Introduction
Foxconn are really making an efford these days to make themselves seen in the PC enthusiast community. The combined engineering staff are bending over backwards to find new ways of buliding a motherboard, and impress even the most hardcore users. To obtain this you grab an Intel X48 chipset, the very best components you can find, and add some very advanced chipset cooling. The Blackops motherboard is capable of using any method of cooling between passive and liquid nitrogen.
We are of course very interested in finding out wether or not the effords have paid off. On the next couple of pages we will take a closer look at Foxconn Blackops, and fire it up for some serious benchmarking.
What's in the box
This is going to be quite a long page I'm affraid. Not only is the Blackops retail box huge, it is also packet to the brim with good stuff. We start out by putting the contens on the table. On top is the motherboard itself.
And this is where we wanted a bigger table...
It is quite a lot of stuff. Most of it is the obligatory cables, manuals and CD's, but there are also a couple of very special add-ons.
Before we take a closer look a some of the contents, here is a complete list.
6xSATA datacable
6xSATA powercable
1x ATA133 cable
1x Floppy cable
1x USB/Firewire bracket
1x IO Panel
1x Manual
1x Quick guide
Foxconn test certificate
Driver/Utilities CD
Mountingplate with screws
Quantum Force dogtag
1x Sonar soundcard
1x 120mm fan
1x 60mm fan + fangrill
2x 12mm water fittings ( 2x 10mm are mounted on the board )
1x ekstra rubber casket for the coolingblock
2x potentiometers
The focus is on the cooling system of the board, and this is reflected in the bundle as well. The first thing that gets our attention is a 120mm fan. It is not part of any specific option on the board, but it is a nice thing to have when you want a steady airflow, either through an enclosure or when opting for a kitchentable setup.
A bit further down in the box we find extra fittings for the watercoolingtop, to enable 12mm hoses, and I'll be damned if that black thing is not a cooling tower for dry-ice and liquid nitrogen (LN2).
The two blue Lego's i the bottom right corner are potentiometers. If you are thinking - horray, we are off for some voltmodding, I must dissappoint you. The only document I have been able to dig up, concerns a voltmod on an HD3870 graphicscard. But if you are an electronics wizz, feel free to have a go at the control circuits for Vcore, Vdimm, Vmch or whatever.
There is no soundcard built on to the Blackops, but a Sonar soundcard is supplied. This is indeed a pro solution for the best motherboards. You can of course choose to not use it and go for your favorite SB16.
The advantage is in the noisereduction. Separating the soundchip from the other electronics reduces the electric noise on the 7.1 channels. Optical and Coax outputs are on the motherboard.
And just when you thought the box was empty, take out the pink foammatte and look underneath. An acrylic board with holes in it, ment for use outside an enclosure when you go for some of that extreme cooling. I have not seen enything like this before in a PC motherboard bundle, but the idea is brilliant when you make a board for a usergroup known for not using enclosures at all.
The only downside is that there was no hole in the motherboard for the centerpin. It has been market on the board where the hole is supposed to be, but the heatpipesolution covers the hole and make it impossible to fit a drill. Its a minor flaw in the design, but a bit annoying knowing that you need a mechanically stable platform when you play with it outside an enclosure.
In their effords to separate themselves from ordinary consumer electronics, Foxconn have included a testreport for your motherboard, meaning it has beeen thoroughly tested before leaving the factory.
A small selection of benchmarks and other stuff to tells you that the board is working properly. It is a very cool idea, and it gives the end-user a feeling of having bought a mercedes. I cannot wait to get this thing fired up.
Specifications
The Blackops uses a specially designed 8 phase digital powersupply for the cpu. In laymans terms there are 8 valves to deliver the steam needed to drive the cpu, and the control is very precise.
The loss of power in the digital circuits is supposedly 25% less than what can be achieved using conventional analogue systems. This helps ensuring stability and thus higher overclocking potential.
To take care of the sound bit, a Realtek ALC885 chip with 7.1 channels is used. Foxconns version is called SONAR, and is placed on an add-on card. The one major advantage by having a separate soundcard is the noisereduction. Electric signals from the PCI bus ao. cannot influence the soundchip as much as if it was mounted on the motherboard itself. Foxconn promise a signal/noise ratio of 106dB. Typically a standard on-board solution will have around 90dB.
But, what really sells this board is the special made cooling solution on the chipset. It is basically a copperblock with a bunch of cooling fins at the bottom.
The clever part is, that you can mount different accessories to enable passive/air cooling, go for a water setup, or go crazy with some dry-ice or LN2. A total of four options with the same cooler. More on this later on.
Also on the features list, is the option for using three ATi graphics cards i CrossfireX configuration. There is room for 8GB DDR3 memory, and of course support for the latest Intel 45nm cpu's. Here is a complete list.
| Processor: |
Supports Intel® Core™2 Quad, Core™2 Extreme, Core™2 Duo, Pentium® Dual-Core, Pentium® Dual-Core and 45nm processors, Socket T (LGA775) |
| Chipset: |
Intel® X48 + ICH9R Chipset |
| Front Side Bus: |
2000(oc**)1600/1333/1066/800 MHz. |
| Memory: |
Dual channel DDR3 1600/1333/1066800/667 x 4 DIMMs, Max. 8GB |
| VGA on Die: |
Discreted |
| Expansion Slots: |
3* PCIe2.0 x16, 3* PCI |
| IDE: |
1* ATA 133
|
| Serial ATA(SATA)/RAID: |
6* SATAII + 2* eSATA w / RAID 0, 1, 5, 10; Intel® Matrix storage technology and Intel® Rapid Recover Technology |
| Audio: |
SONAR audio card, Realtek® ALC885, 7.1 channel Audio |
| LAN: |
Dual Gigabit LAN by Broadcom™ PCIe and PCI LAN chip |
| IEEE1394: |
2*1394a |
| Back Panel I/O Ports: |
1 x PS/2 keyboard port
1 x PS/2 mouse port
1 x SONAR card with 6 audio jacks,CD-in and Front audio integrated
1 x S/PDIF Coaxial out port
1 x S/PDIF Fiber out port
1 x IEEE1394a port
2 x eSATA ports
6 x USB 2.0 ports
2 x RJ45 LAN port |
| Internal I/O Connectors: |
1 x ATX 24-pin power connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x 4-pin CPU fan connector
2 x 3-pin System/NB fan connectors
2 x 3-pin fan power connectors
1 x Floppy connector
1 x IrDA header
1 x COM header
3 x USB 2.0 connectors support additional 6 ports
3 x Onboard On/Off/CMOS reset buttons
6 x Serial ATAII connectors
1 x Front panel connector
1 x On-board power_LED
1 x ATA133 IDE connector
1 x IEEE1394a header
1 x Buzzer |
| BIOS Features: |
8MB flash EEPROM w/ LAN boot PnP, ACPI, WfM, DMI 2.0 |
| Support CD: |
Drivers, Adobe Reader, Norton |
| Standards/Manageability: |
PCI 2.3, USB2.0, DMI 2.5 |
| Special Features: |
** Achieved by overclocking
* Quantum Force segment, based on Intel® X48 chipset
* Supports latest Intel® 45nm processors
* 3* PCIe x16 Gen2.0 with ATI CrossFireX™ support
* Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz support
* 4in1 Quantum Cooler
* 8 phase Digital PWM
* Quantum BIOS
* SONAR Audio – 7.1 channel HDA daughter card with 106db SNR
* Quantum Flow and Quantum Lap unique accessories
* 100% SOLID Capacitor design and Ferrite Choke |
| Form Factor: |
ATX (12" x 9.6") |
Layout / Design
Lets take a closer look at the Blackops board shall we. It has a dark PCB and toned down colors for the rest of the components, just like the MARS model. It almost looks a bit OEM-like, but in this case it does not matter. The enormeus coolingblock on the northbridge makes a design statement, and all in all the board has a very serious look. An important detail to be mentioned, is that the cooling system is mounted with screws, and relatively easy to disassemble. This actually costs quite a lot in the productionline, since you have to have a worker with a screwdriver to do the assembly.
But this is good news for us, coz now we can get down and dirty and get rid of the original cooling paste if you feel the need for some Ceramic paste instead. Let us turn our attention to the cpu socket and the big cooling block. The area around the cpu is not littered with components due to the new digital 8 phase powersupply, hidden under the massive heatsink with the Blackops logo.
The coolingblock is factory fitted with a watercoolingtop. The top can be removed and underneath is a hollow with a row of copperfins.
That gives us a large surface to remove the heat form the chipset, wether you opt for air, water or ice. The 60mm fan from the bundle fits onto the block with two screws, and the coolingtower for ice/LN2 use the same scews as well.
That only leaves for us to pour some LN2 down the hole. I would think twice if I were you though, before we have a new iceage on the electronics - or maybe more of a meltdown. Severe cold and metal at room temperature, will form icecrystals and condensation that will kill the board instantly, if you do not properly prepare the PCB. I will show you why on the overclocking page.
A bit further south is, you guessed it, the southbridge with all the SATA, USB and the rest of the connectors. There is an oldfashioned 7-segment display to give you a Hex-code readout of the boot sequence, to help you with any trobleshooting.
There are no PCIe x1 sockets on the Blackops, but instead there are three x16 ports for graphics cards, and three old-school PCI ports. There is room for three dual-slot graphicscards and one PCI adapter if you bleed your wallet.
This last photo shows the Blackops mounted on the mountingplate with the soundcard in place for a full overview of the IO options.
I do not know why there is a gap between the PS/2 plugs and the eSATA, but on the other hand I cannot think of anything that might fit in, that we do not already have. The digital outputs mising on the SONAR card itself are placed on the motherboard, and activates when you install the SONAR. All in all I think everything we need is represented on the IO panel.
BIOS
The BIOS system is AWARD based, and Foxconn have then added their own Quantum menu where all the parameters for adjustments and overclocking are present.
The Quantum menu is again divided into sub-menus to make it easier to find the individual settings. It is actually quite a job to make an extensive and yet manageable BIOS, but I think Foxconn get away with it nicely.
First we find the cpu settings. Here you can change wich cpu feature you want to enable, ie. if the powersaving features, EIST and C1E, and also Virtualization, Execute Disable Bit and others.
Did you notice the Cold Bug Fix option at the bottom. You need to go below -50C before using it, so I am guessing it puts a few amperes through the cpu to heat it up before powering on. With more conventional cooling like air and water you will not have to use it.
Next we find memory timing. It is very extensive in itself, and almost reaches DFI-ish heights with all the options.
Here is one screenshot, but as you can tell from the scrollbar on the right, you have twice as many options as shown. Here I have manually set my DDR3's at 7-7-7-21 2T. And we are not done with the memory options at all.
The next menu is All Voltage Control. The title says it all. Everything you need to heat up your hardware is found here.
Vcore is set in two steps. A basic voltage and a divider to get you all the way to 2.44V. That is almost double the stock voltage of a 45nm cpu. If you have already mounted the dry-ice pot on the northbridge, you might want to do the same for the cpu if you plan on maxing out the Vcore.
PLL, VTT and GTL Ref signalling leve can also be adjusted. In other word there are plenty of tweak options on the cpu. The northbridge is next in line.
Here you can go all the way to 2.395 Volts, and you can also adjust the GTL Ref signalling leves on this one. There are +/-31 steps on all the GTL Ref options, so have a blast. On the other end of the board we find the southbridge and a maximum 1.95 Volts.
This brings us back to the memory modules again. We find plenty of voltage to put the heat on your expensive DDR3's.
Here too we find a 31 step signal level option or the pull up/pull down voltage. This has to do with stabilizing the clockpulses when the electronics are overclocked.
In the OC Gear menu you have the option of saving your settings when you find a good starting point, or permanent overclock. I used this feature succesfully when I was testing for maximum speeds. This way you do not have to memorize what you did, and minor changes that pushes you over the edge will not get you back to square one. Just reset the BIOS on the yellow button and load the stored setup when the board reboots.
Next we have the OC Clock Phase selection. You can go for stock speed ( shame on you ), Instant overclocking or manual control.
Så let us just go all the way and select the out-of-the-box 75% overclock and get it over with, and hope the board does something right, eh. I hate to tell you this, but it is just not that easy. You need some pretty hardcore gear to go to 75%, and in all instances I prefer doing my OC in manual mode, where I can control what is going on. But do not let me discourage you from trying.
We have reached the land of busfrequencies, and like we saw on the MARS, there are no limits to our effords.
With a maximum of 999MHz on the cpu fsb, and 255MHx for PCIe, the hardware can be maxed out for sure.
And we have more in store for the cpu.
Skew and amplitude control can adjust the timing of clockpulses for the northbridge and their size. It is not nescessarily a good idea to raise these voltages as it will affect the risetimes on the pulses, thereby achieving the opposite of what you hoped for. You have to just try and see.
Memory and cpu dividers are also present.
Not a lot to add here.
PCI sockets can have the speed fixed.
I have not experienced any difference in OC potential from these settings, but then again I have not used any PCI addon cards.
The final shot is from the hardware monitor, or PC Health status.
If you attach any fans to the plugs you will find that they start up at full speed and then slow down according to the Smart Fan control. It is a good way of doing it, as you make sure all fans start rotating. You can also choose a fixed level or go full throttle on all fans.
It is, as I have said already, a very extensive BIOS Foxconn have supplied us with, but it is easy to navigate through all the sub-menus, and also easy to work with once you get the hang of it.
Software
On the driver-CD is an updated version of Foxconns monitoring- and now overclocking - utility called AEGIS. When testing the MARS board eralier this year I was not impressed with the program at all. It takes up a lot of space on the desktop compared to the alternatives, and I missed functionality. The updated version takes care of most of the problems. Almost all my negative arguments have been removed, and I of course take full credit 
AEGIS still takes up space, but the functions have improved a lot. The main window is now packet with useful information, and covers cpu, fsb, memory and PCI Express speeds, where the first version only had cpu speed.
AEGIS has been fitted with an excellent overclocking function also missing on the previous version. Now you can control the most important parameters for voltages and busspeeds. This is where I discovered that my memorymodules were getting 1.64V, although their rating is 1.9V. There is no option for changing any timings, so if you need your memory modules to run at CL6 you need to go to the BIOS and manually do it, just like you do on every other board in the world. The added functionality is really excellent, and the program remains stable even at high clockfrequencies.
Woops, did we just make it to 9 seconds for a PI 1M
Finally there is an alarm and monitoring function.
All voltages and temperatures can be monitored, and you decide what you want to be warned about. It would be nice to know if your cpu-cores have reached 100C, even after pouring the dry-ice mixture. Maybe you need to correct the DI-POT, or you screwed up your Vmod to 4 Volts 
Test
The testsystem is :
Mainboard - Foxconn Blackops BIOS: G28
CPU - QX6850@3.0GHz and E8500@3.0GHz
Graphics - BFG 8800 GTS 320MB
RAM - Patriot PC3-14400 CL8
PSU - OCZ 600W Powerstream
Harddisk - WD Raptor 80GB
Cooling
• XSPC X2O Delta, 10mm
• Hydor L30 pump, 1200L/h
• Alphacool NexXxoS Pro Dual radiator
Northbridge
• Foxconn 60mm fan - til luftkøling.
• X2O Pumpe/reservoir 400L/h
• BlackIce Extreme 120
Software
• Windows XP Pro w. SP2
• PCmark05
• CineBench 10
• SuperPI mod.1.5 XS
• DVD Shrink 3.2
• 3Dmark03
• 3Dmark06
• Aquamark3
• Crysis CPU timedemo
• FarCry Regulator Demo
PCmark05
This benchmark contains regular officetype tasks like unpacking zip archives, scanning for viruses, rendering a webpage ao.
Performance is on par with the two big-ones from ASUS, the Rampage and P5K3 Deluxe. We are off to a good start, let us see what happens when we go for some extensive multitasking.
Cinebench 10
The Cinebench test contains a small moviesequence running on OpenGL drivers, and a photo that is rendered twice. First with only one cpu core calculating, and then with all available cores put to maximum use. Ideally a quadcore cpu should quadruple the speed.
Blackops does really well in this test, and even manages to break the 10900 point barrier for the first time.
SuperPI 1M
It is time to crunch some numbers. One million decimals on PI must be calculated in shortest possible time.
Once again Blackops does well, and leans on abit IX38's 16.750 seconds.
DVDshrink 3.2
Before we hit the 3D marks, one final test to see if Blackops is up for some DVD conversion. 1.1GB of DVD files must be compressed to 60% of the original size.
The Blackops is only beaten by Foxconns own MARS board, and makes it in 48 seconds.
Right then - time for some 3D testing. You do not want to invest in a new board if it is not up to the 3D challenge.
3Dmark03
Excactly the same score ad the Gigabyte EP45-DS3R, and in the high ebnd of the scale.
3Dmark06
Lets see if the 06 version can offer some resistance..
This is a very tight run, and there is less than 1% difference in the scores. Blackops is in the middle.
Aquamark3
We will have one more synthetic test before we hit the demos. Aquamark is also an oldie, but still it gives us a quick overview of any potential performance problems.
A slap in the face for the competition here. I do not know why, but it seems as if Blackops loves the Aquamark test.
The rest is up to Crysis and FarCry demos. The benchmarks are run at different resolutions and filtering levels to give a more nuanced testsequence.
Crysis CPU benchmark
The demovesrsion of Crysis contains a CPU demo that I will use. The test is run at low, medium and high settings.
There are minor differences, but in general Blackops is at the top when it comes to the all important average framerate. Very good result.
Far Cry Regulator Demo
And to finish off, the CRYSIS predecessor FarCry. It still packs a punch and with all the eyecandy enabled you need a powerful system.
Here too Blackops gets a fine score.
All in all the Foxconn Blackops has a tendency to finish all our standard benchmarks in the high end of the scale, leaving nothing to complain about. Now all we need to find out, is how much juice is left in the grape. I am talking about overclocking ofcourse, and since this motherboard has a rather special cooling solution, I have decided to extend the effords a little on this one.
Overclocking
It is quite an impressive collection of extras that come with this board, and it almost begs you to go bezerk in an overclocking frenzy. We have a fan for aircooling, a top with holes for watercooling fittings, and a Dryice/LN2 pot if you want to go to the edge and beyond.
The northbridgecooler is built like a big copper LEGO brick, but if you plan on getting away with just pouring a supercold liquid into the bowl and start clocking, think again. A subzero metal surface at room temparature will start building icecrystals. And the heatpipesystem attached to the block will generate heavy condensation that will drip onto the electronics. The northbridgechip itself is also in danger of getting frosted, with increased posibility of a short circuit and a dead motherboard. Some minor modifications are needed before we begin using cold water and icecubes.
The codeword is neoprene, neoprene and more neoprene. If you want to make sure there are no pockets of air where condensation may occur you can add some vaseline or good quality cooling paste. Maskingtape is also usefull in the early stages. To do this you need to unmount the entire heatpipe assembly, but lucky for us we only need to remove a few screws. No annoying plastic clips.
Now we are prepared and we are off to step one. I want to show the difference between air-, water- and ice-cooling. For the aircooling test I have used the 60mm fan from the bundle, and an Intel stockcooler from a 955EE attached to my E8500. This should be sufficient cooling, although Intels own was not ment for breaking records. And somewhat disappointing the system only made it to 490fsb and 4.165GHz. It simply gets too warm for any more benches. No screenshots of the windy effords - sorry guys.
We move on to the watercooling stuff. I used the two 12mm fittings to get maximum flow,and an X2O 400L/h pumping station with a BlackIce radiator attached. This should give us cooling capabilities well beyond 400W.
On the cpu I have used an X2O Extreme cooling block, a Hydor L30 1200L/h pump and my Alphacool NeXXoss Pro Dual radiator.
Now this goes a lot better. I am much more at home with the watercooling setup, and after a few adjustment I reached 545fsb on the chipset. I have not made any efford to overclock the cpu any further this time around. The maximum for the E8500 is around 4.7GHz on watercooling, and here we have 4.3GHz. I am therefore quite sure that this is the maximum for the chipset on water.
But hey, we have not finished yet. I am talking about that dry.ice thingy i the box. So I went to town and got hold of a few kilos of frozen CO2 and a bottle of Acetone. The two things combined will get us a supercold liquid somewhere around -79C. Be aware that this stuff is extremely toxic, flamable, and not healthy to drink, inhale or get on your skin. Only do this with proper ventilation ie. outdoors or with all the windows open. I was sitting in my workshop with the doors open, and I felt somewhat drunk/dizzy after benching for 2 hours. Organic solvents are not a toy - you be warned.
The next two pictures show the testrig with D-Ice POT's on cpu and northbridge, and here you can clearly see what happens to the heatpipesystem at subzero temperatures. I had the 120mm fan running at full blast to keep condensation to a minimum.
Be carefull with condensation and icy plumbing !
Oh well, back to the testing. I have made two small videoclips to show the testing underway.
[VIDEO=6]
Playing around with the BIOS.
[VIDEO=7]
BSOD or bust !!!
Although the video shows a BSOD systemcrash at 4.9GHz, I managed to push the system to a nice 570fsb for maximum busspeed.
And just so you do not think that 4.85GHz is the cpu maxing out, I went for another go with 9.5x multiplier.
And here I have well over 5.2GHz before I finally called it a day, and a SuperPI 1M at 8.906sec is pretty damn fast, excuse me for swearing.
In other words, Blackops is a very fine toy for the big boys when you want to play with overclocking. Be it air, water or extreme. For a 24/7 system I would definitely go for the watercooling option, as the coolingblock is not ideal for air or passive cooling. It goes without saying that dry-ice or LN2 is only suitable for benchmark testing, not everyday use.
UK summary
Based on our own testing Foxconn deserves a well earned applause. With the Blackops board Foxcon have managed to climb to the top op the enthusiast tree among the very best overclocking boards. Both the design of the board and the accessories urge you to give full throttle when overclocking. We have tested all aspects of the cooling system in this test, and although the heatpipesystem will be ok for passive/aircooling, I would go for the watercooling option and/or ice for the optimum performance. I am also glad the AEGIS software has been updated. It is now a very useful utility when you want to push your hardware to the edge and beyond.
Innovation/Technology - 5
Blackops is cutting edge with the Intel X48 chipset that will support all modern chipset technologies, and on top of that it has three x16 graphics ports with PCIe 2.0 bandwith. Using ATi CrossfireX you can build a very powerful multi-gfx setup. Apart from the 8-phase digital powersupply, there is no real powersaving technology on this motherboard. But honestly I feel it would have been misplaced on Blackops. This board was not made to save you money on your electric bill. When it comes to innovation, the 4-in-1coolingblock on ther northbridge qualifies. The block is also connected to the PWM and southbridge.
Bundle/Accessories - 5
It is a big box packet with nice extra stuff. Fans, cables and gizmos for the coolingblock that allows you to configurethe board to suit your needs. And to finish things off, you get a mounting plate for your kitchentable setup. By far one of the most well equipped bundles out there.
Design/Layout - 5
A lot of efford have gone into satisfying the enthusiast segment when designing this motherboard, and it works really well outside an enclosure. Onboard buttons for on/off, reset and ClearCmos. I had no real problems during the test, and the board even survived severe icing without dying on me. If one has to say something on the bad side, it is that the board is not prepared for dry-ice/LN2 when it comes to insulation and protection from water condensing. Agreed we are in the extremes here, and if you plan on using dry-ice you are probably going to do some preparing regardless of the factory doings. If you look at it from that perspective, it is a positive feature that the entire cooling system has been mounted with screws and is easy to disassemble. It is not the most beautiful board in the world if you ask me. But the lack of wow-effect really should not affect the score in this category. Enthusiasts do not care for looks anyway, as long as the damn thing works. And Blackops really works.
Software/BIOS - 5
The BIOS part is also worth a visit. It looks a lot like the BIOS we saw on the MARS board, but with more parameters for tweaking the chipset and voltages. Also included are a few extreme-clocking features such as Vdroop compensation and anti cold-bug feature for temperatures below -50C. Not something you see every day. The tempeture measurement on the northbridge does not show anything below 0C. The AEGIS software has been updated, and is now an excellent tool for monitoring and overclocking. On a personal note I am glad to see all the negatives I wrote about it in my last review have been corrected. 
Performance - 5
In all our standard benchmarks Blackops scores in the high end of the scale running at stock speed. And when overclocked ( shame on whoever buys a Blackops to run it at stock speed ) there is plenty of power in the supply and the rest of the components to go really far. I managed to get the system well under 9 sekonds for a SuperPI 1M running at 5.2GHz on the cpu ( 552fsb ). Don't say we never test things to the limit here on HWT.
Price - 3
The only real drawback is the price for this monster marvel at around 348,5€. That is a lot of money to spend on any motherboard, but again we must look at what you get, and for who this board was made. You get one of the very best overclockers on the market, with a sh*tload of useful accessories, That has got to be worth something.