Foxconn DigitaLife ELA P45 Motherboard
The Foxconn ELA is a well laid out motherboard with some excellent features. Foxconn should be commended for squeezing so much onto an ATX PCB. Admittedly, the colour scheme may not be to everyone’s liking but you could probably deal with that if there weren’t other issues that make purchasing this motherboard questionable.
As I mentioned during our trip around the BIOS, the way in which Vcore adjustments are made to the CPU is just crazy. A simple drop down menu would have been much easier and quicker. In addition to the CPU voltage options, the inability to adjust the CPU Multiplier defies logic. Admittedly, the motherboard is targeted towards the HTPC enthusiast, but decking the motherboard out with a P45 chipset and ‘some’ overclocking options is just a tease. I wanna clock the nuts off it for gods sake…not coddle it.
These issues highlighted above brings me to my third point, and that is the price. For £200.63 from Ebuyer, I just don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere near value for money. Yeah sure the Foxconn ELA has the makings of a great HTPC motherboard, but I don’t think the asking price is justified. Our Australian readers can get their hands on the Foxconn ELA from Altech Computers for AUS$489.00 inc. GST.
The Good
* Lacking a substantial bundle for the money
