BIOSTAR T5 XE CFX-SLI LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: Good motherboard for a good price

Cons: none so far

Pros: none

Cons: Broken out of the box. I heard this might be an issue, just wanted to add to the list of people who experienced this. Confirmed by a computer store.

Manufacturer Response:

Sorry to hear of your troubles, please don't hesitate to contact Biostar support for assistance. 626-581-1055 menu 2 or email support@biostar-usa.com

Pros: N/A

Cons: Out of the box it functions but does not work like it should. Only 3.99GB available out of 8, SLI mode does not work, cannot update bios, cannot overclock, cannot plugin USB storage devices. I have BOSE speakers(USB) and they are now crackly sounding, I assume because of the board. I have two GTX 560s, I have three SATA HDs and one SATA DVD drive and I can only plug in three of those SATA devices as the cards cover up the plugs. I have not tried plugging in a right angled SATA plug but I am weary of it fitting.

Other Thoughts: I am hoping to get a new BIOS chip from biostar within the next week. I hope that fixes ALL of my issues. If you are willing to roll the dice and get a bad board, or a good board, feel free to buy this MOBO, otherwise, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. I got this board thursday of last week and I will probably not be able to use it to its full potential until the end of next week...

Pros: None yet

Cons: Board has cmos check sum error, will not update bios. Only recognizes 3 gb ram out of 8gb ram.

Other Thoughts: Contacted Biostar was told by tech support I need a new bios chip, but I had to open a ticket because tech support could not help me. I was told I would be contacted that day and they would mail me a new chip. It has been 2 days and still no one has contacted me.

I have had other Biostar products in the past and have had no issues. I would think that customer service would be faster. This experience will probably change my opinion about Biostar products and future purchases.

Manufacturer Response:

Sorry, please call 626-581-1055 menu 2 for status check. thanks

Pros: Cheap

Cons: DOA. BSOD throughout windows installation if any USB device was connected. After installing windows by removing USB devices immediately after use, Windows would crash every time a device was plugged in or program was launched. Tried an ASRock motherboard next and had no problems.

Pros: For a double PCI - Express 2.0 slot motherboard, nice price, nice motherboard, working well with my i3-540 LGA1156.

Cons: temporarily no

Pros: Room to expand, Easy to install, Easy to overclock if your into that.

Cons: Some of the diagrams in the manual are a little confusing, but I managed.

Other Thoughts: My first home-built computer. Pleasing experience. I have enjoyed my computer all year. Other hardware:

Intel Core i5-760
EVGA GeForce GTX 460 SE
4 x 2 GB G. Skill Ripjaws Series RAM
Western Digital 1TB SATA 3Gb/s HD
Cooler Master GX Series 750 W power supply
A basic Cooler Master Case

Pros: Works great. Arrived on my door the next day. Just make sure u have some of that silver goo to add ur cpu onto and everything works fine.

Cons: None yet!

Pros: Good clean stable board
Inexpensive
Easy installation

Cons: None for me

Other Thoughts: Running Windows 7, 64 bit, 16 GB RAM. I don't overclock so I cannot comment about it's overclocking capabilities. I'm not a gamer so I prefer a stable environment over a slight increase in speed and so far I've had no problems.

Pros: Great BIOS
Many features and seems like a qualtiy product
Still has floppy header ;)
One of my easier installs.
BIOS seems to boot just about any type of device I try.
Rock solid with i5 and 16GB of 4Gx4. Three from a triple pack and one from another random sale. Still works great.

Cons: Limited fan speed controls. (Only CPU fan header)

Other Thoughts: Using this for a NICE freenas box. ISCSI server for DVD and BluRay burners and samba for windows high speed share. Getting 98MB/s reads and 108MB/s writes over samba on Gigabit network. ;)

Very happy installer.