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The budget contender
The 965 PLT-A, from the Elitegroup stable, targets the value-conscious. Straight out of the box, the board supports Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors, promising a decent upgrade path. Long-life solid state capacitors are only used in the vicinity of the LG775 socket, showcasing the board’s “budget” colours.

The use of the 946GZ chipset limits FSB support to 1033 MHz, which will get the job done only for now. Though there is dual-channel DDR2 support, addition capacity is restricted to two DIMM slots, meaning a max of 4 GB of RAM. Support for high-speed DDR2 modules is restricted to 667MHz.

The 16x PCIe slot provides the vital graphics expansion capability, along with one 4x PCIe slot for a physics card. Featured are four SATA ports and one IDE slot. Out of eight USB 2.0 ports, four are on the rear panel while the rest of them are expandable through the onboard jacks using the PCI bracket provided alongside.

The board scored 3598 in PC Mark 05 when we used an Intel Core 2 Duo E6700, meaning it’s an average performer. In our game tests, the board churned out 11.7 fps in Doom 3 at 1024 x 768 with shadows disabled. The overall 3D Mark score of 362 indicates mediocre onboard graphics performance.

The 946GZ chipset does a respectable job for the price (Rs 4,300). The board doesn’t excel in any department; it doesn’t pack a punch for gamers and overclockers—but the just-average guy won’t complain.

Specifications
Intel 946GZ and ICH7 chipset; Socket 775; Core 2 Duo / Quad ready; 1066 / 800 FSB; DDR2 667 / 533 MHz; integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3000; 4 SATA ports

RATINGS
Performance  :  2.5
Features : 3
Ease of use : 3
Value for Money : 3.5
Overall : 3

Contact : Zenith Technologies
Phone : 9323584048
E-mail : malay.ray@zenith-india.com
Web site : www.ecs.com.tw
Price : Rs 4,300