Foxconn goes legacy-free into the mainstream

WE TALKED with a load of motherboard vendors about the upcoming technologies that will end up on motherboards in this year.

One of the questions I've asked concerns the Digital Voltage Regulator Module, DVRM. That is, getting rid of all the legacy power-supplying components in order to prolong longevity of the motherboards. As we all know, currently the motherboard is the computer component under highest electrical strain, since it provides current to the ever-hungry CPUs or graphics monsters.

While DFI will launch DVRM in its LANParty series of highest-end motherboards, Foxconn is taking a different route. The company will offer affordable Intel and AMD motherboards that feature DVRM, making sure they will support a lot of upcoming CPUs. Right now, a Digital Voltage Regulator Module costs around 10 US dollars, but as the volume will go up, the prices will drop - in around two years time, DVRM will be standard.

Foxconn's DVRM offering consists of an nForce 570 SLI and Intel P965 chipset and is set to grow as time passes. Using Nvidia's reference BIOS will help the AMD part, but first-gen Intel is probably just a test run.

The only advice we have to give to the Hon Hai guys and girls: Change the name of the products,. Can you expect a consumer to walk into a store and ask the following question: "Can you tell me the difference between the 8EKRS2H and 8EKRS4H, please?" µ