most optimal combination of closely connected settings. Besides knowledge and experience, you will need patience, attention, even intuition and Foxconn BloodRAGE will undoubtedly reward you with excellent results. I am sure that you will surpass our modest achievements revealed today. Good luck!