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Foxconn Inferno Katana P55 Motherboard Review
Author: Dennis Garcia
Published: Monday, February 08, 2010
Introduction
The Foxconn Quantum Force product line was established to create some of the most enthusiast friendly motherboards on the market. These motherboards featured high quality components, unique cooling features, and the best color combination ever, red and black.
In this review we will be looking at one of the most anticipated motherboards of 2009, the Quantum Force P55 Inferno Katana. The name Inferno Katana may have a slight Ninja connotation, but we suspect the name was actually derived from the previous Quantum Force motherboard called the Flaming Blade. Naming products like this is never an easy task, not only do you have to contend with picking the right name, but also make sure your graphics department understands the meaning and can deliver proper imagery. As we saw during our unboxing the Inferno Katana article the graphics are great, so it would seem the message was interpreted correctly.
The Intel P55 is a desktop level chipset designed for mainstream and multimedia systems. In some ways the P55 is very similar to the X58 but takes things further by completely eliminating the Northbridge chip. The remaining functionally was then moved to the processor for better performance.
In this review we will be looking at one of the most anticipated motherboards of 2009, the Quantum Force P55 Inferno Katana. The name Inferno Katana may have a slight Ninja connotation, but we suspect the name was actually derived from the previous Quantum Force motherboard called the Flaming Blade. Naming products like this is never an easy task, not only do you have to contend with picking the right name, but also make sure your graphics department understands the meaning and can deliver proper imagery. As we saw during our unboxing the Inferno Katana article the graphics are great, so it would seem the message was interpreted correctly.
The Intel P55 is a desktop level chipset designed for mainstream and multimedia systems. In some ways the P55 is very similar to the X58 but takes things further by completely eliminating the Northbridge chip. The remaining functionally was then moved to the processor for better performance.
Inferno Katana features a Red, Black, and Silver color scheme. These have been the standard colors for all Quantum Force designs starting back with the Bloodrage X58. The PCB is black while the remaining colors dominate the expansion slots and various motherboard coolers.
The back of the motherboard appears to be completely clean aside from the typical CPU reinforcement bracket. What you cannot see is the surface mount LEDs the give off a warm red glow when the system is operational.
The back of the motherboard appears to be completely clean aside from the typical CPU reinforcement bracket. What you cannot see is the surface mount LEDs the give off a warm red glow when the system is operational.