Intel certainly has an established reputation when it comes to motherboards. In most regards, its reputation is solid but hardware enthusiasts generally don't recognize Intel for supporting those whom derive utility from pushing a processor or motherboard to the limit. Intel would rather see a group of power users purchase 3.06GHz Pentium 4 processors instead of overclocking their less-expensive 2.53GHz chips to the same level. Clock multipliers on both Pentium 4 and Athlon XP processors are locked by both chip manufacturers as a result of this mentality. Most motherboard manufacturers are more sympathetic to mongering overclockers, though. With so many boards on the market, features like voltage modifications and 1MHz front side bus settings help differentiate the unique boards from the bland. Further, integrated add-ons like USB 2.0, onboard Ethernet, Firewire and most recently Serial ATA, infuse value which also attracts those that consider themselves enthusiasts. Unfortunately, an impressive specification sheet doesn't always equate to comparable reliability. This is where Intel sets itself apart. Simply, Intel takes pride in offering some of the most stable motherboards on the market.

But in taking a no-nonsense approach to system stability, performance and feature sets are often sacrificed. Intel boards work well in mission-critical machines and servers but we wouldn't expect to find one in a tweaked out gaming rig, at least up until now. It seems as though Intel has deviated from the straight-and-narrow a bit, in order to deliver a motherboard that includes a few more bells and whistles than previous products. The D845PEBT2 (affectionately referred to as Blue Mountain 2) comes equipped with 6-channel audio, IEEE 1394, Serial ATA and integrated Ethernet. Its BIOS provides memory timing options and the board is even laid out on an aesthetically pleasing black PCB! While it may not be usual Intel fare, we certainly love to see Intel making an earnest appeal to the hearts of performance enthusiasts.